Erin Maness- The Birth Side

02/11/2020

Will you do me a favor?
Think about the big influencer/blogger accounts you follow on social media. The ones who make a living just being themselves and sharing their world with the world.
The ones who’s lives you’re super invested in because they take the time to include you and the many, many others who watch them on the other side of their screens.
The ones who’s outfits you praise, who’s homes you drool over, who are reason you tried that product or recipe, because they’ve raved about it.
Have you ever scrolled and scrolled and scrolled to their first days/years on their feeds?
I have.
Did you know there were times when the only likes & comments they had were from their close friends & family?
It was the support from those people that encouraged them to keep going, to keep creating, and keep inspiring.
I’m sure they had people judging what they were doing and wondering why. People who wanted to look away from 2nd hand embarrassment.
Trust me, it is weird sometimes to put things out here, to use hashtags, to link blog posts, to have conversations with my phone, to over share, to have hope that something great may come of these little platforms.
To try and try and think we’ve figured it out just in time for algorithms to change. To quit and pick back up and quit again.
So if you know someone personally trying something different, something new, starting a business, or building a website; instead of making judgments or assumptions, why not support them?

15/10/2020

October 15th is national pregnancy and infant loss Remembrance Day, which reminds me of this song from Hamilton. Praying peace over everyone celebrating a loss today ❤️

20/09/2020

TRUTH.

Via Blue Jean Lady

12/09/2020

I used to grab him every morning at 5 am when he’d cry out for me.

I’d trudge my tired body to his nursery, I’d scoop him up, and I’d carry him into bed with me.
I’d let him sleep with me, snuggled into my chest.
I’d spend hours every morning just breathing him in. Watching the rise and fall of his chest. Kissing his forehead and snuggling his sweet little body.

Then one morning, he started sleeping all the way through. He didn’t need my snuggles anymore.

I used to hold him for every nap. I’d spend all afternoon snuggled up with him while he slept on me. He needed my scent.
But I longed for him to nap in his crib.

And then one day- he did. He napped in his crib.

And even though he’s my second baby, I completely forgot how quickly things change.

How quickly newborn clothes get packed away.
How quickly that smile reflex turns into the real smile.
How quickly the rolling happens.
How quickly bottles/breastfeeding sessions get exchanged for real food.
How nighttime snuggles and feedings turn into a restful night of independent sleep.

I forgot how quickly it all just kind of...slips away.

And it makes me think about how much I longed to sleep all the way through the night.
How much I craved having my afternoons back to get things done around the house instead of holding him.

But today I looked at him. And I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I spent the morning snuggling him in bed.
And I didn’t know that last time would be the last time.
And I miss it. I miss those snuggles so much.

Right now, I sometimes crave for different things.
I crave a little more independence somedays.

But I know. I know once that independence happens, I can never go back to the way it was before.
I just can’t.

So today.
Today I’m going to remember to savor everything about him that’s still a baby.
I’m not going to wish for the next milestone, the next big change.

Instead, I’m going to savor the moments we’re in right now.

I’m going to savor what makes it difficult and beautiful altogether.

Because really, that’s life.
Beautifully difficult.

And if we forget to savor the moments, life just passes right on by.
Before we realized that those difficult moments, those difficult phases, were what made life so beautiful.

27/08/2020

This is your friendly reminder to be thinking about which soups you want to start preparing now and freezing for later.
Funny story about soup.
When Chris and I had been married about a year, he got a cold and was tearing apart the pantry, looking for a can of chicken noodle soup.
I was like, “trust me, unless someone has broken into our home and planted it in our pantry, you’re not going to find any”.
I knew because I do the grocery shopping and I can’t stand canned chicken and noodle soup. Those weird squares of tofu textured chicken gross me out too much to ever eat it.
So I made him some from scratch and have been ever since. I’ve started making it at the end of summer and freezing some for the colder months.
I make my chicken soup like medicine in a bowl; fresh chicken, carrots, celery, onion, and parsley, cooked in homemade bone broth with LOTS of lemon juice and cracked pepper. I also season it with Beau Monde poultry seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. This batch was the first time I’ve made it with risotto and really love the texture it adds.
Lastly, the most important part, I pray over it. Today I thanked God for our health and prayed that when what’s getting frozen is being eaten, it’s not because of sickness but for nourishment.
What’s your ideal comfort soup?

