I can’t wait for Kristin to start her cooking videos again! They always make me feel so cozy and in the seasonal spirit! Until then I still absolutely love the content she is putting out! James is so adorable and I’m obsessed with their little family 🥺🤍
Girl, do everything on your own timeline. You're a mama, a wife, a daughter, a friend, and a TH-camr. I'm sorry you went through this hard time but so glad you got through it and found what works for you and James. Yes, breastfeeding is important but it can be very hard and sometimes it just truly can't work for some mamas and there should be no shame in that. You are a great mom and love what your midwife told you. A happy mama is the most important thing for your baby's health.
I know you’re saying “I’m the worst and have been putting off posting the birth video” but no one is going to hold that against you! It’s such a vulnerable position to be in and something that is so precious to your heart and you should listen to what your heart is telling you is right. God will help you to know when you are ready, and until that happens we will all be here supporting you! We LOVE you! Also thank you so much for inspiring me to grow my relationship with the lord, you have been such a role model to me since before you even started your own TH-cam (aka the stick shift video). Love watching your journey and your family grow! Love from Sacramento CA🤍
When you talked about feeling horrible after realizing what it’s like as new mom and wishing you’d been a better friend to your friends and family during that time - YES! I felt the exact same! It hit me so hard that I was such an absent friend to those I love, I just didn’t understand. We can do better now though! Glad you all are doing great! ❤️
You did the right thing for the tongue tie! I am 25 years old and I’m STILL in braces because my parents decided not to get this done. I couldn’t breast feed when I was a baby. Growing up my tongue was always at the bottom of my mouth instead of pressed up against the roof of my mouth. It caused neck, back, jaw and headache pain for years. After my first round of braces my jaw went EXTREMELY crooked because my tongue wasn’t able to hold the shape my orthodontist tried to give me. Cut to me as an adult and I’m in college (4 years ago) and having horrible headaches & pain. My breaking point was overhearing a classmate make a comment to another about how he thought I was “special Ed” at first because of how severely messed up my face was at the time. I mean I don’t blame him- the poor structure of my face caused me to stumble on words a lot. But there I was, busting my butt for straight A’s & feeling like I was never taken seriously in academia or in my career and that is honestly why. I went to a new ortho and they put me in a growth plate to expand my palate since my tongue had never done it (my top jaw just never grew to the size it should have). Two years of TMJ therapy. I finally had my tongue tie done & felt immediate relief. Now over two years of braces again. I’ve had to postpone major life events (proposal, wedding…) because I’m still fighting this issue & don’t want to be photographed in them. My husband & I decided to get married in the courts against my family’s wishes so I could finally live w him during his military career. We are planning on a ceremony when I get my braces off but I feel like I’m stuck in limbo waiting for it. This has caused so many issues in my family. It’s made me depressed. Ive gained significant amounts of weight because I’m so embarrassed by the situation. I don’t like going out. I feel belittled in my career still to this day since I’m always the “young girl with braces”. Trust me. You did good, mama.
Same here, 37 weeks pregnant today with my first and it’s been great to watch Kristin’s experience as a first time mom right before I enter into that myself 🥰
Watching this with tears in my eyes because I am literally going through this now. It’s been 2.5 months with my son and I’m breastfeeding, pumping and formula feeding. Wish I watched this a few months ago. Thank you so so much for sharing. 💕
I’ve been there too. It’s the hardest thing. I’m praying you give yourself grace and lean into God. Do what felts right for you and your baby. I am not sure if this will encourage you, but son is 6 months now. I mourned and mourned the issues I had with breastfeeding due to a lot of factors out of my control. It does not have to be all or nothing. I wanted to exclusively breastfeed to the point of not even using bottles. But I wasn’t able to. I personally pump 2-3 times a day now, I don’t have a tremendous supply, but he gets a few ounces and he also nurses for naps and comfort and all night. I really love the time we spend together as it’s the most special bond. Every baby is different, but you are an amazing mama regardless of how things go. I know you would do anything for your little one ❤️
@@danaroo93 I don’t even know you and you took the time to write such an encouraging message. Thank you so much! My son is 2.5 months and I pump 4-5 times a day and don’t have a huge amount. But I’m basically doing what you are doing and am cherishing every moment he can still get to breastfeed and get a few ounces of my milk through the bottle. God bless you in your journey of motherhood and I pray a prayer of thankfulness for your kind and encouraging words! 💟
I’m only 17 and still watching this!! I’m so glad Kristin and more people like her are talking about this. That way I can have so much info when I get pregnant later on in life! 💗💗
I’ve never talked about my postpartum ever, ever. I made it all about me and seeing, hearing, holding my baby boy felt sabotaged by current events. My husband was caught being a player and moved in with his love of his life when I was seven months along. I shutdown and stopped eating and was hospitalized for dehydrated and my potassium levels crashed. Even with the doctor telling me I could have a heart attack I didn’t care. Looking back I can now see I was the selfish one in our baby’s life. What his dad did was wrong but didn’t put our baby in danger. I recognize now I refused to let go of the hurt I felt I deserved because I was dumped during my pregnancy to a cougar 20 years older than me. Two wrongs don’t make a right and this hurt my baby. He was born as healthy as can be but it took about a month before I bonded with him and he truly is loved and wanted and adorably sweet.
Don’t beat yourself up, I can 100% understand what an emotional toll that situation put on you. Especially in pregnancy, I’m sure your hormones were all over the place. Being thrown in that kind of situation, all you can do is be thankful that your baby was healthy and hopefully that you are in a more healthy place emotionally and physically now. I’m so sorry that you had to go through all of that.
Something that a friend of mine kept repeating to me on my breastfeeding journey that ended shortly I was devastating and so conflicted and she told me “your baby needs you more than she needs your breast milk” and that hit me like a ton of bricks because they do need you a healthy, taken care of, and full of love you not what your breasts can do for them.
Sweet Kristin, I had a very similar experience breastfeeding. So hard! To top things off my mother in law lived less than a mile away and she was always telling me how easy breast feeding is and she couldn’t believe we were struggling so much with it. She would continuously tell me that everyone can breast feed and that we needed to just try harder. I was a crying mess for months. Thank you for sharing. ♥️ James is sooooo adorable!!
