1 month after lasik eye surgery.. 3 things you must know

Yes I went for it. Did the scary cut out a flap in your eye thing that makes everyone cringe just thinking about it. For a former contact wearer, it honestly wasn’t bad at all. If you wear contacts you are most likely used to poking around with your eye, you can probably put your contacts on without a mirror and those frequent eye visits are just another exam anymore.

The procedure itself was like 15 minutes for both eyes. No pain whatsoever. I was mildly uncomfortable the first day but I did wear sunglasses they provided so I know that helped ease my discomfort. I’m one month post op at this point, and this is what I have to share.

1. each eye might not feel the same. My right eye was more hazy, blurry for like a week afterwards. It made me really nervous because that was the eye that my contacts always seemed to give trouble to. I do have mild astigmatism but I don’t recall which eye was worse. Currently both are eyes are seeing the same. My vision is 20/15 in both eyes (I was seriously blind before this) so it was SUCH a miracle to have such perfect vision after a 15 min procedure.

2. Dry eyes. I was told it’s common, can affect everyone and can go away within days or last for months or years. What I didn’t expect is how it actually felt. When you say dry you think no tears, gritty, maybe itchy. My eyes at times felt lazy. It felt like my muscles were working slower and took longer to adjust. This FREAKED me out but the ophthalmologist reassured me that they healed well, and that I need to start using lubricating eye drops throughout the day. I began noticing things like forced hot air, heat, dry conditions really affected them so it made sense that it was related to dry eyes. 2 weeks later I’m not using lubricating eye drops 2-3 times a day and lubricating gel at night and it’s really been helping. I’ve been using systane eye lubricating drops, that’s what was recommended and they work so well. I’ve tried numerous artificial tears and drops in the past with my contacts and nothing gave me relief like this does.

3. Eye fatigue. I know it’s all part of the healing process, but my eyes felt heavy, strained like they worked out, for at least the first 2 weeks. I read my books at night in bed and it’s harder to do now because I feel like I have to focus harder to read and it causes eye strain and fatigue and I end up passing out sooner than I used to. I was told this can take time to adjust, but also maybe I will start using a brighter night light for reading.

All in all, I’m SO happy that I got lasik done. Besides the minor things above, it’s such a blessing to be able to wake up, and go to sleep being able to see EVERYTHING. I think what finally motivated to get this done now is thinking, what am I going to do 20 years or 40 years from now? I can’t imagine being 80 and wearing contacts and I certainly don’t want to wear glasses everyday. I honestly wish I got this done 10 years ago.

– Inna

A one-deer-full year it has been.

Stella girl, you are one.
Naturally this year went by way too fast, but looking back at my pregnancy with you and all that went on in this world, I’m just thankful. Thankful that you are growing. Thankful that you are meeting your milestones. Thankful for your love. And thankful that I was truly able to enjoy your first year of life without expectations, comparisons, or the need to document every moment. Throughout this year ive learned a lot about myself and what truly matters in this season of my life.

Two days before your birthday I found out my grandfather passed away. Although I haven’t seen him in years, it forced me in the time of my bereavement to not only grieve, but to celebrate. Celebrate those that are still around me and especially you. It was a birthday with a little more meaning and emotion than others.

We celebrated her birthday with family. We had a little red mushroom theme and she was the little fawn.

Mama, daddy, and your brothers love you so much baby girl.

Inna

3 biggest mistakes you are probably making with your nails.

Healthy nails is more than taking vitamins and getting a manicure. Read to see if you are making any of the following mistakes with your nails.

Bare nails

You’re letting your nails “breathe” by taking breaks between polish changes and keeping your nails bare.

This used to be me all the time. I thought it was good for my nails to leave them bare for a while.. but turns out I was leaving them exposed to chipping, soaking up water, and biting when stressed out.

Nail polish protects your nails. Nails can absorb a lot of water, so doing things like dishes can make nails expand when absorbing water and later shrink back when dry. This then makes them flimsy and not as strong (think of a balloon that keeps getting inflated then deflated- it loses its structure and elasticity). Nail polish coats the nails and actually prevents the nail from absorbing too much water.

