The elephant in the room

   I go to sleep every night and wake up every morning thankful of this life I've built. I truly mean that. I really try to enjoy every second. Sometimes it's a little harder when we have had to get up every hour in the night but it doesn't take us a half a breath to savor that many couples and people do not have this luxury! We really do make our family moments first.

Here's me in my first postpartum new pair of pants after baby. It took

18 tries to finally find the cut and style for my new to me body after

baby! Totally worth the effort to feel good about my body and be comfortable!

   My post partum experience has been memorable. I cannot say enough how amazing this was starting with the birth of our child at home, being the boss of our birth and our baby's entry into this realm. We savored laying in our bed, I loved not having strangers helping me with my aftercare. My mom was fantastic with cooking food and freezing it in servings and leaving the surprise in our freezer for my husband and older daughter to be able to prepare. The whole experience was exactly as we imagined it could be. It was truly wonderful. *sigh*

   What I wasn't expecting was an abdominal separation that didn't close until  the seven month postpartum....and I had enjoyed bringing three daughters into the world previously. I had a perpetual backache from about the second trimester of pregnancy until our baby turned 13 months old. I FINALLY found relief from a fellow yogi who stars on YouTube. Yoga with Adriene I'm not associated with her in any way besides if I don't feel like stacking my own yoga practice together, I can do yoga with my pooches as she does yoga with hers.
This 20 minute yoga practice for the core is an ass kicker. It truly reached places that only our Finn had enjoyed and savored for nine months. I couldn't even delve into core work until my ab separation was completely healed so I only did this particular workout when I was plenty healthy. After just a few days of this workout, my backache disappeared! Try it and you'll be in awe at the serine work you put in for yourself. I just love not running around like a mad woman to get the results I seek.

A REAL after baby photo

of sagging skin 13 months

postpartum.

   Another thing I wasn't expecting was what loose skin means...yeah yeah I have had stretch marks and had a little loose skin. The term "loose skin" doesn't quite give it justice....Imagine skin that sags, appears lumpy?  and reminds you of a elephant. It catches the craziest shadows. Finn made herself quite the home and my body was more than happy to oblige,  as it should be.  But this leftover skin....holy moly. Preparation H is coming to the rescue ASAP! If you want to know a little secret on how to tighten up loose skin temporarily to get you through a rough patch, the medication in Preparation H hemorrhoid cream or ointment tights skin and dehydrates the area. Always test out a patch to see if you have a skin irritation reaction. If it looks good, slather it on and watch the skin get back to where it's suppose to be for a little while. Your body created life, it served you then and it serves you still. It is a temple to be appreciated and amazed at. Sagging skin firms up over time, don't be hating if it takes longer than someone else. Drink plenty of water and use it as an elixir to cure your ails and keep your system flushed. Be patient :)

Blessings!

Goals, giggles and great things

   Well my fellow Hashi Warriors, thyroid peeps and the like....HI!

Yoga with my Finn while camping

Chica the husky was doing her own pose..downward dog, maybe :).

  It's again been too long since I've talked with you! Have no doubt that you have been on my mind as I thoroughly enjoy our little Finn girl. We feel so blessed everyday to be able to look upon her with wild fascination. We take no moment for granted, knowing that many of you wish so much for the same miracle to come into your lives. It's summertime in our part of the world so our days are filled with lots of great activities like hiking, swimming and gardening and our nights have campfires and hammocks...I love this life!

My happy birthday this year

   News from my postpartum world is HUGE....my lifestyle changes have made a tremendous impact on my hypothyroidism. I am no longer required to supplement my thyroid with medication. I'm drug free so to speak! My body is producing enough on its own! I will continue to monitor my thyroidism to see if this is long-term. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to find the root of your thyroidism whether it is hyperthyroid or hypothyroid and fix the issue. Be your own scientist. Be your own sleuth. We wouldn't have our Finn here with us if it not had been for my belief that you can in fact heal your thyroid. Especially if you are trying to conceive with little results, or have incurred several miscarriages as we did, you must get to the root of the problem. I read lots of books, like Root Cause by Dr. Izabella Wentz. Click on the link and check it out! If you'd like to know more about the changes I made, please email me-I love talking about this and helping others find their path!
   Now....back to our little Finn! What a joy! We are learning all about her - and have adjusted pretty flawlessly. We wanted her so much for so long. Our other children seem to have adjusted to her arrival as well. People have asked me if it is like starting over again with there being nearly 14 years difference between our now middle child with our youngest. It's not starting over to me. I'm still a mom and always was one. I would say I thoroughly enjoy every moment - even when she has cried solid for two hours. This time will pass and one day I will miss it. It has been an adjustment for all of us, but a welcomed one. We have two daughters, just out on their own, who come visit us more frequently to forge a relationship with their sister. It warms our hearts to see that. She started laughing last week and the little giggles bring our 14-year-old to her side every time.

Breastfeeding in the hammock!

   Most of the Hashi people I've met, are like me, they were always healthy eaters, big into fitness. That's probably because you noticed your weight fluctuated so much and you needed to stay on top of whatever was going on. My postpartum journey on that side of things has been trying....after Finn arrived, my midwife checked my abdominal muscles and I had a whopper five-inch abdominal muscle separation, also known as Diastasis recti.  Not a huge surprise since this was my fourth live birth and actually eighth pregnancy. Resting those muscles are crucial for a healthy recovery---no heavy lifting, abdominal work or engaging those muscles at all. It's a little tough at times.  It took FOREVER for it to fuse back (nearly 12 weeks) and I'm still working on complications due to the condition. My hips are continually misaligning themselves and my lower back is weakened because of it.

We can, however, finally get back into the pool after three months of diastasis recti Hell :) BRING ME MY SUPERSUIT....regardless of how much extra skin I have floating around my mid-section! Bodies come in all shapes and sizes and despite this journey, my body has really served me well. I'm breastfeeding and with my gluten free/ low dairy diet, it hasn't been hard for me to melt away. I have had to incorporate some Sunflower Lecithin for healthy fats so my milk isn't like skim milk but that's a topic for another day. In the meantime, let's get those muscles strengthened! Finn is ready to join us in the pool!

Blessings!