Is my Baby Ready to try Solid Foods?

A Guest Post by TummyThyme...

Just when you get into the rhythm of breastfeeding or preparing bottles, it seems like it is time to move onto the next phase of feeding your baby. You may hear conflicting advice about when you should start solids. Health Canada and the World Health Organization recommend six months of exclusive breastfeeding before solids are introduced. Meanwhile, many of our clients are telling us that their doctors gave the green light to start solids at four months. So what are you to do?

Rather than simply referring to the calendar to see how old your baby is, it is important to consider what they can do. Is your baby showing signs of readiness for feeding? Some signs include:

• The ability to sit well with support
• Good head and neck control
• An interest in food and eating
• The ability to indicate “no” (usually by shutting mouth closed or turning head away)

For most babies, this will occur around six months, though some babies may be ready a little earlier and some a little later. Starting solids before your baby is ready can be potentially dangerous since there is an increased risk of choking. Furthermore, starting solids too early can make your child uncomfortable about moving forward with eating. On the other hand, delaying solids much beyond six months can lead to iron deficiency since that is about when your baby’s iron stores are becoming depleted.

Once you feel comfortable that all the signs of readiness are in place, your baby is ready to try some food! By following your baby’s cues about when to start solids, instead of just following the calendar, you are starting them off with a responsive and respectful feeding relationship. This will go a long way in building trust with your child and promoting a healthy relationship towards food and eating.

TummyThyme owners, Brandy and Melanie, are Registered Dieticians committed to helping parents increase their confidence, knowledge and skills to easily provide whole, healthy foods for their families. They are your one stop nutrition resource for you and your child... from belly to baby to child. They offer workshops, small group sessions and private consultations. For more information, please visit www.tummythyme.com.

A Mommy Minute

Synonyms for Mother: Parent, Source, Attend, Nurse, Nurture, Protect, Provide for, Accommodate, Nourish, Oblige, Raise, Rear, Shelter, Sustain.

Being a mother is all encompassing. We can feel lost and found, overwhelmed and pulled together, all at the same time. Some days are easier and better than others. At FITMOM, we encourage our mothers to take the road of motherhood one day at a time. Yet, we know that sometimes, even one day at a time can be hard. So, if and when you are feeling overwhelmed, here are ten sanity savers. Pick one and try it for 1 minute to help you get grounded.

Meditate:  This is not a word that we should be afraid of. People who practice meditation are engaged in thoughtless awareness and are present in the moment. If meditation is new to you, try a mantra instead. We like "This too shall pass" or "I can handle this". Repeat these words for one minute.

Self-massage with a tennis ball: Use a tennis ball to apply pressure to any areas of your body that need a little TLC. Roll the ball on your legs, in between your shoulder blades or on the bottom of your feet. Repeat for one minute. 

Engage in a venting session: Call a friend on the phone and engage in a one minute vent session. Be prepared to reciprocate the next time she needs to unload her concerns and frustrations. 

Dance party: What's your guilty pleasure song? Put it on, turn up the volume and dance like no one (except maybe your baby), is watching. Repeat for as many one minute segments as you need. We had a dance party while we wrote this list!

Laughing: A good hearty laugh is a wonderful release of tension. Check out this guy... if you are not laughing now, then watch it again! It only takes about one minute.

Hug someone: Hugs release oxytocin, the hormone of love. A good hug can help you feel calm and connected, especially if you are getting a hug from someone you love, like your baby, child or partner. Stay in the hug for one minute and notice how you feel afterwards. 

Enjoy a stretch: Tight chest muscles are a common complaint amongst new moms. Start with a few shoulder rolls and then stand with your right hip against a wall and stretch your arm behind you. Pair this stretch with some deep breathing and feel your chest muscles release. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side, for a total of one minute.

Focus on breathing: Deep breathing helps to calm and relax your central nervous system (fight or flight response). Tension and anxiety is released on the exhale. Breathe in through your nose and imagine your belly as a water pitcher. Fill it will air from the bottom to the top. Exhale with a sigh as you slowly empty your pitcher. Do this for one minute.

Self affirmation: Tell yourself that you are are great. Tell yourself that you are doing a great job. Say it loud and say it proud for one minute! We think this young lady does it well! 

Gratitude: Be thankful. Gratitude allows you to adjust your focus. Instead of focusing on what you're lacking, shift your focus to embrace all that you have for one minute. Gratitude helps to put thing into perspective. Count your blessings, you have many.

Mothering the Mother 101: FITMOM's Best Practices when Visiting a Mom with a New Baby

There's nothing like the birth of a new baby: little fingers, tiny toes and the insanely addictive smell of a newborn. Well intending family members, friends and colleagues will jump at the chance to visit and meet your new bundle of joy.

In the early days and weeks after birth (even an uncomplicated, vaginal birth), a new mom is running on fumes and adrenaline. For many, the very act of sitting can be painful and uncomfortable for a few weeks. All women experience some swelling and discomfort following a vaginal birth, especially if she's recovering from an episiotomy or an assisted birth (vacuum or forceps). A once routine visit to the washroom to pee can be a major event. Add in some swollen and tender breasts (as she tries to learn to breastfeed) and sleep deprivation, receiving visitors can easily put her over the edge.

New mom care is essential to newborn care. How we care for a new mom in the early days can impact the short and long term health of both the mother & baby, the health of other children and the health of our community overall.

At FITMOM, we really love and appreciate the approach and care of new moms in the Asian culture, where new moms are cared for by others for 30 days after they have given birth. Others in her community will manage the daily chores, including cooking, cleaning and caring for older children, during this time, allowing her to rest and nourish herself and her baby without having to worry about the burden of a daily routine. Unfortunately, this communal child rearing philosophy has been almost completely abandoned in North American culture and has been replaced with the "taking care of me" philosophy, leaving new moms often alone and isolated.