Cutting the cuticle

Sure it looks clean (more so when the professionals do it) but a better alternative is cuticle remover and gently pushing back the cuticles. Cuticles act as a barrier to prevent bacteria from getting underneath the skin. Google finger paronychia. I think I see this at least once a week in the clinic by someone that got their nails done or is a nail biter. When an infection happens after you visited the nail salon its likely because the cuticle was cut, and not because they used dirty tools.

You don’t use cuticle oil or nail strengthener

Ill he honest- I used to be one of those people that thought nail strengtheners was just a marketing gimmick. Until I started using nail treatment and cuticle oil religiously. The vitamins that are in them (and some have collagen) enhances nail growth and prevent nail breakage. You should be oiling your cuticles a least once a day to prevent skin dryness, cracking, bleeding.

Tips on surviving your first month back after maternity leave.

It officially makes a month since I’ve been back at work.

I couldn’t do it without the help of my husband and family, but also being aware of my thoughts and not letting them run wild- as anxiety typically does.

I’m sharing what helped me, and although it might look different for you if you are a teacher, or work at a restaurant but I think you can still apply most of it!

Pumping: it forces me to slow down, breathe, and connect with baby via facetime. (It also helps with letdown).

Make a pumping schedule at work and let your boss & coworkers know the schedule.

This way there are no surprises and they can plan you being gone for 20-25 min during this time period.

Relax and don’t rush.

You can’t pump out milk as effectively when you are stressed.

Podcast: Listen to an encouraging podcast on my way to work.

you would be amazed at how a simple saying that resonates with you at that time; can change everything.

My favorite ones are:

Joel Osteen who is very uplifting and positive, if you are looking for more faith based encouragement.

The mindset mentor by Rob Dial is a simple, straight forward, not too long of episodes podcast that is encouraging but also gets you in the right head space before work.

Smile: you can’t be in a bad mood when you have a smile on your face. A genuine smile.

When I go into each patients soon, I smile, even though I’m wearing a mask and they can’t see me smiling. Not only can you hear it in my voice but it instantly puts you in a more positive mindset.

When you smile there is no way you can think negatively, and patients are more receptive to you.

H2O: Drink my water! It’s been giving me much more energy lately.

It helps with milk production, better skin, and weight loss. All of which are super important to me postpartum.

It will end: if you are having a bad day, just think it will be over eventually. It doesn’t mean to dwell and count down the hours, but just knowing that you get to start over is such a relieving feeling.

When I feel overwhelmed I think about tomorrow, or seeing my babies when I get home, my next day off, or the cup of coffee I’m planning to get at lunch.

It doesn’t need to be something crazy like meditating, writing your thoughts, or reflecting.

I don’t have much time when I’m seeing 15-25 patients a day.

Hear me out mama…

It can be extremely difficult to leave your child after spending weeks with them.

Sometimes anxiety just takes over and no matter what you try you just hate being at work.

Most moms have to return to work because they can’t afford not to.

I think it’s so healthy to try to let go of the things you probably can’t control and start enjoying and surrendering yourself to your work when you are there.

It goes back to gratitude as well. Learn to be content with where you are at the moment.

It will change a lot for you, trust me.

⋒ Inna

How to determine if the business is worth investing in.

5 things you need to know before clicking join.

You open up Instagram and yet again see another post about network marketing. You see how it’s changing lives, the ambassadors seem so confident and encouraging and you’re wondering if you could do it. If you could do network marketing, Multilevel marketing to be exact. In this post I will talk about 5 things you need to know before clicking join, and what your entrepreneurial life would look like when you do join.

