Updates from Kara Johnson

Hey there!

I'm Kara, the mom nurse and I'm here to support you with postpartum! Today we are going to talk a little bit about weaning from breastfeeding and the one thing I have found that has worked AMAZING!

I have breastfed all of my babies (6 of them so far!) for a minimum of a year. I love the bond I have received with my babies through breastfeeding and the joy it brings both of us! With that said... my last baby he is almost 2. My boys have definitely nursed for longer than the girls. The boys have been 18 months, 22 months and now 24 months.

I have been wanting to quit but kept wondering why MYSELF was having a hard time quitting as we had went to Hawaii, and I tried quitting then. My baby went right back to nursing when we came back. (he was already 20 months at that time.) I tried vinegar on my nipples. Didn't work. He sucked right past the bitterness. 

I was like... whatever. I'll just keep nursing. However it felt like I was just being used as a pacifier and I wasn't really producing much milk. I was getting aversions to breastfeeding and yet WHY couldn't I just quit nursing?

Every time I would tell him no, he would throw a tantrum. So we just kept on keeping on.... until a friend told me about "SuckerBuster". Its an organic, proven method to wean from breastfeeding in just 1-2 uses. I bought it. 

When it came though... I was hesitant to use it. This means that I'm really really done. When I put this on... it means I'm done breastfeeding my little one. I cried for two days. I still could cry because it means that door has closed. But once I realized WHY I couldn't quit like I wanted- MY attachment to breastfeeding, it was like wow... I didn't realize how affected I would be by quitting.

I wallowed through my feelings of my babies growing up and how time passes so quickly, and knew I was now ready to let go. We are allowed to have mixed feelings, allowed to change our minds and we are allowed to feel all the things that come with weaning no matter what age your baby is. 

So if you are ready to quit breastfeeding and have it work pretty much with the first try- this stuff is for you. 

I put it on when he was awake like the package says- and when I brought him to nurse he looked at me with a disgusted look and said 'eww". He tried the other breast and same thing. It only took one time to try and he does not want to breastfeed. Its still kind of sad to me, but at the same time I am happy to finally start feeling like myself a little more, until I'm pregnant again! :-) 

Try "SuckerBuster" for those hard to wean babies/toddlers, and you can even use it on pacifiers and thumbs!

And if you're looking for further support for those mama meltdowns, join my Facebook group here: The Mom Nurse

Happy Weaning!!!

XoXo, The Mom Nurse

"Should I quit my job as a nurse?" I think that is a question that many nurses ask themselves, when they aren't happy with their current position.

P.S.

I had a revelation the other day... ok maybe it was today as well as many days in the last two years.

Hi I'm Kara and I'm the mom nurse. I help new mom's with postpartum, newborns, breastfeeding and beyond, Welcome to my home on the internet, I'm so glad you're here!

Pour yourself coffee while you read this, I want you to sit and stay awhile.

Anyways, back to my revelation. I realized that I am so grateful right now. It feels like yesterday when I was trying to juggle 4 kids, home life, work life, and all the other duties that come with being a wife, mom, and nurse. 

I am so grateful now that I get to put my babies to sleep every night. I am so grateful I get to be home with them right now. ESPECIALLY during this time of uncertainty in healthcare. ESPECIALLY NOW. 

If you are ever doubting your path, I want you to know that RIGHT NOW you are where you are meant to be right now. 

The little things in life aren't so little after all. The little things like getting to soothe my toddler's cries, rock my toddler to sleep, re-assure my kindergartner that those funny noises are just his brother snoring and it's OK! These little things I am so grateful for, because just a few short years ago I was praying for these moments. I was praying to be able to stay home with my kids.

I didn't feel like there was ever an end in sight to me working. There was always another bill, always another expense. But the weird thing is... we still live just as comfortably on one income as we did on both of ours previously. God works in mysterious ways...

The little things ARE the big things! Getting to help my third grader with her homework, and my first grader with learning to read. I now get to SEE my oldest daughter practice violin, piano and be there for it. If you are doubting any decision to stay home with your kids, this is your sign that it's MORE than okay to stay home with them.

Your kids need YOU, and only you. When it doesn't make financial sense.... sometimes those leaps of faith and trust in God are things that happen spontaneously due to life circumstances, but sometimes it's just a decision you have to come to terms with and make. 

