Dieting Tips for New Moms

It's natural to put on weight when you're pregnant. Taking the weight off after the baby is born is a little more difficult. However, it's not impossible. If you take a sensible approach toward creating a healthy weight loss diet, you can lose the pregnancy weight and keep it off.

When to Start Dieting

If you're breastfeeding your baby, there's a limit to how much you can diet and still nurse successfully. You may feel distressed about the extra weight you have gained during pregnancy, but there's no hurry to take off the pounds. You can afford to wait until your baby is weaned to start dieting. If you decide to cut back while breastfeeding, be sure to eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water.

Even if you're bottle feeding, you shouldn't cut your calories too severely. Taking care of a baby is hard work, and you need all the energy you can get. So don't cut healthy foods from your diet. Instead, reduce or eliminate your consumption of sweets such as soda, candy, cookies and cake and fats such as butter and gravy. Limit high calorie nutritious foods such as cheese and peanut butter to about an ounce per meal or snack. Also, cut out white starch such as white bread, rice and pasta. Replace these foods with healthier ones such as fruit, vegetable oils and whole grain bread, rice and pasta.

Planning Meals and Snacks

Being up half the night to feed and soothe your baby back to sleep will inevitably take a toll on you. Make sure that you get proper nutrition during the day, but don't allow yourself to indulge in stress-induced eating. Include a serving of protein, starch, vegetables, fruit and fat with each meal. Snack on healthy and satisfying foods such as a slice of whole grain toast or a banana. Avoid fruit juice, which is high in calories but ineffective at satisfying hunger. Instead, drink caffeine-free tea or water throughout the day. Also, make sure you drink two or three glasses of low-fat or skim milk per day.

Don't eliminate entire food groups from your diet or skip meals in an attempt to lose weight. Instead, reduce your calories by taking smaller portions of each food. When you shop, choose foods that have fewer calories per serving whenever possible. If a food has 200 or more calories per serving, only eat half a serving during each meal or snack.

Exercise

You can lose weight with less dieting if you exercise regularly. This can seem difficult when you have a new baby, but it's not impossible. Get a good stroller that you can fit easily in the trunk of your car. An athletic stroller is a good choice if you like to walk, run, jog or rollerblade. Another option is to invest in exercise equipment for your home. Then you can grab a quick workout every day while the baby is sleeping. There are also workout routines you can do with your baby. Check your local bookstore or look online for books or DVDs on how to exercise with your baby in a safe and enjoyable way.

How Can I Lose Weight After a C- Section?

Delivery by Cesarean section (C-section) is invasive surgery that requires weeks to months of recovery time. Losing weight after a C-section can be a challenge due to the restrictions placed on movement for fear of tearing or traumatizing the affected area.

Breastfeed

Breastfeeding can help you to burn more calories and lose weight after a C-section. Studies have shown that you can burn up to 500 extra calories daily if you choose to breastfeed for the first 4 to 6 months after giving birth. After that, weight loss may slow, but not necessarily stop. Since a pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, you can lose up to one pound of fat per week by breastfeeding alone. One to two pounds per week is the optimal amount to lose to ensure you will maintain weight loss.

Diet

After a C-section, avoid eating foods that give you gas or cause bloat. Stomach pain may exacerbate the tissue that was damaged by the C-section surgery. For this reason, eating cabbage, onions and beans may not be in your best interests to lose weight. Try eating food that contains protein and is slower to digest such as chicken, fish and lean steak. Low-calorie soups will help you to lose fat as well. In addition, add non-gassy fruits and vegetables such as grapes, watermelon, berries, peaches, green beans, spinach, carrots, asparagus, mushroom and squash. Drink two liters of water daily to increase fullness and flush fat.

Exercise

According to pregnancy-info.net, you should wait for 8 weeks after having a C-section before beginning an exercise program. Begin a light exercise program that includes stretching, yoga, walking, and swimming. These exercises are less likely to exacerbate any still sensitive tissue that has been damaged by C-section surgery. Start walking or swimming 10 to 15 minutes daily and work up to 30 minutes per day, up to four days per week. Include yoga or stretching exercises for 5 to 15 minutes, two to four days per week as well. Pay special attention to any pain you might feel during exercise, and consult a doctor if you experience abdominal discomfort. Consult with your doctor before beginning an exercise program after C-section surgery.

What Training is Needed to Be a Lactation Consultant?

Breastfeeding is a natural process for many women. Many hospitals encourage nursing right in the delivery room to create bonding between mother and baby. Often they get the hang of it immediately, but sometimes it doesn't go so smoothly, especially for first-time mothers. Most hospitals have a lactation consultant on staff to help out. Other lactation consultants come to the mother's home after she returns from the hospital. Getting certified allows you to partake in this exciting and rewarding career.

Clinical Hours

Aside from some thorough education, every lactation consultant candidate needs 1,000 hours working with mothers and babies. Many candidates will have already acquired these hours through their current professions as doctors, nurses, or other healthcare professionals. Other candidates will need to volunteer or obtain some sort of paid position, perhaps in the labor and delivery ward of a hospital or in a La Leche League, where they will get this experience. These hours need to be completed within five years of applying for the certification examination.

