Transcript of S04:10 After 48 hours of labor. Emergency C-Section. What they don't tell you.

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Midweek Rise up. I am so excited about this episode. It has been three years in the making, if you will, because it's something so personal and so private that Charlie and I usually don't really talk about. And that's my pregnancies and also postpartum.

And I. It's just been weighing on my heart that now's the time, now's the time to share because I did not have a normal pregnancy. I did not have a normal postpartum. And I think a lot of people get so caught up in if you had an at home birth, if you had a natural birth, if you had, you know, all these different genres of birth, if you will. And not many people actually talked about the postpartum side of after birth.

Like, once you get your beautiful baby and everyone's like, okay, good luck. No one really talks about that as much. And then also I really realized that there's not many people who share what happens if, you know, God forbid, you do have to have an emergency C section like myself. And, you know, you've had multiple C sections now instead of doing a vbac. And so I just wanted to share with you what was on my heart.

I wanted to share with you our journey in hopes that maybe it would encourage you or someone that you love or someone that you know who's currently pregnant or going through postpartum, and you just want them to, to feel seen and to know that there are multiple different options and journeys when it comes to birth and pregnancy. So again, Charlie and I, we usually intentionally keep everything very private, especially my postpartum because I lock myself away intentionally for three months. I am full baby mode. And remember that you're not. Don't.

I just don't want you to feel that you're required to share about your journey. You don't owe it to anyone. You're a mother now. And the only people that you need to consider in this choice are yourself and your baby that is there with you or your baby on the way. But you just have to follow your motherly instincts and embrace the fact that you can make this journey whatever you want it to be.

And I just want to encourage you, do not waste your postpartum time. Some people rush through it, some people find themselves in postpartum depression. There are so many important things to really focus on because how you handle your postpartum will impact you the rest of your life. It. It's not just something that's, you know, for a short little time period, it can impact you for a very long time.

And the first three months are so precious, not only for your newborn, but also to yourself. Because in western culture, we are so focused on bouncing back, getting your body back, you know, losing all that baby weight. To be honest with you, I don't want to go back, and neither should you after you have your baby. The body that you have, that body is meant to carry you forward into motherhood. That's something so beautiful and sacred.

You don't want to look at your body and be like, gosh, I need to go backwards to how I was pre baby. Sure, there's some things, obviously you want to get back in healthy shape. You know, you want to be able to make sure that your blood work is normal and all that stuff and you take your vitamins. But from a vanity standpoint, your body is something that you are supposed to just say, thank you, God, for, for helping me carry this precious baby. And thank you, God, for also being able to provide for this baby after the birth.

Whether that's through breast milk, whether that's through, you know, the whole sleeping, well, lack thereof, you know, sleep training, if you will, or just being there for your child in every way that you possibly can. But let's just start from the beginning, okay? From when, from first baby. When I found out that I was pregnant, I did so much research, you would have thought that I was getting a master's that in pregnancy and delivery. That was my focus.

I took all the classes you could take. I went the doula route. I went the route of the learning about how to breathe properly, the right way to eat, those supplements to take. I, you name it, I did it. Anything that you could think of that was for prepping and buying all the latest and greatest things that you were encouraged or influenced to buy, I bought them.

And let me tell you, 99% of them are not worth purchasing. I'll just put it that way. One of the bassinets that I spent way too much money on became a hamper. That is the best use that it became was a hamper. So do not feel encouraged or influenced to buy things just because you see someone posting about it on social media thinking that you actually need it.

Take your time to take inventory. Take your time to really build out the nursery and nest the way that you know will work best for your family and your child. Not everyone is a one size fits all. Not every carrier is a one size fits all. There are many things that are more important than, you know, color matching for your nursery and Finding the perfect amount of Montessori toys.

And let me tell you, you will probably end up with way more Montessori toys than you ever even, you know, would thought was possible, because the list is endless. But again, I worked alongside a doula. I was prepping, I was buying all these things, I was taking all these classes. But honestly, when it's all said and done, nothing else matters. Once you hold your baby in your arms for the first time, just the heartbeat of the child, the first cries when they're in your arms and the doctor says, congratulations, Mom.

It is so surreal because it puts it all into perspective. And the noise of culture of moms. Moms can be vicious. I mean, I know some of you guys know this. Moms can be the most savage on other moms, unbelievably judgmental, even though they're like, oh, you know, we all have space for our own journey.

