A Special Moment

Since there’s only a few days left until our special day it only felt right to write about it…

I slammed the car door. I just got out of clinic and finished up a ten hour day. I couldn’t wait to head home and relax something that has been hard to do this past week. My last patient of the day was a handful to say the least but I put that all behind me as I thought about the conversation I had earlier that day with my doctor. I drove my five minutes back home and finally sat on my recliner couch with my huge swollen feet in the air. I was exhausted. As I stood to grab some food I had left over from my lunch I just felt like I peed my pants. A whoop of wetness just trickled down my legs. I went to change and ignored it. I was leaking all day but the doctor said that was normal so I proceeded to eat my Mediterranean wrap. As I got up the second time I had to go change my clothes again, this time I started feeling anxious. This is not normal. They describe when your water breaks usually it’s like a hose and spills everywhere but that’s not how mine was so I didn’t think of it being anything all day. I called my doula just in case and she told me to call my doctor, then it all started. Anxiety hit. I was by myself and my husband was probably on a rig in Los Angeles driving a patient somewhere. He was an EMT at that time and definitely far away when I called him. He was able to only get back home by ten o’clock at night but luckily for me I had friends that stayed and calmed me down while we waited. This was scary. This is not how I wanted my birth to go. This was not how I wrote it all out. We were supposed to have early labor at home and then drive to the hospital during active labor. I wasn’t getting any contractions.

Once my husband finally picked me up, it would take us an hour to get to the hospital but we stopped by Carls Jr. before we hit the freeway anyway. At the hospital they tested if it was really amniotic fluid and once they said it was they admitted me. No pressure but this baby needs to be delivered as soon as possible since my water broke. Ok here I am imagining that I am not having any contractions and I am depriving my baby amniotic fluid. No one told me that the placenta makes new amniotic fluid every 3 hours. Did you know that? So here I am 7 in the morning pacing the hallways with my doula. Come on contractions! I keep telling her how I don’t want Pitocin because I know I will have to get an epidural in the end. Tears filled my eyes, I became shaky. I didn’t want Pitocin. Guess what? I got Pitocin and an epidural about ten hours later. I was honestly going to pass out if I didn’t get an epidural.

Looking back I’m wondering if this all happened just because my mind was so set on the cascade of interventions or the fact that I had 12 hour days my whole ninth month of pregnancy and not enough rest. I mean I was just exhausted. They kept checking me to see if my cervix dilated but it was stuck at 4cm. Who does that? Who keeps checking? It made me feel defeated hour upon hour when I didn’t hear any progress. My doula and my husband were great though in the hours that I didn’t have an epidural. I remember when my first contraction started. We were playing a really fun card game to get our minds off of everything. I can’t remember right now what the game was but I was laughing and smiling, trying to concentrate on winning. All of sudden I had to drop those cards, I couldn’t concentrate anymore. Fear set in. Pain came on and so did my sympathetic system. I could feel how tight my whole body was. We tried so many different positions and the birthing ball; nothing seemed to help the pain go away. I don’t regret getting the epidural. I was able to sleep and get ready for the pushing part. Forty hours later our bundle of joy arrived and I do not regret any part of my labor. Yes it didn’t go how I wanted to but I wasn’t as educated on the whole birth process as I am today. I didn’t allow my body to just let go. Having those contractions and going through the birth canal is very beneficial to the baby and looking back I am happy I went through that pain to give him those benefits. Being a mom is a sacrifice and it starts as soon as you’re pregnant. In four days my little one will be one and I still remember some of the details of my birth. If you’re asking if I would do it again? I definitely would even though I know there will be pain involved. I can’t wait to celebrate our first year together. He’s such a funny guy, just like his papa.

The Importance of a Powerful Mind & a Doula

    As I complete my Doula workshop and become a DONA trained Doula many emotions fill my mind. “Mind over matter” is something I learned at my yoga class that I am currently taking but it was also reinforced during my workshop this past weekend. The mind plays such an important role in not just the birth process but everything else surrounding us. You have to conquer your mind before anything else. Educate your mind and exercise it. Use relaxation techniques. Learn to relax and just let go. These are all important for labor.

