Shedding light on the stories no one wants to talk about — challenging stigma and judgment through honest conversations about every stage of womanhood.
If you didn’t know, walnuts are among the best food sources for Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which are ESSENTIAL to the human body. But that’s not all! There’s so much more that these wonderfully strange looking nuts have to offer.
Walnuts! Get your walnuts! – The Best Walnut Butter Recipe EVER. 🤗 Read Post »
One of the most common themes among women preparing to go through fertility treatments is questioning where they are going to find the financial means to pay for it! Unfortunately, in many cases, more invasive and expensive procedures like IVF are not covered by health insurance. This can be incredibly overwhelming and stressful, especially when you don’t have the money to pay for these treatments! Stick with me, and I’ll break down for you 3 really great tips for relieving the financial burden of fertility treatments.
3 Tips for Relieving the Financial Burden of Fertility Treatments Read Post »
It’s a question I’ve heard time and time again, “Is massage safe during pregnancy”? There is so much that happens during pregnancy, both inside and on the outside of the body, and there are things that aren’t safe during pregnancy, that would normally be safe. Is massage one of those things? What about massage during the first trimester? There’s a lot of conflicting and also incorrect information out there surrounding these questions.Read along as I break down the myths and spill the truth. Hi and welcome to the hormonal mama podcast. I am your host Cara Drescher. Today on the show, I wanted to dispel the myth that you can’t get a massage during pregnancy. It’s a really common myth, and I want to break down why it’s a myth, and why it actually is safe. So, stick with me and I’ll tell you all about it. It’s a really common myth that you can’t get a massage when you’re pregnant. But the more common myth is that you can’t get a massage during your first trimester. I’ve heard this my entire career. I’ve been a massage therapist for over 18 years, and since the day I started school, I’ve heard this common story that it is unsafe in the first trimester to get a massage. “Pregnant women can’t get massage in the first trimester it is absolutely unsafe.” “You’re going to cause a miscarriage.” “You’re going to do this, you’re going to do that.” “Do not touch women in the first trimester.” That’s what I’ve heard from everybody. I’ve heard it from massage therapy instructors, I’ve heard it from customers, I’ve heard it from massage therapists. I’ve heard it from anyone and everyone, and it’s simply not true. Let me break down for you why this is a myth. Is pregnancy a little complicated? Well, yeah! You don’t have to have a high risk pregnancy in order to have a complicated pregnancy. Pregnancy is difficult. If you listen to any of my episodes or read my blog, then you’ve heard me talk a bit about hormonal changes. That’s one of the big things. You have all these hormones racing through your body going up and down and up and down. It’s like a roller coaster… all the time. I think that’s the part that everybody gets. I mean, you’re pregnant and your hormones are going nuts trying to maintain this pregnancy. Trying to keep the baby healthy, trying to keep you healthy, trying to do this, trying to do that. What people don’t always think about is all the other things that happened during pregnancy. A lot of changes happen in the body, it’s not just that your body is growing another human which I mean, it is, and that’s probably the biggest thing about pregnancy and where this myth comes from. It’s hard to explain, so let me sort of back up a little bit and talk about miscarriage which is a very difficult topic. I, myself went through a miscarriage in my pregnancy with my twins. They had a triplet sibling, and I miscarried that third baby. Even though my experience was very different than many women; every woman who has experienced a miscarriage experiences it differently. So I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s very important to understand that the vast majority of miscarriages occurr during the first trimester. More than that, the vast majority of miscarriages occur for no apparent reason. There’s no clinical or medical explanation in many cases. I’d say in most cases, there’s no real explanation as to why you miscarried. This can be extremely difficult to understand and process, emotionally. I can relate on the infertility side because I went through years of infertility. A lot of women go through infertility. What