Healthy Pregnancy

Berry smoothies are delicious and healthy snacks, packed with blood-nourishing antioxidants from dark berries and balanced protein. The combination of protein and carbohydrates is essential for stabilizing blood sugar, which is particularly important in conditions of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), weight loss, and for managing stress levels. When making a smoothie, thaw frozen fruit or combine with warm milk to balance temperature and ease digestion.

1 cup blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or combination
1 banana
2 cups almond, hemp or goat milk
1 tablespoon flaxseed
1-2 tablespoons whey, rice or egg protein powder

In a blender, combine all ingredients and mix at low speed. Pour into glasses and serve. Makes 2 generous servings.

Source: Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish Your Fertile Soul

While having dinner with my friend Tiffany the other night, discussing our Cooking for Fertility DVD, I mentioned I was working on an article about the connection between heartfelt happiness and health. She shared with me that in ancient cultures, before shaman would perform healings they would ask their patient to list ten things that they were grateful for. They believed that this simple act of expressing gratitude was oftenenough intervention to cure what ailed their patients.

Research is confirming this may just be true. A Canadian study revealed that looking for the silver lining throughout life and adopting a positive attitude may lower the risk of heart attacks and Angina. Furthermore, perhaps we can shift our experience of sorrow to joy simply by including pleasurable activities in our lives.

Pleasurable thoughts and experiences change our physiology by flooding the body with feel good chemicals like serotonin and beta-endorphins. Alongside hormones, a chemical called nitric oxide is also released, most commonly in the experience of orgasm. Nitric oxide relaxes the blood vessels inducing the relaxation response, which supports the parasympathetic nervous system and combats stress.

Dr. Deborah Kern, a health scientist who specializes in the impacts of pleasure conducted a study where women were enrolled in a Pleasure Diet and encouraged to seek pleasure on a daily basis through all five senses. Kern looked at 22 areas of life satisfaction and noted significant increases in life happiness in all areas.

Lifestyle and nutrition tips to support heart health and happiness:

Meditate on gratitude: Focus on an image that brings you joy and you will begin to resonate with a higher vibration. The Institude of Heartmath uses technology to measure this shift from dissonance (stress) to resonance (pleasure) using technology.

Keep a gratitude list: as shaman healers have long recognizing what you are grateful for can immediately shift your state of mind. Consider keeping a list beside your bed.

Explore your five senses: pay attention to the sensations of pleasure you experience when you taste, touch, smell, see and hear. Notice how different images and feelings impact your state of happiness.

Heart Healthy Foods: in Chinese medicine red colored foods positively impact the heart: beets, tomatoes, red peppers, raspberries and adzuki beans. The following foods also help to build the blood: apricot, beef, beetroot, blackberries, bone marrow, eggs, cuttlefish, dark leafy greens, date, dandelion, fig, grape, kidney bean, liver, hormone-free meat and liver, microalgae, nettle, octopus, oyster, parsley, sardine, spinach, spirulina, sweet rice, and watercress.

Supplements for Heart (Cardiovascular) Health: OPC, Proflavonol 90, CoQuinone 30, Biomega (fish oil)

Exercise: Daily exercise floods the body with fresh oxygen and blood supply. Find activities you love and incorporate them into your routine. Whether you are exercising for pregnancy or for fertility, pleasure is a key component to keep you on track.

Kathryn Flynn is the author of Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish Your Fertile Soul. Kathryn supports men and women worldwide in achieving a healthy pregnancy through nutrition and lifestyle changes in her individual fertility nutrition consultations. For additional information, please feel free to email Kathryn.

As I’ve stated many times to anyone who will listen, nipple shields can be helpful if a baby is having trouble breastfeeding. In the wrong hands, however, they can be downright dangerous. Just today I saw 2 moms who were given nipple shields in the hospital within 48 hours of their babies’ birth. Here are their stories:

Story number 1: Mom given nipple shield day 2 because baby was having a hard time latching. Baby was able to latch with the shield, but he nursed for 45 minutes to an hour each feeding and never seemed satisfied. Things seemed to go OK the first week, but at a routine check-up 2 weeks later, baby hadn’t gained any weight. The pediatrician told mom to start supplementing immediately and referred her to me. I saw her the next day. Her baby was 3 weeks old.

After a little guidance, baby latched on to the breast easily and nursed well. Mom’s milk supply is very low, of course, since baby was not transferring milk well with the nipple shield. Now this mom has quite a bit of work ahead to increase her milk supply. In the meantime, this baby will need to be supplemented with formula.

Story number 2: Mom was given a nipple shield after the first attempt at breastfeeding because her baby’s latch was incorrect and her nipple felt pinched. Fortunately, this mom had arranged to see me prior to her son’s birth. I saw them day 3. He latched easily after I showed his mom how to help him find the breast. He breastfed while his parents watched in awe—surprised that he could do so well without the nipple shield. Mom was absolutely comfortable and delighted that breastfeeding did not hurt!

Story number 2 turned out well. It likely would have had a very different ending, however, if this mom had continued to use the nipple shield without guidance.

The nurses who handed out the nipple shields did not attempt to correct the underlying problem BEFORE resorting to plastic. In addition, they did not teach the moms how to assess the babies’ effectiveness using the shield while breastfeeding. Finally, there was no follow-up offered or suggested to ensure that either of the babies were transferring enough milk to gain weight.

I wish these 2 stories were isolated incidences. They are not. I see more or less the same scenario several times a week. So how can you avoid this very common problem?

• Know that your baby was born to breastfeed!

• Avoid nipples shields in the first 24 hours.

• If you’re having trouble breastfeeding, insist on getting help. If the hospital cannot provide you with timely, knowledgeable, REAL help, ask a nurse for a referral to a private lactation consultant.

• If you decide to use a nipple shield, make sure someone in the hospital evaluates an entire feeding with you to help you feel confident.

• Arrange for a lactation consultant visit and a baby weight check as soon as possible after leaving the hospital.

  Written by Renee Beebe, M.Ed., IBCLC. Renee is a lactation consultant in private practice in Seattle, Washington. She is available for home/hospital visits and phone consultations. Renee can be reached at www.second9months.com

Nipples shields are molded silicone “nipples” that fit over a natural nipple. They look a bit like a sombrero, and the rim or base of the shield extends out about an inch to adhere to the breast. There are usually 4 holes in the nipple that mom’s milk can flow through. They are very thin and made in several sizes and styles. They are designed so that baby can latch on to the shield and get milk from mom.

So why on earth would anyone want to use a plastic nipple?

Nipples shields can be helpful when a baby is unable to form a strong vacuum at the natural breast. Sometimes, if baby’s tongue is not doing what it should, a nipple shield can enable a baby to breastfeed who otherwise would need to be bottle fed.

Nipple shields are also commonly used when a baby has nursed incorrectly and caused nipple soreness. A shield can make breastfeeding more comfortable while mom and baby learn to breastfeed comfortably.

Always seek guidance from an experienced lactation consultant before considering the use of a nipple shield. Improper use can lead to inadequate milk intake and subsequent weight loss, which, in turn could lead to a decrease in your milk supply.

Whether to alleviate soreness, or to help a baby who is learning to suck properly, a nipple shield is a temporary fix. Your lactation consultant should provide you with a detailed plan for the use of the shield and when and how to discontinue its use. When your baby is ready, he will breastfeed happily and comfortably without it!

Written by Renee Beebe, M.Ed., IBCLC. Renee is a lactation consultant in private practice in Seattle, Washington. She is available for home/hospital visits and phone consultations. Renee can be reached at www.second9months.com