Meanwhile, they're slamming you because you got an epidural. Like, it's a whole different ball game when it comes to moms, you know, judging other mothers, journeys. So this is a judgment free zone. And come as you are, you're accepted because again, you go home with this precious new baby. There's no user manual given to you afterwards.

And all I remember asking God while I'm holding onto my newborn is, dear Lord, please guide me. Please give me the wisdom of how to raise this child to glorify you. And so, first and foremost, please just leave room for God's grace during the newness of motherhood. Because not every child is the same. You.

You might have four children. Each one is different. Praise God. They are supposed to be. And you might be a different parent to each one of those children.

And that's okay, because we're all learning as we go. And it. And it really puts it into perspective of our parents when we were being raised, how, you know, there's things that they didn't get right, but there's also some things that they did get right. But God bless them for at least trying, you know, and. And I apologize if you did go through, you know, an abusive relationship with a parent.

That's not what I'm referring to. But honestly, what I'm just trying to say is let God's grace flood the nursery. Give yourself time to heal and really soak in every single moment. But this is where we're going to start. Okay?

I have never shared this story. I'm so excited to share it with you. But here we go. Okay, let's go back to my first pregnancy again, did all the things right. Made the most beautiful, the most beautiful birth plan.

You guys, I'm not even kidding. I did revisions and I would send them to Charlie. I was so proud of them. I had this all mapped out. I remember telling my ob, God rest his soul, precious man.

He unfortunately passed recently. I remember telling him when he said that my daughter was breech, I said, okay, I will make sure she's not by the time delivery comes because I'm not getting a C section. And he just smiled. And I remember him just smiling at me and being like, okay. And so I went home and I did all this research and all this study.

I swam a certain way in the pool to make sure that she would eventually turn. She turned. She was already, by the time it was time, she was two weeks late. So we're, you know, entering in 42 weeks. And again, I had my birth plan.

I had copies for all of the nurses. I had a gift basket for the nurses, the whole thing, right? So when I get to the hospital, I am having a hellacious labor. I mean, I was in labor for 48 hours and I was pushing. And when I got to pushing after, close to the 48 hour mark, after started to get a fever and then so did my daughter because she was stuck inside of my birth canal.

And so her head was basically coning like there was. She was stuck. And my poor husband, he does not function well at all on no sleep. And he did not sleep. Neither of us slept for a decent amount of anything for 48 hours.

You can't. When you're 6 5, trying to sleep in a window seat curled up with a blanket and a pillow. Good luck. Like, that's not. You're not going to be sleeping inside of a hospital room when your wife's giving birth.

That's just not going to happen. And even if you try, your wife's probably not going to let you. So anyways, I'm. Once she's coning, I'm pushing, she's stuck. My precious husband thinks I'm dying.

And so they're like, we're going to have to do an emergency C section. It's almost 7:30 at this point. Now, mind you, the even crazier part about all of this is that at that same time, one of my best friends who was also pregnant the same time I was, had her scheduled C section at 7:30. I had no idea because again, for the past 48 hours, I've been on a different planet. And so as Charlie is going out to Tell my parents that we're about to get a C section, because my parents are waiting patiently to figure out what's going on.

He runs into my friend who's like, oh, we're about to get our C section. And poor Charlie is just again, flashbacks to Nam, like, totally out of his element. He comes back into our delivery room, and I faintly remember him saying, like, hey, Allie's here also for her C section. Well, lo and behold, I'm taking her C section because she now has to deliver the next day. So our babies are basically born, like, only a few hours apart.

But I felt bad because I took her spot. But anyways, so back to the story they give Charlie scrubs to put on. Long story short, wheel me in for the C section. Precious Baby was born super healthy. Everything was fine.

But I tell you what, I felt like I went through two labors in one because I was pushing. And then I also had the healing from a C section. So I had to deal with two different types of birth, if you will, within one, even though I only had a C section. So here's the reason why I want to do this podcast is these are the things that I did differently for my second one versus my first one. Again, because the first one, I had the plan, and the only thing that went to plan on that birth plan was having a child.

Everything else went out the window. Everything else was just a really pretty piece of paper. But for the second time around, I made sure I left room for God's grace. I made sure I left room for God's plan because his birth plan is always way better than my birth plan, and I'll just leave it at that. So these are the things I would have done differently, and I'm going to break them apart.

