Pursuit of Wellness - Q&A: Breastfeeding, Postpartum Recovery, Mental Health, and Balancing Life After Baby

Episode Date: March 23, 2026

I'm back and so excited to reconnect with you all! In this episode, I'm answering your questions about motherhood, postpartum life, and everything in between. From the chaos of breastfeeding and pumping to the reality of finding help, managing relationships, and navigating the fourth trimester, I'm getting real about what these first three months with Cai have actually been like. I talk about the mental load of exclusive breastfeeding, why I decided to start combo feeding, and how that choice gave me my life back. I also open up about the guilt, the fog, the anxiety around leaving the house, and the pressure to bounce back while your body is literally feeding another human. We also dive into building a village when you don't have family nearby, the importance of finding the right help, how my relationship with Greg has shifted, and why I'm finally stepping back into my fitness routine without the rush. This episode is unfiltered, honest, and full of the things I wish someone had told me before becoming a mom. If you're postpartum, pregnant, or just curious about what this season really looks like, I hope this brings you comfort, clarity, or at least a little solidarity. _____ Leave Me a Message click here! (https://sayhi.chat/pursuitofwellness) For Mari's Instagram click here! (https://www.instagram.com/marillewellyn/?igshid=MDM4ZDc5MmU%3D) For Pursuit of Wellness Podcast's Instagram click here! (https://www.instagram.com/pursuitofwellnesspodcast/) For Mari's Newsletter click here! (https://marillewellyn.com/) For Mari's TikTok click here! (https://www.tiktok.com/@marillewellyn?lang=en) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Motherhood and postpartum is one of those things that you can hear about and read about, talk about. But until you go through it, it's like difficult to put into words. I really was hesitant to accept help, but I think I hit a point where I was so burnt out that I realized I wasn't being the best parent I could be because I was mentally exhausted. It's actually insane, honestly, the pressure to breastfeed for as long as possible while losing weight, while bouncing back, while feeling like yourself, going back to work. After struggling with infertility,

you never want to complain about being pregnant or about having a baby because you're like, well, I wished for this for so long. This is the Pursuit of Wellness Podcast, and I'm your host, Mari Llewellyn. Before we hop in, I just have to add, I was reading the YouTube comments and everyone's like, oh my gosh,

they do not take your organs out when you get a C-section. I'm sorry if I phrased that wrong. That is what Greg told me was happening. I don't know, guys. I wasn't looking. I haven't seen the photos. From what I was told, there were organs out and around. Maybe that's not the case.

I don't want to freak anyone out. So if that was inaccurate information, I'm so sorry. And if I could say anything about the C-section, it was extremely chill and I'm recovering great. So if you're getting a C-section, please don't freak out. Hi, guys. Welcome back to the Pursuit of Wellness. My name is Mari.

I am the host of the show. and I'm actually coming out of retirement right now from my postpartum era. I mean, I'm still very much postpartum. My baby's three months old. And I've kind of taken a big break since being pregnant, going through IVF. And I'm back. And I'm so excited to answer your guys' questions. We're going to do a Q&A today.

My last episode was my birth story, which was a little bit of a unexpected turn. so make sure you go listen to that if you haven't yet. I'm very excited to see what questions you guys have. I'm excited to connect with my other mums, new mums, and also anyone who's just interested in what this has been like. So let's see what you guys asked. I haven't even really looked at these. We love having the element of surprise

because you guys ask crazy questions sometimes, which we love. A lot of people asking for the birth story. So again, make sure you go back and listen to that episode. what surprised you about motherhood and postpartum the most everything? I feel like motherhood and postpartum is one of those things that you can hear about and read about and talk about. But until you go through it, it's like difficult to put into words because you just feel like a completely different person.

It's an upheaval of who you are and what you thought things were going to be like. and it's there's really no word to describe it. I keep saying like when someone's like, how's it going? How's, how's mom life? It's like the best chaos because it really is chaos and you're always having to adjust and figure things out, but it's also the best. I think the most surprising thing for me other than that is how much I love it. I think I always knew I wanted to have a baby and I was excited about it, but I didn't. I wasn't. I wasn't. I was a little. I was a sure if it would come naturally to me, to be honest. Like I had never had that much experience with babies in general. So I was really surprised and happy to see how much I felt natural and how

much I enjoyed it. When did you start telling people you were pregnant? So I had a little bit of a different situation because I did IVF and I did an embryo transfer and I spoke about it openly on the podcast. I don't think I spoke about the actual transfer day and I deleted social media after my transfer because I wanted to feel just very calm and I didn't want to compare my experience to anyone else's. But when the transfer was successful, I told people who were very close to me that it was successful. But then, if you guys remember,

I had a scare because my HCG levels were not where they should be. So they told me it was a 1% chance of the embryo working. So then I basically had to go and tell everyone that it wasn't positive, but then it ended up working out. So it was a bit of a traumatic experience. But I think I posted on Instagram when I was 12 weeks. That was when I was openly, like publicly pregnant. These questions are going to be all over the map, guys.

