Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness
Fitness
October 27, 2016
The two most common reasons that healthy eating habits start to slip is because either it becomes less of a priority or a reliable strategy hasn’t been put into place. That’s why it can be especially difficult to stay committed to healthy eating after you’ve had a baby. Your priorities shift, your focus is now on your new little bundle, and if strategies are not already in place you don’t have much spare time for making new ones. As a new mother, making your health and wellness a priority isn’t self indulgent, it’s necessary so that you have energy and clarity to care for your baby. If you’re breastfeeding, what you eat also directly affects the quality and sometimes quantity of your breast milk.
a few things that have helped me continue to make healthy choices in the kitchen after having a baby….
Most babies don’t like to be put down, especially in the early
Health & Wellness
October 12, 2016
[youtube]https://youtu.be/_c2uWbuc4eM[/youtube]
I’ll never forget that January day in 2013 when I was in the shower and noticed something very wrong with my left breast. If I turned in just the right light, there was a dime-sized dimple. However easily ignored it could have been, I gasped and I just knew. My heart sank. I had a 3-month-old baby and my father-in-law was losing his 17-year, brave battle with prostate cancer. This couldn’t be happening now. Not with my wife, Jill, out of town, struggling with what would be the end of her father’s life.
I called my doctors at Pink Lotus Breast Center right away. After all, it was just about time for my yearly check-up. I made the appointment for the beginning of the following week, upon my wife’s return.
As soon as
Health & Wellness
Matrescence
October 06, 2016
Somehow, my tiny newborn daughter has turned into a beaming and chunky six-month old (seemingly overnight). Although I mostly hate how time seems to fly right through me lately, there are so many things that I love about having a baby as opposed to a newborn. The older León gets, the more connected with her I feel. As I watch her sit and eat and growl and laugh and squeal I feel like I am finally getting to know her. It has been so much harder to bond with her because of my high energy three-year old who takes so much of my energy.
As Summer has been coming
Health & Wellness
August 09, 2016
With all of the joys that accompany pregnancy, there’s also the potential to experience some unpleasant conditions. Pregnant woman are often struck with heartburn and it commonly occurs for two reasons. When functioning optimally, the valve between the esophagus and the stomach (the lower esophageal sphincter) should only open when swallowing to allow food down, then it should quickly close again. During pregnancy the body produces relaxin, a hormone that softens your joints and cervix for delivery, but it also softens the muscles of the esophagus and can keep it from closing as efficiently. The potential for acids to be pushed up past the weakened valve increases when combined with the added pressure that’s put on the stomach as baby grows and organs shift. The delicate lining of the esophagus doesn’t have the same protection against acid that the stomach does. So when acid rises into the esophagus, it causes a burning sensation in the chest, just behind the breastbone.
Antacids are
Health & Wellness
Matrescence
August 04, 2016
[youtube]https://youtu.be/bXqI40a1XIg[/youtube]
When I was 17 years old, I felt a lump in my right breast. I had larger breasts in high school and when I mentioned it to my OB she said it was probably a fibroadenoma (a very common occurrence) but referred me to a specialist just to be safe. The specialist suggested we could do a biopsy, but because I also had several other lumps in both breasts that I should stop taking my birth control to reduce external hormones, cut down on caffeine, and we would keep an eye on it.
I was young, carefree, and felt invincible. I knew in the back of my mind everyday that the lump was there, that I should do something about it, but I wanted to live my life. I wanted to have fun. There wasn’t time to slow down, take care of myself, be responsible. Fast forward two years later, and at age 19 my tumor had grown to roughly the size of a tangerine. I
Health & Wellness
Mental Health
July 18, 2016
Mindfulness is defined as the state of being conscious of our feelings, thoughts, and surroundings from moment to moment.
It means being present.
Mindfulness is defined as the state of being conscious of our feelings, thoughts, and surroundings from moment to moment.
It means being present.
It means having an awareness of how good your newborn baby’s head smells, but also being aware of your heart beating faster when your kid won’t nap and you’re desperate for lunch.
Mindfulness allows us to be more fully present with our partner, our children, our boss, ourselves.
It requires not only awareness of what’s going on but acceptance of where we’re at - even if it’s not where we want to be.
It
Health & Wellness
Mental Health
March 21, 2016
Babywearing is helpful for when you want to hold a baby and have your hands free, and can be more convenient than a stroller when out and about. But did you know that babywearing can also help with postpartum mental illness, such as anxiety and depression?
Babywearing passively comforts a child
Symptoms of clinical postpartum anxiety, depression, or other postpartum illness, can make it hard for a parent to feel “present” let alone focus on the baby. I often suggest babywearing to my clients, and coach them to start a habit of kissing the baby’s head, and letting the baby cuddle. Even a parent that feels low energy or less than 100% can passively be a loving safe-haven to their child by wearing him or her.
Wear your child to soothe your anxiety
For parents with anxiety, OCD, or fears of something being wrong with the baby, babywearing
Health & Wellness
Mental Health
February 29, 2016
How many times as a parent have you written a to-do list that seemed totally reasonable, only to be crushed at the end of the day when only one single item got crossed off?
How many times have you beaten yourself up for not being able to return a phone call or text, let alone get dressed and prep dinner?
How many times have you had to choose between pumping milk at work and eating lunch without flanges attached to your boobs?
I’ve lost count on any sort of running total on this Mama Math, and I can no longer consider myself a “new mom,” as my kids are 5 and 7. But I still fall into the trap of adding too many things to my To-Do lists, whether work-, home-, or kid-related, and when I do, I become disappointed in myself.
As a Licensed Acupuncturist who specializes in the childbearing cycle, I work with parents every day, and I have come to realize that most of us have expectations of ourselves that are higher than anything we would expect of a friend or family member.
Before
Health & Wellness
Mental Health
November 11, 2015
For many expecting parents, an approaching due date is time to feather the nest. We complete our registry, set up a nursery, and make sure we have all the baby gear we are going to need.
When my first daughter was born, I was caught off guard – floored – by two surprises. One, I knew I would love her, but I didn’t know I would be IN LOVE with her.
Second, the postpartum stage was harder than I expected. Much harder.
I had dreamy moments of nursing in the glider and cuddling her in a carrier. But there were a lot of challenges I never even dreamed of. Breastfeeding was much harder than I expected, yet I felt strongly, almost rigidly, that it had to be 100% of her nourishment. Having things not go as expected is one of the most common risk factors for postpartum mental illness. And as we know, birth and babies rarely stick to the textbook.
The “baby blues” hit 85% to 90% of new mothers, typically on day 4 postpartum, when hormones take a massive drop. This stage usually lasts
Health & Wellness
July 10, 2015
Calling all parents and parents-to-be! Dr. Tanya Altmann, MD, FAAPA joins us on Tuesday 7/14 6pm PST for an “Ask the Expert” chat about summer safety. Post your questions on our Facebook wall then join us on our Facebook page for the chat on Tuesday! Sign up below to be eligible to win a Four-Position 360 Carrier.
Chat with us: Tuesday July 14, 6pm PST
Tanya Altmann, MD, FAAPA working mother and UCLA-trained pediatrician who practices in Southern California, Dr. Tanya Altmann is a