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Porridge for the First Forty Days

Porridge for the First Forty Days

by | Oct 21, 2019 | Postpartum

According to Yoga’s sister Science, Ayurveda, you lose vast amounts of earth (eg.the baby and the placenta), water (amniotic fluid and tears) and fire (through her blood and sweat) during birth and you need to replace these elements to balance your doshas (constitution). You can do this by eating foods that are sweet, warm, oily, simple and moist.

Porridge is the perfect comfort food, easy to digest and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner in the first forty days after birth when your digestion may be sluggish.

The sweetness of the banana, cinnamon and maple syrup will help boost your oxytocin because of the comforting, nourishing feeling you get when you taste sweet foods. 

Chinese medicine also believe that it’s important for new mums to replace yin and blood which is lost in birth to assist with recovery and to produce good quality breast milk. Adding an egg yolk to your porridge is a good source of nutrients and helps to replace Yin. Add the egg once you’ve turned off the heat on the stove so it doesn’t scramble and stir well. Don’t worry you won’t taste it!

Preparation Time: 5 minutes 

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 1

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup organic rolled oats 

1 tablespoon of chia seeds 

½- 1 cup of your choice of milk (depending on how creamy you like it)

1 small banana

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ghee

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon of maple syrup

* omit or add any ingredients to suit your taste buds

METHOD:

  1. Soak oats and chia seeds in half a cup of water overnight in the fridge.
  2. Add ½-1 cup of milk, banana and cinnamon
  3. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat when milk has almost absorbed.
  4. Add egg yolk and ghee and stir well
  5. Drizzle maple syrup 
  6. Serve a bowl or a thermos 
  7. Enjoy! 

TIME SAVING TIPS:

Cover the oats with water and put in the fridge just before you hop into bed. Cook it on the stove first thing in the morning before your baby wakes and then store in a thermos so you can eat it when you’re hungry. The porridge will stay warm (and you can pop the lid back on if you get interrupted) and it won’t go gluggy (like it would if you re- heated it).

Tell me in the COMMENTS below.….what toppings do you like to add to your porridge? 

Are you a tired, pregnant mama? Get your free 20 minute Guided Deep Relaxation (Yoga Nidra) to take you from exhausted to energised. Fill in your details HERE and I’ll send it to your inbox for you to download.

How To Check If You Have Abdominal Separation

How To Check If You Have Abdominal Separation

by | Oct 16, 2019 | Postpartum

If you’ve had a baby you’ve probably heard of abdominal separation-  also known as diastasis recti or “mummy’s tummy”. 

It’s caused by the separation of the outermost abdominal muscles during pregnancy. As your uterus expands the layers of your abdominals muscles and the connective tissue to which they attach stretch to make room for your growing baby. Within 6 weeks after birth, your uterus contracts back to its original size but the surrounding abdominal muscles are still stretched and loose.

If you answer “YES” to any of these, you may have abdominal separation:

  • Lower back pain during or after your pregnancy
  • Pelvic instability 
  • Poor posture 
  • Your ‘innie’ belly button became an ‘outie’ 
  • You have a visibly distended ridge running down the midline of your stomach when you sit up in bed, do a sit- up or when you do a back- bend
  • A ’mummy tummy’ that no amount of diet or exercise will shift 

How do I check if I have abdominal separation?

A diastasis is measured in fingers because that’s the easiest way for you to tell exactly how far your muscles have separated. The more fingers you can fit, the worse it is.

