Pregnancy did what to you?

Hair growth has made me want to start my own at home spa parties that include spot lights, high magnification mirrors, tweezers, waxes, and maybe even one of those No-No hair removal systems.  Ah a ladies night of facial hair removal.  Good times.

Not only do you get a baby at the end but you get some of these lovely parting gifts!  These are the true stories of ladies who have been there and done that, AND have the stretch marks to prove it!  I was going to put this into categories but I really think how they put it is much funnier!  Names have been removed to save you from accidentally saying something to one of them and then having serious pain inflicted upon you!  

"Ok, weird post-pregnancy stuff. I now have a ton of ear wax - like, so much that I can feel it running out of my ear. My food aversions have continued - I could not eat chicken or green beans at all during either pregnancy (both of which I ate ALL THE TIME pre-pregnancy), and I still struggle with them now. I never realized, and maybe it is because of all the swelling I had (I gained up to 7lbs a day in the last week before Conner was born!), that after my c-section, my belly would now lay over the top of itself - GROSS! I thought my breasts would even out as my left was slightly larger than the right; nope - the left just increased more than the right. Another boob one - I was not able to successfully breastfeed and my milk never came in, but my boobs definitely sag now! My sense of smell is still heightened. My vocabulary has decreased - all of those big college level words are gone. Even though I had two c-sections, sex was still way uncomfortable after I was allowed to "get back in the saddle" again - not like I ever want to anymore! Last one I can think of right now - my feet increased a size and a half."

Me,  "That list was wonderfully horrific! I have many of those issues too! But I have to say the earwax made me laugh so hard I peed a little - oh yeah another problem after pregnancy - Kegels - what mom can remember/wants to do that!?!

" I hate kegels b/c they make me feel that special kind of funny "down there" yet I can't sneeze, cough, or laugh without peeing."

 "Oh, and I now have the attention span of a toddler."

Me on the topic of Kegels, "Yep and it kinda makes me want to pee so I feel it is all in vain!"

"Here's another one! I still have flutters in my belly that feel like a baby moving - ghost kicks I guess I would call them - and they are NOT gas."

Me, "Did we mention your brain goes to crap!"

Me, "I had no idea that pregnancy would change my skin in so many ways and for good - Not just stretch marks - but my lower abdominal area now breaks out - my Dr. said, "yeah that is one of those things that can happen from pregnancy hormones."

"Mines not really funny, more really sucky. After pregnancy I now have rosacea and skin lesions :( Dermatologist has me on meds for the lesions."

Ah the pregnancy glow!

Me, "Uh, why do I now have the complexion of a 15 year old?  Zits in my 30's? Boo that!"

I think my expression says it all!

" For me it was facial hair! The hormones from my first pregnancy caused my facial hair to get dark and ever since I've been a bleaching and plucking fool!"

Me, "Then just when you think you have them all - one peeks out in public! If you are like me you run to the bathroom ASAP to pluck it and then can't find it to save your life!

"I had to have moles removed b/c they got so much bigger. They would grow each pregnancy from the hormones and never shrink. I don't even want to talk about my stretched-out skin on my stomach!"

"I had these little skin tags pop out, and I now have psoriasis on my scalp that I have to constantly deal with (gross, huh!) And of course I can no longer do jumping jacks, and if I sneeze or cough too hard...there goes the pee! I love that AFTER I was pregnant with my third, my midwife looked at me and said, "Yeah, the body really starts to fall apart with the third pregnancy." Gee, thanks!!!"

"I had to switch my deodorant to something more potent. I am STINKY post pregnancy, LOL!"

Me, "Oh yeah I forgot about the super sweating!"

"I was preg the hottest summer on record (had my daughter late July) and my feet (already wide) were so swollen that I got ingrowns nails on almost ALL of my toes and had to go to the podiatrist for a procedure to have them cut out! Remind you I religiously had biweekly pedi's and now my feet haven't had a good polish in 6 mo!"

"I used to have to sleep with socks on my feet more so in the winter. My husband couldn't stand it. Now my feet are hot all the time so I sleep with my feet out. My husband hates it because if he touches them they are so cold."

Me, "It changed my changed my body chemistry so much that I was getting monthly infections - yeah cuz that is what you need when you have a new baby!"

We didn't even go into all the beautiful hair you just gain starts falling out like crazy and my bathroom looks like it has hair tumbleweeds!  Those gorgeous nails you had, yep say well to peeling splitting nails!

So there you have it.  All that and a beautiful baby that loves you beyond measure.  At the end of the day it is all worth it, at least to all of these brave moms who shared and me.  If I grow an entire beard, pee myself everyday, and never loose this weight; I would never trade any of it for my boys.  

So look at that my boys already taught me something about letting go!

If you have a post pregnancy change you want to share please comment below or if you are not brave message me and I will share it without your name!