So obviously, first, I talked about, you know, postpartum leaving room for God's grace. All of that is super important. Second, when you prepare for birth, it's not only for just yourself and your newborn. Please include your spouse. It is so important.

If I would have known that those window seat benches were all that he was given, I would have made a totally different plan. So for the second go around, I made sure I went above and beyond to the point where I bought him a memory foam cot. And I am not even kidding. Still to this day, we utilize it every now and then in my daughter's room for sleepovers. But it was the best investment.

And it was so hilarious because so many dads in the hospital that walked by were so jealous that they did not have a Cot. They were like, why do you get a cot? And we get the window like that where your wife got you a cot. Like, like that's another level deeper with covenantal love. Like, you got the jackpot here.

Nurses were like, that's such a fantastic idea. It's portable. And you know what? It prevents your husband from saying, I need to go home, I need to get some rest. I just need, like, give me a minute to sleep or something.

Well, honey, if your wife's not sleeping, you're probably not going to sleep either. But at least you get a better few hours of sleep on a cot that's memory foam than a bench, you know? So total side note, things for your hospital bag to bring. I have a great list. I actually might even somehow find a way to post it on here so that you guys have access to it.

I loved creating my hospital bag list. And listen, you are not crazy if you bring your own diapers. I brought my own diapers, I brought my own wipes. I, I brought my own receiving blanket. All of those were used.

Am I grateful the hospital provides those for you? Yes. Do I want to use those? No, I don't want to use theirs. I want to use mine.

You have to remember that you are your own advocate and your spouse should be right by your side being the voice when you can't be. And you both need to be on the same page. And so when you are setting your spouse up for success, for birth as well, you guys can have an unmatched tag team. Like it will be 10 out of 10. So again, make sure he has joggers, make sure he has warmer clothes, make sure he has underwear like a toothbrush, you know, just include your spouse within the whole thing because during pregnancy they can only do so much, you know what I mean?

They can't feel the baby kicking. They want to feel included. So here's your moment of inclusion. Memory foam caught. You cannot go wrong.

I am not going to tell you which one to buy because I don't want to be responsible for your purchases. But just go online, you'll find a good one and you'll thank me later. Okay? Now third, after my six week mark, where the doctor, you know, gives you your clearance. Again, it's very different for C section situations versus vaginal delivery, if you will.

But you all do get a six week mark checkup, you know what I mean? But I made sure that at my six week mark that I got my blood work done because I wanted to know what my baseline was not only for the usual that my homeopath orders, but also for inflammation markers and literally doing just a full blown blood panel workup. I wanted to know my hormones, I wanted to know fluctuations within my body. Because so many things are happening postpartum and your body's just trying to heal and figure itself out. And I didn't want to be aimlessly taking vitamins.

I mean, you could be taking your prenatal vitamins and stuff like that, but I wanted to be prepared and to know what exactly my body was lacking and what it needed. And that's why it's important to work alongside with your naturopath or your doctor or your PCP just to be able to have a tailored process of what you need mentally and physically. Because a lot of postpartum depression, a lot of your postpartum needs are going to come from things that you're lacking, that you need in your diet or that you need in your routine. And blood work can really help for that. It really can.

If you don't have time to go to a physical lab to get the blood work, you can research places that are phlebotomists that come to you, that's been really helpful, where they can come to you and draw your blood. It's covered by insurance, and then you can send that into the lab that way. There's so many things in, so many resources that you can utilize if you just do some little bit of postpartum research on, on things that are unique like that. So the fourth thing that I did differently from my last was that I really prioritized movement. Movement is key.

Movement is life in general. But once I was cleared by my OB gyn, I immediately got a tailored training plan custom for me. During postpartum healing, even if it's just stretching and walking for 10 minutes, you need to move. You have to. You can't just be sitting in a dark room all day.

Breath work, pelvic floor, all of that is key. But there's also some other things that your trainer can implement if they're properly trained, that can implement into your postpartum healing. And honestly, the. The man who's been the most amazing for this for me is my trainer. His name is Sal.

He knows exactly what he's doing for, especially for this process. I mean, he can train you for life, for professional sports. I mean, he is top tier. But it is so different and so amazing to have a trainer who understands and can customize your postpartum training plan in a way where he's constantly monitoring what you're eating in a healthy way to making sure that you're getting enough calories for breastfeeding, enough calories for your goals, enough support for what you're wanting to have implemented during your postpartum season. He's there for you.

