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Prior to Bradley’s arrival on July 8th I promised myself and my family that I was going to try to keep him as healthy as possible. Keeping him healthy to me meant that I was going to love him as much as possible and nurse him as long as I could.  My secret goal was 3 1/2 months. That is how long I nursed Ava and I knew I could at least make it that far.

I never had issues nursing Ava. It was easy, she was quick, there was less interruptions at night from making bottles, she was healthy and we saved some money. I also developed a special bond with Ava and I learned a lot about myself from those late night feedings and long nights.

What I also learned was that nursing wasn’t always a positive experience. There are so many issues you can face such as getting the baby to latch, engorgement, nursing pain, long feedings etc. While I didn’t have major issues, I did find it challenging to leave the house to nurse. I wasn’t able to do it in public. Some women have no issue with this, but to me I dreaded being out and nursing. I would do it at someone’s house, but only if I was in a room by myself. After a few months I felt trapped and it was starting to take an emotional toll on me. While I wanted a healthy baby, I also wanted to live a “normal” life. For me that meant getting out of the house and feeding my baby from a bottle whenever I could.

Similar to Ava, I had no real issues nursing the second time around with Bradley. He was a little harder to feed, and a lot bigger and heavier to hold, but both minor problems I easily learned to work around.  So after about 3 1/2 months with Bradley my supply started slowing. Part of it was probably from a big hungry boy and part of it was me secretly starting to wean off and add in more formula so I could go out more. When I went to Bradley’s 4 month check up he was over 95th percentile for height and weight and I told his doctor I was probably going to slowly stop nursing.

She gave me words of encouragement and told me I had done a wonderful job.  She ensured me that he was not only healthy, but also an extremely happy little boy. That was really all I needed to hear to give myself the okay to stop my journey… and the best part is HE’S STILL HAPPY drinking formula. The hardest part of the transition was me letting go of my guilt.

For me, nursing was a positive experience and even though I probably could have kept going, it was the best choice to end my nursing journey when I did. I no longer had to plan my day around Bradley’s feeding schedule and we were all much happier.

For all you new moms out there my advice to you is not to put any pressure on your feeding choice for your baby. You need to do what’s best for you and your family and I encourage you to take it one day at a time. In the end, we all want our babies to be healthy & happy and your feeding choice will always be the best one.
XOXO,

Kelly

Learn more about feeding options from The Honest Company.

9 Months seems a whole lot older to me then 8 months. I don’t know why, but it just put everything in perspective for me. Time flies and I need to start living more in the moment because before I know it Ava will be driving a car! (Well not that fast but that’s what everyone keeps telling me)

AVA’S UPDATE

Ava is weighing in at 18lbs 8oz…she is super long but I don’t have an exact update on her length, we head to the doctor this week.

She is saying mama and dada, and rotates between the two. The last couple of days have been primarily dada which is a nice break since she said mama for about a week straight. I’m not too sure she knows what those 2 words mean yet, but she will learn fast.

Ava is super brave and loves the water, she literally will crawl in the water at the beach and pretend swims when she is in the bathtub. I hope she’s a great swimmer one day!

EAT

One thing I learned this month is that a healthy child eats great!

• Ava loves her puff cereal in any flavor, she also loves oatmeal still
• She loves fresh fruit… bananas, peaches, watermelon (in tiny pieces)
• Hates broccoli…
• Spinach and strawberries do not agree with her!
• Loves sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, squash, etc.
• She likes waffles & eggs, and is open to new things
• She’s a good eater and easily opens her mouth for you to feed her
• To let you know she is done, Ava will clench her mouth shut or push the spoon away

(Don’t let her fool you… she cannot hold the bottle on her own yet!)

SLEEP

I have no complaints; as long as Ava sleeps through the night I am a happy camper! Generally she goes to bed at 8pm and wakes up at 630am. She usually takes one morning nap for an hour or and one afternoon nap for usually 1-1 ½ hrs. (Sometimes they are flip-flopped)

The days I really need her to nap she doesn’t and then when I don’t care when she naps she takes her best ones. So now I try not to think about them and now I am just happy when she sleeps J

PLAY!

Ava loves to play & explore! She thinks its fun to climb the stairs, and if the gate is up she does a fake cry for help to move the gate.

She loves pulling on Coopers tail and touching his mouth. She has no fears when it comes to pulling a bone out of his mouth.

