Five Tips for Losing the Baby Weight.

I've been on a mission lately... I like to call it operation lose the last ten pounds by Christmas. I'm trying to embrace my post baby body, but I feel far from glamorous. Life with a new baby has been so busy I barely have any time to myself which makes the whole losing the baby weight thing seem pretty far fetched. 

I was on vacation this weekend and something just clicked. Like duh Leslie, you do this for a living. You know what to do... You just have to make yourself do it. Here's the tips I'm using to get myself back to tip top shape, hopefully you find them helpful too!

1. Drink plenty of water. I know I talked about this in my breastfeeding post... But seriously, I can't stress it enough. Drinking enough water can be the key to weight loss. Feeling hungry? You could be dehydrated. Feeling tired? You could be dehydrated. Start by making sure pure drinking at least half your body weight in ounces. 

2. Eat enough. Here's the deal... Breastfeeding burns a good amount of calories. So does working out. If you're partaking in both its really important to make sure you're eating enough. It could affect your milk supply if you're not and your body might hold on to that pesky body fat. The short not so sciency explanation is that muscle is more calorically expensive than body fat. If you're not getting enough calories your body will shed muscle... Not fat. Make sure you're eating an appropriate amount of calories. If you're not sure how to do this email me and I can help put together a plan with calorie and macronutrients tailored just for you and your goals. 

3. Get some sleep. Hahaha... I know, this one is hilarious when you have a baby. But in all honesty your body will have a hard time shedding that extra body fat if you're not getting rest. 

4. Make a plan and stick to it. It's true what they say: fail to plan and plan to fail. Make some goals in your head and decide how you're going to reach those goals. Get your significant other and friends on board too, a little accountability can go a long way.

5. Be gracious with yourself. This is the one I struggle with the most. If you're a new mom try to be patient with yourself... You just grew a human! My doctor told me nine months in, nine months out. I think that's a pretty good rule of thumb. Our bellies didn't get big overnight and we shouldn't expect to lose all our weight overnight either. You'll get there. Just don't give up! And as a side note, I don't want my kids watching me obsess over my weight. I want them to know that being healthy and feeling good is way more important that a number on the scale. Don't forget, those little eyes are watching us all the time. 

We are in this together. 

Xoxo,

Leslie

Probiotics

Happy Mommy Monday! I thought I'd start your week of talking about probiotics. I feel like they're one of those hot topics that you hear about... but not everyone is really sure what they are and what they do. Let me enlighten you. 

Probiotics are a dietary supplement (sometimes food) containing live bacteria or yeast that supplements normal gastrointestinal flora. Basically what that sentence means is they're "good" bacteria that live in your gut. Quick science lesson: there's bacteria everywhere. Some is good and beneficial, others are bad and cause us to get sick. When everything is balance that is when we are the healthiest. Probiotics are used to help keep your good bacteria supply up... especially for times when you're on things like antibiotics. Antibiotics kill all bacteria, even the good kind. That's why sometimes when you're on antibiotics you might get diarrhea or even a yeast infection, the good bacteria that is usually there helping to keep you healthy has been killed. You don't need probiotics for your body to go back to normal, but it could help speed up the process or help you to not even get sick in the first place. 

Side note: I want to take a second to talk about PREbiotics. Confused? PREbiotics are foods that stimulate good bacteria growth. PRObiotics are basically just the bacteria that you put into your gut through supplementation or eating fermented foods. Examples of PREbiotics are oats, bananas, onions and even some honeys. 

Okay, back to probiotics. There are two main types of probiotics: Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. There's other types, but these are the most studied and found to be the most beneficial. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that probiotics, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Here's the thing... we still don't know a ton about these things, but we do know that there is evidence that supplementing with probiotics can help your gut health. Diarrhea, constipation, and IBS all have strong evidence showing that the use of probiotics is beneficial to these conditions. 

There is no FIRM evidence for the rest of the claims with probiotics, BUT..... there are studies showing promise in children with colic, reflux, respritory infections, UTI's, allergies, asthma, eczema, colitis, and even Crohn's disease.  What does that mean for you as a parent? If you have a child that (or even you yourself) struggles with one or more of these conditions, probiotics may be beneficial for you. It also means if you or your child struggles with constipation or diarrhea, these definitely could benefit you. So here's your next step... talk to your pediatrician and see if they feel supplementation for your child is the right thing to do. I can tell you personally that my son struggled in the beginning with his gut health. My pediatrician was very helpful and told me to start supplementing with the probiotics and to follow the dosage instructions on the bottle. Make sure if you have an infant you're using the infant probiotics and if you have an older kid you're using the children probiotics, specifically for the dosage information. It made a world of difference for us.  It is important to note that the FDA does not regulate probiotics, so do your research, talk to your doctor, and buy a reputable brand. 

If you don't feel comfortable giving your infant probiotics and you're a breastfeeding mom, I have good news. You can take the supplement yourself and your baby will reap some of the benefits through your breastmilk. You can also up your intake of yogurt, sauerkraut, cottage cheese, and kombucha however, the amounts of probiotics aren't as strong as taking a supplement. And, just in case you were wondering what the Academy of Pediatrics has to say about probiotics... in 2010 they stated that they are generally safe, but they are unsure of what the long term effects or their effectiveness are. I have a feeling as more and more studies are done we will be pleased with the evidence that we get concerning these little bacteria. 

