Nobody said breastfeeding would be easy… So far my baby and I have experienced the initial breaking in period of cracked nipples, early onset of mastitis, and we are currently navigating an overactive let down which means I drown my son in milk each time we feed! Queue choking, frustrated baby who chomps down on my breasts to slow the flow…
There are times when I feel like giving up, but I know this breastfeeding journey will get easier with time. It’s worth me persevering to provide the best nourishment for my child.
‘Breastfeeding is a Mother’s gift to herself, her baby and the earth’ – Pamela K. Wiggins.
In some ways, breastfeeding prepares us for Motherhood. It is to place another’s needs before our own.
I understand breastfeeding isn’t for everyone, and I have no judgement towards women who choose alternative ways to feed their baby. As a bottle fed baby myself, I respect every woman’s decision as a choice.
For me, that choice has been to nourish my child with what Mother Nature provided. Not simply ‘because it’s free’ (…anyone who says that clearly doesn’t know the time and effort that goes into breastfeeding!) I choose the breast because this is the food that was intended for my baby to help him grow and thrive.
What sacrifices/difficulties/adversities have you experienced on your baby feeding journey? Did you reach a point when it all began to get a little easier?
For two days, we danced. You came to me in the early hours of Monday morning, and I leaned into your embrace.
‘I am here to dance
As we have for thousands of years
To a song I’ve never heard, but have danced a million times…’ – Storm Ellyatt
Slow and steady, I swayed to your rhythm, rising to the swell of each surge.
The dance was long and enduring, testing every ounce of our emotional and physical strength.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning you came thicker and faster, your pace more insistent and I could barely catch my breath before I was swept along – no longer in control, but completely surrendered and at the mercy of your power.
And then I heard you whisper in my ear: TRUST.
We danced, we moved, we fell breathless and exhausted, only to begin again this intoxicating euphoric sway of nature.
I stumbled, I rose, I fell again, and just when I thought I could dance no more, I roared my final roar… and then you gave us the gift of our baby boy 💙🌈
Welcome to the world Kole Roy.
Date: 1st Aug 2018
Time: 1:03am
Weight: 9 pounds 3 ounces
You are beautiful in every way. Words cannot express the depth of love we already have for you.
My deepest gratitude for my incredible birth companions, Daddy, Dasha, Michelle and Grandma Lorraine who came along for the dance and remained steady and consistent to each change in tempo.
And for the energetic support of my Divine friends and sisters, you gave me the courage and strength I needed to own my vision of a natural birth. We did it! It wasn’t quite the 3 hour birth I’d envisioned, but it was worth every last little ounce of energy!
We will be opening our arms and hearts to welcome visitors in two weeks time. We appreciate your love and patience in the meantime as we honour this sacred time to bond (and rest!) as a family and for bubs to gently adjust to his strange new world outside of the womb.
Welcome to my fifty-fifth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’; a weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.
For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my dreams and intentions for the week ahead.
My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receivethem.
Soul Reflections
At seven and a half months pregnant, I’m amazed by the number of women who feel compelled to comment on the size of my bump, comparing its size to that of their friend who is ‘due two weeks before me and is SO much smaller’, so small in fact you can ‘hardly tell’. I’ve even had my belly compared to a basket ball!
I’d like to think the women delivering these words are well intentioned and simply unaware of the potential harm their comments can cause. Still, I can’t help but feel a little disheartened that body comparison is so prevalent, even during pregnancy.
Isn’t a women supposed to feel beautiful and bountiful in her pregnant body? Is the fullness of her tummy not the fullest expression of creation itself? A time to celebrate the changes in her body as it nurtures new life within?
I have to acknowledge that I’ve also had many women tell me I look beautiful and stunning as I bloom to full size. To those Divine Goddesses; I salute you. For you are the ones who focus not on the ‘neatness of the bump’, or for how long it can remain disguised or ‘unnoticed’; but instead on the natural beauty to be embraced throughout the many changing phases of a woman’s body.
Today, let’s lift each other up. Let’s celebrate our bodies; big, small, teeny or tall, remembering that we are ALL Divine.
Soul Strolls
This week’s soul strolling took place in the hospital. We had our hospital tour where we were able to walk through where we’ll go on the day of our birthing. Despite having had some fears around birthing in a hospital, as I walked the corridors I blessed them with love and repeated the mantra, ‘All is well. I have nothing to fear. Love, peace, harmony and joy surround and indwell me.’
The Mercy Hospital for Women does feel like a safer space than my previous hospital. The midwives are very supportive of a natural birth with as little intervention as possible. I trust I am in safe hands.
