Birdalamode

Breaking My Silence

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A very exciting , but brief update.

This is a very sensitive subject in our family, we’ve been very hush-hush about it this go around and always, it’s a very real and scary thing to us. But today I can finally say that my silence has been broken.

Immediately after Brooklyn’s baby blessing I started feeling tingling in my upper lip. I proceeded to bite the inside of my cheek every time I would eat. I couldn’t hear my husband talking to me in the car, out of nowhere my face was numb and I had lost the hearing in my left ear.

Having had Bells Palsy before, I was no stranger to the early stages and signs. But instead of my eye not being able to close, my ear was super sore, and the only noise I could hear from it was a dim ringing.

7 weeks & two different prescriptions later, I am happy to report progress. I now sleep on my normal side of bed, I had to switch with my good ear towards the cradle & door so I could hear Brooklyn when he woke up. But that meant I could hardly hear my husband in bed next to me. Which was super weird to say the least.

I am also relieved that I can now talk on my cell phone without it having to be on speaker. I remember telling my mom her phone was broken because I would dial on it, put it up to my ear and couldn’t hear, she put it on speaker and it was indeed ringing. I just wanted to cry and couldn’t believe this was happening to me.

I recently got a hearing test and my right side scored 100% and my left a 98%! So happy to report happy news and that my silence has been broken.

The Why?

Why ME?

I asked a specialist why this happens to me. She said it’s like an autoimmune side effect and it stays dormant in my system and flares up when my body undergoes a lot of stress i.e. childbirth.

I’ve never felt more grateful for the face & hearing I now have, and the four children I’ve got.

& may it never return. -knock on wood-

*I decided to finally share this bc I often get emails about postpartum and how I need to stop making it look so easy bc it makes others feel bad, never my intention. I just want everyone to know everyone has different struggles some you can see some you can’t. Whether it be not being able to lose weight, not getting your milk in, not being able to hear just know it’s hard for everyone.

Having a child is the single most selfless thing you’ll ever do. And as mothers we are all in this together. God Bless each and every one of you, and those sweet babies too.

The Big Fat Truth

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With four back-to-back pregnancies, Momma Bird is feeling the need to get her life and body back.

I’m tuning into Z Living’s newest show, The Big Fat Truth every Sunday at 8pm ET along with my own personal goals and health.

Every Sunday different sets of contestants are trying to break their poor health habits. For instance, one week will show a group of moms trying to get healthier and show what habits are getting in their way and why they aren’t reaching their goals.

The Big Fat Truth finds the real reasons people are having weight loss struggles, and gives them hope along with the tools they need to use to transform their lives.

After each episode, I personally have felt more optimistic about getting my body and life back after recently having my fourth baby. I have felt spread thin having four very dependent children and looking for energy anywhere I can get it.

For me, both my weight gain and my weight loss is 90% on what I do & don’t consume, and 10% dependent on how much I exercise.

So what causes me to eat poorly?

I have narrowed it down to two things:

Sugar & Sleep.

Sugar:

Misery loves company. When I eat sugar my body wants more sugar. It’s a vicious cycle. When I don’t eat it, I don’t crave it. 

Sleep:

Being a busy mom with children who still get up around the clock, sleep is a valuable thing; maybe the thing I value most these days and past couple of years. I have noticed that when I get adequate sleep I make healthier food decisions and vice versa.

I am not always the one dictating how much sleep I get, but I have made it a priority to make better eating choices no matter how many hours of z’s I get.

I want to ditch my quick solution of diet caffeinated soda, and find energy through exercise endorphins instead.

Tune in with me Sundays at 8pm ET and feel inspired to find out what’s holding you back in being your best self on The Big Fat Truth.

And don’t forget to join the FREE Big Fat 30 Day Challenge to get health and wellness tips from executive producer JD Roth!

Potty Training 101

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Wouldn’t it be nice if every child came with their own manual that gave instructions on when to potty train them.

We may not have a manual, but there are definite signs to look for. And if you pay attention to them you will know when your toddler is both physically and emotionally ready to be potty trained.

The number one key is to follow your child instead of leading your child when it comes to successful potty training. It is a smoother process with less accidents and an overall healthier approach to using the potty.

So what are the signs?

Physical signs to look for include…

Toddler can stay dry for two or more hours at a time in the day, predictable bowel movements, If they can sit on their potty without help and make it in time, along with being able to pull their own pants on and off (which is why we now use Pampers Easy Ups.

Emotional signs are just as important.

When your toddler tells you they went to use the bathroom. When they start trying to take off their own diaper because they really dislike the feeling of having a wet or messy diaper. When they start showing an interest in using the potty.