When at home lay on a yoga mat. Close your eyes. Turn on some calming music without any words. Focus on yourself. Listen to your breathing. Breathe in through the nose and out through your mouth. Imagine an object and focus on it. Release the tension in your shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. Lay there for ten minutes and don’t think about anything. Train your mind to relax. That’s the first step to preparing for childbirth. I can’t stress how important that is and I wish I knew how to relax in my first birth. I was so concentrated on the fact that I wanted my birth a certain way and I didn’t want a C-section or get induced. I was more stressed over trying to control my body than my mind. Stress creates tension in your muscles and turns on your sympathetic system or in other words your “flight or fight mode.” How are you supposed to give birth when your whole body is tensed ready to run away? You need to relax so that your cervix can open up. Practice relaxation techniques, it’s an art to be able to let go and truly not think about anything.

   I am excited about pregnancy, I’m not afraid of birth anymore. Even though, I feel like I had a traumatic birth experience the first time around I learned from it. I learned what I won’t do for the second birth and what I will do. You need to know your body. You need to know yourself.  You need to embrace the process; birth is such a beautiful event. I can’t wait to be that support system for mothers and their partners. Each birth is different and unique. I definitely learned this weekend how not to share your own birth stories to the new expectant mother. It’s not fair to her. I was in that boat. All I would hear were negative stories of how everybody ended up having a Cesarean. I cried. I didn’t want that. I wanted a natural drug free birth, but my thought process didn’t support it. All I kept thinking was how to avoid getting induced. I knew induction would lead to epidural which may lead to a Cesarean. It’s a cascade of interventions. Think about the positives not the negatives. If you’re a mom-to-be listen to the good stories. It’s okay to tell your friends or co-workers that you just don’t want to hear about the negatives right now. It’s only fair to you, to your baby, and your body. If you want support to have a positive birth experience I recommend hiring a doula.

“What is a doula anyways you might ask? Why do I need her? I’m just going to get an epidural and be done.”

   A doula is a support system for the mother and for the partner. It is a person who will be there to physically and emotional support a mother throughout the birth. Doulas learn different techniques how to soothe a mother during labor and how to comfort her through her pain. Even if a mom doesn’t want a natural childbirth a doula can still be helpful. You cannot just get an epidural right away; you must be dilated to a certain point. There are breathing exercises that the doula can do with you while you wait for the anesthesiologist to come to you. Trust me it takes a while. I remember from the moment I screamed “GIVE ME AN EPIDURAL NOW” to the moment I got it must have been at least an hour. I was fortunate though to have a doula as well as my husband by my side to support me throughout my whole birth. Together with my husband they worked as a team to reduce my pain during my contractions. A doula doesn’t replace the partner, but instead shows the partner how to help the mom work through the pain. Doulas usually come in during active labor and stay until the baby is born. We got pretty lucky because we didn’t know what was even happening and our doula stayed with us from the beginning to the end. Yes my doula stayed for 40 hours! Every woman who wants a doula should have a doula by her side!

Practice relaxation techniques this week!

Close your eyes and repeat these words as my yoga teacher says “Peace to the mind. Peace to the body. Peace to the soul. Peace surrounding me everywhere.”

Check out my amazing doula at http://allisongunn50.wix.com/birthofthefamily

*Unfortunately she has left California but is in Utah now. I highly recommend her if you’re there to look her up!

Moving & a Tribute

My grandmother, Lala, and I in Calistoga (A place she took me every summer during my childhood)

I am both saddened and excited to announce to you that LALA PREGNANCY HEALTH & WELLNESS is coming to an end, or should I say a new beginning? I would like to thank all of my supporters who always read my blogs and shared them. Thank you to my family and friends for supporting my blog and a big shout out to my husband aka partner in crime. I am happy to announce that we are moving to a new site and creating something very special. These two years have been great blogging and I hope that you can find my new project as informative as this one. As I am saying goodbye I would like to tell you the actual story behind Lala.

Why Lala?

Lala was my grandmother, more of a second mother. She was born in Odessa, Ukraine and came to the US in 1990. She loved Odessa and used to tell me beautiful stories of the Black Sea. She was a nurse that took care of babies, a food inspector, a cook, and in my books a saint. She helped everyone and everything that she could. She was the most inspiring, funny, and beautiful woman I knew and I’m not just saying that because she was my grandmother. Everyone around her knew that. Honestly, words cannot describe how beautiful of a person she was. This blog has been dedicated to her memory, and my next project includes her delicious recipes.