I know it's not easy being a stay at home mom. That loss of income can immediately feel a bit like a bite. But I have done so many things to increase income and work from home, and I know these things can be done. I am so grateful I get to be here for the little things now, which aren't actually so little after all! I am grateful for each and every moment that I see my kids light up, I get to be here when they are home from school. 

My kids even can help me with my online work and we make things a family effort. We work together now, not apart. Amidst these troubling times in our world, now more than ever is a great time to be home with your kids, teaching them and encouraging them they can be anything in a world that is so afraid. We hope that we can portray the light to your families, that you too can be there for the little things.

The little things matter, and are in fact- the big things. I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy that coffee!!!

XOXO,

Hey there!

Thanks for coming to my blog! Postpartum recovery is no joke... and there are also things that no-one tells you about!!! Like WHAT?!? Ok, maybe you were warned but maybe you just didn't remember!!!

I will tell you about a few things-postpartum bleeding, tears (both kinds of tears!!!) and losing the baby weight that nobody told me about, and walk you through what I did to get through it. As a new mom, any support you can get the better!!! 

Oh... didn't anyone tell you the bleeding can stop and then start up again?! Your body does tell you when you're probably doing too much- as in... vacuuming too many floors or running too many errands! 

I also didn't realize your period could come and go very irregularly postpartum, and that it can be non-existent while breastfeeding too!

The bleeding postpartum should start out more bright red, and be heavy for up to a week or so as your uterus is shrinking back to normal size. Then it will start to turn darker red in color, and slowly taper to more light bleeding and lochia. (light pink colored discharge)

Now this is in most of the normal postpartum era. Some people have more troubles, some people have less. 

Watch out for big clots (like uhh bigger than a golf ball which then is usually associated with lots of bleeding)- seek help for those. You should typically only get bigger clots in the first few days to a week after delivery. 

Blood clots often look like jelly... they can look like mucousy or have tissues inside of them. Know that small clots are normal. However- fragment pieces of the placenta can be left attached to the uterus, and as it shrinks back to pre-pregnancy size can cause clots and bleeding after they break off. Watch again for increased bleeding- soaking through a pad an hour for several hours would indicate a problem if your bleeding had already slowed down.

The biggest thing I learned is that bleeding will and can last up to 6 weeks postpartum, and can even come back when you start doing too much. Listen to your body and ease up when you start to notice an increase in bleeding.

Don't wear tampons... I'm sure you know this but you shouldn't insert anything into the vaginal area until after your doctor gives you the OK that everything is healed up around the six week mark. Make sure you are changing your pads frequently as not to get any infections. 

There is a very real thing called vaginal tearing!!! (or an episiotomy if your doctor performed that) This is when your perineum tears up to the FOURTH degree which means... you can tear up to the anus. Its a very real thing and I had no clue this was a thing before having a baby! Let alone knowing how to care for a tear after getting home! (Thankfully I only tore up to the second degree)

What can you do? Oh... make sure you take those anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen (advil). Take that with tylenol alternating around the clock to keep pain and inflammation to a BARE minimum. :-) 

You can pick up a doughnut pillow like this one: (tap the picture to bring you to the listing)

This is WONDERFUL as it's a cold pack too and a cushion. This will take the pressure off your bottom and also provide cooling relief.. because you ALSO need to be ICING your bottom, and NO not with cake icing. :-) 

ICE ICE BABY!!! Make sure you are using an ice pack FREQUENTLY.  For sure for the first 24-48 hours around the clock. 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off and repeat!!! This will help tremendously.

Witch Hazel pads infused with Lavender. I make my own!!! I add a couple drops of lavender essential oil to alcohol free witch hazel. Swirl in a glass mason jar, then add a stack of cotton pads that you use for your face. Place in the fridge and use these with each pad change. AMAAAZZZING recovery results!!!

As for the stitches- they may be dissolvable most likely, but ask your doctor at your 6 week postpartum visit for sure. Watch for bright red blood that could indicate that it isn't healing.

As for the other REAL Tears... Think the watery ones that escape from your eyes, that's called "the baby blues" and that's also a real thing. Your hormones are changing so quickly and drastically after delivery and this should even out by 2-3 weeks postpartum. I go into a deeper dive into this in my e-course (Postpartum, Newborns, Breastfeeding & Beyond) if you want to learn more about hormones!!!

I also dive deeper into all of these topics, if you want to know more about it, sign up for The New Mama Blueprint and i'll be sure to let you know all about it!