Ughh so horrible for people to not realise how what they say can affect people especially when it's not true!! When I was a baby I would just flat out refuse to latch onto breast. I'm thankful there are bottles and formula for those that need it or like to use it! A fed baby is a happy baby !!
Omg my tongue was tied when I was born too. I didn't have it burned off until I was 11 though and it was the most painful thing I've ever had to deal with when it was healing. I couldn't talk or eat for several days because it was agonizing to lift my tongue. Luckily the stitches were dissolvable. They did put me under anesthesia too when they did the procedure. But I want to say, it's the best thing that you had James' tongue tied fixed at a very young age, because it is traumatizing when you are old enough to know what's happening and can remember the pain. He's just a baby, so he won't ever remember going through that.
Postpartum was truly the hardest part! I think for 6 weeks straight I cried every day, baby blues were rough, breastfeeding was so difficult and like you I tried pumping, breast feeding, & formula, which was making me absolutely crazy, I stopped at 4 months. I had it in my brain that I was going to exclusively breastfeed so giving it up was difficult and I cried even packing up my pump. I had other moms telling me “it gets better” and there were points I didn’t believe them but as time went on things did get better and I started to feel more like myself and you find your groove and routine. Now having my baby be almost 18 months old & sleeping 12 hours, I realize how short that newborn period is and I find myself missing it 😅😩 For any new mamas out there or any woman about to give birth, it does get better!! There is a light at the end of the hard postpartum tunnel and like Kristin said, it’s a short phase. You are a great mom Kristin ❤️
I struggled with all 3 of my boys with breastfeeding. It’s #1 the most hardest part of being Mom. It was so hard to switch, you are spot on, on what it feels like. You aren’t a failure. I always tell people, my kids were all formula fed after 3 months and they all know the ABC’s!
I struggled so bad too now we are at 6 month's and he breastfeeds like a champ without issues, BUT i would have gladly given up but I was so ashamed and guilty I forced myself to keep going. It does get better but at such a mental toll.
I had the same exact experience with breast feeding! At my second week appointment my baby didn’t gain any weight while I was EBF! I was logging it too and the day I nursed for 8 hours was the worst, I would offer her the breast every hour 😭 thank you for sharing this because sometimes it feels like people judge you if you struggle to breast feed but there is so many aspects to it. People don’t see how much work you put into it 🥺 I’m so glad I’m not alone! I triple fed too!!! At one month I finally gave myself the gift to use formula exclusively. All I did everyday was nurse, pump, and wash bottles and pump parts. Thank you for sharing, I feel so understood 😭😭😭
I went through the same breastfeeding thing! At three weeks my baby was 12% under her birthweight, I was seeing an LC, & triple feeding! I triple fed for about a week, my mental health tanked. I cried and cried. A week after triple feeding & taking the pressure of ebf I started to see an improvement & substantial weight gain. I became more positive & had a breastmilk ring made to remember the trial & error that bfing is.
I’m currently holding my 5 week old and this is so helpful to me Kristin. I had to triple feed and the lactation specialist was so frustrating saying I was feeding him “too much.” When I was told that I just broke down. My son lost 10 oz of weight within a couple of weeks and his pediatrician kept saying he’s worried that he’s lost too much weight and then the same was said when he gained 5 oz in three days while triple feeding. My mental health has tanked since “failing” at breastfeeding. No one really prepared me for how hard breastfeeding would be. My son had terrible jaundice and was two points from it being dangerous to his little body and then at two weeks I woke up to terrible bleeding and blood clots. My husband rushed me to the hospital (38 min away) and I had to have an emergency D&C which was so surprising since I did have a VBAC. I was away from my son for over 10 hours so low milk supply and being away from my baby was heartbreaking. My supply tanked. Breastfeeding is the second hardest thing I’ve ever done after giving birth and I had an epidural. 😓 thank you for sharing your experience. It makes me feel seen and reminds me that it’s okay. All that matters is my son is fed and i’m happy and healthy too. He’s become so much happier on bottles than on the boob and we have had less cry sessions of both of us hysterical crying. Him crying from hunger and me crying from seeing how uncomfortable he was. The 4th trimester was so much harder than anything else aside from giving birth.
My son was tongue tied, the doctor took care of it in hospital the day after he was born. Not traumatic at all. The procedure took maybe 2 minutes. Baby has no problems. NEW MOMS OUT THERE While in the hospital after delivery, ask your nurse or doctor if your baby is tongue tied and they will take care of it before you go home
I completely agree with this! However, my son's tongue and lip tie weren't diagnosed until 5 months. Seemed like no one was really concerned about it even though BFing was painful. Getting them revised changed everything! Not traumatic. He was clingy for the rest of the day afterward, but the next day he was totally fine. Just offering another perspective :)
I started tearing up when you were talking about your mental health, because I felt this so hard! I had a very similar experience to you postpartum and it is so true it takes sooo long time to find yourself again! And grace is so important 💛
it has taken me 2.5 years to learn to enjoy myself again. I developed several food intolerances, abdominal separation, guilt for living across country from family, and severe postpartum anxiety. its such a long process, never linear. some days are so hard while others are beautiful, but wow the glorified expectations of postpartum vs reality is insane
"Flowers are great but honestly folding my laundry would have been more helpful, if you know what I'm saying" is literally one of the funniest things I've heard you say and also so helpful. Thank you for your honesty
I LOVE your vulnerability about the postpartum period/ breastfeeding. It is so HARD. My baby is 2 weeks and i was also so naive about postpartum and breastfeeding and how hard it actually can be. You’re doing great momma. I just keep telling myself to take one feed, one nap , one diaper change at a time. ♥️ you got this momma!
You’re so loved, Kristin! And doing amazing, don’t worry about us and the birth video. Those that love you understand you’re busy being a momma and we can wait. 😊 so happy your mental health is improving!
I wish I could like this video 100 times! We need to do better as a society letting mom's know how HARD the first few months are! Everyone talks about the horror stories of labor, and never explains the struggles afterwards. Thank you for being so open and honest! You're an awesome mom!!
as a pediatric speech therapist, you did the right thing with the surgery! what was a struggle at the beginning is going to save you years of speech therapy that some of my kiddos have!
