Prepare for Pregnancy with Berries

You probably know that folates are important.

They are important from the moment of insemination through the full pregnancy and breastfeeding.

If a pregnant women has folic acid deficient this poses a number of risk for the infant:

• low birth weight
• premature birth
• neural tube defects
• slow overall growth rate

Raspberries are great:

1. They taste fantastic
2. They give you the folate you need for both you and your baby
3. They contain zinc which support male fertility

On top of this raspberries contain a whopping 10 times more antioxidants than tomatoes.

Another great source of folic acid is beetroot.

2 Things You Must Know If You Ever Want To Get Pregnant

Fats are probably more important than you ever thought. Wrong fats can cause infertility, premature birth and brain development of your future baby. Read on and I will let you know how avoid the most common hazards.

Read the labels and avoid trans fats
Trans fats are hydrogenated oils. They are so unnatural that livers can not process nor break them down. Instead they are stored in our bodies where they cause a lot of damage. One this you must know is that they can make you infertile.

Trans fats can prevent women from ovulating. According to American Journal of Clinical Nutrition tiny 2% increase of trans fats in your diet causes a terrifying 70% higher risk of becoming infertile. The study compared an intake of trans fats compared to carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fats or monounsaturated fats and in all cases the infertility rose with 70% or more.

Trans fats are widely used in processed foods. But I find that if I read the labels on the food I buy I almost always find a good, similar product without them. There are cookies with and without trans fats. There are soups with and without trans fats.

It might seem a bit tedious to read the labels on every product you buy but it’s really only the first time. The second time you buy a product you already to which brand you chose last time. Just pick the same one!
And if you want to get pregnant, can you afford not to do this?

On to the next..

Eat Omega-3

Omega-3 is a fatty acid that we can not do without. The balance between omega3 and omega-6 is what really counts to stay healthy. The problem is that today our foods are filled with omega-6 (most vegetable oils and soy) but contain very little omega-3 (cold water oily fish and flax seeds). An optimum diet contains equal amount of omega-3 and omega-6. Most of us have a diet that contains 50 times more omega-6 some even 1000.

If you are pregnant omega-3 is crucial for both your and your baby’s health. Low levels of omega-3 have been linked to:

• increased risk of premature birth
• postnatal depression

For your baby, the last 3 months of the pregnancy and the first year, its brain development is at its peak. Studies have shown that infants who have low amounts of the omega-3 acid DHA in their diet have lower brain development and reduced visual acuity.

Babies are supposed to get their omega-3 from their mothers during pregnancy and, after birth, through breastfeeding. The question is do you have enough omega-3 stored in your body for both yourself and your baby?
A random test with pregnant Swedish women showed that NONE of them got sufficient omega-3 through their diets.

The recommendations used to be to eat cold water oily fish once a week. But with our current diet more and more experts are saying that this is not enough. Some even recommend 4-5 times a week. And do you know what? I don’t even manage with once a week.
So what do I do? I supplement. Eskimo-3 is my personal choice, because it is of very good quality, it is stable and it is natural.

This concerns any women who would like to get pregnant sometime in their life. Make sure you avoid trans fat and that your diet contains enough omega-3.

How to remove diaper rash

Most babies suffer from diaper rash at some point. My youngest daughter started developing a rash when she was just 3 days old.

Some people think that diaper rash is part of being a baby but I don’t think that we as parents should settle for that. After all a baby who does not wear a diaper does not develop a diaper rash.
Here are some really great ways to heal and avoid diaper rash.

Can the cause be in diapering?

1. Do not use wipes, they are full of chemicals, instead wash your baby with plain water.
2. Change often, especially after bowels movement. Modern disposable diapers are so absorbent that the babies don’t get wet and you might feel that you don’t need to change.
3. Do not use perfumed lotions or salves.
4. Leave the diaper off as much as possible. Put the changing mat on the floor with a cloth diaper or towel on top and lay your baby down without a diaper, bottoms up. Make sure your baby does not get cold. To air out the rash is not just good for the diaper rash; your baby will love it. It’s comfortable and it’s much easier to move around.

Or maybe the cause is in the diapers themselves.
Disposable diapers are loaded with chemicals, perfumes and gel. The cause of the rash may very well be in the diapers.

