I'm just gonna say it.  When it comes to working out I'm just plain lazy.  There's always some excuse... I ate recently and I'm still too full, I'm afraid my knee might end up hurting and I just can't deal with that today with all the things I need to get done, my toe still hurts from the other day when my daughter dropped a can on it, I'm gonna get all sweaty and I don't know if I'll have time to shower until after Daliya goes to bed tonight... I could go on and on, but who really wants to hear all my excuses?

Well I came up with a solution just now... out of necessity really - or at least that's what I'm going to call it! (I came down and tried to put the TV on to watch during my workout, but the language menu is over the entire picture and I can't seem to figure out how to get it off!)  I can't just be in my head for an entire 45 minutes without anything to watch or listen to now can I? ;)

Yesterday it would have just been another excuse to skip the workout.  Today it forced me to come up with something else to do while I'm on my elyptical.  I'm blogging!

Yup!  That's what I said, and here's how I decided to do it: I just opened up a blank email on my phone, put my own email address in the send to box and "workout" in the subject line.  Then I just started typing my post as an email that I will copy and paste later on... sometime after I get that much needed shower in!

So if you're thinking about how you might apply this in your own life to get motivated and get on that workout machine you have sitting there collecting dust, I'll get you started:

• Respond to that email you've been putting off cuz you think it'll take longer than 3 minutes to write and send

• Blog if you blog

• Jot down (in an email on your phone of course) some of the new, cute, or silly things your little one did in the last few days (or weeks) since you last worked out or worked on your scrapbook - wouldn't it be a hoot if these could end up overlapping?  Well it could happen if you make it happen!  And you'll probably even look back and thank me for the idea years from now.  You're welcome in advance! ;)

Ok, so just typing thus far has taken me over 20 minutes - the absolute minimum I ever work out (if you don't count the zero minutes when I make excuses - ha!)

You might be thinking, "well that's a great idea and all, but why would I waste my time typing something up on my phone that I could OBVIOUSLY get out ten times as fast if I were typing on an actual computer?" 

Here's the thing, if I had gone and sat down at my computer to type a post or a list or whatever on there because it would have been easier and faster, I never would have ended up working out this morning.  Trust me, I can guarantee that.

The extra work, the slower pace, and the distraction were totally worth it.

If you're tempted to take my advice and try it, just do it!  I dare you mama!!!

I still can't help but picture Lucille Ball in an I Love Lucy episode eating her sardines in ice cream every time I hear about pregnancy cravings.

We've all heard about crazy cravings (and if you read You’re Going To Eat That?!?!  Another post from The Nurturing Daddy, you've heard about my personal cravings!), but I bet you haven't put too much thought into what might be causing those cravings, have you?

Well, guess what, cravings can happen for a reason!  And as a student midwife I was put on the spot more than a couple times to decipher what was causing certain cravings.  The easiest and most common craving that I came across over and over again was peanut butter.  A woman who is craving peanut butter might be needing additional protein in her diet.  Not only that, but let's say she has been craving peanut butter and ice chips.  Her body is probably battling iron deficiency.  Craving ice is the classic sign, but peanut butter also has iron that is pretty easy for the body to absorb - easier even than an iron supplement, if I understand correctly.  So, if you are pregnant and craving ice you'll definitely want to get your iron levels checked ASAP.  And if you're craving peanut butter, and you're eating peanut butter as well as upping your overall protein intake but it doesn't seem to be helping, you might want to get your iron levels checked too. 

Other cravings that might be telling you that you need more protein in your diet are things like meat, fish, and dairy products.  You should generally be aiming for 80 grams of protein a day while you are pregnant - especially in your 2nd and 3rd trimesters; 60g is good if you are early in your pregnancy and dealing with morning sickness.  (On a side note, if this is you and you are currently battling morning sickness, check out my homepage here to find out how to get free access to my 3 step system to "Kick Your Morning Sickness to the Curb").

Back to the cravings....  So my guess is that if you, or me (with my gefilte fish and chocolate shake), or Lucy (with her sardines and ice cream) just HAD to have some salty fish with something sweet, we might have had a few things going on that our bodies were trying to tell us:

1) Craving something salty?  Your blood volume is rapidly expanding as it should be to prepare for giving birth, but your body needs adequate salt to be able to handle all that extra blood without putting too much strain on your kidneys and liver.

2) Craving fish or other protein-rich foods?  As I said above, you may need to up your protein to 60 to 80 grams a day, or even more like 100g if you have high blood pressure, have been warned that you are high risk for preeclampsia, or if you are carrying more than one baby in that womb of yours!