Kristin you’re a wonderful mama. Being a mom can be very hard and all you can do is your best! 💛 My son had a tongue and lip tie and I almost quit breastfeeding at like 2 weeks because breastfeeding was EXCRUCIATING. He couldn’t latch, so he would just bite me to hold on and honestly TMI but I was purple and swollen. 🥴 Got his tongue tie revised and it was super sad but helped tremendously. My daughter was never easy to feed. She was colicky and gassy and a struggle for 11 long months, and then she cold turkey weaned herself?!!!! And it devastated me. One night I nursed her to sleep, and the next morning she rejected me. 😭 But you know what, they’re 4 and 2 now and they are so beautiful and fun and all that stuff feels far away. 💛 Sending love and prayers to you, friend. 💛💛💛
This is honestly one of the best 4th trimester update videos I’ve seen!! Your honesty is so important and valuable and I am so grateful to you for sharing your thoughts and experiences
Thank for sharing.. I gave birth on October and I had a similar experience with breastfeeding my babygirl, it was definitely tough and I felt the same way you did… I saw on Instagram that said “a fed baby is best” and it made me feel better ❤️ as long as baby James is being fed and loved that’s all that matters 😃 God bless you and your family 🙏
Love this video Kristin! As a future therapist, I would suggest doing some additional research on better help before doing future partnerships with them. They're known for being unfair to their therapists by underpaying them and overworking them. They also do not diagnose mental illnesses in their clients, which results in clients not receiving the best treatment plan.There's also a lot of controversy over their unclear terms and service where they state they aren't responsible for confirming their therapists' licensing or credentials which is sus. Just a heads up!!
Yes, I felt scammed by them when I used their service. Paid $90 for a therapist to send me worksheets to fill out, get empty and vague responses, and have nothing I needed to work through ever discussed. I hated it
@@TreasureForeverOfficial What about my comment made you think I have a problem with people "doing something good for themselves"? I am a huge advocate for therapy as I mentioned in my comment. Better Help has many issues to be aware of, that's all.
Wow I honestly didn't know you went through all of this 🥺 I had a very similar postpartum experience. I was so drained 😩 pumping, nursing and we did a little bit of formula because I had no choice. I got a pretty bad infection and had to take a strong medication which led me to pumping and dumping my milk for several weeks. So throwing breastmilk away was so sad too! Breastfeeding was so hard for me and for others it seemed so easy. My daughter had a tongue tie as well and I knew for sure and everyone one looked passed it. Finally I had a specialist agree with me so we got it taken care of. So happy to see you as a mother Kristin. I know you are a great mother and you would do anything for your son! It really is beautiful because God uses all of those things for us to draw more near to Him and to rely on him wholeheartedly 🙏
Thank you for this video! I love how honest and real you are. My little girl was born July 18th so it is so fun to follow along with your journey. I would love it if you'd do a video sometime about all things baby, ie. How you got him to sleep well, how you spend your days, how you plan to feed solids, etc. 😊
I’ve been having to triple feed my newborn twins and have felt the exact same way you have and trying to get myself to let go of expectations with it all. It’s so encouraging to hear your perspective it could make me cry tears of comfort haha 🫶🏻🫶🏻
You’re amazing, you’re the best mom! As the nurse said James wants you to be happy and you’ve found the best formula for him that’s so good! And as long as he’s healthy and happy that’s the main thing. I’ve watched your videos since your first video Ever (which helped me through hard times) and you’re just such a kind caring person and that’s what James and the world needs 💜
I gave birth 2 weeks ago and like you, was so naïve with breastfeeding. After trying breastfeeding, then pumping, I was always close to faint or be sick... My midwife told me it's a rare condition but because of the hormone release, it's possible to have a negative effect in the body and I had to stop. It was hard on my mental health but I'm so happy I'm surrounded by people who don't judge me for my choices. In the end, it really is about the mental health of everyone and your baby really just needs you to be a happy mama :) Really liked hearing your story!
I'm so happy you talked about this. My daughter is 18 months now, and I just found out I'm pregnant with #2. I remember back when I had my daughter how the mix of emotions were, I had pp depression also and I would have anxiety attacks bringing her out while she was young because I was adjusting to having a little one with me. Thankfully it does get better! ❤️ Around 6 months I felt like myself again and I feel like during this time especially for every woman we need to be supportive and be there for each other!
I really needed this video! I’m 2 months postpartum and I relate to everything regarding the breast feeding, pumping, and formula feeding. I had no idea how intense the whole feeding journey could be. Although the days are rough, I know they will become better with time. 💕
Kristin, thank you for sharing about your BF experience. All these comments are so validating. I'm currently two weeks postpartum and cannot keep up with my little one's appetite despite feeding and pumping around the clock - he has low blood sugar so needs to be fed more often. We'd like to supplement with formula or even FF exclusively but the nurses have really been pressuring us to keep meeting with the lactation consultant and get my supply up (what else can I do, pump in my sleep?). I know I'm still early in the journey but the PPD is already strong - I feel particularly depressed during breastfeeding and pumping, while I actually feel some joy while bottle feeding. Our babies need happy healthy mammas
My 1 week old baby needs his tongue tie fixing. I’m dreading it but we have to wait weeks and weeks to be seen and it’s so sad. It causes me a hell of a lot of pain, like sever sever pain. I was told their recovery is super easy so now I’m quite anxious they’re squashing the reality of recovery. I’ll look further into it now, thank you Kristin 💛
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. My daughter is almost 7 months old and my pp experience was very similar to yours. I triple fed for 2 weeks and it was the most mentally and physically exhausting thing I've ever done. Thanks for being so vulnerable and sharing your thoughts!
Thanks for sharing what you went through, I know I was worried about you. Prayer carried you through and will continue to carry you through. God will never leave you nor forsake you, no matter what the problem may be. We love you Kristin ♥
James is such a cutie!! Thanks Kristin for sharing this with us! I’m the second oldest in my family and the first to have kids, so it’s always nice to have a “big sis” help you through stuff like this! Ours is due in April, can’t wait 🥰
I loved having just my mom stay with us after I had my baby. I also liked how she stepped back and let us figure out parenthood without being too pushy. She also didn’t constantly ask to hold the baby which was nice. The mental shift after having a baby is so crazy. The sleep deprivation really doesn’t help either. 🥺 My baby is almost 7 months and last month I finally started to feel like myself again.
