Moments of Musing

5 on Friday: Postpartum Swimsuit Wish List

Filed Under: 5 on Friday, postpartum, postpartum body, swimsuit //

This post contains affiliate links for products, the purchases of which I may profit from.

I don’t know about you but I’ve been dreaming about vacation. Since I am creeping on 31 weeks pregnant, though, I am not getting on a plane any time soon. It sort of makes me sad. Last year, it felt like we were on the go a lot towards the end (Disney World, California and Michigan) so it has been nice to stay put for a little while… however, now that it has been a little while I want to be on a plane and headed to a beautiful beach.

I am hoping we can road trip somewhere before our next big vacation in September but if not, there is always summer. We live in a town with private beaches and pools so I plan to take advantage of that. While dreaming of said summer, I have come across one piece swimsuits that I think would flatter my — and others’ — postpartum bodies.

I got a lot of questions about the above suit I wore last year in Puerto Rico so I figured I’d share my picks for this year’s swim suit season:

What do you think? I’ll be sharing some two-pieces (high waist bottoms) soon!

Love Your {Postpartum} Body – 5 Ways to Improve Your Postpartum Body Image

Filed Under: body image, motherhood, postpartum //

This post is sponsored by TOBI. 

My self confidence has most definitely evolved since becoming a mom. While I still have my moments of discontent, I have never loved my body more–and not necessarily because it looks better. But because I am eternally grateful for what my body has given me–my baby, the best gift of all. 

How can I be upset at it when it’s done such an amazing thing?? 

Plus, I don’t want my son hearing me lament about my body. Because contrary to popular belief, boys suffer from body image issues at pretty alarming rates. I don’t want my body issues to cause or influence his. In fact, I hope he never has any. 
So, though I have moments when I’m hard on myself, I quickly snap out of it (and I’ve almost completely dropped the F [fat] word!). My hope is that you, too, will do the same and love your postpartum body.

Top c/o  • Skirt c/o • Purse similar • Bracelets

If you are struggling with your postpartum body image, here are five things you can do to improve it:

1. Embrace your new figure. Focus on something(s) you like. It can be your bigger bust or behind or your curvier hips. Maybe it’s a welcomed change 😉

2. Remember the reason for the changes. Your body did an amazing thing. It grew, nurtured and birthed a human. A miracle was born from you. 


3. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself grace and love. So much love. You and your body have been through so much change recently. You don’t deserve to be hard on yourself.

4. Put good things into your body. Veggies, fruits, whole grains. Sure, have the occasional soda or ice cream but I assure you the healthier the food you eat, the better you will feel. Exercise would help, too. 

5. Rock your body. Buy the new clothes you’ve been wanting. Show off your curves. Be bold. Be you. Be proud. Confidence is beautiful. And girlfriend, you are gorgeous. 

I know this is a very serious issue but I want to end on a light note so I leave you with this Scary Mommy quote: 

“Your kids won’t remember your muffin top, spider veins or saggy ass. They’ll only remember you.” 

Now, go out there and work it, mama!

*** I am not a therapist or doctor nor do I claim to be. This post is comprised of my individual opinions, and not meant to convey professional medical or mental health advice. This post is not about an eating disorder, self harm, or suicidual thoughts/ideations. If you or someone you know is struggling with any of those, please call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.*** 

The taboo baby blues

Filed Under: motherhood, postpartum //

Last week marked eight months since Sebastian was born. These have been the fastest and absolute best eight months of my life thus far. Thinking back, the very beginning of motherhood was very different than I had imagined it to be. To be honest, I don’t know if I had a particular “picture” of what it’d look like but I certainly know how I expected to feel. And that didn’t really line up with reality for a little while.

Though there is little talk about postpartum depression, in my experience, there is even less about the baby blues. In fact, I didn’t even know what they were until much after I’d experienced them.  

All I know is my baby was one week old and I was hysterically crying…


It felt as though suddenly, I became a mom and I cared about and loved another person so much more than I’ve cared and loved anything and yet, I also didn’t feel so great.

My thoughts were quite irrational and extreme (though never about harming myself or my baby) and my feelings were overwhelming. As I (hysterically) cried after taking the baby’s One Week photos, I turned to my husband and asked him if all the crying I’d been doing was normal.



He asked, “They’re happy tears, right?” 

“Well, yeah,” I replied. 