Lately her favorite thing to play with is Cooper’s water dish. I guess it is a mini pool to her, and she will splash her hands and empty it on the floor. It was fun the first couple of times and now I wish she either knew how to clean up the mess or she was careful not to sit in water!

The summer is over and we have had our fair share of fun at the beach… it gets me excited for next year when hopefully we can really get in the water together and I can teach her to swim.

I am looking forward to the day Ava walks… yes I said it! Everyone keeps telling me “it’s all be over when she starts walking” but I am up for the challenge and I can’t wait!!

POSTPARTUM UPDATE

There isn’t much to update here, besides some strength gains. I am feeling strong again and I am loving being able to challenge my body. I went for a jog yesterday (I don’t run too often) but I felt strong and I felt that I could run forever.. well that was until I got bored. I enjoy boot camp workouts where there’s more to focus on.

My core is gaining strength and my shoulder is finally feeling close to 100%…. yessssss.

My new goal is to increase my pull-up strength. With my shoulder injury Pull-ups were one of the exercises I avoided because of the impact on the shoulders. I know I can improve and I am looking forward to the challenge of adding them back into my workouts

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Ava is weighing in at roughly 18 lbs and is 29.5 inches long.

WHAT IS NEW?

Ava is now actively crawling ALL over the place. I thought I was fast, but man, she can move!! Sometimes I think to myself as she is crawling “I have plenty of time before I have to chase her” but then she surprises me at how quickly she can get into things… especially when she crawls so fast towards Coopers water bowl where she dumps it all over the place.

She tries to pull herself up on everything…..clearly she will be walking before we know it!

Oh yeah, and Ava also has 2 bottom teeth.

AVA LOVES:

• Crawling towards Cooper’s food & water bowl and thinks its funny to bang his bowl on the ground.
• Pulling herself up on the dishwasher or any cabinet.
• Her eating from her squeeze pouches and she likes little puff cereal
• the mirrors and looking at herself
• Pulling Cooper’s tail and touching his paws or face.
• Peek-a-boo… it never gets old to her
• obstacles.. and will crawl over pillows, Cooper, or whatever is in her way.
• sesame street.. whenever she hears elmo’s voice it excites her
• music
• being outside and being in her pool

EAT, SLEEP, & PLAY:

As long as her teeth are not bothering her she sleeps really well. Generally around 8pm-6:15am. Her naps are usually around the same time each day now. She either takes 2 good naps or 3 small ones. I am fine with either

It seems like she’s getting sick of a lot of the toys she has. She prefers to explore the cabinets (the ones that are childproof), she likes to hold spatulas, drop her toys from her high-chair to hear them bang on the floor, and likes to pull herself up and look out the front door to people watch.

This past week has been fun for me as Ava explores her VOICE. Yesterday she was clearly making mmmmmm sounds all day and I swear I am not making this up you can ask Marc, but she said Mom. She definitely doesn’t associate the “mom”  word with me, but she got me fired up when I heard her say it!! Bababa and dadada had been her lingo for the past few weeks, so clearly I was excited for the MMMMMM break through!!

POSTPARTUM UPDATE

I am pleased with the strength progress I have seen my upper body this month. I have been focusing on my arms, chest, and back a lot lately and I can tell that some exercises are getting easier. I have also been able to increase my weight in Group Power on the triceps, biceps, and back tracks.  My cardio strength is on point. When I did a cardio workout over the weekend, I was surprised at my speed and energy compared to Month 2 postpartum where I was incapable of completing a lot of the exercises.

I look forward to challenging my body in new ways in the next few months and learning new exercises to teach you all!!

This past weekend Ava hit the 7 Month mark. I absolutely love this age. She is progressing so quickly and it excites me for all the fun stuff ahead.

7 month Stats: Ava weighed in at 17lbs 5oz, she is so long and I don’t have an update on her length but she keeps stretching out. She outgrew most of her 6 month clothing so I will say she’s in 9 month gear!

Eat 

We have been slowing down on the eating front. Since Ava has been sick solids are really not as appealing these last couple of weeks. She clenches her mouth shut when I try to feed her oatmeal or bananas but will open her mouth for peas, sweet potatoes, squash etc. Girl knows what she wants! The doctor said when babies are sick not to worry about the solids and just focus on the bottles which works for us right now.