Postpartum Baby Blues are no joke. You'll be making yourself breakfast and burst into tears over nothing. Or you'll be looking out the window, and the baby blues will hit you like a ton of bricks, overwhelming you so quickly you had no idea that things could be so difficult! You might be feeling great, and then in the middle of the night you aren't feeling so great when you've been up a majority of it crying because you can't figure out why you're craving pizza. Yeah... those kinda things will happen!

To get through that, It's best to approach it in a way that you KNOW its going to happen, so ride the wave. It's okay to fall off the surfboard, but get back up. I have used a few high quality supplements to get me through this challenging time, Check out that blog post for more details HERE

If the baby blues lasts longer than 2-3 weeks, make sure you talk to your doctor at your postpartum visit. They should screen you for postpartum depression, so make sure they do.

SEEK HELP if you are feeling so overwhelmed you can't function. Postpartum anxiety and depression are REAL, and pretty common.

But know that this too shall pass, and soon your baby will be growing so fast. You'll wonder how you got through the postpartum era and be on the other side soon enough. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about your sweet baby you are holding, I LOVE BABIES!!!

Baby weight... what is that??? Oh it's that weight you can't seem to just drop like a sack of rocks. But guess what? I'm going to tell you right now that... you are BEAUTIFUL just the way you are. It took 9 months to grow that sweet baby, give it 9 months before you really start to worry about your weight. 

A few key tips is: don't think you have to get rid of the weight quickly after baby is born. If you are breastfeeding, this will help some in the long term. Going right into a rigorous workout routine can quickly overwhelm your body, so start out slow. Keep up walks daily, then gradually work up to your pre-pregnancy workouts. 

I had someone poke my belly two weeks postpartum and tell me I should start working out. (insert baby blues) So just know it can take up to ONE YEAR or more to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight, if at all! I'm in the postpartum stage from our sixth baby, and I'm no-where near my pre-pregnancy weight, and it's ok.

Embrace your body, accept the change and let go of what was. I give you permisison. I can help you with a mama reset in my e-course for new mom's, it can be used for anything that might be overwhelming, frustrating or stressful. Member's Area Here

So anyway, I just want to let you know that you ARE superwoman, you ARE capable, and you ARE beautiful just the way you are. 

Wrapping it Up

I hope you learned a few things that NO-ONE told you when you were expecting a baby about the postpartum "era". I would love to teach you all that I know about becoming a new mom, and hope to see you again!!! 

Hey hey!!!

Kara the mom nurse here with an easy go-to recipe for pizza. Keep these ingredients on hand and when you are wondering what to make QUICK, (besides frozen pizza...) this comes in pretty close and the kids love it!!!

You know those days when you're 38 weeks pregnant, you have one sick kid, one who pooed his pants, the toddler who needs you right NNNNOOOOWWW... and then you realized everybody is getting hungry because the chaos ensues and gets louder and louder... yeah. those days. This is for those days!

Feel Free to Change up what you put on it, but this is definitely kid and parent approved, my husband even loves it! (Prep time is like... 5 minutes) I have even had the kids make them and they are easy for the kids to make.

Click to see the short videoHERE on the ingredients I used!

Hey There!

Kara the Mom Nurse here. I am now a stay at home mom and enjoy cooking healthy options from scratch for our family of 7 (soon to be 8!!!)

I had found a recipe online for seasoned baked potato wedges and refined it for the Kalorik MAXX Air Fryer (26 qt) size. Known as Jojo's or whatever other name you have for these potatoes, they turned out delish!

6 Russet Potatoes

4 T. Flour

2 T. Seasoned Salt ( I used lawry's)

2 T. Oil ( I used avacado oil, I would use a light oil as olive oil would take away from the seasoned taste)

Gallon Ziploc Bag

First I baked the potatoes in the Kalorik:

I baked the potatoes for 52 minutes at the 375 temp on bake setting. This was a tad too long for the smaller sized potatoes and then they were pretty crumbly and I wasn't able to use some of them for this recipe. Alternatively you can bring a pot of water to boil, then boil for 10 minutes. I did NOT peel them, although you can if you prefer. Jojo potato wedges are made with the skin on. 

Once the potatoes were done I took them out and cut in half to cool a bit, then cut in the wedges.