Supervision

The clinical hours must be supervised by someone in a supervisory capacity. You don't actually need to be "watched" the entire 1,000 hours; rather, someone needs to verify and sign off that you worked the hours that you claim. This is simple to accomplish in most settings where the candidate would be in a position to support breastfeeding, such as a hospital or a WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) office.

Purpose

The purpose of the training is to ensure that the candidate has a solid understanding of the lactation process and its practical implications. Education alone does not allow you to get the hands-on training that augments your learning. Through clinical training, you interact with mothers and healthcare professionals and gain necessary experience in providing support for breastfeeding mothers and their families. This should span the entire nursing process, from the pre-conception stage through the weaning process.

Other Pathways

You can also enroll in an academic program that is specifically geared toward lactation and includes clinical training. The program must be accredited, and it must concentrate on human lactating and breastfeeding. The program must be run by a board-certified lactation consultant and have board-certified lactation consultants as the primary faculty members. Additionally, the clinical experience must be supervised by a board-certified lactation consultant. You can get most information on specific programs by contacting the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.

How to Assemble a Medela Breast Pump

Medela is a trusted name in breast pumps. Since 1961, the company has manufactured high-quality pumps used by mothers all over the world. One of their most popular products is the Pump in Style. These pumps are packaged in discreet leather bags for mothers on the go, especially those who pump at work. Assembling the pump can be challenging the first time; however, after a few times it becomes second nature.

Instructions

1

Wash and sterilize each piece in the accessory pack, including valves, membranes, tubing and breast shields. Place all of the parts in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil, cover with the pot with a lid and boil for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully drain the hot water, being careful to avoid splashing or spilling water on yourself, which could cause a burn. Allow the parts to cool in the pot for 30 minutes, and then air-dry them on a clean surface for three hours or until completely dry.

2

Snap the small white membranes onto the yellow valves. These membranes are about the size of a dime and are very flexible. Be careful not to tear them. Attach the yellow valves onto the bottom of the breast shields by pushing them firmly--but not too tightly. Attach the bottles onto the bottom of the breast shields by twisting them on until snug. The breast shield, valve and bottle are now one piece with the valve inside of the bottle.

3

Attach the tubing to the back of the breast shield by pressing the firm white end into the small hole on the back of the shield. Attach the other end of the tubing to the pump by pushing the tubing onto the port located on the front of the round diaphragm, underneath the vacuum regulator dial.

4

Set the vacuum regulator to the lowest setting. Plug the AC adapter into the pump and then plug it into a wall outlet. The pump is now ready to be used.

Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Training

A breastfeeding peer counselor is a mother in the local community who has personal breastfeeding experience. She offers professional advice and support to other mothers by answering questions and ensuring the most positive breastfeeding experience for her peers possible. Peer counseling courses are available to lactation consultants, midwives, doulas, health care professionals and any woman interested in acting as a peer counselor.

Employer Training

In many cases, being a breastfeeding peer counselor means being employed through an agency or organization that provides its own training program. Peer counselors for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, for example, attend five four-hour training sessions. These sessions provide information through classes and small group discussions, presentations, role playing and hands-on activities. Peer counselors receive periodic evaluations from the hiring agency, regularly attend meetings, and document client meetings.

Non-Employer Training

Some organizations offer peer counselor training to the public as a way to promote breastfeeding in the community. La Leche League, for example, focuses on providing peer counseling to low-income communities with a lower rate of breastfeeding. It offers courses to women who want breastfeeding information for themselves or whose work brings them in contact with breastfeeding women. These courses can run 20 or more hours, and come with fees. However, programs like these do not offer employment and often rely on volunteer services from people interested in running and participating in peer counseling programs.

Typical Program Curriculum

Common breastfeeding peer counselor training courses include lectures on the benefits, management and promotion of breastfeeding as well as effective counseling techniques, the anatomy of the lactating breast, techniques to help mothers and babies "latch on" properly, cultural issues and how to overcome common problems associated with breastfeeding. Many programs, like La Leche League's breastfeeding program, offer continuing education hours or a certificate at the end of the course, if not employment, as in the WIC program.

Other Programs

Other organizations offer breastfeeding peer counseling to encourage a philosophy of natural birthing and parenting. For example, Wholistic Birth Support and Childbirth Education of Southern California does not hire peer counselors but offers training and programing for women who want to support and aid mothers in their community. No previous experience with breastfeeding is necessary for the California course. The site states the program is open to "any woman who wants to help other women breastfeed." Courses are also sometimes available at local colleges and universities. University of California at San Diego, for example, offers various lactation courses. Anyone interested can take these courses, though they can choose to participate in the university's certificate program as well.

