Post Baby Beauty..no I am not kidding!

Before you erupt in a fit of laughter as you sit in front of your computer in sweats that haven't been changed in two days with hair that hasn't been washed in three, smelling of the new hit scent Eau de toilette
of baby vomit and boob sweat hear me out.  You can do a few small things in your post baby life to make yourself feel a bit more spruced up and by the way I will never tell a mom to get rid of the sweats.  I mean that is our official attire :).

Clothing:

 What I suggest is this...dress like a college student.  I know your thinking this woman is crazy but think about it.  While you were in college you rocked your sweats and felt pretty.  You got cute sweats from Victoria's Secret or whatever your favorite brand is and it wasn't a problem.  You rolled yourself out of bed from an all night study session and some how looked presentable. Also, don't forget about those black leggins which happen to look amazing with most of my maternity shirts.  What? You are not rocking your amazing maternity shirts??? Well, why not? Now, they are much longer due to the fact that they are not going around you protruding belly, and work really well to cover the rear end area in my black leggings....don't judge me! 

The big tip is to find workout gear and sweats (that will probably never see the inside of a gym) that flatter your particular body shape and don't be afraid of rocking your post baby body. Sure we are not back to our prepregancy shape but who care's! Being a woman doesn't mean being a size zero..You had a baby and that is the most womanly thing I can even think of. Besides, gone are the days of schlepping around in Hanes sweat pants so find something that fits you like your favorite jeans but in cotton. For example fit and flare or skinny( again, like leggins, can you tell I LOVE my black leggins)  Let's face it most of us at 4mths postpartum like myself still cannot fit in to a single pair of jeans that we owned prior to getting pregnant and who wants to hang around in jeans at home anyways? 


Hair:

OMG! I could cry buckets of tears about hair right now.  If your hair is starting to fall out by the hands full you are not alone.  I started losing my hair about 4 or 5 weeks ago and it has recently (read two days ago) has tapered off but I now have several very thin spot in my hair line..Okay, who am I kidding.  They are bald spots! Postpartum hair loss is a result of your hormones beginning to regulate.  While you were pregnant the hormone called progesterone was elevated in your body.  Progesterone is the chemical of pregnancy and growth..think pro=good gesterone= gestation.  This chemical will cause the amazing thick hair that you have and long strong nails during pregnancy because it promotes growth.  In other words, there is nothing you can do about it.  I wish I had better news or even a solution but the truth is that at about the time your baby hits their first birthday you hair will be back to normal but in the mean time what are you going to do?

There are more things that you shouldn't do then things you should.  Do not pull your hair up tightly.  Pulling on the root of the hair will loosen the hair root from the follicle and you don't need any more lose hair then you already have.  If you need to pull your hair up then use something like Goody's Spin Pins or hair pins.  Try to avoid tight hair ties.  Also, Try using soft cotton or cloth head bands to cover up your temporarily receding hair line.  Wash every other day at a maxium. The reason is simple, you want your hair to fall out naturally. You don't want to add any additional strain on your hair.  Try to find a hair style that will require as little styling as possible for me it was this..day 1 wash and blow dry and style Day 2 french braid or sloppy bun with spin pins.

The last thing is time. Like I said this is temporary.  Like all things in life this too shall pass..look at your beautiful and baby and smile! You will see that all the post baby blues and issues were well worth it.

30 Minutes or Less : Making Time for You

As moms we tend to place ourselves on the back burner.  Many days have gone by where everyone in my house is fed, happy and clean except for me.  I haven't had a shower in days and smell like breast milk and God knows what else.  I feel accomplished when my house is clean, laundry is done and dinner is on the table but at the end of the day I realized that I have forgotten to do anything for myself.

Several weeks had gone by of this busy schedule where I was last and one day I hit a wall.  I ended up in my closet crying hysterically all because I looked down at my feet and realized that I needed a pedicure.  I had not had one for over two months and before I had children I always went once a month for a little treat.  That day I decided to try to commit 30 minutes each day to something just for me.  Ever since then I have been a much happier mom and wife and you know what they say " Happy mom's = Happy babies".

First, I decided to make a list of all the things I would like to do for myself on a regular basis that did not include taking care of anyone else.  Believe it or not this was not a simple task.  At first when I would write something down, I would feel a bit of anxiety and guilty.  It took sometime to really believe that it was okay to spend time for me and only me.  The list consisted of  anything that made me feel like Nola and not just mommy and wife.  My list looked a little like this..

~workout
~drink a hot cup of coffee and read a book
~get a haircut
~get a pedicure
~get a bikini wax
~take a shower and shave my legs!
~write

Second, I had to try and see where my time was going.  I knew I was very busy but I had to be able to steal 30 minutes from somewhere.  I realized that in the early morning when I was folding laundry, making breakfast and cleaning that I actually had sometime when the baby was sleeping pretty regularly and during the week my husband and son were not home.  This only applied during the week but hell I will take it.

Third, I had to accept the fact that I may not get everything done on my home "to do" list and that it was okay.  I decided that everyday the most important thing was dinner being on the table and there were no exception to this rule.  There might be days where dinner is done but the bathrooms were not cleaned or laundry has been started but not finished.  Again, I had to tell myself...this was okay and this was a very hard thing for me to do.

Today, I decided to write.  My 30 minutes are quickly slipping away and I hear a very sweet little lady slowly waking up so I will have to end this.  I encourage all of you very hard working mama's to try and take 30 minutes just for yourself.  You deserve it!  Remember how hard you are working and that everyone deserves a break.  We tend to go-go-go all the time and I would hate to see you all burn out..Your lights will brighten the paths for your family and children so tend to the flame and don't snuff it out.