You know, he, he can give you the, on the app, your workouts. He can, you know, work remote. If you guys need a remote trainer, if any of you need someone for help for postpartum healing so you don't have to go to some random, you know, physical therapy place where they don't know you and they give you a one size fits all, that is fine. But I highly, highly, highly encourage you to invest in a trainer and they will be with you every step of the way. Because the second go around where I had a plan C section and it wasn't an emergency, my body healed so much quicker and so much better and responded way more beneficially to the training sessions that he set up.

And again, the key is to align yourself with people that aren't trying to bounce you back. Sal wasn't trying to make me, you know, Erica, from when I was 23 years old. Sal was trying to make me, Erica, the mother that I am now to two babies and usher you forward in your motherhood journey and be there for you to help meet those goals. Because he's there not to lecture you. He's there to coach you.

He wants to train you for life. He's not just training you for a season. So again, Sal's amazing. I'll put all of his information on the episode information. I also have a, a post, like I said earlier on Instagram.

It's the things I would have done differently for postpartum and pregnancy. All this stuff will be there as well. And his Instagram will be tagged there as well. Okay, so fifth, nourish yourself properly. Do not starve yourself.

Nourish yourself with solid food. Do not go on some crazy crash diet. Do not think that you have to only eat certain amount of calories. Do not think that you have to overeat in order to produce milk. Okay, I'm going to make this very specific towards C section more so because everyone talks about the traditional birth, the vaginal birth, I'm very rarely seeing or hearing stuff on healing from C sections when it comes to nourishment, especially after having multiple.

Okay, so something that I would really recommend when it comes to vegetables and foods, make them warm. A lot of things on the eastern side of postpartum, not so much Western, but eastern, everything is Warm. Okay? You want your body and your metabolism and your gut to not be trying to break down hard foods that are really hard on your system and that don't aid in easy bowel movements. That's the last thing you need is to be on stool softeners.

Like, no. So increase your omega threes, boost your vitamin B and your vitamin D. If you can get red light therapy, please do it. If you can get acupuncture, please do it. Make sure that you're having foods that promote breast milk and really, like, pay attention to things that are helping enhance breast milk. Because there's a lot of things out there that many of us don't know that decrease breast milk.

So really pay attention to that. If you're having issues with breast milk, I highly suggest working alongside a lactation consultant. But I will preface this, not all lactation consultants are the same. Okay? I went through several different ones and many of them were very.

I don't know how to put it nicely. Many of them were very just stuck in their ways and like, not easy to work with. Find someone who can work with you as well as your pediatrician so that everyone's on the same page and they don't make you feel guilty if you're not producing enough breast milk. Okay? You want to be able to feed your child at the end of the day.

I had a very unique and interesting breastfeeding experience. I'm not going to go down that whole rabbit hole. But again, there's a solution for whatever you're up against if you have the right people and resources around you. So for example, let's say you had a C section and you're noticing latching issues with your little one. I highly recommend cft.

There is a phenomenal girl. She's precious. Her name's Charity. She has a company called Cocoon to Bloom. She is amazing.

So if you don't know, CFT stands for craniosacral fascial therapy. And not many people talk about it, not many people focus on it, but it is so important because it's this gentle hands on body work that is for your children with cocoon to bloom that releases the tension and all the interconnected cranial, sacral and fascial systems. And it often addresses the issues that may stem from prenatal or birth trauma. But it helps with feeding issues, feeding problems. It helps with digestive issues, neurological help.

It can also help correct. If your child has like a super tight neck, it can help with that as well. Or a misshapen head there's some amazing things that CFT helps with. So if you are interested in that, please check that out. And again, you guys, I'm not telling you to check these people out because I get a discount code or anything like that.

I do not get discount codes intentionally. I don't want a discount code. I don't need a discount code. I do not need a free stroller. I do not need free baby food.

I want to be able to just provide resources that I know that's worked for me, that I, you know, really implemented this second time go around that I just pray would be able to be an asset and a benefit and a resource for you. So again, keep it mind that what might work for someone else, like what might work for me won't always work for you. So just because an influencer recommends a specific tea or lactation support powder, do your research. Because it's not always a one size fits all. And I learned my lesson with this through Instagram, got the best of me.