3) Craving sweets?  Your body might be dealing with an overgrowth of yeast, which is actually pretty common during pregnancy.  Want to know more about this one and tips to actually curb those sugar cravings and balance out the yeast in your body?  Just scroll on back up the page and sign up for the NM E-zine because this coming week's issue will feature an article about exactly that!  And last time I gave the advice I'm going to share with you in my article, the response I got was a text message from my client telling me that my advice was "genius" and it totally worked within just a few days!  So don't delay, just scroll on up there and enter your name and email, then click the "Keep me posted!" button - it's just that easy!

It's funny how Father's Day can change for a girl once she becomes a mom and has a man in her life who is the father of her child (or children).  Growing up, Father's Day always felt like it was about being with family and spending quality time - focused time - together, and the cards, the gifts, and the occasional "alligator" pastry were just trivial (yet appreciated!) perks. 

Somehow I always felt like the men we were celebrating - Daddy, Grandpa Sol, Grandpa Sam, and even my uncles - were also somehow there because they wanted to celebrate their time with us too.  They made us feel so loved.  I wonder if we did the same for them.  I hope so.

And I'll just put it out there that my dad is pretty awesome too and I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for his patience, encouragement, love, and just general support throughout my life.  I think my dad set the perfect example for the nurturing qualities I should look for in the man who would become the father of my child - of my children, God willing.

Just as I hope that my father has felt appreciated over the years I'm sitting here thinking (while my hubby and daughter take a Father's Day nap)  about how lucky I feel to have such an amazing man as the father of my daughter, and wondering if there's any way to truly let my husband know how much I appreciate everything he does and the way in which he interacts with Daliya. 

I can't tell you how much I love overhearing him talk to her, be loving when she needs love, be silly when she's open to giggles and creativity, and even the way he says things to her like "I love your poopies... and I'm glad they're in the potty!"  Seriously though, how could I not enjoy overhearing comments like that?! (And who would have ever dreamed of their husband saying these hilarious and adorable things until actually having a little one to say them to!?!)


I'd love to hear from you 1) something cute or silly you've overheard your child's dad say to your little one, and 2) something special you did for Father's Day today that you all enjoyed or that really showed your appreciation for your man.  Maybe we can all enjoy each others' stories and get some fun ideas from each other for planning random "thank you" or family days. 

Even if you're pregnant and don't have any little ones around yet, my guess is you still either gave your partner a gift or at least made Father's Day special in some tiny way like talking about your future together as parents and dreaming about what this time next year might be like.  Either way, please leave a comment below - I'd love to hear from you!  

I've seen a lot of amazing women birth their babies with strength and peace and I always wish I could rewind and witness the beauty over again.  Birthing is such an intimate time. 

Thought I'd share this video (not a client of mine) that I have gone back to many times just for the pure enjoyment of it.

Proud of this mama, even if I don't know her personally.

I have to tell you what an honor it is to serve as a woman's pregnancy mentor and then have her continue to reach out to me for input as she navigates her path as a Nurtured Mommy.

A past client and good friend of mine, Rebekah, told me recently that to the outside world it seems like Daliya and I have less structure in our day than a lot of other moms and babies she knows.  She asked me if I'd share my perspective on structure.

As a new mom you hear from so many people that having a routine is very important, that kids thrive on structure and that that is the only way to keep them happy and keep you "together" or sane as your children learn and grow. 

I do agree that a *flexible* routine can do wonders, especially for any baby who seems overwhelmed by changes from day to day.  However, I also believe that the routine should be based off of the child's natural schedule as much as possible and that you need to start meshing your own needs with the needs of your baby as early as possible; so that you can avoid feeling like you are stuck at home or isolated and resentful, while still respecting and fulfilling your child's needs.

What do I mean by "natural schedule" you ask?  Well, each baby (and child, for that matter) has his own rhythm and his own individual needs that pretty much dictate when he is going to be happy and energetic and when he is going to want to wind down and seem unhappy or overtired if he doesn't get to sleep when he needs to.

The trick is to follow his cues and base the structure in your day off of what you observe as his daily rhythm.  For example, if you see that your little one tends to get frustrated, easily overstimulated, or just generally sleepy around 10am each morning, then you will want to aim to either be at home where he can nap around that time (perk of being at home: you can either nap too or get things done around the house!) or you will want to be somewhere that he can cuddle with you and fall asleep on you.

This brings me to how to begin meshing your needs with the needs of your baby.  And this is really what makes my life seem so much less structured and more flexible so that I can pretty much do whatever I want whenever I want even when I I have my daughter with me practically 24/7. 

