The Maternal Sidekick

Less than 3 weeks postpartum of my caesarean birth, I foolishly moved a dish hutch down a flight of stairs......oh yeah, by myself. What was I thinking? I totally felt fine mentally, in fact I remember having a boost of energy and feeling like heck yes I got this! Devan wasn't home to stop me from doing this ridiculous act of moving this heavy piece of furniture.... Looking back I shake my head at what I did. There are so many "what ifs" tied to that incident. I'm lucky I didn't cause further damage to my very new and barely healing incision. What I also did that night may surprise you. I messaged a friend and asked them to look out for any signs that I was acting out of my norm from here on out. See I was worried that I might have been going down a manic path because who in their good senses think they could take on the task of moving furniture so early postpartum. I'm sharing my experience with you because we can be told over and over again to take it easy, but sometimes when you feel like you could take on the world, you throw good caution out the door. So if you're scrolling and reading this and you're early postpartum with an incision, remember you've just had major abdominal surgery! PS also if you've had a vaginal birth, take er easy on that pelvic floor too! Take it easy and let's leave the HULK moves for the movies ;) (easier said then done I know) #csection #csectionrecovery #csectionmama #csectionbirth #csectionscar #cesareanbirth #cesarean #realmomlife #postpartum #postpartumjourney #motherhoodunplugged #honestmotherhood #motherhoodrising #motherhoodthroughinstagram #uniteinmotherhood

Moms Hamilton and myself have teamed up to provide a platform to share birth and parent stories. Open to all that experienced vaginal, caesarean, IVF, surrogacy, adoption, or loss. We want your experience to be heard (if you want)! We have Kirsten T. sharing her experience in the first of many in this new series called "M.I.L.F. Beginnings" M.I.L.F. = Mom I’d Like to Friend ... Beginnings = how your journey into parenthood began "This is our first child. My husband and I took prenatal classes and came up with a birth plan (ha!) and thought we were so prepared, but nothing could have prepared us for the next few days. We had no idea what was within our rights or how to manage the new rules of the hospital. My husband had no idea how to advocate for me, nor I for myself when emotions were so high. We had no idea our story wasn’t normal." Read more below: https://thematernalsidekick.com/m-i-l-f-beginnings-kirsten/

Hey you! Repeat after me: "I am gentle with myself" You've been thrusted into this world of parenthood, whether it be through a -... * Vaginal birth * Caesarean birth * Surrogacy * Adoption * Fostering * Pregnancy &/or Infant Loss You will experience a whole new set of emotions and ways of thinking that you didn't think would be rational or possible. Having a little being (or child) enter your life rocks you in ways you only truly comprehend when you are in it. So repeat after me, "I am gentle with myself" and continue that mantra for the rest of your life. psst.....while I have you here, want to share your journey into parenthood? Submit your MILF (mom I'd like to friend) Beginnings. Link is in the bio. @momshamilton and I want to showcase yours <3 * * * * * #realmomlife #raisingtinyhumans #mindfulparenting #millenialmom #dailyparenting #birth #postpartum #honestparenthood #hamontmoms #momshamilton #postpartumaffirmation #birthaffirmation #birthwithoutfear #postpartumwithoutfear #motherhoodwithoutfear #adoptionjourney #surrogacyjourney @alexa.studios

Currently reading: The Big Let Down by Kimberly Seals Allers. It talks about the history of formula, how it came to be and the roles the medical profession played in the growing popularity of formula use. The book also discusses how there are many forces at play that shape breast-feeding culture. If you have a chance to read it, I would love to discuss with you. While I am only two chapters in, I am beginning to see more why there is such a divide between those that feed the...ir babies formula vs those that breastfeed. There are many reasons for why we choose one form of feeding over another and if you feel comfortable sharing, I would love to know the factors that went into making your decision. We can chat in the DMs if you want. Please note: I am coming from a place of no judgement and I wont have comments affecting the vibe of this post, please be mindful of how you respond to others. @alexa.studios #breastfeeding #chestfeeding #formulafeeding #postpartumsupport #breastfeedingsupport #doula #postpartumdoula #infantfeeding #doulalife

It had been years since I had a pap smear and it was only because of surrogacy that I was getting one when I did. Don’t worry, and don’t Google itSays the doctor when she told me my pap smear came back abnormal. ok there, totally not going to Google... Trying to decipher the medical jargon working myself into a dizzy. Turns out proceeding with surrogacy was exactly what I needed to catch the pre-cancerous cells (High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions) I had on my cervix. Thankfully I had a LEEP procedure (Loop electrosurgical excision procedure) to remove the cells and I’ve been clear since March 2018! The procedure while not overly complicated, did bring on the shakes from the local anesthetic and the smell of the cutting away of the cells. Those two sense experiences will stick with me until my memory fails. If you have a uterus / cervix, please do not skip your routine pap smear schedule. Your body will thank you for it. When’s the last time you went for a pap smear? #cervicalcancerawareness #cervicalscreening #womenshealth #cervicalhealth #momshamilton #hamontmoms #papsmear #surrogacy #precancercells #ifyouhaveauterusyouneedthis #womenshealthawareness

Quarantine footwear. Me? I'm currently rocking those fuzzy slippers. Choose your character.... Image commissioned by @sketchylaura

The Maternal Sidekick wants to feature your parent and / or baby business that is within the Greater Hamilton Area. More exposure for growing your business! Let's build community over competition.... Requirements: * Services or Products for the pregnancy, parent and/or baby * Within a 20 km radius of Hamilton if a physical location (online shops excluded of location but must ship to Hamilton Ontario) * A valid working website and contact info - website ideal but not necessary if you have alternate methods of visibility * Longevity of business - you are in your business for the long haul * Potential for cross-promoting. We love raising other businesses up Please note:At this time we are not accepting MLM entries. We will be reviewing your entry and adding to our website manually. We will email you once your entry is live. If you would love to be apart of this project, thank you for taking the time to fill out the form in my bio. https://thematernalsidekick.com/business-directory-request/ Please tag and share businesses that you think would be a good fit!