What I'm learning
As I continue to process my third birth, I'm learning that while I don't want to idolize, or even idealize, birth and postpartum, how you integrate those expereinces matters a lot. I recently got to share all my birth stories and my recovery thus far with this one on the Happy Homebirth podcast. If you listen, let me know if you found it helpful! I refused to accept that Zoloft was the only answer for my PP struggles and I'm so grateful I've found other ways of creating safety in my body so I can finally feel safe digging into the actual story.
What I'm reading
In fiction, my hold on Abby Jimenez's new book Part of Your World became available, so I sped through it. Her stories are maybe a little predictable, but she's such a good writer that they never feed reductive or boring. 4/5 recommend!
In non-fiction, I just started reading Even Better Than Eden with some women at church. It's been on my unread shelf for years, so I'm excited to dive in!
What I'm listening to
As I adjust to live with 3 kids, I once again find myself having to adjust my expectations as to how easy I thought this transition would be and how hard I've been on myself when it's... hard. This podcast interview on Risen Motherhood with Jen Wilkin was such an encouragement to me a few years ago, I recently went back and looked it up to listen again. I also just started diving into Phylicia Masonheimer's podcast. I always found her borderline annoying (sorry) on Instagram, but her podcast is a WEALTH of knowledge. I loved seeing an episode on Breastfeeding, among all of her wonderful theological discussions.
What I'm cooking
I just made The Soup from Seed of Joy's postpartum cookbook (15% off with code HAPPYMAMA15). It's a great change from the few soups I have in my regular rotation. I've also been re-making all of the recipes in our postpartum cookbook that comes with the course (OR in a separate bundle for those who don't need a breastfeeding course these days).
What I'm feeding my kids
Fall weather has finally (somewhat) arrived, and my daughter asked for hot choclate the other day. I love adding collagen to our hot choclate for a little extra staying power, and my kids don't notice the difference. We use Perfect Supplements collagen (and gelatin for homemade marshmallows) because it's grassfed and tested for pesicides and heavy metals. You can use code HAPPYMAMA10 for 10% off, and if you purchase 3 brand-name supplements at once, you get an additional 20% off. I also love their acerola powder, mushroom immunity powder, and beef liver powder for sneaking into my kids' food!