a lot of people don’t really understand, is that recurring miscarriages are a type of infertility, and going through miscarriages whether it’s one or four, or 12, it is devastating at any time. And not only that, it’s devastating whether you lost the baby in the first two weeks, or at 20 weeks. Losing that pregnancy is a very big deal. I’m talking about it because this relates 100% to this myth that it’s not safe in the first trimester. Now, the reason why this myth really started was because of the concern that the vast majority of miscarriages that occur, occur in the first trimester. But taking into account what I said a before about how usually there’s no medical explanation for it. The other part of that, is that there’s not much that’s going to cause a miscarriage. So, the myth is sort of rooted in the fear that massage is going to cause the miscarriage. That was the impression I was under for the vast majority of my career, until I took a prenatal massage course in 2008. This was the very first prenatal massage course that I ever took, and it was a continuing education course. It was taught by a really well known continuing education provider in prenatal massage. One of the very first things she said was, “It’s perfectly safe to give a massage in the first trimester”. This blew my mind! I spent the first six years of my career believing that this wasn’t safe and that something that I did could potentially cause a miscarriage for someone else. So, I stuck to that rule. First trimester of pregnancy? Nope, not gonna touch you. Nope not gonna happen. When I took this course and she broke it down for us, I realized I didn’t know enough about pregnancy and I didn’t know enough about miscarriages. I’ve taken a lot of prenatal & postpartum continuing education courses in massage therapy over the years. I started teaching prenatal massage and advanced prenatal massage because I felt like so many massage therapists were being misinformed, which in turn is misinforming the public and that’s not fair. It’s not anyone’s fault, it’s just the circumstances.
E.20 Transcript (Is Massage Safe During Pregnancy?) Read Post »
I’ve talked a lot about skin care lately, but I think it’s time to take it back to basics, and talk about physical & mental wellbeing and how they relate to infertility, pregnancy, and the postpartum period. Before I dive in and talk all about the world of wellness and massage therapy, let me take a minute to give you a brief background on why I am an expert. I’ve been a licensed massage therapist in Pennsylvania for over 18 years. Technically, Pennsylvania didn’t have a licensing board until 2011, but I completed my massage therapy education and training in 2002. In 2008 I started studying prenatal massage and began specializing in pre & postnatal massage therapy shortly thereafter, followed by fertility massage. 6 years ago, my personal fertility journey began. After 3 very long years and 14 fertility treatments, I finally conceived triplets and gave birth to twins 7 months later. After my high risk pregnancy and unplanned c-section, I had an extremely difficult recovery and complex breastfeeding journey. Between my personal and professional experiences, I know exactly what it’s like to go through these overwhelming phases in life, but I also know how to help women going through them. Now that you know a little bit more about me, let’s talk about how wellness & specifically massage therapy can effect infertility, pregnancy, & the postpartum period. Wellness What exactly is wellness? What does it mean? Wellness is a broad term that according to The Global Wellness Institute is defined as: The active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health. Wellness professionals encompass a wide variety of fields including, but not limited to the following: massage therapy, beauty, yoga, pilates, acupuncture, physical fitness, and many many more. I can’t speak on all of these industries, but I can speak about the beauty and massage therapy industries. Today we’re going to talk about massage therapy. Massage Therapy We’ve talked a bit about wellness, and I’ve tackled skin care a number of times previously, check out any of these posts! Today, I want to focus on massage therapy, what exactly it is, how it affects physical & mental wellbeing, and why it is so important. By definition, according to Merriam Webster, massage therapy is: The manipulation of the muscles and other soft tissues of the body (as by stroking, kneading, or rubbing with one or both hands or an instrument) by a massage therapist for therapeutic purposes (as to relieve pain, promote healing, or improve physical