It's a boy!! The truth of the after birth effects.

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It's a boy!! We all love the arrival of a healthy little bub, it's thrilling and ever so exciting but often the pain and the changes of a womans body is rarely talked about. We just don't talk about the after effects of birth.

I'm here to tell you, its not so glamorous and can be painful for a while. I have the philosophy of telling my patients that over the next 3 months - consider them your fourth trimester. Rest, Recuperate and Recover.

When I had my first baby, my friends couldn't believe that my tummy was still full - they visited 14 hours after the birth! I too was slightly surprised that it was still protruding 3 months later! Yes it can take that long and this is the reason that I now support the use of a belly wrap. I used a belly wrap after the birth of my second son, it was amazing and assisted my uterus retracting back into my abdomen very quickly, I looked back to 'normal' in weeks.

The pain and discomfort after birth, where do I start; vagina, breasts, bottom, tummy everything is painful, you have just birthed (on average) a 3.5kg baby and placenta. I was in pain after my first birth for four weeks, it was incredible. Mind you I had a relatively good first labor experience; 6 hours, no drugs, natural birth - how could I be in so much after pain! Let me tell you I was.

Image The Age

There is pain when your milk comes in, your breasts swell and fill. There's also nipple pain, the Australian Breastfeeding Association say that there should be no pain when breastfeeding, and they are right to a degree, but initially you have never had anyone suckle from your nipples as much as your newborn and it irritates the skin and is a new sensation. Relax in the comfort of your own home, braless, use some nipple cream if needed. Drink plenty of water and keep hydrated.

The uterus starts retracting when you start feeding your baby and for some women this again is painful and uncomfortable, I'm not making it sound too good but I'm re-enforcing the need to Rest, Recover and Recuperate.

And then there are the 'baby blues', your bodies hormones drop and the tears flow. This can occur around day three after birth or later. Sometimes the blues can turn into post-natal depression, don't be scared if you can't connect with your baby there is support. Speak to someone close to you, or contact PANDA. 

Rest, Recover and Recuperate. If you were lucky enough to live in some villages in China, you would recover for 3 months in bed and bond with your gorgeous baby when he or she needed feeding. Motherhood is really a beautiful experience but we all need to respect our bodies and recover. Eat well, rest, drink, love and laugh, I've written before about my tips for new mums here.

Most of all give your self a BIG pat on the back, you've just grown and birthed a beautiful little human - CONGRATULATIONS.

Meditation

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This year has been one of my busiest ever; baby number 2 arrived, I went back to work, we're renovating, a quick trip overseas, breastfeeding, raising two children and of course all the daily tasks and chores that need to be addressed to maintain our lives - shopping, cleaning, cooking, washing, breathing! 
My blog has suffered and I have been lucky to write a post a month! But in the back of my mind I've kept hearing myself telling me to MEDITATE. In fact some days it was screaming at me - just MEDITATE. I just kept thinking for me to achieve all of this and calm the chaos in my mind, if only I took the time to meditate.  But of course ask any busy mum, working woman or living soul - they often reply 'but I don't have time'. And of course we all know that this is the time that we really need to break away from the pack and do that, that we don't have time for.
So with thanks and gratitude to Mel from Soul Wellness and of course Deepak Chopra, I am halfway through the 21 Day Meditation Challenge. It is great - thank you thank you thank you.

First of all;

• It's the beginnings of a new habit
• It's making me take well needed time for myself
• And it's only 15 minutes a day

And of course, there are studies and trials that endorse the daily act of meditating. Trials have even demonstrated physical changes in peoples blood pressure and stress levels, improving cardiovascular health! Reducing anxiety, improving concentration, improving ones sense of self love, and improving depression.

Once upon a time, along time ago, I use to meditate, daily, everymorning. It was bliss, to sit and let my thoughts wash over me or through me and let things go. It was peaceful. It was beautiful, and I felt like a better person for it. I was able to turn off what I called the 'junk mail' and begin my days fresh and clear. So hopefully through the challenge that I have begun, I will be able to restore and old welcomed habit.

Do you mediate? And what form do you use?

The BIG C – cancer!