The truth is they were happy/ sad/ scared/ anxious/ nervous/ elated/ love-filled tears. And there had been lots of them leading up to then and lots that would follow. I was just feeling SO MANY different emotions. 


Love … SO much of it that my heart felt like it could almost burst

Sadness that time was flying so quickly

Frustration with my husband for not parenting the same exact way as me

Shame about having a C-section and having pain during recovery but trying to overcome that pain


Nervousness about how to care for a newborn and how to calm his (what felt constant at times) crying

Awe at the blessing of my baby and getting to be his mom

Anxiety at the thought that I would help shape him into the person he will grow up to be

Fear that I would have little control over his external life forces

Guilt that breastfeeding was such a challenge and that I sort of resented it

Exhaustion due to lack of sleep and food (my appetite was pretty nonexistent for a bit)

Wonder about how I could still live a fun life and complete regret, shame and guilt that I was concerned about this at all (I still feel bad even admitting this)
None of the birth classes we attended, articles I read, or research I did truly prepared me for this new adventure. I had to live it to truly learn it. That wasn’t something I was used to–not being in control or prepared felt foreign. One of the only things I did know was that something just wasn’t right with my emotions–but the weight of them felt foreign, too.

While I was pretty unaware of the “baby blues” and felt isolated in my feelings, they are actually pretty common. According to the American Pregnancy Association, approximately 70-80% of all new mothers experience some negative feelings or mood swings after the birth of their child. It is thought to be related to the hormonal changes (they rise higher during pregnancy than any other time in a woman’s life and then plummet after giving birth) we go through during and following childbirth. Other changes, including the amount of adjustment that comes after the birth of a baby, along with sleep disturbance, disruption of “routine”, and emotions from the childbirth experience itself can also contribute to how a new mom feels. 

Speaking about mental health is taboo, it is not much different with this topic. There is still a stigma about feeling sad after having experienced such a beautiful thing–the birth of your baby– and societal pressure to only feel happy about becoming a mom. It is important–and I believe necessary–to have a conversation about this, though. Because juggling all these feelings can be downright scary. I just want all new mamas to know it’s okay to not feel okay; you’ll get through it; and to reach out for help because you’ve got more people in your corner than you probably realize. 

You’re not broken; 

you’ve done nothing wrong; and 

you are not alone.

Thankfully, over time, my emotions seemed to get themselves in check. I started worrying less. My husband and I stopped bickering as much. I became more confident in myself and my ability to be a mom.  Ultimately, I started to feel more like my normal self, just a different version… And I actually like this version more.


***DISCLAIMER: There is a difference between baby blues and postpartum depression. I am not a therapist or doctor nor do I claim to be. This post is comprised of my individual opinions, and not meant to convey professional medical or mental health advice. This post is not about depression or suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know may be suffering from postpartum depression, contact a doctor. If you are having dangerous thoughts, contact help immediately. The  National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1 (800) 273-8255.*** 

Every body is different

Filed Under: body image, motherhood, postpartum, pregnancy //

When I was pregnant, I constantly compared my pregnant body to that of others. I didn’t exactly feel the most comfortable in my skin, especially as the pregnancy progressed and the weight piled on. My discomfort in my own skin almost kept me from doing and enjoying my maternity photo shoot.

Now that I am postpartum and trying to get back into shape, I find myself doing it again. Though I am close to my pre-pregnancy weight, these last few pounds have been difficult to lose.

At times, it feels like I’m back in a love-hate relationship with my body and I want to change that. I want to appreciate my body more and be grateful, especially for the blessing it brought into our lives. Therefore, I’m reminding myself of why I should be more patient with myself.

I have to remind myself:
  •  It took my body 40 weeks to grow a human. It needs and deserves time to bounce back. 
  • I’ve weighed this much in college…when I didn’t have any excuse except laziness and a bad diet. 
  • Gaining weight because of pregnancy is the best reason for weight gain- ever ever.
  • Comparing my postpartum body to someone else’s does no good. After all, we each carry babies differently.  
  • My (and every woman’s) body is amazing… I mean it stretched out (but thankfully NO stretch marks!) to grow a little human and yet I can fit in pre-pregnancy jeans just one month after giving birth. 
So for now, I am not going to be hard on myself and expect my body to look how it did so soon after having a baby. In fact, every time I snuggle him, I’ll be grateful for my body, extra belly rolls and all.