Postpartum and Breastfeeding The Science of Nutrition

The Biggest (Unspoken) Challenge of Baby #2

The Biggest (Unspoken) Challenge of Baby #2

Table of contents

  • Intro
  • Second Kid Confidence
  • The Sickness Struggle
  • Illness Impacted Us All
  • I Tried All the Things
  • The Solution

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Intro

Having my first baby was a total whirlwind. Just about everything about life changed, from my sleep schedule to my social life. Not to mention, it was during the summer of 2020 when we were in lockdown. At the time, there was a bright side to the situation. We were not seeing many people, which meant my older daughter really wasn’t exposed to any germs and never even had so much of a sniffle for the first two years of her life. 

Second kid confidence

When I was pregnant with my second baby, I felt pretty confident (maybe a little too confident) that I had this down. I knew some things would change, but since I knew much more what to expect, and my priorities had already shifted with my first, I wasn’t too worried. 

Of course I knew there could be some different dynamics with 2 kids. My toddler might have some jealousy, and we were about to be evenly split kids vs. adults. Plus, my older daughter started preschool the month before my second daughter was born.

The sickness struggle

But the one thing that I completely underestimated was how my toddler’s constant preschool illnesses would impact our entire family. It turns out we just paid for those germ-free early days later on, facing near constant viruses once she started preschool. 

My toddler loved the routine and the fun of the preschool environment, and so did we. And while we knew she’d be exposed to plenty of other kids and germs, we had no idea how constant the illness would be. It seemed like she was sick more often than she was healthy. I read that households with kids under age 5 have a virus half the year. That’s been pretty accurate in our case.

Our second daughter was born right at the peak of cold/flu/every other virus season. And despite best efforts to keep her separated from our newborn, it just wasn’t realistic. So our baby ended up with all of the same illnesses, which is especially scary as a newborn.

Illness impacted us all

Prior to this, my husband and I rarely got sick. We’ve always tried to take care of ourselves, eating well and exercising as consistently as possible, and of course washing hands and doing what we could to steer clear of sickness. But since our toddler started school, we’ve gotten everything she has. Getting sick is never fun, but getting sick and having to take care of two sick kids is a new level of awful. 

It changed everything about our family dynamics. From poor sleep and disrupted moods to canceled plans and missed days of work.

I tried all the things

I was desperate for a better solution to the constant illness (and something to help save my sanity with a tiny newborn). I tried so many supplements (from vitamins and minerals to herbs and gut support), but trying to piece together a bunch of different supplements every day for all of us was not realistic and we just weren’t consistent, which wasn’t helping anyone’s immune system. 

The solution

So I was thrilled at what our own R&D team developed alongside several of our perinatal and pediatric practitioners Our Immune Support checks all the boxes, with Zinc, Elderberry, Prebiotics, and Postbiotics in optimal forms and clinically-studied dosages (not just small amounts in sticky syrups or gummies!).

The best part – it tastes great and it’s meant for the whole family, even babies age 1 and older! My toddler thinks it's juice, so she doesn’t just agree to take it, she asks to take it! I’m breastfeeding, which means so many things are off limits. That’s why I’m SO excited that our Immune Support is safe for breastfeeding mamas too. It’s also safe for pregnant mamas - I so wish I had it sooner!

From one mama to another, this stuff is a game changer. When we’re all healthier, we’re all happier!

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