Last week my sister had her baby one day shy of my own sweet boy turning six months old. As I held my newborn niece, I had a strange feeling seeing my son at six months and remembering his first day on earth.
I remember him being tiny, helpless, so cute and me being so exhausted from labour. BUT today we can throw him around (almost literally), he smiles, grabs, and can move about. He loves tickles and will let you know when he doesn’t like something or gets cranky when it’s time to nap. On the outside and of course on social media the baby life looks like a dream. While these are precious moments, the days can be long and frustrating. Motherhood has been the most challenging thing I have ever done!
As I say this I am also so grateful for my son. He is the greatest teacher that I have ever had.
He has taught me to love unconditionally, to love when I am exhausted, to have patience, to have more empathy, to be selfless, to be selfish, and to ‘step up’ so that I can guide him and give him the security that he needs.
So much has happened over the last six months. I am in complete awe that we are not only surviving, but thriving in our new reality.
I believe raising a human is the most important job on earth. You are everything to your child in this 24/7 role. You also have to stay healthy and work on yourself so that you can set the best example you can. Double whammy!
So, I credit healthy eating for maintaining my sanity and my health (I am a holistic nutritionist after all!) so that I can be there for my son.
I haven’t gotten a full night of uninterrupted sleep since my son was born. I am breastfeeding yet I feel healthy, well rested (most of the time) and I am thriving. I have used all of my tricks and knowledge to eat the best that I can and to maintain my health since I have the responsibility of nourishing my child (and myself!). Eating well has been my true saving grace. While exercise and emotional health are crucial each day, nutrition is my first priority and my foundation.
As a lovely side effect of eating well, I have lost most if not all of my baby weight (fyi – I don’t believe in dieting or deprivation). Also, those pesky dark eye circles I was noticing during the first month postpartum are no longer apparent (I was averaging 4-5 hours of interrupted sleep a day)!
Here are some of the things I have been doing that help me to thrive and will help YOU thrive as well:
- Water!
- Oil pulling (at the time of this post it wasn’t part of my routine but I love it now!)
- Green smoothies
- Eating well…of course. Check out my recipe section!
- Stress relief (tulsi tea, spoonking and yoga)
- Working Out
If you are a mom, tell me in the comments below how your first six months with your babe went. Were they easy peasy, challenging or exhilarating? I would love to know! Mommy friends know the real deal.
Share this with other new moms who are in need of some quick nutritional tips to get them from surviving to thriving!
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~Michelle
Holistic Nutritionist.