How do you feel about the Akatar news? I've been dying to talk about this. I'm so pumped. So I think the next book comes out in October was what Sarah J.Mass said. And I'm excited. I mean, I'd love for it to come out right now, but I am hype. It has been a while since I read that. series but the way that that, I mean, I was so, so obsessed, I flew through that series. So I'm so excited

to have another book and I'm pretty sure she said it was like split into different parts, right? Like different books, which is crazy. And I'm so excited. Do you have a postpartum workout routine? Okay. I lifted weights throughout my pregnancy like pretty much up until the end. At the very end, I was working out like maybe twice a week because of my carpal tunnel and things like that. But I kept weightlifting. I wasn't able to, until I got cleared, I think, what was it, six weeks after having Kai with the C-section I was allowed to start exercising. So I started pretty slow, like low weights. I had no core. Like I could not feel my abs at all. And now I'm just starting to feel them again. But I started training once a week with a personal trainer. Then I went up twice. And now

I'm at three times a week and I'll also train on my own with Greg and I'm trying to walk a lot. But it really is dependent on your recovery and how you're feeling. I'm also working with a pelvic floor therapist. I've also been getting like deep tissue back massages because my back is messed up from having a really heavy baby and from breastfeeding and pumping. I know this is so personal but please talk about vaccines. I have so, so, so, so many questions about vaccines and I, I get it because I'm also confused, to be honest with you guys. Like, I think as a new mum, it's really scary because you feel entirely responsible for this baby's well-being. And there's a lot of information and you don't know who to listen to.

I mean, I've had guests on this show who I respect and love who are pro-vax, anti-vax, in the middle. I am still doing my research. As of right now, we are starting to have conversations about it, but I haven't made any decisions yet. We actually just did, I really love our pediatrician and we just did a DNA test with Kai to see how his detox pathways are and what we can help, like, give him to support him if we do choose to do vaccines. so he's taking fish oil right now. He takes a probiotic right now. And we do do myelacond drops right now because he had such bad gas. But I think we're going to remove those soon. Anyway, we could go on a whole tangent about the baby supplements.

But I'm still figuring out the vaccine thing. And it's a scary topic because people are very, very opinionated on it. I'm kind of like, I want to know the studies. I want to know the numbers. Like what's really necessary? what's not. We did do the RSV shot right at the beginning because it was RSV season when he was born

and it's very dangerous in newborns. So we got the antibody shot. I also got the T-DAP when did I get the T-Dap? Oh, I got the T-Dap a couple weeks ago because it is the antibodies pass through the breast milk to Kai. So it's a way of getting him safe

without giving him a direct shot, if that makes sense. So I got the vaccine, L.O.L. I want to talk about that stuff, but it's also a little bit intimidating because it is such a taboo topic. And I also feel like we should be able to talk openly about this stuff. I don't know. It's very confusing. But I will keep you guys posted once I can kind of wrap my head around it. A list of essentials for the baby. I see a lot of questions about that. I am going to compile a list for you guys because there are so many things that I thought we would never use that we use every day and things that I thought we would use every day that we never use. So I'm going to do a separate

episode about my top, top, top, top baby recommendations, because as of right now, my brain is mush and I can't remember them, but I will write them down. This girl said, yay, was just going to ask when your podcast was coming back. Thank you so much. And she said, what does a day in your life look like? So it's a little bit all over the map right now. This is my first, like, proper day back in the studio. I haven't been working at all other than, like, you know, my Instagram and a couple bloom things here and there, but I've really been at home with Kai. So I wake up at 6 a.m. to pump and I'm still pumping at 6 a.m. And that's a whole, a whole discussion about the breastfeeding journey that I want to talk about. But I'm pumping at 6 a.m. Kai is usually up by 7.