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Cancer is a scary topic. People are scared of cancer because of the many unknown variables, it’s a sickness that is deemed to have no cure, it’s an illness that puts stresses on families and relationships and potentially equates to the loss of a loved one.

Cancer is a growing concern in our modern world, there is a cancer that is related to each and every system within our body, some are curable, some are more manageable than others and some are unfortunately fatal.

The one thing that all cancers have in common is the need to support the cancer sufferer and the family of the sufferer. Through Naturopathic medicine this support maybe achieved by taking on a holistic approach and treating the whole; mind, body, senses. As naturopathic practitioners we are able to assist the patient and their family by treating the stresses that are caused, by giving them both mental and medicinal support, we can work alongside their GP and their oncologist. We have the tools and knowledge to support the cancer patients diet through nutrition and by using herbal medicines as food.

Naturopathic practitioners take on a holistic role, empowering the patient and supporting their general wellbeing, potentially making life a little easier to manage when diagnosed with such a disease.  Naturopathic practices are able to support emotions such as feelings of depression, overwhelment and the loss of sense of self, support proper liver function, and possibly assist the bodies elimination channels, assist proper digestive function, assist tiredness and fatigue and also help address other cross over symptoms from traditional conventional treatments.

I've recently attended the latest Integrative Care and Support of Cancer Patients as a Naturopath I'm happy to discuss cancer support with you.

Here’s a list of key foods for you to try and that may assist in you living better with cancer.

Organic Fruit and Vegetables – are higher in Phytochemicals than conventionally grown fruits and vegies. Especially try Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Carrots, Leeks, Cauliflower, Apples

Also, as they have not been sprayed with pesticides and chemicals they have built up their own resistance to bugs and insects by trying to protect themselves from being eaten!!

Green tea (organic of course) – is high in good anti-oxidants which is associated with better clinical outcomes

Tumeric – Some studies show that turmeric may help fight infections and some cancers, reduce inflammation, and treat digestive problems. It acts as an anti-inflammatory support and may support cell cycle regulation.

Reduce sugar intake – studies have observed that cancers may rely on sugar, so by eliminating or reducing sugar can only be of benefit.

Essential Fatty Acids = Good fats – they may come in the form of healthy fish, and other easily obtained EFA including seeds and nuts

Maintaining your normal exercise routine is also an important key factor in living with cancer. And of course, taking one day at a time.

Magnesium an elemental mineral - what's it good for?

Magnesium in our community is an underrated mineral. I have just had a client tell me that she thinks it has changed her life! I also love Magnesium. And seemingly everyone else should – I remember one of my university lecturers saying the food with the most amount of magnesium in our trolley is usually in the block of chocolate!

Most of us know that magnesium is specific for our Musclo-skeletal system, it helps our muscles relax, and restores and repairs them after we work out, it helps ease our aches and pains. We use magnesium to prevent muscle spasms, twitches, convulsions and tremors.

The secondary action of Magnesium and I feel it’s most important – it works on our nervous system. It helps maintain healthy nerve function; aids nerve transmission, and ultimately helps our brain function properly. It helps us deal with stress and is involved in aiding cellular energy production.

It is very difficult to get the recommended daily intake of magnesium from our foods, various reasons being - the content of magnesium in our soil is often low, processing and milling removes 60% of magnesium stores and cooking in water also causes leaching.

Food sources that include Magnesium are:

• Leafy greens; Spinach
• Nuts: Almonds, cashews
• Soyabeans: non GM is best
• Whole grains, oatmeal, bran
• Milk and dairy; Natural yoghurt

Symptoms magnesium can treat:

• Muscle cramps, aches and pains
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue
• Depression
• Anxiety
•  Irritability
• Sleep disturbances and Insomnia
• Stress
• PMS and period pain
• Pregnancy; prematurity and prevent intrauterine growth retardation
• Cardio-vascular health

One third of Australians over 18 years do not get their recommended daily intake of magnesium and a deficiency may be exacerbated by stress, strenuous exercise and poor absorption. It is best to use a practitioner range of magnesium because it is formulated properly and will prevent you from having gastro-intestinal cramps and loose stools.