We have very similar postpartum experiences. I am 3 months pp with my Jamie. Was a planned home birth that ended up at the hospital and we have struggled with breastfeeding due to tongue tie and lip tie 🙃 it's so hard. I'm so glad you gave yourself freedom/grace to let go and find what works for you and James! 💞💞 Much love Kristin! You're a great mom!
My journey was very similar to yours! I felt such extreme guilt about not being able to breast feed longer, and having to resort to formula. I felt like the world would view me as a failure. But truthfully no one even cared! I think the reason that even mattered was because of post partum anxiety at the time. And once I made peace with that, a wave of relief and happiness came over me, and I could finally enjoy being a mom. My best advice for new moms is to get out of the house! It saved me emotionally. I'd go to parks, I'd go to library time, I'd get some tea downtown, it didn't matter as long as I was letting the sunshine change my mood, and it did! Every mom needs grace during this period of their life, it's so hard!
My daughter is 1 week older than James and I have loved following your pregnancy and motherhood journey while I was experiencing it myself at the same time ❤️ Just wanted to suggest with the night feeding, you could try offering a feeding at around 10:00-10:30pm for a couple days and see if it helps to eliminate the 4am feeding. That way you could get your 8 hour stretch of sleep for yourself. That’s what works for us ☺️
My son is about the same age as James (6 months on 12/28) and can 100% relate to your experience. Had a tough time mentally when going from exclusively breastfeeding to a combo with formula. It’s refreshing to know that it’s normal and I wasn’t doing anything wrong even though my brain was telling me otherwise, thank you for sharing & making us fellow first time mommas feel less alone!! ❤️ Finally getting over post partum hair loss too 🙏🏼
So encouraged by this video 😭 I'm currently 7 weeks PP and my little guy just started to refuse my breast when feeding and will now only take a bottle. Like you I had my mind completely set on breastfeeding with no other options so my mental health has been struggling now that I'm having to pump around the clock. Thanks for reminding us all we're not alone 💗
I’m sorry this is happening to you. Don’t the health providers explain that the bottle can get the baby confused and then refuse the breast? It’s much easier for the baby to extract the milk on the bottle so when he is hungry and the doesn’t get milk flowing rightaway he gets frustrated. It’s called nipple confusion. I hope that you can reverse it if you still want to breastfeed 💙
Kristin, wish I could give you a big hug!! So appreciate you talking about BF and formula, I work with WIC and you’d be surprised how many mommas go through the same thing you did 🥰 sending you the best! Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful fam ☺️
I just have to say we just went through the tongue/lip tie revision and oh my gosh, it’s been SO hard. I cried so much and my mental health went downhill too. The stretches are so awful too. I felt like some people made it sound so easy and it just wasn’t! We’re 2 weeks post procedure and hopefully turning a corner but man, so tough. I see you mama! We are also in Nashville too 🤍
Thank you for sharing! Fed is best and your midwife sounds amazing! I had PPD too, you are not alone. Give yourself grace, it’s such a learning curve 💕
I'm so glad you shared your experience around breastfeeding. Our stories are so similar when it comes to journeying breastfeeding and tongue ties and all the feelings that are attached to that. I was triple feeding as well for a similar amount of time and then I moved to formula as supplement and pumping 3 hourly and it was damaging for my mental health too. It wasn't until he was 6 months old that I finally decided to transition him fully onto formula and wow what a difference it made. So glad you're sharing all this because it's so important. You're such a light to so many
Kristin, your little James is so cute 🥺 I've been following you since your "honeymoon haul" video and it makes me so happy to follow your journey through life ❤️ you truly inspire me. wish you & your lovely family the best 💫
Daylight savings really trolled me at the end of this video! 😂🌚
😍😍😍😍
I just had my baby in late November and I’m sure this video will be a great help to very new mamas thank you!🥰
Will you and Marcus do a birth story at some point? I’m interested how it went with you still healing after your accident
I can’t wait for Kristin to start her cooking videos again! They always make me feel so cozy and in the seasonal spirit! Until then I still absolutely love the content she is putting out! James is so adorable and I’m obsessed with their little family 🥺🤍
Yesss same I was just watching her cinnamon roll and chocolate chip cookie videos!!
Baby weaning cooking videos! 🤩
Girl, do everything on your own timeline. You're a mama, a wife, a daughter, a friend, and a TH-camr. I'm sorry you went through this hard time but so glad you got through it and found what works for you and James. Yes, breastfeeding is important but it can be very hard and sometimes it just truly can't work for some mamas and there should be no shame in that. You are a great mom and love what your midwife told you. A happy mama is the most important thing for your baby's health.
I know you’re saying “I’m the worst and have been putting off posting the birth video” but no one is going to hold that against you! It’s such a vulnerable position to be in and something that is so precious to your heart and you should listen to what your heart is telling you is right. God will help you to know when you are ready, and until that happens we will all be here supporting you! We LOVE you! Also thank you so much for inspiring me to grow my relationship with the lord, you have been such a role model to me since before you even started your own TH-cam (aka the stick shift video). Love watching your journey and your family grow! Love from Sacramento CA🤍
When you talked about feeling horrible after realizing what it’s like as new mom and wishing you’d been a better friend to your friends and family during that time - YES! I felt the exact same! It hit me so hard that I was such an absent friend to those I love, I just didn’t understand. We can do better now though! Glad you all are doing great! ❤️
And that cutie boy at the end! ❤️❤️❤️
You did the right thing for the tongue tie! I am 25 years old and I’m STILL in braces because my parents decided not to get this done.
I couldn’t breast feed when I was a baby. Growing up my tongue was always at the bottom of my mouth instead of pressed up against the roof of my mouth. It caused neck, back, jaw and headache pain for years. After my first round of braces my jaw went EXTREMELY crooked because my tongue wasn’t able to hold the shape my orthodontist tried to give me. Cut to me as an adult and I’m in college (4 years ago) and having horrible headaches & pain. My breaking point was overhearing a classmate make a comment to another about how he thought I was “special Ed” at first because of how severely messed up my face was at the time. I mean I don’t blame him- the poor structure of my face caused me to stumble on words a lot. But there I was, busting my butt for straight A’s & feeling like I was never taken seriously in academia or in my career and that is honestly why.
