Hi all,

Can I tell you all something?  I love and appreciate you for reading and watching and taking the time to comment.  This post is to honor a request to talk about motherhood and intuitive eating. Without you, I would not have taken the time to dig into today’s post, which has been long over-do.

Body changes and motherhood.  Nutrition and Intuitive Eating with baby and after.  Being a frazzled human with the expectations of what we are told to be  or is inferred upon by a lack of support.

You don’t have to have given birth to understand that last line.  I want this post to be for us all today.

Let’s dive in.

If you are pregnant, wanting to be, just had a baby 1 week or 30 years ago, you likely have experienced the pull of people who want  to tell you what you should be eating, how much you should gain or lose and what you should be doing when your little one sleeps, etc.

Before I dive deeper about how you can stay more grounded before, during and after your baby comes, I want to make sure that there is a point of relating for all of us.

We all are going to be vulnerable to handing over our authority about our body’s care and needs when we have histories of perfectionism, people-pleasing, chaotic/controlling/neglectful upbringings underneath the overlay of a culture that has certain standards and stereotypes of what is considered “ideal” in terms of weight and the value one can produce.

These issues bottom line make us fearful we are going to do something wrong, we get hypervigilant and in our heads and over-functioning.

So with that being said, we can all relate to trying to do more out of fear, which more often than not disconnects us from our body’s need for fuel, rest, play and makes us mistrust our body’s needs and weight it needs to be.

As a woman who is pregnant, weight is a constant in western prenatal care.  There are instances where weight gain needs to be monitored in some high risk pregnancies but for most people, our bodies need to gain what we need to gain, some people 20 something, some people 50 plus something pounds and there is not a problem.

How can a woman stay trusting in her bodies wisdom as it changes from one week to the next?

She can slow down and trust in the signals she feels, not just of hunger and fullness, but of the what, how much or whether of what she has access too in terms of care, food and other people’s opinions she takes in.  And by slowing down you learn to hear those instinctual nudges of what is okay is what and whom is not.

You don’t need a what should I eat for pregnancy outside of what your body tells you (besides the recommendations to not eat fish more than 3 x  week, deli meats and soft cheeses) so the idea there is a perfect way to eat doesn’t guarantee you are going to feel great all the time or going to make your baby a genius who never gets sick.  We do the best we can.

And for one more resource if you have been shamed by doctors because of weight:  https://plusmommy.com/fat-shamed-by-your-doctor/ 

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So now your baby is born and likely overwhelmed and tired and hungry.

Unless you are very fortunate, you might not have a lot of support for months to not only go at a slower pace to heal faster and get to know what you and your new baby needs to grow together.

I don’t think I know anyone in that situation, but I hear it exists.

If you were like me and it was mostly just your partner and you with this new human plus all the day to day and working, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and get in your head, losing connection from the neck down.

Until maybe you notice that you are still feeling swollen and looking like you haven’t slept in weeks (cause you haven’t).  And this is probably making you feel irritable and maybe even depressed or anxious, then you realize that it’s time to slow down and get back connected.

(If you are struggling with depression or have a history of this and it is now really upon you, please reach out for help!)

Yes, it’s time for you mama (and anyone feeling overwhelmed and in their head, looking for authority to ease our fears) to take a second, remember all the times you could know what you needed to eat or wanted with food and care to recognize, yes I can do this.

Our bodies were made to connect.

I’m asking you today, what do you need to feel like you are closer to getting your needs met?

Much hugs to you; things get easier!
Tracy

PS: In this set of audios, we aim to learn to take time for ourselves for consistent, compassionate care that allows for a new attuned way of living, with food and with building a more content life.

https://tracybrownrd.lpages.co/tripwire-meditation/  

PSS:  Do you have my physical and emotional hungers guide?  If not or not the updated version, is here:

Free physical and emotional hungers guide  with step by step info about separating out physical and emotional hungers: https://bit.ly/hungerguide 

To get started with Attuned Eating, get your free guide at https://tracybrownrd.lpages.co/opt-in/ 

To set up a free clarity call now schedule at http://bit.ly/tracybclaritycall