Five Months Postpartum Recovery and Journey
This picture was captured by my incredible husband this past week and I truly felt like it captured my essence. I am finally feeling like I have energy again and wanted to share insights to why I’ve been quiet on the blog this year. The past five and a half months brought a whirlwind of things I did not expect. Many of you guys have followed my journey over the years, but for some of the new faces I had a baby five months ago. You can read all about my pregnancy journey here, here, and here. I’m 39 years old and having a baby just shy of my 39th birthday brought its own set of challenge. Not only did I have a baby then, but I chose a natural birth with no epidural or hospital. My amazing husband and I headed to the birth center about 4:30pm on Friday, March 22nd and at 8:16pm our son - Maximillian Everest Lowy was born. I would return home later that night to rest and begin healing. I chose no pain medication or any medication throughout my journey to include Tylenol or Ibuprofen. I used natural herbs and remedies to ease pain and get me through the tough parts. It was the biggest challenge my body has ever faced and undergone.
As I moved through the first month one of the hardest things for me to do was slow down. For years I’ve lived a fast-paced life alternating between single motherhood before meeting my husband, a corporate sales career, and so much travel your head would spin. In many ways, I grew to love the pace, but my soul was itching to slow down. Pregnancy brought it that opportunity. As I did I had to relearn who I was.
Around month two I struggled with postpartum anxiety and depression. I felt like my body was on a rollercoaster every single day and struggled to maintain emotional steadiness and clarity. Everything in my world felt like a threat. A lot of past trauma rose to the service as my hormones raced. If you have ever been through hormonal issues you know it’s incredibly difficult to function. I began a new regimen for exercise, changed to a different diet that better supports metabolism, and told my husband I needed to step back for a while on the new business that we launched. It was one of the toughest periods of my life and one of the most beautiful ones. I am so thankful for his support and encouragement throughout the process. I’m not sure where I would be without it.
For the next two months, I would focus on getting my hormones in a good place, therapy, more rest, so much breastfeeding, and finding a way to the new version of me. You see when you have a baby the baby’s DNA is left inside of you. You change your chemical makeup and become different. I still have the basic core of who I’ve always been, but now I’m a mom to a boy and a girl. I feel so different. I think about things I’m approached with differently. I struggled thinking clearly during the times I breastfed which was 4 hours a day. I felt like every day I was running a marathon and it was really hard to control my emotions. If you have been in a position like this, I would love to hear! It’s so tough!
As I neared month five of exclusively breastfeeding, no synthetic hormones, changes in my diet and exercise I began to emerge as myself again. I felt more energy starting to come back. Little tasks started becoming easier to manage. I still felt a lot of mental confusion, but I began sorting through it better. I’m happy to share with you that this week I attended an event for the first time since I had the baby. I’m doing a new workout routine with three HIIT workouts a week and back to the sauna. I cook more often and paint frequently. I not only feel like I am emerging but emerging as a new upgraded version of myself. Aware and falling into alignment more and more every day.
This blog post is Day One of the person you will see moving forward. I’ll be sharing about spirituality, mental health, my fitness journey these past 5 months, nutrition tips, and of course - lots of fashion! If you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter make sure you do so you don’t miss a post! It’s going to be one hell of a ride!
XOXO Crystal