I went to a new ortho and they put me in a growth plate to expand my palate since my tongue had never done it (my top jaw just never grew to the size it should have). Two years of TMJ therapy. I finally had my tongue tie done & felt immediate relief. Now over two years of braces again.
I’ve had to postpone major life events (proposal, wedding…) because I’m still fighting this issue & don’t want to be photographed in them. My husband & I decided to get married in the courts against my family’s wishes so I could finally live w him during his military career. We are planning on a ceremony when I get my braces off but I feel like I’m stuck in limbo waiting for it. This has caused so many issues in my family. It’s made me depressed. Ive gained significant amounts of weight because I’m so embarrassed by the situation. I don’t like going out. I feel belittled in my career still to this day since I’m always the “young girl with braces”.
Trust me. You did good, mama.
Aww ❤️
Congrats on your wedding!
Thank you for sharing! ❤
I'm a Mom of grown children and I thought this was a beautiful, much needed video for new Moms. 🥰
that sweet james cameo at the end just gave me the push i needed to keep studying for my final! bless you kristin!
Yay! Almost 37 weeks pregnant and love hearing other women’s experiences- especially anything from Kristin!
Same here, 37 weeks pregnant today with my first and it’s been great to watch Kristin’s experience as a first time mom right before I enter into that myself 🥰
37 weeks today as well! 😄
Watching this with tears in my eyes because I am literally going through this now. It’s been 2.5 months with my son and I’m breastfeeding, pumping and formula feeding. Wish I watched this a few months ago. Thank you so so much for sharing. 💕
I’ve been there too. It’s the hardest thing. I’m praying you give yourself grace and lean into God. Do what felts right for you and your baby. I am not sure if this will encourage you, but son is 6 months now. I mourned and mourned the issues I had with breastfeeding due to a lot of factors out of my control. It does not have to be all or nothing. I wanted to exclusively breastfeed to the point of not even using bottles. But I wasn’t able to. I personally pump 2-3 times a day now, I don’t have a tremendous supply, but he gets a few ounces and he also nurses for naps and comfort and all night. I really love the time we spend together as it’s the most special bond. Every baby is different, but you are an amazing mama regardless of how things go. I know you would do anything for your little one ❤️
@@danaroo93 I don’t even know you and you took the time to write such an encouraging message. Thank you so much! My son is 2.5 months and I pump 4-5 times a day and don’t have a huge amount. But I’m basically doing what you are doing and am cherishing every moment he can still get to breastfeed and get a few ounces of my milk through the bottle. God bless you in your journey of motherhood and I pray a prayer of thankfulness for your kind and encouraging words! 💟
@@lanavoronin5000 ❤️❤️❤️
Same 😥
I’m only 17 and still watching this!! I’m so glad Kristin and more people like her are talking about this. That way I can have so much info when I get pregnant later on in life! 💗💗
I’ve never talked about my postpartum ever, ever. I made it all about me and seeing, hearing, holding my baby boy felt sabotaged by current events. My husband was caught being a player and moved in with his love of his life when I was seven months along. I shutdown and stopped eating and was hospitalized for dehydrated and my potassium levels crashed. Even with the doctor telling me I could have a heart attack I didn’t care. Looking back I can now see I was the selfish one in our baby’s life. What his dad did was wrong but didn’t put our baby in danger. I recognize now I refused to let go of the hurt I felt I deserved because I was dumped during my pregnancy to a cougar 20 years older than me. Two wrongs don’t make a right and this hurt my baby. He was born as healthy as can be but it took about a month before I bonded with him and he truly is loved and wanted and adorably sweet.
Don’t beat yourself up, I can 100% understand what an emotional toll that situation put on you. Especially in pregnancy, I’m sure your hormones were all over the place. Being thrown in that kind of situation, all you can do is be thankful that your baby was healthy and hopefully that you are in a more healthy place emotionally and physically now. I’m so sorry that you had to go through all of that.
I feel like motherhood should be an open conversation, more realistic and more sincere! You are so brave for sharing your raw story with us✨💕✨💕✨💕
Something that a friend of mine kept repeating to me on my breastfeeding journey that ended shortly I was devastating and so conflicted and she told me “your baby needs you more than she needs your breast milk” and that hit me like a ton of bricks because they do need you a healthy, taken care of, and full of love you not what your breasts can do for them.
Sweet Kristin, I had a very similar experience breastfeeding. So hard! To top things off my mother in law lived less than a mile away and she was always telling me how easy breast feeding is and she couldn’t believe we were struggling so much with it. She would continuously tell me that everyone can breast feed and that we needed to just try harder. I was a crying mess for months. Thank you for sharing. ♥️ James is sooooo adorable!!
I'm so sorry you went through that!
Thank you!
Ughh so horrible for people to not realise how what they say can affect people especially when it's not true!! When I was a baby I would just flat out refuse to latch onto breast. I'm thankful there are bottles and formula for those that need it or like to use it! A fed baby is a happy baby !!
Omg my tongue was tied when I was born too. I didn't have it burned off until I was 11 though and it was the most painful thing I've ever had to deal with when it was healing. I couldn't talk or eat for several days because it was agonizing to lift my tongue. Luckily the stitches were dissolvable. They did put me under anesthesia too when they did the procedure. But I want to say, it's the best thing that you had James' tongue tied fixed at a very young age, because it is traumatizing when you are old enough to know what's happening and can remember the pain. He's just a baby, so he won't ever remember going through that.
Postpartum was truly the hardest part! I think for 6 weeks straight I cried every day, baby blues were rough, breastfeeding was so difficult and like you I tried pumping, breast feeding, & formula, which was making me absolutely crazy, I stopped at 4 months. I had it in my brain that I was going to exclusively breastfeed so giving it up was difficult and I cried even packing up my pump.
I had other moms telling me “it gets better” and there were points I didn’t believe them but as time went on things did get better and I started to feel more like myself and you find your groove and routine. Now having my baby be almost 18 months old & sleeping 12 hours, I realize how short that newborn period is and I find myself missing it 😅😩
For any new mamas out there or any woman about to give birth, it does get better!! There is a light at the end of the hard postpartum tunnel and like Kristin said, it’s a short phase.
