Hola gorgeous Goddesses!
Becoming a mama is SUCH a big time – of healing physically, making big ole mental and lifestyle ch-ch-changes & soaking in a big watery spa of emotions. Holy dinger we are strong, courageous, magnificent goddesses (even when we don’t feel like it… Especially when we don’t feel like it!)
Here are some of the things that have nourished & supported me on my new-mama journey…
Things you can use for yourself when you are a new mama, or things you can maybe give to friends or sisters as they become mamas…
Healing the mama
The precious Goddess Pixie sent me a mama care package while I was pregnacious, and included a package of dried comfrey root. This can be made into a healing tincture and splashed on the vajayjay to regenerate tissue after birth… it’s amazingly soothing. It can also be drunk as a tea.
My episiotomy scar healed amazingly quickly after birth, and I think it might have been helped on its healing way by comfrey root.
Next time, I think I’ll also grab an Earth Mama bottom care pack next time.
I totally didn’t think about how my butt and vajayjay might need healing after birth. But mine definitely did – and it’s good to have some healing, nourishing support for it.
Feeding tops
I grabbed a few nursing tanks beforehand – the Lovable variety (I found the Bonds moulded cup thing a bit weird – it just didn’t fit my mama boozwas at all!)
Also you need over tops that have easy access – whether that’s fancy-schmancy maternity designed tops, or just loose, flowing tops you can lift up {I prefer loose & flowy so that I don’t end up having to pull up the whole shirt to feed}
Big water bottle!
Get yourself a big water bottle too for those first few weeks (months) of nursing babe almost constantly… hydration is a gooood thing!
Weleda nipple care cream
I know some breastfeeding counsellors say the only thing that should go on boobs is a babe’s mouth. Those counsellors don’t have sore boobs at the time.
Some days your boobs will work like well oiled milk making machines. Other days, they might feel chaffed, sore or blocked.
I really liked this stuff for my Sore Boob Days. It’s got lots of herbal healers in it, and is muchos soothing. The only thing I didn’t love about it was that it smells a bit floral fragracey… But I’d just wipe it off before nursing anywaysies.
You can find it here.
Nipple nurture
I swapped a lot between Weleda cream and the Nipple Nurture cream. This one is creamy and good for conditioning. Anything to help Sore Boobs Days are worth their weight in milk gold.
Also, the wipes were good for getting both creams off before nursing. Both the creams are safe for babes, I just preferred to wipe off before nursing. Wipe off didn’t happen all ze time – especially at 3am or when Sore Boob Day became Excruciating Boob Day. But all good!
I think most mamas would agree with me… Whatever works is a good thing.
You can find them here and here.
Leaky nipple sop-uppers
Truth: Some nights you will wake up in a pool of milk. Or you’ll make a midnight dash to the toilet, baby will cry and your boobs will go into MUST SAVE AND NOURISH BABY overdrive, and you will wonder why you are peeing all over your own feet and look down to see that the milk taps have turned on instead. Ahhh, the miracle of mothering.
Anyway, I bought reusable handmade boob pads before baby. They were good for going out with, and for the days I could be bothered wearing a bra (surprisingly few).
What has ended up becoming my lovingly named “milk rags” (don’t ask me why, that name is hawwwwt) is a bundle of old fashioned cloth nappies. I stick one up my shirt to sleep, or pop it over the over-enthusiastic boob that is not being used to feed but wants to help anyway.
Oh boobs, you really are such helpful things.
My friend Mr P was right when he said that my boobs were about to turn from show ponies into working Clydesdale horses. Who use milk rags as tools of the trade.
The End.
Snackology
Ideas for snacks you can eat with one hand. My current favourite is peanut butter on rice thins. I also went through a stage of just eating bananas for snacks. Then another where I ate dates and pecans together (they taste like pecan pie!). I also like green smoothies for being one handed and filled with yummliscious goodies.
By ze way… Does anyone else go through food stages and phases? Where you get a bit obsesso with one thing and eat it until you get over it, and find something new?
Yup. Me too sister. Let’s form a tribe called The Sisterhood of the Travelling Food Cravings.
The End.
Nourishing Teas
Mamas need tea. Especially the herbal healing kind!
Nettle & raspberry leaf are especially helpful for soothing, calming & helping milk supply.
Here’s some pre-blended ones…
Stretchy boxer short briefss
Because.Vajajays.don’t.like.undies.when.they’ve.been.on.a.vajayjay.adventure.
They need room! Space! Love! Air! No elastic digging in! Think of boxers as being like a sacred vajayjay healing ground.
That is all.
Crystal necklace
… or ring or bracelet to help you keep your energies aligned.
I wore a simple, small necklace of round crystal beads on hemp twine. Whenever I feel drained, I gave it a rub and it feels like mama healing flooding over me. I ended up wearing it for about five months straight until the time was right to let it go.
So those are the ones I loved, dearest…
I so so hope this helps if you are a mama-to-be, a new mama or someone who loves a new mama!
big nourishing mama love,
