Welcome to the Millennial+Married blog!
Millennial+Married started as a pregnancy diary and is now a parenthood/lifestyle diary. I mainly post about Baby Zay (who is due an update post because he has grown so much!), but will expand to include: my nursing school journey, vegan journey, a little travel, and local eateries (we love supporting small businesses ❤).
Thanks for stopping by!
Greetings!
Welcome to the Millennial + Married Blog!
It’s been almost 6 months since my last post. I took time away from social media and other forms of media to refocus, regroup, and just live.
I am a new mom and things were starting to get overwhelming trying to balance everything.
Think of an unattended garden, with over grown weeds. That was me; neglected. I was neglecting my health, my mind, and my spirit. So since my last post, I made very vital changes to my lifestyle.
I am vegetarian now (Hubby still eats meat, whomp whomp lol).
I always loved the outdoors, but now, it’s become my ultimate favorite place. I love the park, beach, and mountains. The park and the beach renews me and the mountains give me clarity.
Physically, I feel like I’m in my early 20s again. I lost 28 lbs since delivering our son and my vital signs are much better. I never shared this on here, but I suffered from anxiety and tachycardia for years. My resting heart rate would read between 90-115, which is too high. Now, it’s at 80-87; a much better range. I haven’t reached my ultimate goal, but it’s on the way!
When I step on the scale ⚖
I hype myself up.
I big myself up.
And the weight just keeps falling off.
Spirituality, I took advantage of this “quarantine” and started looking within. I started with heavy shadow work and faced my “darkness” (I will write a separate more detailed post later), which led to my complete lifestyle change. In order to live the life you want, you have to shed what no longer serves you: old habits, unhealthy patterns, negative thoughts, etc. I feel my weightloss is a physical manifestation of me purging what is not beneficial. As the saying goes, “as is above, is below”.
Hi!
Welcome back to the Millennial+Married blog
Today’s post is about our baby’s upcoming six-month Peds appointment.
Our questions and concerns include: solid foods introduction, teething expectations, vaccine schedule, and his physical/mental development.
Solid Foods
During Zay’s last check up, we learned the signs that indicate he is ready for solids. Neck strength is one definite sign. The Pediatrician assessed Zay by laying him down, placing his hands together, and pulled him up. At the time, his head did flop back a little which indicated that he wasn’t quite ready so his Pediatrician recommended we just feed him based on cue because he was not ready for solids.
It has been two months since Zay’s last Peds visit. Now, he is able to keep his neck straight and head up when pulled forward. So, I gave him a little rice cereal in his bottle and he drank it down with no issues. Now, I’m curious about when Zay can start eating from a bowl. We so excited to buy a cute high chair 😄.
Teething
Zay has been teething for two months now. He drools alot and sometimes his gums bother him, but his teeth have yet to erupt. He was born five weeks early so teeth eruption could be delayed. I want to ask about maintenance of his teeth when they do erupt.
Vaccine Schedule
He is due a few vaccines, including his first flu shot.
Physical/Mental Development
We do our parts as parents to ensure Zay is coming along in his development, especially since his was born early. We understand that premature babies, on average, catch up by the age of two. Still, we strive for our son to be the best that he can be and meet or come close to meeting his milestones.
We were on lock down for a few months and states are now re-opening; however, it doesn’t mean COVID19 is gone. It means we have to use caution. The standard regulation is to just wear a mask as a precaution, for the protection of you and those around you, when in public. Otherwise, you can do whatever you want in the privacy of your home.
Masks have been proven to lower the transmission rates by keeping the droplets from the mouth within the mask.
As a healthcare professional, I support our local officials’ decision to make masks mandatory in an effort to mitigate the spread. Someone has to pull the reigns on reckless behavior or the virus will spin out of control.
The last few months have been understandably uncomfortable, but will be behind us with togetherness and cooperation.
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Happy Juneteenth everyone!
The Juneteenth Flag was created by Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation and illustrator, Lisa Graf.
The White Star represents Texas, the Lone Star State. Along with the freedom of Americans across all 50 states.
The Burst Outline represents a nova, the name astronomers use for “new star.” So a new beginning for black Americans of Texas and the rest of America.
The Curved Horizon represents new opportunities and promise that lay ahead for Black Americans.
The Red, White, Blue represents the American Flag. Also, to remind those that former slaves and their descendants were and are American people.
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Recently, I received good news; one of the best in a while.
I got accepted into a local college which brings me closer to obtaining my RN. This fall, I will be entering as a nontraditional, post bacc student.
Goals
*To document my nursing school here
*Perform to the best of my ability, which will reflect in my grades
*Balance family/work/school
*Try not to stress out too much lol
*Graduate (With Honors)
*Pass the NCLEX
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Today’s post is about how I have been able to maintain my milk supply since returning to work.
It has been two months since my return back to work. Baby Zay is primarily breastfed so it is important that I meet his nutritional needs. Here’s a short list of how I have been keeping my supply up:
Lactation Consultant
Our son’s Pediatric Office has a LC on staff that I receive support from. The office bills us to ensure our insurance will cover it (cool little loop hole) without us having to pay out of pocket.
Breast Pump
Breast pumps are great because you are able to release once your breast become engorged. I pump eight times per day because any less, in my experience, will make your supply decline.
Hydration
It’s important to stay hydrated or else your body will not produce much milk.
Converse With Other Moms
I embrace the advice given to me from other moms. It’s great to have a support system that you can share valuable information with.
Hello!
Welcome back to the Millennial+Married blog.
There has been alot going on, which can take a toll on your mental health. Personally, there are moments where I have felt anxiety from the current events so don’t think you are alone in your feelings.
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Our son was referred to Babies Can’t Wait because he was born early and spent time in the NICU. BCW’s role is to perform developmental assessments to check for any delays in meeting milestones and provide interventions if necessary. I’m excited and relieved that he passed his assessment with flying colors! That means all of our daily activities are working very well on him and he does not need any interventions.
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Two years ago this week, my husband proposed to me at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I was under the impression that we were taking couple photos for a friend’s photography business as we have done once before. During our last photoshoot two months prior, I thought he was going to propose and was a little disappointed when he didn’t.
The proposal took place in one of the most beautiful areas of the garden with a large fountain in the background. I started crying when he bent down on one knee because we talked about our future before and now it was here; a reality.
There were a few people around that gave us our congratulations. Later, we drove to a low country restaurant, which is my all time favorite food. My mom is from the low country of SC so I know it well. When I walked in, to my surprise, our family and friends were there! They were there to congratulate and celebrate our new engagement. We talked, ate, took pictures, and had a good time. Afterwards, it started raining and we ran to the car. There we kissed like they do in the movies; corny and in the rain lol.