Briton has shown both emotional and physical signs of being ready, now the question is, am I?

Brooklyn’s Latch, No Strings Attached

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dress (eliza j) / clogs (mia) / tote (fendi) / sunnies (prada)

Today I’m sharing my favorite off the shoulder dress, which I wear on my shoulders.  Due to the nature of the dress, it makes it so easy to nurse my newly un-lip and de-tongue tied baby.

Bright and early yesterday morning my husband and I took sweet 7 week old Brooklyn to get his frenectamy lasered so he would no longer be lip tied. At our appointment we found out that he had a level 4 lip tie and was also tongue tied. -just our luck- so we got that lasered as well.

It was so hard watching my baby go through so much pain. He broke all the blood vessels on his scalp, around his eyes and forehead. He was also soaking wet from screaming so hard for so long in his strait jacket/swaddle.

When we got home, he cried for 8 hours plus. I tried nursing and bottle feeding him, but he was in so much pain to the point where he was actually wheezing. It was heart breaking. I had my niece take me to CVS so I could talk with a pharmacist on how to sooth his pain. I have never given medicine to my babies this young. We did a dose of Tylenol & 5 mins later he somewhat nursed as I pumped a bottle on my other side, which he thankfully drank.

We are still working on nursing, but I am hopeful as he heals and his latch gets stronger we’ll eventually get it.

In sync with Pinocchio “he now has no strings to hold him down”. Relieved the worst is behind us and we can now enjoy the beauty of breastfeeding and the bonding experience it brings between mother and child.

They say breastfeeding is 90% determination and 10% milk production. I feel like we have worked so hard to get this, so if this saying is accurate, we got this Brooklyn 🙂

All Good Things Are Planned

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planner (franklin planner) / skirt (bluish & co) / top (banana republic) / sectional (west elm) / earrings (jcrew)

All good things are planned. And based off what we have planned I’m feeling very excited to take the week head on.

We made it, well almost! After exclusively pumping for my sweet lip tied Brooklyn, 7 weeks later, he is finally getting it fixed. I have been on a waiting list, and just got the much anticipated call that his appointment will be this week.

My heart is racing. I am having flashbacks of when I did this with Holland, she was 3 years old, it was a pretty traumatic event. As excited as I am for him to get fixed, so that we can start nursing -fingers crossed- there is also a huge part of me that wants to continue to pump exclusively for him for another 11 months just to avoid the pain. I’m dreading the procedure, but in the end it’s for the best.  Wish us luck!

Holland’s summer splash birthday bash is also happening this week. We postponed her party so that her cousins could be here for it. She is mostly looking forward to finally getting to make a birthday wish on her birthday cake. The actual day of her birthday she wanted sushi for dinner. They didn’t do birthday desert, although she did get a banana desert, she has reminded me several times that didn’t count because there wasn’t four candles and nobody sang to her. The anticipation has been built and she is ready to celebrate.

I just want to quickly say thank you to Franklin Planner for sponsoring this post and for my new planner. I have a lot of people & things on my mind so it’s been a great place for me to jot down appointments, dates, times of events, you name it. It’s also been a great vacation for my brain and memory.

Wishing everyone a very wonderful week 🙂

Warmly,

Shannon

Losing The Baby Weight

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Feeling a little inadequate to write todays blogpost all about weight loss as I sit here & can still feel some loose skin and rolls creeping over my pants.

But I have come a long way. 6 weeks ago I was 28 lbs heavier as I was pregnant with my sweet baby boy. I feel grateful as I only have a handful of lbs to lose. Which I tell my husband I might purposely hold onto for as long as possible because once the lbs are gone then what? I’m just skinny Shannon forever – knock on wood –

Losing a dramatic amount of weight might be the best feeling in the world. Throw a yummy newborn in my arms and I feel like Wonder Women, & I can do anything, hence hightailing to Vegas with a 2 week old.

So how do I lose the weight?

It’s a combo of things

Nursing/Pumping

I get water and calories out of me 5 ounces at a time every 2-3 hrs. I believe in breastfeeding with all my heart for the health benefits of both mom & baby. But please don’t feel ashamed if you chose not to. It is so hard and some babies don’t take to it. And that’s why formula was invented. No shame in using it.

Drink For Fuel

One of the best parts of having a baby is the hospital water bottle. I drink at least 8 of these a day for the first 6 weeks. It actually feels me up and makes me feel less hungry. So instead of eating when our body sends the hunger pain signal drink some water first and then eat. Its really helped me.

As I now start to work out I will post more about health and fitness along with my personal goals and how I plan to achieve them.

I hope you find this post helpful and it answered some of your questions. Have a great weekend friends!

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