functioning) And their definition of Massage Therapist is: A person who practices massage therapy: a trained individual who is licensed or certified to therapeutically manipulate the muscles and other soft tissues of the body using one or both hands or an instrument These definitions are pretty clear and concise and explain the general idea of massage therapy quite well. But wait! There’s more… Purpose of Massage Therapy Okay, so massage therapy is manipulating muscle tissue. That’s great, but what is the purpose? This is where it all gets interesting, and the reason I got into this industry in the first place. So let me ask you; what is the first thing you do when your neck is sore? Most of the time, the first thing you’re going to do, is rub your neck. Now, when I say rub, I’m talking very generally. You might just apply some pressure to the sore area, or you might rub with your thumb, or the palm of your hand, or you might put heat on it. What are you actually doing? YOU ARE MASSAGING YOUR NECK! Why is rubbing your neck your first instinct? Because it feels good, and sometimes even relieves the pain or discomfort. That is the whole point of massage therapy. To help relieve pain or discomfort. There are many other purposes, like helping to increase circulation, creating relaxation, and so on. The great thing about massage therapy is that it is a very broad category, that encompasses a variety of modalities. Confused? Read on! Massage Modalities What is a modality? The definition of the word, according to vocabulary.com is: The way or mode in which something exists or is done. This definition is very broad, but when we break it down into massage therapy terms, like in this article by First Institute, it begins to make more sense. Their definition, specifically relating to massage therapy is: A massage therapist would say that a modality refers to the approach that he or she might take with a client. Let me break this down a bit for you. Here is a very brief list of various massage modalities that you may have heard of: Swedish Massage Cranial Sacral Therapy Thai Massage Sports Massage Deep Tissue Massage Prenatal Massage Hot Stone Massage There are many more modalities, but this a short list to give you a better idea of what I mean when I refer to modalities. 📌 Pin me for later! Connecting the Dots How does this all relate to hormonal changes in women going through infertility, pregnancy, & postpartum? Well, I’ll break these down more in depth in the coming weeks in my next blog posts and podcast episodes, but let’s connect the dots a little bit about massage therapy and how it affects physical & mental wellbeing before diving into the deep end. Effects of Massage Therapy The effects of massage therapy on the body are vast and long lasting. Because of the domino effect of massage therapy, the results from a massage therapy session can help with more than just one problem. For example, tight muscles in the neck and back can be relieved from massage therapy, but in addition to loosening tight muscles, other effects you might experience are, increased relaxation, more positive mood, increased blood circulation, better sleep, and so on. The great thing about our bodies, is that everything really is connected. You know the classic song, “Dem Bones”? If you don’t, it’s the
A Wealth of Wellness: Your Guide to Physical & Mental Wellbeing Read Post »
Infertility is a beast, one that many people have difficulty understanding or relating to, and that is OKAY! Infertility is a difficult subject and when someone you care about is going through it, it can be difficult to know what to say or what to do. That’s why I created this one stop shop to get the best gifts for infertility warriors, to take the guesswork out of it for you! Each gift on my list is carefully chosen to be not just a good gift, but to really be thoughtful and caring and help those dealing with infertility to feel less alone. Infertility takes a toll and getting a thoughtful gift can make a tremendous difference in their stress level. And now, may I present to you… Don’t have time to read the whole post? Click the image above for clickable links to each item in the post! Your One Stop Shop to Get the Best Gifts for Infertility Warriors *Best Gift for the Health Conscious Warrior Natural Fertility Shop – 21 Day Fertility Diet Ebook – $14.95 This 125 page ebook comes with 21 smoothie recipes, 21 juice recipes, 21 salad recipes, and 21 recipes for preparing dark leafy greens. The idea behind this 21 day challenge is to transition to a healthier lifestyle to help give fertility a boost. 