You are a great mom Kristin ❤️
I couldn’t agree more 💕
I struggled with all 3 of my boys with breastfeeding. It’s #1 the most hardest part of being Mom. It was so hard to switch, you are spot on, on what it feels like. You aren’t a failure. I always tell people, my kids were all formula fed after 3 months and they all know the ABC’s!
I struggled so bad too now we are at 6 month's and he breastfeeds like a champ without issues, BUT i would have gladly given up but I was so ashamed and guilty I forced myself to keep going. It does get better but at such a mental toll.
I had the same exact experience with breast feeding! At my second week appointment my baby didn’t gain any weight while I was EBF! I was logging it too and the day I nursed for 8 hours was the worst, I would offer her the breast every hour 😭 thank you for sharing this because sometimes it feels like people judge you if you struggle to breast feed but there is so many aspects to it. People don’t see how much work you put into it 🥺 I’m so glad I’m not alone! I triple fed too!!! At one month I finally gave myself the gift to use formula exclusively. All I did everyday was nurse, pump, and wash bottles and pump parts. Thank you for sharing, I feel so understood 😭😭😭
Why am I crying from being so proud of her.
I really would love to hear marcus’s thoughts on being a new dad!
I went through the same breastfeeding thing! At three weeks my baby was 12% under her birthweight, I was seeing an LC, & triple feeding! I triple fed for about a week, my mental health tanked. I cried and cried. A week after triple feeding & taking the pressure of ebf I started to see an improvement & substantial weight gain. I became more positive & had a breastmilk ring made to remember the trial & error that bfing is.
Omg James full head of hair is the most precious thing ever
I’m currently holding my 5 week old and this is so helpful to me Kristin. I had to triple feed and the lactation specialist was so frustrating saying I was feeding him “too much.” When I was told that I just broke down. My son lost 10 oz of weight within a couple of weeks and his pediatrician kept saying he’s worried that he’s lost too much weight and then the same was said when he gained 5 oz in three days while triple feeding. My mental health has tanked since “failing” at breastfeeding. No one really prepared me for how hard breastfeeding would be. My son had terrible jaundice and was two points from it being dangerous to his little body and then at two weeks I woke up to terrible bleeding and blood clots. My husband rushed me to the hospital (38 min away) and I had to have an emergency D&C which was so surprising since I did have a VBAC. I was away from my son for over 10 hours so low milk supply and being away from my baby was heartbreaking. My supply tanked. Breastfeeding is the second hardest thing I’ve ever done after giving birth and I had an epidural. 😓 thank you for sharing your experience. It makes me feel seen and reminds me that it’s okay. All that matters is my son is fed and i’m happy and healthy too. He’s become so much happier on bottles than on the boob and we have had less cry sessions of both of us hysterical crying. Him crying from hunger and me crying from seeing how uncomfortable he was.
The 4th trimester was so much harder than anything else aside from giving birth.
I would love to see a video on how you stay connected to God/your Bible reading routine as a mom and what that looks like!
My son was tongue tied, the doctor took care of it in hospital the day after he was born. Not traumatic at all. The procedure took maybe 2 minutes. Baby has no problems.
NEW MOMS OUT THERE
While in the hospital after delivery, ask your nurse or doctor if your baby is tongue tied and they will take care of it before you go home
I completely agree with this! However, my son's tongue and lip tie weren't diagnosed until 5 months. Seemed like no one was really concerned about it even though BFing was painful. Getting them revised changed everything! Not traumatic. He was clingy for the rest of the day afterward, but the next day he was totally fine. Just offering another perspective :)
As a 17 year old girl, I love watching these videos to educate me more before that stage of my life happens :) thanks for posting this series!
I started tearing up when you were talking about your mental health, because I felt this so hard! I had a very similar experience to you postpartum and it is so true it takes sooo long time to find yourself again! And grace is so important 💛
it has taken me 2.5 years to learn to enjoy myself again. I developed several food intolerances, abdominal separation, guilt for living across country from family, and severe postpartum anxiety. its such a long process, never linear. some days are so hard while others are beautiful, but wow the glorified expectations of postpartum vs reality is insane
"Flowers are great but honestly folding my laundry would have been more helpful, if you know what I'm saying" is literally one of the funniest things I've heard you say and also so helpful. Thank you for your honesty
I LOVE your vulnerability about the postpartum period/ breastfeeding. It is so HARD. My baby is 2 weeks and i was also so naive about postpartum and breastfeeding and how hard it actually can be. You’re doing great momma. I just keep telling myself to take one feed, one nap , one diaper change at a time. ♥️ you got this momma!
You’re so loved, Kristin! And doing amazing, don’t worry about us and the birth video. Those that love you understand you’re busy being a momma and we can wait. 😊 so happy your mental health is improving!
I wish I could like this video 100 times! We need to do better as a society letting mom's know how HARD the first few months are! Everyone talks about the horror stories of labor, and never explains the struggles afterwards. Thank you for being so open and honest! You're an awesome mom!!
as a pediatric speech therapist, you did the right thing with the surgery! what was a struggle at the beginning is going to save you years of speech therapy that some of my kiddos have!
James is a mini Kristin!! Absolute angel. I'm happy how honest you were and that you are feeling better!
Kristin you’re a wonderful mama. Being a mom can be very hard and all you can do is your best! 💛 My son had a tongue and lip tie and I almost quit breastfeeding at like 2 weeks because breastfeeding was EXCRUCIATING. He couldn’t latch, so he would just bite me to hold on and honestly TMI but I was purple and swollen. 🥴 Got his tongue tie revised and it was super sad but helped tremendously. My daughter was never easy to feed. She was colicky and gassy and a struggle for 11 long months, and then she cold turkey weaned herself?!!!! And it devastated me. One night I nursed her to sleep, and the next morning she rejected me. 😭 But you know what, they’re 4 and 2 now and they are so beautiful and fun and all that stuff feels far away. 💛 Sending love and prayers to you, friend. 💛💛💛
I always look forward to watching your videos!! Hope you’re doing well 🤍
This is honestly one of the best 4th trimester update videos I’ve seen!! Your honesty is so important and valuable and I am so grateful to you for sharing your thoughts and experiences
Thanks for being so real and open. Real experiences from others make us all feel so much less alone!