Please look out for an upcoming link to my new project. Coming soon!

Please leave any comments to say goodbye to LALA PREGNANCY HEALTH & WELLNESS!

I look forward to blogging with you soon:)

Top 12 Reasons not to send your child to a Russian preschool

1. The owner was raised in the Soviet Union and kept their communist ways. There is a reason my parents ran away from that country.

2. They say they feed your child healthy organic food. Turns out they’ve been feeding all the kids hot dogs and chicken nuggets. I should have asked what their definition of healthy is.

3. Never ask about their education or experience. Obviously ignorance is bliss.

4. The motto of the school is “I do what I want” meaning the owner does what they want.

5. You can’t observe your child because the owner called “title 22” which they obviously misread. According to it a parent can come in and observe their child whenever they want. According to the owner a parent can do the hokey pokey to see their child by putting one foot in and one foot out.

6. Toilets are not for potty training. God forbid one of the kids pees on the floor.

7. A hypocrite. Insults you by saying you do nothing but sit on facebook all day. How did they know? Because they secretly stalk you on there watching your every move. If you write a blog and post it, know you will see them the next morning (which is a suprise since they are never there) commenting about your post asking you to take it down.

8. They will bother you night and day until you write a positive yelp review and give them 5 stars. Have you ever wondered why some schools have all positive reviews only?

9. They will demand that you pay extra money on top of tuition because one teacher aid left and you need to pay for a new one. By the way while you’re at it buy new toys for the class.

10. They will send your child home in a diaper that leaked through with pee & poop and think its normal.

11. When you leave the first preschool trying to find another one because you hope that your child can retain the Russian language, you find out that most of the little preschools hate the owner of the big preschool and its a Russian war zone. Like the “Real Housewives of OC” but “Real Russian Preschool Owners of the Valley.”

12. Feed them food that you asked them not to feed your child because he’s allergic. You wrote a list and told them twice, yet your little one comes home with itchy red rashes and tells you he had what he wasn’t suppossed to.

*This is not written about one particular school or experience. Use common sense and pick the right preschool for your toddler near you!

Over Medicating the Future generation

I have not written a blog post in a while but would like to begin writing again with one of my favorite and passionate subjects, PEDIATRICS. 

I was lucky enough to have one of the best and very knowledgeable mentors in school. She inspired me more and more everyday through her teachings. At my Chiropractic school clinic I was able to intern with her and watch the many ways Chiropractic would change a kid’s life. I would see such progress and changes with every patient she had and I wanted to make sure that I would make a difference in every child’s life that I would see in my future practice. It is disappointing to see that there are so many childhood diseases and disorders out there. I am shocked at the rate of how many kids are being diagnosed with speech delay, ADHD, and autism. Even some therapists themselves are surprised at the new alarming increases in rates. Over diagnosis leads to over medicating. Big pharma wins again!

ADHD is a hot topic among parents. It was called ADD before but was changed to include the hyperactivity disorder.

What is ADHD? It stands for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A disorder that the CDC claims is affecting a huge number of children. The criteria to diagnosis ADHD includes:

-inability to focus

-fidgeting and squirming

-impulsive behavior

“Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are three main signs of the condition in kids of any age, according to the NIH” (Madell).

Did you know that some of those signs are typical child like behavior?

All of a sudden a child doesn’t pay attention in a class and they are slapped with a label of ADHD. Interestingly enough the quiet kids who are sitting down in their chairs are an example of best behavior but they may be actually the ones who have a problem. The NIH states that “The NIH reports that it’s easy for parents and even teachers to mistake ADHD for other problems. Toddlers who are sitting quietly and behaving in preschool may actually not be paying attention. Children who are hyperactive might just have disciplinary problems” (Madell). Did you know that “about half of preschoolers with ADHD were taking medication for ADHD, and about 1 in 4 were treated only with medication” (CDC). PRESCHOOLERS ARE ON MEDICATION? This is a HUGE problem! You can tell how disappointed I am at our system. You put a toddler on drugs from an early age and expect them to be on them for their whole life. This creates a bigger problem. What about the body and the mind that is receiving these drugs for so many years? Side effects of these drugs? Liver damage? It’s an easy way out. Slap a label on, prescribe a drug, and the issue is solved.