So I pump at 6, get the milk in the fridge, get myself ready as possible so that I'm ready for him at 7, make a macha, caffeine up, get him at seven. And then Kai is usually in a really playful mood right off the bat. So we'll like play on the purple monkey mat. If you know, you know. We are like practicing rolling right now and he's grabbing things and putting things in his mouth and smiling and babbling. So it's really fun. And then he'll usually get hungry by eight. It depends. It really depends on his schedule. We'll do a bottle. We'll burp. Then we. go on a walk in the stroller. I really try to get steps in and get outside with him. And then he'll need a nap. And then we repeat the whole thing over again. If you know that you've

been home with a baby, it's very repetitive. And you kind of live in these like three hour brackets because he's eating around every three to four hours. He's playing. He's sleeping. Sometimes I like to throw in like a cute baby playdate. I'm going to music class with him next week. I've been practicing driving him around by myself, which sounds really dumb, but it is so scary the first time that you drive with your baby. I was so, I'm still honestly intimidated because I'm like, okay, what if he's screaming in the back and I'm in the front and I can't help him? And, but you get used to it. Like, I think this might sound dumb, but like a skill I learned from my fitness journey and also building a business is like ripping off the bandaid and doing the scary

things is kind of necessary to like just build confidence, you know? And the more I keep putting myself out there and doing things that I'm scared of, the more comfortable I feel. And ultimately, if he cries in the car, he cries in the car. If he cries in public, he cries in public, you know, people are generally pretty nice about it. So I think I just went on a whole tangent. But, oh, then Kai is usually in bed asleep. We do bath time around 5.30 or six. He is in bed asleep, usually around 7.30 or 8. Greg and I are in bed by 8 because I have to pump. I do my nighttime pump.

Then we're watching a show. Kai is getting up. Well, he gets up at 10 for a dream feed. And then he's up again at usually 5 or 6 a.m. He's doing pretty well with the sleep. He's a big chunky baby and he eats a lot. So he sleeps pretty well. but it's not perfect.

Wellness things you are doing postpartum. Okay. I think right at the beginning it was like a focus on hydrating, taking supplements like postnatals, fish oil, magnesium, taking things to kind of support the recovery. Big on hydration. Like a lot of electrolytes. I love Kintan minerals.

I love like the bloom colostrum, like anything really. healing and just throwing it in a water and I'm drinking a ton of water while breastfeeding because I'm so thirsty. Also nourishing food, I think that's really where you tap into your partner because Greg, like, that was the biggest thing he could help me with the first couple weeks when I was just feeding Kai constantly was like feeding me. So like making me healthy breakfast, good snacks, good lunches, a lot of like home cooking and nourishing food, a lot of protein. I think as I've like, you know, I'm three months postpartum now. I'm getting more into like the lymphatic drainage massages and helping with inflammation

some deep tissue for back and neck pain, which is such a real thing when you're a mom. Working on my scar, pelvic floor therapy. I recently went and did exosome treatment, which is with the stem cells that we harvested from my placenta, which is like a whole discussion. I think the working out and the walking has been making me feel really good. and really energized meeting up with other moms. I know that's not necessarily like wellness, but that mentally has been so, so, so helpful for me.

I don't think I realized how important the connection with other moms is during this time because it can be so isolating. Like you really are in a bubble all day and kind of just existing you and your baby and you're like, is this normal that I feel this way? It can be a lot. So I think having community or even reaching out to people that you don't know that well, Like that's been a kind of a cool thing for me is like, okay, I haven't spent a lot of time with this person, but now we have this thing in common and I really need someone to bounce this off of. And it's like the easiest thing to make friends with a new mum because you just want to talk about the same things, you know? Thoughts on managing a career with motherhood. I'm stressing out by the thought. I don't blame you. And before I answer this, I want to be very transparent. Like I feel very lucky that I'm in a position now where I don't necessarily have to come.

back. I have a husband that's like running, you know, he's running Bloom. He's the CEO. He loves his work. And I'm obviously here on the podcast. And I love this podcast. To me, this isn't work. Like, this is something I do for fun and enjoy. And I love connecting with you guys. But I keep thinking to myself, I cannot imagine having to go back to a full-time office job right now. And I really commend the women who do because it is hard to leave your baby. Even for a couple of hours, you're like, am I going to miss something? I miss him. What's happening? It feels really challenging. And I had a lot of back and forths about it in my mind because I hit a point where I was like having creative ideas, but also not wanting to leave him. So I, yeah, I think it's different for everyone.

And I commend women that go back full time because it is really difficult, I'm sure, mentally. And also, I just feel like my brain isn't functioning at full capacity right now, to be honest with you guys. It's like having adult conversations is really hard. I feel like my brain is always split in half, thinking about baby things and then trying to be in the moment, which I think is just like being overstimulated in general. What will you do with any remaining embryos? So I have two embryos on ice.