Thank for sharing.. I gave birth on October and I had a similar experience with breastfeeding my babygirl, it was definitely tough and I felt the same way you did… I saw on Instagram that said “a fed baby is best” and it made me feel better ❤️ as long as baby James is being fed and loved that’s all that matters 😃 God bless you and your family 🙏
I would love to see a video of your favorite baby products/must haves!
Love this video Kristin! As a future therapist, I would suggest doing some additional research on better help before doing future partnerships with them. They're known for being unfair to their therapists by underpaying them and overworking them. They also do not diagnose mental illnesses in their clients, which results in clients not receiving the best treatment plan.There's also a lot of controversy over their unclear terms and service where they state they aren't responsible for confirming their therapists' licensing or credentials which is sus. Just a heads up!!
Yes, I felt scammed by them when I used their service. Paid $90 for a therapist to send me worksheets to fill out, get empty and vague responses, and have nothing I needed to work through ever discussed. I hated it
As a licensed therapist I could not agree more.
@@TreasureForeverOfficial What about my comment made you think I have a problem with people "doing something good for themselves"? I am a huge advocate for therapy as I mentioned in my comment. Better Help has many issues to be aware of, that's all.
Wow I honestly didn't know you went through all of this 🥺
I had a very similar postpartum experience. I was so drained 😩 pumping, nursing and we did a little bit of formula because I had no choice. I got a pretty bad infection and had to take a strong medication which led me to pumping and dumping my milk for several weeks. So throwing breastmilk away was so sad too! Breastfeeding was so hard for me and for others it seemed so easy. My daughter had a tongue tie as well and I knew for sure and everyone one looked passed it. Finally I had a specialist agree with me so we got it taken care of. So happy to see you as a mother Kristin. I know you are a great mother and you would do anything for your son! It really is beautiful because God uses all of those things for us to draw more near to Him and to rely on him wholeheartedly 🙏
Thank you for this video! I love how honest and real you are. My little girl was born July 18th so it is so fun to follow along with your journey. I would love it if you'd do a video sometime about all things baby, ie. How you got him to sleep well, how you spend your days, how you plan to feed solids, etc. 😊
I had the EXACT same experience breastfeeding. I feel you so much babe. Combo feeding is amazing! Formula is honestly an incredible thing. ❤️
I love how real you are about mom life and your experience.
I’ve been having to triple feed my newborn twins and have felt the exact same way you have and trying to get myself to let go of expectations with it all. It’s so encouraging to hear your perspective it could make me cry tears of comfort haha 🫶🏻🫶🏻
Very interesting 🤩 and can’t wait for you to start your baking videos again!
Just wanna say: You’re amazing, I’m so proud of you and I love you 💛
I can relate to almost every part of this video! Thanks so much for sharing this! You’re doing an amazing job!❤️
Best part is the end with James! I am sold!
You’re amazing, you’re the best mom! As the nurse said James wants you to be happy and you’ve found the best formula for him that’s so good! And as long as he’s healthy and happy that’s the main thing. I’ve watched your videos since your first video Ever (which helped me through hard times) and you’re just such a kind caring person and that’s what James and the world needs 💜
I gave birth 2 weeks ago and like you, was so naïve with breastfeeding. After trying breastfeeding, then pumping, I was always close to faint or be sick... My midwife told me it's a rare condition but because of the hormone release, it's possible to have a negative effect in the body and I had to stop. It was hard on my mental health but I'm so happy I'm surrounded by people who don't judge me for my choices. In the end, it really is about the mental health of everyone and your baby really just needs you to be a happy mama :)
Really liked hearing your story!
I had such a similar breastfeeding journey thank you so much for sharing .even with my daughter being four now this was really soothing !
I love how real this is! Makes me feel not as alone as I’m about to go through this, in my third trimester right now!
Thank you for sharing Kristin ❤️ you’re always so honest with us. James is the absolute cutest and he’s getting so big!
your hair looks amazing! those colors bring out your eyes!
Im not even pregnant, yet I feel inspired haha! Love how sweet and open about mental health you are and OMG James is sooo cute!
Sweet & beautiful family!! God Bless all of you !
I'm so happy you talked about this. My daughter is 18 months now, and I just found out I'm pregnant with #2. I remember back when I had my daughter how the mix of emotions were, I had pp depression also and I would have anxiety attacks bringing her out while she was young because I was adjusting to having a little one with me. Thankfully it does get better! ❤️ Around 6 months I felt like myself again and I feel like during this time especially for every woman we need to be supportive and be there for each other!
You’re doing a beautiful job as a mother💕
I really needed this video! I’m 2 months postpartum and I relate to everything regarding the breast feeding, pumping, and formula feeding. I had no idea how intense the whole feeding journey could be. Although the days are rough, I know they will become better with time. 💕
It’s so much more helpful when you have a good family support 🥺🥺 wish I had just that
Kristin, thank you for sharing about your BF experience. All these comments are so validating. I'm currently two weeks postpartum and cannot keep up with my little one's appetite despite feeding and pumping around the clock - he has low blood sugar so needs to be fed more often. We'd like to supplement with formula or even FF exclusively but the nurses have really been pressuring us to keep meeting with the lactation consultant and get my supply up (what else can I do, pump in my sleep?). I know I'm still early in the journey but the PPD is already strong - I feel particularly depressed during breastfeeding and pumping, while I actually feel some joy while bottle feeding. Our babies need happy healthy mammas
My 1 week old baby needs his tongue tie fixing. I’m dreading it but we have to wait weeks and weeks to be seen and it’s so sad. It causes me a hell of a lot of pain, like sever sever pain.
I was told their recovery is super easy so now I’m quite anxious they’re squashing the reality of recovery.
I’ll look further into it now, thank you Kristin 💛
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. My daughter is almost 7 months old and my pp experience was very similar to yours. I triple fed for 2 weeks and it was the most mentally and physically exhausting thing I've ever done. Thanks for being so vulnerable and sharing your thoughts!