My mindset from the beginning was that I wanted my daughter to have all her needs met (or as many as possible) while also continuing to be flexible.  I figured she was used to the noises of our day to day life already, having heard everything I heard for the greater part of my pregnancy.  I decided that if she could sleep through whatever she needed to then, and still thrive and grow, then why not encourage her to continue to do this? 

I did a lot of babywearing with her, and I still make sure I have my Ergo with me when I'm out so that I can wear her if she needs to sleep on me and I can't just sit with her asleep in my lap.  Also, being an anthropologist and spending so much time traveling around Latin America, I knew that in many many cultures around the world, babies and children take their naps on their mothers from day one. 

You might be wondering how these babies get enough sleep if they are always out and about and around people all day long.  My answer for you is that they adapt and they either get into a deep sleep and take a couple long naps in the middle of all the hustle and bustle around them, or they take shorter naps, but more often throughout the day - whenever they need to.

For our family a typical day at home looks something like this: Wake up at 7:30am, chill out in bed while D runs around and plays (I make sure the bathroom doors are closed, and everything else is already babyproofed), we all get dressed around 8 and go downstairs and eat breakfast around 8:30.  Jordan leaves for work and D and I play and read books downstairs.  Somewhere between 9:30 and 11:30 she starts to act like she could take a nap, so we make our way upstairs and lay down.  Sometimes she falls asleep then and sometimes she doesn't - some days she ends up with only an afternoon nap.  If she stays awake we have a snack and play some more, but if she does take a morning nap then she wakes up hungry and we have lunch pretty much right away.  Then the afternoon consists of more playing and reading, sometimes swimming, and another snack or 2 to hold us over till dinnertime.  She also tends to nap again, but the time depends on if she napped in the morning.  If she did, then she'll usually be tired again around 3pm.  If not, then she goes to sleep around 1pm.  In the evening we tend to have dinner around 7pm and then we get her ready for bed right away and she's asleep somewhere between 7:30 and 8pm.

Now since I know this is her basic schedule, when I want to be out for the day I have to keep this all in mind and make sure that her day can still go something like this: wake up, play, eat, play, (nap), eat, play, nap, eat, play, eat, get ready for bed, sleep.  As long as she knows she can expect to alternate playing, eating, and sleeping, then eating and playing and doing it all over again, that's predictable enough of a schedule for her to be happy and it works whether we are at home or out and about.

The thing is, the naps are what can throw a kink in any mom's day because regardless of where you are, you do have to support your baby in falling asleep - whether this means noticing that your little one is getting sleepy and putting him in an Ergo or other carrier, or if it means snuggling up and nursing in a comfortable chair wherever you are, or it could even mean aiming to be in the car from one place to another at that time so your baby gets a nap in that way.

As a mom you have to be flexible, and honestly, as a person your child is going to eventually have to learn to be flexible yet still value and meet his own needs.  So why not start living that way right from the start?

It can be really hard for kids when they go from being the center of attention to the big brother or big sister.  It is even harder when mommy needs to sit quietly with the baby for what feels like (and often is!) hours and hours throughout the day to nurse. 

This is often the hardest part of the day for a big brother or big sister, and moms are always searching for ways to help their toddler or older kids feel engaged and loved during these times.  Not to mention ways to combat resentment and desperate attention-getting tactics.

Here's something you can do:  put together a nursing basket for your toddler or older children to take out whenever you are nursing the baby.  Just gather a few special toys - maybe even a babydoll for them to "nurse" too - and put them together in a basket that only gets to be out and played with during nursing time. 

If you want, you can include some books and toys that you can join in with while you nurse, but make sure that anything you include that requires you to engage is something you are happy doing (and able to do one-handed!) while you nurse your baby at the same time.

When did you start solids with Daliya?  Did you start with rice cereal?  Did you make your own baby food?

I've been getting these questions a lot lately so I thought there might be more of you out there who might be interested in my answers and the thought process behind our choices.

First of all, we started solids when Daliya was just about 7 months old.  My original plan was to wait until she got two teeth because I have heard that the saliva changes by the time a baby gets her second tooth and that saliva plays an integral part in digestion, so 2 teeth is a good indicator of a baby's body being ready to digest actual solid food. 

My other 2 criteria for knowing when to start solids were 1) the reflex to push food out of her mouth with her tongue went away, and 2) a baby who is interested in food and itching to get her hands on it!  This was ultimately the reason I didn't wait for the second tooth to come in in the end - I felt like I was depriving her because she wanted the food we were eating so badly!

On to the next question I've been getting:
No, we did not start with rice cereal.  Daliya has never had rice cereal.  And no, we did not "make our own baby food."  We just didn't ever buy baby food either! 

