Introducing the MELA Journal

A note and some updates to our small but devoted MELA community:

Hi, after a long hiatus! Merrill had a baby boy last March and exactly one month later, so did Lauren, and we each took a longer than expected maternity leave while consumed by our boys in the best possible way.

Between the two of us we’ve experienced a range of what comes up on the journey to and through early motherhood: from miscarriage, infertility and IVF, to a comparatively easy time getting pregnant; from a more difficult pregnancy to a relatively easy one. Since our boys were born, we’ve had pelvic prolapse (why does no one talk about this?!), felt the joys and challenges of breastfeeding (woah), experienced postpartum anxiety, extreme sleep deprivation, firing hormones, and finally understanding why our postpartum clients tell us they don’t have 10 minutes to hard boil eggs and pre-chop peppers. We introduced solids to our boys, found our confidence and footing as new moms, navigated more curveballs than we can count and have each changed (and grown) more than we thought possible in a single year. It has also been the greatest joy of our lives. 

In the midst of these significant and overwhelming changes to our lives, we’ve felt so lucky to go through this extraordinary time together. We have always felt that two heads are better than one, and have leaned on one another more than we ever could have anticipated during this time.

The approach that we’ve taken with our clients -- deeply researching topics, discussing together, and coming up with best (and simplest) solutions -- has been the exact approach that we’ve taken to this recent phase of our lives. We’ve maintained a nearly 24/7 ongoing dialogue sharing and discussing our tips, ideas, research and opinions from sources we trust across all aspects of our personal and professional lives. Think: nutrition, health and wellness meets fertility, pregnancy, motherhood, infant feeding and solids meets a healthy dose of lifestyle and just for fun content- all in one place!

We want to organize and share this information with you and are so excited to introduce The Mela Journal, a newsletter and blog from Mela Health. The Mela Journal is an outlet for us to share our views on topics that are prevalent in our lives. We recognize that we are fairly particular and opinionated people, and that may be our superpower for finding the best outcomes for ourselves, our clients, and the people that we love (that means you!).

XO, 

Merrill and Lauren