Live your life as if everything is rigged in your favour.
– Rumi
Soul Recipes
My partner loves to buy a Massaman Curry from our local Thai. Since he spent this soulful Sunday working, I decided to surprise him with a Slow Cooked Lamb Massaman which was simply divine! I adapted the recipe slightly (and cheated) by buying a massaman curry paste rather than making my own from scratch, as this recipe suggests. If I owned a food processor I would definitely have attempted the homemade paste in this recipe… I also used carrots, red pepper and red chillies in addition to the potato instead of the green beans, since I already had those vegetables on hand at home.
Needless to say, this dish was yummy and my man had a happy tummy after a hard days work.
Soul Music
I’d love to share Heather Mae’s I Am Enough as a stunning reminder that our body’s are not ‘wrong’ or ‘shameful’. We can be grateful for our body, regardless of our shape or size. This makes me smile each time I listen. Today, give your body a big appreciative hug, tell your body how much you love it… and then have a good ole dance to this feel good track! I’ll be dancing along with you with my pregnant bump 😉
Soul Sisters
I’d love to share the work of a soul sister who has been pivotal in reducing my fears around labour. I bought Kat’s book in my second trimester when I was led to it by a serendipitous moment. It was just what I needed to believe in my abilities to birth my baby naturally. I will be gifting Kat’s work to any pregnant ladies I know! You can find Kat at The Birth Goddess.
Wishing you all a soulful Sunday. May you feel safe, supported and loved, today and always.
Pregnancy has certainly brought with it many physical and emotional challenges; some which have been easier to embrace than others! It’s been a constant journey of reconnecting with myself and the life-force within to fully appreciate and accept all the changes my body must undergo to create and birth this precious new life.
I can’t stress enough the importance of caring for our emotional and physical wellbeing during this delicate transition. This is something I’ve had to remind myself daily.
There have been days and weeks when my health has been at it’s optimal, and days when I’ve opted to skip my self-care practice and nourishment to reach for that comforting treat.
The key here is to monitor your self-talk and remember to be BE KIND. Be mindful of how you talk to yourself. Your body listens!!!! So no berating or self-judgment please ladies…
But just as your body listens, your body talks.
Are you listening to your body and what it needs? Rest, fresh air, movement, nourishment, gentle caresses and positive-self-talk?
There is no better time than the present to love and care for your body, your sacred home 🙏🏻 So what are you waiting for?
Welcome to my fifteenth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.
For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.
My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.
Soul Reflections
On Thursday I wrote about overcoming perceived failures and finding the courage to voyage unchartered lands. At the age of seventeen, I fell in love with this quote:
We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.
– Anonymous
That was it – off I went with my backpack in tow. Anyone who has ever left home will know that it takes courage to lose sight of the shore, and a willingness to step away from all we have known. But in order to discover new lands, we needn’t travel far and wide – we simply need to go where we have never been before. To break free from our zone of comfort and step into the unknown.
Our voyage may be an internal one; a pilgrimage of the soul. Who knows what hidden treasures we’ll uncover? The long lost dreams we might unearth… As we sail the depths of our oceans we learn to navigate our deepest wants, desires and wishes. What excites us? What beckons us to draw near? What causes us to rebel and make an about turn? If we don’t know where we are going and why we are going there, then our journey will be short lived. So find the courage to dig deep. Be unafraid to explore the depths of your soul. For our true essence is the guiding compass that will steer us safely home, time and time again.
Soul Strolls
I think I’m becoming known as the ‘flower stalker’ in our local park. I walk twice a day to this same park, yet each week new flowers blossom and bloom it’s as tough my soul strolls are always new. I captured these pretty colours this week.
Soul Food
Last Sunday I mentioned that I’ve been drinking a lot of smoothies lately, especially since the weather is lovely and warm here in Melbourne. So I thought I’d share with you my absolute favourite Choco-Berry Smoothie recipe. It tastes divine and the best part is, it’s healthy! Did someone say guilt-free chocolate?
Soul Sounds
This week I took 50 children to see Moana with the holiday club program. If you have children, find an excuse to watch the film! Now! It was beautifully uplifting, emotive and funny too. Since the theme of todays post is losing sight of the shore, I thought I would share the track How Far I’ll Go from the movie, which we all just loved.
Soul Brothers
This week I am sharing Ronovan’s Haiku ‘Hidden Treasures‘ in keeping with Sunday’s theme of discovering new lands. Head over to his blog Ronovan Writes and have a read!
Wishing you a wonderful voyage on this magical Sunday,
Dear Dad 