"Cynthya was our doula for the birth of our third child in April 2016. As this was my third birth, and I had been attended to by a doula at the first two, I knew that finding the right doula was crucial to a successful and satisfying birth." - Winter Wheeler-Young
7 Key Ingredients to a Good Night’s Sleep for Your Newborn
Sleeping and getting your baby on a schedule are two of the most common subjects parents seem to have questions about. I recommend you start your baby on a predictable routine between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Additionally, here are 7 tips to helping your baby get a good night's rest.
Sleeping and getting your baby on a schedule are two of the most common subjects parents seem to have questions about. There are many scheduling options and philosophies on how to get your baby to sleep through the night. Read on to learn our tips.
I recommend you start your baby on a predictable routine between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Here are 7more tips for helping your baby get a good night's rest.
Create a daily routine. Be sure you are feeding your newborn every 2-3 hours during the day to ensure baby is getting enough calories during the day and not wanting those calories at night. Every 2-3 hours means from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. For example, if baby ate at 7am, he would need to start eating again between 9am and 10am.
Wake baby to feed during the day if it’s been longer than 3 hours since the start of the last feeding. This may be contrary to the advice you’ve heard of “never wake a sleeping baby”, but if you leave your baby to do a long stretch of sleep during the day, you will not get that long stretch to be at night.
Purchase a sound machine to keep on during naps and nighttime sleep. Conair Sound Therapy found on Amazon is an inexpensive, great sound machine that does the trick. Be sure to have it 2-3 feet from baby’s crib and turned up loud enough so you can close the nursery door and still hear it when you are standing on the outside of the door. Note: Be sure the timer button on the side is OFF.
Swaddle tightly with both arms down to baby’s sides. Swaddling turns off the “moro” (startle) reflex and flailing arms, creating a more calm and restful baby. Not sure how to swaddle? Check out our super easy swaddling technique below.
Choose a designated bedtime for baby between 7:00pm and 8:00pm. Putting baby in bed early will ensure he does not get overtired or overstimulated.
After putting your baby to bed at the designated time, treat all subsequent feedings through the night as nighttime feedings. This means the feedings should be done in as much darkness as possible with the least amount of stimulation possible. You want baby to realize nighttime is for sleeping and daytime is for interacting.
Once baby has reached its original birthweight and the doctor has said it is ok to no longer wake baby at nighttime for feedings, allow baby to wake on his own for the nighttime feedings. This will help baby establish his own body’s circadian rhythm and pattern instead of creating a habit of being woken every 3 hours throughout the night.
Bookmark this article for future reference and if you've found these tips useful, please share this post with other new parents. I hope this helps you jumpstart your way to having the happiest baby on the block and a restful night's sleep.
How Often You Should Feed Your Baby
Ever heard people say "never wake a sleeping baby"? I'm here to tell you that is a myth. Learn how to promote the best feeding and sleeping patterns by following these general feeding tips for newborns.
Never wake a sleeping baby!!
You've heard people say this, right? I'm here to tell you it is a myth. Learn how to promote the best feeding and sleeping patterns by following these general feeding tips for newborns.
What Every Female Runner Should Know Postpartum
Whether you were a running before you had a baby or not, running is an attractive exercise option for moms. It is much easier to lace up your shoes run out the door than going to a gym.
by Dr. Kate Mihevc Edwards
I am a mom, a runner and a triathlete. I have the benefit of being a physical therapist (PT) that specializes in treating runners and triathletes and I work in an office with two knowledgeable pelvic health PTs. My son just turned one and I, too, am still re-learning my body. Over and over I have heard friends and patients talk about wearing a pad when they run because of leaking or getting a stress fracture while they are breastfeeding. I hear about how exhausted they are how hard they are working to get their abs back to pre-pregnancy form.
In 2013, Running USA reported that female runners are at an all time high with 8.6 million female race finishers nationwide and females accounting for 56% of all race finishers. With over 4 million babies born in the U.S. each year, I wonder how many of these women have had babies and how many have had questions about how to return to running after their babies.
Whether you were a running before you had a baby or not, running is an attractive exercise option for moms. It is much easier to lace up your shoes run out the door than going to a gym. For me, running is a gift; it allows me a few minutes of alone time as well as some needed freedom by taking my son with me on the run. A recent study even found that women who ran while breastfeeding had a significantly lower incidence of postpartum depression.*
It is difficult to find information or resources for women when we return to running or start running postpartum. Most women have no idea where to start, what to expect, how their body should feel and what is/isn’t normal. By addressing these issues and educating ourselves and others about how our bodies change during the months after childbirth, we can significantly reduce the potential for injury.