1. Try a different brand of diapers.
   That’s how easy it can be to get rid of the rash sometimes. If your baby is sensitive to a chemical in one diaper a different brand might not contain that chemical.
2. Try gel-free diapers.
   The absorbent gel is said to be one of the biggest reasons that babies develop a diaper rash. The gel is so absorbent that it removes the water not only from the waste but also from your baby’s skin.
3. Use cloth diapers.
   I have 3 kids and still I’m a fan of cloth diapers.
   If you buy second hand or organic cloth diapers you are sure that your baby is not rapped in chemicals anymore. Using cloth diapers is easy especially if you use fitted diapers. There is no folding involved, simply put on a diaper and a diaper cover.
4. Try infant potty training.
   The ultimate way to get rid of diaper rash is of course to get rid of diapers. If your baby is less than 6 months it is well worth a try. My daughter actually peed the very first time I put her on the potty, she was then 2 months old. I did not get her potty trained that early. I simply found that infant potty training was not for me. But we found our own solution. Every time I changed her I also put her on the potty. This saved us the rash causing poop diapers as she decided to do her “heavy” needs on the potty.

Back in shape, I’ve done it!!!

Woohooo I’m thrilled.

I fit in my normal pre-pregnancy clothes.

The changes I have done to succeed are so small I can’t believe I got results.

• I eat less candy and empty calories, and less food at night.
• I run a bigger part of the way when I bring and pick my kids from school.

It’s not far so even if I run all the way it still won’t take me more than 10 minutes. But that is not the point. The point is that my hopelessly unfit body is slowly waking up. I’ve come to enjoy the walks so much I take an extra 30 minute walk on my way back in the morning. After such a long walk my baby daughter is fast asleep and usually sleeps of another 2-3 hours. This gives me a lot of precious time to do what I want.

I’ve also adjusted the WAY I eat. I try not to stuff myself with too much food as it only makes me crave something sweet after dinner. And I eat slowly. With 3 kids under 5 it can be hard to eat slowly and enjoy your food but when it works I really feel a difference. Read more about how to eat to get the most out of your food.

By not expecting fast results I was able to take a relaxed approach to improving my wellness. I’ve tried changing different things and only continued with what felt good. This way I managed to stay focused without feeling that my getting fit program was a burden. Instead it has made me more energized and made me feel much healthier. My daughter is now 2,5 months old. My body feels fine and I fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes. Not bad.

Do you need a little more guidance?
Try this program!

Back in shape, one week later

It’s now exactly one week after I started my get back in shape after pregnancy program. It has been quite ok. You can of course no expect any major results after a week. The big question is did I actually manage to implement the program.

Walking is great. My sons (3 and 4-years old) are on their bikes while I walk with the baby in the stroller. The boys are pretty fast on their bikes so I end up jogging more than just walking.

The yoga exercise sun salutation did not work as well. It is perfect for my back, shoulders etc but it gave me afterpains. It is now 5 weeks since I gave birth and the afterpains stopped after a week or two. To do an exercise that makes them come back doesn’t really feel right. Instead I simply contract my stomach muscles regularly, while I watch TV, breastfeed or sit in the car. It feels like a good start.

Changing my eating habits has been much easier than I expected. I made sure there is no candy in the house and I’ve been drinking a lot of water in the evenings. Whenever I feel like eating something I know I shouldn’t I drink I big glass of water. It works wonders! Watching less TV also works really great for me since I always feel like putting something in my month when I watch TV. Less TV also helps me to go to bed early. And I don’t eat when I sleep plus I get more of the rest that I so desperately need.

As a summary I think the last week has been good. Feel really motivated to continue.

Getting back in shape after pregnancy

I loose my breath after walking one block, my clothes don’t fit and my stomach feels like jello. It’s definitely time to take action.

4 weeks ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. It’s absolutely wonderful to have a baby but it’s also great to finally be able to move again. At the end of the pregnancy I felt big and heavy and I was in quite a lot of pain. The last 2 weeks I could hardly walk.

So now it’s such a relief not to have to carry all that extra weight around. Still I’m sooo out of shape and I’m really longing to fit into my normal clothes again. So I need a plan and I’ve decided to:

1. Slowly, slowly start exercising.
2. Get rid of my bad eating habits.

I’m going to start my exercises by walking and doing yoga. I have to bring my sons to school every morning and pick them up in up in the afternoon so I’m going to walk to school. If I walk an extra block to two I’ll easily end up walking 30-40 minutes twice a day. That’s a good start.

Then the yoga. I love yoga it is wonderful how the tension leaves your body when you exercise. I’ll start slowly with a daily sun salutation. Since I’m pretty bad at changing my habits I should probably say at least 5 days a week.

Last but on least, changing my eating habits. Brrr, I eat too much candy and I’ve noticed that I still eat something before going to bed. I needed to eat just before bedtime during my pregnancy otherwise I’d wake up hungry in the middle of the night. But now, there is absolutely no need for it. So from now on I can only eat candy during weekends and after dinner (that I preferably should eat before 6 PM) I can only have water, herbal tea and fruit.

Sound like a plan. Will I manage? We’ll see.

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