They love eachother

Sleep

We had a few rough nights with Ava when she was sick and coughing. She would wake up thirsty which would mean we were up a little longer then we like but its okay! She’s back on track now and sleeping from about 730 or 8pm until 545 or 6am. This works great with our schedule right now.

She usually gives us 1 good nap and 2 small ones! She’s just not into napping and doesn’t want to miss out. That’s kind of how I am..

Play

This should be titled Play & Exercise because Ava is on the move.

Ava started crawling about a week or so ago. She’s not moving quickly yet, but every day she is picking up the pace! She learned how to sit up and stand up in her crib, she flies around in her little walker, and all she wants to do is stand on our laps or pull herself up. I have a feeling she won’t be crawling long and will skip right into the walking.

I am excited for this but everyone warns me that it just gets harder! Oh well, I am up for the challenge.

MY UPDATE

I said I was going to end these updates about my postpartum progress but I will post one more.  I was sick with a sinus infection and laryngitis over the past 10 days so my workouts have been super limited. I am feeling much better and yesterday I was back to my normal routine. I am so SORE today thanks to all the pushups I did.

My weight has stayed the same this past month and hasn’t fluctuated at all. I am focusing on gaining strength in my arms. My shoulder is still not 100% so I am finding ways to work around it and get back to my normal self. Injuries take time to heal and man does it feel like its been a while but we are almost there!

My goal this month is to increase my strength with body weight exercises like pull-ups, burpees & pushups. Since they all put a lot of pressure on the shoulder it is crucial that I don’t over due it and progress slowly.

I have another push-up challenge coming to you guys this week so get ready!!

AVA UPDATE:

Ava weighs 12lb 11oz at 3 months. I don’t have an update on her length, but she is getting looong. She is currently in 3 month clothing but I have a feeling it won’t be much longer until she moves into the 6 months because of her length!

SLEEP

Ava has been sleeping through the night for the past few weeks. Occasionally she will wake up hungry in the middle of the night but for the most part she will sleep a solid 8-9 hours! I thought this day would never come but we were so fortunate that at a little over 2 months she slept through the night.

Her naps are pretty good too. I am starting to see some patterns… in the morning she gives us a big long nap for 1.5-2hrs in the afternoon we get another 1-1.5hrs and then she takes a cat nap in the early evening a little before bed time!

EAT 

I am happy to say her feedings are so easy. She’s a great eater! About every 3-3.5hrs she will be hungry and we feed her 6-7 times a day, not bad! Her last feeding is at 9pm and the first one has been about 5:45/6am. I have no problem with this at all

PLAY

Playtime is my favorite. Her laugh and smile make my day.  It doesn’t matter what mood I am in….. when she smiles, I am always going to smile.

Ava loves the bright colors in her books, on her stuffed animals, or even the clothes I’m wearing. She loves her toys and her play mat. Too much playtime has happened, and I can tell when all the action over stimulates her because she starts to get a bit fussy.  I usually just pick her up, and that easily distracts her.

MY UPDATE:

I have no weight change from my 2-month mark. I wasn’t looking to lose any weight but my goal was to increase lean muscle. With my shoulder injury I am not quite sure I reached my goal on increasing muscle/strength. My body still feels the same for the most part. My legs feel a little stronger but they aren’t nearly as strong as they were before I got pregnant. I would still like to gain strength in my arms and core. This goal will have to continue through this next month and I’m hoping to see some results in the next 4-5 weeks.

I had my 6-week doctor check up on my collarbone and I am cleared to begin normal arm exercises. I have to EASE back into it and that is the hardest part. It would be awesome to just jump right back into the intense workouts I was doing before with burpees and pushups and plank exercises, but that would be too easy right? I guess I am up for the mental challenge and a slow/steady recovery.

I will keep you updated on my road to getting stronger!

Our Christmas came early this year… and we couldn’t be happier!!

The best Christmas present ever….

<3 Kelly, Marc, Ava, & Cooper

My morning started out great, I fed Ava ate some breakfast and we got out of the house early to run some errands. With a newborn I haven’t had much time to do my Christmas shopping so I was able to get a lot done in a short period of time! When we got home we kept Ava in her car seat and snapped her into the stroller to take her and Cooper for a walk. We had to take advantage of this beautiful weather and I was anxious to try out my new stroller!!

This was our first family walk and man was it nice to be outside!! I am still not allowed to exercise but walking is allowed. It feels great to move and get some energy out.

