Motherhood - The Hila Home

Sleep Training Journey Update: Cosleeping, Bedsharing, No-Cry-it-Out, Teething, and Sickness

I want to share, and one I've been avoiding because it is a pretty sensitive subject and there is a lot of judgment on both sides regarding infant sleep and what is considered "normal" or "healthy." Lately, our baby being mobile, deciding to transfer to the crib, and teething have all posed major setbacks in regard to sleep. However, I want to share some tips that helped me retain my sanity and some encouragement to you who might also be dealing with a similar struggle.

Juliet Hila

02.10.2023

sleep training, sleep, baby sleep, gentle sleep training, floor bed, nursery, crib, sleeping in a crib, bedsharing, cosleeping

Motherhood

Breastfeeding Aversion, What is Breastfeeding Aversion and What to Do

One of the things I had looked forward to most during my pregnancy with my first was being able to nurse her and bond with her in that special way that no one else would. But lately, nursing has been, less than romantic to say the least. Typically, morning and day-time feedings are fine, aside from when things are exceptionally quiet, but when it comes to putting her to bed at night or comforting her to sleep after she wakes up, I go into a rage. Yes, a literal rage. I didn't realize how bad it was until I was so frazzled and overstimulated that I through my phone in frustration. That was so unlike me, and I realized pretty quickly that something wasn't right. It then clicked when I was watching a YouTube video by HeyShayla on night weaning that maybe something was up. I called my lactation consultant and realized I was experiencing the very common phenomenon for pregnant nursing mothers of "breastfeeding aversion."

Juliet Hila

22.09.2023

breastfeeding, motherhood, nursing, breastfeeding aversion, anxiety, mindset, weaning, nurse, nursing journey, breastfeedingjourney

Motherhood

Mom Guilt When You Are Actually Doing Something Wrong, How to Deal with Mom Guilt and What to Do

It's no surprise that most moms you meet have experienced some form of "mom guilt" at one point or another, and most of the time it is over irrational things like giving your baby a strawberry before having them try every type of vegetable or putting your baby in not 100% natural fiber clothing for five seconds. However, sometimes, because we are human and prone to fail, we do things that actually fall short of the type of person we want to be, or things that go against our convictions.

Juliet Hila

29.08.2023

mom guilt, mindset, motherhood, parenting, parenting guilt, tough parenting, parenting mistakes, parenting motivations, motherhood mindset, motherhood motivations, encouragement, discouragement

Motherhood

How to Travel with a Baby, Nine Travel Tips for New Parents

So the past weekend my husband and I visited a historical Bed and Breakfast in Virginia with our daughter. This was the first overnight trip we have taken since having her and now having done it there are some things I would definitely recommend if you plan on traveling with a baby. We stayed at the Mayhurst Estate Bed and Breakfast in Orange County Virginia in the Constitutional Suite on the fourth floor. Just as a quick note, the Bed and Breakfast was beautiful, the food was great, and I definitely recommend the place to anyone traveling with children. But enough about that, here are nine tips for traveling with your little one.

Juliet Hila

10.08.2023

travel, minimalist, out of town, traveling with baby, bed and breakfast, how to travel with a baby, what you need to know before traveling

Motherhood

A Day in the Life of a Stay at Home / Work at Home Mom

Now I absolutely hate these sorts of things, especially when they are really short reals or ticktocks that are like, "Oh look how great my morning / daily routine is! I'm so put together!" But I'm actually doing this because I want to show how NOT put together I am but then also share a little bit about my life and the things I'm working towards since this is after all, a lifestyle blog among many other things. Also, sometimes it is encouraging to see a glimpse into someone else's somewhat real day-to-day life and show you that you're not alone in your struggles or the things you feel like you are working towards virtually forever. So, all that to say, I decided, somewhat on a whim, to do this post.

Juliet Hila

15.06.2023

day in the life, motherhood, daily routine, baby, natural living, day to day, lifestyle, sustainable habits

Motherhood

How to Deal with Low Supply and Breastfeeding Affirmations for the Nursing Mother

I recently heard a co-worker say that when her daughter first had her baby she wanted to breastfeed but that she struggled with her milk coming in and low supply. My co-worker said that she told her daughter, "Just feed your baby" and that she should just stop stressing about the whole breastfeeding thing. Although I do think that breastfeeding is best, that doesn't mean it should come in the way of your mental health or the nourishment of your baby, some of the problems by co-worker described for her daughter were problems she could have overcome with the right information. In fact, a lot of the problems my co-worker's daughter was running into were very similar to the problems I ran into when I was breastfeeding my newborn. Because I had a similar experience and I can understand the physical and emotional difficulty that can come with bumps in your breastfeeding journey, I want to share my experience so that hopefully if you find yourself in this same position you can find some help to get over this hurdle in your journey.

Juliet Hila

04.05.2023

breastfeeding, nursing, attachment parenting, motherhood, breastfeeding challenges, building your supply, breastfeeding affirmations

Motherhood

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Co-Sleeping What to Know Before Bed Sharing

Out of all of the "cruchy" mama things I had decided I was going to do, co-sleeping was NOT on that list. In fact that was the one thing I was absolutely determined NOT to take part in. However, once your little baby is here and things happen like your house not having heat during the winter freeze, things start to change and you learn to accommodate the ever-changing world of parenting.

Juliet Hila

01.05.2023

co-sleeping, cosleeping, attachment parenting, motherhood

Motherhood

Unexpected Pregnancy How to Prepare for Motherhood

Although many of us dream of the day we will one day be a mom, for some of us that day comes unexpectedly. With my first pregnancy, I had no idea how to deal with the unexpected news of becoming a mother. My husband and I had not even been married a full year yet and we hadn't planned on having our first kid for at least a couple more years into our marriage. At the time, our house situation was not ideal for a new baby, we were both going to work full-time, and we didn't necessarily know anything about raising children. Here's a couple of tips I used when I was accepting the fact that I was pregnant and having my own little baby.

Juliet Hila

20.04.2023

finding yourself in motherhood, new mom, new mama, mama identity, becoming a new mom, motherhood, matrescence, growing into motherhood, fullfilling parenting, mindset, unexpected pregnancy, pregnancy, how to prepare, prepare for pregnancy

Motherhood

How to Find Fulfillment in Being a Mom Finding Yourself in Motherhood

Becoming a new mom can be challenging, but sometimes it is also met with an identity crisis that can be hard to feel as though motherhood is fulfilling. Whether you are pregnant, postpartum, or just overwhelmed, here are seven tips on recentering your mindset about motherhood.

Juliet Hila

17.04.2023

fullfillment in motherhood, finding yourself in motherhood, new mom, new mama, mama identity, becoming a new mom, motherhood, matrescence, growing into motherhood, finding fullfillment, finding fullfillmetn where you are, fullfilling parenting, mindset, Changing your mindset, finding fullfillment in parenting

Motherhood