Here’s how to check yourself:

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent, and feet flat on the floor.
  2. Support your head with 1 hand and put your fingertips of your other hand at your navel (with your knuckles parallel to your knees).
  3. With your abdominal muscles relaxed, gently press your fingertips into your belly button.
  4. Peel your head, neck and shoulders off the floor into a “sit- up,” moving your rib cage towards your pelvis (don’t just lift your head).
  5. As your muscles tense, notice how many fingers fit between the rectus abdominis (on the left and right sides).
  6. If you have a diastasis you will be able to feel the rectus abdominis tightening up on either side of your fingers.
  7. Repeat 3 inches above and below your belly button. If you’re separation is more than 2 fingers wide, you may have abdominal separation.
  8. Now check the connective tissue (where the gap is). Turn your fingers the other direction so all 4 fingers are between the gap. With your tummy soft, press towards your spine. The deeper your fingers go, the weaker the connective tissue.

What if I have abdominal separation?

Separated muscles are weak muscles so they can’t support your back and organs. For a strong core, you need to lessen this gap. Strengthening these muscles means better sex, less or no urine leakage when laughing, sneezing or coughing and prevention of a prolapse.

These may make your abdominal separation worse:

  1. Fitness Exercises like sit-ups/ crunches and obliques sit- ups/crunches and push-ups, impact exercises and resistance training which causes intra-abdominal “force” on the connective tissue.
  2. Pilates Exercises like plank, chest lift, criss- cross, seated roll up or any exercises which involve upper body flexion or double leg extension.
  3. Upper Extremity Weight Bearing exercises such as full Plank and Push- Ups on the toes as the connective tissue is weakened by the gravitational force of the organs upon it.
  4. Yoga poses that include extension of the thoracic and lumbar spine: Upward facing dog, wheel, bow and camel to name a few.
  5. Rocking up to sitting from a lying position or sitting straight up in bed.
  6. Wearing a front loading baby carrier.

What can I do to fix it?

Before you return to the gym or running, start with Postnatal or Mama and Baby Pilates which is tailored to women with abdominal exercises. It’ll help strengthen your transverse abdominals (the deepest layer of your abdominals) rather than the superficial ones (your six pack) and give you a flatter stomach.

How long will it take to get better?

It all depends on how often you do your transverse abdominis (deep core) exercises and if you do any exercises/ activities that can make it worse.

What else can I do?

Go and see a Women’s Health Physio and get it checked. They’ll advise you what exercises to avoid or modify.

Tell me in the COMMENTS below.….did you check if you have abdominal separation? And did you find these instructions helpful?

 

A Peak Inside My Eco- Friendly Nappy Bag

A Peak Inside My Eco- Friendly Nappy Bag

by | Jul 1, 2019 | Postpartum

My bumpy road to motherhood forced me think twice about the products I put on and in my body. But it wasn’t until I became a mama that I thought about where the packaging from these products ends up and how it affects the planet my son will grow up on.

With a few simple changes to what I was carrying in my nappy bag, I realised I could make a huge impact on my health and the environment.

We do not inherit the planet

Here’s a peek inside my eco- friendly nappy bag:

1. Reusable Coffee Cup
If you’re anything like me, the first thing you do when you leave the house in the morning is swing by your favourite cafe to grab a takeaway coffee.

But many paper coffee cups are lined with plastic so they can’t be recycled and if you throw them in your recycling bin along with your cardboard and paper, you may contaminate the load, causing the whole lot to be sent to landfill.

To avoid this, pack your reusable coffee cup. There’s lot to choose from but they’re not all created equal. A few things to consider:
– Well- insulated
– Spill- proof lid
– Fits under the group head on the coffee machine and keeps the Barista happy
– Nice to drink from

This Avanti one ticks all the boxes.

If you forget your cup, ask for no lid or if you’re not in a rush, grab a seat in the sun and enjoy your coffee in a mug.

2. Food Flask
If you’re often out of the house running errands, carting your kids to activities or walking your baby to sleep, you ever know when hunger will strike. To avoid single use plastic takeaway containers, be prepared.

In cooler weather, fill a flask with porridge for breakfast or last night’s soup, casserole or shepherd’s pie for lunch. In warmer weather, fill it with your favourite juice or smoothie.

I love my Avanti wide- mouthed food flask which keeps food hot for up to 7 hours or cold for up to 9 hours.

