Lime and Coconut Energy balls

Lime and Coconut Energy balls

Healthy pregnant or breastfeeding women need to get between 300 to 500 additional calories per day to meet their energy needs and support the healthy growth of their baby.

 

During pregnancy or while breastfeeding your baby, be sure to eat a variety of healthy foods.

 

What Nutrients Do Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women Need?

The essential nutrients (including protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fibre, foelate, healthy fats, iodine, iron, vitamin A, vitamin b6, b12, C and D)to help you and your baby thrive. They're found in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, dairy products, and lean meats.

 

Sometimes trying to get that extra bit of fuel is troublesome so once a week we are going to share a recipe for a snack or meal that can be ready to go. Breastfeeding is quite time consuming so having something ready to go to enjoy is super important to help keep the right fuel going in.

 

This week we are sharing one of our favourite energy balls that are refreshing and a great source of protein.

 

Lime and Coconut energy balls

 

INGREDIENTS

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Place the cashews in a food processor and mix until mostly broken down.
  • Add the dates and process until a dough forms.
  • Add the coconut and lime and process until well mixed.
  • Roll into balls and store in the fridge. Makes 15 balls.

 

Recipe from: Runningrealfood.com

It Takes A Village To Raise A Child....

It Takes A Village To Raise A Child....

Mums themselves need a village to help them overcome the joys, tears and frustrations of motherhood. It is sometimes other Mums going through the breastfeeding struggles or the lack of sleep from the teething child or the knowing acknowledgement of the temper tantrums that are constantly rearing their ugly heads.


Sometimes in those early days and months the mother just needs to know they are not alone, to have their confidence in their ability (and what they are doing) reassured or to share a extra large hot mug of coffee.


Recently in the UK Jennie from Snowdrops was featured in the manchester evening news for the simple and beautiful gesture that they did for Mums. Hundreds of inspiring notes have been left for Mums doing the school run ahead of Mother's Day. They've also been shared around cafes, shops and gyms in the town, with the aim of giving mums a boost and acknowledging what they do.


’In your child's eyes, you are super mum': Mothers find inspiring notes on the school run https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/mothers-day-cards-verses-handmade-16046569


This gesture is sometimes all Mums need to see or read to help them get through the struggles. Mother groups are a great place to support Mums as they cope with the newborn days, the early struggles of breastfeeding and so much more. The friendships and bonds formed in these groups can be life long though social media platforms now can offer a place for Mums to receive the village support needed to help raise our kids.


Maybe we all need to get on the bandwagon to provide a simple gesture to other Mums around us?
May 17, 2019 — Joanne Shepherd
Why Choose Nursing Activewear..

Why Choose Nursing Activewear..

Nursing or Breastfeeding is hard enough without having to coordinate the juggle of stripping clothes off or trying to hold up the top to access the breast. How exactly do you dress to make breastfeeding easy while still feeling confident about how you look?

 

Many new mums find themselves struggling to find clothes that make them look and feel good, but also allow easy access to breastfeed or pump. Luckily, nursing clothes have come a long way. That is why we put our creative juices into action so that you can find pieces you love to wear that are fully functional.

 

When you are sweaty from a gym class or exercising in public the last thing you want to do is try to wrestle with a normal crop whilst trying to appease the screaming/hungry baby.

 

The breastfeeding or nursing crops are designed for a one hand easy drop down action to allow for you to easy access the breast. The inner modesty panel allows for some coverage of the breast if feeding in public so that there is little need to cover yourself and the baby. Once the baby is attached to the breast the appearance is the same as if you are wearing a normal crop. 

 

Our nursing crops are also designed with a larger/sturdier underband to offer more support. The engineering of a supportive crop requires anchor points as well as the straps to harness/reign in the breasts or secure them. By having a band that is just large enough to offer a decent anchor point though not too big to make it impossible to get out of is our mission. As each collection is launched we try to offer a different aspect as we know that everyone is different some people have big breasts and a small rib cage or small breasts and a large back. We also know that each woman changes during the pregnancy and postnatal period so we are endeavouring to offer a big range of choices. With the new NAUTICAL nursing crop the back adjusts up to 3 sizes and the straps also adjust allowing for changes in the body to occur without having to purchase a new crop.

 

The breast size also changes when you are breastfeeding. Up until about the three month mark the breasts are quite engorged whilst the milk supply is establishing itself. Also before and after a breastfeed the size of the breast; as well as the shape changes. To allow for these changes the crops come with removable breast pads. By taking them out there is more space for the breast allowing for that slight difference.