84 delicious & healthy recipes, you can’t go wrong! The great thing about this ebook is that all of these recipes can still be used after her fertility journey and can be used by anyone who isn’t on a fertility journey. *Best Gift for the Jewelry Loving Warrior Rose Quartz & Moonstone Gemstone Necklace – $34.99 The great thing about gemstone jewelry is that not only is it beautiful, but gemstones, in a metaphysical sense, have healing properties. Rose Quartz & Moonstone both have healing properties related to infertility. Moonstone: Is said to bring reflective and calming energy by balancing emotions. These stones have an inner flow and range from white to grey, often with flashes of blue. They help promote a more regular menstrual cycle and boost female energy, which makes them perhaps the most used stone for fertility. Is said to aid in increasing overall fertility. This pale pink stone is also helpful with headaches, migraines, sexual dysfunction, depression, addictions, and weight loss. Emotionally, Rose Quartz brings forgiveness, compassion, as well as balancing one’s emotions. It helps with healing emotional wounds and traumas. Rose Quartz removes fears, resentments, and anger. Huge shout out to InJewels Healing Jewelry for her excellent breakdown of how various gemstones heal. She has a beautiful array of jewelry for healing, so check out her shop now! *Best Gift for Warriors on the IVF Path IVF Planner by Monica Bivas – $8.00 Monica Bivas is an amazing IVF coach who has been featured in The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Dynamic Women Talk Radio, and more. As an infertility warrior herself, she brings her own experience to all of her amazing products and services. Her IVF Planner is designed for women going through IVF. It works as a planner, a journal, and an inspirational tool. I highly recommend it for any warrior going through the roller coaster ride of IVF. 📌Pin me for Later! *Best Gift for Quirky Warriors Pineapple T-Shirt – $13.96+ In the infertility community, pineapple plays a big role. Pineapple contains the enzyme, bromelain. Bromelain is a known anti-inflammatory and anti-coagulant (blood thinner). Some studies have shown that bromelain can help with implantation by increasing blood flow to the uterus. So, for many women (me included!) pineapple is a symbol of fertility. *Side note, I ate so much pineapple during my fertility journey that I actually lost my taste for it for a while! While I recommend this shirt for the quirky warriors out there, it really is for anyone who wears clothes! *Best Gift for Warriors Who Love Subscriptions Baby Dust Subscription Box – $10.99+ First off, who doesn’t love a subscription box? Let’s just talk about the super smart concept of a subscription box. Subscription boxes come in all forms. This particular subscription box is BRILLIANT and very unique. Each box comes with: Ovulation Tests Pregnancy Tests Organic Snacks Self Care Items Beauty Products I think this is quite possibly the best gift you can give a woman going through the hell that is infertility. It’s unique, practical, thoughtful, and helpful! One of the hardest things about being a friend to a woman going through infertility is the inability to relate. Even after your journey, in whatever path it leads, it can still be hard to know what to say to someone who is currently going through infertility. But getting them a gift like this, speaks volumes. So, I highly recommend this gift! *Best Gift for Artsy Warriors Inspirational Wall Art – $5+ Okay, so I realize this may seem completely out of my wheelhouse, but it’s not! So, hear me out. Before I started The Hormonal Mama, I owned a different business: Cara B. Design Studio. Cara B. Design Studio is a design business. What kind of design? That all depends! Primarily I design and make women’s wallets, handbags, and cosmetic bags. In addition, I design wall art. I have other wall art options available, but this one is my personal favorite. As an infertility warrior, it’s helpful to be reminded that times won’t always feel so dark. This quote really spoke to me, and I think it’s a lovely gift to a friend. It’s a digital download PDF that can be printed and framed. And there you have it! So there you go! 6 unique gifts for a loved one going through infertility. When I was in the thick of my infertility journey, I wished every day that the people I love could understand what I was going through. Not because they weren’t supportive, because man, were they! But simply so that they wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed by what to say to me. The
Your One Stop Shop: The Best Gifts for Infertility Warriors Read Post »
