What Mother Won't Tell You...

**As a special note, this blog entry talks about some detail into things that happen with a woman's body after pregnancy. It is not for the faint-hearted. Proceed with caution!

How many of us who have gone through labor and delivery came out of it thinking: "Oh yeah, that's EXACTLY like all of my friends said it would be!" Well, I wasn't one of those people. I was the person who came out of my labor and delivery saying, "REALLY?! This is what my mother went through? No wonder she didn't tell me!" Then, after the first six weeks of Baby being home, I knew exactly why my mother never told me everything that would happen...she was afraid she wouldn't become a grandmother!

Now, don't get me wrong. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE being a mother, and I'd never ask for anything - or anyone - else. However, let's face it, labor, delivery, and those first few weeks are not like the movies or TV shows. Labor lasts a lot longer (for those of us lucky people); delivery involves a lot more sweat and other things that aren't pretty; and those first few weeks are indescribable (albeit, wonderful when you look back at them a few months later).

After talking to a lot of other new moms, I realized just how much we didn't know about the entire process of becoming a mom. Yes, yes, yes...we all were taught the birds and the bees, but who really knew about the six-week menstrual cycle you'd have after Baby arrived; breast engorgement; nipple pain; the pain of episiotomies, lacerations, and abrasions - not to mention the pain sex for the first time after Baby can bring? It seems as though these topics are either taboo or items that everyone must figure out on their own.

While other people are busy getting all of those "New Baby" gifts, I've decided to begin a new gift giving tradition. This gift contains overnight pads without wings (for those times when nothing smaller will do and the wings would just irritate certain areas), nursing pads (after many different trials, my favorite brand being Medela), Medela nipple cream (because it's more like a lotion than Vasoline), and Motrin IB (for those pains that stick around even after you've finished the doctor's pain prescription). I also recommend to my friends that they purchase some cheap underwear that they won't mind having to throw away. I've thought of tossing in a bottle of K-Y, but even that's a little too personal for me!

So, for all of you other moms out there...what were the items that you couldn't live without (for you) after Baby was born? Or, what items would you recommend to other Moms-to-be?

Leadership Mom: SWOT Analysis

In business, leaders often analyze our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats through a SWOT analysis. So, if we are going to look at our role as moms as being the greatest leadership opportunity to us, let's start with analyzing ourselves and our kids. Here's the SWOT I developed for my family: Family SWOT Analysis As a doting mother, there are hundreds of strengths that I could put up here for my kids. Their hugs, kisses, bedtime stories and prayers, the fact that they come to me when they're seeking healing from an injury (physical or emotional), the notes and drawings they make for me, their precious hearts when they try to help me or that they've learned how to use the Keurig to bring me coffee in the morning...I could go on and on. Now, here's the part where we get honest with ourselves. Yes, we love our kids and we love our family (or, hopefully, most of the time), but we are not perfect. Nor should we be perfect. As we analy...

Cybersecurity 101

One of the things that continually amazes me as a parent of young(er) children is their ability to quickly understand technology and its uses. Not only have my children learned the art of swiping to use different devices, but they've also learned how to access apps, take pictures, answer calls (both phone and Skype), and more. My children could teach their grandparents a lesson or two on how to use technology. But, as a student of cybersecurity, I have seen a greater need to educate my children - as well as so many others - on the cybersecurity. This goes beyond posting inappropriate pictures and unfriendly words on social media (although these lessons must also be taught). This goes into the nature of understanding the benefits and risks of using technology and the privacy lost to it. The major premise that must be understood in regards to cybersecurity is that information/data is money. It's value is continually increasing. We need to secure...

Why can't they just be friends?

Why can't my kids just be friends? I must ask myself this question hundreds of times during the week. I thought that having kids relatively close together was going to be great. They'd have a playmate and an automatic friend. However, the truth is that - most of the time - they don't get along. It's not that they're enemies...it's that they drive each other crazy. They each want the other one to do what they want to do. Then, when the other one does what they want, they get mad at them because they wanted to do it themselves. They don't want to share their toys. Then, they play together only to then get mad and purposefully break the other sibling's toys. They want to get the other one in trouble so that they look like the "good" child and get more rewards. Then they get upset that the other sibling got them in trouble when they *tattled* on them. At mealtimes, they want to sit where the other one is sitting. They wan...

VanessaAugust 23, 2010 at 8:31 PM
Great post Katie, I actually love to give the medela breast pads too, for all my new mommy friends, they are the best! I had a C-section after anout 6 hours of labor, so I don't know all the delivery details, but my "quick" 10 minutes on the table seemed more like an hour of someone playing basketball on my tummy (I can only imagine what was actually going on). I also loved the great sleep nursing bras that are more like sports bras! I also read that the period following would last about 4 weeks but took every minute of the six weeks the OB said to wait before calling! PS you and baby Julie look great! -Vanessa Wiilisms Biggs
Jessica R.August 23, 2010 at 8:34 PM
those nursing pads...more nursing pads...did i mention nursing pads??...and yes lots of KY, dignity out the window but good God.
WellsandtAugust 23, 2010 at 8:43 PM
You look GREAT after baby, Katie (you looked great before, too!), but I would throw in Spanx and Mederma. Spanx so that you can get into those "one-size-bigger-will-never-be-that-other-size-again-but don't-want-to-buy-the-NEXT-bigger-size" pants and to contain the mom-pooch. And Mederma for the one half of the c-section scare that won't heal like the other side! ;) Of course, that might be just me, but I don't know since no one ever talks about these things... :) Great post!

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