Things I’ve learned along my journey back to running
Don’t start running too soon! Believe me I wanted to run as soon as possible, I bargained with myself nearly every day, but in the end I took the advice of one of my colleagues and waited 8 weeks. I was very glad I did. Friends of mine that did not wait long enough have had a more difficult time finding their stride and a few have even been injured. A recent article reported one quarter of the women in their study resumed running two or fewer weeks postpartum.* The body is undergoing rapid, tremendous change during the first 2-6 months postpartum. Starting too soon may put you at risk for injury.
I recommend you consult 2 professionals before returning to running:
Your Physician. Your Ob/Gyn will be able to tell you whether your body is healing appropriately and whether it is safe to return to running. Women who deliver vaginally may be able to return to running sooner than those who undergo a Cesarian Section.
A Pelvic Health Physical Therapist. I did this and suggest all of my friends to do this too. Being a PT I knew how important it was and wanted to go right away, but was told to wait until approximately 6-8 weeks postpartum. Even though I am a PT and know my body very well I still learned so much. Your therapist will be able to assess how your muscles are functioning and can guide you on how to return to exercise safely. The pelvic floor is the “floor of your core.” By keeping this muscle strong and functioning well, it will help you stay injury free. If it is not working then it will set you up for issues later on.
Returning to running after a baby is hard.
You are exhausted, you are heavier, and your breasts hurt. I had to run with two sports bras just to be comfortable. No matter what kind of runner you were before your munchkin was born take it easy on yourself. Your body did an amazing thing; give it a break. You will get there.
I have completed several triathlons, 14 marathons including 3 Boston marathons under my belt. When I started running again I was so excited and defeated all at once. I was running again, yet I ran 4:00 minutes/mile slower than usual, for a long time. Almost a year later, and still breastfeeding, my feet are beginning to move quickly again. It is okay to pace yourself, go slow and work your way back to your pre-pregnancy PR. Enjoy the time you have to exercise and all the benefit it brings; the speed will come.
“Leaking is common, but NOT normal.”
This is one of my favorite quotes from a colleague of mine, Blair Green, PT who specializes in treating woman and the pelvic floor. When I went to my postpartum yoga class everyone was talking about how they would pee accidentally. I couldn’t believe how common and accepted this was. Of course I was the obnoxious one screaming NO! It is not okay! I gave out a lot of Blair’s business cards and got a lot of words of thanks later.
If you are leaking when you cough, sneeze, jump or run make an appointment with a local pelvic health PT. There is no reason you should just deal with this. A good pelvic health PT can screen your musculoskeletal system and identify areas of impairment in muscle length, strength and function that may be holding you back from full return to running.
You are at higher risk for stress fractures when you are breastfeeding.
I tell you this so that you are aware. It makes sense - you are producing food for another human. Your body will choose to make milk over maintaining your bone health. You need to make sure you are getting enough calories and not running too much too soon.
It is far worse to get a stress fracture and not be able to run than it is to ease into running and stay healthy. Believe me you do not want to be in a walking boot trying to chase a toddler or carrying a baby in a car seat.
Have you ever heard of a diastasis recti?
Essentially it is a split in the abdominal wall muscles. Some women have them and do not realize it and for others it is very noticeable. If you feel a vertical gap between your abs at, above, or below your belly button, especially when engaging your abdominals it is possible you have one. There have been studies that link having a diastasis to stress incontinence in women even years after having their babies.**
Doing sit-ups and a lot of abdominal exercises can make this condition worse, not better. Again this is another issue that can be addressed by a PT and possibly a knowledgeable Pilates instructor. If you choose to try and address this with Pilates it is important that your instructor truly understands and has experience working with postpartum women with diastasis. It would be ideal that your PT clear you to participate in Pilates first.
Maintaining good running form while pushing a stroller is extremely difficult.
I help people improve their running form all day long, everyday and it is still difficult for me to push the stroller with good form. Ideally, you want to do your best to maintain a fairly normal stride and good posture.
Try not to lean forward from the hips when pushing the stroller in front of you. I notice this happens more when people are going uphill. Think about keeping your rib cage stacked over your pelvis and breathing for optimal stability. If you are pushing the stroller with two hands hold onto the handle on the outside edge in order to keep you thumbs towards the sky and elbows towards the ground. If you are pushing with one arm and swinging the other be sure to switch back and forth between sides periodically.