Finding gifts for pregnant women can be tricky, especially if you want to get her something really meaningful and thoughtful. Pregnancy is hard, and for many women it presents difficult challenges to navigate. I’ve taken it upon myself to give you a list of where to find the best gifts for pregnant women in your life. Do you know a pregnant woman who is sore and achy all the time and she can’t reach the achy spots to massage them? I’ve got a gift for that! Is your pregnant friend on bedrest or modified bedrest and running out of shows or movies to watch? I’ve got a solution! My list is carefully curated based on my own experience with pregnancy and all the things I wish I had during my pregnancy. So, read on and find out where to find the best gifts for pregnant women! You won’t be disappointed. Don’t have time to read the whole post? Click the image above for clickable links to each item described in the post! Where to Find the Best Gifts for Pregnant Women in Your Life *Best Gift for Active Moms-To-Be Tiosebon Walking Shoes – $31.99 When I was pregnant, my feet were so sore and SO swollen, I couldn’t fit into any of my regular shoes. One of my best friends got me these shoes, (and in this purple color!) and I still wear them to this day, 18 months after giving birth! These shoes are by far one of the best gifts anyone has ever gotten me and were extremely thoughtful. They are good and stretchy (check out the mesh!) so they’re great for swollen pregnant feet. These shoes are intended as walking shoes, so they’re perfect for any mamas-to-be who love to walk. However, they are excellent shoes for any woman who needs extra foot support, even if she doesn’t do too much walking. *Best Gift for Moms-To-Be on Bedrest Hulu Subscription – $5.99-$11.99/mo A lot of pregnant women deal with the unexpected (and sometimes expected) bedrest orders from their pregnancy provider. I was one of those! I had a lot of complications early in my pregnancy and then again late in my pregnancy, both of which required modified bedrest. Now, while I wasn’t on strict bedrest, I wasn’t allowed to go and do fun exciting things, so I had to find a lot of shows and movies to binge watch! At the time, I had a Netflix subscription, which was awesome, but there are a lot of shows I wanted to watch but were only available on Hulu, which I did not have a subscription to at the time. Hulu has so many fun shows, including current and old shows! A great gift to get someone who can’t go out and do exciting and fun things, is a Hulu subscription so she can sit back, queue up the shows (or movies!) and relax. *Best Gift for sore/achy Moms-To-Be Omni Massage Roller – $12.95 As a massage therapist specializing in prenatal massage for the past 12 years, one of the most common complaints from pregnant. women that I’ve heard over the years is that she is so sore and achy and her partner can’t give her enough pressure in the areas she needs massaged the most. I’ve had this exact omni roller since I was in massage therapy school is 2001, and I still use it regularly. It is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made, and I highly recommend gifting one to a mom-to-be in your life! You hold the bottom white part and then the top, green part rolls around on your muscles, loosening up tension and tightness, so you don’t have to use your fingers! It’s an excellent massage tool. 📌Pin me for later! *Best Gift for skin conscious Moms-To-Be Skin Script Raspberry Refining Scrub – $28 Speaking of specializing in prenatal massage, I am also a licensed esthetician, and I’ve specialized in pre & postnatal skincare for the majority of my 17 year skincare career. Skin Script is a company that I’ve used in my skincare studio for the past 5 years and it is amazing. They specialize in melasma, which is a skin condition that causes dark, patchy spots on the face. Melasma is common, and often occurs in pregnancy. Melasma is often treated with chemical peels like glycolic or lactic acid. Pregnancy makes your skin much more sensitive, and chemical peels can cause damage and sensitivity when used during pregnancy. So, we recommend against these treatments during pregnancy. Skin Script makes this amazing Raspberry Refining Scrub that is 100% safe for pregnant (and lactating!) women. With antioxidants from Raspberry & Marionberry, it brightens skin discolorations and soothes irritations, making it perfect for pregnant women with melasma. *Best Gift for organized Moms-To-Be The Hormonal Mama: Moms-To-Be Planner – $25 Pregnancy can be extremely stressful and cause a lot of women to feel out of sorts. That’s where The Hormonal Mama Planner for Moms-to-Be steps in. I don’t mean