There have been increasing cases of ADHD in kids over the years.  CDC states that, “The first national survey that asked parents about ADHD was completed in 1997. Since that time, there has been a clear upward trend in national estimates of parent-reported ADHD diagnoses. It is not possible to tell whether this increase represents a change in the number of children who have ADHD, or a change in the number of children who were diagnosed. Perhaps relatedly, the number of FDA-approved ADHD medications increased noticeably since the 1990s, after the introduction of long-acting formulations” (CDC). We need to ask ourselves why these changes are happening and could there be possible misdiagnosis? “It is possible to misdiagnose a child with ADHD because most toddlers will exhibit a lack of focus, excessive energy, and impulsivity at different times” (Madell). The criteria for diagnosing this disorder is very broad and similar to how regular school age children act. When I went to school I don’t remember having kids in my class that had these problems. Today if you walk into a classroom I am sure you will find not just one but several kids diagnosed with ADHD. Why is the United States so different than other countries? Why do WE have the highest rates of ADHD in our children?  “In the United States, at least 9 percent of school-aged children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and are taking pharmaceutical medications. In France, the percentage of kids diagnosed and medicated for ADHD is less than .5 percent” (Wedge). This is a big difference!

So the criteria to diagnose a child with ADHD includes being impulsive, jumping around, and not wanting to sit still, but these are also behaviors that are awknowledged to be normal toddler behavior? “‘Toddler impulsivity can get a little nutty,” says Michele Kambolis, a child and family therapist in Vancouver. “But while these changes may seem crazy to you, the biting, kicking, hitting, and sudden shifts of feelings are all normal at this age.” The explosion of brain development that comes around 18 months brings a new self awareness and desire for independence, Kambolis explains” (Carter). These are all typical toddler behaviors. We as a society and as parents need to question the statistics and ask many questions of why?! Why are so many children in the United States diagnosed with not only ADHD, speech delay, and autism. Many therapists say that the autism spectrum is so broad that sometimes kids are borderline and just get the autism diagnosis. There is a huge divide between that needs to be closed. There are other ways such as nutrition, Chiropractic, therapy, and other alternative approaches that can be utilized before giving kids so much medication. We want the future generations to be healthy, but we are slowly killing them by over over medicating. You, as a parent, know your child much better than anyone else. Take the time to listen, to observe, and make sure that your child is not one of the victim’s of over diagnosis or over prescribed medication.

Sources:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_152545.html

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/research.html

http://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/toddlers#RecognizingADHD1

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/suffer-the-children/201203/why-french-kids-dont-have-adhd

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/688.html

http://www.todaysparent.com/toddler/toddlers-bad-behaviour-normal/

Happy Mother’s Day 2015

Wishing a Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!!! May this day be filled with happiness, laughter, and sleep 🙂

I hope each Mom had a very special day today!

Stay tuned for my fitness & nutrition updates filled with tons of recipes!

CHILDHOOD ECZEMA & A SHORT LIST OF NATURAL REMEDIES

ec·ze·ma

ˈeɡzəmə,ˈeksəmə,iɡˈzēmə/

noun

1. a medical condition in which patches of skin become rough and inflamed, with blisters that cause itching and bleeding, sometimes resulting from a reaction to irritation (eczematous dermatitis) but more typically having no obvious external cause.

The diagnosis of eczema in children under 17 is becoming more prevalent in the United States. A portion of it to be blamed on genetics and a portion on environmental as well as dietary factors. It is a scary thing when you first see it on your child. At first you think WHAT IS THAT? Is it hives? I thought they were hives because my son’s nanny at the time decided to give him two eggs each morning for a week. Excessive right? We started eliminating eggs from his diet but that didn’t seem to help much. I rewinded back to late October and remembered that we had a lot of chemical and emotional stressors in our life. We were exposed to high levels of toxicity unfortunately and we as a family paid for it with our health. Coming from an alternative health care background as well as growing up in a family that always supported natural remedies prior to medication, we held back on the anti-inflammatory steroid drugs that most pediatricians prescribe.

