POSTPARTUM JOURNEY

April 3, 2024

Along with the joy of childbirth, many women find themselves grappling with the changes their bodies undergo during pregnancy period. Yet many questions may come to each pregnant woman’s mind: How many kg do I lose after giving birth? What will my body look like? and the most important question is what will be the changes during pregnancy?

Each woman’s perception of her body during pregnancy and after giving birth is diverse and is shaped by how they adapt to shield themselves from social norms regarding female beauty.

Body weight changes rapidly and differs from women’s experience, depending on your routine, social activity, and diet. It will take time to get your ideal and favorite body shape back. Be careful!

In this blog, we’ll highlight the main body changes that you may face during pregnancy and postpartum phase:

-Weight Fluctuations

One of the most noticeable changes postpartum is the fluctuation in weight. Your body usually gains weight during pregnancy to support the baby, placenta, and maternal tissues it may change based on your pre-pregnancy weight and health.

Several factors influence the amount of weight gained by pregnant women, including genetics, maternal age, and lifestyle.

TIP: Make sure to maintain a good diet: eat meals rich in calcium (dairy), protein, iron from meat and legumes, and fiber and vitamins from fruits and vegetables.

-Changes in breast size

A significant physical change postpartum is the transformation of breasts. Breasts may become larger, as your body is getting prepared for lactation. After breastfeeding or weaning, breasts may undergo further changes in size and shape.

Tip: Wear supportive bras to feel more comfortable in your changing body.

-Stretch marks

In addition, stretch marks on the breast, hips, or stomach are a common physical transformation during pregnancy due to the rapid stretching of the skin. These marks typically appear red or purple lines and may fade over time. While some treatments can improve the appearance of your stretch marks, they cannot eradicate them.

PAY ATTENTION: Stretch marks typically fade with time but may not completely vanish.

Your body may change, but the strength, resilience, and love that come with bringing new life into the world are irreplaceable.

-Weak stomach muscles

As a result of the stretching and strain experienced during pregnancy and the postpartum period, new moms may experience weak stomach muscles that can lead to back pain and difficulties with posture.

-Hair loss due to changes in hormone levels

After childbirth, it is normal for your hormone levels to rapidly decrease (estrogen and progesterone). This shift can trigger a condition known as telogen effluvium, where a big percentage of hair follicles enter the resting phase in the hair growth cycle.

GOOD TO KNOW:

Postpartum hair loss usually begins around three months after giving birth and can last for a few months. It is characterized by increased hair shedding, often noticeable during showering or brushing.

From weight fluctuations to changes in breast size, stretch marks, weakened stomach muscles, or hair loss, each transformation represents the incredible journey of motherhood. While it may seem overwhelming, surround yourself with support and your loved ones, prioritize self-care, both physically and emotionally, and celebrate the beauty of your body.

Above all, cherish the journey and the beautiful gift of motherhood.

How to balance work and motherhood?

March 20, 2024

6 effective tips you’d like to know

Working and having babies may be a little bit stressful, especially for new moms who face difficulties finding harmony between work and motherhood.

That’s why balancing the demands of your career with the responsibilities of motherhood, teetering between the pressures of professional success, and the desire to be present for your family to spend much time with your little ones can be challenging.

It’s a reality where deadlines clash with diaper changes, where conference calls blend seamlessly with bedtime stories… So really, how do we balance being a working mom with children?

In this blog, we’ll dive into effective tips for all working moms. You’re not alone, Optimal has your back!

1- Create a bedtime routine

Make time to bond with your family after a long day and add these habits to your bedtime routine:

-Set a dedicated time every evening to read a bedtime story with your kids after taking a bath. It will not only foster a love for reading but also provide an opportunity for quality bonding time.

-Play soft music to create a serene atmosphere.

-Encourage a tech-free period at least one hour before bedtime so you can focus and relax.

-Apply your daily skincare routine before bed

Night-time habits are important; adding these rituals to your routine will help you create moments of joy and connection that recharge for the next day.

2-Pumping: An essential role for working moms

Pumping is crucial for you -working moms- as it allows you to maintain breastfeeding while meeting work duties. It will also ensure that your baby receives the same nourishment and benefits for his immune system as direct breastfeeding even when physically separated during the workday.

Start pumping daily before going to bed so your baby’s lunch is ready for the next day

3-Prioritize and organize your tasks

Start by creating a schedule to outline your work hours, your childcare responsibilities, and of course your self-care time.

By prioritizing tasks based on importance, and using tools like planners you will surely ensure a high level of organization.

-Allocate specific time in your schedule for different tasks: work projects, childcare duties, or personal activities. For example, designate mornings for focused work, afternoons for family time, and evenings for self-care

-Identify tasks that can be delegated to others: like involving family members in household chores.

