Breastfeeding & Nutrition
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
June 24, 2014
[caption id="attachment_6825" align="aligncenter" width="1262"] PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER EMERLING[/caption]
Earlier this month, we partnered with Erica Chidi from The Mama Circle to work with some first time mamas. Nurturing women into motherhood and helping new parents feel confident as they transition into a new phase of their lives, The Mama Circle is a wonderful support and resource for new parents in the Los Angeles area. Erica opened up her garden to some gorgeous new mamas and babes for a first foods class. Gathered around a beautiful breakfast spread (mama needs nurturing food
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
May 09, 2014
Treat mom or yourself to a bright and festive meal that celebrates spring. Don’t feel like you need to make all the dishes—pick two or three and enjoy with all the special women in your life.
Ruby Sparkler
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces (60ml) RHUBARB-PLUM SYRUP (see below)
1 tablespoon ST. GERMAIN LIQUEUR
4 ounces (125ml) chilled PROSECCO or CAVA
Pour the rhubarb syrup into a Champagne flute. Add the St. Germain and slowly pour in the prosecco or cava. Toast to Mother’s Day!
Rhubarb Plum Syrup
Makes 2 cups syrup
1 cup (122g) diced RHUBARB (from about 2 stalks)
1 ripe PLUM, pitted and sliced into wedges 1 cup (250ml) light AGAVE NECTAR
1. In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Add 11⁄4 cups (300ml) of water and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the syrup is bright red and the fruit has fallen apart, about 5 minutes.
2. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, catching the strained
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
May 05, 2014
Some women like to clean and organize. I’m more of a cook. But I am human. And cooking at 9 months pregnant and immediately after a baby is not easy. So when nesting hit me at the end of my last pregnancy, I was focused on FOOD! Let me share with you some ideas that helped me stock up my freezer and cupboards with easy to grab snacks and meals.
Easy to eat snacks for energy when breastfeeding:
Apples and Almond Butter
Dates and Almonds
Chocolate Milk!
Instant Oatmeal
Raw Energy Bites (As a bonus, this recipe helps with milk production)
Carrots and Hummus
Cashews and other nuts
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
April 23, 2014
If you've ever bought baby or toddler yogurt you know if can be expensive. At our local store, it ends up being about $1 a serving for the organic baby yogurt. Not only that, but it is loaded with sugar (besides the sugar found naturally in fruit). Our little one is a big fan of yogurt, and I think it can be a healthy part of her meals, but I prefer to make it at home with no added sugar and much, much cheaper.
In order to make baby yogurt you will need a yogurt maker. Also, you will need 10-12 hours from start to finish. Only about 20 minutes of this is actual hands-on time though.
Homemade Baby Yogurt
It takes anywhere from 10-12 hours to make yogurt from start to finish, but only about 20 minutes of it is active time.
Ingredients
4 cups of organic, hormone-free whole milk
1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Fruit stir-ins: natural applesauce, blueberries*, bananas*, or peaches*
Directions:
1. Make the yogurt. This post from
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
August 14, 2013
[youtube]http://youtu.be/uT9dnm8xhl8[/youtube]
So did you get a chance to try the Workout with your Baby video in last week’s post? I hope it showed you how easy it can be to get a great workout at home, with just your baby and the Ergobaby Carrier. Don’t forget that you can still sign up to try out Tailored Fitness free for 30 days if you want to try creating your own custom workout video.
This week we are going to take a look at the 2nd key to finding your best post-baby body, cooking healthy with your baby in the Ergo. Eating healthy is
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
August 01, 2013
I have breastfed all of my babies. When my first born was a year old, I quit nursing her cold turkey. Being 21 and quick to accept advice, I listened when the pediatrician said that I didn't need to nurse her past a year old, and that quitting right after her birthday was best. Truthfully, I snuck in a few extra nursing sessions- sobbing my eyes out thinking that each session was our last. I got terrible mastitis when she was 14 months old, and went through the worst pain. The nursing experience ended on a sad note, and I couldn't wait to have another baby and begin the sweet journey all over again.
We then had Riley.
And another loss after that.
When my next love was born, I soaked it all in. By that time, I had done so much research on babies in general, that I knew long-term breastfeeding was our plan. My first son nursed until he was two and half years old. He weaned himself, and it was the smoothest transition I had ever experienced.
When our second son was
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
May 28, 2013
I love this time of year, don't you? Everything is coming back to life after the cold dormancy of winter. It's like someone turned on the lights with all the vibrant color returning to the earth. One of the places that color returns to is our plates! We once again have all sorts of beautiful and delicious in season produce to choose from again. The tastiest and freshest produce comes from our own backyard, both figuratively and literally. So strap on your Ergo and take the kids out to find some local, flavorful fruits and vegetables. Below are eight ways to find produce grown locally.
Community Supported Agriculture
Community Supported Agriculture, also known as a CSA, is a wonderful opportunity to get to know some of your local farmers while sharing in their locally grown goodness. I decided to join a CSA one year and really enjoyed it. The way most of them work is you pay up front for a share of what the farm produces and receive weekly offerings of the fruits and vegetables
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
December 13, 2012
Dinner. Dishwashing. Christmas cookies. And … cue the chaos!
My days were going something like this:
Hold baby on hip and collect bowls one-handed. Perform world record juggling act that will never be recorded.
Switch baby to other hip and get ingredients from the pantry. Take two trips because I can’t carry them all at once.
Put baby in bouncy seat to rummage through freezer.
Soothe baby’s crying. Back to the freezer. Pick baby back up.
Attempt to hold baby while cracking eggs into bowl. Wipe up spilled egg.
Hold baby and bowl with one hand while stirring with other. Wipe up spilled batter.
Put baby down to spoon doughballs onto cookie sheets. Put baby’s binky back in about eighty-seven times.
And on. And on. Cookie baking was quickly becoming a world-class mess. And dinner prep was taking forever and it was just quesadillas!
I needed a new recipe for cooking with a baby in the house!
I was missing the main ingredient – my baby
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
August 24, 2012
I feel very blessed to have nursed all three of my children for varying lengths, but it is since my youngest has stopped nursing that I see something new and special... something unexpected in the bond beyond breastfeeding.
Gwyneth nursed for about 27 months and when she stopped nursing my breasts were not automatically "mine" again, much to my surprise. With my first two children they just sort of moved onto something else - case closed so to speak. Some 9 months now after breastfeeding, Gwenny still claims my breasts as her own and she will fight me if I say that they are mine. She still prefers to fall asleep with her hand on my chest, and if she catches Daddy looking at them she will sometimes cover me up with my blanket and tell me that she is protecting me (or them?). I find it all comical and we play and laugh, but more than anything I am touched by the notion that my body is still her comfort. Though I am no longer providing her physical nourishment, I am still giving her emotional
Motherhood
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
August 01, 2012
In honor of World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month, I wanted to compile my tips for a successful breastfeeding relationship. As a postpartum doula and lactation consultant, many expectant moms have told me how nervous they are about breastfeeding. It's no wonder as to why some women have fear since horror stories abound about sore nipples, low milk supply and biting babies. I would like to offer you some peace of mind to help you prepare for your breastfeeding journey.
Tip 1: Stick with it! Don't give up.
Breastfeeding is natural, just like walking is natural. But it takes time to figure it out! Can you imagine how many babies would give up walking if they gave up after