We were fortunate to be able to change pediatricians and fall into the open arms of a one of a kind pediatrician. A pediatrician who supports alternative medicine and will try everything else before he over prescribes medications to a child. We got lucky, but many families don’t. Can you imagine having a child on prescription steroids for the rest of their life? I heard a story like that. A 30 year old man who was diagnosed with eczema when he was a toddler and ended up on prescription medications at an early age. He felt like an 80 year old. He had more illnesses than he could have imagined due to so much inflammation building up in his body from the medicine. He overwhelmed his body and now it was failing him. That story made me feel very afraid for my son and his future. I didn’t want my son to end up like that so I knew I had to be pro-active about it. I write this because I want other moms to know that there are other ways to help your infants, toddlers, and kids with eczema. I am happy to know that what helped my son, helps other kids and I will continue to spread the word. They say there is no cure for eczema but at least there is a way to become asymptomatic. For some kids this may work better than for others, but you try and you do what you think is best as a mom!

According to the “National Eczema Association” most kids who get eczema will continue to have it in adulthood.

“A substantial proportion of the US population has symptoms of eczema; 31.6 million with eczema, and at least 17.8 million with moderate to severe eczema or atopic dermatitis. The prevalence of childhood eczema/atopic dermatitis in the US is 10.7% overall and as high as 18.1% in individual states and 21% across various countries. Approximately one out of every three children with eczema/atopic dermatitis has moderate to severe disease. A recent study found that the prevalence of eczema in adults is 10.2%, which suggests that most children with eczema/atopic dermatitis continue to be affected even in adulthood. Three percent of US adults have moderate to severe eczema/atopic dermatitis requiring systemic therapy” (http://nationaleczema.org/research/eczema-prevalence/).

This is a growing problem. There is limited treatment and the steroids that are supposed to control the symptoms do more harm than good. One side affect listed of a topical hydrocortisone cream says, “If the cream/ointment is used for a long period, there is a risk that the skin will become thinner, there may be some scarring and small blood vessels may become visible on the skin and areas of the skin may become darker” (http://www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk/search-for-a-leaflet/hydrocortisone-topical-for-eczema/). Yes short-term use can help with the symptoms but what do you do after? What do you do if you have to use it long-term? You risk that your skin will become damaged and other unpleasant side effects. You need to search for the underlying cause, instead of masking the symptoms.

To investigate what those underlying causes are we started with an elimination diet. Everything in his diet for two weeks was gluten free, grain free, no eggs, and nothing red. We would start to re-introduce the foods slowly and monitor the rashes. For some reason we would see a spike in redness if he ate tomatoes or red apples. He loves apples so we switched him to green apples instead. You can also request blood work specifically to see what your little one is allergic to. The doctor also suggested daily vitamins and probiotics. Along with that we offered itchiness relief by applying a miracle lotion (at least I thought it was) called “SHIKIA BORAGE THERAPY CHILDREN’S LOTION.” I also used aveeno baby eczema lotion but found that Shikia’s was more effective in the beginning. My son’s pediatrician also prescribed him homeopathic droplets. During bath-time I would put in Aveeno baby eczema bath treatment for soothing. He was also constantly adjusted as needed. Chiropractic does help restore the nervous system and played a major role in helping his system detox from all the toxicity.

My son’s eczema was between mild and severe. It was getting to the severe stage before we finally hit a downward spiral and all the inflammation decreased. After everything we followed through this regime day by day religiously and it was gone. Sometimes it may still pop out once in a while when he eats something he’s not supposed to, but it goes away. It never hits the severe stage.

You need to find an underlying cause to disease and fix that, not only treat the symptoms! 

-NOTE: In no way am I connected to selling any of these products. This is what we used and what worked for my son.

SHORT REMEDY LIST OF WHAT TO TRY:

1. Elimination diet

2. Probiotics

3. Daily vitamins (we did Vitamin D and C)

4. Best lotions that worked for us: Shikai borage therapy for children & Aveeno baby eczema

5. Bath time with Aveeno baby eczema treatment (avoid over–bathing)

6. Keep your toddlers nails short! I learned that the hard way. He would scratch until he bled!

7. If possible see a pediatrician with an alternative health care background.

8. See a Chiropractor who specializes in pediatrics (check out ICPA or click here for one in your area!)

It’s difficult to see your child in pain or covered in rashes. It takes time to clear. Be patient. Be consistent. And follow through. 

