When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.     – Marcus Aurelius

I met up with the most wonderful group of women on Saturday night for our Evening for Mamas. After our yoga sequence I shared some of my thoughts on self love, self care and visualizing your dreams post baby. As we were going around one of the women in the group shared that she wanted to try for her second baby sometime soon and it reminded me of where Lovefestjourney started.

It started with the knowledge and understanding that it is hard to get pregnant sometimes. That it can be the biggest obstacle, challenge and feat to overcome. I started this as a place of inspiration so that if you are struggling to get pregnant, you can see there is a little ( or a lot depending on how you look at it ) of hope out there.

Just because I have a baby now doesn’t mean I don’t remember what it felt like to want a baby so freaking badly.

It doesn’t go away. It is something that sticks with you. You remember it every time you see a beautiful pregnant belly, every time someone shares a story of infant loss or of miscarriage. Every time I see a sign for fertility acupuncture, herbs and tinctures I am reminded of the infinite amount of things I tried to see if they would help me to get pregnant.

When I woke up this morning I knew I wanted to share my morning routine with you because it’s changed since having Agatha. You can read about my morning rituals through fertility and pregnancy here and here.

It’s that idea of ritual, of dedication, of combined thought and action that got me here. The early morning is my favourite time because it’s my time. Ever since I’ve been with Jeff he’s been a night person, so these early mornings are the moments just for me. I embrace the ritual of waking up, looking out the window and wondering what the day will bring. Creeping downstairs, filling up the kettle, getting out my favourite mug and tea and figuring out what I’m going to eat for breakfast.

Nourishing myself is important to me. I have a choice in what I put in my body and I find that pretty sacred. Of course there are some days that are better than others but I feel good stocking my house with the things I want to eat and support myself with.

Postpartum brings a whole bunch of loss physically in your body. You’ve just spent 10 months nourishing a baby inside and when that baby comes out you lose blood, nutrients, sleep, energy and the ability to focus 100% on yourself. Just like I built my body up before I got pregnant, I want to build my body back up to a place of balance on the other side of it all. Here are just a few of my current favourite bits of the early morning.

LEMON WATER: I know everyone tells you to do this which kind of makes it really annoying but it does have it’s benefits. And what I like about it is that it’s s i m p l e. I juice a lemon every other day and leave it in a mason jar in my fridge and then each morning I pour myself a big cup of room temperature water and add a little lemon to it. Things tend to get a bit stuck after you’ve had a baby and this helps to bring a bit more of a natural flow back.

BLACK TEA: By far my most favourite part of the early morning. It’s my unplanned mediation, well that and a good solid sleepy dark cozy room breastfeeding session. I stopped drinking caffeine through my fertility journey but re-introduced it last April right before I gave birth, mostly because I was craving it again. When you fully engage yourself in what you’re doing with mindfulness everything becomes meditation, so this is really just “drinking tea” but with the added bonus of being present with it. Pouring water into the kettle, hearing the kettle whistle, letting the tea steep, pouring milk in, stirring it so it becomes that perfect shade of creamy tan and then letting it cool to the place where it won’t burn your mouth but it’s still hot enough to warm and wake you up.Right now I’m drinking a Breakfast Blend by Numi but my favourite is the English Breakfast by Clipper because it’s a bit stronger and more flavourful. I drink it with a splash of organic homo milk.

PLACENTA TINCTURE: When I had Agatha I had my placenta encapsulated but I also had it made into a tincture. For those that don’t know, it’s a mixture of high grade alcohol and placenta that allows you to increase the length and benefits of your placenta for both mama and child through breastfeeding.  The tincture can been used in times of trauma, transition, emotional distress, hormonal fluctuations. I started using it when my grandfather passed away in the summer when I noticed a huge dip in my milk supply.

MEGAFOOD BABY AND ME + ADRENAL SUPPORT: I took this prenatal through fertility + pregnancy and have continued postpartum. It’s my favourite of the ‘whole food’ prenatal vitamins. It comes with a price tag on it for sure, but I had horrible nausea in the first trimester and found that this didn’t affect it. You can take it without food which is an added bonus. I just started taking the Adrenal Support but already feel the effects. A subtle boost of energy and balance. When you first have a baby you’re running on a lot of the ups and downs of your hormones -you’re constantly on and making sure you’re nourishing someone else. This gentle support helps to bring you back to balance.

Remember – most of the things you need to build your body back up can be found in food itself. I tried my best when I was originally trying to get pregnant to eat a whole foods diet so that I wouldn’t have to supplement. Postpartum is a little different in that I don’t necessarily always have the time to nourish myself the way I want. I find that having these supplements, at least for now, is a more manageable way to take in what I need to support myself these days.