Hey there, mamas! ICYMI, I’ve been on a little self-imposed maternity leave from the Ailana J. blog. This pregnancy has been harder on me than my first, and my workload had also doubled since my first pregnancy due to structural changes as a result of the impact of COVID. I was having a really hard time taking care of myself and doing all the Ailana J. things I wanted to be doing. So I had to force myself to take a break from something – and that something was the AJ blog. Well, baby is still baking (fingers crossed she keeps baking until she’s full term, unlike her big brother!) and I am now on my REAL maternity leave from...
We have a special guest on the blog this week - Anna Murphy, the mama behind Curate Mum! She supports mamas in their back to work and career journey…AND she has an e-book coming out next month! I’m super excited for the tips she’s sharing with us this week, so let’s get to it! ————— Returning to work can be a stressful time for any Mama, there are lots of things to consider and if you are continuing pumping or breastfeeding, there are some practical steps you can take to help make the process easier. Here I’m sharing my top five tips for a successful return to work while continuing your breastfeeding journey! 1. Speak to your employer When...
It may not feel like it in here in San Diego, but it is FALL! Fall and winter seem to be an extra popular times for family photo shoots, and I’m definitely on that bandwagon. With my own family & maternity photo shoot coming up, I’ve been working on styling our outfits and thought I’d share a few tips! This isn’t the easiest task…especially with toddlers and husbands involved. So check out these tips to make it a little easier on you, mama! Pick your outfit first! Trust me, it’s a lot easier to find complementary pieces for the kiddos and dad than it is to do it the other way around. Pick what YOU want to wear and then...
Heads up, mamas! This week’s blog post is a little different…you ready for it?! I’m spilling 5 SECRETS to feeling AMAZING in your postpartum bod! In REAL LIFE! Well…by real life, I mean by video. J I was super lucky for Ailana J. to be a vendor partner for a virtual baby shower event last month for military mamas. This was a paid ticketed event that came with a TON of amazing resources – and I shared these 5 SECRETS with them for the event! Now, since we’re all mama besties here, I want to share the video with you too! Our bodies deserve ALL the kudos in the world for birthing and breastfeeding our tiny humans. But I...
Traveling with littles can feel EXHAUSTING. If I said there isn’t a part of me that misses traveling pre-baby, I’d be a liar. It was obviously so much easier to pack up and go when it was just me and my husband. I remember the first time we decided to drive from San Diego to San Francisco with Mason when he was about 2.5 months old. I’m pretty sure I packed for a week straight...and basically brought our entire house with us. Not practical. Clearly...especially when I was trying to nurse him in the car on the way and navigate through all of our stuff and our dog. Not easy. Well, we’ve taken countless road trips since that very first...
