TGIF, friends! Yesterday I asked y’all on Instastories what post you wanted to see tomorrow versus later, so here we are with another #AskE Q&A post – hollah! The funny part: EVERYTHING asked was/is about Olivia, momming, etc. Predictable. 😉 There were so many Q’s about it that today we’ve got #AskE, the New Mom Edition…Part 1. #AskE: New Mom Edition Part 2 coming soon to cover the other half of Q’s. And if you’ve got any MORE Q’s, hit a sistah up! You know where to find me. 😉

Chambray shirt // (wearing size XS – as seen here styled 3 ways! I’m OBSESSED with these – they feel like leggings, but look like dress pants. What a win?! Perf for comfy days at the office! They sell out fast, though, so from the same brand) // (a staple shoe + must this season – they’re BEYOND comfy and require NO break-in! I just bought in , too, as a classic) // Fur vest (old, but identical for under $40!) // // (drugstore! Shade: Dark Wine)

How’s baby Olivia doing??? How are you doing/feeling? How are you guys holding up?

“How are you doing/feeling?” “How is the baby?” “How is your baby girl doing? And your self! I hope all is good – you’re a super mom.” “How are you?! Sometimes with the new baby craze, we forget to ask mom how she is!” “How is Olivia developing? Will she get to come home soon? How are you feeling health/emotionally?” “How is Olivia doing now????”

The #1 Q by a LANDSLIDE. SO.

I’m doing well, and Olivia is doing GREAT.

I only say “well” and not great for myself because I’ve had a few ongoing meh symptoms/experiences, although they’re probably 100% normal for my recovery given everything that happened. Namely:

Post-partum support isn’t always the greatest from the doctor’s side. I had such good support while hospitalized, so it’s been quite the adjustment to now be at home, but experiencing symptoms and get the poo-poo, “it’ll be like this for a few weeks, it’s all probably normal!” waves aside.
Ongoing headaches have been a bear. That’s been my biggest concern being at home, given how high my blood pressure aroud delivery time. I’ve had just crippling headaches – sometimes with a visual aura, but not necessarily a full migraine. Extra strength Tylenol does the trick, but I’m not a fan of popping pills whenever I have an ache or pain, and to feel reliant on Tylenol lest I not think straight is just not a fun feeling.

So TBD on both fronts there. As time goes on, I think things get a little better. But WOW, I can’t help but think how support or lack thereof after you give birth and head home must/might contribute to things like post-partum depression. Any other mamas feel the same??? Besides the changes in support or resources, you’re also battling your body’s changes and HORMONES out the wazoo.

It’s a lot.

I promise I’ll keep y’all posted. I was overwhelmed with the lovelovelove, but also the response to the super ridiculous #RealTalk in sharing the dirty details of birth. So I’ll just keep keepin’ it real, per usual, and we’ll talk about it all. MK? MK.

Liv is KILLIN’ IT. She’s growing leaps + bounds everyday. She’s up to 3 pounds 10+ ounces (go girlfriend, go!). She TOOK A BOTTLE. Multiple times. And this is huge, because as of yesterday, she’s a grand 35 weeks old. Babes aren’t supposed to be able to physiologically comprehend taking a bottle until around 36 weeks in the womb; even though they’re sucking amniotic fluid in there, the whole suck-swallow-breathe all at the same time ordeal that is breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding is a WHOLE NEW WORLD, folks. And girlfriend was like guys, I got this, and sucked down an entire bottle. #overachiever

Who is surprised?

No one.

Where did you get the Olivia name necklace???

The amount of DMs I’ve gotten since wearing in a few Stories has been UNREAL. I mean…I get it. It’s gorgeous, it’s unique, it’s something you could/should grab for yo’self, for yo’ girlfriends, for any other baby mama in yo’ life – or with whoever’s name floats yo’ boat. I talked all about it in October’s Monthly Favorites post, so that’s where you can get ALL deets, from the shop itself to a CUR-exclusive discount code to save ya some bucks. 😉 The girls that run the shop are the SWEETEST + do custom orders all the time, so make sure ya plan ahead for Christmas; I think this necklace would be the *perfect* gift for any new mom in your life, or really, just anyone who would appreciate a namesake necklace like this!

What’s the weirdest part of post-pregnancy so far?

Right now, it’s super situational given that our baby is born but not WITH us all the time. I feel like I’ve got such a skewed view of pregnancy/birth now because of how ~unique~ things got for us at the end!

But going to *visit* our baby is weird.

People commenting on how I look – or how I’m “supposed” to look – post-partum is weird.

Having milk come out of my boobs is weird.

But also really friggin’ cool and a huuuuuuuge blessing. I just sit back and marvel at God. The way He made this all come together is just unreal to me. How LIFE came from J + I is unreal to me. How I can sustain that life with something coming FROM MY BOOB is unreal to me. Just this whole thing – unreal. Maybe justbecause I’m a new mom? But STILL.

What is your ride or die new mom product so far?

OH MAN OH MAN.

1.) Nursing bras.

2.) This hands-free pumping bra. Serious game-changer, yo.

Beyond that, I’m limited since she’s not home with us as of yet! So stay tuned – I’ll update this as we go. 😉

How did you pick your daughter’s name? What other names did you like?

We had “Olivia Grace” picked out WELL before we were ever even pregnant. Ha! We’d just always play “what should we name our children” on road trips, date nights, etc. So we’ve got a LIST. 😉 I won’t share some of our other faves since they very well may come into play in le future if we’re so #blessed.

But we both tossed around names, and “Olivia” just instantly clicked for both of us. We both loveloveloved it. We both could see/feel it. We both had zero complaints or issues with it. And we both loveloveloved the middle name “Grace,” especially WITH “Olivia.”

Beyond that, we lovelovelove that “Olivia” can mean “peace” (like the olive branch – how cool is that?!). And it’s just such a pretty, classy name!