Teething Troubles

A wee tip from my sister a mother of 4 ( a pro at this parenting stuff)...use Anbesol liquid for teething. Available at most pharmacies for approx £4.99.
Brilliant stuff and much less messy than chasing Bonjela around your knuckles.

Breast-feeding and Exercise

Each mother may vary in the responses with exercising in the breast-feeding period. Health and fitness levels prior and during pregnancy can effect how your body reacts in the post-partum period. Lower intensity exercise helps aid the postpartum healing process mentally and physically. It is fantastic  for improving bone density, weight management and mental health of mother.

Research shows that moderate exercise doesn't affect the milk supply, milk composition, or baby's growth. Lactic acid levels have been shown to increase somewhat when a mother exercises to maximum intensity but there are no known harmful effects to the baby. If baby does find the taste less appealing then leaving it 30 mins to 1 hour after exercise should be sufficient for acid levels to reduce back to normal. . Breast-feeding before exercise will satisfy baby whilst mother is away and empty the breasts make exercise more comfortable. Some babies may object to being breast fed after mum has been exercising due to sweating leaving the taste of salt on the skin. Ensure you drink plenty of water to keep hydration levels up before and after exercise.

Relaxin hormone may still be present throughout the duration of breast feeding, ligaments may not be as strong leading to instability of the joints. When exercising keep plyometric work low impact and avoid too much high impact exercise. For example exercises high impact exercises can be when both feet leave the ground at the same time such as skipping, running, jumping jacks, squat jumps and split squat jumps.

Prone lying exercises will be uncomfortable for a breast-feeding mother. Also vigorous/ repetitive arm work including lifting weights which may stimulate breast-milk or cause plugged ducts. Ensure a good supportive sports bra is worn to protect overstretching during exercise.

Our bodies and metabolism may change with pregnancy, childbirth and lactation. Go slow and listen to your body and ease into a healthy program.

Pre and Post Pregnancy Hair

Throughout pregnancy most of us are blessed with thicker hair that has volume and shine. You may have noticed that your hair may grow quicker and  falls out less too. The increased blood circulation and faster metabolism bring more nutrients to your hair.  Sometimes the texture may also change from straight to curly or vice-versa. Pregnancy hormones are the reason for all of this, especially  the higher levels of oestrogen which extends the hair growth cycle. From about 3-6 months postpartum your hair growth begins to return to normal speed.

From delivery day onwards oestrogen levels begin to drop back to normal, the hairs grown through pregnancy stop and remain dormant for a few months . Slowly a mother then begins to lose that extra hair, which can take a few months. Many mothers associate it with tiredness or stress but it is totally normal. For me I didn’t really notice it till about the 4 month mark, when areas of regrowth started to come through. Hair loss can vary from mother to mother, for some people it is gradual while others may lose handfuls. I am 8 months postpartum and the picture shows my current hair situation….which is far better than my first pregnancy. As you can see ponytails are not really an option right now.

This time round I wanted to be more prepared for the condition my hair would be in following pregnancy. So I decided to start taking a supplement as soon as I gave birth. This certainly didn’t  stop the hair falling but definitely kept my hair in good condition maintaining some of the thickness. I only noticed my  hair loss around my temples at around 4 months when it began to grow back through.

With my first child I never knew about hair loss, it is something you are not really told about. I remember loosing  clumps in the shower and at about 2 months postpartum my hair felt thin and flat and I couldn’t do anything with it. This is why I decided to be more prepared by purchasing a supplement (which I am still using today. They are a variety on the market but I chose a hair, skin and nail from Costco ,Nature’s Bounty High Strength Hair, Skin and Nail Food Supplement @ £14.89 for 250. It states you can take up to three a day but I usually stick to 1 or 2. They contain Vitamin A & c, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Calcium.