We started with avocado and other soft whole foods that we could just mush up a little and feed them to her as is, or let her hold them and gnaw on them on her own.  Some of her first foods were avocado, banana, sweet potato, steamed carrots, and potato - all healthy things that we would be happy to snack on with her as well. 

We started this way for 2 reasons, 1) I had heard about "leaky gut" and that children's (or adults', for that matter) intestines are not always closed to the rest of the body system, so certain carbohydrates that are harder to digest can negatively impact health and increase the risk of allergies, and 2) we wanted our daughter to get used to the flavors of whole foods so that she would have a strong base for healthy eating from the beginning of her life.

At this point it seems like my plans worked!  My child LOVES her fruits and veggies and will generally choose whole foods over processed foods that are put in front of her.  We were recently at a family Shabbat dinner at our shul (synagogue) and Daliya decided that all she wanted to eat was green beans.  And she did - she probably ate about 4 or 5 servings of them actually, and was totally thrilled with her dinner!

Even if people are telling you that you better start solids now that your baby is 6 months old, or that you should start with rice cereal and jarred baby food, you don't have to listen to them for your baby to be healthy and thriving.  Trust your instincts and logic. 

For me personally, a good rule of thumb is to avoid doing anything just because everyone else is doing it or because it is the norm in our society.  Do your own digging if you want to and find out more about your options, or just go with your gut and take the leap into whatever it is that feels right.  You know what's right for your baby and what's right for your family.  You really do.

Until I was well into my 20's and already out of college, I had no idea that anyone opted out of getting vaccines.  I guess I thought literally every single person in the US gets vaccinated for anything and everything they have the option of getting a shot for.  Kinda sad looking back that the topic was never even mentioned growing up. 

I remember getting my first shot in the series that's supposed to protect against (some strains of) HPV and therefore lower your risk of cervical cancer, but before I got the next shot, I started hearing all the talk about the dangers of this particular shot and all the women who have had terrible terrible side effects.  I decided not to get the other shots in the series.  For me, the risks outweighed the benefits.

Now, I'm not here to convince anyone one way or the other about whether they should say yes or no to vaccines.  This is really a serious topic and I think there is a lot more to the question, so giving a yes or no answer is just not that simple.  New parents ask me my opinion all the time, and I honestly tell them that I can't give them my opinion - if the topic is pulling on them then they need to start doing their own research and making informed decisions that work for their own family. 

They might decide to do everything that's offered to them, they might pick and choose what they are comfortable with, they might decide to do an alternative schedule with their children, or they might decide to bypass vaccinations altogether.  It is none of my business what their personal choices are.  They have a right to make the decision for themselves and their families.

Here's the thing though... I do believe in educating people.  That's what I'm all about - educating new parents and supporting them in their decision making processes.  So when I came across this link this morning, I thought that I should share it.

The article has 8 great questions that you should ask before and after a vaccination.  Even if you have made up your mind and know what works for your family, you'll probably still get something out of this list of questions - I know I did!

Here's the link:
http://www.nvic.org/Ask-Eight-Questions.aspx 

Warning: If you had low supply issues please just skip this post so you don't end up hating me!  My experience was just on the opposite side of the spectrum.

So by the time I had my baby and started breastfeeding, I had probably assisted somewhere around 100 women in breastfeeding their babies.  Most of these were initiating breastfeeding on the first day of the baby's life and then a follow up, or 2, or 7 all within about the first week.  I felt like I was pretty prepared (although, maybe I'll write about my initial challenges in another post soon) but there was one thing that I just didn't see coming:  he Niagara Falls of the voluptuous mother.  Now, first let me tell you that if you're pregnant and you think your boobs are out of control humungous on your particular body right now, you ain't seen nothin' yet!!!

Hopefully, for your sake, you won't get too engorged after you have your baby because that's just no fun - it hurts to touch, not to mention the kind of yucky feeling that you get if you happen to get that low grade fever along with the soreness.

Anyway, when I was engorged all I'd have to do was accidentally touch my breast and then both sides would just start flowing... and when I say flowing, I mean FLOWING.  If I wasn't careful I'd have milk EVERYWHERE.  I remember getting undresed to take a shower one day and just on my way to the shower from the bedroom I literally left a trail of puddles of milk.  It got a little ridiculous!  I soon realized that I just shouldn't take my bra off because the pressure of the bra and nursing pad was what was keeping me from feeling like a constant leaky faucet. 

