Instincts

So I think I posted a while back that I decided I was gonna start gettin up earlier on week days to do yoga before work. That has actually gone much better than I anticipated. I used to wake up at 7:30 on week days. Which gave me 50 minutes to eat breakfast and get myself and C ready for the day. I don't need much time for my hair and makeup, and I don't have to think about my outfit for the day (khakis and a work shirt every day, simple!), so 50 minutes was plenty of time. But it wasn't enough time to work out at all, and I always felt a little guilty waking up so late, since DH leaves the house at 7:15 or earlier. He fed the horses for me every morning, too - he started doing that towards the end of my pregnancy when I got to the point where my hips couldn't tolerate lifting the pitchfork loaded with hay. Anyway, I guess I felt more than "a little" guilty over all that!

The first few days, I woke up at 7, which was pretty hard for me, I won't lie. But I was able to get my yoga time in (15 minutes at first) and still have plenty of time to get me and C ready. Then I decided I should really get up even earlier and feed the horses. They're mostly mine, anyway, and I know DH was tired of having to feed them every morning. So I pushed my wake-up time back to 6:30. That first morning was tough! But I did it, and I kept it up. Its been over a month now, and I still get up at 6:30. I've been pretty proud of myself. Usually by 7:10 or so I'm getting started on my yoga and strength training. I do it with my Wii Fit Plus, which I absolutely love. I only do about 22 minutes, but I have been able to tell a big difference in my body since I began.

(I really need to do some cardio a few times a week, because even though my muscles are coming back, I am still extremely out of shape. But I'm not down with sweating in the mornings. Which is why I love yoga. I ordered Wii Dance the other day and should have it sooner. The plan is to do that some evenings with C. I think it will be fun and I know she'll love it since she loves to dance and likes to imitate me when I do yoga [if she's awake when I do it!]. We can also do a dance workout on the weekends. We already normally have dance time on Saturdays, so now it can be a little more structured.)

I promise there is a reason for me sayin all this about my morning routine. If I have learned anything during my motherhood journey (and I have learned a ton), its to listen to my gut, trust my instincts, whatever you want to say. 9 times out of 10, my instincts are right. Probably because I began always always putting someone else (C) ahead of myself. I assume this happens to all mothers...?

Anyway, this morning I had plenty of time to do my yoga, but something told me not to. C was still asleep, so I decided to enjoy a quiet bowl of cereal on the couch. I of course brought my phone with me so I could scan facebook while I ate (can't miss anything, you know!). And then I got a text from our cousin who just had her baby on Monday. She had some breastfeeding concerns and was getting a little panicky. I remember being like that in the beginning. And I remember how helpful it was to have someone be a voice of reason and assure me I was doing fine.

Nothing major happened, but we ended up texting back and forth for a while. If I had started my yoga, I wouldn't have read her text until much later, and then I wouldn't have been able to respond to her as much as I needed to. So I am grateful that I've learned to listen to that little voice in my head, whatever it is. I was able to reassure her and give her some tips, which she said made her feel better.

Then she made me feel good! She texted me later and said her doctor had stopped by and told her the exact same things I had already said! I knew I was giving her sound advice and support, but it felt great to be backed up by a doctor. (Especially because it was almost opposite of what a nurse had told her earlier this morning.)

This experience reminded me of my desire to become a Lactation Consultant. I don't know if it'll ever happen, since there are a lot of requirements to meet before you can sit for the exam to be certified. There are 14 (I think) classes you have to have (including anatomy, child development, stuff like that) in addition to many, many hours of clinical hours. I'll be paying off the student loans for my BA and MBA degrees forever, so I won't be going back to school any time soon. Maybe this is something I can do down the road, who knows.

Last year, I talked to the Leader of my local La Leche League (LLL) about becoming a Leader. She thinks I'd be great at it, and it would be a good way for me to reach out and help other breastfeeding mothers. The problem is, I can never make the monthly meetings. I was able to attend a handful before C turned 1, and since then I've been maybe twice. They're always on Monday nights at 7. And they're here in town, so its super hard for me to get home, then turn right back around and come back to town and be here by 7. Plus, I have found that Monday nights tend to be the crazy nights. I guess because its the first day/night after the weekend, but things normally go wrong on Mondays and any plans I make never work out.

I have thought about starting my own group and holding monthly meetings at a more convenient time and place (our local group meets at the pediatrician's office, which I hate because every time I took C she got a virus!), but in order to be a Leader you have to attend so many meetings first. At some point I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet and get it done. I have a passion for breastfeeding, breastfeeding advocacy, and helping other breastfeeding mothers.

I wish I had realized years ago that this would become a passion of mine. I would have gone to school to be a Registered Nurse and went on to get certified as a Lactation Consultant. Then I could work in a hospital on the maternity floor. But I never would have guessed even 3 years ago that I'd be this passionate about this topic. Life sure is funny.

For a while now I've been composing a blog post in my head about my experience with breastfeeding. Hopefully soon I'll get it actually typed up. Its one of those topics that most people feel strongly about - either they really think breastfeeding is weird and don't like to talk or hear about it, or they are like me and really support it. I have run into more than my fair share of people who were almost against it. I've even been told before that breastfeeding was pornographic. :(

So I try to be sensitive to other people and not talk about breastfeeding too much. But you know what? This is my blog and this is one of my passions. I'm gonna talk about it here. ( : I know I've only breastfed one child, and we really haven't had any issues at all, so I don't have experience with difficulties. But I feel like its important to share positive breastfeeding stories. When I was pregnant, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to breastfeed. All I heard was negative stories and how hard it was. Well, breastfeeding has never been hard for me. I like to tell people that. People need to see that it doesn't have to be difficult. Stay tuned. ( :