My personal trainer…

I have a personal trainer.
He runs me up and down the stairs
I know he does it because he cares
He made me work out at the park today
And when I wanted to leave he made me stay
We ran around the park happy as can be
He is always the one challenging me
We did tons of squats that made me want to cry
But he kept pushing me and I asked him why
“Fun Mama” he yelled out at me
I guess I really didn’t see
That I have a mini personal trainer taking care of me!

Big thank you to my son who is filled with so much energy for pushing me to ride the seesaw with him. My quads were on fire and when I wanted to stop he made me keep going. Who knew that toddlers can make you workout!

Quick & Healthy lunch after the playground : Pasta & Chicken & Veggie Bowl

I already had chicken strips that I made in the oven (see beach day blog for recipe) and I cut them into small pieces

Kids pasta (or you can use any pasta)

Steamed broccoli

Mix everything in a bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

GREEN SMOOTHIE

Handful of kale, spinach greens (I buy the huge organic power mix from costco)

1 cup of frozen berry mix (also from Costco)-my little one likes to toss in the berries

1 banana

2 cups of Almond milk

You can use any blender to mix it and serve. My little one loves to help out making the smoothies and then drinking them. Good way to get in those veggies!

HAPPY WEEKEND everyone! 🙂

POSTPARTUM TALK #6: BODY CHANGES & THE THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE

Body Image. Such a hard topic for so many women. I didn’t realize how much my body would change with pregnancy and how afterwards it wouldn’t just jump back to what it used to be. I mean yes there are women who are blessed with getting back their pre-pregnancy body right away but most of us aren’t so lucky. I was ignorant to think that I would jump back into shape by breastfeeding. I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy. I was pretty fit before I got pregnant. I went to the gym all the time. When I got pregnant I was gifted with “morning sickness” except I had it throughout the whole day. Thank you hormones! Thankfully it was my 5th term in school (that’s when we were done with all of the tremendously hard science classes where the teachers tried drowning the weak-I made it!), and the easier term (kinda). I slept for 14 hours each day. I think I did my homework in my sleep. Anyways I did not have anytime what-so-ever to exercise. BIG MISTAKE! You know the images of celebrities popping a baby and then looking amazing? You see it doesn’t work that way for everyone.

Many claim that breastfeeding helps you loose weight and I applaud the women that are able to loose all their weight with breastfeeding, but honestly it does not work for everyone. I found out that the hard way. I know I’m not the only one like that because I heard other moms say they gained weight instead. True story.  It’s a great way to get women to breastfeed but women should not count on it. There are things that have to happen postpartum that will help guide you to loose the weight. I wish someone took my hand and helped me.

I was too busy trying to finish Chiropractic school, breastfeed in the middle of classes (and argue with teachers not to count me absent because I needed to pump), and too busy being harassed by some of my teachers verbally. Looking back I can definitely say that it was a tough postpartum journey for me! The stress of leaving my newborn child with strangers who we thought were good nannies, but weren’t, also added incredible hardship (but that’s a story for another day). Looking back I really wish I could have put all the stress to the side and just had a calm, relaxing postpartum experience. Sometimes I wish I could rewind and re-live it all again just so I could stand up to those teachers that made my life hell, fire those nannies right away that neglected my newborn son, and just scream/cry for help. I obviously didn’t. The cry comes two years later when I finally have time for myself.

