Mother Shock

I just finished a book called Mother Shock. Yes, the title is a little extreme but seemed fitting as I began my second year as a mother.  The book has a bunch of essays on the different stages of motherhood.  The first few essays focused on the immediacy needed to be a new mom.  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a doer -- I get things done and FAST.  I hate leaving anything on my to do list.  Given immediacy is my nature, I acclimated quickly to responding to Mia's every need.  But now 16 months later I find that my response is slower.  Yes, I still respond to all cries, but I have relaxed a bit.    Per author Andrea Buchanan this means I'm getting into the final stage of motherhood where you truly start to feel like a mother.  Apparently not freaking out about Mia eating Fancy Feast equates to being comfortable as a mom. I've arrived!   

Pondering the Pyramid

The new Dietary Guidelines came out this week. Cue eyes glazing over for 99% of Americans.  Not for me though. It was like the Academy Awards in nutrition PR. The Guidelines are updated every five years and they are such a huge deal for so many food companies.  So it is with giddy excitement that I bring my thoughts on the new recommendations.

Everyone is looking for the big A-HA.  Some all-encompassing easy fix for obesity.  Not going to happen people.  Eat less, move more.  Nobody wants to hear that. 

One day I will have to explain healthy eating to Mia. I probably won't use the Guidelines to do that.  In 100 pages the current report doesn't really tell you anything new.  They also call out nutrient 'bad guys' like fat and sugar but not specific foods, which is confusing (although pleases food companies).  Telling Mia to cut back on salt, sugar and fat will be met glazed eyes.  But saying "less frosting, more broccoli" with a raised voice might mean something.

So will the new Guidelines do anything to combat obesity? We have five years to find out.

Pump it up

There's a secret underground competition among breastfeeding moms for number of ounces they can pump at one time.  I was pumping 3-4 times a day when I went back to work and was getting 10-12 ounces each time, which was on the high end.  I constantly compared with coworkers, other moms and read online to find out what was normal (one coworker was consistently scoring 15 ounces...the cow!).

Now that I'm no longer pumping I feel relief from the pressure.  That is, until last week when I went to Denver for an overnight trip and had to pump a few times.  I was able to get over 10 ounces each time. I was elated and had so much pride. But really, it had nothing to do with anything I had control over. But I'll take full credit for it.  Considering how little I work out these days pumping 10 ounces was like completing a half-marathon for my pride. I've still got it!

Miranda GRRRR.

Maybe I'm just a jaded (and tired) new mom, but have you seen Miranda Kerr's statement about giving birth to her son with Orlando Bloom this month?  Here's a snipit:

"He weighed 9lb 12 ounces (a very healthy and big baby boy). I gave birth to him naturally; without drugs or painkillers and it was a long, arduous and difficult labour..."  And then she attaches a picture of her angelic little boy blissfully nursing and she's got red lipstick on, is pin thin and not a hair out of place.  She had him 12 days ago. 

Why do statements like this from celebrities annoy me so?   At 12 days post-partum I was ragged. I mean RAGGED.  Tired, grumpy, elated, then sad, tired again, rinse, repeat.  I certainly wasn't glamming up with red lipstick while breastfeeding in a kimono. 
 

Holy Molar

One of Mia's molars finally came in.  This is her 9th tooth so you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but something about this one was more painful than the others. And it took two months to surface.  I don't like the thought of over-medicating her with ibuprofen but I don't want her in pain either.  Such a struggle for a new mom!  Might need to over-medicate myself just so I can chill out about it.

From what I've read she'll start eating better once the molars are in. I'm looking forward to that as her diet consists of 70% breastmilk and 30% solids right now (not my fault, I swear!).  One of my co-workers was asking how to get her toddler to drink more milk because he was only drinking 10 ounces or so a day. Um, the dietitian's kid is only drinking 4-6 ounces of cow's milk a day.  Alas, I do have some tips though that are slowly helping Mia get better with cow's milk:

*Put it in EVERYTHING.  Homemade mac n' cheese, oatmeal, smoothies. You name it, cow's milk is in it.

*Go sweeter.  Some moms swear by acidophilus milk, which has been fermented with bacteria to create a sweeter flavor kids love. It can also help restore healthy bacteria to the digestive tract.  You can also try soymilk as its sweeter than cow's milk. I love the Silk Omega-3 & Calcium variety (client, yes, but still love it). 

*Make it fun.  Give your toddler a special milk cup that's just for him. Or start each meal off with a big "cheers" where you clink glasses and you drink some milk too. Kids love to imitate.

*Be weary of flavored milks like chocolate or strawberry milk, as toddlers don't need the added sugar and you don't want to predispose them to syrupy flavored milk.  Definitely keep it as a treat only. 

Here's hoping the 3 remaining "first" molars pop through quickly.  And then there's the canines and second molars.  So much to look forward to!

Harvard Shmarvard

What is with the guilt when you become a mom? 

This morning I was reading a study where Harvard researchers noted a 73% increase since 1980 in overweight infants under 6 months old.  This was attributed to what the baby was fed before being born.  Moms who eat like crap during their pregnancy end up with higher blood sugar and pass the glucose on to the baby -- the more glucose the baby gets, the more insulin cells the baby develops.  If the baby develops more and more insulin cells they'll be predisposed to being overweight and may become insulin resistant as they age. 

I'll admit I wasn't the most nutritious eater while pregnant.  I had been a vegetarian for years, but all of a sudden turkey sandwiches and burgers called to me.  I felt nauseous most of the time and the only thing that took the edge off was a good burger.  Did I eat unhealthy "enough" to predispose Mia to weight gain?

Guess only time will tell, but for now I'm feeding Mia as healthy as I can and trying to stave off the guilt of any pregnancy over indulgences.  She loves broccoli and hates sweets.  I'm taking that as a sign that everything is going to be OK.

Happy holidays

I love this time of year.  Last year I had a six week old at Christmas. Breastfeeding was crazy hard, Mia was colicky and my postpartum hair loss started to really kick in. Oh, and Mia had baby acne and resembled a teenage boy.  This year things are different. I have a healthy, active 13 month old who's learning new words and showing me new parts to her personality every day.  It's a blast. 

In the spirit of the season, I've got to address overindulging and it's not just about you.  Kids can overindulge too!  I have a mother who loves giving my child candy whenever I'm not looking (WHY?!)  Here are some tips I'm integrating this holiday season to make sure Mia gets to enjoy the season, but also gets the essential nutrients she needs:

*Be prepared. For me this means snacks for long car rides and meltdowns at family members' homes.  I like having sliced raw veggies, dried fruit, string cheese, yogurt tubes and whole wheat crackers on hand.  Always good to pack a cooler.  Healthy snacks might also prevent a husband meltdown too. Bonus.

*At holiday gatherings, bring a veggie tray with hand-held veggies, lean meats and cheeses you know your child will eat (think carrots, broccoli, edamame beans, turkey and low-fat cheese)

*Bring a healthy dessert.  Oatmeal cookies are a great way to increase fiber and you can hide all kinds of fruit in them (try blueberries, raisins, dried cherries and cranberries).  You can also make an oatmeal bread using similar ingredients. 

*Encourage exercise.  The holidays offer lots of time for family interaction, but don't just spend the time in front of the TV.  Get the family outside for a nice walk in the fresh winter air. 

Above all, don't stress and enjoy the season.  This year I'm happy my little one is colic and acne-free.  Weeeeee!

Happy holidays to all of you moms and dads out there.  See you in 2011.