Jenna Walenga Wellness

04/13/2022

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10/15/2019

In newborn bliss.
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09/23/2019

Happy autumnal equinox witches! 🍂🍂🍂🌗🌗🌗
Made my official switch from iced to hot drinks and have been welcoming the rain as my belly heads towards max capacity.
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Somehow spent my equinox deep in self care with both a massage and a chiropractic appt. and the best coffee in Seattle. Feeling good.
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Love to all.
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09/20/2019

Explore what’s around you.

09/18/2019

So excited these books arrived today!! My first pregnancy was all about preparing for birth. This time around I am psyched for my postpartum period. Did you know you can actually heal old physical issues and trauma and even completely change your constitution during your postpartum period? It’s a really magical time in a woman’s life when we can heal our bodies and our lives. Unfortunately so often we do the opposite. Pushing too hard too fast and causing stress and injury. And we often think because things went well the first time we will be fine, but issues like prolapse actually become more likely in subsequent pregnancies, a main factor in prolapse being a simple failure to rest after birth.
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So anyways, excuse me while I go cook a bunch of soup and prepare to lay down for the next month or so!!
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09/12/2019

Just your average berry patch. This kid LOVES picking berries in the wild. It has been quite a summer, and we were happy to top it off last weekend with some amazing bog blues up on mt Baker.
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We thought this summer would mean less backpacking or at least shorter trips, but in fact we got out a ton. Hitting an adventure almost every weekend.
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Having kids will certainly change your life but it doesn’t change who you are. If anything I found it clarified for me who I was and what our priorities were. We don’t prioritize a clean house over fresh air. We don’t prioritize our kids sleep schedule over our desire to get outside. We show up as we are and make choices that help us feel fulfilled and alive.
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Family doesn’t have to be an end to your own life. We want to show our daughter what it means to live fully so we have to live full of vibrancy and joy.
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And this picture totally made possible by being willing to carry a huge pack with a child in it.
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08/19/2019

“Mama is carrying her own baby too!” I love carrying my belly up to see mountains. My husband carries the toddler and I go pack free and just feel my body working and thriving. I was so sore after this 7.6 mile butt burner in the north cascades but I felt so happy and satisfied as well. Also while I’m humble bragging, I had already done a mile and a half with my backpacking pack on to get back from our site that morning.
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Truth is while in my first pregnancy 🤰 I was really fit and had time to run etc, this time around I’ve got a toddler and have felt much lower energy and a little bit sick so hikes are actually one of the few ways I still feel like I’m getting a workout in.
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On top of the workout, being in nature makes me feel grounded and connected. It reminds of who I really am. We go out into nature almost every weekend because we need it to feel like ourselves.
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I’m curious, what do you do to connect? Let me know in the comments or tag your hiking buddy to get them out to this trail!
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08/08/2019

Foraging might be our favorite way to spend the day. Lyra is an excellent mushroom hunter and a big fan of all the berries we can find this time of year. Even the Oregon grape which is super sour for my taste. She doesn’t seem to mind. Warning, this is not a strenuous day for the parent looking to log the miles. Foraging with a toddler is all about letting them take their time. Really look deeply at the world around them. Celebrate the small miracles of nature. And learn how to be safe out there. I catch myself getting impatient all the time during these slow walks, ready to just move on. It’s a real practice for me in slowing down and appreciating the moment just as it is. Win-win.
@ Mount Rainier National Forest

08/05/2019

It’s world breastfeeding week so here’s bunch of photos from the last two years of my life. Including the very first time.
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2 years of doing this everyday. It seems like a lot and honestly I had no idea what I was getting into when I thought “of course, I’ll breastfeed my baby.”
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Y’all this breastfeeding is time consuming and often very annoying. I pushed through a lot of pain for the first 6 weeks, and the last 6 months while pregnant and still nursing. We are planning to keep nursing when the new baby comes as well.
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There’s a lot being said out there right now in the breast feeding convo. I’ll only add this: Parents need to trust themselves and others need to trust what they are saying. I know women who made themselves miserable trying to meet a standard of the perfect mom and I know women who were told they couldn’t do it right away and gave up immediately. When we get caught up in what others are telling us, we lose track of our own intuition and knowing. It is in trusting my own heart on this motherhood journey that i have found the most peace and ease. When I make a decision that truly works for my family and give zero 💩 about what others are doing that I feel most connected with my kid and at ease. Breastfeeding or chest feeding is deeply personal and we need to encourage people to actually make the decisions they need to for their own health and happiness and that of their babies.
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08/02/2019

jennawalengawellness.com/news/2019/8/2/why-im-done-calling-myself-a-bad-mom

I want to be relatable. I want to be liked. I want you guys to think I’m cool, but I’m done playing small. I say I’m a bad mom sometimes, because I do think it to myself. But I’m not. I’m a great mom, and by focusing my attention or your attention on my perceived failings, or short comings...

08/02/2019

I’m not tired, you’re tired. 🤣
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Confession... we struggle with sleep. It’s easy to make it look like everything is perfect about my kid (and admittedly she is a great one). But I want to just come clean and say, we at 2, still haven’t figured out how to help her fall asleep on her own for naps or for bedtime. We’ve done the things. Have the routine. Tire her out. Give her power. Girl just struggles to fall asleep and we can’t figure out how to help her.
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I’m not seeking advice, I just want you to know. I am a great mom and my life may look pretty, but we all have our things.
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Got any of your own secret struggles? Let me know in the comments!!
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07/25/2019

"I'm a terrible mother"
"Wow, I suck at this."
"I'm a bad mom."
At some point your inner critic has chimed in to tell you just how sh*tty you are doing. But she was lying. You are doing great.
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If you, like me and most humans I know, suffer from perfectionism, then chances are you hear this voice a lot. About all sorts of stuff. The food you feed your kid. The time you spent away from them. That you threw your headphones in instead of talking to them. And basically any time you aren't 100% attentive, calm, present, and creating the perfect learning environment for them.
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But that critic is a lier. You are doing great. And not only are you doing great, but whatever time you took for yourself or shortcut you took that made you feel sh*tty, probably was helping you out in the long run. We can't show up for them ever, if we aren't showing up for ourselves as well.
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So the next time that critic tells you you're a bad mom, try to remember that it's wrong. Or if maybe, in that moment you are less than perfect, let that be okay. Let if be absolutely fine that you threw your kid a bar in the back seat, closed the door to your bedroom to keep them out, stayed home instead of making it to the zoo, or even lost your cool. Forgive yourself and embrace the wholeness of your experience. You are perfect as you are.
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