I know the genders. And hopefully we'll use them at some point. We will see. I can imagine that we will. But right now I absolutely do not want to be pregnant again. I can't even picture that. So at some point, we will hopefully use those embryos. again and hopefully they stick with an embryo transfer. Please tell us what help and support staff you have

with Kai. So this is a question I see pop up a lot. And also this was a question I had for a lot of moms because I don't have family nearby. So we live in Austin, Texas and our family are all on the East Coast. My dad's in Europe most of the time. So I don't have any help around. So I kind of knew I was going to have to build a village. And I really struggled with it at first. honestly, I had a lot of very protective feelings. I still do, frankly, towards Kai. And when we came home with him, I was like, I don't want anyone taking care of him other than me. I even struggled a little bit with Greg, to be honest with you guys. I was like, this is my baby. No, but Greg's wonderful with him. It just is like this hormonal, instinctual, protective. It's like a lioness feeling.

You're like, I do not want anyone taking care of my baby. But at the same time, you are exhausted and it's so hard to do alone. I mean, any single parents listening, I am so flawed and impressed. Like, you are soldiers. It's amazing. It's really hard to do alone. Like, you physically do not have enough hands

to breastfeed, change a diaper, make a bottle, pump. It's pretty crazy. And I had a big learning with that. Honestly, the first, I want to say three weeks, we were home. I had Greg home with me postpartum and he was helping where he could. But obviously when you're breastfeeding, it's mostly on you. And I really was hesitant to accept help. But I think I hit a point where I was so burnt out that I realized I wasn't being the best

parent I could be because I was mentally exhausted. And I knew I was going to have to build a village. So I found amazing women. And I kind of, to be honest with you guys, it was not easy for me to find people that I loved because I, you know, when it comes to your child, you are just on a different level of, you're just very particular and you can only trust certain people who match your energy, who match the baby's energy. So I found amazing night help. And she has just been like a rock for me. And she was one of the first people I let kind of into the house to help us. And she taught me so

much about nighttime routine and feeding schedule and breastfeeding. And she kind of felt like, obviously she's there to help me with the baby, but such a support for me. And she really feels like family, honestly. And I can't imagine doing this journey without her. Like, I've cried to her. It's an amazing bond that you have when you find the right people for your village. And now that I've found a couple of women who are helping me day to day. So for example, right now, I have our nanny at the house with Kai. And I love her. We talk all day. We spend a lot of time together and we've gotten really close and she's sending me photos and updates and she's kind of like someone described to me like you're the person helping you

with your baby should really be like a teammate for you. And that's what she feels like for me. And it allows me to do my workouts, you know, come here, do things for myself every now and again. I definitely don't like to have someone there 24-7. That's not really my personality. I like to have alone time with him. So in the mornings, the way we're structuring things right now, I'm alone with him for most of the morning until I get help. And then I try to fit everything I need to do that day in the few hours that I have her. And then I have him back for the afternoon and evening. So it's working as of right now and I feel very lucky that I found someone I love. Maybe we'll do a whole episode about this because honestly, I wish someone had told me when I was doing interviews when I was pregnant, I thought,

I wanted one thing. And again, you really cannot plan for what you think you're going to want because you just don't know. So I had hired someone originally who checked every box, super experienced. She was, I mean, she was so experienced. She seemed amazing, had every qualification, and it just didn't work out. And I could tell from the second she was in the house that it wasn't going to work out. I really hope she's not listening to this, but that's okay. I just want to be honest about it. I could tell from the moment she came to the house that it wasn't the right fit for me because I had this like overwhelming anxiety leaving and that's never a good sign. And I was like, I just don't feel comfortable.

I had a stomachache. I was like this is, I was rushing home after. And I'm really proud of myself for acting quickly on that because I think it can be easy to convince yourself that you are the problem. And I did that. I was like, it's me. I'm just overly anxious because I'm postpartum and I have to give her a chance. But when it comes to your childcare, it's like when you know, you know type of thing and the

energy has to feel aligned with what you want. And when I found my current nanny, I felt calm. I felt like, I don't know. It was a very calm energy. It felt easy. It feels, I feel good when I leave the house. I know everything's going to be fine. She's like on the ground playing with him and singing to him and all the things I like to do with him, she does too. So I feel really, really good about that. And I just want to say, like, finding the right people can be really challenging. And I also know it's a privilege to have help. But I also kind of wish I had family nearby sometimes. But, you know, such is life. And we make it work. But you do need to have a village around you. How has it been getting back into weightlifting and breastfeeding while feeling tired? Yeah, that's been interesting, guys. So I feel like we should have someone on the show who speaks about breastfeeding because it is a very interesting journey. I think given the fact that I had a hard time getting pregnant and whatever, I assumed that I would also have a hard time breastfeeding for some reason, but it actually came pretty naturally for me. I had a decent supply. Kai latched pretty well. He does have a tongue tie and that's like something we've had to deal with,