And I thought to myself, wow, this powder, this green powder, all this stuff to help support lactation. I tried it. It totally wreaked havoc on my son's stomach and his, bless his heart, his stools were green. It was a whole thing. But again, I thought, wow, like, this is pediatrician certified.

And I. It got the best of me. The ads got the best of me. So do your research. 6.

Having a supportive medical provider is key. I know that a lot of you are trying to figure this out right now. Who's your pediatrician? I've had many friends, actually, who have been fired by their pediatrician, which is wild because they're looking for a pediatrician that is pro parent choice. Forget the whole vaccine thing.

They want a pediatrician that will say, okay, here's the pros, here's the cons. I support your decision. That is a supportive medical provider, and they are few and far in between. And this is huge. This is key.

And we are so blessed to have Dr. Tiffany Zook for both our babies and future ones, God willing. But she's a concierge pediatrician, and that's where a lot of medical pediatrics is going, to be honest with you. The. The concierge route, because you're paying for a membership and you can have access to Dr. Tiffany when you need her the most. And you can message her at night.

I mean, honestly, we laugh about it, but Charlie will say, you're my therapist, because he'll message her at God ungodly hours and be like, you know, the Baby has a fever and these are the symptoms and this is what we did. And like, here's a picture. And she'll walk you off the ledge, but she'll be there for you and be that, you know, that provider that will think outside the box. And they're not indoctrinated by the White Coat Mafia because instead they continue to challenge the status quo. And you want someone who will not look at you like you're crazy when you say you want to do something that's best for your family.

And that's why, again, we're so grateful for her. And she comes to our home and it's so easy because I tell you what, when you get home from the hospital, the last thing you want is to get back in the car and drive to the pediatrician's office. And some people are like, oh, concierge doctors are just for the wealthy. No, they're not. I have friends that have one family income.

They're, you know, normal average Americans and they can afford. It's actually cheaper to be with a concierge doctor than having to deal with the pediatrician's office and go through insurance and the whole gamut. So definitely, even if you can't have a concierge doctor with you or near you, just do your research and find someone who's in alignment with your values. And if you do need help with that, I highly suggest you can also reach out to Dr. Tiffany. Dr. Tiffany is based out of Arizona, but I, I know that she has a network of people that are spread throughout the country and, and she's a great resource and she has zoom calls for families to be able to connect on different things that she's learning and seeing.

So if you can connect with her, her pediatrician healthcare group, I guess you could call it, is called Holistic Home Pediatrics. I'll put that in the podcast information blurb below as well. But she's, she's precious. She's a believer. And it's so important to be able to have those resources and those people in your corner that are like minded with you so they can do this journey with you.

And you have that safe space. I hate saying that, but here you go. You have that safe space to ask questions, to feel heard, to be able to be a parent and not feel like you have to go through the traditional doctor and get the shots and all that other stuff and go through insurance just so that they can get an extra paycheck. So again, going back to it, having a support system is key. And then I guess eight.

I want. I guess I can combine seven and eight together. But regardless if you had a C section or a vaginal birth, please take care of yourself afterwards, especially if you have wounds. You know, if you tear down below after giving birth vaginally or if you have a C section, be able to take care of yourself in a way where your healing is not compromised. Again, I was not prepared for a C section.

I had nothing in my arsenal for when. When we got home, I had no binding thing to wear. I had no silicone patches to put on that. I had nothing. And mind you, my scar, you can't even tell I had a C section.

I mean, but granted, that's probably different for each doctor. My doctor did an amazing job, but you can't see my scar at all. But you need to take care of yourself. And so after research, what I found was that silicone patches really helped with the scar and with the, you know, the C section scar area. The Frida silicone patches were awful.

They. I just felt like it was ripping my scar open, it was so uncomfortable. The one that I liked was the derma silicone patches. They just felt like it was just lightly hydrating your scar and make sure you do it once you're cleared from your doctor. I mean, I didn't have physical stitches.

They. They kind of glue you together, so it's different. But, you know, really just take care of your incision. You know, do scar massaging. That's super important.

Do something called belly bind, which is super. More Eastern, more Ayurvedic medicine, where they. They bind you. Literally. It's called belly bind.

B E, L, L, I B I N D. They just wrap you, and it feels like all of your internal organs are being, like, seamlessly put back together, and it feels so good. And you keep that on for as long as you can, and you. You do the binding. They can each. They can teach you how to do it remotely, or you can have your husband do it, or you can have.

