July 4, 2019

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kvaandering

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Lifestyle

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Hamilton Newborn Lifestyle Photographer | In home session with the Vanderlinde Family

How has life changed for you since becoming a mom? Life has changed in every way and the best way! Becoming a mom and everything else that goes along with it is obviously a massive change, but another huge change for me has been not working. I have always been a very career oriented person and I love my job so leaving the workplace for a year was always very daunting, but I’m doing it! It has surprised me how I haven’t had time to miss it and the change of pace and routine has been very refreshing, so needless to say I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected.

What do love most about being a mom? What I love most about being a mom is seeing Liam grow and change (although it’s too fast!) every day. It amazes me to see how he learns and discovers new things. I also love seeing my husband be a dad to our little one, it’s the most amazing thing.

What do you hope for your children’s life? Ultimately, I hope that my children are truly happy! I pray that they become followers of Christ and that they follow their dreams.

How do you do self care now since becoming a mom? Thankfully, we have been blessed with a baby that sleeps very well so my self care is “me time” during daily naps.

What advice would you share to a first time mom? My advice would be enjoy every single moment! This is your motherhood and you only get to do it once! Love every single day and every moment with your little one (I know this is not always easy in between sleepless nights and spit ups!). But try to remember that routines will fall into place in time and those to do lists will get done eventually, but those precious moments of watching your baby discover something new or soaking in those sweet, sleepy cuddles won’t last forever. 

How do you balance motherhood, work and relationships? I’ll admit with being a first time mom and a mother of a 3 month old, I’m not very good at this yet! Although I’m not working at the time, it’s amazing how your days fill up with looking after your little one. The best thing so far, has been to establish a routine so that bedtime is at 7 every night so that my husband and I have time to spend together so we know that evenings are our time.

Do you have any traditions you hope to do with your kids?  I hope to start a tradition of Friday night pizza nights. My husband and I already do this, but I hope that this will become a tradition for years to come where Friday night is always homemade pizza night, which means that everyone is home on Friday nights–friends and family welcome!

Best advice you ever received?The best advice that I ever received (so far!) is that “fed is best” and the reassurance that no matter what, we mom’s are doing the very best that we can for our babies in our own circumstance. I had a difficult first two months with feeding and this advice is what got me through this challenging and very emotional time. It’s extremely hard to combat the stigma of formula feeding when mother’s are pressured to breastfeed. As mother’s, we need to remember that everyone’s circumstance is different and ultimately the only thing that matters is that our babies are fed and are thriving, so please don’t judge that mother who pulls out a bottle to feed her little one. More often than not, this was a necessity, not a choice.

What’s been the biggest surprise about motherhood? The biggest surprise has been how much I love it! I never expected to enjoy motherhood as much as I do. Obviously it has its challenges and tough days, but it really is the best. 

What does a typical day look like for you?  I am very much a schedule and routine person so I know I like to see how other mom’s structure their days. My typical day has changed a lot over the last 3 months and I know it will continue to change, but right now this is what it looks like. Typically our day starts at 7:30 when Liam wakes up. After eating, he has tummy time while I have breakfast. Around 9 he goes down for his first nap, during this nap I have some “me-time” while I enjoy a coffee and some reading. At 10:30 he heats and then we take the dog for a walk before his next nap around 12:30.  During this nap, I typically do some cleaning/tidying around the house until he eats again at 1:30. After this feeding we will either do some errands or hang out around the house. At 3:30 he goes down for another nap which is usually the more challenging one and he doesn’t sleep as long. Once he is up he eats again at 4:30 after which I start to prep dinner. Once my husband gets home at 5:30 we cook and enjoy dinner together, then at 7:00 we start our bedtime routine. Once Liam goes down for the evening, my husband and I will spend time together or get some things done around the house. 

What is one product that you highly recommend to buy as a new mom? I would highly recommend the Halo Swaddle Sleep Sack. This has been a lifesaver and I truly believe it has helped with longer sleeps, plus you don’t have to fight with loose swaddles in the middle of the night. It’s great! 

Karina Anne Photography is a Brantford based newborn lifestyle photographer serving Hamilton, Niagara and Toronto, Ontario. If you would love to have your new baby photographed I would love to hear from you so we can create some beautiful images for your family. Please reach out to me here in the contact section of my website: Contact Karina Anne Photography. I look forward to hearing from you!

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