moms

Breastfeeding Moms Should Utilize These Self-Care Tips
  • Chase Jennings
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Breastfeeding Moms Should Utilize These Self-Care Tips
Breastfeeding Moms Should Utilize These Self-Care Tips 1920 1080 Chase Jennings

Self-care doesn’t always come easily, especially for new parents. As a breastfeeding mother, you may be feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or both, and that can make taking care of yourself extra difficult. When all your time and energy is focused on the baby, it’s easy to forget about your own needs, but there are some simple things you can do to prevent burnout. Joining the blog community is a great start, and you can find tons of great advice and tips for all things related to parenting as you browse my site.

Treat yourself to some new clothes

Motherhood comes with a lot of changes and they can take a toll on your body. Comfortable clothing is a must, especially in the first months after you give birth. Look for easy, breathable items that will allow you to keep your style, such as patterned leggings, tunics, and high-waisted underwear that smooths and flatters. You can also look for cute pajamas and loungewear for the early days after the baby comes when all you want to do is relax at home.

Create a portable well-station

While you’re home, it’s a good idea to set up a portable well-station that can be kept near your favorite chair or moved to different spots around the house when you breastfeed. This is a great way to create a little self-care even while you’re taking care of the baby’s needs. Your kit should hold lip balm, an extra burp cloth, nipple salve, baby wipes, and any other supplies you might need at arm’s length; I have compiled a group of wonderful products to try.

It’s also a good idea to keep a large cup of water nearby so you can stay hydrated; look for an insulated bottle that holds a good amount, and refill it throughout the day. This is an easy way to remember how much you’ve had to drink to ensure you’re getting enough fluids.

Eat right

Just as you need to make sure you’re getting enough water, you also need to eat enough of the right nutrients and calories while you’re breastfeeding. If you’re unsure of where to begin, talk to your doctor and work out a plan for your diet. It may be tricky at first to find the right balance, since losing weight too quickly can have a negative effect on your milk supply; however, you typically can’t go wrong with proteins and healthy fats, such as those found in nuts and avocados. Berries, green leafy vegetables, and seeds are also great for breastfeeding moms.

Stay connected

Having a newborn can be a bit restrictive when it comes to going out, especially for breastfeeding moms who are focused on getting into a routine. That’s why it’s so important to make an effort to stay connected to your friends and loved ones, who can offer support or just a kind ear as you get used to balancing everything. Consider using a video chat app on your phone to stay in touch with your family members and to give them updates on the baby’s growth and milestones; read reviews to find the best one for your device. This is a great way to get some facetime with the people you enjoy most if you’re not ready to get out and about.

Taking care of yourself when you have so many things to think about can be a challenge, but doing so will help you be the best parent you can be. Take moments of rest when you can find them, and pamper yourself in small ways throughout the day in order to recharge.

Attribution

Written by guest author, Karen Weeks

Photo via Pixabay

 

Bedtime Can Be Sweet, Not Stressful Thanks to Mommy’s Bliss
  • Chase Jennings
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Bedtime Can Be Sweet, Not Stressful Thanks to Mommy’s Bliss
Bedtime Can Be Sweet, Not Stressful Thanks to Mommy’s Bliss 1920 1080 Chase Jennings

Want mom to mom advice? You can trust Mommy’s Bliss to carry you through each stage of motherhood and parenting. They have you covered with pre and postnatal care supplements, babies and kids vitamins, medicines, and probiotics, and now a newly launched sleep product line for toddlers.

A couple months ago, I was introduced to the founders of the brand and after several conversations, I immediately knew the brand was one I wanted to partner with and endorse as an ambassador. I first learned about Mommy’s Bliss when my mom explained the benefits of gripe water, which we’ve been using for generations since key ingredients organic ginger extract and organic fennel extract are staple herbs in Indian home remedies. Ever since my twins were infants, I’ve been using Mommy’s Bliss gripe water to settle their tummies so they could sleep soundly, and I could too.

Gripe Water is where it all started for the family-owned company. It all started when Roshan Kaderali, a mom, pediatric nurse, midwife, and doula who had used Gripe Water to ease infant colic and fussiness for years while working in Scotland. When she moved to the U.S., she was astonished that the “magical” Gripe Water formula she relied on wasn’t available here. So she set out to create Gripe Water and Mommy’s Bliss was born. As the company grew, its mission hasn’t changed: help moms everywhere bond with their babies by creating effective, trusted products that incorporate wise ingredients from around the world.