If you think I have forgotten about the Wellness Health Challenge I have not!  I am sorry I have gotten a little behind.  But I am letting go of that too!  Week one went well for me.  A 30 minute walk with my family and a 45 minute Aqua Zumba class!  It rocked.  If you get the chance, check it out.  Zumba No one can see what you are doing and it is so much fun!
 Lets move onto week two!  In addition to two days a week 30 minutes of exercise add in 2 serving of vegetables per day.  I know that also seems easy but for some that is huge.  Keep track and keep on the right path.  We can do this!

Today choose love!
Kristin 

If you laughed and peed a little please like, share, follow the blog, like my Facebook page, follow me on Pinterest, and join in the fun and nuttiness!

Let It Go...no this is not a post about the movie Frozen...but that movie is awesome!

     Well hello all!  I know it has been forever but I am letting go of that too.  I am tired; tired of anxiety over things I do not have to be worried about.  I am on a mission to save myself from myself!  So let’s get started and maybe I can help you too!

     So yesterday was Mother's Day, my 4th one.  As I was getting ready to go spend time with my family, I studied myself in the mirror.  This is usually an unhappy event that includes beating myself up over every flaw I see or think I see.  I know I am not alone here.  Getting as close as I can to the mirror to try to see how I can cover that up or what else I need to find a way to fix.  I was getting more and more upset as I noticed the acne that is coming back on my face, that big bump in my nose, and all the lumpy bumpy overweight parts.  I honestly felt like I couldn't find a good spot anywhere.  So I went about the task of putting on all kinds of products and makeup to try to look better.  Then the even harder task of finding some clothes that might conceal the post baby (7 month old baby) body I loathed.

My and my post baby body and 7
month old on Mother's Day 2014.

     As I was mentally tearing myself a new one, I thought about each of my boys.  4 years ago I was pregnant with my first son Coen.  Of course at that time I did not know he was a he.  We wanted to be surprised again.  See just about 9 months before we told we were not going to be able to have children naturally.

     I remember it like it was yesterday.  I lay on that cold metal table as they shot me full of some dye to see if my one and only fallopian tube was 100% blocked.  That's right I had also found out shortly before that my body only contained one fallopian tube and one ovary.  The Radiologist turned and looked at me as my lady parts were exposed and I was in terrible pain from the procedure and said, "Well I guess you will have to talk with your Dr. about IVF," and left the room.  I held it together as long as I could and when I saw my husband, who was not allowed to go back with me, I lost it.  This body had let me down again and this time it let my husband down too.  (To read more about this see my blog post Babies, Babies everywhere!)

     I spent a good deal of time being so angry with my body.   See I have always regarded my body and my mind or soul as separate.  It is me against it.  So I did what many people do, I ate my anger and my sorrow until I got up to 185lbs.  But somewhere along that line I got back up on my feet and decided to stop fighting this body and try to work with it and IVF.  2 weeks before we were to go in for our first consultation God showed me this body has no mistakes.  I was pregnant.  But even more important than the miracle God had made with us was the gift of renewed faith.  A reminder that above all of this, God loves us and really does have a plan for us.

Me three weeks before my second son was born.

     This was His plan to show me this body doesn’t have mistakes because He doesn’t make mistakes.  This, flawed in my eyes body, against all odds made and carried two perfect boys.  How can I be mad at that?  And how can I say and truly believe in my mind, that they are perfect and still think that God, the same Amazing God who created them, could create a horribly flawed body?  I mean, I have never regarded those with disabilities or scars as ugly or a mistake. From all of the people and families I have met working with people with disabilities (or as I really prefer to say, people with different abilities) I know at some point the majority realize they are not a mistake and that they are each beautiful and perfect in just the way they were specially made. 

     So how did I let all this mean and evil talk creep back in?  Lots of things I’m sure but I am not going to waste time right now analyzing all of them, but we will get there because it is important to know what drives us to that place in order to know how to U-turn from it. 

     I had always thought if I had a daughter I was going to have to be positive for her so she would never feel the way I did.  When I had boys, I figured well whatever they won’t pay any attention to what I say and do about my body.  Boys don’t care.  What a crock!  If they are going to be self-confident and treat others as though all of our “packages” (no, I am not taking about what you’ve got in your pants) are beautiful and deserve respect, then it needs to start from home.

I want to be that carefree with my body again!

     Right now these boys believe they are beautiful and perfect because they hear it from the people who loved them every day.  And you know what I am going to keep telling them.  I know there are those people who will say telling them that will label them and make things difficult psychologically.  Oh phooey I say!  The world will spend the rest of their lives and mine telling them they are anything but perfect. 

    And I am guessing no God who is all powerful, all knowing, and all loving would be pleased if you hated on the gifts you were given. “Kristin, so your time is up.  Let’s look at how you treated these precious gifts I gave you.  You physically and emotionally abused your body?  The body I made for you?”  I am guess that won’t go over very well.