3. Stainless Steel Bento Box
Pop a lightweight, spill-proof stainless steel lunch box in your nappy bag so that if you have to grab food on the run, you can ask the cafe to use yours instead of a single use plastic takeway container. I love the Cheeky Bento Lunchbox which is about the same size as a medium serve.

If you have time to pack your lunch, fill it with salad, frittata or last night’s dinner.

4. Reusable Cutlery
Single- use plastic cutlery can’t be recycled so it goes straight to landfill so pack your own. To avoid scrounging around the bottom of your nappy bag to find my spoon, get one of these awesome cutlery rolls from Etsy which also doubles as a placemat. Fill it with mismatched cutlery from your kitchen drawer and a stainless steel straw.

5. Snack Containers
On the go snacks are wrapped in single use plastic so buy in bulk and save money and the planet. Pop things like nuts, cheese, fruit, bliss balls and yoghurt in these lightweight U Conserve containers. They come in multiple sizes and are also great for feeding your baby solids on the go and for toddler snacks.

6. Stainless Steel Water Bottle
Stay away from single- use plastic water bottles which are designed to be just that- single use.
Instead, choose a stainless steel water bottle to save your health, money and the planet. My favourite is the 500ml bottle by Avanti which comes in lots of pretty colours and is nice to drink out of.

Staying well hydrated throughout the day helps to increase your energy, reduce hunger, promote digestion and boosts your milk supply.

7. Hand Sanitiser

Store bought hand sanitiser comes in a single- use plastic bottle and may contain nasty chemicals that can disrupt your hormones and your gut health making you and your children more susceptible to developing allergies, asthma, skin conditions and a wide variety of other illnesses and disease.

Make your own hand sanitiser with this quick and easy DIY Recipe made from Young Living Thieves essential oil to help support a healthy immune system. Store it in a 50ml PET bottle with a disk cap so you can squeeze out what you need and then refill it when it runs out. Or if DIY is not your thing, try THIS

8. Lip Balm
Store bought lip balms come in single- use plastic and may contain chemicals, artificial fragrances, alcohol, and salicylic acid that can actually irritate your lips and cause dryness.

Make your own lip balm with this quick and easy DIY recipe or try this.

9. Shopping Bag
Plastic bags can take 10-1000 years to decompose outliving you, your children and your grandchildren so pop a reusable shopping bag in your nappy bag so you’re never caught out. This one is 100% cotton and takes up barely any room.

10. Picnic Rug
Nothing beats going to the park on a warm sunny day and lying under the trees with your baby. There’s so much to keep your baby engaged- the leaves rustling in the trees, the birds, the grass and the dirt.

This picnic rug is the perfect size for you and your baby and rolls up nice and small to fit in your nappy bag. Buy it in store rather than choosing “Click and Collect” to avoid all the single use plastic packaging.

When choosing a nappy bag, I highly recommend a backpack so you can have your hands free to juggle a baby or toddler. Strap your baby in a carrier on the front and your bag on your back and off you go.

Eco Friendly Nappy Bag

Where To Buy Stuff:

If you’re overwhelmed at the thought of making your own products, buy them online from Shop Naturally who use zero plastic packaging.

If you’re keen to give the DIY recipes a go, reuse glass jars from home, otherwise you can purchase containers and the raw ingredients (excluding the therapeutic grade essential oils) from New Directions in Sydney or Centaur Packaging in Bomaderry. They both deliver but if possible, pick up from their warehouse to avoid unnecessary single use plastic (you’ll also save money on shipping).

Are you sleep deprived mama? Get your free Guided Deep Relaxation (Yoga Nidra) to take you from Exhausted to Energised. Fill in your details HERE and I’ll send it to your inbox for you to download.

Find out why I choose Young Living Essential Oils and how you can buy them HERE

If you found any of these ideas helpful or have any questions, please let me know in the COMMENTS below.