but he had a good latch. He takes a bottle. He takes a boo, but he doesn't care. He just wants milk. like he is a hungry boy. It was pretty diabolical for a while. He went through a growth spurt and he was eating like 40 ounces a day, which was insane, guys. I felt like a corpse by the end of the day. Like I was giving this boy so much milk. But I felt good about my supply and I got on a good pumping breastfeeding schedule. But I think like there's like almost this misconception that breastfeeding is going to help you lose weight and get back to yourself faster.

And that has not been my experience. I felt like, and I'm still breastfeeding and pumping right now, it kind of, for me, kept me in a fog and it really contributed to my anxiety. Like when I would leave the house or anything, like any time I stepped outside the house, I was obsessed with, okay, well, if I'm gone for an hour, then I have to be back in time to pump, but then I can't pump too late because then I can't breastfeed. And it's like minutes and ounces and you're just counting every. single, it's just counting and scheduling.

And it can get really obsessive. And I think for me, that was like mentally the hardest part of this whole journey was feeling so anxious of messing up the routine and my milk. And he was eating so, so much at one point that I was making just enough. And then when you're living ounce to ounce, it's a very stressful existence. You're checking the fridge constantly. how much is there for the next feed. Oh my gosh, what if there's enough? Like I have to get back on the like, I literally have anxiety talking about it right now. So regardless of having a good supply and

it feeling pretty natural, it was still very challenging for me. And we very recently started combination feeding him, formula and breast milk. And I felt such a weight off my shoulders when we started doing that. Like, I feel like I'm coming, I'm de-thawing. Like, I feel like I'm coming back to life still feel foggy to be honest with you like i still feel hormonally completely messed up which i think is normal three months postpartum but we are on a combo feeding protocol i also have a freezer stash because i had enough milk that i was able to freeze bags every day that we have enough breast milk to stretch him all the way to six months hopefully which is the plan someone told me that if they're getting two ounces of breast milk every day. Even if it's just two ounces, they are still getting

the benefits of breast milk. So that made me feel really a lot better about introducing formula. But you know what, guys? Like no shade to formula feeding at all. And after going through this and realizing how freaking hard it is, whatever you need to do to feed your baby is like obviously the best option. And I really hate the pressures that are. put it's actually insane honestly the pressure to breastfeed for as long as possible while losing weight while bouncing back while feeling like yourself going back to work it's it's beyond contradictory to me because in my experience you can't lose weight breastfeeding in my experience i think when your body is working so hard to produce milk your prolactin is high things are messed up

you're also starving hungry like i could eat meals and meals and meals and still be hungry because I was producing so much milk that I was starving. And even if you're eating healthy, it's, you kind of need to be in a calorie surplus to breastfeed. Maybe your experience is different, but I found breastfeeding and trying to feel like myself again, really challenging. So I'm currently on a 14-day weaning protocol where I'm slowly but surely dropping a pump every day and slowly like dropping down how much I'm breastfeeding. which I have very mixed feelings about. I'm like really sad to not one day not have him breastfeeding anymore

because it is a very special bonding experience and I'm so happy that we did it for so long. But I also was killing myself to keep him exclusively breastfed and I was like, why am I doing this? I am a mess. We went to Colorado and we were supposed to be there for a month and I was unable to be there for more than a week because I was so anxious. And I really think holding myself to this crazy standard of breastfeeding exclusively

and, sorry, breast milk exclusively, pumping and breastfeeding, whatever, was killing me mentally. So I'm feeling really good about the decision. He's loving the formula. We always mix it with breast milk, so it's kind of half and half, but he's doing great. So if this makes you feel better about combo feeding, then I hope this, has given you some confidence because I was terrified and it's going better than I could have imagined and it's definitely helping me feel more like myself. Hardest part of pregnancy. The hardest part of pregnancy, I guess, for me was the very end. Like the third trimester was

really tough. I was uncomfortable. I had carpal tunnel. I had insomnia. Everything kind of hurt. That was the hardest part. I think, I don't know if it's because I had a boy, but the first two trimesters were pretty chill for me. But the end was definitely tough. Is Kai Fussy to get to sleep, if so, any tips? Yes, yes, yes. He is. He, I think, has hit this point where he has FOMO, is what they say. Like, he is more aware now to the point where he doesn't want to miss out on anything in the day.