to boast, but I’m so proud of this planner! This planner is great for organized mamas-to-be who may be feeling like their organizational skill are on an endless vacation. I designed this planner because I needed some guidance in my pregnancy and something to just help with the chaotic nature of pregnancy. I’ve included pregnancy journal pages, blank monthly calendars, checklists for everything from baby registry to hospital bag, blank meal plans, and more. The Moms-To-Be-Planner is a great gift for any mama-to-be who wants to feel a little less out of control, and still enjoy her pregnancy. *Best Gift for all Moms-To-Be Irene Organics Mama-To-Be Gift Set Bundle – $59.99 (10% off with coupon code below) Gift sets are wonderful, and this particular gift set from Irene Organics is excellent and tailored to pregnant women! Includes: Stretch Mark Prevention Belly Balm Stretch Mark Prevention Belly Oil Soothing Nipple Balm All Irene Organics products are handmade with 100% certified organic ingredients and are unscented. Use
Where to Find the best gifts for pregnant women Read Post »
Are you looking for a gift for a first time mom in your life but you’re not quite sure where to start? As a first time mom, it can be extremely overwhelming and exhausting to do just about anything. Read on to discover the best gifts for first time moms. New moms often know that they need something but don’t always know exactly what it is that they need. Being able to read their mind would help so much! Since we can’t do that, I’ve taken it upon myself to look back at my time as a new mom and think of all of the things that helped me, that I think every new mama should have in their life. So, I’ve compiled a list to help you discover the best gifts for first time moms in your life, and at an affordable price, that will make them say, “Thank you! This will be so helpful!” And so, without further ado… Don’t have time to read the whole post? Click the image above for clickable links to each item in the post below! Discover the Best Gifts for New Moms *Best for Organized Mamas The Hormonal Mama Planner for New Moms – $25 This 161 page planner was designed with new moms in mind! It’s got everything from diaper changing trackers to daily schedules, naptime and bedtime routines to milk/formula intake trackers. Blank monthly calendars, monthly food menus and so much more are also included in this planner. This planner is guaranteed to make your life easier and less stressful when you’re navigating the world as a new mom. *Best for Alternative Health Mamas Plant Therapy Energy Synergy Roll On – $8.95 With essential oils of Blood Orange, Peppermint, Lemon, Ginger Root, Eucalyptus Globulus, and Egyptian Geranium, this energy boosting roll on oil (safely diluted in Fractionated Coconut Oil), will help give a boost of energy to the most tired of mamas! Roll on oils are easy to use. Just remove the cap, then roll directly onto your wrists, (or other pulse points) and you’re all set! *Word of warning, because of the energy boosting nature of this roll on oil, it is best to stay away from it at nighttime, and the few hours preceding sleep. *Best for Tired Mamas Cara B. Skin Care: Cucumber Herbal Eye Gel – $35 For sleepy mamas, anything with caffeine is sure to help perk her up! This Cucumber Herbal Eye Gel is no exception. With caffeine as one of its main ingredients, this eye gel will help soothe puffy, tired eyes. Hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and cucumber round out the main ingredients and will help reduce the appearance of dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles, and provide deep hydration to the delicate eye area. A tiny little bit goes a long way, so this eye gel makes a perfect gift, as it will last her a long time! 📌Pin me for later! *Best for Creative Mamas Brookside Baby Newborn Photos – Pricing Varies Susannah of Brookside Baby is the most talented newborn photographer around. I mean that! She did my sweet kiddos’ newborn photos and they are among my favorite and most treasured items in the world. When you go to her site, you’ll see that one of the shots from my kiddos’ photoshoot is the very first image that appears! The dragonfly and the butterfly on the moss covered branch? Those are my babies! Not only is Susannah an extraordinarily talented and creative photographer, she will work with you to give you the most exceptional, beautiful and perfectly tailored to your needs photos that you can possibly ask for. She’s wonderful to work with. