How I'm Gonna Do Mamahood with Baby #2

If you haven't read my BEFORE and AFTER I Became a Mama posts, I'd say check them out first before you read this one...that way this post will make sense. :) 

This IS my 32 week baby belly as of this past Saturday! Eeeeeeeeeee! Almost there!

So...ya know I was a holistic health nut before getting pregnant with C.  And, you know I'm not really a holistic health nut anymore since having C and getting more and more into mamahood, right?

Well, now that I'm pregnant with baby brother (whose estimated date of arrival is September 1st) my expectations are WAY different than they were before mommy became my new name.

Once baby boy is here...

 I will most likely NOT breastfeed for very long.

I may do it for the first week and/or first month, but after that I'm planning on going to formula.  I know everyone has their different views on this, but for me and my lifestyle, I can't stress over my milk again this time.  And, as you know, I don't want to go through mastitis again either.

But, my main reason for NOT being glued to the pump and having baby boy glued to my breast is because I need to be a calm and happy mama for not only baby boy but also for my baby girl.  This time is going to be much different and I won't have anywhere NEAR the time I had when it was just C and I.  I'm just not the type who can have a baby at my breast and keep things running smoothly for my toddler.  I just know it.

Happy Mama...Happy Kids...Happy Husband...Happy Doggie...Happy Life!  (Well...that's what I'm going for this time - I'm not gonna put a huge amount of stress to make something work this time.  If it works...it works.  If it doesn't...it doesn't.  And, I'm totally FINE with that this time.)

Food isn't going to be TOP on my list (at least for the first 3 to 6 months).  

I've already told D that if we only eat frozen meals this time around, I'm totally cool with that.  Now that I'll be a mama to two kiddos (especially with one as a newborn and being even more sleep deprived than ever), I'm OK with just popping in a frozen meal this time around.

And, I'm even thinking of going back to eating cereal in the mornings. Oh.my.gosh! This one is HUGE! I haven't eaten dried cereal and milk since before my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  (I could tell you why, but that would have me going backwards to my health nut days. ;)   But, if you'd like to know, just ask me and I'll share.) I always cook my meals in the morning - from eggs and veggies to a grain porridge - oats...polenta...everything is ALWAYS cooked.  So, yeah, cereal is HUGE and will be a timesaver and less stress for me for sure...which is way more important in my life right now

I'm not gonna push myself to make all kinds of homemade meals this time.  I have to rest when I can and I need very little on my to-do list so I can BE there for both kiddos.  Plus, I know, this won't be forever and before I know it I'll be back in the kitchen again - well, at least for breakfast and lunch - dinner will be a few years down the road because I'm gonna have another toddler under my feet - unless him and big sister can play nicely while I cook...ha!).

As for baby brother's food...when he starts solids, I'm most likely NOT gonna make all is food from scratch this time around either.  I know I'll do some things, but I'm not gonna push myself to have it all homemade.

I will NOT be pushing myself to do hardcore exercise to lose my baby weight.

I forgot to mention this one in my last post.  After having C,  I STRESSED big time about losing my baby weight...oh, wait, maybe I did talk about it...I remember thinking with C...I'm a holistic health coach and I can't even get rid of my weight.

I was pushing and pushing myself with cardio right after my doctor gave me the OK at 6 weeks - well, 8 weeks really because my tear took longer to heal, but yeah, I pushed.  I did cardio videos, zumba, yoga, yoga dance videos, walking, intervals on my treadmill...so many things that I used to do before becoming a mama.  Which, after I was done, I felt even more depleted.

I ALWAYS had this little voice in my head (my inner guide) telling me that I needed to slow down - to do more slow activities - because my body was SO deprived of relaxation (I mean, really, I hadn't relaxed since the day C was born!) and because I was basically doing cardio all day long with giving ALL my time to C. (And, when I did this after C turned 2,  my weight started to fall off, and of course, I wasn't eating as much either because I was getting more sleep).

And, as you know, if you read my Mama Quiet Time post, I feel SO much better when I sit still in quiet.