So, like, when I'm getting him down for a nap, he's fussy for sure. He kind of, like, gets, like, mad. Like, he does this little, like, angry noise. And we do a lot of, like, standing and swaying and. singing and shushing. Going outside always calms him down. If it's really bad, put him in the stroller and push it back and forth, like backward and forward. Motion works every time. He does take a passie. He likes his passie. That will help. Honestly, if I'm really struggling, I stick my boob in his mouth and it works every time. So I'm worried when I don't have milk anymore if that's not going to work.

But the boob in the mouth seems to work every time. But yes, yes. And I honestly have been curious, other people have this experience and apparently it's normal. When will you start riding again? Guys, I haven't ridden a horse in over a year. I don't know. So the problem is that my horse is about an hour away and while I'm still feeding and pumping, it's difficult for me to leave for that long without bringing him and I feel bad of putting him in the car for that long. But I have a feeling once I'm done with this 14 day weaning, I will feel ready to get back on the horse. no pun intended. I'm excited though. I miss it so much. How much weight did you gain total for your pregnancy? I don't go on the scale. That is none of my business. Even when I was pregnant, I had the

nurses looking at the weight for me because I did not want to look. And you guys might find this insane, but I actually have Greg look at the scale and keep track. And I think I do that because that's what we did my first fitness journey when I lost weight in 2017. I'm not embarrassed about the weight. I just, I don't want it to sit in my head. So what Greg will do is like, oh, you lost two pounds in the last two weeks and like, just tell me the increments that I'm losing. People are going to think that's toxic.

For us, it's not. For us, it works. So I don't know. If I had to guess, I would probably say 50 pounds would be my guess. But, you know, I've done it before. I can do it again. How has your relationship with Greg changed after IVF pregnancy and then having Kai? I think that is something that people don't talk about is how much your relationship changes when you have a baby.

I think being pregnant and even going through IVF was like the first time, and this might sound dumb, but the first time in my life where I was like, wow, we are so biologically different. like the fact that men will never be pregnant will never know what it feels like it's just crazy to me like they live a very different existence to us and I will say when you're pregnant like you'll probably get mad about it for a while like you'll probably have a little bit of resentment like why am I having to do all this and why am I having to go through birth and why am I the only one that can breastfeed obviously it's not their fault but you will feel angry about that and it's kind of a given but it all. It all. It all, also has brought us together because going through the newborn trenches or what do you want to

call them, like, when you go home, going through that with him and figuring it out with him was very bonding for us. And learning alongside him has been really fun and seeing him with Kai just like brings me a lot of joy. I do think that like Greg and I have had an interesting relationship because we've kind of worked alongside each other for a long time. Like we started the company together. We did everything together. We were in all the same meetings, running the company side by side. And I think slowly, but surely we've kind of gone like this, like whether it's, you know, him becoming the CEO of Bloom and being, having a lot more responsibility and traveling and then me getting really into the podcast and doing my own thing. And then obviously having a

baby, our lives could not be more different right now. And it's an adjustment. Like, I really hate when people pretend like everything's perfect with relationships on social media. I think it is the most toxic thing ever. And it absolutely hasn't been perfect, but it's also been like really rewarding and fulfilling to learn how to be in this new space. Like he comes home from work and he had a crazy day. I mean, he just got home from L.A. from Expo West and he spoke to a million people and had a million meetings and so exciting. And he's on this podcast and talking to this person. He's like, what did you do the last three days? And I'm like, we rolled around on the floor for three days. But to me, I'm, that's magic for me.

And Kai's like doing new things every day. And I'm just in a very different spot. And it's like learning how to like have acceptance with it in a way. Like I'm doing exactly what I want to do. And so is he. But then the weekends and evenings have become more and more important in terms of like present family time. And really, you know, like, doing things together and getting out and experiencing new things with Kai.