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! *Best for Breastfeeding Mamas Earth Mama Organics Nipple Butter – $12.99 You may be wondering if this gift is a little too personal, but I assure you, it’s not! For those breastfeeding mamas, Earth Mama Organics Nipple Butter is a life saver. But really, it’s a nipple saver! I highly recommend this as a gift for any breastfeeding mama out there. There are other wonderful nipple butters on the market, but this is the one I find to be the most soothing and it doesn’t hurt that it’s organic! They also have a Vegan Option available. She’ll greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness of this nipple butter. I promise. *Best for Working Mamas Every Plate Subscription – $4.99/serving Life as a new mama is very hard and stressful. Trying to figure out what you’re going to have for dinner every night is complicated enough, and then going to the supermarket with a list and going down each aisle to figure it out? It’s too much! Especially if you’re a working mama and you just don’t have the time. Every Plate makes it easy by giving you a choice of 11 different meals each week and then sending you a box with the ingredients and instructions included. Starting at $4.99 per serving, with your choice of 2-4 servings per meal and 3, 4, or 5 meals per week, you can’t go wrong! I highly recommend getting the new mamas in your life a subscription to Every Plate. It’s a unique and extremely practical gift! Now get to Gifting! I hope this list has helped you discover the best gifts for first time moms in your life. Mamas need support, and first time mamas need even more support. As a first time mom, it can be overwhelming to know what you need, and then trying to figure out how to get it when you’re dealing with a newborn (or 2, or 3, or more!) can just feel extremely chaotic. Treat your new mom friends and give them a thoughtful gift that will be sure to touch their heart.
Discover the Best Gifts for First Time Moms Read Post »
So many pumps to choose from! How do I know which to choose?
Here is my guide, based on my personal experience, to the best electric pumps, manual pumps, pump attachments, accessories, adapters, and more!
Pump up the Volume: The 9 Best Breast Pumps Around Read Post »
After much thought and consideration, I decided it was time to hang up my “Esthetician’s Day Off” apron and rebrand as The Hormonal Mama. But why? Over the past 2 years, my life has changed in (amazing) ways I still can’t quite comprehend. After a lengthy battle with infertility, I miraculously conceived triplets and went on to have a healthy pregnancy with twins. My babies were born 8 weeks premature and I suffered from preeclampsia in the final 4 weeks of my pregnancy. I had to have an unplanned csection due to complications (intrauterine growth restriction) with one of my babies. They spent the first 25 days of their lives in the NICU, while their mama struggled with pumping, breastfeeding, and an extremely painful and lengthy csection recovery. The first year of their lives brought a very complicated and difficult breastfeeding + bottle + formula feeding journey. They turned one and I finally realized I was a mom. When they turned one, I decided it was time for me to go back to work part time. Then the pandemic hit. As we all know, our world was turned upside down and inside out. Throughout the past 4 months, I’ve realized that as much as i miss my work, I’m treasuring my time at home with the loves of my life. So, I made the decision to be a stay at home mom, while converting my business entirely online… for now. I call myself the hormonal mama because I’ve been through the gamut, hormonally speaking. I went through the trauma of fertility treatments, I went through IVF, countless IUIs, fertility medication, endless blood draws, constant bad news. For 3 very long years, I suffered extraordinarily complicated emotions, partially due to the constant influx of hormones. I went through a healthy, though complicated, and high risk pregnancy. I lost one of my babies. I gave birth to 2 healthy, tiny, premature babies and… well… hormones. But here’s the interesting part. I’d laser focused my career around fertility, pregnancy and the postpartum period, far before I ever dealt with any of these things. I’m a certified fertility massage specialist. I specialize in prenatal and postpartum massage. I’m a nationally approved Continuing education provider, who specializes in teaching prenatal, postpartum and advanced prenatal massage courses. I’m a licensed esthetician, with a pregnancy focused product line. I have all of these qualifications, and now I’ve lived through it all. That’s why I’ve hung up my “Esthetician’s Day Off” apron, and am now proudly sporting my, “The Hormonal Mama” planner.