The company.
do research on the company you are about to join. Are you joining because you were influenced to do MLM and become a millionaire, or are you joining because you truly love and believe in the products? This will make a big difference in how you show up daily.
The compensation plan and company saturation. Look at the compensation plan. This is the break down of how you will get paid. Ask a ton of questions! If the company you want to join has “averages” for the monthly payout, then be prepared to make the lower end of that average.
Company saturation is how many people joined that company. The more people a company has the harder it is for you to stand out and make a decent income.
Be prepared to reach out to people you don’t know. Whether it’s direct or not, you will need to branch out and try to make connections with people you don’t know but have something in common with. This is different than cold messaging. Some uplines (mentors) will tell you to cold message but trust me, it will get you nowhere. You will have to think of people that could benefit from your product, or business and market to them.
it’s a 24/7 job. Everything you post or story, in the back of your mind you will think how you can relate it to your business or product. Yes, time blocking is something you will need to do but you will be so eager to check your phone all day long. So you decide if you want to stick to your 9-5 and be done at 5.. or have this on your mind all day long.
You will have many ups and downs. You won’t feel ready, you won’t feel worth people’s time, you won’t feel confident, you will start telling yourself that you are a nobody so how dare you try to sell something to someone.. you will try to talk yourself out of it and think about quitting all together. But then you will have days where sharing will bring you so much joy, you will have a team that uplifts you (hopefully), you make a sell, you find someone who would really benefit from your product, you will have someone tell you that you changed their life.

MLM is not for everyone. There are so many factors that will be dependent on how successful you will be, and you have to be confident in knowing your season and if it’s worth it to you. You will have others tell you that it’s an excuse, but no one knows your life and your season like you do.

Leave a comment about your experience with MLM and if you agree with above!

5 most used baby items from a mom of 3

Being a brand new mom is a lot different than being a mom to multiples. Besides the obvious, let’s be honest- new moms don’t know what they will need/not need until they have the baby. What works for one might not work for others. Being a mom of 3, I found that some really popular baby things didn’t work for my kids. As I evolved as a mother, so did my needs and I was able to weed out what I actually needed and what I just wanted to have with my 3rd child. Below I listed 5 of my most used items, and some of it is because I have more than one child- so my time and attention is split, and we play the game of multitasking.

A good breast pump

I say good because I’ve tried several, and I found the Medela pump to not be as good. All pumps have multiple settings, depending on your comfort level, and the way it mimics your baby. The medela was horrible at clearing out my clogged ducts. It was also pretty loud. I use the Spectra s2 pump currently and I love it. It’s a lot quieter and I find it a lot more efficient in a shorter time. It’s a little on the larger side though. Nursing, and breast care, and pumps are all something that you kinda find out about as you go, because trust me when I say you have no idea what it’s like until you go through it. Breastfeeding is hands down one of the most difficult things the first few weeks or even months and it can feel like a full time job. So you can see why having a great pump is a big freakin deal.

price- $160-$200. Covered by my insurance fully.

2. VAVA baby monitor

I never had a baby monitor with my other two, probably because I was checking in on them all the time. My time is obviously now split between 3 kids so I can’t constantly keep an eye on the baby when she’s napping. That and I try to keep the baby upstairs for nap time where it’s not as loud, and a sound only monitor doesn’t cut it. I love this one because it’s a very good price, and it such good quality. You can connect several cameras to the monitor and it’s not connected to wi-Fi which I love because I don’t need no creeps hacking into the monitor.

price-$160. Currently on Amazon there is a $20 coupon you can apply!

3. GATHRE changing mat

It doesn’t have to be GATHRE brand, but that’s what I happen to have. Any thin, foldable, light mat is something that will be used multiple times a day. Before you say duh, obviously it will be used because baby needs to get changed, let me tell you why I love this product! If you have multiple kids, you might not have an actual bedroom for them all. With no bedroom you might not have a changing table. We keep the baby in our room because she doesn’t have her own room yet, and honestly I’m not a fan of changing tables. We use the GATHRE mat mainly downstairs but I will bring it upstairs to change her if she has a blow out and I know it will get all over. Regular changing pads are thick and usually have a cover which you have to wash often. GATHRE is leather and water resistant, and so easy to clean! It also folds & fits into any diaper bag or purse easily.