So this time, instead of pushing my body to do more cardio...cardio...cardio while it's in need of rest and relaxation. I'll be taking it easy and sleeping and taking leisurely walks when I can.  I'm also thinking of just doing 10 minutes of strength training once my schedule permits, but I won't be doing anything that's longer than 20 minutes...that's even pushing it for me.

Everyone is different, and I know for me, with lack of sleep and pushing myself to do more just backfires on me.  So I'm lifting the pressure of trying to lose my baby weight quickly.  Even just typing that out makes me feel....ahhhhhhh! :)

 I will NOT continuously snack to keep my energy going. 

I don't think I talked about this one either...but after I had C I gained 10 pounds because I was snacking way too much!  And, let me tell you...I wasn't snacking on processed foods either.  I was downing way too many dark chocolate chips and almonds in the afternoons because of sleep deprivation and energy levels (I'm not a coffee drinker so this is my caffeine of choice).

D was gone most of the week at law school - some days 7 am until 9 pm at night.  So I found myself eating larger portions of eggs in veggies in the morning (way more than I needed - but I wasn't connected to ME and HOW much I needed at this time because my head was in newborn land)...and more and more snacks throughout the afternoon.  Hence, the I can't lose my baby weight and I'm a holistic coach thoughts.

I'm the type who can eat way more when I'm in need of sleep and when I'm stressed.  So this time, I'm going to try and just rest as much as I can or find something else to do (which I'm sure I won't have this problem with two to take care of now) instead of going into the cabinet and grabbing a handful of nuts and chocolate.  This is definitely a hard one to do when it's been such a habit for awhile.

Blogging will be taking a backseat.  

I absolutely LOVE blogging and sharing and connecting with others, but during this first year, I'm not gonna push myself to connect online.  Especially during the first 3 months.

When I first had C, I was in a place of indecision when it came to pursuing my online and offline career.  My head went back and forth on what my direction should be the entire first two years of C's life.  When she was napping, I was pumping and building my websites and writing content.  I was also studying everything I could on photography and taking online classes (LOVED every minute of this though and can't wait to get started again!!).  I was doing way TOO MUCH!!

So this time, I'm giving myself permission to let everything go and just take care of my babies and myself (and this will help with my mindset and snacking, too!).  Once things settle down, I'll get back to consistent blogging - but if I only blog here and there...I'm SO OK with that, because I now have everything in place and I can just dive right back in when the time is right.

And, lastly, what I WILL be doing is just resting when I can, taking pictures when I can and BEing a mama.

Once baby brother settles into his routine this coming up year, I'll be going to bed when all kiddos go to bed.  No staying up late to get things done...no blogging...no messing around on Facebook and email...no TV watching...just BED!  I HAVE to do this or I'll be paying for it the next day.  Sure, I may stay up here and there, but the majority of my days I need to be in bed early.

I still plan to doodle before I go to bed because that calms and relaxes me, but that's it!

And, I will stay connected to my camera - either my cell phone camera or my DSLR - when I can because this helps me stay connected to myself in the most fantastic way.  It uplifts me and energizes me and brings me the most inner happiness...something that I must stay connected with while taking care of everyone else.

I'm SO grateful that I'm able to stay home with my kiddos, thanks to my husband! And because I've chosen to stay home with my kids, I can't keep trying and live my life like it was before becoming a mom, because yes, I was fighting with this when I first had C.  I'm going to embrace this season and BE there for my kiddos.

My main priority is to make sure I'm taking care of myself so I can be a better mama to my kids.

I don't have any help (except my sitter who only comes for 2 hours once a week), so taking care of myself is priority!  And, I know with C, I didn't take care of myself as I should have.

The nice thing about doing this for a second time is that my mindset knows it's not going to be like this forever.  Before I know it, my little's will be in school full-time and I'll be missing all the newborn and toddler days (well, maybe ;) hehe!).

I also know that even though I have all these intentions in my head, things can definitely change.  So I'm keeping an open mind.

So that's my plan for now...we shall see how it goes!  Wish me luck!  :)

Have more than one kiddo?  Got any advice to add to this list?  I'd love to hear it! :) 

Be sure to check out the first two posts to this series: 

BEFORE I Became a MamaAFTER I Became a Mama

Until next time...

{life IS colorful}