They have belly binders throughout the country. They can come to your house and bind you. It is. It's the hug that you need. It's the hug that your organs need.

But make sure that again, you do your scar massages, you're doing your binding because as you stretch and as you play with your scar and you move it around, it helps with the internal healing process of a C section. Because when you have a C section, you're more likely. I'm not saying this will happen to everyone, but you are more likely to have hip issues later on in life if you don't properly tend to the scar and you avoid scar tissue buildup. And honestly, another blessing this go around was to work with Dr. Brandon Booth. He was using something called an indiba machine for your scar.

And it helps, like, really break up the scar tissue and really aid towards internal healing for your scars. So it makes sure that everything is just cohesive. So again, focus on the healing portion of yourself in your body, of your womb, of where you gave birth. Again, regardless if it was vaginal or C section. Now ninth, this is random.

If you have a C section, please get a bed ladder. I know that's so random, but make sure you set yourself up for success at home. I did not have that when I came home. When I came home from the first C section, I was hobbling around. I had no way to bend down to pick stuff up.

Now I have a bed ladder. I had those little clapper things where you press the button and it picks stuff up off the floor for you and it's that long. Stick with the little clamp at the end of it. But literally, if you go online and you type in things that you need post C section, you're gonna get a slew of things that will help you when you get home. And I was obsessed with the bed ladder because when I was alone in the nursery and my son would cry during the night ready to feed, if I didn't have this bed ladder, I. I would have been just rolling around the bed like an egg trying to get up, and it just would have taken me way longer and way more awkward to get up out of bed.

Also, something that really helped me was those bed bed trays when needed. And don't be afraid, you know, to get your slow walking in. Nothing intense, but if anything, go outside each day, even if it's just for a few minutes, and just feel the sun on your skin and the breeze in your hair. It helps so much with postpartum, anything, because the key here is to really just remain in a season of gratitude. Keep journals, even if they're spread out all over the house.

Write little moments and little memories that you won't forget on post it notes. Lay them around. It's okay. Again, give yourself those three months and onward. I say the three months because some people do have to go to work.

Some people rush, you know, to not even have to deal with three months. Enjoy the three months. Make it six months. Make it a year. Take your time.

Because again, how you handle these three months is Going to impact how you handle the healing process for the rest of your life and for future pregnancies. And finally, number 10, build. Build something while you are in postpartum. Keep the momentum going. Even if that's a ministry, Even that's if you're reading the Bible every day.

Do something for yourself during postpartum because so many people are relying on you and if you're not being poured into, you have nothing to pour out. Stay close to Jesus, stay close to scripture. Have something that keeps you looking forward and, and it can be the kids, it can be their activities they have going on. It can be. There's so many different things it can be.

And for me it was aligning proclaim and Bible in 365 with my children's future in mind. My first and foremost focus is Jesus. My second is my husband. My third is my children. My fourth is, is proclaim.

There is nothing that gets shifted in that order of alignment. So being able to, you know, still check in with my team when needed. I love during my postpartum time, during the quiet moments of contact, naps to dream up different designs for proclaim or other times where I'm just sitting there rocking my son in silence, soaking in every second. I'm thinking to myself, how can life get any better than this? You know, this little love in my arms and then just have conversations with God about life from there.

That would just be so soul filling and help refuel me to continue to build. And it doesn't have to be work related. Again, this can be encouragement and inspiration for how you're going to be able to be the true guardian of your home. Don't feel guilty if you need to take a walk by yourself. If you need to go get a coffee.

If you need to take a shower, please take a shower. Take care of yourself. Because if you don't, then I don't know how you're going to take care of everyone else. And I'm not saying take care of yourself from a vanity perspective where you're gone all day getting facials and massages three times a week. You know that's not what I'm talking about.

I mean it from the standpoint of take your vitamins, have a close group of people that are holding you accountable. Yes. Shower. Yes. Wash and comb your hair.

Put clothes on that fit you, not clothes that you're trying to fit into and embrace where you're at and don't for one second think it's a lesser version of yourself. Mom. Guilt is very, very Very real. And it's only amplified on social media and Instagram and all the other platforms. So don't let it rear its ugly head when you carve out time for yourself.

Postpartum is a rhythm shift. Soften the perfectionism. It's not healthy. And recovering from a C section, it's sacred. It's slow work.