-Don’t forget to set clear boundaries between work and family time so you can focus on each aspect of your life without feeling overwhelmed.

—According to research published by the American Psychology Association (APA), a study examined the happiness levels of 1,364 mothers and compared those who work part-time with those who stay at home with their children. The findings revealed that mothers who work part-time typically experience greater happiness during the infancy of their children compared to mothers who remain at home full-time.

4-Don’t let guilt weigh you down!

Society can be tough on moms, making you feel bad and guilty most of the time for working a full-time job. But always remember, your job brings good things to your family! It helps save for your child’s education and health insurance and you’re building an image for your kids toward the value of hard work, which is awesome.

So, be proud of balancing work and family time—you’re doing great!

5- Create special moments with your family

When time is limited consider organizing fun activities with your family so that everyone can participate. Maybe you can benefit from these suggestions:

*Set aside a regular evening for family game nights.

*Enjoy a Storytime together.

*Plan for a day out during the weekend: go to the park, skiing, and have a barbecue…

Additionally, involving your older children in the planning process can keep them interested and engaged.

6- Create some “ME-TIME”

As a mom, it’s very normal to prioritize your family. However, neglecting your well-being can leave you feeling down.

It’s important to carve out time for self-care activities that promote mental health and relaxation: meditation, yoga, physical exercise, reading, writing, or spending time with friends to rejuvenate your spirit and maintain balance.

In conclusion, balancing work and motherhood is a continuous process, not a destination recognizing that some days may tip more towards work while others lean towards family.

Embrace flexibility in your schedule and expectations, allowing room for both professional pursuits and precious moments with your children.

Cherish the little victories and moments of joy, knowing that each step forward, no matter how small, contributes to the delicate balance of work and motherhood.

Navigating Sleep Deprivation: A Compassionate Guide for New Moms

February 14, 2024

New moms often express concerns like, “My baby won’t sleep, I don’t know what to do?” or “How do I manage my baby’s sleep schedule?” These worries are typical among new mothers.

Welcoming a newborn into the family brings immense joy and love. However, it also brings a common challenge: sleep deprivation. It’s crucial to understand that this is a normal part of early parenthood. Although overwhelming, it is temporary. Many mothers have navigated through it before, and you can too.

This article aims to shed light on the normalcy of sleep deprivation, discuss its effects on new mothers, and offer practical tips to not only survive but thrive during this transformative period. Let’s explore the realm of sleepless nights with empathy, understanding, and a roadmap for a more restful and fulfilling motherhood journey.

The Normalcy of Moms’ Sleep Deficit

Firstly, new moms must realize that experiencing sleep deprivation is entirely normal. The round-the-clock care demanded by a newborn can disrupt any routine. Acknowledging that this phase is temporary can provide solace and help new moms navigate through the sleepless nights with patience and resilience.

Consequences And Effects

Beyond feeling a bit tired, sleep deprivation can have significant consequences on both your physical and mental well-being.

Being aware of these effects is the first step in addressing them:

Increased Irritability and Anxiety: Sleep deprivation often leads to heightened irritability and anxiety in mothers. Everyday stressors become more challenging to handle, triggering stronger emotional responses.

Emotional Rollercoaster: Sleep deprivation can manifest as a rollercoaster of emotions, making mothers more susceptible to anxiety and depression. Minor frustrations can escalate into overwhelming despair, highlighting the profound influence of sleep on emotional well-being.

Creating a Schedule for Newborns

Establishing a routine for newborns can greatly benefit new mothers, providing time for self-care and relaxation.

Consistent feeding times and nap schedules based on the baby’s age and developmental stage can bring stability and predictability amidst the chaos of early parenthood.

Influences on Sleep Quality

Beyond adequate nutrition for growth, a baby’s sleep is influenced by various factors such as temperament and surroundings.

Ensure your baby distinguishes between daytime naps and nighttime sleep.
Establishing a conducive sleep environment with blackout curtains and a quiet ambiance is essential.
Avoid waiting until your baby is overtired to put them to sleep, as this can disrupt their nighttime rest.
Recognizing signs of discomfort, such as colic, can enhance sleep quality for both baby and mother.

Tips for New Moms

Prioritize self-care and take short breaks whenever possible.
Nap when your baby sleeps during the day.
Accept help from your partner, friends, and family.
Establish a calming bedtime routine for both you and the baby.
Address potential issues like hunger, teething, or colic.
Communicate openly with your partner about your feelings and needs.
Remember, this phase of sleeplessness is temporary. Be patient with yourself and seek support when needed. Embracing the reality of sleepless nights with a positive mindset can make the journey of new motherhood more manageable.