   Well that’s it then.  I am going to just think I am beautiful and perfect all the time and fairies and unicorns are going to prance from each of my former flaws!  Yeah, no.  No, one can turn it off just like that.  But I want to prove to myself and others that I can work on turning my thoughts and feeling toward my body around.  This is the beginning of this journey.  I want to look at the things I have struggled with and why.  Am I going to give up makeup and my hiding clothes?  No.  If something makes me feel good about me and won’t be hurtful I am going to embrace it.  I want to be healthy and happy with me inside and out. 

Me with makeup and "good" lighting.  I actually said to myself,
 "Self you look good today!"  Let's get more of that, less of, "You fatty put those

So here we go.  I encourage you to share your story.  To be honest with yourself.   I accept and welcome comments.  I know that not everyone will have kind things to say but I ask that no one make rude comments to others. 

     

And if anyone was looking for recipes, humor, stuff about kids, Pinterest posts, and the stuff I blogged about before don’t worry there will still be plenty of that too.  So if you like what you are reading please follow, share, and like my blog!

Today choose love,

Kristin  

No makeup fresh out of the shower!
 This is gonna be a challenge!

Second time around

So it has been over 4 months since I posted last!  Holy cats!  I am just gonna say it – this 2^nd pregnancy is kicking my butt.  A little bit literally.  My left butt cheek has been killing me for about a month now and I do not know why but it blows the big one.  I was so naïve.  I had such an easy, I would even say, beautiful first pregnancy that I thought this will be a little harder but only because I am chasing a toddler.  Boy am I dumb!  For those of you thinking about jumping into number two (bed), you may not want to read this or you might! 

Let me say I was in slightly better shape this time around.  I was weighing 15lbs less than when I started my last pregnancy.  I thought that would help.  I am sure in some way it is healthier but a human being growing inside you is gonna weigh you down regardless.  I also sit a lot less than I did working through my first pregnancy but chasing a toddler sucks every bit of energy I have.  Oh and did I mention he no longer naps.  Mommy needs naps but not happening in this house.

I ate like a champ first time around.  By that I mean I ate every 2-3 hours.  I felt great too.  This time I am so busy worrying about everyone else that I think I eat about every 4-5 hours and when I feel dizzy I sneak something in quick.  Even right now as I am sitting here with nothing else to do, I am hungry.  But I am too tired, sore, and lazy to get up and find something to eat!

Okay it is time to talk about those beautiful changes in your body during pregnancy.  I toned up a bit after my first pregnancy.  Breastfeeding was an amazing way to lose weight and my son’s desire for me to walk with him and bounce him made him a great personal trainer.  However, when I started to have issues with my second cyst on my ovary I got lazy and depressed, so guess what happened.  Some pounds came back!  Oh well I thought.  But as the pregnancy weight began to start showing up I saw how the second pregnancy looks different.  Oh I have the belly but I also have the flabby flap at the bottom of the belly.  It is not cute or anything that should be photographed.  It is there along with the stretch marks, all of which I have earned.

 

I have to brag that the first time around, I was always able to reach my feet, shave my legs, pretty much do anything for myself.  This time I can reach my feet but it is rough.  I am still shaving my legs but it is so hard and I am thinking about getting in touch with a pharmaceutical company about a pill for the pregnant ladies that stops hair growth.  Think how awesome that would be!  No eyebrow plucking, no shaving the legs, and no magnifying glass mirror searching out all of those new chin hairs that seem to come with pregnancy!  I have really found this time that any sort of bending over to do anything requires a bit of pumping yourself up for and a whole lotta shortness of breath after.

Okay I am only going to share one last sad thing about this second experience but it is a really bad one.  I pee myself.  And we are not just talking about a little tinkle when I sneeze.  I wish.  I do those stupid Kegels and they have let me and my clothing down.  Laugh – pee, sneeze - pee, cough – pee, fart – oh man major pee.  Okay you might think well that is kinda normal right.  Well here it is – the big one I never saw coming.  I lose complete bladder control in the shower!  I am just going about my business and all of the sudden the water gets warmer down my leg and the shame is running through my head.  I can handle a lot of things but peeing in the shower is ridiculous!  I am literally so pissed about this new change!  But what can you do?

But I do have to say there have even been a few things that have been better this time.  I am not spending all of my free time reading about what this baby is growing, getting, or doing today.  Things are a happening in there – good.  I am doing things out here and we will see you shortly.  This has been good for my stress level.  I have been able to wear my engagement ring the entire time so far (my wedding band is ½ a size smaller because I was a fool and now I am lazy) and last time I was only able to wear it 4 months of the pregnancy!  The giant pregnancy underpants (they are so huge we need to call them pants for sure) are too big but they are more comfortable than my regulars so they still win.  But most importantly, getting to watch my son talk to my belly and kiss it are priceless.  He talks about the baby daily.  I know it will be a huge change for all of us but for now he is excited about “his baby” and so are we.  Less than 5 weeks to go!