Mamawell.com

Back and shoulder ache, breastfeeding and some yoga poses

Tanya — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:42:41 +0000

I don’t know about you but even when I use my boppy (”my breast friend”) or any friendly pillow I find to prop up baby while breastfeeding, my shoulders are firmly set in a U shape and my head seems to be down staring at my gorgeous creation. Once my baby has finished feeding everything aches and I have this strong desire to push my arms behind me to stretch my chest.

Some of the best ways to get your posture back and prevent pain while opening up your chest are good old Cobra, Sphinx and Locust poses in yoga. For any inspiration, and if you are unsure what to do, and if you think you don’t have time, take a look at your growing baby as he wriggles around the floor on his belly…..he’s giving you a hint that you need to do the same too! So get down on the floor and join him…..

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How much of what I eat goes into my breastmilk?

Tanya — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:25:09 +0000

Shall I make this easy for you..... Nearly every place I have researched says that a woman while breastfeeding can eat whatever she likes and that each baby is unique and will respond with sensitivities or allergies accordingly. Just keep in mind there are many cultures out there which thrive on spicey and strong-flavored food and their children are absolutely fine. Breastmilk is sourced from a mother's blood stream and is not effected by food digested in the stomach or digestive track. So if you indulge in lots of...

Natural remedies for post cesarean pain

Tanya — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:11:08 +0000

If you are looking for natural pain medication following a c-section and are concerned about the effects of the medication on your baby while you breastfeed, it might be worth trying out a few herbal analgesics that are effective substitutes for painkillers. (The image is of Jamaican dogwood). Aviva Romm recommends in her fantastic book, Natural Health After Birth, California poppy and Jamaican dogwood to be taken either alone or together in small quantities with other herbs. She claims they are non-addictive and not contraindicated for use while breast-feeding...

Vitex or Chaste Berry for hormonal imbalances in women

Tanya — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:05:15 +0000

I have to thank Dr. Dean Raffelock for turning me onto Vitex... a friend of mine has to rather abruptly stop breastfeeding and she is naturally concerned about a hormonal crash. Enter Vitex.... To summarize, Vitex agnus-castus, or chaste-tree is the small pepper-like fruits of a mediterranean shrub, and can be used as a powder, powdered extract, tea, or especially as a tincture, for many ailments resulting from hormonal imbalances. The two most important areas of application may be as a galactagogue, to stimulate mother's milk, and as...

Recovery after giving birth

Tanya — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:09:19 +0000

Picture this scenario. You’re a first time mom, you’ve been working up to the last minute, you’ve just bought a new house and plan to move in two months, you think you’ve bought everything you need for your new life with baby and then he arrives two weeks early. After a gruelling 20 hour labor with an epidural and multiple tears, you come home and find it extremely painful to breastfeed and your baby doesn’t stop crying half the night and you can’t figure out why? Then come the onslaught of phone calls, the advice from everyone and his mother and night after night of dreadful sleep combined with raging hormones and aching breasts. What’s a girl to do????

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My breasts are killing me — those first few weeks

Tanya — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:23:54 +0000

I was lucky enough to attend a La Leche League breastfeeding class before my first baby was born. I am not entirely sure what the class did for me, but it was extremely informative and I believe it gave me the confidence to get going. But some people find breastfeeding a really painful and frustrating experience and it seems there are various pitfalls that might not always be under your control such as a colicky baby, or a problematic delivery that has left you exhausted and teary. Enter The Booby Brigade (”The WHAT???), a group of West Coast new mothers who meet online and in person to give each other breast-feeding advice. The interesting thing here… for once you might actually want your chilled out breastfeeding buddies around to show you a thing or two. Another thought…. don’t rule out breast pumps. Here’s the whole article… and take a look at the comments at the bottom. Definitely worth a read.

Almost a bloody mary….Green For Life

Tanya — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:00:43 +0000

I don’t know if I would drink this juice right after giving birth… but once you are back on your feet and certainly while you are pregnant, I think you just can’t get enough green in your life. I am reading a great book by Victoria Boutenko called, Green for Life, which actually spells out some pretty tasty ways to introduce more greens into your life. By the way, I have not found my child is suffering in any way as a result of my eating hard core greens. Try this one for starters:

Strawberry Field

Blend well:

1 cup strawberries

2 bananas

1/2 bunch romaine

2 cups water

And then build up to this which is actually delicious….

Nutritiously Bitter

Blend well:

5 leaves of kale (green or purple)

1/4 avocado

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup lime juice

1 bell pepper

2 celery sticks

1/2 bunch of Italian parsley

2 cups water

Baby Book

Tanya — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:03:38 +0000

I love the Sears family (Willian Sears M.D. and Marth Sears R.N.). They make you feel OK about what you are doing, they have tons of family experience plus a healthy approach to medicine. The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition) or as they like to call it, the “Baby Bible” is a mine of information. All of their books are….

How long to breastfeed?

Tanya — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:05:18 +0000

Sometimes I feel like I have been talking about when I am going to stop breastfeeding before I even got started. I don’t think that attitude is very good or healthy for anyone. So why fight something so natural that actually is biochemically designed to be pleasurable? Why would I want to stop hormones such as oxytocin and prolactin that are supped to keep me mellow and feel more nurturing towards my baby? Why wouldn’t I want to carry on breastfeeding if it is meant to help me lose my baby fat? Yes, this website is all about the mother, I am not even touching on the benefits for sweet baby. (Symbol for breastfeeding was designed by Matt Daigle, Mothering magazine contest winner 2006).

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E is for energy and Eleuthero

Tanya — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:33:17 +0000

I know we talk about the recovery period as the first six weeks postpartum but in my opinion, as long as you are breastfeeding, changing diapers and getting up in the middle of the night, you are still in postpartum mode. Sometimes it feels relentless. Night after night of bad sleep followed by 6AM wake-up calls. If you are feeling exhausted, then you might want to check out Eleuthero, previously marketed in the United States as Siberian Ginseng, as it has similar herbal properties.

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