 

An individuals activity or exercise choice also affects their choice in what they want from a crop. For our runners they prefer the sweetheart crop which offers more support and coverage with the razor back design, our yoga/pilates and weightlifting Mummas prefer the String It nursing crop whilst the Mums who like a little bit of everything go for the Nautical.

 

 

As you can see the science to designing a fashionable and functional nursing or breastfeeding crop is not so simple. The breasts are an ever evolving part of our bodies that changes with puberty, pregnancy, breastfeeding and after- MUMMACTIV’s mission has always been to provide fashionable and functional activewear to keep Mums stylishly active no matter what stage they are at. 

 

 

The Transition To Motherhood And Why So Many Struggle.

The Transition To Motherhood And Why So Many Struggle.

‘Motherhood is a period which one enters when she becomes a mother. A mother is a person who brings up a child/her offspring with care and affection.’

So why is it that so many woman struggle with the transition to motherhood. One minute they are leading the charge in a corporate office. Their lives revolves around scheduled meetings, intellectually conversations, email creation, dressing professionally, using their talents etc- the next they are dealing with vomit stained tracksuit pants because they were on the floor and the tiredness resulted in lack of energy to get chores done (and they were comfy), drinking cold coffee because their attention was taken off elsewhere, their schedule is now defined by someone else and this is unpredictable, their boobs are leaking milk at the most random times, the TV/social media becomes their best friend because it is just too hard to leave the house, human excretions become the norm and you become so oblivious to the fact you are cleaning up someone else's poo (where as before the office cubicles freaked you out due to lack of hygiene) a shopping trip is a half a day ordeal where as before the lunch time shopping trip was therapy and full of excitement as you bought items to cloth yourself (now every spare cent gets spent on the kids outfits and you are still wearing your hyper colour tshirt from the 80’s).

 

It is real and the transition to motherhood is tough. You spend 9 months of the pregnancy getting prepared for the pending arrival but do you really know what is about to hit you until the moment actually comes?

 

The lose of identity is one of the biggest factors in this transition to motherhood. Once upon a time they were defined by their career or being a scientist, teacher, nurse etc and now they are just a ‘mother’. This transition can be such a shift that it negatively effects the newborn experience. There is nothing wrong with feeling like that as the transition and shift is so great. There are huge physiological and psychosocial changes as she transitions into the motherhood role. She also has to reestablish relationships and works to meet the physical and emotional needs of her infant plus, herself and other family members. Woman are also vulnerable to health problems as well as the hormonal shift in the postpartum period.

 

Here are our top 10 tips to coping with this transition into your new journey as a mother:

 

 

  1. Identify positive coping strategies
  2. Establish a good social network- mother group, family or like minded Mums in a similar situation
  3. Set up realistic expectations- it is not the achievable to have a spotless house and care for a newborn, plus have a meal on the table every night etc etc. Realise what is achieveable- set the bar low and then the rest is a bonus.
  4. Have a good support crew that understands the demands of being a mum and can anticipate your needs and help to step in when needed.
  5. Avoid isolation- it becomes easy to spend extended periods of time alone with the baby inside the four walls of your house, it becomes easy to lose perspective and confidence. With more times that passes the social interactions become harder and you lose the ability to socialise. 
  6. Have a sense of self beyond your children- this will allow you to feel half normal! By ostracising yourself and ceasing the activities you once enjoyed your well-being will suffer- even though you may think it is selfish to do something for you it is oh so important.
  7. Trust your gut- you are an expert of your own child. Develop confidence in your abilities. You are the one who spends 24/7 with the baby and know their cries/routines/habits etc. 
  8. Accept that life is different now- pace of life, perception from others , ability to get stuff done etc will all turn on its head. Be okay with it and know it is just a phase. 
  9. Establish a routine of some description. Human beings need some sort of routine- even those that say they don't have a routine actually do. At bedtime we have a routine, getting out of bed in the morning we have a routine etc so by setting up a loose schedule of times allows structure to be placed around the day. Changing things up from time to time also helps to break up monotony. 
  10. Become an optimist- remember you can not control everything especially the needs of a baby so just because you want to sleep at 9:30 doesn't mean they want to- or that visit to Aunty GeeGee well it doesn't always go the way you may want it too so accept, laugh it off and know that tomorrow is a new day. (And you can not control everything!)