Introducing Your Baby to Solid Food

July 12, 2023

Learn when to start introducing solid food to your baby for optimal nutrition and growth. Your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months old. Find the signs of readiness and consult your pediatrician for personalized advice. Optimal Medics ensures your baby’s health and well-being during this crucial phase.

What Solid Food is Usually Introduced First to Babies:

Discover the best solid food choices for your baby’s first meals. From iron-rich baby cereals to pureed fruits, vegetables, and grains. Start with single-ingredient foods to monitor any allergic reactions or digestive issues.

Introducing Variety for Optimal Nutrition:

Promote a well-rounded diet by introducing a variety of foods to your baby. Optimal Medics recommends a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables to ensure a diverse nutrient intake. We provide expert advice on incorporating different textures and flavors to develop your baby’s palate and promote optimal nutrition.

Allergens Baby Solid Food:

Learn how to manage and reduce the risk of food allergies when introducing solid foods. Optimal Medics highlights recent studies that suggest the early introduction of potentially allergenic foods, such as peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, wheat, and soy, may help prevent allergies. However, consult your pediatrician for personalized guidance based on your baby’s specific needs.

How to Introduce Solid Food for Babies:

Gradually transition your baby from purees to mashed or finely chopped foods to promote their chewing skills and adaptability to different textures. Optimal Medics provides tips on introducing soft finger foods to encourage self-feeding under your supervision. Ensure your baby’s safety and enjoyable eating experience.

Conclusion:

Introducing your baby to solid foods is an important milestone in their development. With Optimal Medics’ comprehensive guide, you can navigate this transition with confidence. Discover when to start, choose the right foods, manage food allergies, and ensure a smooth transition to textured foods. Promote your baby’s optimal health and set them on the path to lifelong healthy eating habits

Benefits of Breastfeeding

July 11, 2023

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding offers numerous benefits for both the mother and the baby.

What are the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers?

Breastfeeding saves the mother’s health by reducing the risk of developing breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and ovarian cancer.
Helps the uterus contract and return to its pre-pregnancy size through the release of oxytocin.
Helps the mother lose weight gained during pregnancy
Reduces the risk of postpartum depression
Enhances bonding between mother and baby

Benefits of breastfeeding for baby:

Provides optimal nutrition an infant need during the first six months of life
Boosts the infant’s immune system since the mother’s breast milk contains antibodies that protect the infant against infections (such as ear infections, respiratory infections, and diarrhea)
reduces the risk of allergies and asthma
Reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Promotes healthy weight gain at a healthy pace
Improves cognitive development

How to schedule breastfeeding and pumping?

Breastfeed at least 8-12 times a day: Newborn babies need to be fed frequently, typically every 2-3 hours. As the baby grows, the frequency of feedings may decrease.
Watch for hunger cues: Signs that a baby is hungry include rooting, sucking on hands or fingers, and making sucking noises.
Time feedings: Aim for each feeding to last around 20-30 minutes. If the baby is still hungry after one breast, offer the other breast until they’re satisfied.
Offer both breasts: It’s important to offer both breasts during each feeding to ensure that the baby gets enough milk and that both breasts are stimulated to produce milk.

Why nipple shield is used:

Helps with latch issues: It can be helpful for babies who have difficulty latching onto the breast due to flat or inverted nipples, or if they have a tongue-tie or other oral issues.
Helps to reduce pain and soreness associated with breastfeeding.
Helps maintain milk supply by ensuring that the baby can extract milk from the breast effectively

Pumping breast milk has several benefits for both the mother and the baby:

Maintains milk supply by ensuring that the breasts are regularly emptied
Relieves breast engorgement, which can be uncomfortable and lead to plugged ducts or mastitis
Provides the same nutritional benefits as breastfeeding providing the protective factors and antibodies found in the breast milk
Stimulates milk production for mothers struggling with low milk supply
Helps with premature or sick babies

How to deal with tantrums

March 24, 2023

A tantrum is common in children aged 1-3 years and it is an unplanned outburst of anger and frustration; these outbursts can be physical, verbal, or both. Your child may act out, be disruptive, and generally display unpleasant behaviors – when your child “loses it”. Some of the triggers may be tiredness, jealousy, hunger, lifestyle changes, excessive pampering, and strict parental intervention or authoritative discipline. So the real problem is how to deal with tantrums.

Here are some of the ways to deal with tantrums:

Communicate with your child instead of arguing. Ask and allow them to answer by providing different scenarios of the current situation. For example, if they were playing with the pet ask them: “If you play roughly with the pet, what would happen? Would you enjoy playtime more than if you treated it nicely?”. This conversational approach will develop common sense and analytical skills.

