As I am writing this blog I’m breastfeeding my 5-month-old little boy Grayson and my 2-year-old daughter Florence is snuggled into the side of me trying to breastfeed her dolly!!!! This is life at the moment, maternity leave and the craziness of getting to grips as Mum of two little humans.
The last few weeks of my pregnancy were very stressful and in turn I ended up in a whirlwind of 3 weeks in hospital. Having to leave my little girl at home while I was in hospital doing what I could for my baby bump was incredible hard. my time in hospital I was on full red alert... all I wanted was my baby here safe and happy and to get us back home.
After Grayson was born by c section two weeks and two days early, and less than 24 hours later I was home EXACTLY where I wanted to be. Life was exactly what I wanted to be. Recovering after surgery and settling into life as a family of 4. I didn’t really take care of me at all, I knew I should be. But it was just not a priority to me, I wanted to focus just ALL my attention on my babies and do my absolute best for them. But as the weeks went on, I realised I wasn’t just losing sleep, I was losing energy, I was running on empty. As I’m sure EVERY mum of young children can agree, the sleep deprivation is hardcore it effects every part of you...your mind, body and soul!!!!!
After speaking to others, I realised I’d totally lost myself these past few months. I wasn’t meditating regularly I wasn’t taking care of me at all!!!! How can this of happened, my whole being is telling people constantly to LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES... make you a priority, take time for yourself, it’s a necessity, it’s part of your health and well-being!!!!!!!!!!!! So why WHY hadn’t I been doing this!! It’s because when our life throws us hard situations that annoyingly seems to be the time we stop taking care of ourselves... This is the time we should make TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF a priority. I realised I’d still been living life on red alert and I’d not come down from that, and I certainly couldn’t give my children everything they needed until I started looking after me!! Light bulb moment, that was so obvious but I couldn’t see it through the fog of early mother hood and ‘baby brain’!!
So right then I joined back into the Monday night meditation class with the fabulous Kate Schott. I booked back in for my regular massage treatments with my lovely friend. I started a new bed routine that consisted of reading a book and then meditating. I also started practicing breathing exercises through the day.
Once I put these small steps in place I started to notice the changes, I was sleeping better, I was getting through the day easier and most importantly I was living life in the present moment with my children. Which I realised up until that point I wasn’t doing. So even when I thought I was giving them my whole self I wasn’t. I needed to take care of me first to be able to take care of them and give them my whole self.
So, as I sit here in the very present moment... Grayson has fallen asleep feeding, Florence is now watching the Jungle book, I may even sit here in the ‘semi’ quiet and do some meditating... fit it in where you can, I PROMISE you’ll feel better for it. ......you can’t pour from an empty cup. Love Faye, Flo and Gray :-)
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