In closing... I'm not saying probiotics are a cure all... but it wouldn't hurt to talk to your pediatrician and see if supplementing could be beneficial for you, your kids and your guts. 

-Leslie

8 Helpful Truths for Breastfeeding Moms

I decided to write about something near and dear to my heart this week... breastfeeding. As some of you may or may not know, I gave birth to the most perfect human being in May this year (I might be a little biased). While I was pregnant I made the choice to commit myself to breastfeeding. I say commit because dang, is it hard! There's so much you don't realize... latching, sore nipples, waiting for your milk to come in, worrying about supply issues... it can be pretty stressful. Having gone through almost four months of it now, I am by no means an expert... but I do feel like I can share some of my hard earned wisdom. I came up with 8 ways to make breastfeeding a little easier for yourself.

1. Drink a TON of water. I can't stress this enough. If you want a good milk supply this might be the key. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate... and when you think you can't hydrate anymore... hydrate some more. You should be drinking at the very minimum half of your current body weight in ounces. If you weight 140 that means you need a minimum of 70 ounces per day.

2. Eat. Hopefully this one shouldn't be too much of a problem for you. Breastfeeding makes me feel like a bottomless pit. I seriously feel like I could eat us out of house and home. But, sometimes life gets busy and you forget to eat or you start thinking about that baby weight you gained and you're tempted to diet. DON'T DO IT! Listen to your body and eat when you're hungry. Keep healthy choices at home and get rid of the junk. Your baby will thank you.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help. This is huge. Like I said before, breastfeeding is a commitment. There will be plenty of times you want to quit. That doesn't make you a bad mom, it makes you normal. If you're not sure it's going right or your baby is having a really hard time with the latch find other moms to ask, look up local Le Leche League meetings and go to one, hire a lactation consultant... do whatever you need to do to get help before you throw in the towel. 

4. Get yourself some good nipple cream. Real talk: getting your nipples sucked on almost 24 hours a day can freaking hurt. They might get chapped and bleed and crack and it will suck (no pun intended). Get lanolin cream for your nips.

5. Know the symptoms of a clogged duct. Trust me, you're gonna want to catch these suckers early on before they get too bad. If your breast is hot to the touch, feels bruised and nursing is painful... you might have the starts of a clogged duct. It also can come with a slight fever. If you catch it early on,  hopefully it won't develop into mastitis. The best thing to do is exclusively nurse on that side and pump the other side until it's cleared up. You'll know when it's better, promise.

6. Give yourself time. Don't expect to have it figured out overnight. In fact, don't expect to have it figured out for the first three months. Yes, I know... that sounds like a long time. Don't get me wrong, it starts to get easier before that, but something really clicks around the third month. When you go out in public plan on keeping the trips short because in the beginning when you're learning how to feed wearing shirts is tough. I think I spent a good portion of those first months topless. Once they get head control and the latch down public feeding becomes way easier... and so does wearing a shirt. 

7. Write everything down. Between little sleep and taking care of a tiny human my brain is mush. Don't rely on your memory to remember when your last feeding was, write it down. I have a fancy app on my phone that helps me keep track and some days it's a sanity saver. I know they say you'll learn your baby's hunger cry but... mommy confession: in the beginning all the cries sounded the freaking same to me. 

8. Give yourself some grace. As a new mom you're going to have so many things you have to learn all at the same time. There's tons of trial and error involved... and lots of tears too. It's normal. You'll have break downs, you'll have a messy house, you'll lose track of when you showered or brushed your teeth last. It's 100% okay. I think as moms we don't always talk as openly as we should about the struggles. Being a mom is hard. If you have a bad day, it's okay. If you have to supplement with formula, it's okay. You're doing a good job, even if you feel like you're not. At the end of the day if your kid is still breathing, I'd call it a success. 

Just in case you're wondering... the picture was taken by my incredibly talented friend Jasmyn Smith. You can view more of her work on her website: www.jasmynmarie.com 

- Leslie

Eat Right to Learn Right.

Breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day... Not just for you, but for your kids too! Studies show that kids in school skip breakfast more than any other meal. That means your kids could be going more than 12 hours before getting food in their bellies. This might not seem like a big deal, but what if I told you being hungry affects their ability to learn? Changes things, doesn't it?

Think about it, when you're hungry it's hard concentrating. The same goes for your kids. Kids who eat breakfast perform better in school and have less behavior problems. I don't know about you, but I find that pretty interesting. I bet your kids teachers would too! 

So how do you find time in your whirlwind of a morning to make sure your kids get some fuel? Start small. You don't have to go all Betty Crocker for breakfast. It can be as simple as a yogurt and some fruit. Maybe finding time for food isn't the problem... Maybe your kid just isn't hungry. Try having them get dressed first and give their tummies some time to wake up. 

Still feel like you need some help in the breakfast department? Check out www.kidseatright.org for some recipes and ideas!

-Leslie