My Postpartum Journey.
Hey there! It's been a while (about nine months) since my last blog post. I've been so consumed with Mia that I haven't been in a blog writing headspace, but I've missed writing, so here we are. A lot has happened over the last nine months, and I've been thinking about how I want to approach my blog moving forward. Recently I joined Kids Who Explore (a group of families who are passionate about sharing the outdoors with their little ones and helping inspire other families to also get outside) as a brand ambassador. I started following Kids Who Explore last summer because the CEO is based here in Alberta, and it has since grown worldwide! With that said, I've decided that I'd like to use this platform as a place to help educate and inspire others who want to get outside with their littles and help new moms feel comfortable with how they navigate postpartum and new-mom life.
Being a parent is one of the most overwhelming, yet exciting, experiences of my life. Some days are full of joy: watching your baby's curiosity and how they learn new things. Some days are full of anxiety: is my baby eating enough, sleeping enough, is she breathing? Mixed in there is also a dose of figuring out this new version of myself and all the doubts and love that goes into that rediscovery. I'll be focusing my blog posts on my outdoor and travel experiences with Mia (among other relevant baby-related things), but today I'd like to share a few key moments from my postpartum journey so far.
Potential Trigger Warning: Below, I share experiences about breastfeeding, postpartum, getting outside, and traveling with an infant.
Fed Is Best.
The first few moments with Mia were incredible. My heart was bursting with joy, and I was so thankful she and I were both healthy after the long day we had in labor. It was a very emotional experience for me to be holding the baby I just gave birth to, skin to skin and trying to breastfeed—all while my body was in recovery mode.
I had heard of the pressures that birthing parents face when it comes to breastfeeding, so I kept reminding myself of the best piece of advice I received before giving birth: "fed is best." I'm thankful for that advice because one of the reasons our postpartum nurse didn't want us to go home the next day was because Mia wasn't latching. I remember the lactation consultants giving me great advice, but what made me uncomfortable was the number of people (nurses and lactation consultants) standing over me while I tried to feed Mia. All I wanted was to be in my own home where she and I could slowly take on this journey together.
We told the nurse we'd get a pump and formula in case she didn't latch, and (you know me) I was adamant that we would go home that day after one night in the hospital. We were fortunate to have a midwife who would also be coming to our house the next day to check on us, so we weren't going out into the wild totally on our own. I had no idea how hard it would be to breastfeed my baby. We’re told that babies instinctually make their way to your breast to eat but that wasn’t totally the case with Mia. I spent many hours trying to feed her and the only way I was semi successful was by using a nipple shield—which was annoying because half the time it wouldn’t stay on. In addition to feeding on one side, I had to place a Haakaa pump on the other breast to catch what felt like a waterfall of milk from getting all over the place.
After three weeks of attempting to breastfeed (but also pumping + bottle feeding), I got mastitis. The pain was so bad and James had to hold me in bed for over an hour to warm me up from the chills. After that, I decided to exclusively pump and supplement formula when necessary. For me, I felt like I had more control over managing clogged ducts through pumping than feeding Mia from my breast, and it also allowed for James to step in and help feed her at night so I could get some sleep. I pumped for nine months and supplemented formula when I didn't have enough breast milk to give her, and guess what? She's a healthy, happy baby!
Some Key Items for Pumping:
A good breast pump for at home
In the US, you can get one with insurance, but in Canada, you have to buy or rent.
Extra pump parts
I was able to find compatible pump parts on Amazon for my Medela pump. The brand is Maymom.
A hands-free breast pump for on the go
A super affordable brand that I used is Momcozy!
Pump spray and/or wipes for on the go.
Medela sells both on Amazon
The small brushes from your bottle cleaning brush kit work great for cleaning all the small pump parts.
Getting Outside.
Throughout my entire pregnancy, I was staying as active as possible. I worked out at home and we hiked almost every weekend. Getting outside as often as we did kept me sane. We weren't allowed to see anyone, everything was shut down due to covid, and I was unemployed most of my pregnancy, so it was important for me to get fresh air for my mental, emotional and physical health. We made it a priority to keep up our outdoor lifestyle as soon as Mia arrived, and that we did!
Starting small, we sat out on our deck with her every warm day we could. Our first outdoor/road trip adventure with her was at two weeks postpartum in Canmore (an hour from Calgary) where we took her for a stroller walk on the trail around the river and then went for lunch outside. Since I wasn't yet cleared to exercise, our next couple of hikes were short and flat. I was very fortunate to only have a second-degree tear during delivery and my bleeding stopped after a couple of weeks, so I felt great getting out for walks and small hikes.
What we found to be most successful for us was planning the timing of our hikes around Mia's eating schedule. We'd feed her right before leaving the house, she'd nap in the car, we'd feed her again at the trailhead and then again before heading home. We had a great system in place (and still do) and weren't afraid to change her diaper mid-hike if we needed to. I'll write a blog post dedicated to this subject but for anyone hesitant to get outside with their baby, remember that they can adapt to their surroundings and it'll become normal to them! I'm thankful we did this right away because she's comfortable in her carrier, and when she's not staring at the trees she's napping away.
