1 medium beetroot, 1 medium pear, 2-3 large carrots, 4 stalks celery, fresh ginger root or ground ginger (to taste)
POWER PUNCH
Ingredients:
1 medium beetroot, 2 medium apples (Granny Smith), 1/4 of a lemon (including rind), 1/4 of a lime (including rind), 2 oranges (peeled)
Directions:
Process ingredients in a juicer. Stir, and enjoy!
If you do not have a juicer, or prefer the convenience of a ready-made product, check your local health food stores. You can also find beetroot juice available for purchase online.
Here are some of my favorite recipes to aid in your recovery from birth and enhancing your milk supply. Hope you enjoy every one!!! Please pass on any you have found delicious so we can share!!!
3 Cups Slow Rolled Oats (found these in the bins at my local health foods store)
2 Cups of Organic Dark Chocolate Chips (the organic one’s taste even better)
3 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
1 Cup of Butter
1 Cup of White Granulated Sugar
1 Cup of Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Cups of Flour
4 Tablespoons of Water (you can also use milk if desired)
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the water with the Flaxseed Meal in a small bowl and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and the eggs in a bowl and beat with a mixer for 2-3 minutes until all ingredients are well mixed.
Add the flaxseed to the mixture until well blended and set aside.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and brewer’s yeast. You can use a spatula to mix the ingredients together. Combine this mixture to the butter mixture which takes another 1-2 minutes.
Stir the oats, chocolate chips, and the peanut butter into the mixture until well blended.
Using a tablespoon scoop out mixture and place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. I used my hands to create little balls of cookie dough. Make sure to space them about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10-13 minutes depending on your oven. Mine were baked for exactly 13 minutes then I allowed them to cool on the pan for another 3-4 minutes and they were baked perfectly.
Banana Oatmeal Smoothie – A deliciously thick and creamy banana smoothie that is loaded with oats and has a hint a cinnamon. Makes for a healthy and filling breakfast or snack!
6 cups roast chicken bone broth (see Instant Pot recipe here)
½ tsp fresh thyme
1 1×1 inch piece of rind for good quality parmesan cheese (optional)
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 loosely packed cups kale, stemmed and chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Set Instant Pot to “Sauté” and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken and sauté in pot for until browned on both sides (does not need to be cooked through).
Remove chicken from pot and place on a plate.
With Instant Pot still on “Sauté” add the second tablespoon of olive oil and sauté onions, celery and carrots until soft, about five minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for one minute more.
Add chicken back into pot along with farro, bone broth, parmesan rind and turmeric. Lock the lid in place and cook soup on high pressure for 12 minutes.
When cooking time ends, natural pressure release for 5 minutes, then quick release.
Set Instant Pot to “Warm.” Remove lid and discard parmesan rind. Use a fork to shred chicken into bite sized pieces. Stir in kale and allow the soup to sit for 2 minutes to allow the kale to soften. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Believe it or not, dehydration is one of the most common problems in breastfeeding!!!! How can that be? Certainly we have access to plenty of fluids, water, juice, and more. Why is it then, that nursing moms are constipated, and bear the hallmarks of dehydration such as headaches, dry skin, digestive problems and the like?
Is it that we just don’t think it can happen to us? Do we not understand the signs of this problem? Or is it that new moms are so overwhelmed with the many life changes going on they forget to take care of themselves?
Personally, I believe the latter. New mom’s are going through so many changes just after delivery they don’t see their own physical needs. Doulas. like myself, encourage mommies to record their liquid intake in writing. We do this because it is so easy to forget how much has been consumed.
When you are exhausted, sleep deprived, stressed in learning how to care for your baby, unsure about how to do this, and more, self care goes out the window! Yet, if you are not doing well, who cares for you baby? One of the things I tell every mom with whom I work is “Drink more water than you think humanly possible”. This means drink and drink and drink and drink!!! You need water for your own bodily functions, water for the process of making breastmilk, and water for the milk itself. In addition, your body has just made another human and is healing from this. The changes you are experiencing are profound!
Having a trained professional to walk you through this process is imperative. When I was breastfeeding my body was experiencing dehydration. I did not know that is what it was at the time. But, in hindsight, there is no question. As a new mom I needed someone who understood the process to point this out to me. I consider it such a privilege to be able to serve mom’s in this way.
My clients are encouraged to drink a gallon of water immediately after birth. Actually, I encourage mommies to begin drinking this amount a few weeks prior to birth. Being hydrated helps labor immensely. Did your OB tell you this? Consuming liquids shortly after labor helps flush your body of medications and hormones produced during delivery. It also specifically aids in the production of your milk supply.
Concern about milk supply is universal. Every new mom thinks about it. Being ahead of the game by drinking enough water brings peace, relieving the stress of this concern. It is one of those “Just Do It” moments!!! Drink enough water and you will be so glad you did!!!
This is a tool I provide for my clients. It is a simple chart encouraging them to record their food and liquid consumption on a daily basis. This is not intended to be a chore but a helpful reminder. Often mommies will forget to eat all day!!! The day just gets away from them. Please use this to help you remember to take care of yourself as you care for your little darling!!
Record both food and liquid consumption to help you better care for yourself.
