Postpartum gets talked about so negatively, and while yes, it’s undeniably challenging, it also has the power to be one of the most incredible and refining seasons of life. I’m in awe of all that my body has done and is still doing. It’s been my baby’s source of comfort and nourishment since the moment he was conceived, and it’s such a beautiful gift to continue to be that for my sweet boy.

I’m naturally a get-stuff-done, busy-bee kind of girl, so the abrupt shift toward rest, recovery, and simply being was a bit of a shock to my system.

Instead of letting it rock me, I started asking God what He was trying to teach me. These first three months have been an invitation to slow down, reflect, and refine who I am. Whether you’re a postpartum mom or not, I think we can all learn something from these reflections.

1. Stop problem-solving, start living in the moment

I’ve always prided myself on multitasking, but when a baby is either at your boob or lying on you, there’s not much else getting done. 😂

At first, my instinct was to problem-solve—to figure out how I could keep being efficient while also taking care of my baby. But in those early weeks, I felt a gentle reminder that this season is short.

The long nights, constant contact, and rocking him to sleep can be exhausting, but I don’t want to miss any of it. At the end of my life, I’m not going to look back and wish I had done more laundry or kept a cleaner house. I’m going to remember the nights my baby needed me, the sweet contact naps when he was so little, the smiles and coos, and how special it was to get to be his favorite person for a little while.

Being present is the most important thing I can be as a mom.

2. Taking care of myself is taking care of him

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the best way to care for others is to constantly do things for them. But postpartum has taught me that one of the best ways I can take care of my baby is by taking care of myself.

The more I nourish my body, take opportunities to rest, protect my mental health, and slowly rebuild my strength, the better I can show up for my son.

Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish. You don’t need to earn rest, feel guilty for needing support, or apologize for having needs of your own. Sometimes taking care of yourself is taking care of the people you love.

3. Stop thinking so far ahead

Again, I’m a doer, so this one has been hard for me. I almost always think about what I can do next while I’m still working on what I’m doing now.

Postpartum has been a constant lesson in doing one thing at a time—with the bigger lesson being: stop setting so many expectations.

You can’t be disappointed about not getting something done if you never put pressure on yourself to get it done.

Instead of making a giant to-do list for every naptime, I’ve started doing one thing at a time. I give it my full focus, I do it well, and then, if I have more time, I do another thing.

It sounds simple, but this has been such an important practice for me that it’s starting to spill over into other areas of my life, too.

Things I’m Currently Loving: Postpartum Edition

A little roundup of things making life better lately. Some are postpartum-specific, some are just things I’m reaching for constantly.

• Red Light Book Light
  These book lights have been life savers for late-night feeds!

• Needed Electrolytes
  These are my favorite electrolytes; the lime tastes like healthy Gatorade

• Primally Pure Deodorant
  If you’ve had a baby, you know that the postpartum sweat/stink is pretty rough as your body is detoxing. This charcoal deodorant is my fave.

• Clearstem Eye Patches
  After a long night, nothing feels better than some under-eye patches. Clearstem has the BEST low-tox skincare and eye patches.

• Boob Cube Breastmilk Storage Kit
  I wanted to find a non-toxic way to freeze and store breastmilk. This kit has been INCENDIBLE! It’s made storing and thawing exact ounce amounts of milk so easy.

• Mamala Organics Support Snacks
  I stocked my nightstand with lots of healthy snacks, and these were by far some of my favorites! I love that this brand formulated these snack packs specifically for postpartum healing and breastfeeding support.

• Temp Drop Fertility Monitor
  As I start figuring out postpartum cycle charting, I wanted a wearable fertility awareness device that would accurately track my basal body temperature overnight even though I’m waking up to breastfeed. So far, I’ve LOVED Temp Drop! I’ll be writing a full review of my experience with it soon.

• Wild Bird Aerial Baby Carrier
  This baby carrier has SAVED me!!! I know it’s pricey, but it’s truly worth every penny. I can always count on this carrier to get my baby to sleep, plus it’s great to have my hands free to do things around the house.
  

Content I’m Loving

• 🎧 Listen: Culture Apothecary Podcast CrowdHealth Episode
  This is one of my favorite episodes of Culture Apothecary where Alex interviews Andy Schoonover, CEO of CrowdHealth. CrowdHealth is a community-driven alternative to traditional health insurance where members pitch in to help crowdfund each other's large medical bills. This is how we paid for our home birth as well as all of my pregnancy and postpartum expenses. We’ve absolutely loved it!

• 📖 Read: The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
  This historical fiction novel takes place in Oxford, Mississippi, in 1933 during the height of the Great Depression. I’ve been listening to the audiobook, and I’m just loving having something to listen to during breastfeeding sessions or while he’s napping on my chest.

• ▶️ Watch: Cambria Joy on YouTube
  Cambria is a fellow NTP who’s also postpartum. I’ve been loving watching her videos; she’s so encouraging, and her videos are so relaxing.

