Hello friends!!! I am finally inspired to write to you all again after having my baby and taking some time away! He is 8 months old and the epitome of cute. We are all so in love. And let’s be honest, I wasn’t super consistent in the first place! Yay kids!

I have been in the thick of maternity leave many times and have found some great things to help me during this time. You know, you don’t quite feel like yourself and you are wondering if you ever will again. If you had a c-section you may be struggling even more with recovery. And you are learning to live with your beautiful newborn. It is all just a lot. Ok. It’s a lot.

There is so much joy in these times though. And your child will not be the same from day to day as they grow so fast. It is amazing to watch. So let’s talk about things that can help you find yourself again, even if it is a new version, and that will help you be able to just enjoy the time. Here we go!

STRETCHY BOTTOMS

Don’t play with me people, I don’t want your elastic b.s. digging into my tender belly or my c-section scar. There is not an emoji that describes the pain of your waistband slipping onto your scar. You need some tall waisted pants. And stretchy as hell. Physical therapists if they are worth a damn will also tell you to avoid the waistbands that compress tightly. Although you may feel like you want that, it contributes to the pooch that we all hate. Some brands that are not compressing are Lululemon and Glyder. If not ready for leggings which I was not for a bit, yoga pants may be the ticket. These are loose and still high waisted. And let us not forget sweats with a tie so you can cinch them up. For me personally this is a last resort. They fall because I am squishy and then hurt my incision.

Now you may not feel like squeezing into any pants off the bat and that is cool too. Then just wearing a button down nightshirt for easy nursing. Something like this and then of course you can put some pj shorts on if it helps. You are already nearly wearing a diaper so you don’t feel like you are naked under there.

SKIN TO SKIN

For the first two months, I was in a bra and undies. I was skin to skin with him the whole time. I didn’t dress him unless absolutely necessary. I know how fast it goes and while the little outfits are so cute and I put them on him for a picture quick, the skin to skin was more important. It facilitates on demand nursing, regulates their body temperature, let’s me nap with them, helps bonding and so much more.

And to be honest, any clothes for the first week after coming home from the hospital are just awful. I was so bloated and full of fluids that everything felt tight. And I was laying around in my bed, I don’t need some cute pj set for that. Let’s normalize the minimal things we need and focus on taking care of ourselves.

BREASTFEEDING SUPPLIES

I have another post all about what I use for nursing supplies that you can find here. I just wanted to make sure that it was noted in this post that you need breastfeeding supplies while on maternity leave.

Many people make stations with all of their supplies so you can move about your house without having to tote along a basket full of stuff. I would recommend maybe two spots for that. Where you sleep and wherever you go to be awake for the day once you are feeling up to getting back into a routine.

You also don’t need to rush out and buy a ton of stuff for said baskets. I have a post on the only things you actually need for a newborn that you can see here. What I’m talking about here is diapers, wipes, extra onesie, nipple cream and any other nipple devices you may need, lip balm, special toys for an older child and burp rags.

The one thing that would probably move with me besides baby and blanket is my water bottle. I was fortunate to have my husband home for weeks at a time with each of my kids and he was able to carry some stuff for me or get me a spot ready. So I never even made one of these anywhere but my room. The basket I had in my room was this and it was so nice to have stuff right by me.

PATIENCE

Look you are not going to feel quite right inside your body after this. It is a very difficult process to bring a baby into this world. It took months to grow them and then a ton of time to bring them here. Please be patient with yourself.

Focus on the joy of it all, the gratitude of what your body has done and having a healthy little baby. You may get sad and scared and that is ok too. Bring the focus back to gratitude and let the emotions move through you.

Find gratitude in taking a hot shower as the new you. Give yourself patience and grace about the changes your body has made. Do not judge how you look now. Be fair to yourself. Nourish yourself and your body. Ask for help and get some rest.

Soon you will notice that you don’t feel so weird inside yourself anymore. You will not look the same as you used to but you will know the new you better and the feeling of strangeness will dissipate.

Remember you are amazing and you will always be amazing.

What are some maternity leave must haves that helped you?