Considerations

In some cases, prospective peer counselors must complete a practicum or internship before receiving certification. In the Southern California Wholistic program, candidates must pass the written program exam with a 70 percent score or higher and participate in a practicum, helping three mothers with breastfeeding. Candidates must turn in self and client reports for each of these encounters. Online distance education courses are another option. Many of them require a time commitment equal to that of a college course, but offer more flexibility than a traditional classroom program.

How to Conserve Colostrum

Colostrum, the first milk that a woman produces, contains a large quantity of immune properties for the new infant. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics providing colostrum to a newborn is effective in reducing the risk of illness and chronic disease and promotes brain development. According to the Centers for Disease Control more than 75% of new mothers choose to feed their infant colostrum in the first days postpartum.

Instructions

Express Colostrum Using Baby

1




Sore nipples can result if baby does not maintain a wide open mouth while nursing.

Place the baby at breast height with his whole body turned to face you.

2

Align thebaby's nose with your nipple and touch your nipple to his upper lip.

3

When the baby opens his mouth wide as if yawning bring the baby onto the breast. The baby's sucking will express the colostrum.

4

Express Colostrum With a Pump

5

Select a high-quality pump. The most efficient type for the extraction of colostrum is a hospital grade double-sided pump.

6

Place the flanges, also called breastshields, onto each breast simultaneously with the nipple centered in the tunnel of the flange.

7

Turn the pump on at the lowest suction level available.

8

Slowly turn the suction level up assessing your comfort. Do not increase suction level to the point of discomfort.

9

Continue pumping until the flow of colostrum slows.

Storing Expressed Colostrum

10

Collect expressed colostrum in containers intended for breastmilk storage. These may include breastmilk bags or bottles that come with the pump.

11

Label the storage container with the date of expression. If more than one expression is combined into a bottle use the date of the first expression. This will serve as your reminder of its "use by" date.

12

Place colostrum in the refrigerator or freezer unless you plan to feed it to the infant infant quickly. For healthy full-term infants colostrum can be stored at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours. Alternatively, colostrum can be refrigerated for five days. Colostrum may be kept frozen for three to six months.

13

Warm colostrum under running water before feeding to an infant to thaw or heat.

The Effects of Alcohol on Babies

The effects of alcohol consumption on a baby in utero are extremely severe. Though there is speculation on the severity of effects on a baby that is being breastfed, in an article by the La Leche League, it was stated that in large consumption, a baby can still suffer from "possible" side effects of its mother's alcohol consumption. If a mother consumes alcohol while pregnant, she puts her baby at greater risk for fetal alcohol syndrome, central nervous system issues, and even fetal death or possible miscarriage. Fetal alcohol syndrome can have a lasting effect on a child who is born with it. Under no circumstance should a woman ever drink while being pregnant.

FAS

Fetal alcohol syndrome, is the result of a baby begin subjected to alcohol while in the womb. According to the Mayo Clinic, when a women consumes alcohol while pregnant, the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome are irreversible and can have lasting neurological disorders, as well as physical disorders. As a result of alcohol consumption, a baby can suffer from facial deformities such as small eyes. Other effects can include heart issues, deformities of limbs, small birth weight, sleep issues, mental retardation, and emotional issues such as hyperactivity or nervousness.

ARND

ARND refers to alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. When a baby becomes exposed to alcohol prenatally, the baby can be exposed to the risk of having functional or mental issues. Learning difficulties can occur as as the child becomes older. Issues such as memory, attention deficit, or poor impulse control can also happen. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a baby exposed to alcohol in utero can also end up with kidney, bones, hearing issues, or a combination of any of these symptoms.

Breastfeeding

Alcohol can be transferred through the breast milk. Too much alcohol consumption while breastfeeding can result in the infant becoming too drowsy, not being able to be roused easily, or the child being weak. The infant may also have an inability to gain weight normally. It is also possible for the mother to not be able to eject milk as frequently for her infant if she drinks more than two alcoholic beverages in one day. In an article by the La Leche League, it was suggested that a nursing mother not breastfeed during consumption of alcohol, or for two or three hours after having had an alcoholic beverage.

Defects

According to the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human reproduction, mothers who consumed alcohol while pregnant can sometimes have a child born with abnormal facial features such as flat cheeks, upturned noses, and eyes that are abnormally small. The brain may also develop unusually by either being too small or be abnormally formed, which will then result in mental disability. The defects become more pronounced if the mother is a heavy drinker or binge drinker.

Causes

As a mother drinks, alcohol passes from the mother through the placenta, and finally into the baby. A baby can't process alcohol as an adult would be able to. The alcohol concentration in a fetus is higher than it is an adult, and the alcohol also prohibits the passing of oxygen to the baby's brain and other organs. As a result, deformities can occur, especially during the baby's most crucial development, which is during the first trimester.

Warning

It is not recommended that expecting mothers drink while being pregnant. The possible risks involved are far greater to the child. As the child grows older, they may have language/speech delays, low IQ, or have the inability to do basic functions, such as tying their shoes. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a permanent condition that will last a lifetime for a child. Such risks can be eliminated by choosing not to drink.