Gentle September Reset

Come along as I do a gentle health reset in September! These are just a few simple things I’ll be prioritizing as we head into a new month – save this image as your own health reset checklist 🫶

This has been YEARS in the making, and while launching my publication postpartum might seem like crazy timing, it actually feels perfect. My health journey was kick-started by a negative experience on the pill, which sent me searching for a non-hormonal birth control option. That search eventually led me to the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), where I learned to track scientifically backed biomarkers to understand my cycle and identify ovulation in order to prevent pregnancy.

What started as a search for non-hormonal birth control quickly became something much bigger. As I learned more about hormones and the menstrual cycle, I realized they weren’t separate from my overall health—they were a reflection of it. That realization sent me down a path of learning how nutrition and lifestyle influence everything from hormone health to energy, digestion, and inflammation.

Looking back, I thought I was searching for a better way to prevent pregnancy. Instead, I discovered a passion for understanding the body, supporting it through nutrition and lifestyle, and building health from the foundations up.

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The First Signs Something Was Wrong

A couple of weeks into college, I had multiple ovarian cysts rupture. After an ultrasound to confirm, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. While my cycle was regular and I’d never had cysts before, I had always dealt with PMS symptoms like painful cramps, heavy bleeding, and dizziness, so when my gynecologist suggested the pill to “regulate my hormones,” I didn’t question it. Looking back, I knew something hormonal was going on—I just didn’t know yet that my symptoms were trying to tell me something.

Initially, it seemed like the pill was working. My periods were lighter; I wasn’t having cysts rupture anymore, so I assumed my hormones were finally “fixed.”

After almost 2 years on the pill, I started throwing up daily. If I didn’t take it at the same time each day (to the minute), I’d get sick. At first, I just tried to deal with it, but after throwing up one too many times in public, I knew enough was enough. This was one of the first times I realized that maybe my body was trying to get my attention and that I needed to start listening to it.

As I started learning about my body and doing research on my own, I was shocked to learn that the pill wasn’t actually regulating my hormones—it was suppressing ovulation altogether. The more I learned, the more I began questioning if I even had PCOS in the first place. Yes, I had a couple of cysts rupture, but I didn’t have any of the other common symptoms, plus the doctor never did bloodwork to confirm the diagnosis.

I didn’t want a band-aid solution. I wanted to get to the root of my hormonal issues and figure out what my symptoms were trying to tell me, so I stopped taking the pill cold turkey. I wouldn’t recommend getting off hormonal birth control this way. It didn’t take long for the post-birth control symptoms to begin. My PMS symptoms returned at full force, plus I gained some new ones – extreme fatigue, bloating with constant stomach aches (not just during my period), hair loss, and an intense rash.

As I was researching hormone health, I learned that going dairy-free and gluten-free could help reduce inflammation, so I thought I’d try it. My symptoms didn’t completely clear up, but over time, my rash mostly went away, and my stomach aches stopped. I added dairy back in and was fine, but when I added gluten back in, the rash, bloating, and stomach pain flared back up. Come to find out, I had developed Celiac disease. Due to some genetic testing when I was young, we knew I had a predisposition to developing it one day.

Looking back, I suspect a combination of coming off the pill, a season of significant life stress, and my underlying genetic predisposition all contributed to my dormant autoimmune disease becoming active. This was an intense season of life, as my now-husband, Michael, and I were preparing to get married, the COVID pandemic was in full swing, I was working at a full-time internship while attending an intense art and design college, and I moved out of my parents’ house for the first time.

So yeah, pretty much the perfect storm.

I had started learning about fertility awareness, but with how crazy life was, I was worried that I didn’t have the time to master it and use it successfully as birth control. My gynecologist suggested the copper IUD since it’s non-hormonal, so I thought I’d give it a try.

My Breaking Point: The Copper IUD

Now I know what you’re thinking: if it’s non-hormonal, how does it work to prevent pregnancy? Copper creates a “localized inflammatory environment” in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. This sounded like a great short-term solution so that we could focus on planning our wedding, getting married, and I could finish college, all while taking my time to learn the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM).

It was the beginning of the COVID pandemic, so Michael wasn’t allowed in the building. He waited in the car while I went in for my appointment. When the doctor came in, she informed me that they wouldn’t use anything to numb me, but that “it was okay because it’d be quick”. She handed me a small trash can and said, “In case you feel sick”.

Getting it inserted was one of the most painful experiences of my life. Luckily, I didn’t throw up, but I felt like I blacked out from the shock of the pain. The cramping and heavy bleeding lasted for weeks with no end in sight. I had all of the most common side effects: prolonged bleeding, painful cramping, and backache. I remember thinking, “Localized inflammation?” My entire body felt like it was screaming at me that something wasn’t right.

After 2 weeks, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I decided to go to a different gynecologist to have it removed because I was too embarrassed to go back to the one who inserted it. I felt instant relief as it was removed. I asked the doctor if she knew of any resources on fertility awareness. Her response? “You should look into the Catholic church.”

Yes, I’m a Christian, but she didn’t know that, plus that’s not the response I expected from a DOCTOR. The copper IUD experience was my breaking point. I was ready to dig in and understand how my body worked – my menstrual cycle, hormones, inflammation, etc.

