An oldie, but a goodie! 

Winter is here....like, all the time. It's Minnesota.

So your cousin gives you a baby snowsuit and when you place baby in it they look like a little baby marshmallow and IT IS THE CUTEST THING YOU HAVE EVERY SEEN.

But as cute as it is, it is not safe to have baby in a snowsuit while in the carseat locked into the car.  There is too much fluffiness, that the straps cannot be as snug to keep baby as safe as possible in their carseat.  Instead, best practice in keeping baby warm AND safe in their carseat is shown in the image above. 

Secure baby to their carseat ensuring they are nice and snug, and then wrap them with blankets and lastly place a shower cap like baby careseat cover over them.  Lock them into your carseat base, and then unzip the carseat cover and/or remove a blanket to ensure baby does not get overheated riding in the backseat (place your hand on their chest to gauge their temp and place or remove blankets as needed).

As your baby gets older and starts to fling their around around like the crazy monkey that they are, then ensure to wrap their blankets under their arms.

So when can you use that amazing snowsuit? When you are going for a wintery walk, that snowsuit will be amazing in keeping baby warm as you enjoy our never-ending winter wonderful that is the frozen Minnesota tundra. 
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 For more information, check out The Car Seat Lady: http://thecarseatlady.com/warmandsafe/

We spend so much time preparing for labor & birth and baby stuff, we often forget to prepare for our own recovery after birth (known as the postpartum period or 4th trimester).
 
I was the same. My day was spent nursing, healing cracked nipples, nursing, sitting in stiz baths, nursing, sitting on a donut pillow, nursing, wondering when I could take a shower, nursing, unable to grab my snacks, nursing…get the pattern?  I was overwhelmed by the newness of my healing postpartum body, learning how to breastfeed and how to keep a tiny human alive and thriving AND keep up with my pre-birth American life.
 
That’s where I went wrong.  I was trying to keep up with what I thought other American mothers were doing just days after delivery, and I could barely get food or a shower into my day.
 
I was reminded a couple of weeks into my parenthood by my Mexican cousins about the postpartum Cuarentena; 6-weeks of lying in to optimize postpartum healing and to help baby transition easily from the womb world to the outside world.
 
This Cuarentena lying in practice enables the brither’s body to recover more efficiently and effectively as it allows the uterus to cramp back to its regular size and back into its correct alignment and position.  It also helps lessen your postpartum bleeding, allows your perineum or cesarean incision feel better, calms swollen legs and feet, and gives your organs time to reposition to their old homes. Plus it benefits your breastmilk supply as you an focus on your baby and catch their early hunger cues to boost your milk supply.
 
And there are benefits to baby too – you are HOME to your baby.  Your baby goes through a crazy roller-coaster of birth, and its bright, cold, loud and so.much.space out here that babies are out of their element for awhile.  When mothers practice lying in, they hold their babies more which makes your baby feel more secure as your body will feel, smell, sound and taste like their womb home. 

You are your baby’s home.  These first 3months are an extension of the pregnancy for your baby.
 
But 6 WEEKS lying in?! Ugh, I was two weeks in and already sick of seeing the same four walls.
 
How about a 5-5-5 rule instead?  So much more doable. A rule of thumb to a healthier postpartum is a lying in period that is only 15days. 
 
5 days IN bed – Stay in bed or on the couch.  The goal is to be off your feet and allow others to serve you.  This is the beginning of your babymoon, where you chill with baby in bed, skin-to-skin and learn who they are and their personality.
 
5 days ON bed – No more than 30min cumulatively on your feet within a 3hr cycle. Getting sick of being only inside your house? Great, go get the mail and come back and sit/lie down. Make some lactation energy balls, and then go chill with baby and Netflix for awhile.  The goal is to still rest as much as you can, with minimal time on your feet.
 
5 days NEAR bed – No more than 30min cumulatively on your feet within a 90min cycle.  Maybe you are now feeling like taking on one household activity per day, some stretches or yoga.  But rest is still the utmost importance.  Do not take on all your previous responsibilities yet.

Note, if you are recovering from a cesarean birth then the recommendation changes to the 7-7-7 rule: 7 days IN bed, 7 days ON bed and 7 days NEAR bed.
 
Begin to make plans now in pregnancy to give yourself the gift of 15days of lying in and getting to know your baby.  Focusing on your well-being first will help you care for baby in amazing ways!