The bottom line is in order to carry, deliver and nourish a child, your body has to change and adapt. These changes can affect your running and put you at risk for injury but they don’t have to if you are aware of the common issues postpartum women face. So next time you hear your friend talking about peeing when they run or her say she is still breastfeeding but wants to get back to her 30-40 miles/week ASAP talk about it- the more we talk about the common issues women have the more “normal” it is to address them. My goal is always to keep runners running. Be smart and utilize your resources around you. Running has been shown to improve mood, cognition and has extensive health benefits, so keep running ladies! I hope to see you out there looking strong and kicking butt as you push your BOB or double BOB up those hills!
References:
*Tenforde, A.S., et al (2015) Running Habits of Competitive Runners During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding. Sports Health a Multidisciplinary Approach, 7(2) 172-176.
**Spitznagle TM, Leong FC, van Dillen LR 2007 Prevalence of diastasis recti abdominis in a urogynecological patient population. Int Urogynecology
Dr. Edwards is a Physical Therapist that specializes in treating runners and triathletes. She is the co-founder of Precision Performance Consulting LLC where she performs comprehensive running analysis for runners of all ages and abilities. She is an adjunct professor in the Emory University Physical Therapy School of Medicine and works as a Physical Therapist at Back 2 Motion Physical Therapy in Atlanta, GA.
4 Things To Do Now For a Healthier Postpartum
Whether it’s your first or fifth baby, here are four things you can do NOW to prep for a healthy jumpstart postpartum.
by guest blogger, Amanda Bifulco, health coach, yogi and mom (also a client of The Happiest Doulas)
I’ve found that clients struggle the most with staying on top with health goals when they aren’t prepared. Start preparing now for the healthiest postpartum you can create. Your body, and your baby, will thank you. Whether it’s your first or fifth baby, here are four things you can do NOW to prepare for a healthy postpartum jumpstart.
1. Cook & Store
Before the birth of my son, I stocked my freezer with meals that would be easy to heat up and eat. I recommend, clients make sure there are plenty of healthy options that don’t require a lot of work to prepare. I knew my husband and I would both be tired and could quickly take the easy way out (pizza or other delivered fast food) if not prepared. I exclusively breast feed, and these didn’t seem to impact little man’s tummy, but it’s easy to scale back on the flavor (less salsa, less tomato, less Balsamic vinegar) if you think they’re contributing to an upset tummy for your baby.
2. Have a Fitness Plan
You don’t know how your labor and recovery is going to go. Every woman is different and every labor is different though everybody needs some time to recover. Physical movement can be part of that recovery and ultimately help you feel better faster. Have a fitness plan and have a goal in mind.
““Even if your labor and delivery go as perfectly as planned, these four suggestions can help you have a healthier postpartum and settle in at home a little bit easier.”
My plan was to get back to walking the dog as quickly as possible. Within days of getting home, even though I was exhausted, I put on some sneakers and took the dog for a walk up and down the block, while family stayed home with baby. I didn’t go far or fast, but I can’t tell you how AMAZING the fresh air and sunshine felt. It was February and it was cold out, but it felt glorious to be outside. When I came back I felt like a new person. True story. After that, my goals were to start gentle yoga and, once cleared by my doctor, get back to the gym.
3. Grocery Shopping
As many do, I make a grocery list when I go to the store. As we got closer to our due date, I made a list of essentials and non-essentials that my husband could pick up when he was on his way home or out and about. For example, we can never have too much almond milk or eggs. Seriously. We go through that stuff like water. Plus, if we DO end up with some extra, I make almond milk ice cubes, a quiche for dinner, or egg muffins and freeze them. Anyways, I digress…have a list of essentials that ANYONE can pick up for you. If a friend is stopping by to visit you and the baby and asks if you need anything: essentials.
Family member willing to run to the store, what do you need: essentials. Going to the doctor and significant other will run into the store: essentials. You THINK you’ll remember what these essentials are but you probably won’t. And someone will offer and you won’t be able to come up with anything. WRITE THINGS DOWN.
4. Vitamins
High five for taking pre-natal vitamins throughout your pregnancy, but don’t stop now! Let’s review: you just birthed a BABY. Your body is recovering from delivery. You’re going to lose sleep. You’re body still needs essential vitamins and nutrients supplemental to your diet. And I didn’t even mention breastfeeding, if you plan to. Have a multivitamin ready to start taking immediately. I kept on taking my prenatal vitamins until I ran out and then switched to a high quality multi-vitamin.
Even if your labor and delivery goes perfectly as planned, these four suggestions can help you have a healthier postpartum and settle in at home a little bit easier.
About the author:
Amanda Bifulco currently lives in Virginia with her husband, dog and son. While not busy being a mom, coaching or pursuing her own fitness goals, she’s blogging tips and tricks to help others reach their weight loss or fitness goals. Find out more about Amanda here or connect with her on Facebook or via Twitter and IG @AmandaJoyFit.
