one week after weaning
well... one week after that newsletter
Somehow it’s been a week since I published my newsletter on weaning my co-sleeping daughter. If you read that then you know that I was holding onto one feed before bed, so she wasn’t actually totally weaned. If you haven’t read that newsletter yet, here it is! 👇🏻
In the newsletter I discussed my plans to cut off that final feed soon, so I wanted to give you all an update on where we’re at. One week later. But first let’s go back to our traditional format with my interests this week and a quick wellness tip. xo
📚 WHAT TO READ: I’m still reading the book The Merge by Grace Walker and I love it. Once again it is set in a near future UK where there is a new technology enabling two consciousnesses to merge into one body. I’m about 3/4 of the way and I have been captivated the entire time; part 2 is maybe a little slower than part 1, but I’m still locked in. For me, the book is bringing up questions about government, western medicine, God and faith, personal autonomy, brainwashing, and human rights.
I’m also reading the book of Luke in the Bible. It has 24 chapters and therefore makes it a great book for advent.
📺 WHAT TO WATCH: I recently watched this brief clip from Ronda Patrick on microplastics and learned some terrifying tidbits of information.
If you haven’t watched Arthur Christmas yet, watch it!!
We also watched Home Alone 1 this week. Celia has been on a wild and crazy sleep schedule following Thanksgiving and getting sick, so the other night when she went to bed at a reasonable time Daniel and I fully took advantage of the down time, made a fire, and watched Home Alone while eating cookies. Daniel was telling me there is a thought that the old man in Home Alone is alluding to a Jesus like figure since they make a point to show his bloody, pierced hand (among other points). That aside, it was a lovely and relaxing time.
*Recipe for the cookies here <3
🎧 WHAT TO LISTEN TO: Of course now that I’ve watched Home Alone I’m also fully invested in the soundtrack. I think I'm one of those weird kind of people that can work, write, etc while listening to music with lyrics so yes, I listen to this while working. White Christmas is literally playing while I type this.
Can we circle back to warm foot soaks? I shared this video on Instagram this week and it reminded me that this is indeed a “weird” thing that I do and that so many of you haven’t incorporated the practice yet. So we’re talking about it again!
Back in 2016ish I started going to a husband + wife duo for acupuncture. I tended to go to the husband more since it was sliding scale and I was a budgeting college kid, but I digress. I was having stomach issues (while also vegan, on birth control, eating non-organic, drinking alcohol, etc etc… go figure) and he suggested that I incorporate warm foot baths into my night routine. He said that there is a digestion point right above your ankles and that soaking your feet not only improves circulation, but can stimulate and regulate that digestive point. He also suggested not drinking smoothies, anything raw, anything crunchy (chips, crackers, etc), but once again getting off topic.
Years later I started going to the wife to help with my interstitial cystitis and to get off of hormonal birth control. Fast forward another couple of years and this time since I was going to her after the loss of my first pregnancy and trying to get my body back in control and boost my fertility. And lo and behold, she mentions the foot soaks. I had stopped doing them (why do we stop doing things that we know are good for us?), but was so grateful for her reminder. This time she suggested using the foot soaks as a means to boost my overall health and fertility.
Some benefits of warm foot soaks include:
Easing stress and anxiety
Improving blood circulation
Helping sleep
Reducing inflammation
Potentially aid in PMS and period symptoms
My acupuncturist gave me this protocol:
Sit with my feet in the warm water until I feel the warmth in my hands
At first it took about 15-20 minutes and as I did the practice that time got shorter and shorter - indicating that my circulation was improving.
Do this nightly if we were not actively trying to conceive.
If we were TTC, then:
Do the foot soaks from period to ovulation and stopping at ovulation.
If we did not conceive and I got my period, resume soaks and repeat process.
Use epsom salt if desire to aid in further relaxation as well as grounding.
She suggested that the epsom salt was of the earth element so it would help ground me. In Chinese medicine earth is very much the mother element so tapping into that can be big.
I gather that some of the Chinese medicine stuff may feel woo woo to you, if it does, ignore it. The tangible health benefits speak for themselves.
Weaning Update
When I first set out to really night wean Celia I was so mentally done. I was touched out, determined, and just done. I was sad, of course, but it felt like it was the right time for both of us. She wasn’t sleeping well anymore which meant neither were Daniel or I. My boobs felt like more of an object and habit than a source of comfort. Nursing turned into jungle gym time, sometimes with her doing full 180s. So yes, I was done - until my boobs were so engorged that I had no choice, but to nurse again (or risk getting mastitis).
**I discussed all of this in my previous newsletter, so my apologies if this part is redundant.**