19/08/2020

I’ve been trying to form the words for this post for a year now but I definitely wanted to share it to offer encouragement for anyone trusting that their baby knows just when to arrive

http://thebirthside.com/2020/08/19/what-i-learned-when-going-past-my-due-date/

I blogged my original birth story for my 2nd daughter who just turned 1 here; Faith’s Birth Story but there was more to the story I wanted to share. I haven’t explained this side yet partly because…

07/08/2020

Happy Friday!
Have you started making your meal plan for next week yet?
I kept up with all of the dinners we’ve had over the last 6 nights and put the details in a blog post, complete with a grocery list!
These are super easy dinners and a lot of the ingredients are being used twice, which makes it budget friendly too.
We’ve been consistently about 90% gluten free so most of these meals fit as gluten free.
Also, being done with this means I’ve made it to take out night, glory hallelujah 🙌

http://thebirthside.com/2020/08/07/walmart-meal-plan-6-nights-of-affordable-dinners/

Easy, inexpensive meal plan with all Walmart ingredients

21/07/2020

THIS

💕

10/07/2020

A great summertime reminder, I definitely needed it

https://funcheaporfree.com/gift-presence-time-son-almost-died-distracted-instagram/

With July 4th approaching, I couldn't push down the nagging urge and inkling that pops up every year…telling me I need to share my story with you all. My horrifying, embarrassing, life-changing story of that time I almost let my child die because I was distracted on Instagram. As with every year t...

07/07/2020

So good!!

Dear Friend who is struggling,

I sat across from you today. You are worn out, you are defeated.

As looked into her eyes I recognized the exhaustion and the fear. I recognized the question, the one that asks am I going to be okay? I remembered a dark season in my life. I remembered when I was so undone with anxiety that I couldn’t take the kids to the beach or even make it out of the house.

I remembered when I had no hope.

I remembered a friend who showed up every single day on my doorstep. She’d ask, “What are you afraid of today?” I’d tell her and she’d listen. She’d really listen…that was the gift. When I’d run all out of words I would sit shaking on my porch trying to feel the sun that beat down all around me, but never touched my skin.

Then she would say, “You are okay, your kids are okay. This is just fear and anxiety,” and I would cry until all the tears were gone.

And the next day she’d be back, because I’d already forgotten the truth.

Sometimes we need truth holders in our lives because our grip is not strong enough.

Sometimes we need to stand with each other until the sun comes up.

Right now, you are low. Right now you feel like a fragmented version of yourself. It’s okay to fall apart. When you are low, others are high. When you are broken, others are okay.

We have all been undone. We have all been undone, and then we get put back together piece by piece, and when we find someone else who is suffering we understand deeper and wider. We can hold space for them because we get it.

So friend, I take your hand, like she took mine, because we will walk through this together. There have been so many times in the past I’ve watched friends suffer from a distance because I wasn’t sure what to say, and I was afraid of making it worse. I made their pain about me, and I still cringe when I think about it. I wish that I’d showed up. I wish I’d been brave.

I’m done letting my fear keep me from staying close.

I will not do it perfectly; in fact, sometimes I might do it awkwardly and terribly. I will probably say the wrong thing. I will probably make you mad.

I’m okay with that now.

I will listen to you until you’re all out of words. I will listen, and I will listen, and then I will take your hand because you are not alone.

I will take your hand because you are going to be okay.

Whatever you do, do not forget that there are songs still left to sing. There are joyful moments coming around the corner that will take your breath away. This, my friend, feels like everything. It feels all consuming and that hope won’t ever come, but it’s not true…

The sun will come up.

You will laugh again. You will laugh so hard that your stomach aches and tears spill out. I promise. Things will be funny again.

You will have moments again when you hold your kids and your heart breaks into a million pieces, because your love is fuller and more overwhelming than you ever knew it could be.

Those are the moments that it is worth hanging on for. They are the moments that are worth more than a thousand years of everything.

Someday, you will be past this and you will look back and thank God that you’re on this side of the storm, and then you will thank yourself because it turns out you are stronger than you knew.

Joy is coming. It can’t resist you. You can’t resist it. Even when everything is so dark and dingy and hopeless, hang on, because it will come.

For now, when you can’t hope, I will hope for you.

When you can’t see, I will see for you.

And one day soon you will feel the sun again on your own.

Love,

Your Friend

Follow Wonderoak by Jess Johnston

11/06/2020

💜

You matter.⁣
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Your dreams matter. ⁣
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Your hopes matter. ⁣
⁣
Your desires matter. ⁣
⁣
Your ambitions matter. ⁣
⁣
Your goals matter. ⁣
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Motherhood does not equal martyring oneself.⁣
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It is not selfish to desire roles and things for yourself outside of motherhood. ⁣
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You frickin matter! ⁣
⁣
❤️

04/06/2020

I remember both of my births very vividly. I got an epidural with my first and remember watching in the mirror as the obstetrician gave me an episiotomy without any heads up or anything. It was the worst part of recovery

31/05/2020

My second child,

You may have come in that order, but you aren’t second rate.

The only second you are to me is my second language.
The one I had to learn because you were so different to my first.