We have some travel coming up with him, which will be really fun. But it's just, it's very different, guys, and it takes time to adjust. And I think that's something that, like, not a lot of people talk about. And you have to definitely, like, really put more effort in to have time just you too and not just talk about the baby the whole time. I really struggle with that. Hospital Bag Essentials. I have a video on TikTok with my.

hospital bag essentials. I will like have to go back and see what I actually ended up using. I don't even remember, but we will do another episode about that for sure. How do you envision your role at Bloom evolving? So that's a great question. For a long time, I was super involved with branding. And that's what I really love. I went to school for design and merchandising. I love labels. I love campaigns. I love designing our billboards. Sometimes our influencer collaboration. and some of the creatives with that, that's where I light up and I enjoy that. So during my pregnancy,

I like slowly stepped back a little bit, but I was still involved in our weekly creative brand calls. And I always look at labels before they go out. Now I'm kind of at the point where I'm figuring out, okay, exactly where am I going to reenter? And I think this podcast is kind of where I'm starting because it's what I enjoy the most and where I feel like I can have the most impact.

So we will see with Bloom But you know I'm always Greg and I are always talking about Bloom And what's next And he's crushing it right now Make sure you go follow Greg on Instagram Because he has started posting more

About his day to day Business journey, fitness, motivation He's always been the way he is And he's kind of just been more behind the scenes From the beginning of Bloom And he's like for the first time really like Opening up on social media And it's worth checking out his stuff

So it's very motivational. CPG and wellness brands, hot takes, thoughts on Expo West and Trends. So Expo West is like the Super Bowl for Health and Wellness and Supplement Companies. And normally I would have been there this year, but obviously I was with Kai. And it's a very exciting expo. It's like, you know, bigger brands, startup brands, emerging brands. And it's a great way of seeing like what's happening in the health and wellness world. it's become a bit more of an influencer event,

which is like interesting because at the beginning, it was very much just industry people. Like it was a way of meeting buyers and retailers and banks and whatever. So even ingredients. Like you could see, you know, an ingredient to put in the greens powder or whatever it may be. What I don't love about Expo is people going and critiquing brands. Not that that happened to us,

but I see influencers going and walking around deciding like which brands are good and which aren't. And just having been on the brand side and knowing how much hard work goes into those booths and how hard the teams work for that moment, it's like that's not really the purpose of it. The purpose of it is to showcase products and meet people and it's very much an industry event. So yeah, I'm excited to see new brands popping up and amazing female founders. And it's awesome. So happy to have you back. My favorite pod ever. Thank you. That's very nice of you. Looking back on IVF after getting to the other side of infatility, I am so thankful for IVF. Like, I mean, I wouldn't be here right now with my baby if I hadn't done IVF.

And I had an interesting journey and everyone's journey is a very, very different. And I know a lot of people are struggling with this right now. But for two years, I never got a positive pregnancy test, not once. And we never really got an answer as to why I think it was PCOS. related, but I'm not sure. I had a whole bunch of eggs. It's possible I wasn't ovulating very well. It's possible the quality of the eggs weren't great. But looking back, you know, I had a very positive IVF experience. My first transfer was positive, which I'm so thankful for. The only thing I would say is like maybe I wish I did it sooner. I ended up doing three IUIs before I did IVF. And if I could go

back, perhaps I would have done IVF sooner, but then maybe I wouldn't have Kai. So I kind of wouldn't change anything, but I am beyond grateful that IVF is a thing and that it exists. And I definitely want to do more fertility episodes on the show. Did you have any resenting feelings towards Greg postpartum? Yes, I think it's a rite of passage, as I was saying before. I just want to normalize that because I was like, am I crazy? Do I hate my husband? But it goes away and then you feel better. But like, it is a real thing. I think it's just a moment where we're like, wow, we really do a lot, you know. Oh, what is the brick you just shared? Okay, I just bought this thing called a brick. And it's like a piece of technology. It's a little gray square that essentially locks you out of your phone.

So when you tap the brick, you can decide to lock any amount of apps that you want. So it could be, for me, I did Instagram, TikTok, any social media. And in order to unlock them, you have to tap the device. so you can do it when you leave the house. Maybe it's for work. Maybe you're going out for dinner. For me, I was still in the house. I just don't want to be on my phone around the baby and I want to be present. So I will lock the phone and walk away. And I think I had it locked from like 530 onwards last night, something like that. And then in order to unlock, you have to go back to the brick. And for some reason, walking from my bedroom to the kitchen to unbrick myself just felt shameful. And I didn't do it. So I think it's working, you know? I'm feeling good.

about it because one of my goals this year is to be way less on this thing. I literally fantasize about throwing it in the ocean sometimes or in the pool. Watching or listening anything interesting while breastfeeding. That has been kind of a thing because you end up sitting there for a while, like speaking of bricking the phone. You end up sitting there for a while and wanting to watch something. I love YouTube. I'm the biggest fan of YouTube. I love watching vlogs. I've even been thinking about like should I do my YouTube channel again and, you know, film motherhood stuff. But that is, what I watch. I would love to get back into podcasts. I kind of went on a hiatus for a little bit, but I think I'm ready to get back. This was a good question. Do you feel guilty sharing hard days

considering your journey with IVF? Yes. That is a real thing. I think after struggling with infertility, you never want to complain about being pregnant or about having a baby because you're like, well, I wished for this for so long. But I also think it's really valid, like, to have the experience that you're having and be able to express it, you know, just because you went through what you went through doesn't mean you're not allowed to have a challenging day. And that's something that I've had to like really come to terms with. But I feel yes, whenever I post about anything challenging with motherhood, I feel like, okay, but what if someone's watching who's going through infertility?