Some Key Items for Hiking with an Infant:
A small bag for dirty diapers
Extra diapers and wipes
Bottle with breastmilk or water
To go packs of formula (if formula fed)
Hand sanitizer
A spare outfit (a sleeper is easiest!)
Sun hat (if warm weather hiking)
3 layer rule (if cold weather hiking)
Base layer (merino wool or polyester blend)
Mid layer (fleece)
Outer layer (shell or snowsuit)
Accessories: warm hat, gloves, buff
First aid kit!!
A good carrier
We used the Ergobaby 360 Cool Air Mesh for the first 6 months
Osprey Poco Plus for 6+ months (I also recommend investing in the rain/wind cover as well)
*Keep in mind, these are in addition to the 10 essentials you should always have while hiking!*
Camping with a Newborn.
James and I both wanted to camp again this past summer, because we weren't sure if it would be our last summer here in Alberta. We had our hearts set on camping in Jasper National Park, because we fell in love with it the summer before and wanted to bring Mia there. Since Jasper is about a four-hour drive from Calgary, we wanted to get a practice camping trip in beforehand to work out any kinks. I booked us two nights in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (1.5 hours from Calgary) for our practice run. A lot of people thought we were crazy for car camping in grizzly country with a two-month-old, but we were up for the challenge.
Let's just say, the first round of camping was kind of a disaster. The bathroom with running water and showers was still closed due to covid so we only had pit toilets and the water spigot (with freshwater) available to clean bottles and my pump stuff. YIKES. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. We also were a tight fit in the back of the palisade which made it hard to feed Mia and pump in the middle of the night. We cut our two-night stay down to one and had major re-evaluation for our Japer trip just two weeks later.
Copper came with us on our Jasper trip so James stayed with him in the tent while I stayed in the palisade with Mia. It was plenty of room for the two of us and our campsite (thankfully) had running water in the bathroom so I was able to wash bottles and pump stuff with ease. Many people at the campground applauded us for bringing our baby out camping and we were able to really enjoy ourselves!
Stay tuned for a dedicated post on camping with an infant where I’ll provide more details about what to bring, how to feed, how to dress your baby, etc.
First Plane Ride.
The border finally opened in August which meant we could book a trip to Michigan to introduce Mia to our family and friends! Our little dual citizen has a US an Canadian passport which made going across the border relatively easy both ways. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from Calgary to Grand Rapids and we opted for the earlier flights so we knew she wouldn't be over tired. Mia was 4 months old when she flew the first time, so in addition to eating every 3 ish hours, she was taking 4 naps a day, which we knew could be a challenge.
We had to wake up super early for our flight so James fed Mia while I pumped and that gave us enough time before she had to eat and I had to pump again before boarding. We took full advantage of the family restrooms while traveling because we could all be together while I pumped, take off our masks, and collect ourselves before getting on the next plane. This may seem like common sense, but don't forget to change your baby's diaper before getting on the plane!
Some things to know about traveling with a baby: you can check a car seat and stroller for free (we gate checked our stroller so we could use it in the airport), you can take as much breastmilk as you want through security (just let them know you have it), and your diaper bag and pump bag DO NOT COUNT as a carry-on! We also chose to pre-board so we could get settled in before the plane took off. Some people choose to board last so they are on the plane for the shortest time possible. Do what works best for you!
During take-off and landing, it helps to either feed your babe or give them a pacifier to help their ears. I also recommend investing in a set of noise-canceling headphones just in case their ears are sensitive to the noise of the plane. Mia passed out on both flights to Michigan wearing her headphones! We also have a tactical diaper bag we use for traveling. It has SO MANY compartments and is big enough to fit everything you need to have on hand.
I'll be traveling solo with Mia in a couple of weeks and plan to share tips and tricks in a future blog post!
Some Key Items for Flying with an Infant:
Hands free breast pump (if pumping) & cleaning spray or wipes
Cooler for breast milk
I used the Lekebaby Cooler from Amazon
Tactical diaper bag
We have the Daypack 3.0 Combo Set from Tactical Baby Gear
Noise cancelling headphones
We have Baby Banz
A cozy blanket for the baby to nap with
Car seat carrier
You’ll want to research the carriers to find one compatible with your car seat, but I recommend one with back pack straps and wheels so you have options for carrying through the airport.
Stroller gate check bag
This one is universal, bright red, and says Gate Check in big letters
It's been such a wild and exciting ride these last nine months. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to take a longer maternity leave, and I'm beyond proud of us for not letting having a baby stop us from doing the things we love and just living our lives to the fullest. While parenthood has come with its own set of challenges and hurdles (especially in another country during a pandemic), we are so lucky and our hearts are full every single day we have with Miss Mia.
Thanks for coming back to my blog and I hope everything I continue to share with you all is helpful and inspiring!
xo, Stef