After our walk Marc and I ordered something healthy wraps. We both got grilled chicken and grilled veggies in a whole wheat wrap! Deliciouss…

This weekend has been filled with a lot of relaxation and hanging with little Miss Ava. She’s wonderful.

Cooper loves her too.. it’s really amazing to see how different he is around the baby. He is gentle and wants to lick her little hands and feet. I am very proud of him for being so calm around her.

We have a lot of Christmas gifts to wrap this weekend, and I am looking forward to wrapping them while listening to some Christmas tunes!

Happy Saturday

My normal self doesn’t sit still and I am constantly finding something to do around the house. My energy has increased and I have been able to clean, do laundry, organize, study for work, get paperwork done and bills paid. When it comes to daily tasks I am usually on top of things and now I can truly say I feel that I am able to do everything I was doing before Ava’s birth. The only thing that has not been the same is exercise.

Exercise

oh my dear friend… exercise. I definitely didn’t miss it or think about it for the first 10 days. I was too caught up being amazed by everything Ava did that I hadn’t given it a thought. This is also because my body wanted nothing to do with it and needed rest and recovery. My recovery has been smooth and pretty fast however I took it very seriously. As hard as it was to sit and do nothing for a few days, it was necessary and my body appreciated it.  After a few days I felt comfortable moving around more and sometimes moving made me feel better. I think we all know our bodies and can tell when they need a break or when they are ready to go.

I am mentally and physically ready to do some sort of activity… Yesterday I took Cooper out for a stroll, it wasn’t a long walk but it felt amazing and I can tell he enjoyed it!  I think I might take him again today and try to increase the distance. I am not ready to jump into a boot camp or group power class but I can’t wait to build back up to it!

Everyone recovers differently. and I am feeling like I make progress each day. Once I get the all clear from the doctor I will expand my activities.  I really feel fortunate that I was able to exercise right up to my labor and delivery.. I had literally done a workout 4 hours before I went into labor! This has played a huge role in my postpartum recovery, and I am thankful for it!

AVA

Ava has been such a joy and we couldn’t be happier that Christmas came early for us. The past two weeks have been amazing but definitely an adjustment. We were more then ready to have her join our family and we have been loving all the late night feedings and diaper changes.  Ava eats just about every 3 hours.. sometimes more, sometimes less, but she is pretty punctual. She starts squirming and moving like crazy when she’s hungry so it’s not too difficult to realize she needs to eat. I’m the same way, I can’t focus or relax if I am hungry!!! She is very alert and lifts her head off my chest/shoulders when I hold her. I can already tell she is going to be an independent girl and want to be on her own crawling before we know it.

Weight loss

I wasn’t too sure I wanted to post about my weight loss because it hasn’t been a priority since her birth. I decided that because I had shared my pregnancy journey with you, I should post some updates so you can see my progress. I had focused a lot on healthy eating during my pregnancy, and after Ava’s birth I’ve been eating very healthy.  This has helped tremendously with shedding the baby weight.  I had gained 22 1/2 pounds during my pregnancy and I am officially back to my pre-birth weight. I couldn’t believe it when I stepped on the scale,  it was pretty amazing. I owe it to the healthy food choices I made during my pregnancy and also keeping up with my exercise.  Does my body feel the same?? NO. Not yet. My mid-section feels a whole lot different. It is a little mushy and definitely not tight at all. Regaining core strength will be my primary focus when I do get back to training.  I can’t wait to incorporate balance and stability exercises to my workout routine to increase my abdominal strength!

My Goals

One of my top goals going forward is to regain muscle. Being strong is important for me and will help with taking care of Ava. I feel like I am already getting exercise from carrying her around the house and going up and down stairs! My second goal is to increase my core strength. I will do this by doing full body training once I am cleared.

We are off to Ava’s 2 week doctor check up! I am sure she’s packed on some weight this past week and a half, she eats like a champ!

and now for PART 2.. Grab a coffee again, this is just as long as PART 1

PART 2

With the epidural working and the extreme pain of my contractions decreasing, I relaxed in my hospital bed. I was informed before receiving the epidural that there was a possibility that my contractions and the labor could slow down. As badly as I wanted to meet my little girl, it was a decision I was comfortable making due to the pain I had been feeling.

