"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new."
-Rajneesh

I hear from people every day "I can't believe you are out and about with a newborn!"  I simply think it's about your body's ability to recover naturally.  When you are healthy and take care of yourself inside and out during pregnancy, during labor and afterwards, your body can effectively heal in  quick fashion.  During my pregnancy,  I ate well and exercised almost daily.  I exercised up until the day I delivered.  With my workouts and eating right, I didn't gain a lot of excess weight.  Without drugs during and after labor, my body healed extremely quick.  When you are under the influence of numerous drugs,  your body takes longer to recover and heal. 

Resting is critical for the first few days.  It can be difficult to squeeze in a nap when you have more than one child, but any chance you can, shut your eyes for a few minutes.  The more you rest, the healthier you will be and the better mommy you will be.   Also, eating right is essential for healing.  Fresh fruit, veggies and protein fuel your body to recover.  Healthy fats such as olive oil, butter, peanut butter, and fish oils are very healthy for you and your breast milk.  Another helpful tip is to drink a lot of water.  Drinking a lot of water helps you recover, produce milk, and lose your baby weight. 

Some people can bounce back quicker than others.  Don't be hard on yourself or compare yourself with others.  You are the best you can be.

I knew when I was pregnant that it was going to be difficult breastfeeding while watching a two year old.  Although, I had no idea how difficult.  I feel that my toddler looks at me and sees the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation.  I've tried a few different things while nursing to help her with this new transition.  All children are different, but this this seems to work for me.  I'm sure in a few weeks, or maybe even days,  I will have to change things up and find some new distractions for her. 
1.  Have your child sit with you while you are nursing.  Either you read them a book or have them read  book.  My daughter prefers reading to me.
2.  Feed them a snack right next to you.  (This works really well for me)
3.  Have them prepare a changing station to help change baby's diaper after the feeding
4.  Let them play with something unusual or different.  (I have a money jar we put coins in, she will empty it and fill it back up)
5.  Have your child play outside, you can sit in the shade and nurse
 
I've found that my daughter won't play with her regular toys.  She really wants to cause mischief or act out because I'm doing something new and different.  I'm not focusing 100% of my attention on her.  And who is this new baby my mommy is always holding?
 
Remember you can always walk around and nurse if need be.  Don't let your child control you.  It can be stressful in the beginning.  I was fortunate to have family here to help.  Once I was on my own, I realized how much of a challenge this was.  Your toddler desires their mommy's  attention, so you have to share yourself with your newborn and your toddler.

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Welcome Bradey Michael Dreiling!  He was born on August 5, 2010 at 1:23 am.  He weighed 8lbs 6oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.  He entered into the world in the most peaceful relaxing environment.  He was born at home in our candle lit bathroom.  There was no use of any kind of drugs or medicine.  It was as natural as it could get and it was absolutely perfect.  The birth of my son (our second child)  was a very quick experience.  I was only in labor for a few hours.  Having your children at home is completely relaxing because you are able to have all the comforts of home.  You are able to walk around and be in labor in different areas of your home.  I walked around the kitchen, changed my clothes, layed in bed and ended up in the bathtub for the birth.
When Bradey arrived,  I held him in my arms for a very long time.  He wasn't taken from me until I was ready to get out of the bathtub.  We then went into my bed where I was able to nurse him before he was examined.  The midwives then made me something to eat, cleaned my bathroom, bedroom, washed all the linens, cleaned my kitchen and went home.  I couldn't have asked for a better experience.  The next morning,  Evie (our daughter) woke up and walked into our room and discovered she had a new baby brother!  It was exciting for Evie to go through this huge transition for her in her own environment.  We are so blessed to have this little miracle in our family.  Thank you to all of our family and friends for everything that you have done for us.
 

Baked Chicken & Quinoa
 
chicken
1 C. quinoa (uncooked)
can of chicken broth
1/2 C. of water
broccoli
green peppers
red peppers
minced onions
garlic
Italian seasoning
basil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
 
 
Mix all ingredients in large baking dish.  Bake @ 425 for approx. 25 minutes.