My second wind, when things get too much, and some days they do, you give me the grace to be patient with myself.

My second nature, yes you’re your own little person, but things were a little easier this time round. I rested into it without the resistance of a first time Mum.

My second skin, I treasure our cuddles under a blanket where I can breathe you in like an old book.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t up every second checking if you were breathing in your cot, I could feel it in my hearts rhythm while I slept.

I didn’t check my app quite as often as to whether you were the size of a lime or an avocado, and your scrap book hasn’t come together yet… in fact it’s still a thought in my mind.

Yes your clothes might be second hand and the milestone photos aren’t as planned out, sometimes they’re a few days late.

You hear me yell more than I’d like to admit, you didn’t arrive into peace and quiet, my soft sing song voice is usually interrupted by a crash somewhere and then more yelling.

I hear myself often saying “Hold on a second”, “Wait a second”. But this doesn’t mean you come second. Please don’t give that a second thought.

I may not be able to give you everything you want, but I will always try to give you everything you need, please never second guess that.

Know in your little core, how special you are to me.

Yes you are my second child, not the second half of my heart, but the other half.

You didn’t make me a Mama, but you’ve made me the mama I am proud to be.

I’d move mountains for you in seconds.

And my second child, my love for you is second to none.

*via on Instagram (shared with permission)

20/05/2020

New blog post! I’ve been on a recipe roll lately so I wanted to switch things up. This post is a quick method I’ve been doing to get our house feeling instantly tidier.
I also include how I keep toys organized.
With a crawling baby who puts
e v e r y t h i n g in her mouth, I have to be extra careful about what’s around the house but it also brings me so much more peace of mind when things are in order.

http://thebirthside.com/2020/05/19/great-tip-to-instantly-make-your-home-feel-tidier/

You know the joke, “I need to clean my house before the maid comes”? I never understood that until we actually had a cleaning company come do a one time clean after my 2nd daughter was …

10/05/2020

08/05/2020

I wish I had known it was normal with my first

☾Did you know that babies are not born with circadian rhythms, they really don’t know nights from days and they don’t know if they were born in Phoenix or France. ⠀
☾A new baby does not start making their own melatonin (the sleepy hormone) until they are around 4-5 months old. The amazing thing is that they are getting melatonin from your breastmilk in the evening. ⠀
☾It makes sense now that your baby is clusterfeeding, marathon nursing and having those bewitching hours. Your baby is tanking up on your melatonin rich nighttime breastmilk which helps them develop their own circadian rhythms and helps them eventually learn to sleep longer stretches at night.⠀
☾So, in those first few weeks and sometimes even the first few months, it’s normal and beneficial to have a chunk of evening hours where your baby seems like they are starving, and maybe not even getting enough.⠀
☾You will know it’s a good thing when your baby has a sleep stretch after clusterfeeding. ⠀
☾I always get excited when parents tell me that their baby is clusterfeeding because smart babies clusterfeed!
☾Clusterfeeding happens almost daily in the first 1-2 weeks and then again during growth spurts.
☾Moms will have a more robust milk supply and babies will sleep better in the long run.
(🚩Clusterfeeding is normal if baby is gaining weight after day 5 ✔️ there are enough wet diapers✔️ the p**p turns yellow by day 5 & baby has at least one good full p**py diaper a day ✔️ baby seems content after most feeds✔️ there is a sleep stretch after the clusterfeeding session ✔️)
⠀

30/04/2020

New blog post with 10 of my favorite easy dinners!

http://thebirthside.com/2020/04/29/10-easy-dinners-to-add-to-your-meal-rotation/

Where are my fellow list-makers?? I love lists. I keep a list on my phone of easy dinners that I pull from regularly. It helps keep me sane to have these to fall back on. With the COVID virus havin…

21/04/2020

Heyo!

Impressive as hell. 💪

(via Salty Mermaid Entertainment)

20/04/2020

This was a fun new post to write going through some changes I’m trying to apply to my eating habits

http://thebirthside.com/2020/04/19/what-i-eat-in-a-day-as-a-breastfeeding-sahm/

Hello! I’ve recently moved towards tweaking my personal eating habits as it’s been free reign over here through the quarantine. I was for sure comfort eating to deal with everything goi…

13/04/2020

Pret-ty accurate

28/03/2020

I’m so glad she posted this

https://youtu.be/_9K8BHd_ng4

Many people around the world are currently stuck at home, which can be difficult under the best of circumstances. Yet what happens if you have young children...