Your little one wanted their own window and they got it out of the penthouse. And when you're healing, it's a season that asks for patience. It's asking for presence. Your body's asking for deep nourishment, whether that's in your body, your mind, in your spirit. So give it, give it.

Take the time. There are so many restorative ways to help support your healing. In the days and weeks after postpartum. You want to nourish from the inside out. You want to make sure that you're hydrating yourself.

Drink 16 ounces of water each time after you feed your baby. Keep the rhythm of your body being replenished to be able to support breast milk. You don't want to over hydrate. But again, balance is key. If you do any fermented foods that help support your gut microbiome, if you, you need better bowel movements, have fiber.

Focus on actually eating foods rather than, you know, trying to get bowel movements from powders that you can buy from Walgreens. If you will, embrace easy healing proteins. And again, like I said, increase your omega 3s, increase your B vitamins. These are all really good places to start. And make sure when you do your gentle movement, that can be walking after meals.

That really helps with digestion, that helps lift your mood. You can do a little walk with your husband, take the baby in a stroller if weather permits, but just let your nervous system breathe. You just went through birth. You didn't just, you know, have brunch. You went through birth.

And it could have been the most amazing experience. It could have been the most traumatic. But either way, you need to let your nervous system breathe. And something that I found that will help with any type of postpartum depression, make sure that you get morning light. It literally, you can just sit in the sun in the morning sun.

It has to be the morning sun for just 10 minutes. And it resets your internal clock and boosts your serotonin levels. And it is key. And you can even just have those 10 minutes to just pray, meditate, talk to Jesus, tell him about your night, tell him about your day, and let that be a refueling moment to get your day back on track, but you have to protect your peace. Listen to your body.

Honor it. Don't rush your healing. Don't push through pain. Don't. Don't feel that pressure again.

Like I said, to bounce back. You are healing. Not just physically, but. But emotionally and spiritually, too. Let your nourishment be sacred, and please let your rest be holy.

Your recovery should be slow and kind. There is no rush. There is no race with postpartum. There is only grace. So, in closing, again, I just want to encourage you.

You are a mother now. You're not required to perform your process online. You don't need to document it, you don't need it validated, and you don't even need to explain it. Motherhood is the most fulfilling, sacred, tough, you know, sanctifying journey that you'll ever know. And in this second time around, I embraced it on my own terms.

I prayed for wisdom. I wanted to absorb and be drenched in God's grace and with conviction that this time it matters. I wanted to become who God made me to be after this second child. And my prayer is that you give yourself permission to do the same. So you're not alone.

You're doing way better than you think. Don't compare yourself to others. And if you need help, just ask. Pride is not the best trait to have when you're going through postpartum and when you're raising babies. There's people that love you, that want to support you, that want to pour into you.

Accept it. If someone wants to make you a meal, say thank you. If someone asks how they can help, tell them how they can help. You know, hold the baby for a few minutes. I just need to go take a shower.

If you need night help, don't be afraid to hire someone who's a newborn care specialist that can help you with either sleep training or give you a good night's sleep because your husband's traveling, or you just need that extra support. That's okay. Not everyone has a mother or a family that can be there to support them. You have a chosen village that you create once you have a family and once you have babies, utilize that. Embrace it, and make it an amazing village.

Because you were born to be this amazing mother, and I just want you to soak it all in. Don't let the noise of the world distract you. Again, you're doing amazing and I am very proud of you. And if you do have questions, DM me on Instagram. I'll help you the best I can.

And if I don't have an answer. I'll tell you I don't have an answer. I'm not trying to sell you on anything, if you will. But again, have your heart postured in a way that reflects Jesus and know that yes, the days are long, but the years are short and one day you're gonna blink and your kids are going to be married and have their own family. So again, just enjoy the season of life because it's not permanent.

And know that you are loved and that this is your time to rise up.

Thanks for joining us today. I hope that these words encouraged and challenged you and postured your heart for the rest of the week ahead. If you have a minute, go to the subscribe and Review section of this podcast and leave us a word or a Bible verse that you've been carrying in your heart throughout the week that really just keeps you encouraged and motivated. I want to make this podcast review space that added bookmark for that simple reminder that we're all in this together and that God's got this. Feel free to share this episode with your friends, family or on social media.

And for more information on Proclaim and to read the Bible in a Year with us at Bible in 365, please click the links below. We're so grateful to have you join us right here on Midweek. Rise up.