The Sensible Mom

Breastfeeding 101: 7 Benefits of Breastfeeding

February 7, 2014 by Rachel 11 Comments

Written by my contributing writer, Rachel

Most nights (and days) were exhausting in the early months of breastfeeding my daughter. On those days when I really wanted to throw my hands up in defeat, it helped to remind myself of the benefits of breastfeeding.

In no particular order, here are 7 benefits of breastfeeding that I found most encouraging and many times impressive.

1. Just what baby needs. As long as your baby is gaining weight and has normal diapers, you can rest assured that they are getting exactly what they need from you. Keep feeding yourself well, and drink, drink, drink your water! If you don’t do these things, the only person who will be left wanting will be you.

2. Keeps sickness at bay. Breast milk is a wonder liquid. In a lot of cases it can prevent your child from getting sick. Your body’s own immunities pass through your milk to your little one. Recently my husband and I had a terrible 24 hour stomach bug. Thankfully, neither of my children got it! (I am tandem nursing. A new thing for me that I may write about it in an upcoming post.)

3. Helps mommy! Sometimes we suffer from supermom syndrome, which has us running all around the place, trying to care for our new little one, take care of ourselves and our home. Nursing forces you to sit down. When your baby is nursing, your body releases the hormone oxytocin. During labor, this progressed your contractions. When nursing, the release of this hormone will relax you.

4. Get more acquainted. That same hormone that relaxes you (oxytocin) will also aid in the bonding process between you and your new baby. Those first few months of welcoming a baby into the family has its challenges. Making time to simply focus on your baby may be one of those challenges. I have found this to be especially true with my second child. I am having to balance my time with a toddler, newborn, housework, myself, and most importantly my husband. Nursing is the most one-on-one time I get with my little baby boy.

My precious baby boy <3

5. Free! One way I contribute to the budget of our one income family is by breastfeeding! It does not cost anything but my time. Women’s Health states that women who breastfeed exclusively can save between $1,200 – $1,500 on formula!

6. Insta-soother. It is incredible how babies find comfort when at their mama’s bosom. They can sense your calmness, or lack thereof, when nursing. My daughter was 5 months old when our car was rear ended at a stop light. Praise God that neither one of us were injured, but she was pretty startled. A kind couple let us sit in their car and nurse while we waited for my husband to arrive. My daughter’s beautiful eyes searched my face as she nursed and instantly stopped crying. She knew she was safe. Even now during her toddler meltdowns I can nurse her and it changes her mood instantly.

7. Easy. I have not had to deal with preparing or cleaning bottles in order to feed my children. I simply find a place to sit and they begin eating right then and there.

For more great breastfeeding information, visit the World Health Organization’s website.

What are the reasons you breastfeed/breastfed or are considering to do so?

Losing the Baby Fat Weight Loss Update: Starting Again

February 6, 2014 by Sandra 8 Comments

Okay. It’s been almost six months since my last weight loss post. I had to take a break from really putting a lot of effort into losing weight while David was sick. Yes, I still tried to eat healthy by ordering countless veggie stir fry meals and veggie omelets while David when was inpatient for his transplant, but still.

By the way, you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find good, healthy food while you’re inpatient at the hospital. That is, without having to eat the same things over and over again. As we neared the end of David’s stay, when I’d call to place a food order, the girls on the other end of the line started to tell me what I was going to order before I even asked. They knew. 😉

It was almost always either veggie stir fry, broccoli, and green beans or a veggie omelet, broccoli, and green beans.

The Roller Coaster of Life led to Unhealthy Choices
Even while trying to eat somewhat healthy in the hospital, it wasn’t always possible at other times. Life was so unpredictable, and there were many days when I’d wake up not knowing whether or not I’d go back to sleep in my bed or on a hospital couch that night.

When David was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, everything changed. And if any changes led to a stressful feeling in my gut, I’d eat mindlessly, which was actually a reminder to pray and ask for the Lord’s help for whatever difficult situation had come my way.

But I would still eat whether I was truly hungry or not.