price – $22

4. A comfortable nursing bra

This is probably the one I’m most excited to talk about because I finally found the most perfect one! (Spoiler alert- it’s not an actual nursing/maternity bra). As I mentioned above- your world revolves around baby and breastfeeding at least the first few months until you really get the hang of it and your body slowly adjusts to your babies needs. Comfort is so crucial those first few months. We can all agree that finding a perfect bra when you are not breastfeeding is already a difficult task, right? Imagine looking for one when your boobs are so sore, cracked, probably bleeding, hard as rocks and your nursing bra has to sustain the constant pulling down to feed every hour. Let’s not forget that we will also be sleeping in it.
I’ve tried it all. The nursing tanks from target which are comfy, but have no support and don’t help prevent clogged ducts. You have to get the larger size so it’s not constantly riding up your back. I’ve tried nursing bras from amazon that have a slight padding but needs constant readjusting. I’ve tried the cuter deep V style but it doesn’t hold anything in place. Also they just don’t fit right because you are either really full or empty. Finally I tried the Aerie seamless padded bralette (not a nursing bra) and it is AMAZING. Easy to pull down to nurse and the material doesn’t stretch out by doing so. It’s so comfortable. The material is light but has enough of a support. It has pads but can be removed. Perfect for full or empty breasts. The bra itself is really nice, flattering, and you will never want to take it off. Trust me on this one.

price- $30. Currently on sale for $20.96

5. Newborn Baby carrier

With my first two I was never really into wearing them. Maybe it’s because I had the modern wrap and tried the baby K’tan and I just found them to be so uncomfortable. I remember dreading putting on the modern wrap because it was a lot of twisting and making sure it wasn’t too tight or too loose for baby and it never felt too supported. With my 3rd I knew I needed to free up my hands a lot more so I decided to purchase something different this time around. I wanted something that was perfect for a newborn, great head support, easy to clean and especially easy to put on. I bought the BabyBJorn baby carrier mini and I use it every single day. It’s so easy to put on and it’s been helpful during the times where her reflux is especially bad.

price- $100

These are things that I use every single day as a mama to 3, whereas the first time mama might not. I hope you find this helpful!

Stella Grace.

Are you someone who enjoys being pregnant even though you spend the first few weeks with your head in the toilet? That was me. With my first two I loved every minute of it. I was the happiest when I was pregnant. This time last year mentally I was going through a difficult time, the start of a new year does that to me. I remember thinking I want to be pregnant, because that’s when I’m the happiest. Two days before my birthday we found out we were expecting. It was a joyful yet fearful moment. And although during my pregnancy I was happy- it wasn’t the kind of happy that got me through the tough times. Dealing with covid, changes at work, and homeschooling took a large toll on me and my ability to enjoy the pregnancy during moments of fatigue, but it was also just a different pregnancy with the vomiting and heartburn! That’s when I knew it must be a girl 🙂

I was pregnant for 40 wks + 1 day. My boys were both born at exactly 39 weeks naturally so I thought for sure she was coming early but she had other plans. My husband and I would joke around saying she’s afraid to come out to meet her crazy brothers lol!
Having an induction scheduled was not something I wanted or was looking forward to, specifically because I knew I wanted to have another natural unmedicated birth and I heard inductions are extremely intense pain wise. It was weird to go to L&D without being in active labor, and not knowing how pitocin would effect me was hard. But 2 hours into the induction, with a lot of focusing and breathing, she made her appearance! It was my quickest labor yet.

3:06 PM. 6lb 14oz . 19in long.
Pure heaven on earth.

As cliche as it sounds, she is everything our family needed. 2020 has been such a tough year for everyone. We were given the biggest blessing to make it one of the best years. The healing that comes with a newborn is indescribable.

Crazy for LEGO’s

Ok, I have to admit that my 4 year old is not the biggest fan of legos but I couldn’t do another frozen theme thing…

we celebrated both their birthdays together (like we have been for the past 3 years) and it was a great time!

This year we went with Simple cakes that tasted amazing, instead of cute but dry and tasteless…

FOUR

I think back to the day you were born. You basically had wings because you literally flew out 2 minutes after checking in to L&D. Since then life with you has been a whirlwind in the best of ways. Those wings you carry saved me as a mother.. and in many ways they still do. As hard as having 2 kids was, you brought so much joy back into motherhood. I always felt guilty admitting that, but PPD mixed with anxiety is a real thing.