Learning to Listen to My Body

Learning about fertility awareness was the beginning of my journey into discovering my passion for holistic health and wellness. I read Woman Code by Alissa Vitti and Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. These two books ignited something inside of me, but trying to learn about all of this on my own was emotional and overwhelming at times. If I could have such a big impact on my cycle and fertility, could I have the same impact on my overall health?

I was getting the hang of using FAM as our primary form of birth control, but I was still dealing with overall health symptoms of extreme fatigue, cramping, bloating, dizziness, hair loss, and a new rash all over my back that wasn’t the same as my previous gluten rash. To get to the root of everything, I started seeing a functional medicine doctor.

Throughout this journey, I’ve learned that asking for help isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom. But every practitioner I worked with also taught me something unexpected. We ran a GI-MAP, DUTCH hormone test, and bloodwork. My doctor interpreted the results as showing estrogen dominance, bacterial overgrowth, and adrenal fatigue.

My doctor recommended a large supplement protocol along with the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet. While this did work to reduce inflammation, the restrictive diet was intense and unrealistic, especially during the holiday season.

After multiple appointments with this functional medicine doctor, I started to realize that there was no end in sight for these supplements or the AIP diet. It seemed like he wanted me to be on this protocol indefinitely, and I found myself right back to where I started. “A pill for every ill”.

Don’t get me wrong, supplements and targeted diets can be helpful, but deep down, I knew we were still missing something. The farther I went down the rabbit hole of health, the more I realized I needed to stop looking for a miracle supplement, diet, or lab test. I was still looking at health through the lens of Western medicine, which focuses on symptom management rather than root cause healing. I kept looking for the next intervention to fix me, and eventually realized that interventions weren’t a substitute for foundational health.

From Restriction to Freedom

Due to my interest in hormonal health, I realized I was learning how to interpret my symptoms and make adjustments to my diet and lifestyle as needed. Eating more protein and healthy fats, walking more, lifting weights, breathing, prioritizing relaxation, and getting enough sleep each night gave my body the building blocks it needed to build healthy hormones.

My focus became what I could add to my life, not what I needed to remove.

That single mindset shift changed everything. I had slowly begun realizing that every improvement in my health seemed to come back to the basics, so I asked my functional medicine doctor if he had any recommendations for holistic nutrition programs. I knew that food and lifestyle change were the primary ways I could help myself and others with hormone and overall health, so I wanted to lean into that. That’s when I first learned about the Nutritional Therapy Association.

The NTA’s health philosophy perfectly aligned with everything I had been learning and working on in my own life. Lasting health can’t be built on quick fixes—it’s built on strong foundations.

• Nutrient-dense diet

• Digestion

• Blood sugar regulation

• Stress management

• Sleep

The NTA teaches that when these 5 foundations are balanced and nourished, health flows naturally. When they are imbalanced or deficient, the door for disease opens wider. All of health, including hormonal health, is rooted in optimizing the foundations.

My journey went from restriction, fear, and health anxiety to true freedom and hope when I started viewing my healing through the lens of optimizing my foundations first. I knew that becoming a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner was the next step in both my personal healing journey and my professional desire to help others learn and heal.

In between my experience with the functional medicine doctor and becoming an NTP, I worked with other practitioners who, while well-meaning, continued to teach me that the holistic health space tends to focus heavily on all of the things you shouldn’t eat, do, or own, rather than all of the things you can, should, and get to do to work on your health and wellness. Testing is helpful; supplements and specialty diets can be great for a time, but nothing beats getting your foundations in order first.

I worked on improving my foundational health and used the FAM successfully as birth control for 5 years, and then when we were ready to get pregnant, I used it to help us conceive. On Monday, September 8th, 2025, I graduated and became an NTP, and on Friday, September 12th, we found out I was pregnant with our baby boy. Holding that positive pregnancy test was unreal.

We got pregnant after just one month of trying, so writing this at three months postpartum feels like a full-circle moment. Improving my health and hormones has taken time and intentional nutrition and lifestyle changes, but it’s all been worth it. It feels like God is gently telling me that this entire journey has been preparing me to step into this next season of life. I finally feel like it’s time to start sharing what I’ve been learning (and am continuing to learn) about health, wellness, and holistic nutrition.

Why Nutrition by Nolan Exists

At three months postpartum, my health journey looks different than it did six years ago. I’m learning about nourishing myself while breastfeeding, recovering from birth, sleeping less than I’d like, and caring for a tiny human. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that our health journeys don’t end—they evolve. That’s exactly why this Substack exists.

This isn’t a place where I’ll pretend to have every answer.

It’s a place where I’ll share what I’m learning, what’s worked for me, what the research says, and hopefully encourage you as you navigate your own health journey.

Whether you’re trying to heal your hormones, nourish yourself with real food, learn fertility awareness, prepare for motherhood, or simply feel better in your own body, I’m so glad you’re here. I hope this becomes a place that encourages and equips you 🫶

Why subscribe? If my story resonates with you, I’d love for you to head over to my About page to learn a little more about who I am, what I believe, and what you can expect from Nutrition by Nolan. If you’re excited and interested in what I’ll be writing about, I'd be honored to have you subscribe and follow along.