The transition is tough so be kind and gracious and reach out if you are struggling x

Breastfeeding And Exercise

Breastfeeding And Exercise

Breastfeeding and Exercise-

What Helped Third time Around…

 

It is some belief that exercise effects milk supply and quality but according to the Australian Breastfeeding Association this is not true:

 

Some research has looked at the level of lactic acid (a by-product of high intensity exercise) in mothers’ breastmilk after exercise. While lactic acid can increase in breastmilk following maximal exercise (exercising to the extreme of exercise intensity), mild or moderate exercise does not cause lactic acid to increase in breastmilk and does not affect a baby taking the milk. Since most mothers only wish to exercise to a moderate intensity to lose weight, and improve/maintain fitness and general wellbeing, most would say that maximal exercise is not relevant anyway. Regardless, there is no evidence to suggest that breastmilk with increased lactic acid levels harms a baby in any way.

Moderate exercise does not affect:

·         breastmilk supply

·         important immune factors in breastmilk (SIgA, lactoferrin, and lysozyme)

·         major minerals in breastmilk (calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and sodium)

·         major nutrients in breastmilk (fat, protein, lactose) or energy density.”

 

Whilst breastfeeding my first and second I did struggle to breastfeed and felt that I didn't have enough as the baby was crying (a lot) and always wanting to feed leading to this belief. At the time I felt that it was my training that was interfering with the supply/quality. Upon researching this myth has now been dispelled.

 

 

The Bump (www.thebump.com) sums it up beautifully with the below 3 main points: 

1. “Exercise won't hurt your milk supply. As long as you maintain a healthy diet, your milk supply should not be affected by exercise. Your body burns about 500 calories per day to produce the milk your baby needs. If you are exercising a lot, you have to make up for the extra calories expended.”

 

2. “It won't change the taste, either. Some old wives tales caution against too much exercise because it makes your milk sour so that babies won't want to feed. It turns out there may be some truth to that belief. Studies have shownthat lactic acid levels in breast milk are significantly elevated for up to 90 minutes after maximal exercise, which may adversely alter the flavour of the milk. The good news is that there is no such elevation in lactic acid levels after moderate activity.  So as long as you keep your aerobic exercise in the 80% of maximal heart rate range, your baby won't notice a difference. Since you may sweat while working out, be sure to shower or at least wipe off your nipples or they may taste salty!”

 

3. “Your breast milk is still as nutritional as ever—even after a workout.Studies show that exclusively breastfed babies of moms who exercise regularly grow just as robustly as those whose moms are sedentary. Those bonus immune-boosters in breast milk don't seem to be altered with moderate exercise either. Another study showed that women who performed moderate aerobic exercise for 30 minutes three times per week had the same levels of the immune-boosting compounds in breast milk as those who didn't exercise, and, not surprisingly, those women exhibited higher levels of cardiovascular fitness.”

 

Third time around I have discovered the awesome products by Milk and Nourish. They now have 4 products in their range including pre-made cookies, lactation cookie mix, milk booster capsules and mummy milk powder. What makes their products so special is that they contain “galactagogues” which are substances that promote lactation. The brewer's yeast, wheat germ, flaxseed meal and whole oats in lactation products are what specifically help with a lactating mother's milk supply. For those health conscious Mums amongst us, or Mums who try to hit macros the capsules are the way to go as they are gluten free, vegan friendly and contain little calories. They may seem small but they are jammed packed full of lactogenic ingredients, all enclosed in a vegetable gum capsule, to take anywhere anytime making it easy for the Mum on the GO. Adding these to the morning Vitamin taking regime is a no brainer and I was sceptical at first but after giving them a try they really do help the flow to flood. I certainly know now when I don’t take them. 

Another key factor in keeping on top of a good supply has been the conscious effort to drink more water. There is no evidence to state there drinking a lot of water will increase the supply the problem is that when you are a new mum, you often forget to take care of yourself while you are so immersed in taking care of the baby. I try to drink a glass of water whenever sitting down to nurse or straight after. I also endeavour to drink a glass of water before and immediately after exercising or throughout the session.

 

The last but not least point is wearing a supportive nursing crop due to your trusty pre-pregnancy sports bras not cutting the mustard anymore. Your boobs are probably bigger, not to mention more sensitive. Easy access for your baby is now also a must—something that most traditional sports bras don’t build into their designs.