Now, Roshan’s daughter Yasmin, who’s a mom of two, is at the helm as CEO. She grew up learning from her mom about the “miracle of life,” surrounded by the realities of childbirth and infant health through her mom’s maternity center. After attending college at the University of California, Davis, Yasmin spent two years living in Central America volunteering with programs focused on women and children’s human rights. Inspired to learn more and make a difference, Yasmin pursued an MPH & MBA and continued this work in the non-profit sector, and then was led back to @mommysbliss bringing fresh perspective as a new mom herself. Both Roshan and Yasmin share the dream of helping children and women all over the world to live in bliss, with food, good health, respected human rights and peace.

This year, Mommy’s Bliss launched a toddler sleep line because they truly believe in the importance of #bedtimebliss. It’s no surprise an ongoing challenge we face as parents is getting our kids to SLEEP. Regressions, routines, daylight savings, life in a pandemic! We often have to recalibrate so our little ones can fall asleep at the right time and have a restful night.

I interviewed Pediatric Sleep Expert Nicole Cannon, aka @sleepymamanj, to learn more about the science behind sleep. Nicole is a mom of 3 kids (ages 7, 5, & 3) with her 4th child on the way! Drawing from her expertise as a Maternity and Child Sleep Consultant as a member of the International Maternity Institute and Association of Professional Sleep Consultants, Nicole clears up misconceptions around sleep and explains how melatonin and cortisol affect our sleep cycles. On our podcast interview, we discuss how essential it is to have a bedtime routine in place and and review what to do on those days we’re thrown for a loop and need to call in the reinforcements. That’s where the new sleep line from Mommy’s Bliss comes into play with options for kids 3+ — a gummy, a chewable tablet or liquid — that all contain safe ingredients such as melatonin, magnesium and a bedtime bliss blend of organic chamomile, lemon balm and passionflower.

Some of the best quality time I have with my kids is when we’re reading books at bedtime. I love our conversations, the giggles, and witnessing their imagination take flight. Now that I have toddlers, circumstances are different and “sleeping through the night” varies. I’m glad that I have an arsenal of safe, natural, efficacious products when my kids are having an especially difficult time.

LINKS:

Use this link to save $3.00 on any (1) Mommy’s Bliss sleep product:
https://mommysbliss.com/sleep

Sweet dreams kiddos (and grown-ups too!)

 

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The Ultimate Gift Guide for New Moms
The Ultimate Gift Guide for New Moms 2560 1707 Chase Jennings

There’s so much changing for a new mom after the birth of their child that many people don’t think about outside of having a new human being to look after. For one, they often suffer from a severe lack of sleep given their baby’s sleep schedule and need to feed every few hours. Secondly, new moms’ bodies have just been through labor and need time to heal. Third, babies are unpredictable. Even with two active parents taking care of the newborn, there are endless unknowns as the baby grows and many anxious new parents can use all the help they can get!

We’ve created the following list to account for items that may not be on the baby registry but sure can help new moms and new parents in general ease into parenthood.

The Essentials

New parents might not know the ropes just yet unless they have close friends who have gone through the process and they bear witness to the things that worked well for them. Some common missed items are:

Nasal aspirator: Moms swear by it. This contraption sucks boogers out of a baby’s nose with your mouth. It sounds and looks disgusting to the non trained eye, but it is a safe, gentle way of keeping their baby’s nostrils clear to breath better at night.

A dual car seat and stroller: One of the best combinations to get so new parents can easily transfer their sleeping baby from the car to the stroller without struggling to unclip them from everything. Pick up the car seat and pop it in the stroller or vice versa. It’s that easy.

Breast-Feeding Cover: Baby needs to eat every few hours. It’s really impractical for moms to find a private room to breast feed when they are out and about. Instead, with this breast feeding cover, they no longer have to! This cover has an easy viewing window to see how baby is doing while keeping mom covered. It’s easy to put on and take off.

Infant Bouncer: These rockers rock! Babies often love constant movement to feel safe and be lulled to sleep. Help a new mom out with the gift of sleep while their baby sleeps safely clipped in.

Unisex Diaper Bag Backpack: Going anywhere with baby means carrying around a dozen items for changing, feeding, and the occasional milk puke. Be prepared with an easy to carry and go ergonomic diaper backpack that won’t weigh down one shoulder and comes with insulated bottle holders among other things like a built in changing pad.

Take a look at Instagifts.co for more lists specifically catered to new moms. If you swear by a product that isn’t on here, leave a note in the comments below and share!

Guest post by: InstaGifts

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022: Divya Gugnani — Makeup Made Simple for the Multitasking Mama
022: Divya Gugnani — Makeup Made Simple for the Multitasking Mama 1024 512 Chase Jennings

What is the #1 skincare issue that moms face? You guessed it. Dark under eye circles. We get little to no sleep when we’re taking care of our littles, and unfortunately, it shows up all over our face.

