Ridge Meadows Doula Services

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Conquering Postpartum Constipation with… Fiber?

August 17, 2016

Postpartum Constipation is a common complaint among new mothers- and it can last for many weeks after birth. There are numerous factors that contribute to this situation whether it is sleepless nights, lack of exercise or even less-than-healthy meals and snacks. And one thing for sure is that this is all unquestionably made worse by the post-baby reality. But fear not, one can simply start with a few modifications in her diet aka eating a lot of fiber.

  1. Whole Grains

If you want to a regular bowel movement (and I know you do), say good-bye to plain, white bread, also known as the evil refined grains. Integrating whole grain bread into your diet keeps constipation at bay. Whole grains such as brown whole grain bread, brown rice, brown pasta etc. are very high in dietary fiber.

  1. Oats

Having oats daily will definitely keep constipation away. Not only is it high in fiber but it is an excellent source of manganese, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. One way of integrating oats into your meals is by consuming oatmeal. But if you just absolutely dread the bland taste of oatmeal, add some fruits to spice things up a bit. There sure is nothing like starting the day with a warm, hearty breakfast.

  1. Go Green

Eating fruits and vegetables provides you with dietary fibers as well as vitamins and minerals to nourish you and your baby. Fruits such as berries, and broccoli, the “superstar” source of fiber will ease your troublesome circumstance without a doubt. Rough things up even more by eating your veggies raw or lightly steamed, since cooking them can reduce its fiber content.

  1. Dried Fruits

If you’re exhausted or simply just don’t have any spare time to make a snack, dried fruits is your way to go. It is extremely easy to whip up! Just grab your bag of dried fruits and there you go! Raisins, figs, dried apricots, and that senior favourite prune contains fiber that acts as a constipation relief. Toss your dried fruits with nuts for a good boost of omega-3 and extra flavour!

  1. Fluids, Fluids, and more Fluids

Drink plenty of water. There are no others words to stress the importance of drinking water daily. It is essential for a breast-feeding mom to be hydrated with her energy levels up. Drinking 8-10 cups of water softens your stool and makes it easier to pass. Also, a daily glass of prune juice can be helpful and some people find that drinking warm liquid after waking up aids things get moving.

 

Remember to never ignore the urge to move your bowels, no matter how uncomfortable it may be the first times. But the longer you wait, the harder the stool gets, which will make things more complicated. Make an effort to eat high-fiber foods and you will be rewarded with relief. Happy plumbing!

Categories : postpartum Tagged : maple ridge, Maple Ridge Doula, Pitt meadows, postpartum, postpartum constipation, postpartum doula maple ridge, postpartum doula pitt meadows

Family Day

February 5, 2015

I had known my whole life I would one day become a mother. Some people do, others may take a bit longer to decide. There isn’t a right or wrong way, it’s all just a path we wander along at our own pace.

The day it happened, I felt prepared. I knew things would change; that each day going forward would be different than each that had passed. You hear things from everyone when you begin your family, those words of wisdom that get handed down from generation to generation. The obvious clichés. Of course life changes with kids!  You will do anything for your children! You learn an entirely new level of love!  But these phrases don’t seems to really speak at full volume until your kids finally do become a part of your family.

It all changes from that special moment when you look into their eyes, (which may not be until later in their lives- baby blues post to come soon!), and you realize that yea, you would probably do anything and everything in your power to give this person the best life imaginable.
Indy playing

You learn to accept the difficulties; the sleep deprivation, the early mornings, the wasted food. You learn to enjoy playing on the floor all day, repeatedly drawing semi-trucks, and laughing maniacally at something just because it makes your kid laugh. You embrace the idea that sometimes you don’t get to do what you want to do, and instead you just have to enjoy what it is your kid wants you to do.  Just because they love you, and you love them.

more mess

We learn what it’s like to be a family, all over again, when our kids are born. That generation old advice finally has a new grasp on us, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone we know. We reignite the cliche for the next generation.

Happy Family Day to each of you incredible parents out there- go spend some time with the little people in your lives who make them so worth living!