I am finally where I want to be. Specializing in what I love to do. Nothing is perfect of course and there is room for many changes of course but my husband gave me a wake up call the other day. My sweet husband looked at me while I was stressing over nonsense and said, “you have the time to take care of yourself, and only yourself now.” It was true. These past two years I put myself last. I forgot about myself and put everyone else first. I have finally reached the time where it can be all about me and I can start my self-healing journey. As a mom you need to remember to concentrate not only on your family, but on yourself as well. It is important for you to grow as an individual and then grow as a family. Now I understand my psychology teacher when he asked us in class one day back in Chiropractic school term 8 (when my little one was 4 months), who should be valued first in the family. The options were family as a whole, the baby, the relationship of the parents, or the parents as individuals? I chose baby. I was a new mom. What do you expect? Baby was my number one. Everything revolved around him and it still does but differently. I don’t have to worry that I have to rush home on a 5 minute break to breastfeed him. He is growing up so fast and doing a lot of things on his own. I realize that YOU as a MOM have to take care of yourself first. A happy Mom is a healthy Mom, and a happy/healthy Mom makes a happy/healthy family. There are so many things that I would have done during postpartum that no one told me about but now is my chance to inform other moms.

10 POSTPARTUM TIPS THAT I WISH I KNEW BACK THEN:

1. Breastfeeding MAY OR MAY NOT help you loose weight. Do it but don’t count on it. (I did….ergghhhh WRONG!)

2. You get super hungry when breastfeeding, at least I did. They say you need more calories when breastfeeding, BUT HEALTHY Calories!

3. I don’t care if you are a stay-at-home mom or a busy working (or going to school full time mom)- you will NOT have time to make healthy food throughout the day. Prep it the night before or over the weekend when your significant other can help. Cut veggies, fruits up so they can be easily accessible throughout the day. Other great snacks are granola bars, yogurt (there are non-dairy options as well), nuts, and dried fruit.

4. For quick dinners: invest in a steamer for veggies (can be used for baby later) because it only takes 2 minutes to wash the veggies and turn it on, the rest is all up to the steamer and they are ready in 20 minutes! Crockpots and pressure cookers are awesome as well. I loved using a table top grill to make some chicken.

5. Stock up on some frozen meals like ravioli from Costco or steamed rice from Trader Joes. They also have orange chicken to go with the rice which is one of my favorite fast dinners when there’s no time for cooking. This is better than stopping by fast food places! TRUST me I know. I ate at Corner Bakery and Panera Bread for most of my pregnancy and then postpartum (they were close to school and fast). Not a good idea.

6. Deny those cravings! It’s okay to satisfy them during pregnancy, not so much during postpartum.

7. EXERCISE. Find that time. Do it! And if you are breastfeeding it is a myth not to exercise. As long as you are cleared by the doctor then you are solid to start. I was told not to do it because either my milk will taste sour or I will loose all of my supply. Take it easy and do it. Dedicate at least half an hour to yourself a day. You can also go for nice, long walks with the baby in the stroller. Fresh air is good for the baby and you!

8. Stay hydrated and drink lots of water!

9. Get adjusted by a Chiropractor. My back was killing me when I was breastfeeding. I went to get massages but relief came and then went. Getting regular adjustments is the only thing that helped. If you are not breastfeeding, still get adjusted! Did you know that babies can get super heavy? I am still carrying my 31 pounds of joy and I really feel it in my back!

10. Love your body. It just made a baby. Take care of it. Realize it may not ever look the same again, but it is perfect in every way.

I am heading out on my new journey of changes. Starting with juicing and working out. Taking small steps but in the right direction! I will keep you updated my readers.

Happy Wednesday! 🙂

Pre-pregnancy/ the old me…I bought this dress that day. It’s in my big bin of  clothes from “pre-pregnancy days”

Post-pregnancy 2 years

Family Day with Healthy Snacks

Sometimes you need a family timeout and just get away from everything. Our mini trip was to the beach. It was short and sweet. We spent half the day at the beach and I am thankful for the warm weekend weather. After this trip I realized I don’t need a membership to the gym anymore, I just need to chase after my toddler on the sand. It really works your calfs out!

Running in the sand, falling in the sand, eating sand (who knew toddlers love to eat sand?!), getting our feet wet in the ocean (and then getting soaked by big waves), seeing helicopters, and seeing a whale (that’s what people called it). My husband and I thought it was a dolphin or a shark. It was a fun family outing. What I love about our family days is that my husband packs us always an amazing lunch with snacks. It’s always easy to stop by a fast food place when you’re on the go, but if you know you will be gone the whole day pack a healthy lunch to go instead!

