Day: November 11, 2018

Eat Well

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Stay Hydrated (1)

Mamas, today’s activity with a newborn is for you. Whether you’re nursing and trying to keep up your milk supply, or just keeping up your energy levels in these first few sleepless weeks, it’s crucial to take care of yourself even as you take care of baby. Here are a few of my go-to snacks and meals that can all be eaten (yes!) one-handed.

Hummus and pita, or hummus with raw veggies (think: carrots, broccoli, bell pepper):

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Tortilla with Gardein chick’n strips:

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Tortilla with Tofurky slices and avocado:

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Bagel with non-dairy cream cheese:

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Toast with almond butter:

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Bananas and raw almonds:

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Apples and vegan cheese slices:

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In addition, make sure to stay hydrated! This was always something I struggled with while nursing Travis, and I’m staying on top of it with Veronika! If you don’t love water, try protein smoothies, or decaf tea. I particularly love Mother’s Milk tea with fenugreek, which will naturally boost your milk supply.

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Overall, take care of yourself as you nurse and care for baby. Use heating pads when your milk first comes in to alleviate any pain; use nursing time to relax and bond; and reach out to other nursing moms or access online resources (I love Kellymom.com) when you feel overwhelmed.

 

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Stretching

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Stretching (3)

Newborns come out all curled up (hence the reason I call my kids “little squish” at this age!), and one great activity is to help them stretch out their limbs. I recommend waiting until the umbilical stump falls off before doing these moves. Veronika’s came off last night, so this morning, we took a quiet moment to stretch.

I laid her down on a soft blanket, and went through a short routine. First, open the arms wide, then cross in front of the chest.

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Next, raise each arm up overhead. Stretch!

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Then touch the left hand to the right foot before stretching back out; repeat on the other side.

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Finally, cross the ankles and bend the legs up toward the tummy and back out again. You can also do little bicycle circles with the legs.

As we stretched, I sang little songs. Putting on soothing music, like Mozart, would be nice, too. We loved this so much that I plan to do it every morning when we can carve out a moment.