After a while I figured out that I had an overactive milk ejection reflex coupled with a hindmilk/foremilk imbalance too, and that was part of the problem - and also why Daliya's poops were so green and foamy (check out what I like to call Dr. Gordon's Poop Page - this is really an incredible resource for new parents).  Once I started nursing her on one side for multiple feedings before switching to the other breast, the engorgement got worse for a day or 2 and then got soooo much better! Plus Daliya's poops normalized and she was happier too.

From that point until Daliya was probably practically 6 months old I just kept wearing my nursing pads and figuring there was nothing I could do about the leaking from one breast whenever Daliya nursed on the other one.  I figured, hey, this was better than leaking all the time and like a floodgate was constantly open like had been happening before.

Somehow no one thought to let me in on this little secret:
You can stop the leaking!  And it is so easy too!!  Whenever you have a let down on one side, if the other side is even partially full, chances are you will have a let down on that side too - which is great if you are nursing 2 babies at once and one is a weaker nurser than the other - but if you only have one baby to nurse, you wonder what to do about that other breast!  Pressure is the answer.  Now, let me be really clear here... I don't mean really strong pressure on your breast or nipple, cuz that is just not pleasant at all when you have milk in there, plus could potentially encourage plugged ducts; I just mean enough pressure to stop the flow in its tracks.

I still do this to this day.  I just put my forearm against my breast when I feel the let down coming and rest the palm of my hand on my upper chest for a minute or two until the let down is over.

And the really really cool thing that I learned recently about this is that when you have that let down, but then the milk has no room to come out, it actually gets pulled back up through the ducts and back into the deeper part of your breast, so you won't have to feel super full on that side until the next time you switch to that side to nurse.

If you have a similar story or other tips for moms with an abundant supply, feel free to post in the comments below.  I  love to hear from all you mommies out there!

Hi everyone, its Jordan again, Becky’s husband.  Just wanted to share a little bit from the files of The Nurturing Daddy.  Lately, I’ve been doing the bulk of the cooking in the Gerson home.  It makes me feel so good when I prepare something my wife and daughter really enjoy and with Becky being so busy preparing her exciting new product, “3 Key Strategies to Get the Birth You Want,” I wanted to do something to make it a little easier for her to get all this important information out there.  Anyway, all this cooking got me thinking about some of the cravings she had and of the things Becky loved to eat during her pregnancy. 

Perhaps the thing that stands out most was her insatiable craving for pumpernickel.  It didn’t matter if it was bread or bagels, this woman had to have it.  Sometimes I would get up early and run (ok, you got me, drive) to the bagel shop and get her a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese and lox spread.  I had to be careful though, because if I told her I was going out and God forbid they were out of pumpernickel bagels, she would be so disappointed and then I would be going back to the bagel shop morning after morning until I satisfied that craving. 

Becky really didn’t have any weird cravings.  Ok, there were a few times she would eat left over Indian food for breakfast but I have to admit, I enjoyed those leftovers as well. However there was one craving that really made me do a double take and I had to ask her to repeat what she said because I could barely believe my ears. 

One morning Becky said to me, “You know, Jordie, I could really go for some gefilte fish and a chocolate shake.”

“Excuse me?!?” I asked.

“Yeah, some of that really good gefilte fish you make and a chocolate shake,” Becky responded.

“Ugh, gross!”

“No, no, no!  I don’t mean eating them together, I mean taking a bite of the fish, swallowing and then having some shake.”

I just looked at her for a moment and said, “Yeah, that’s better.” Somehow it made a difference in her mind, and I learned long before that moment not to argue with a pregnant woman, especially a hungry pregnant woman, so I just went with it!

Of course Becky actually ate very healthfully fom the bulk of our pregnancy.  She knew, and made sure I knew, that proper nutrition can impact not only your baby’s health but also your overall pregnancy.  Becky’s multimedia system really goes into great detail about outlining what things you can do nutritionally to benefit those preggo mommas out there and the babies they are growing.  Plus, it’s filled with lots of other useful ways you can prepare yourself so you and your little one will get the birth you envision for yourselves.  You can learn more about Becky’s system,
“3 Key Strategies to Get the Birth You Want,” by following the link.  Do yourselves a favor and check it out, it’s really an investment in you and your baby’s birth and overall health. 

One more story before I wrap things up.  Becky also had a thing for grilled cheese sandwiches during her pregnancy.  I mean, it was our go to food for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight snack (until she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes).  She loved them and I felt like I was constantly in front of the stove making these things.  One night, I actually dreamed that Becky had our baby, only she didn’t give birth to a little girl.  In my dream, she didn’t give birth to a baby boy either.  I dreamed that Becky gave birth to a little grilled cheese sandwich!  It really gave new meaning to you are what you eat, or in this case, your baby is what you eat! 

Till next time!