I sat in my hospital bed and chatted with Marc and my parents hoping to pass the time. (While I was being given the epidural, my mom had run home and picked up my father since he was far too excited to sleep and felt like he was missing out!) Room 110 had now become my little family party during the wee hours of the night waiting the arrival of my baby and my parent’s first grandchild.

We talked about anything we could think of, and to be honest I’m not quite certain I really remember any of the conversation. Marc kept looking at the contraction monitor, everyone seemed to be getting a bit tired and my nurse June had popped in once or twice just to say hello and check on me.  She actually suggested I try and take a nap if I could since I would need all my energy for the actual labor. I had asked her to give me her guess as to how long she thought it might be before I would have the baby, but she insisted she wouldn’t take any guesses.

Now is as good a time as ever to tell you about my nurse June. Just saying she was amazing doesn’t begin to describe her. She helped motivate me, taught me how to relax and how to breathe through the pain. She showed me what “not to do” and had pointers for what seemed like every situation that arrived. She was my coach and I followed her direction. I never went to a single birthing class, but I’m 100% certain June taught me more that night than I would have learned or remembered on a random day months before my delivery. She was personable and friendly, told me about her family, how much my little baby would change my life for the better, and gave me so much confidence I can’t even begin to tell you.

So about the epidural slowing down my contractions…yeah, that didn’t happen. The pain yes, the time between them NO.  They continued at what was now the normal 1-2 minutes apart. I could feel them as mild contractions that with a little breathing and focus they were easily manageable.

Roughly an hour had passed since June had come by and then around 3:50 she came back in the room in what seemed like a rush. She asked, “Are you feeling that pressure we talked about?” I responded no and questioned, “Is that bad?” She pointed to the monitor and showed me that during the last 3-4 contractions I had had, the baby’s heart rate had also increased.

She asked my parents to leave the room and Marc stayed and held my hand as she checked me. As she began to check me, I remember feeling a little nervous like something might be wrong. She hadn’t really given any indication, good or bad if the baby’s heart rate and movement jumps should be something to worry about. At the start of her check, I remember her saying something like,  “I won’t say anything until I’m certain”. Then she shot Marc and I a look.

“You are 9 CM and 100% effaced! We need to call the Doctor and get someone to the hospital cause this baby is ready to come out soon!!!”

From the hallway, my mom who was clearly listening, yelled did I hear 9 CM????

I was shocked…. what?? That fast? OMG I was so excited and couldn’t believe my ears.  Less than 2 hrs earlier I was only 4 cm and now 9cm. June told me that I would be able to start pushing soon and that the baby would hopefully be here in at most an hour.

I asked to know the time. It was 3:50. Like always I set a goal and told myself 5:00am. That is my goal. I want to hold my baby girl in my arms by 5:00 am!

In an instant there were nurses in and out of the room prepping stuff and getting set up. Soon after I saw the doctor walk by the door and knew the time was near. This was go time. June told me how the pushing would go and I tried hard to follow her instructions. Before the Doctor was even in the room, she had me pushing to practice and told me it would help in the end. She did warm me before that sometimes when the baby moves down and gets in position so fast, the actual act of labor can take a long time. She warned me that being fit might make it harder for her to get out, but I kept telling myself “not with me, not with this baby!” I GOT THIS!

The doctor came in and everything was set. I was given the OK to start pushing and it just might have been the hardest AB workout I have ever done. It didn’t matter; I was determined to not let this take long. I had a goal in mind… get her out AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. My contractions were extremely close and were lasting about 40 seconds (as I was told later). I was able to push 3 times during each contraction and I felt like I got less then 5 seconds to catch my breath in between. They told me I was so close…June kept saying, “Come on lets see all that strength you have.” She kept saying, “this is the express train honey, there’s no stops and she is in a hurry”. Thankfully they let me take a small 20-second break at the end 4^th contraction to catch my breath. She told me she was right there and “don’t let that baby go anywhere. Hold her right where she is.’ On my first push of my 5th contraction Ava was born. It was 4:33am I achieved my goal!

I was in complete shock and excitement. How did this all just happen? And so fast…I can’t believe she is here.

I felt extremely sick. I had a pounding headache. I was nauseous, light headed, and just all around overwhelmed and over joyed. What an intense 5 hours, but what an amazing 5 hours. When I heard that first little cry and as they laid her warm little body on my chest just minutes after her birth, I can honestly say every single second was worth it. She was here and in my arms and she was more than I could have ever imagined.

A big HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY to my husband Marc