Postpartum and the Coronavirus: Healthy Living for Baby & Me

It’s time to get serious about being healthy while social distancing. We’ve been cooking wholesome, scrumptious meals that, taken at face value, are fine, but the quantity we are consuming is high and the snacking is unnecessary. I’ve lost a good amount of the baby weight since giving birth, but I’m now focused on eating healthy and trying to get back to any sense of normalcy I can salvage.

I’m exclusively breastfeeding, so for the mamas who have done the same, you know how hungry you can get, particularly when our little darlings going through growth spurts (which Giuliana is doing now right before her 3 month birthday).

I’m not going to be counting calories in any way, but I am going to cut out the sugar and the unnecessary snacking (too many salty and sweet items) and focus on eating clean, wholesome food to nourish myself and my baby.

In early 2019, I went through Arbonne’s 30 Days of Health Living program to kick start my immune system. My goal was to get my body as ready as I could to try to get pregnant. I know fertility isn’t easy for everyone and being in our mid-30s, we weren’t sure what trying to conceive would look like for us. My mindset was to care for my body and get it into the best shape, and thankfully it worked for us.

I went through two months of the 30-day program and I was down to 112 pounds (my lowest weight in YEARS) but forget the number--- I felt STRONG. My system was working so beautifully. No digestive issues, no headaches, no winter colds or flus. When I took care of my body, my body took care of me.

I managed to get pregnant only after a month of trying and I made a promise to myself that I would have a healthy pregnancy for my future child. Then the morning sickness set in, followed by the UTI, then being allergic to the antibiotic they gave me and puked like the exorcist, then the trip to the hospital after excessive bleeding due to marginal cord insertion, and the list goes on and on.

My pregnancy wasn’t the worst, I’m sure, but it sure as hell wasn’t the easiest.

I could barely eat all the way through my second trimester and I didn’t gain much weight. Then things took a turn, where my eating habits changed and my hunger escalated and I frankly craved sweets more than I ever have in my whole life, which is in stark contrast to my mostly savory-leaning palette.

And here we are today, three months postpartum and now officially exiting the 4th trimester and I’m stuck in a house during a global pandemic. The last thing I need is to overeat my feelings and anxieties, cling to that baby weight and make my immune system sluggish. So, starting on April 1st, I’ll be joining some of my friends, including my girl Ashley Castle Pittman who introduced me to Arbonne many years ago, on another 30-day journey.

I’ll be modifying the program slightly given that I am breastfeeding, but will be committed to cutting out all the allergens, namely sugar, gluten, wheat and dairy to focus on staying healthy and strong.

To go alongside my nutritional game-plan, I will also be including my daily tai chi practice. I’ve been inspired by my friend Bill Donnelly who has been practicing for over 20 years. We used to have long work lunches and bonded talking about things like tai chi, music and the arts. He recently hosted a Tai Chi class on Facebook Live that I found incredibly helpful and comforting. It seems to be the perfect breathing workout for this postpartum mama and I’m glad that he is sharing his gift with us all during this uncertain time.

Not only am I trying to stay physically strong for my baby, but I also need to get a strong handle on staying mentally strong. Last week, our pediatrician cancelled all well visits for babies over 2 months. She luckily received her major round of vaccines already, so they are considering her to be OK for the time being. Who knows when we would be able to reschedule, which I completely understand and agree with. Being in New York is frightening enough right now, so going into a doctor’s office where I could potentially infect my child seems crazy to me.

But what am I to do now? Well, I’m relying on my good mama’s network of friends who all had babies around the time that I did to see what their pediatricians recommended at 3 months and my pediatrician is available, if needed, for a virtual appointment.

I’m also in the midst of finishing What to Expect The First Year book. I never thought I would come to rely on this baby encyclopedia as much as I have, but they are super helpful in terms of breaking down developments month by month as well as describing common illnesses and things like that.

We’re trying to encourage her development with tummy time, voice recognition and gripping small stuffed animals. I pray she stays strong and healthy during this time of uncertainty. I know that children have grown up in far worse conditions without these frequent doctor’s visits like we have today, and they have survived and flourished. I hope that is the same for us now.