By now, many of us know the Sears family. Dr. William Sears, is one of the most trusted and influential pediatricians in the United States. His wife, Martha is RN and childbirth educator extraordinaire, and we recently had the pleasure of interviewing their daughter, Erin, who just had her first baby. We loved finding out more about Erin and what it's like having a gaggle of baby docs in the family! (There's a lot of them!)
Erin, or Sears kid number five as she will joke about, has experienced first-hand the magical benefits of a happy, healthy household. Growing up in the fun and sometimes crazy Sears home with 7 siblings has taught her a lot about the importance of family values, and leading a life of service. With her parents as guides, she has shaped her life around helping others. After a health crisis lead Erin through her own transformation, a spark was ignited in her to focus her life towards helping others, and is honored to guide people through the journey of healthy living. She is certified health coach, yoga teacher, group exercise instructor, and co-founder of the Transform 5 healthy living plan. She is also an advocate for whole-food nutrition and assists families all over the world in living life to the fullest. Whether It’s through music or health coaching, she has devoted her life to helping others find their joy and thrive experiencing the best version of themselves.
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ARC: First, a big congratulations from Arm’s Reach to you and your family on your new addition! Have you been surprised about anything so far? As a person who has probably been around babies your whole life, is there anything that you felt you were not prepared for?
ERIN: I was surprised at how comfortable and safe I felt leaving my baby sleeping in the co-sleeper! Holding this little newborn who seemed so vulnerable and peaceful in my arms, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel putting him down in his own space, let alone actually falling asleep myself. I could rest more soundly knowing he was safe and just an arms reach away.
ARC: So from our perspective it sure seems that you hit the lottery on helpful grandparents! Do you ever feel that you want to figure out some questions by yourself, or are you finding yourself asking middle of the night questions just because you can?
ERIN: I feel like my son has the world's best grandparents, and I’m so grateful for their guidance. It has been really exciting to grow into my own as a mom and try to find what works for my new family. The parenting style and love that I was given has instilled a balanced perspective. I find myself naturally doing things that were modeled for me, like a certain way to hold the baby, or my favorite lullaby growing up, yet I get to find my own version of attachment parenting. But yes! I do call them a lot!
ARC: OK, just between us, is there a time where you didn’t like advice given to you by one of the many health care professionals in your family?? We won’t tell….
ERIN: Hmmm that’s a tough one, but here is the deal. My family is human, and not every baby needs the same thing (as they will tell you). We had some breastfeeding issues the first week, and while I was extremely grateful to have amazingly helpful advice, I’m not sure all the tips and tricks were what we needed at the time. Mama always knows best, know matter who the grandparents are.
ARC: Speaking of middle of the night, how is your little one sleeping so far? I know you were probably prepared for what to expect regarding newborns and sleep – we are wondering if you are any more rested than the rest of us!
ERIN: We are managing sleep pretty well! Of course we are tired and I feel like sleep could be better, but more importantly, it could be much worse! Little Johnny settled into sleep outside of mommy’s arms at night really well! For the first 3 hours at least. The rest of the night is a bit of a crap shoot, but I can always count on a solid 3 ish hour stretch thankfully. I absolutely LOVE the fact that baby is so close to us and I’m able to soothe him back to sleep at times just by reaching over and touching his belly. I also love that there is room for middle of the night diaper changes when we are half asleep. I do make a point to take one long nap during the day however. Dr. Dad says “sleep when the baby sleeps”. I do my best to put self care above things like vacuuming haha!
ARC: You have been testing out the Arm’s Reach 3 in 1 bassinet, would you recommend that model to other new parents?
I absolutely love the versatility of the Ideal 3 in 1! We have a small house, so we needed something that could fulfill multiple needs. So far the co sleeper mode and free standing mode have come in super handy (we have had to move it around to different spots in the house). And I have a feeling little man will love hanging out in the play yard mode as well.
ARC: Any other words of wisdom for our readers?
(regarding)... self care, finding time to eat healthy and exercise can be a huge challenge especially those first few months! As a health coach and fitness instructor, even I have struggled working those into my “new normal” routine. I tell my clients to, just do your best one day at a time, and healthy mind, healthy body. I get it, with a newborn in the house it is pretty impossible to take time to exercise most days, but there’s always time to do things like peaceful meditative deep breathing. My dad and I developed and co-wrote a healthy lifestyle plan to help people at every stage of life, including busy parents! Making small commitments for your health really add up. I absolutely love wearing my two month old in the baby sling and taking walks, or having my whole food smoothie to sip on through the day to keep up my nutritional needs/energy for breastfeeding. What are some healthy habits you can develop with your growing family? Check out my website for info on the Dr. Sears T5 Wellness Plan. fitplus5.com