Have you seen the glam golden under eye mask patches that have gone viral on Instagram? Well, they’re by a brand called Wander Beauty, co-founded by serial entrepreneur Divya Gugnani and model Lindsay Ellingson.

Today, I am excited to be chatting with Divya Gugnani. She is a renaissance woman and has seen success in almost every industry. She brings 20 years of investment and entrepreneurial experience to her role as CEO and Co-Founder of Wander Beauty, which is a company focused on multitasking beauty essentials created with global inspiration. Launched in 2015 Wander Beauty has proven to be one of the fastest emerging brands in the country, with over 19 highly prestigious beauty awards under their belt, plus a loyal following of A-list celebrities, top journalists and notable beauty and style influencers.

Prior to that, Divya co-founded Send the Trend, an e-commerce site focused on personalized fashion and beauty, and sold it to QVC, where she focused on digital innovation. She has co-founded multiple companies after starting her career in I-banking and private equity. Divya is a self- proclaimed startup junkie, a food and fashion lover, as well as a beauty experimenter. She has appeared regularly on shows on CNBC, NBC and MSNBC. She has also been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, BusinessWeek, TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, to name a few. In addition to a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, Divya attended the French Culinary Institute.

As an exclusive promo for my listeners, enter promo code MOMSENSE for 20% off your next order at WanderBeauty.com

Tune In:

About My Guest:

Show Notes:

  • 01:20: Introduction
  • 03:25: How Divya got her start
  • 07:55: Taking initiative
  • 09:15: Where interest in food and fashion came from
  • 14:45: Classifying kids and how they surprise her
  • 17:30: Less is more
  • 19:30: Difficulty with nursing daughter
  • 20:53: Quote of the day: “If you talk, you’re just repeating what you already know. If you listen, you’re learning something new.”
  • 23:13: Mom Haul

Press:

Mom Haul:

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021: Pinkey Patel — The SnapBack – Myths & Misconceptions Busted!
021: Pinkey Patel — The SnapBack – Myths & Misconceptions Busted! 1024 512 Chase Jennings

You will never get your pre-pregnancy bod back after kids (your body will never be the same, but your life will be more full!) and we must understand that celebrities like Heidi Klum and Kate Middleton are anomalies. According to an article in Cosmopolitan, there are 9 realistic ways to snap back.

I am joined by Dr. Pinkey Patel, who knows all too well about what it truly means to “snap back” and has an app called exactly that – The Snap Back – Your Personal Postpartum Assistant. She is a Clinical Pharmacist with 8 years of experience in personal training, as well as a Pre and Post-Natal Corrective Exercise Specialist and is the founder of The SnapBack. She has an expressive three-year-old daughter who has inherited her strong will, love for books, and total inability to sit still. Aside from her full-time job and family, her passion lies in preparing women for birth, the postpartum period, and helping develop thriving moms and thriving babies.

As an exclusive promo for my listeners, enter promo code MOMSENSE20 for 20% off any package! Here’s how to do it.

  1. Head to app.thesnapback.com.
  2. Click Join Now, create and activate account.
  3. On the menu bar, select upgrade, select a premium plan & click “Try 7 days for free.”
  4. Apply the promo code: MOMSENSE20.
  5. Head to the App Store or Play Store and download the mobile App and login!

You may get these two questions frequently, here are the answers. 

For other questions, they can always go to www.thesnapback.com/FAQ 

  • Q: Can I use this promo code directly on the Apple and Google Play Store? 
  • A: The promo codes can only be applied on the website only (mobile devices are fine!). They can definitely download the App after to begin using!
  • Q: How late in postpartum can you use this?
  • A: YES! Once postpartum, always postpartum. Our workouts restore from the inside out and since recovery for the core and pelvic floor is often completely skipped, this is a great way to start or supplement to existing workouts. The mom/baby articles stop at 12 weeks, however the workout plan is 14 weeks for a vaginal delivery, and 16 weeks for a c-section delivery. 

Tune In:

Meet My Guest:

Press:

Show Notes:

  • 02:00 – Introduction
  • 04:08 – Taking a step back
  • 06:00 – The origination of Pinkey’s pregnancy passion
  • 09:34 – From pregnancy onwards
  • 14:30 – Nutrition
  • 19:41 – Number one question as a pharmacist
  • 23:01 – What to expect during post-partum recovery
  • 29:51 – Pre-pregnancy bodies
  • 31:21 – Incorporating nutritional reserve-backup diets
  • 37:41 – “Keep breastfeeding — you’ll lose the weight”
  • 43:01 – Nervous system control
  • 45:33 – A strategic recovery plan
  • 50:00 – Do what you can with what you have

Mom Haul:

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