Here’s what was in our beach lunch:

1. Oven chicken strips (quickly made while we were getting ready)
2. Organic flour tortillas (found delicious ones at Costco)
3. Berries – strawberries, blackberries, & raspberries
4. Baby carrots
5. Puffs (happy bellies) for the toddler
6. Fig bars (Costco favorite)
7. Ella’s food pouch (picked out by my toddler who apparently took a year break from pouches but now seems to love them again).
8. String cheese from TJs
9. Apples
10. Bananas

Other On-the-Go Toddler favorites are:
-apple sauce
-yogurt
-crackers or wheat crisps (TJs)
-Annie’s bunny mix
-smoothie (fruits + veggies)

Always pack healthy snacks and include a variety of veggies and fruits. It’s not a myth that the ocean breeze will make your kids hungry! It really does!

What do you pack for on the go when you are out of the house for a long day?

A Quick Recipe for Oven Chicken strips:

1. Wash and slice the chicken breast into thin strips.

2. Put it into a bowl and add sea salt, oregeno, parsley, and tumeric.

3. Use a terriyaki sauce. My mom loves to try out different types of sauces and give them to me. This time I used one of my favorites that she got for me Apricot Terriyaki glaze. I soaked the meat in there for 15 minutes.

4. Throw the chicken strips onto a baking tray covered with aluminum foil and bake on 350 for 30 minutes. All ovens are different so keep on eye on it.
Enjoy!

I hope all my readers had a fun, relaxing weekend!

Happy Monday:)

The Many Faces of Facebook Mommy groups

Couple of days ago my husband and I were driving in the car, running some errands as usual, and on the way there I was trying to explain to him how furious I felt. I was upset about how a mom put me down on a Facebook “mommy” group that I am a part of. I wasn’t even arguing with her and told her that but she continued to write condescending comments. You know what the ridiculous topic was? Almond milk. Really? I will spare you the boring details. It just made me think, what is our world turning into? I was getting bullied by a mom over the internet. A mom who doesn’t even know me but she had it in her to put me down in front of the whole group. It’s not just one incident but I have seen an overwhelming rise of what I call “Mommy bullying.” I’ve seen comments that had name calling, bad-mouthing, and the list goes on. There is a rise in “Mommy bullying” due to the thing I call “hiding behind a screen.” I believe that this happens due to inability to filter hurtful, judgmental opinions.

What happened to the community where there’s support and encouragement? Where moms stand united? Or is that too difficult? I mean how awesome would it be to be part of so many communities where moms can relate to each other and offer judgement-free advice? I was excited to learn from these fellow moms and at the same time give back my advice. But can I take it with a side of judgement-free please?

…hence the many faces of moms on Facebook.

The Beginner– Overly excited, posts a lot, comments.

The Follower– Follows every post. Wants to know everything. Where, when, and what is happening.

The Appreciator– Posts a question, gets an answer, says thank you, and moves on.

The Mentor– Offers guidance and suggestions.

The Commentator– has an opinion on everything.

Miss Expertise– Pushes her advice to be the best. Sometimes it’s better not to question the advice. Take it or leave it. This mom has one way of doing things and it’s the right way.

The Viewer- Will log in, read all the posts, drink some coffee or some wine, and have a few laughs.

Miss Random– Won’t read any of the comments on the post but still voice her random opinion.

Librarian Mama– Provides all references and resources for any advice given.

Holistic Wellness Mama– She knows all the natural remedies and the do’s and don’ts of how to treat your child when they have a fever, teething, etc. Herbs & essential oils are her things.

Honorable Mention– Has given birth to 4 kids and got them out of diapers before they were 2. If she knows how to balance all of them, I think it may be a good idea to see what she has to say about potty training.

“Hot Mess Mama”– a “new (hot) mama.” She is made up of many voices and opinions. She may be wearing a track suit or high heels at a playground, but this is one hot mama who you don’t want to mess with!

Which Mommy group Mom are you?

HAPPY WORLD DOULA WEEK!

FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION about WORLD DOULA WEEK HERE http://www.worlddoulaweek.com/

I am forever thankful to my doula who was with us for 40 hours during my first birth and inspired me to become a doula!

If you are pregnant please look into hiring a doula. It can change your labor experience!

Happy Monday:)