Client Testimonial: Sarah H.
Sarah decided to start working with me before her second baby was born. Like so many women, her postpartum experience with her first daughter was very difficult. She struggled to make herself a priority which ultimately led to burnout and postpartum anxiety. You can actually read about her first experience here.
This go around she wanted to feel prepared and ready to face the fourth trimester with as much energy and vigor as she could muster. That meant focusing on her self-care, nutrition, and boundary setting. She nailed it, Sarah is truly one of those dream clients who made the recommendations her own. Below is a short interview about her experience in Mama Restore.
– Amber Frauenholtz, NTP, RWP-2
Q: What were your biggest challenges before signing up for Mama Restore?
A: My biggest challenge was figuring out how to prioritize myself because I was already the mom of a toddler and juggling so much. I also didn’t know where to get good information on what I should be doing and eating. There’s so much conflicting info out there, I didn’t know who to trust. I knew I wanted to start taking supplements to cover my nutritional basis, but I didn’t know which ones.
I also had a big challenge prioritizing my time. When I had Amelia (my first born) everything just felt really hard to do. Simple things like washing my face, eating well, going outside, and so on just didn’t get done.
I knew that I didn’t want to feel like that with my second, which is why I wanted to work with you. I wanted to feel empowered and educated to make the right decisions for my body in a way that made sense.
Q: Did you have any objections or concerns before signing up?
A: I didn’t have a lot of objections. I think it’s really easy to make excuses on programs that seem expensive when you think of just the dollar amount and not the actual investment you’re making in yourself. There are things I’ve prioritized in the past (like Rent the Runway) that weren’t nearly as important as my mental and physical health, my nutrition, and being able to show up as a good mom.
So I think when you look at the price you can easily object, but it’s just an easy excuse to say no and not put in the work. For a split second I wavered due to the price, but when you really look at the value you’re providing and the benefits, it was a no brainer.
Q: Tell me about your successes. What have you been able to achieve since we started working together?
A: The most obvious success for me was in the first 6 weeks postpartum with Zoey. I knew I was going to be tired, especially exclusively nursing, but I didn’t feel completely depleted or out of energy. With your help I prioritized meals and my nutrition. We prepped some things ahead of time, you even dropped off some food for me. I mean, we did so many things right in the beginning to prepare for the 4th trimester that I didn’t feel wrecked. I still felt like me. I still had energy to give to my other kid, not just my newborn.
That was a huge win for me personally but I also think it helped with the transition for my oldest daughter becoming a big sister. I was still able to give her one-on-one attention and we did things together.
Of course I was tired but with my first I couldn’t even get out of bed for weeks. I was so depleted, it was really bad. But with Zoey I prioritized myself and it made a huge difference in my mood, sleep, how I felt when I was awake, and so on.
That’s the biggest success but there are others like how I feel so much more educated and empowered. All the stuff you’ve taught me about food, stress, and not making life more complicated that it needs to be has been so helpful. You really simplified a lot for me. So thank you!
You also really heard me. It’s nice to not feel judged or nervous when you’re talking about how you feel about your body, how you feel about your marriage, how you feel about being a mom. I felt like you were always a very safe person to talk to about those things.
You know, both of my parents saw a big change in me, this pregnancy vs. my first. That’s a huge testament to you that other people could notice the difference in my mood and energy.
Q: Was there anything that surprised you about working with me?
A: Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was surprised at how much you actually know. You have honed your craft and are clearly an expert. Some people sell programs, then you work with them, and you realize there wasn’t much value there. That’s not the case with you. You’re really smart and clearly know what you’re doing. I was inspired by you.
Q: What were your favorite parts of the program? What really worked for you?
A: I loved doing my functional lab work, the MRT food sensitivity test and the GI-MAP stool test. Those results felt like a really important scientific data point, evidence for why I needed to change some things.
I also loved our in-person 1:1s (perks of being local) and that you dropped off homemade sourdough bread.
I also think it’s important for people to know that you have a very high “say-do” ratio. You always follow up when you say you will, I felt like you went above and beyond what the program entails. I just felt like I got a whole bunch of extras, things I didn’t expect.
Q: Last question, is there anything you felt was missing from the program?
A: I don’t know. I think what’s interesting about programs like these, or any nutritional program in general, is that it’s easy for me (as a client) to feel like it’s not working. You might think “Oh, she doesn’t provide that much value”, but that’s because there is a HUGE responsibility on me. It’s up to the client to do the work. It’s not a quick fix and no one is going to do it for you. I think that’s a rut people get into when they aren’t seeing results, but are they doing the work?
I found myself thinking like that once or twice, but that was a very lazy thing to discredit a program that is important and invaluable, because I wasn’t doing the work at whatever given time.
There’s really nothing you can do about that, but just reiterating to clients that there might come a time in the program where you feel like it’s not working. Then you have to turn it around on yourself and ask if you’re actually doing the things the program recommends. If someone wants a quick fix without putting in an effort, then this program isn’t for them.