Our connection is something I live for. Your kind and tender heart especially towards your mama (your favorite person ever) is the epitome of what they call a mamas boy.

I never want to forget the way you call out to me at the most random times just to tell me you love me..

I never want to forget the way you look at me when I get ready and you tell me how pretty I look and that you like my hair like that because it looks like Elsa’s..

you pick up on my moods and my subtle changes.

you comment on my nail polish, which means the world to me that you observe my simple pleasures and love to share them with me.

You are four tomorrow. I pray God protects you always and that this crazy world doesn’t change you.

Soon you will become a big brother and I know you are worried. You don’t know exactly what it means for you but I promise you that you will always be my baby.

to my boy Mateo

love, mama

How to take care of your core health

Who cares about core health? It may not be what you want to hear…

One of the main things that I notice as an NP, is that majority of patients want a quick fix. They want an antibiotic for their virus, because they cannot afford to miss anymore work days. They want an answer, and a fast solution to their constant bloating that they had for months. They want their kid to have an ear infection, because it means antibiotics and a quick fix. They don’t like to hear “viral” because that can last 5-10 days, and how are they going to survive an irritable, cranky kid for that long. I completely get it, because I am a mother, and a quick fix can be the ideal solution.

However, A quick fix is not in alignment with true health.

With the idea that modern medicine, or healthcare I should say, is all about patient satisfaction, quick fix seems to be the solution. Did you know that insurance companies can deny reimbursements to hospitals and offices if their patient satisfaction scores are low? It’s no wonder medicine is thrown around like candy. I remember as a floor nurse, it was all about patient satisfaction. They don’t care how busy you are, how short staffed you are, the acuity of patients you have, the sacrifices you have to make- as long as the patient is happy. And let me tell you – it takes one single negative incident to negate the entire positive visit. They don’t often fill out surveys if they have a good experience. They remember the one thing that pissed them off and will base the entire visit on that. Now imagine those that didn’t get their quick fix, and how dissatisfied they were…

Which brings me to my point.

It all comes down to core health. Finding out the root to the issue. Starting at the bottom and working up. Seems logical, but it takes much more work. It might not please someone to tell them to start changing their lifestyle slowly to see results, or to take a supplement that will increase their gut health and ultimately benefit them in more than one way. But that is where it needs to start.

Poor gut health can affect the heart, kidneys, mood, blood sugar, hormones, immune system, and many gastrointestinal issues. It can cause the constant bloating, or irritable bowel. It can cause you to get sick often, because 70% of the bodies immune cells live in the gut. It can also cause a disruption in your mood. Seratonin, the neurotransmitter that is responsible for your good mood, and feelings of well being, is primarily found in the GI tract. A decrease in serotonin can cause depression, anxiety, irritability, crave sweets, reduce interest in sex, and insomnia.

Gut health is eating healthy, sleeping well, and exercising. But sometimes the inevitable happens, like stress, and can negatively impact the gut. The gut is made up of good and bad bacteria. If bad bacteria take over, it can cause inflammation, and ultimately contributing to the risk of getting inflammatory bowel disease, plus the things mentioned above.

A product that I’ve found to work- Slim microbiome is a supplement that has probiotics (feeds good bacteria), probiotics (replenish good bacteria), and other nutrients to stabilize blood sugars and increases the metabolism. Its an all natural plant based supplement, that tastes delicious and actually works. It is by no means a quick fix, but it is a tool to get you to where you want to be. Slim will give you the energy you need to start exercising. It will also help you cut your sugar cravings so you can start eating better. This delicious pink drink will support in stabilizing your moods so you can start feeling good about yourself and seeing the positive changes. It’s a catalyst to optimal health. It will get people that are on the complete opposite side of the spectrum of “healthy and fit”, and it will help them meet half way to health.

Interested in knowing more about slim “the pink drink”? leave me your email in comments