-Erin

 

Categories : Uncategorized Tagged : attachment, babies, baby, baby. pregnancy, family day, love, making a mess, maple ridge, Maple Ridge Doula, mapleridge, new mom, parenting, postpartum

Celebration Time

December 11, 2014

Holy Moly! I have 700 Facebook fans! First of all I want to say thank-you to everyone that follows my silly posts, birth knowledge, essential oils, breastfeeding articles and all the other posts I read, plan, save for scheduling for another time and write. Being a doula for me is truly my hearts work, I am passionate and continuously learning. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank-you.

 

As a thank-you I am giving away this brand new breastfeeding pillow from Dr Brown. This pillow comes with a removable washable cover. The contest is open to anyone who can pick this pillow up before January 2015 in West maple Ridge.

To enter the contest you are strongly encouraged to…

  1. Like my facebook page www.facebook.com/ridgemeadowsdoulaservices
  2. comment below on what you would like to see in 2015 for posts on my page
  3. Give me an idea to blog about.

Sounds simple right! Good Luck.

(Contest closes December 18th at 9pm and a winner will be chosen from random.org)

***trista Marie is the winner***

Categories : Doula Tagged : birth, breastfeeding, contest, doula, essential oils, facebook, maple ridge, maple ridge contest, Maple Ridge Doula, Nicole chambers, Pitt meadows, pitt meadows contest, pittmeadows, placenta Encapsulation Pitt Meadows, postpartum

My breastfeeding challenge- Guest blog post from Christian Mitchell

January 8, 2014

 

My name is Christian Mitchell. I am a momma, homemaker, full time student, and a master aromatherapist in training. I have one lovely baby girl who is almost thirteen months, and It is an unexplainable adventure to watch her grow every day. We tend towards the “crunchy” side, with cloth diapers, attachment parenting, babywearing, and nursing. I’m so excited to write for Ridge Meadows Doula Services!

 

I found out I was pregnant on April fools day. After drinking enough diet coke for four different pee sticks, and my jaw going through the floor after reading the positive results on each one, I resolved to the fact that I was indeed pregnant. I went through the usual things, telling my family, (this was kind of a huge deal because I wasn’t married, and my boyfriend and I had only been together for seven months) puking my guts out, crying all the time, almost passing out in a nice and steamy shower, and only wanting to eat curly fries from Arby’s. But more important than all of these things, I decided I wanted to breastfeed.

I began reading everything I could get my hands on. I went to Googling. “How to breastfeed” and “Benefits of breast milk” were among my popular searches. I watched tons of weird YouTube videos of strangers’ boobies (yes, areola and all). I was so into them, I couldn’t believe why on earth, when I tried showing the really good ones to my then boy friend, that he was so creeped out. I actually remember taking offense.

Flash forward about six months. I was eight days over due. I was induced. I laid in that stupid hospital bed for 19 hours, only to hear that I needed a c section. I obliged. My boyfriend suited up in one of those sterile suits that I was convinced was made out of large paper towels, and couldn’t understand how they got the zipper to stay in. About thirty minutes later, we heard for the very first time, the little cries of our precious baby willow Mae. It was huge. It was monumental. It was life changing. They stitched me up, and our little family zoomed away to recovery. Then came the big latch on.

This was also monumental, but when I say this, I am mostly referring to how huge my boobs are. Like seriously, if you made the size of Texas into a bra size, I’m pretty sure it would be too small. Anyway, I was ready. I knew how to do this. I knew all the scientific facts. So, there went the drum roll as I put my little nursling to my breast. I was appalled. I was bewildered. My little willow wouldn’t latch. I asked the nurse for help. She didn’t know. She was very brisk. I kept trying and trying. We moved to the mommy and baby wing. I was frantic. My baby wouldn’t latch, she was screaming, and I needed help. Aided by my new nurse, I finally got her latched on. But it hurt. It was painful. And I knew from what I read and watched, that it wasn’t supposed to be.

The next morning, we received a visit from a lactation consultant. She assessed the problem. I learned I had flat nipples, and that this was a pretty normal problem in women with Texas sized boobies. She told me I would need a nipple shield. She fitted me, and whisked away to the supply cabinet. I had no idea what a nipple shield was, and in all the research I did, never once did I ever read about women who needed a nipple shield. The lactation lady came back, and she ever so gently helped me put the nipple shield on. Willow latched right to it. Who would have thought that some funny shaped silicone would be a life changer. She latched. She latched! We were nursing. We were doing it.