Allow to cool slightly before putting in the gallon ziploc baggie. While they are cooling, add the flour and seasoning salt to the ziploc bag and mix together. Once the potatoes are cooled a bit, add to the ziploc bag and then shake gently to get the flour mixture covering the potatoes.

Next I put the seasoned potato wedges into the air fryer basket over the sink and shook the excess flour mixture off.

After I shook off the excess flour, I poured the oil over the potatoes and shook to incorporate. I personally just poured the oil over and didn't measure exactly, you could also add the oil to the flour mixture in the ziploc bag if you prefer less mess. 

Then I popped the air fryer basket into the Kalorik, and selected the Air Fry option, and used the "frys" option. It baked them for 15 minutes at 450 and that seemed to be perfect! I stopped halfway through cooking to shake them up so they would evenly brown and crisp up.

You may want to set a separate timer to check or just adjust the time for 7 minutes so it will stop and you can shake, then put for another 7-8 minutes.

Let cool slightly and then enjoy!!! There wasn't any potato wedges left!!! 

Here is the final product. They sure were tasty! Feel free to change up the seasonings if you wish. If you don't have seasoned salt like lawrys, you could make a mixture with 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp paprika. (or make up your own, and comment below what you did!)

Join the Beginners Facebook group here:  Kalorik Maxx Air Fryer for Beginners

Hey there! 

Cleaning is such a cliche term. When you have kids you could be cleaning all day every day... for all of eternity. Is what it feels like am I right? So when you ask yourself why cleaning overwhelms you... well you have your answer right there. Kids. or pets.... or both... 

Let's get to the nitty gritty of overwhelm. Its a feeling of... where do you start? what should you focus on first? when you have no clear direction and feel like things are just swirling around you, you don't get anything done. 

I have felt this feeling many times. I remember feeling like I had my life together, right. I was in nursing school, just had our third child who was a couple months old at the time, and I decided to bring all three kids in for well-child visits. Well that doesn't sound too bad does it? It isn't until the doctor asks "how is everything really going for you at home?" and then the waterworks came from NOWHERE. I sat bawling in that doctor's office for like ten minutes telling her I just felt so overwhelmed with all of my to-do's. I was taking care of a new baby, two toddlers, and in an intense nursing program. What did I think I was doing??? That wasn't all, its taking care of the bills, the house, social life, and my life was so un-balanced it wasn't funny.

That's when overwhelm sinks in, and you end up doing nothing. You're in survival mode. So literally all that gets done is the bare minimum. You don't have energy or time to keep up with everything so the priorities are different! Here are three tips to help you lift that load, and get those feelings of overwhelm under control.

Ask for help. Seriously. Sometimes that's the hardest question to ask someone, and to admit your failure. But often times, people are just waiting for you to ask!!! Ask for help from your significant other, often times they don't even realize the load on your back. They only see you in the moment, bustling about to finish the dishes, that they really don't see the laundry pile, the dirty toilets, the mess in the kids' rooms, the unseen and unheard duties of a mother. Ask for a babysitter so you can get stuff done. 

Just start doing. Time block if you wish. Set the timer for 15 minute intervals and start cleaning one area. Once the timer goes off, move to the next area. Spend 15 minutes de-cluttering, and getting rid of excess junk! Here is a three day cleaning blitz when you need an accountability partner, click here! By doing nothing, then all the feelings of overwhelm continue to take us down a dark path. I started to resent everything and everyone around me, because they couldn't see how much stress I had on my plate. I started to become bitter towards the house and the chores I had to do. Action over perfection. Just start doing and you will feel so much better about yourself!

Have you filled your own cup of love up lately? Like have you went shopping for the day with no kids, or had a spa day, or gone on a vacation? What about a lovely soak in the tub? Start with 15 minutes a day of filling up your own cup and see how much of a difference that makes. Journal, pray, do what you need to do to help you feel more fulfilled in your life.

Overall, if you're feeling overwhelmed about cleaning, its time to start delegating too. Those children who are as young as two can start learning how to clean. I know it takes consistency and hard work in the beginning to teach those little children, but you will reap the rewards well after you have taught them how to clean. Often times I have to get after my children multiple times, but with patience, love and consistency my children are now doing some of the tasks that I used to do.

Being a mom is hard enough, remember the JOY in raising these little children! You're doing a wonderful job, just remember to take care of yourself sometimes, keep your chin up and keep pushing through. You'll get there!!!