23/03/2020

“The baby’s hungry” is my “I have a headache”

20/03/2020

I need a raise after this

11/03/2020

I’m about 98% sure that at this stage in her life, her love language is gifts.
What’s crazy about society today is how frowned upon it is to buy things for your kids when it’s not Christmas or their Birthday.
It’s like this;
“Your child’s love language is quality time? Spend as much time with them as you can!”
“Words of affirmation, speak truth into them!”
“Oh, they like gifts? Uh..spend time with them and speak truth into them so you don’t spoil them”
I know all situations and all kids are different but I don’t want her to feel unloved because of the way she understands love.
I also know there’s this fun thing looming over all of us called money which is why I’m thankful that she loves going to places like the Dollar Tree and the Thrift Store even if we’re paying for a $2 doll in quarters.
It may not be this way forever, she may grow up and prefer to be shown affection differently but for right now, I’m at peace with it.
In the meantime, we’ll continue to take trips for treats and still invest time, words, touch, and serving her so that she grows up to become a confident woman of God.
I’m saying all of this in case any of you have one who’s leaning in favor of gifts and it you makes you feel guilty if you give in to a toy outside of a holiday. It’s okay to show them love however they receive it.

08/03/2020

It’s Sunday evening, have you figured out your meal plan for next week? Here’s some ideas for you!

http://thebirthside.com/2020/03/08/weeknight-meal-plan-week-2/

Last week was the first post I did with our meal schedule for Monday-Friday and here I am, back again with more! Here’s the link to week one: weeknight meal plan week 1 Here’s the menu …

03/03/2020

LOVED this from Fourth Trimester Collective.

26/02/2020

New blog post full of tips on meal prepping

http://thebirthside.com/2020/02/26/how-to-win-at-meal-prepping/

On the surface, meal prepping can be pretty intimidating as the phrase, “if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen” implies how hot a kitchen is capable of getting when there’s a lot…

26/02/2020

WooHoo, time to party!

Put it on your calender 😂🤣

Via

21/02/2020

This & not saying, “stop being so sensitive”

Shared by MN Trauma Project.

21/02/2020

Replace the butter with spaghetti and pizza and you’ve got my 3 year old’s pyramid

I updated the Food Pyramid to be a more accurate depiction of what my children are willing to eat.

20/02/2020

Are we allowed to say, “back in 2019 yet”?
Oh well, here it goes, back in 2019 I had been trying to figure out a good housekeeping routine and in the midst of having Faith, it felt like wading through sinking sand 🤪
Spending the month of January where I focused on decluttering the main areas of the house allowed for
1. More space opening up
2. Everything getting it’s own place
Now my routine is really catching a stride to where I’m able to deep clean one to two days a week and the just upkeep here and there.
Talk about saving my sanity, huh?
My parents actually texted on Saturday saying they’d be near our neighborhood and asked if they could stop by.
It was so nice not having to scramble to try to clean the house in a short amount of time.
I know people say things like, “just accept the mess” or “lower your standards” I’m not saying the house is spotless or perfect but it is a peace of mind I strive for, especially with the title of homemaker. If you feel like it’s not possible, start small. Fill just one bag up or clear out/organize one cabinet, all it takes is a little momentum to get started.
Hitting the reset button over January was one of the best decisions I could have made and I’ll be trying to get the new cleaning schedule mapped out very soon!
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19/02/2020

Or it’s like 2 sizes too small 😬

Consider yourself warned. 😉

(via Salty Mermaid Entertainment)

18/02/2020

New blog post on how to dress comfortably but still feel cute as a breastfeeding &/or pumping mama! 💜

http://thebirthside.com/2020/02/17/creating-a-breastfeeding-friendly-wardrobe/

As you’re entering or have just entered life as a new mom, you may want to plan out clothing that will allow for easy and comfortable nursing &/or pumping. Some days will feel like you& #8…

16/02/2020

Do you ever pray about something and immediately get tested on it?
I was praying this morning for my own personality and that my daughters will understand that they’re fearfully and wonderfully made.
Something I’ve been aware of as a parent is trying to just let them be them without too much interference beyond correcting ugly behavior.
I took the girls to lunch after church and Mia had her eye on some other little girls who were all sitting together.
She jumped up and insisted on going to meet them to ask them their names.
My initial response wanted to be, “no, don’t do that!” But I felt God hold me back as it had to do with what I was praying for. When she came back from meeting her new friends I told her how sweet and friendly she is.
Just because I’m more introverted and quiet doesn’t mean anything is wrong with Mia for being different than me. I don’t ever want her to feel like she’s wrong for being who God created her to be.
“I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” -Psalms 139:14
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14/02/2020

🤦‍♀️😂

(via Mommy Meme Jeans)

14/02/2020

Low milk supply is actually rare in breastfeeding moms. Before you give up, make sure none of these common, fixable, issues are happening.

11/02/2020

New blog post sharing my favorite 2nd hand items to find

http://thebirthside.com/2020/02/10/what-to-look-out-for-at-the-thrift-store/

listing out my favorite thrifted finds