Thanks for sharing what you went through, I know I was worried about you. Prayer carried you through and will continue to carry you through. God will never leave you nor forsake you, no matter what the problem may be. We love you Kristin ♥
No matter what content it is your videos always make me feel happy and calm! 🥰
James is such a cutie!! Thanks Kristin for sharing this with us! I’m the second oldest in my family and the first to have kids, so it’s always nice to have a “big sis” help you through stuff like this! Ours is due in April, can’t wait 🥰
I really appreciate these videos. Thinking of starting our family and I’m unsure and terrified. I needed this honest information
Thank you so much for opening up about this!! I’m currently 1 month postpartum and really needed and loved hearing your story ❤️
I loved having just my mom stay with us after I had my baby. I also liked how she stepped back and let us figure out parenthood without being too pushy. She also didn’t constantly ask to hold the baby which was nice.
The mental shift after having a baby is so crazy. The sleep deprivation really doesn’t help either. 🥺 My baby is almost 7 months and last month I finally started to feel like myself again.
We have very similar postpartum experiences. I am 3 months pp with my Jamie. Was a planned home birth that ended up at the hospital and we have struggled with breastfeeding due to tongue tie and lip tie 🙃 it's so hard. I'm so glad you gave yourself freedom/grace to let go and find what works for you and James! 💞💞 Much love Kristin! You're a great mom!
THIS IS MY EXACT BREASTFEEDING JOURNEY 😭😭 thank you for sharing.
My frienddddd! We’ve missed you Kristin ❤️
We did the tongue and lip tie revision as well… definitely more traumatic than I expected!
My journey was very similar to yours! I felt such extreme guilt about not being able to breast feed longer, and having to resort to formula. I felt like the world would view me as a failure. But truthfully no one even cared! I think the reason that even mattered was because of post partum anxiety at the time. And once I made peace with that, a wave of relief and happiness came over me, and I could finally enjoy being a mom. My best advice for new moms is to get out of the house! It saved me emotionally. I'd go to parks, I'd go to library time, I'd get some tea downtown, it didn't matter as long as I was letting the sunshine change my mood, and it did! Every mom needs grace during this period of their life, it's so hard!
Thank you for sharing! I am 4 month PP and this is exactly what I have been going through. So nice to know us mom's aren't alone! ♥️
My daughter is 1 week older than James and I have loved following your pregnancy and motherhood journey while I was experiencing it myself at the same time ❤️
Just wanted to suggest with the night feeding, you could try offering a feeding at around 10:00-10:30pm for a couple days and see if it helps to eliminate the 4am feeding. That way you could get your 8 hour stretch of sleep for yourself. That’s what works for us ☺️
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kristin! Also this is such a cute and cosy set up! The little baby clothes in the background omg 🥺
My son is about the same age as James (6 months on 12/28) and can 100% relate to your experience. Had a tough time mentally when going from exclusively breastfeeding to a combo with formula. It’s refreshing to know that it’s normal and I wasn’t doing anything wrong even though my brain was telling me otherwise, thank you for sharing & making us fellow first time mommas feel less alone!! ❤️ Finally getting over post partum hair loss too 🙏🏼
So encouraged by this video 😭 I'm currently 7 weeks PP and my little guy just started to refuse my breast when feeding and will now only take a bottle. Like you I had my mind completely set on breastfeeding with no other options so my mental health has been struggling now that I'm having to pump around the clock. Thanks for reminding us all we're not alone 💗
I’m sorry this is happening to you. Don’t the health providers explain that the bottle can get the baby confused and then refuse the breast? It’s much easier for the baby to extract the milk on the bottle so when he is hungry and the doesn’t get milk flowing rightaway he gets frustrated. It’s called nipple confusion. I hope that you can reverse it if you still want to breastfeed 💙
Kristin, wish I could give you a big hug!! So appreciate you talking about BF and formula, I work with WIC and you’d be surprised how many mommas go through the same thing you did 🥰 sending you the best! Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful fam ☺️
I was born with a tongue tie and I’m very grateful that my parent decided to have it revised.
Love you Kristen ! Those were much needed words I needed to hear. I’m currently 4 weeks postpartum
You’re an amazing Mom! God bless your little family!
I just have to say we just went through the tongue/lip tie revision and oh my gosh, it’s been SO hard. I cried so much and my mental health went downhill too. The stretches are so awful too. I felt like some people made it sound so easy and it just wasn’t! We’re 2 weeks post procedure and hopefully turning a corner but man, so tough. I see you mama! We are also in Nashville too 🤍
I'm due with my first baby in June and this video was so helpful and reassuring! 💕💕
What a wonderful video! Your honesty is much appreciated and soo welcomed! Thank you Mama Bear!
Thank you for the new video❤️ I’m having a baby in May and appreciate the advice! I’ve been watching your cooking videos to hold me over😊❤️
What a fantastic video! You're experience is very similar to my first. Thanks for being so real. First time mamas need to know what real life is like
Thank you for sharing! Fed is best and your midwife sounds amazing! I had PPD too, you are not alone. Give yourself grace, it’s such a learning curve 💕
Love your honesty and your realness and encouragement so much!!!
SPOT ON! I feel you and I had the exact experience.
I'm so glad you shared your experience around breastfeeding. Our stories are so similar when it comes to journeying breastfeeding and tongue ties and all the feelings that are attached to that. I was triple feeding as well for a similar amount of time and then I moved to formula as supplement and pumping 3 hourly and it was damaging for my mental health too. It wasn't until he was 6 months old that I finally decided to transition him fully onto formula and wow what a difference it made. So glad you're sharing all this because it's so important. You're such a light to so many
So much love for you! I'm having my first baby next year and videos like these give me so much comfort ❤️
I"m nowhere close to planning to have kids, but I'm so grateful that you made these videos. I will definitely be looking back on them! xxx
I am so thankful you are so open about this, it helps me be more confident about giving birth one day.
Yay!! Love when your videos come out! Watch them right away! ☺️ love you and your cute little family!!!
Kristin, your little James is so cute 🥺 I've been following you since your "honeymoon haul" video and it makes me so happy to follow your journey through life ❤️ you truly inspire me. wish you & your lovely family the best 💫