Browsing Category

PCOS

PCOS, Preggo

5 Things No One Told Me About Being a New Mom

• By

  1.  The night sweats. If menopause is anything like this….Lord help me.  Every night I wake up drenched in sweat and throughout the day I have random hot flashes that are so serious I want to strip all the way down.  Hopefully, my hormones will normalize soon and I will
  2. My neck, my back!  Maybe it’s my advanced maternal age (medical terms for ‘you’re old as heck having a baby’) but, my neck and back hurt terribly!  I’m propping my back with tons of pillows while feeding Benjamin and doing tons of exercises and stretches when I get a free minute but, it’s not a long-term solution at all. If you’ve had back pain you know how annoying it can be.  It literally affects everything I do.  I have to make an appointment at Massage Heights and with a chiropractor ASAP.
  3. Showers and meals are a luxury.  I never realized how much my time management skills would be challenged! Simple things like taking a long shower and sitting down to eat a meal have become a thing of the past.  As soon as Benjamin is quiet or sleeping, I’m running to scarf down something to eat or running into the shower for all of two minutes….if that.
  4. Breastfeeding is work.  Everything I thought about breastfeeding has gone out of the window over the past nine weeks.  I’ve been nursing a lot more than I thought I would, which is good but it has really taken a lot out of me.  I am constantly raiding the kitchen because of all of these calories I’m burning being Ben’s personal cow.  And between nursing, pumping, and bottle feeding I am exhausted!
  5.  Emotional wreck.  I was not expecting the daily crying sessions and inner mama bear emotions over my little man.  Pre-mommyhood, I was so not the emotional type but, this little boy (and these postpartum hormones) has changed all of that.

Being a mom is a lot more work than I could have ever imagined but, what I also did not know was that I could be so madly in love with another human being (other than my hubby).  This little boy is everything I prayed for and more!  When I look at his little angel face, I’m reminded of how faithful God is. Despite the things doctors told me for years, I had to have faith that could move mountains that God would give me a healthy baby one day. It was hard as hell and I had some low moments but, he was all worth it.

 

New mommies, what are some things you have learned while parenting that you did not expect?

 

PCOS, Preggo

My Labor + Delivery Story

• By

He’s here! My husband and I are parents to a beautiful, healthy baby boy named Benjamin Charles.  He came three weeks early on June 2 at 11:28 pm but is healthy and doing well.

God is truly awesome and we are so in love!

 

 

Labor and Delivery

On Memorial Day, I first noticed some clear liquid that would leak out periodically throughout the day.  I thought I had peed on myself at first so I did not pay it any mind but, when it continued on and off for the next two days I decided to call the nurse.  She asked me a few questions, called my doctor, and told me to head on over to the hospital to get checked.

A part of me was thinking it was nothing and I would probably get sent home once we got there.  I texted Malcolm that we would have to go to the hospital that night and I went to  throw a few more things in my bag.  Once we got to the hospital, we waited only a few minutes before a nurse called my name and led me to a small room.  The nurse explained the swab test she would be performing to determine whether or not it was actual amniotic fluid coming out.

She came back and said, “Well, you’re not leaving here without a baby.”

I did not know what to say.  I knew that he would come earlier than the June 21st due date because for all of May I could literally feel like his head was knocking at the door.  It was painful to walk and the dizzy spells made every day tasks almost impossible but, a June 2nd delivery was much earlier than I expected but, the day had come.

I was moved into a delivery room and given Pitocin around 10 in the morning.  Thirteen hours later, after an epidural, and seven pushes our miracle baby boy was born at 11:28 p.m. After being sick my entire pregnancy and having killer contractions, when I looked at him for the first time it was ALL worth it.

 

*If you want to hear more about my journey with PCOS and how I got pregnant naturally despite what doctors told me for years, check out my e-book, This Side of Faith.

 

 

PCOS, Skin 101, Soul

Happy Mother’s Day!

• By

Hey loves!

I am just beside myself that this Mother’s day I get to celebrate the coming of my little miracle baby.  For so many years, I prayed, cried, and dreamed of the day that I would be blessed with the title of mother so it is still surreal that I will be official next month when my little baby boy is here. Although the pregnancy journey has not been easy (all day “morning sickness” for the past eight months…ugh!), I am forever grateful that God saw fit to answer my prayer.

Despite what doctors have said, I got pregnant the good, ol’ fashioned way (with some changes in my lifestyle and thinking).  It does not get any more miraculous than that.  For the women for whom this day is especially difficult because of infertility, loss or grief, please know that you are not alone. God truly does restore!

Don’t forget to pre-order my e-book , This Side of Faith, on Amazon! It is all about how I healed from PCOS, got my miracle baby, and learned to live the life God had in mind for me. I list the steps that can also help you to live the life you have always wanted despite whatever odds are stacked against you.

PCOS, Preggo, Soul

My E-Book Launch!

• By

I am so excited to announce that I am launching my new e-book, This Side of Faith: How to Heal from PCOS, Get Your Miracle Baby, and Change Your Life! It has been on my heart to write this book for some years now and it feel like a dream to actually have written it and about my natural health journey with PCOS but, now that my little miracle baby will be here next month I have even more motivation to put my testimony and experience out there sooner.

After announcing my pregnancy on social media about six months ago, I have been humbled by the number of emails, texts, and messages from women who said that I had given them hope to be able to overcome their own fertility and health issues. I had no idea that me telling my story would have such an impact. It was during this time that I knew I had to start writing about my experience to show many more women what was possible.

I decided not to overthink it, stop second guessing myself, and to just write. A few months later, This Side of Faith was born. Find out the steps that can lead you to the healing, miracle baby and the life you have been wanting!

Now available on Amazon for pre-order here.  Thank you for all of your support through the years as I have shared bits and pieces of my life here on Simplistic Chic.  I hope you will be inspired by my book to take charge of your life and always know that there is a purpose to the challenges you are going through right now.

Feel free to email me with any questions at: candice.selby@gmail.com