No. 46: The Intermission

a video of life lately + fifteen things getting me through the postpartum season

Hi, friends!! This time away for my maternity leave has confirmed what I’ve always known: this newsletter is my very favorite part of what I do. The weekly routine of getting still, gathering my thoughts, taking note of everything I want to share all day, every day—it’s a beautiful practice.

It makes me a better noticer. A better rememberer.

That’s why I couldn’t break this rhythm despite going nearly two months without writing a newsletter in real time (although because I was able to work ahead, this break has just been a week for you.)

Now that I’m five weeks postpartum with only a couple Fridays to go until I’m back to weekly newsletter life, I thought I’d share the things that got me through the thick of the fourth trimester. We’re talkin’ everything from audiobooks and shows to bras and snacks. I hope you enjoy this itty bitty intermission and that it continues to hold you over until it’s back to business as usual.

1. These bars are basically glorified candy but I love them for the postpartum season. They’re easy, they’re quick, they’re clean and the oats help with breastmilk production. This makes them a win-win-win as a go-to snack before I head into a cleaner eating season when he’s six weeks.

2. I raved about Season 1 of The Bear last year and I’m thrilled to report that Season 2 is somehow even better. The storytelling is stunning, the acting is some of the most impressive I’ve ever seen and as a Chicago native, the way the city is woven into the show coupled with the production makes you feel like you’re there. There is an almost unbelievable amount of language, just as a heads up. Proobbbably not one to watch while sharing a bucket of popcorn with the kids.

3. This bra is what I chose to wear throughout labor and have loved it postpartum, too. Enakhe and I both got thrush—not ideal—so I’ve been very picky about my bras for the past few weeks and the comfort and breathability of this one makes it my winner for a sports bra. Plus, it’s somehow one of the most flattering things I own right now.

4. This video is proof that Dwayne Johnson just makes everything better (and it shouldn’t have made me cry, but it did)

I’ve listened to three books since having him in order to stay awake for those middle of the night feeds in early days.

5. My aunt recommended reading Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. I was looking for something super light and entertaining to combat the zombie days so while this isn’t my typical read, it was perfect. This book is hysterical and was just what I needed to distract me from postpartum anxiety.

6. I re-read I Feel Bad About my Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman because Nora Ephron’s writing style just brings me so much joy. I’m happy to report I found myself laughing out loud just like the first time.

7. Celebrities for Jesus. This is obviously a bit of a departure from the other two but my friend Laura told me I’d love this book months ago and she’s never wrong

8. Two words: Night Sweats. For three days, Greek Salad Jill returned in the middle of every night. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for my favorite clean deodorant because smelling anything less than lovely is a genuine fear for me. Hard no. And because postpartum hormones play dirty, I even got a mini version to have on hand at all times.

9. Voxer. What else is new. It may take me a few days to respond, but listening to friends while burping my refluxy baby at 3am is my favorite.

10. For years now, but especially in the postpartum phase, I go absolutely nowhere without a portable fan. It’s 106 today and has been somewhere between Death Valley hot and Earth’s Core for the past month so I feel better knowing I have one in the diaper bag at all times. Any fan on Amazon or at Target will do the trick.

11. Hydration is never more important than in the newborn phase. I actually dealt with some dehydration a couple weeks ago despite drinking at least two Stanleys or Hydroflasks a day so I’ve been extra on top of my water intake since. At lease once a day, I have the MVP concoction: LMNT, electrolytes, Magnesium and Acacia Fiber.

12. I don’t have the bandwidth for a movie right now, but I always watch Everybody Loves Raymond postpartum. It’s one of my top 5 comfort shows and is a routine that feels like a comfort blanket when everything else is upside down.

13. My hot water bottle has been my very best friend. Nursing neck is brutal, but not quite as brutal as my period which faithfully shows up five weeks postpartum every.single.time. I sleep with this under my neck and shoulders, nurse with it behind my head and lay it on my poor overworked uterus when cramps sneak up on me. I’ve raved about this so many times but I couldn’t skip another chance to say “thank you” to my beloved.

14. I first discovered this moisturizer a few months postpartum after Zeameh’s birth. My autoimmune disease clashing with the garbage postpartum hormones had turned me into what I envision Biblical leprosy to look like and nothing worked. I’ve been loyal to it ever since. I had run out of this a couple months ago and since it’s a pricey purchase, I tend to lag my feet to replace it. THIS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE. The moment my face felt like sandpaper, I finally bought another one and within days my glowy skin was back. Do I still have a weird postpartum rash? Yep. But at least I’m not crunchy anymore.

15. This quote: “The worst advice I read over and over again is: ‘never quit.’ I promise you, quitting is for winners. Knowing when to quit, change direction, leave a situation, demand more from life, give up on something that you know isn’t working and move on, is an important SKILL that people who win at life all seem to have. You have to quit your way to the life you want."

— Steven Bartlett

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That’s it for me today, friends. This postpartum season has been the easiest on me physically but the most challenging mentally and emotionally. I’ll be sharing everything on the podcast soon but for now, I want to thank you again for your support and encouragement to take this time to heal, bond, rest and recover. It’s been one of the sweetest times in my life. For anyone else walking through a concoction of sweet and scary, I encourage you to meditate on Romans 5. Verses 3-5 are particularly comforting to me: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

I’ll see you soon! Have a beautiful weekend, friends.