When Willow was about ten days old, I started feeling guilty for having been using the nipple shield. I kept hearing all this hype about how important it was that babies were skin to skin with their momma’s while nursing. And the nipple shield had become some what painful. So, I took the plunge. I decided no more nipple shield. The next few days were a blur. I cried. Willow cried. No one slept. No one got along. Everyone was crabby. I felt like I had received “worst mom of the year” award. It was awful. Nursing without the nipple shield was more painful than ever, and I was at my wits end. But I didn’t want to give up. My mom suggested I call a la Leche league person. So, after some hesitation, I decided I had absolutely nothing to lose, and we called her. Her name was Marty. I remember because as soon as I heard her voice on the other end of the line, I burst into tears. She kept saying, “hello this is Marty.” And I felt like such a dummy for crying. For almost ten minutes I cried. I asked her for help. I told her my problem. She told me to use the football hold, and to try to relax. She told me that if nursing is painful, then it is more than likely a problem with the latch. She explained what a proper latch should look and feel like. And she also told me not to feel guilty about using the nipple shield, and that most babies would eventually wean themselves.

After three days of this blurry cry fit, I finally had some real help. I took a deep breath, woke my baby from nap time, put on my nipple shield and latched my baby girl on. I was doing it! We were doing it. I applied all the “Marty” techniques, and it wasn’t painful. It was a relief. And about four months later, my little willow did wean herself, and we were skin to skin. And it was beautiful.

 

christin-family

 

Categories : breastfeeding, Life Tagged : babies, baby, baby. pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, parenting, pittmeadows, postpartum, pregnant

The Importance of Routines- Guest Blog Post

December 10, 2013

So way, way back in July (or June) Nicole asked me to do a little blog for her on the importance of routines. Since I wasn’t in the routine of being a guest blogger, I came up with a few reasons why I couldn’t do it, and when all else failed, I ignored her. Now if you know anything about Nicole, you know she doesn’t do ‘ignore’. So last week I found myself in possession of yet another email requesting I get on it and get guest blogging.

 

So I found myself in the position of actually thinking through routines and why they are important to us. And actually that not only are they important, but a requirement for stability within a person and a home.
I think that some people baulk at the idea of a routine as they believe it will take away their freedom, their creativity and their independence. Routines will make us un-flexible, make our lives boring, creating a monotonous existence that will numb our minds and cause us to be a little like the stepford wives.

 

In actuality, just the opposite is true.

 

To begin with, most of us already have routines in our lives. We rise and go to bed roughly at the same time every day. We have a hygiene routine and a routine to nourish our bodies.
Whether we work at home or out of the home we have our routines.  Another reason to establish routines is that they provide emotional safety for children (and adults too). We are all better at attempting new challenges (from children learning to tie their shoes to adults beginning a new job) when the regular routine is reliable. Generally speaking we handle change best within the framework of well-known routines, which allow us flexibility but keeps the expectations consistent. This means, “no surprises”, and that help us all to manage our thoughts and emotions, which empowers us to take control of ourselves and our environment.

 

Routines work in our lives from eliminating power struggles with your children to getting your children to cooperate. We all know “what comes next” and so it becomes habitual. No one feels, overpowered, disregarded or pushed around.

 

Daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly routines guide our lives and provide consistency, which enables us to live with harmony and security. And just so you know, I was reading the other day about artists. Even the most creative of them need to start by mastering the standards of the past and learning the rules of art composition. Only after the rules have been mastered and the artist feels safe within the structure of traditional visual artwork, can he stretch his wings and be his most creative. And so it is with us and our children. We are the very best we can be when we have a routine that helps us to know and understand the rules that keep us grounded and in control of ourselves. After that creativity, freedom and independence abound! So don’t be afraid of routines: embrace them. You’ll be glad you did!

 

 

 

sandra

 

The talented Sandra Deutsmann is local to Maple Ridge and Pitt meadows area and has been teaching Parents and Parenting classes for many years.  When she’s not facilitating Parenting Programs she can be found singing, dancing or chanting overtop of crying babies and bouncing new mothers at her Parent Child Mother Goose Programs . She not only has a voice of an angel but she has a very experienced non-judgemental approach to parenting that has been desired from many parents in the community.

Categories : Life, Parenting Tagged : babies, birth, Daughter, DONA, doula, guest blogger, new mom, parenting, Pitt meadows, postpartum, ridge meadows, routine, Shower

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