So, using this philosophy, here are FITMOM's best practices for family and friends who are interested in visiting you and your new bundle in the early days and weeks:

1. A new mother should never be expected to entertain you. She should not be making tea, offering a drink or making you a meal. For many new moms, hosting of any kind may be too much. Instead, message her and offer meals that you can drop off. Better yet, just drop off a meal and let her know it's at the door (do not stay unless asked!). You can also offer to run errands for her, cook a meal, clean her house, do her laundry or take the baby for a walk so she can have a nap.
2. A new mom may not have the energy to hold a conversation, make small talk, hear about your day or just "shoot the shit". Small talk, even with a BFF, can be incredibly draining in the early days. A new mom should not have to "be polite" because you are in her space, needing to engage.
3. A new mother should never have to answer the door to an unannounced, drop by visitor. EVER. If you are given the green light to visit, please refrain from bringing strangers, acquaintances or anyone else with you that she barely knows. Her nipples may be bleeding and sore and she just needs a safe space to figure it all out.
4. Please do not show up to visit with other friends or children in tow unless SHE REQUESTS THIS.
5. Do not offer unsolicited advice. Offer support and help instead.
6. A new mom should never have to receive unsolicited comments about her baby's feeding schedule, including how much the baby's eating and how often. If she's already worried about this, asking will make her feel worse. 
7. Please return the baby to her mother as soon as you are asked. If a baby is crying or distressed, she can easily be calmed by her mother. It often stresses both mom and baby to be separated. Let the new parents figure out what their baby's cries mean.

Other ways you can offer support:

• Providing childcare for older children
• Doing laundry
• Helping with chores around the house
• Rocking or holding baby, if requested
• Walking the dog
• Changing bedding
• Shopping for groceries
• Listening 
• Letting mom cry
• Listening some more
• Asking mom what she needs

These tips will go a long way in helping to ensure that a new mom and her baby are off to the best start possible.

My first few moments as a brand new mom

FITMOM2B... Why it's your preferred Prental Fitness Class in Ottawa!

You're pregnant! Congratulations! Now you're probably wondering what you can do to give your baby the healthiest start you can?

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to take care of your body during pregnancy and beyond! Not only will it help relieve the common aches and pains that many women experience during pregnancy, it can help reduce the likelihood of experiencing some pregnancy related complications such as Gestational Diabetes or Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada recommends that all women without contraindications (complications as a result of pregnancy) engage in regular aerobic, strength and resistance training as part of a healthy pregnancy.

If you're still not certain, here are our favourite reasons to join a prenatal fitness class during your pregnancy:

1. Strengthen Your Body: During pregnancy, your body releases the hormone relaxin. Relaxin not only helps to prepare your body for labour, but it also makes your joints unstable. Our FITMOM2B prenatal fitness class incorporates strength training to improve your muscular balance and helping to prevent injuries that may arise in the late stages of pregnancy.

2. Adapted Circuit Training: Our FITMOM 2B class often includes circuits to help our pregnant mamas train their cardiovascular system, preparing them for the endurance of labour. Don't be afraid of the idea of circuit training during pregnancy! Have a peek at this video clip to see some of the things we might do.

3. Program Flexibility: Exercise during pregnancy is encouraged at anytime during your pregnancy. So, if you have already been active prior to becoming pregnant, you should continue to do so! Even if you haven't been very active before your pregnancy, you can still start now! The new guidelines encourage regular physical activity, including resistance training during any pregnancy where there are no contraindications. Our FITMOM2B program allows for women to begin classes at any time during her pregnancy. We offer modifications for all fitness levels and stages of pregnancy, so that you may work out at your own pace to build up stamina and strength as you progress through the program.

4. Exercising Safely: Advice not to train your abdominal muscles during pregnancy is one of the biggest prenatal exercise myths still around today. But don't listen to it, because it's not true! In fact, your abdominals are one of the top five muscle groups you should focus on strengthening during pregnancy, since they assist your uterus during the pushing phase of labour. The stronger they are, the more effective you will be when you are working to push your baby out. Some women experience a separation of their abdominal muscles during pregnancy, called diastasis recti. If this condition is present, you will need to modify the type of abdominal training you do. In some cases, you may need to abstain from abdominal work altogether, so it's important that you work with a fitness professional who is aware of this condition and has the knowledge to train pregnant women safely. Also remember that if you have weak core muscles, you are more likely to experience pelvic floor weakness or dysfunction in the short and long term. More great reasons to join a prenatal fitness class!

5. Preparing for Labour and Delivery: Women who are active and exercise regularly are better equipped to handle the physical demands of labour. For example, if you go into labour with no energy, you may find labour very tiring and painful, increasing the likelihood of an epidural. While it's completely acceptable for an epidural to be part of your birth plan, research shows that the earlier an epidural is introduced, the more likely it is that you may be subject to other interventions such as labour inducing drugs, restriction of movement and continual fetal monitoring, assisted vaginal delivery and cesarean birth. However, if you go into labour with more energy and a strong body, you will find it easier to walk, stand, lunge, squat and sway using gravity friendly and upright positions, helping the baby descend into the birth canal. This can result in a shorter labour since you will have the strength and stamina to help you cope.

Registration for FITMOM2B classes in Ottawa is ongoing, so you can register at a time that suits you. Join the motherhood, meet other women in your community and get fit & strong with your baby! For more information, please feel free to visit our website. We look forward to meeting you at a FITMOM class!