Below find several articles describing the signs of dehydration. You want to feel your very best as you acclimate to your new role as mommy. Please do not hesitate to ask me questions if I can help.
been taking medicines that make you pee more (diuretics)
are breastfeeding
Thirst isn’t always a reliable early indicator of the body’s need for water. Many people, particularly older adults, don’t feel thirsty until they’re already dehydrated. That’s why it’s important to increase water intake during hot weather or when you’re ill.
The signs and symptoms of dehydration also may differ by age.
Infant or young child
Dry mouth and tongue
No tears when crying
No wet diapers for three hours
Sunken eyes, cheeks
Sunken soft spot on top of skull
Listlessness or irritability
Adult
Extreme thirst
Less frequent urination
Dark-colored urine
Fatigue
Dizziness
Confusion
When to see a doctor
Call your family doctor if you or a loved one:
Has had diarrhea for 24 hours or more
Is irritable or disoriented and much sleepier or less active than usual
Can’t keep down fluids Has bloody or black stool
Causes
Sometimes dehydration occurs for simple reasons: You don’t drink enough because you’re sick or busy, or because you lack access to safe drinking water when you’re traveling, hiking or camping.
Other dehydration causes include:
Diarrhea, vomiting. Severe, acute diarrhea — that is, diarrhea that comes on suddenly and violently — can cause a tremendous loss of water and electrolytes in a short amount of time. If you have vomiting along with diarrhea, you lose even more fluids and minerals.
Fever. In general, the higher your fever, the more dehydrated you may become. The problem worsens if you have a fever in addition to diarrhea and vomiting.
Excessive sweating. You lose water when you sweat. If you do vigorous activity and don’t replace fluids as you go along, you can become dehydrated. Hot, humid weather increases the amount you sweat and the amount of fluid you lose.
Increased urination. This may be due to undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes. Certain medications, such as diuretics and some blood pressure medications, also can lead to dehydration, generally because they cause you to urinate more.
New moms are concerned about their breastmilk supply. This fear is universal. Breastfeeding is a bit of an unknown. Your body makes milk and will release it to a breast pump, but no where as well as it will let down in breastfeeding. Thus, pumping really does not let you know how much milk your baby is drinking. Your pediatrician will weigh your baby in his diaper and then have you feed him. Then baby will be weighed again in the same clothing as before. This gives an accurate weight on the breastmilk consumed. You can weigh baby fully dressed before and after a feeding with the same results.
I am a minimalist on baby gear. As you know, you can spend thousands of dollars on what some will tell you absolutely have to have in your home. Me, not so much. I encourage families to purchase the essential items and wait until baby is here to decide what else you truly want to have around. So, when I recommend baby gear, you know it is serious! Ha! Because there is such a great concern of new mothers for their breastmilk supply, I am now recommending the purchase of a baby scale. If you have friends delivering months before or after you share one with them. It is not something you will need to use for long, but the peace it can give you that you baby is receiving enough breastmilk is so worth it! They start at under $30.00.
JUDY
My lack of computer skills has not allowed me to add a photo of a scale. Look up ‘infant weight scale’. Many will materialize. Or better yet, talk with friends and family about which ones they like best. Recommendations are the most practical way to find high quality items. If a baby scale can minimize stress for you in the early months of parenting it is totally worth the cost!!!
How do you see tummy time? In the early weeks of parenthood there are so many different things you are thinking of. If this is your first baby you are truly overwhelmed! New mommies are concerned about their milk supply, their baby’s feedings, pooping, urinating, skin issues, and on and on. In addition to all this your pediatrician recommends practicing tummy time early on. Why?
Over the years the pendulum of baby care swings back and forth. Breastfeeding, tummy time, when to introduce solid foods, when to sleep train, formula, & breast pumps are just a few of the topics that have completely changed in the last several years. Holistic doulas and pediatricians adhere to the wisdom of the ages rather than the medically expedient liturgical standards. Mothers who are served by them are less stressed, and their babies develop strength and skills more rapidly.
These issues are not discussed in the public forum for fear of litigation. If someone steps out of the formally accepted norms they are at risk. So these practices, while rampant, are ignored. Many babies these days have been sleeping on their tummies since birth. These babies develop the abilities to roll over, sit up, and crawl on an average of three months earlier than babies who do not. On their tummies they strengthen their core muscles, neck muscles, and arms much earlier than babies who are on their backs for the majority of the time.
Babies who are allowed to sleep on their tummies sleep well earlier. They experience less gas as the pressure of bring on their tummies settles their digestive systems.
The majority of articles out there will tell you to place your baby on her back for the first year. The interesting thing is that the majority of babies will turn themselves over to their tummies as early as possible. Once babies realize they are able to choose their sleeping position they choose tummy down. In that position they feel more protected, more stable. You can put your six month old on her back, but the odds are when you check on her in the night she will have turned herself over. This fact causes parents untold stress. They are told babies can not breath on their tummies.
Remember the pendulum mentioned earlier? In the 80’s mothers would never have dreamed of placing babies on their backs. Those working in the baby care field remember those days and understand they will return. While you have to do what you believe to be best with your baby, be sure to look at all sides of this issue. Talk with your friends and their moms. Ask your own mother what she did with you. Happy mothering!!! These are the best years of your life!! Enjoy them thoroughly!!
Eastman Doula Services Blog 