What are some of your favorite things to do?
I love to work out, run, hike, go to wineries & breweries, camp with my husband, go on walks, take naps, drink wine on the couch, eat sushi, wear comfy clothes as much as humanly possible…and now snuggle my baby!
How are you? Like truly how is everything going/adjusting?
I am doing pretty well!! The first week after having Emma I think I had some minor “baby blues” that are common…I mostly had them at night but wasn’t sure why….looking back now I think it’s because I had some anxiety about us going to sleep and not being conscious to make sure she was okay all the time! But the Owlet sock really helped with that too. I also really want to get back to feeling like myself ASAP, which meant I wanted to be able to go for a run and sweat because that is when I feel like myself. So not being able to do that while trying to heal from labor & delivery is hard sometimes. I keep telling Craig “I will feel so much better when I can just run again!” So I’m hoping I get the all-clear from my doc next week and can get back at it.
It has also definitely been an adjustment with the new sleep schedule but I just try to take naps when I can, and I tell myself that this is only temporary and that I’m lucky my husband thinks I’m pretty no matter how dark and puffy my under eye bags get 🙂
What has surprised you about life post-baby? Most surprising thing about motherhood?
I think I’m most surprised post-baby about how hard it really is to get things done during the day…since I work at home/I’m my own boss I didn’t take a true “maternity leave” so I sort of had this expectation that I’d still be able to work all day long. Nope 🙂 But that’s okay! It gets easier day after day but finding a rhythm with a baby is near impossible because every day is different. I work when I can but I’ve also been allowing myself to nap most days because to be honest, that’s what I really need to survive!! Most surprising thing about motherhood in general…I think just how much you can love a tiny human that interrupts your sleep constantly!! LOL.
What has been the most rewarding and challenging part of being a momma?
Rewarding…all of it! It’s true that it’s just such a crazy special kind of love that you’ve never known until you have babies. I love my husband more than anything but the love I have for Emma is different. He knows what I mean too because we’ve talked about it and he feels the same way! Even getting up in the middle of the night totally exhausted to feed her I would have a big smile on my face picking her up out of the bassinet because I was just exploding with happiness! That brings me to the next part of the question: the most challenging part is definitely losing sleep and breastfeeding! I have been lucky that breastfeeding has been relatively easy from a technical standpoint. We met with a lactation consultant to help after her tongue tie to get the latch right and really since then it has been pretty easy. The hard part about breastfeeding in my opinion is just physically needing to be everywhere the baby is when she needs to eat. It’s hard to time and it makes it hard to go out and do other things. Luckily she’s taken a bottle a couple times and Craig has been able to feed her. So, we are getting the hang of it!
How is the Owlet working for you and Emma?
I love it. The peace of mind it gives me helps me to sleep and not feel the need to watch her breathe all night long. She doesn’t seem to notice it’s on her foot so to her I think it doesn’t make a difference 🙂
How long of a stretch will Emma sleep at night?
I need to give a big KNOCK ON WOOD before I answer this question, because I feel like whenever I talk about her sleep habits I always jinx myself!! She was sleeping about 4 hours at night after the first week. Then after week 2-3 she had some 5 hour stretches mixed in there, and one night close to 6 hours. Just last night, on the eve of her 1 month birthday, she slept from 10:30pm-5:30am. 7 hours! I’m not sure if that’s an anomaly but I would for sure love if she kept doing that!! I’m sure tonight I will be up every hour with her now that I’ve said this, LOL.
Who is your favorite soccer player on the US Women’s National Team?
Hmmm. It’s easier to pick a “favorite” when you’re younger I think bc you kinda idolize them in a way…the team as it is now I think I grew up playing with/against about 7 of them and so for me personally the dynamic feels different because of that! But it’s so cool to watch people you have been on the field with win a World Cup. I guess if I would have to pick I’d say either Tobin Heath, because she is so creative and her touch on the ball is second to none that I’ve seen and she’s fun to watch, or Kelley O’Hara, because she works so hard and is fearless. And I played against both of them for many years in club soccer and college.
Any tips for patients undergoing chemo? Maybe modified workouts?
This is out of my scope of practice for sure…every patient and treatment can be so different so I wouldn’t want to make a blanket statement about what someone undergoing chemo would or wouldn’t be able to do. I would recommend the individual talking with their oncologist about their specific treatment and what would be okay for them to do in terms of activity. They could see if the doctor had any referrals for trainers in the area that the patient could work with, too. But talking with your doctor about what is right for you then if you need additional guidance finding a certified personal trainer in your area that can understand your specific needs and any contraindications to exercise you may have.
Thanks so much for sending in your questions!! I love doing these on occasion but you can always send me a question anytime!!
xo,
Bess
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