Large Family Management

Reality Based Structure and Systems (for the win!)

How to Survive the Baby Blues

Dealing with the baby blues during the postpartum period can be a huge surprise to new moms. I know that it was for me.

I had a small inkling that it may take a few weeks for my postpartum emotions to level out, but in reality, it took me a few months, and some days I felt downright bizarre.

Dealing with the baby blues can be maddening. These are my top ways for dealing with my postpartum emotions during those first three months with a newborn.|postpartum depression|baby blues|large family baby

Dealing with the baby blues can be maddening. These are my top ways for dealing with my postpartum emotions during those first three months with a newborn.|postpartum depression|baby blues

I, of course, being the recovering perfectionist that I am, expected everything to be perfect. I expected myself to bounce right into joyful, blissful motherhood without any blips or hiccups.

I expected my body to feel and look completely normal by the time I got home from the hospital.

And I expected for my baby to fall into a relatively normal sleep pattern (maybe waking once or twice a night) quickly and easily.

I was of course surprised (I was so naive!) when none of these things happened!

Now that I have gone through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum adjustments nine different times, I have a few words of wisdom to pass out to anyone who want them!

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How to Say Goodbye to Toe-Curling Nipple Pain Right Now

Whether you are breastfeeding your first baby, or you have nursed several, dealing with nipple pain is no joke! I breastfed my first three babies with no pain at all, but when my fourth baby was born, I experienced cracked, bleeding nipples for the first time.

Don't suffer any longer, fix your nipple pain right now! No other cracked nipples home remedies work as well as this one!!! Sore Nipple tips from a Mom of 9.|Breastfeeding|Sore Nipples|Nipple Pain|

I went through agony for a full week, and scoured the internet for any cracked nipples home remedies that may work, before my midwife finally took pity on me and recommended a little breastfeeding accessory that changed my life (or at least my breastfeeding life). Why she waited so long, I will never know.

This little piece of silicone worked instantly, and gave my nipples the protection they needed in order to heal.

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How to Make a Strong Recovery After Birth

We’ve all heard or read about the new mom who jumped right back into normal life, and her normal jeans right after leaving the hospital. Have you felt jealous of her? My younger, less experienced self sure did!

Now that I’ve had many more children, and am sitting pretty in my mid-thirties, I realize how foolish I was not to allow my body to make a strong recovery after birth.

Tips from a mother of nine on how to make a strong recovery after birth.Doing these things postpartum makes all the difference in how your body bounces back.|Healing After Birth|Postpartum|Large Family Mom

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How I Got My First Baby To Sleep Through The Night

My first baby was a total dream and convinced me that at the tender age of 21, I was a parenting prodigy. It couldn’t possibly be that I had an easy-going baby. It was me and my amazing skills.

He nursed like a champ, he quickly and effortlessly fell into a predictable schedule, I got him to sleep through the night by 8 weeks, he reached all of his milestones on time or ahead of schedule.

He was perfect. Or I was perfect. Or maybe we were both perfect?

I got my first baby to sleep through the night by 8 weeks, but mothered totally differently for #2 and paid the price.

My second baby was born just two years later, and because I was such a perfect parent, I was really thrown for a loop when my second baby wasn’t at all like the first.

He was cranky, constantly wanted to be held, had a sensitive tummy, so I had to be super careful about what I ate. He rarely slept, and when he did, it was only for 45 minutes at a time.

I was exhausted, he was exhausted. We were both exhausted. But I realized something very important. I wasn’t a perfect parent, I just lucked out with my first.

Or maybe it wasn’t all luck. My methods were also different.

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How to Crack the Code to Your Best Daily Routine

The one question I get asked more than any other by overwhelmed moms is…how can I create my best daily routine? What does it need to include? How early do I need to get up for in the morning? Will it actually work for me?

Having a flexible daily routine may actually change your life. The key is to set up your routine properly, making sure to include the right things and exclude the wrong things.

A flexible routine is worth its weight in gold, so let’s get started building yours!

Having trouble creating a daily routine? This is how I have made my best daily routine. Free printable! Creating a Daily Routine|Daily Routine for Mom|Time Management

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