Tender Mercies

In honor of my baby turning two months old on May 5th, I decided it is the perfect time to record my six favorite items that helped me keep my sanity during the first 6 weeks after her birth. There are so many wonderful items for mom and baby, but these are the items I used nearly every day during the first few weeks after Adelai joined our family.  These first 6 weeks postpartum are truly a time for healing and recuperation for mama, so anything that can aid in this is much appreciated! 6. Protein Cookies & Healthy Muffins I noticed immediately after birth that I was STARVING. I guess that's to be expected, but what I didn't realize was that I would be so hungry ALL.THE.TIME for the next few weeks. Breastfeeding is no joke. I was more hungry than when pregnant! Luckily I had made up these cranberry protein cookies  from Raising Generation Nourished and my own chestnut buckwheat muffins ahead of time, so when hunger striked (even in the middle of the ...

An amazing thing happened after I gave birth to my first child: I was proud of my body, swollen belly and all. I expected I would still look pregnant after I had my baby and I was mighty nervous about how I would feel; what I didn't expect was the peace that came with my changed body. I remember changing into my "going-home" clothes as we were preparing to leave the hospital, and I didn't even try to suck in my belly or hide its bulge by wearing my husband's clothes. (Okay, technically I was wearing his pajama bottoms, but anyone who has had a baby knows how impossibly uncomfortable it is to wear formfitting pants 24 hours after delivery!) When Marshall and I went on a mini-date to the grocery store the following evening, I even joked about whether or not people around us were wondering how far along pregnant I was. I didn't care.  My body had sustained life for exactly 273 days.  My body had pushed out a beautiful, perfect little girl.  Why...