Hey Sexy Mamas- This One's For You!

Beige, plain, solid, boring... these are the words that come to mind when you see most nursing bras that are on the market today. What is up with that!? Who says that mamas who are making milk don't want to look beautiful and sexy too? I was highly disappointed when I was pregnant with my first and on the search for some nursing bras. Where was the lace, the sex, the cool colors? I packed away my Victorias Secret bra collection and traded it in for these boring beige granny bras that had that convenient clasp. Once I had my son I didn't really feel sexy for awhile anyway. It takes you a bit to realize you are still a person and still a sexual being. These underthings didn't help at all. They make you feel old and boring. Maybe that is dramatic, but seriously a little lace does a woman good. After nursing for a few years I came across the brand HotMilk on a deal site. Now the name is enough to catch ones attention. I was shocked! "These are nursing bras?" I asked myself. "But they are sexy and pretty!?" I was able to get a great deal on one and anticipated its arrival. When I received it I tried it on and was so happy to find that it fit really great and was comfortable!! It actually fit better and was more comfortable then my other ones.Its not as easy as you would think to find bras that fit great, especially as a size 36E.  I went on to purchase more and now have a beautiful and sexy collection of breastfeeding bras that my husband very much so approves of. *wink* As much as I would love to be getting some type of crunchy eco-friendly made from a leaf nursing bra, that just isn't possible with the support I need.
I have discovered a lot more brands of non-granny nursing bras. I will share them with you so you don't end up with a drawer full of boring! You don't have to trade in sexy & pretty for comfort and convenience.

HotMilk: Black, sexy and comfortable! Check out all of their sexy styles!

(this is my favorite everyday bra...seriously!)

You! Lingerie: Cute prints that dont break the budget!
(Unfortunately they only go up to F sizes though)

Cake Lingerie: Really great quality and beautiful!

Amoralia: Black, lacey and lined with Bamboo!

Midnight Grace Maternity: Beautiful and Feminine

Le Mystere: Sexy mama nursing bra

(only goes up to F sizes)

Panache Lingerie: Pretty and comfortable & great under t-shirts

There you have it, gorgeous & convenient under things! You're Welcome. I do recommend that you go to a local lingerie store or boutique and get measured before investing in bras. I did this and I was shocked when I found out I had been wearing the wrong size for awhile! Most women are wearing the wrong size and with how much breasts change during pregnancy and postpartum its no wonder. 

I am deficient in sunlight.

 I am deficient in the sunshine vitamin; Vitamin D. I first found out about it during my pregnancy with Cesilee. I was feeling extremely tired and just not right. My dr.google search led me to articles explaining how vitamin d deficiencies were a serious problem among pregnant/breastfeeding mothers. I was doing both. I researched more about it and realized that being a vegetarian and not getting  outside enough (it was winter in the midwest) put me at high risk. I discussed my concern with my midwife at the time and she ordered a blood test to check my levels. The results came back at 34 and normal is between 30-100 or 35-100 depending on your source. She blew it off as not a big deal but knowing that having this deficiency during pregnancy can lead to complications, I decided to take a supplement. I wasn't very researched on it and the midwife told me not to take more than 1,000 ius, I decided to start taking 800ius thinking that would help.
   Now lets fast forward a bit to my current situation. I gave birth to my beautiful girl Cesilee 4 weeks premature (due to pPROM) on December 29th, 2011. She is perfect and healthy and doing great. I however have been feeling progressively worse since the birth. I have frequent headaches, fatigue, and weakness. The biggest thing I noticed is that I didn't lose ANY of the pregnancy weight (30lbs) and I even started gaining more weight rapidly. I was eating pretty well, exercising, and nursing two babies; how was I not losing weight?  I just dont feel like myself and my intuition tells me that something is off. I discussed how I was feeling with my doctor at my postpartum checkup but at the time she just assumed it was from the stress of having two young kids and being postpartum. When things got worse and I developed depression, I started questioning that. My friends and family were picking up on things and encouraged me to make another appointment. You see at the time I was thinking that my vitamin d problem was getting better and wasn't thinking that was the issue.  My symptoms seemed like those experienced by friends and family who have thyroid diseases. Since I have a strong family history I decided to ask for some blood testing to see if mine was off. Many postpartum women experience that.
 At my appointment with my doctor I explained all of the symptoms and why I wanted to have my thyroid tested. She thought it sounded probable and was going to get the testing done but also saw I was taking some vitamin d and wanted to check how my levels were doing. Well yesterday a nurse from the doctors office called me to let me know that my thyroid was functioning fine but my vitamin D level was even lower. It was 20; down 14 since last check. They suggested I take a very high dose of a vitamin D supplement for 8 weeks and then come back to recheck my level. The doctor wanted to prescribe a supplement of 50,000 ius to take once a week however it was not available in a vegan form so I told them I would find it on my own, over the counter. I am taking a vegetarian capsule that supplies me 5,000 ius everyday. If that midwife would have treated my issue right away, it wouldn't be so bad now.
 So here I am not about to start the supplementation in hopes that soon I start to feel a whole lot better and start dropping this excess weight. Apparently you need to have sufficient vitamin D levels to lose weight. I am also supplementing the kids with some baby vitamin D drops. Cesilee needs it most since I am deficient (and breastfeeding her exclusively) and she was premature.
 I will keep updating on how I am feeling during this supplementing process. I encourage everyone to get their level tested. It is a simple blood test and vitamin D is so crucial to your health. I read that 40-60% of the entire US population is deficient. In most places spending time outdoors and eating fortified foods is not enough. Its recommended that everyone take a supplement to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D.
Here are some more links to learn about vitamin D deficiency and how to prevent it:
Women to Women; Vitamin D and your health
WebMD: Vitamin D Deficiency Overview
Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Pregnancy Complication
Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy: clinical trial
World Health Orginization: Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy to prevent pre-eclampsia/eclampsia
Optimum levels of vitamin D during pregnancy
About Vitamin D
Vitamin D news