Because I remember what that felt like. But at the end of the day, we're all our own people. And it's like if you, you know, don't want to watch something, you just shouldn't watch it. And that's what I did. When I was going through infertility, I definitely didn't watch. a lot of motherhood content because it was hard for me. And that's completely fine. If you need to mute me, please do so because I did that too.

Advice for friends who have never had kids and want to support their friends with kids. Yeah, that's a tough one. I think the biggest thing is like understanding that if you don't hear back or it feels like they keep saying no to plans, it's not a personal thing. It's just a season of life that they're in and having flexibility and understanding around that is so important. It's like nothing will ever be more important to you than your child, period. So like, I'm not socializing nearly as much as I used to. I'm not answering every text. I'm just like in my bubble right now. And I think sometimes you have to cancel, sometimes you have

to change things. Like everything has to be kind of flexible. And I think just understanding that and not taking it personally is the biggest piece of advice I would give. Okay, can you talk about any tips dealing with body changes with pregnancy and postpartum? that's like a very real thing. I found like the first few weeks I really didn't even care. Like I didn't look at my own body because I was just so worried about Kyle all the time. I was like the last thing I care about is how I look. The more the weeks go by and the more sort of like back to yourself,

you feel maybe like the more you notice how you look and things like that. And it can be really challenging. Like for me it's a bit of a mind trip because I've obviously been through a weight loss journey in the past. Like I've been super lean and super fit, but I've also been overweight before. So I kind of like know the patterns. And it's weird to be like, wow, I worked so, so hard. And I feel like I'm back to square one, even though I'm not. And that's the biggest reminder.

It's like I'm not back to square one because I worked out my whole pregnancy. I have more strength than I used to. It's going to come back quicker because I have the muscle memory. But it's also, you know, giving yourself grace and remind. minding yourself, I literally just had a baby. What am I doing? And I think this is where social media can be really hard because you see a lot of like bounce back content and moms who like had a baby two months ago. Miraculously they have a six pack. I, that I don't understand. Like that I just physically do not understand. I don't have the genetics for that personally. More power to them.

But I also think when you're breastfeeding, as I said before, like you're producing milk. You're feeding another human, like, why would your body shed fat? If anything, it needs to hold on to fat to make that milk. So anyway, I think it's acceptance, giving yourself grace, knowing that no one's judging you. And if they are, they suck. And just slowly but surely getting back into it. Like, I'm starting to get back into my workout routine now and it's feeling really good. And just knowing it takes time. You know, I think they say like nine months in, nine months out or something is the phrase. And I'm just trying to remind myself, like, there's no reason to rush.

This is such a season. You know, I've had a huge part of my life was about being as fit as possible. And that just isn't right now. So I hope that answered the question. Did you end up using a smart sock like an outlet? No, I never used the outlet. We have a nanit monitor that we use. And that's working for us.

I never ended up using the outlet, but I did hear things about it. Recovering to heal post-sisection, are you belly binding? Yes, I use a belly binder every now and again. I'm really bad about it because I hate how it feels on my body, but I try to use it every now and again. I could probably be better about it. Creatine during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Love you so much.

Love you too. I would love to take creatine. I'm too nervous to take it breastfeeding because apparently it can overload the baby's kidneys. so I do plan on taking it the second I'm done breastfeeding because it's really great for postpartum healing. I would love to do a whole episode about supplement regime, also peptides. I really want to take peptides when I'm done breastfeeding.

I want to take gut health, hair, skin and nails. I want to talk about my stem cell treatment. There's so much to dive into, but I think I will leave this episode here for now. Let me know in the comments or the reviews what you'd like to see next. And don't forget to subscribe to the show. so you do not miss another episode.

Love you guys so much. Thank you for tuning in. And I'll see you next time. Bye. This is the Pursuit Network. The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual medical and mental health advice and does not constitute a provider-patient relationship.

As always, talk to your doctor or health team.