5 weeks after having my little girl, I started surfing again. It was really awkward at first. After three months out of the water I was out of rhythm with the ocean. My paddling muscles were weak.
Luna is 10 weeks old now and I’m starting to get back to normal. On this day last week I caught a few waves and then came in when my husband signaled that she was awake. I fed her and then took her for a walk along the water’s edge. She was a little fussy and I was adjusting my carry hold when I decided to dip her toes in the water. She instantly quieted, staring at the water, mesmerized. She loved it!
After three months without paddling out, i’m finally back in the water. When Luna was about 3 weeks old I started taking her on beach walks with the dogs in the mornings. I wrapped her up in a sling, covered her head with a little hat and we’d walk down to the ocean with the dogs and look at the waves. It seemed impossible to leave her on the beach and out of my arms for any length of time, but day by day I got more and more eager to catch a wave.
Ok, she’s not really dancing, and maybe no one but me will find this entertaining, but I think it’s hilarious! I’m having lots of fun with the little one!
We spend all day and night together. She has a portacrib that i’ll use sometimes during the day if she’s fallen asleep and I want to get a few things done, but 98% of the time she’s on my lap, asleep on my chest, or in my arms. I love it and so does she.
I did finally get back in the water a few days ago for a very short surf session. We walked down with Dad, a beach umbrella, and just one surfboard. She was asleep and I passed her off, grabbed the board, and ran out for about 30 minutes. It was the first time i’d surfed in three months and I felt stiff and out of shape both physically and mentally. I was looking towards the beach every 2 minutes to make sure they were ok, but I was able to catch a few fun waves and that felt amazing!
Soon I realized she was awake and probably hungry. I caught a wave in, ran up the beach, and lightly rinsed myself off with a bottle of water. I smelled like the ocean and my lycra rashguard and she didn’t seem sure it was me. It took a few minutes for her to latch on and still she seemed suspicious that something wasn’t quite right. “You better get used to it,” I told her, “you’re going to be smelling this a lot starting now!”
On September 14th at 4:55am I clutched a new little creature to my chest after 33 hours of labor. She seemed so foreign. It was so strange that just moments before she’d been inside me, faceless. Then that little face lit up! She opened her eyes, she cried, she latched onto my breast and as cliche as it sounds, I fell totally in love. Continue reading Luna Suli’s Birth Story→
On Septermber 14th, 2014 (her dad’s birthday), Luna Suli came out of the womb and into our family. Over the past 11 days I’ve fallen head over heels in love. Luckily my husband has been doing the cooking, allowing me to pass the time just holding, kissing, smelling, smiling, cuddling, and nursing her. So far she sleeps great (just waking up a couple of times in the night to feed then sliding back into sleep) nestled by my side. Since she’s always touching me and I can put her on a boob at the slightest hint that she’s hungry, she hardly ever cries. Continue reading Welcome Luna Suli Obermeyer→
I am determined to surf as long as possible into my pregnancy while taking it easy and listening to my body. I don’t catch many waves per session, my pop-up is slower and slower, but once I’m up it’s all good.
My midwife has advised me to slow down and stop surfing, but she’s not a surfer. I have several friends (who aren’t pro surfers) that surfed well into their 9th month of pregnancy. That’s my goal. So far, so good! 7 months and counting…
Cory Lopez used to be one of my favorite surfers. After finding this video of him surfing with his daughter, he might have moved back to the top of my list of favorites. I can’t wait to surf like this with our little girl!
I only get footage of myself surfing during retreats and since we just had six weeks off, it’s been a while since I posted any footage. My belly is growing. It’s getting more difficult to paddle and pop up, but once i’m on my feet, it feels ok. I’m trying to keep it mellow, but when a nice lip presents itself I hear the baby telling me, “mama, hit that!”.
After reading about ultrasounds and the possible dangers to a fetus, we had decided not to have any more – not even to find out the sex of the baby. Then, we spoke to friends who advised us that an ultrasound may have saved their baby’s life by identifying issues in the womb that were then handled immediately after birth. Since our plan is to give birth at home, about 20 min from the nearest hospital, we decided it would be worth having one more quick scan to check the heart and other vital organs in case there was a problem that might lead us to change our birth plan. Continue reading It’s a Girl!→
I’m now just a half-week shy of being six months pregnant. Time is flying, my belly is growing, and the house is progressing more or less on schedule. It’s exciting to see the roof go on and know that pouring the concrete floor is next. After that, it’s time to decorate with paint and tile and all the fun things like kitchen counters, etc.
As of right now, it looks like the house just might be finished in time to move in a little before the baby comes. Fingers crossed! Click play below for a tour of the house in progress.
Salt Water Mama 