Provide options rather than bossing them around. Make them feel as if they are in charge of their own decisions. For example, if they had to pick up their toys and have lunch, ask them: “Would you like to pick up your toys first then have lunch? Or the other way around. Freedom of choice gets things done smoothly and desirably.

Use Distractions. Add a fun factor before things go out of control. For example, if you were going for a car ride and your child starts screaming and wobbling around in refusal of sitting in the car seat, tell them: “I’ve got your favorite coloring book and some crayons. They’re all yours… go wild!”. This approach will lure them in and keep them occupied the whole time.

Allow them to steam out. Give your child permission to scream and shout until they’re ready to stop. For example, if you were at home and a tantrum suddenly occurs, tell them: ‘You can yell louder if you want to. We’re home and no one is bothered by that

This paradoxical instruction would relieve and calm them down instantly.

Make way for learning through risk-free experiences. Acquiring skills and good habits happens effectively through experiments. For example, if you were cooking and they were bored and constantly nagging tell them: “How about we get messy and bake a cake together? Would you like to prepare and mix all the ingredients by yourself?”. Being involved in new situations will certainly boost their confidence and entertain them.

Observe, Identify the trigger, and work your way around it. Set a time limit to his/her activities. For example, if they always refuse to turn off the TV to go wash up and head to bed, tell them: “I will set a 5-minute timer and when it goes off, you have to go brush your teeth and sleep”. This will train their mind to respect and manage time.

Patiently discuss the situation post-outburst. Approach them quietly and speak to them about what has happened and why. For example, if they had an intense outburst at the supermarket over a chocolate bar, sit them down and discuss why they wanted that candy so badly and if all that screaming was necessary. Making them feel safe and understood would bring them closer to you.

It is always better to work with tantrums, not against them. Tantrums and/or stubbornness can have a positive outcome as well!

Stubbornness can undeniably:

Boost self-confidence

Cultivate a courageous attitude

Develop a strong personality

Accelerate learning

Promote positivity and maturity

Everything can be of benefit to your child’s development and character when treated wisely.

Try these tips and witness an immediate change in your child’s behavior!

Importance of Breastfeeding

March 24, 2023

Breastfeeding benefits

Breastfeeding is the most effective method for nurturing strong and healthy babies. That is because breast milk invincibly boosts the immune system, provides unmatched nutrients, is easily digestible, and facilitates the emotional bonding between a mother and her newborn baby.

Is it an easy process, though? Does it come naturally to every mother out there? Here is where it gets tricky!

Tons of mothers, particularly new ones, battle with anxiety and depression due to the stress of the breastfeeding process. They tend to get infuriated by how demanding and complex it might get, add to that the burden of direct peer pressure.

In this article, we will tackle some of those circulating concerns of new or existing mothers:

Is it normal for my breasts to hurt during breastfeeding?

It is absolutely normal to feel some discomfort at the very early stages of breastfeeding, but it shouldn’t hurt. Pain may be due to “Improper Latching” or “Breast Engorgement”.

For proper latching, place your baby’s tongue under the nipple and as much of the areola (the dark ring around your nipple) in the baby’s mouth.

For relief from breast engorgement, apply a warm towel or an ice pack prior to feeding or simply express some milk using a breast pump. Keep in mind that this is a temporary condition and it will improve once you learn how to remove excess milk.

Is my baby getting enough breastmilk?

Majority of mothers worry about servings and the amount of milk given to the baby. It is crucial to point out here that whatever goes in will certainly come out! So, keeping track of your baby’s diapers is an excellent indicator to what the right amount should be. For example:

During the first 24 hours post-birth: A baby must have 1-2 wet diapers and 1-2 soiled diapers.
During days 2 & 3 post-birth: A baby must have 3-4 wet diapers and 2-3 soiled diapers.
During days 4 & 5 and onwards: A baby must have at least 5-6 wet diapers and 3-4 soiled diapers.

Anything above or below is alarming and should be addressed as soon as possible.

How often should I breastfeed my baby?

Overfeeding can backfire as much as Underfeeding. Avoid both!

Before anything, find a quiet place to breastfeed, preferably at home, because babies can get easily distracted in crowded rooms which might irritate or bother them.

On an average, a baby should be fed every 1.5-3 hours and for 10-15 minutes on each breast. Warning: Don’t forget to burp your baby after each feeding to prevent an upset stomach.

For safe and smooth breastfeeding, try not to exceed those recommended timeframes.

Breastfeeding brings comfort to your child

Babies can never be spoiled, but as a matter of fact they are born with a need to be loved, comforted, fed and held. So, please don’t deprive them of that. Always attend to your babies’ needs to gain their full trust.

Breastfeeding is not an easy process, but definitely worth all the efforts.

What are signs of colic

March 22, 2021

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