Starting Fresh
All that to say, I’m ready to start blogging about weight loss again. I need the accountability, and I miss being able to fit into my clothes comfortably.

I’m planning on sharing my starting weight with you next week, and thereafter, I’ll share an update once a week. I’d love for you to join me, so that we can cheer each other on!

My goal is to lose 25 pounds this year. By the grace of God, I know I can do it.

Are you working on losing weight this year?

10 Goals for the Week

February 3, 2014 by Sandra 5 Comments

Did you accomplish your goals last week?

I feel like I did a pretty job getting things done and crossed off my list. I’ve been using Google Calendar more purposefully, and I signed up for a service called Rescue Time.

I think Rescue Time is really pushing me to be more productive and helping me to understand where and when I’m wasting time online (hello, facebook!). I love that it tracks the time I spend in offline applications (like Photoshop), too.

Here’s an update on what I accomplished last week:

Family/Mothering Goals:

1. Read to my little ones 6 times

2. ~~Make a trip to the library~~

Personal Goals:

3. Juice 1x

4. Walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes every day this week — I missed two days, but overall, most days I’m on the treadmill for longer than 15 minutes.

5. ~~Continue reading Super Immunity by Dr. Joel Fuhrman~~

Home Management Goals:

6. ~~De-clutter bedroom~~

7. ~~Clean refrigerator~~ — My husband helped with this goal. 🙂

Business Goals:

8. ~~Listen to one webinar recording~~

9. ~~Return emails~~

10. ~~Write 4 blog posts~~

Here are my goals for this week:

Family/Mothering Goals:

1. Read to my little ones 5 times

2. Have a Family Night

Personal Goals:

3. Juice 3x

4. Walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes every day this week

5. Continue reading Super Immunity by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Home Management Goals:

6. Order checks

7. Sew the kids’ plushes

Business Goals:

8. Listen to one webinar recording

9. Return emails

10. Write 4 blog posts

What are your goals for this week?

My 3-Day Skinny Limits Raw Juice Cleanse

February 2, 2014 by Sandra 2 Comments

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meets program,May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May MediaGroup LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Juicing is something I’ve been doing for almost two years now.

But as with most other things in my life, everything changed in August 2013 when David was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. I couldn’t fit juicing in the way I once did. Life was far too unpredictable and hard to be able to juice with any real regularity. I didn’t want to give it up, but then again, I didn’t have time for it.

So I just let it go, and with that, I let go of any hope of being able to do a juice cleanse in the foreseeable future.

I definitely noticed a difference in my body when I stopped juicing. I still tried to eat healthy, but it’s hard to eat well when you’re constantly going to doctor’s appointments, the emergency room, and (my least favorite) the hospital for stays that lasted anywhere from one day to one month.

Because of all this, my weight increased, and I ended up gaining around 10 pounds in six months. 🙁

Not good.

Skinny Limits Raw Juice Cleanse
Fast forward to January 2014, and things finally changed when Moms Meet offered me the opportunity to try a 3-day Skinny Limits raw juice cleanse. We were living at the Ronald McDonald House at the time as David was still recovering from his transplant, and juicing on my own was still out of the question. So, as you can imagine, I jumped at the opportunity!

With a Skinny Limits, all the work is done for you. The juices are delivered fresh and raw right to your home. I was sent a three-day supply for a total of 18 bottles of juice.

For the juice cleanse, you drink a total of six bottles of juice per day. And these juices actually taste really good.

Be Sure to Read the Directions Before Starting the Cleanse
There is a method to the way you consume the raw juice. All of the bottles are numbered, and you’ll want to drink each bottle of juice in the right order for the cleanse to be most effective.

Over Ice?
I love drinking my juice over ice. You don’t have to, but if you want to get a little fancy with the white Crescent Moon juice, feel free. 🙂

It’s delicious.

How I Felt During the Cleanse
I’ll be completely honest and tell you that I didn’t feel great during the cleanse. I had headaches two days in a row, and I felt like I was moving in slow motion at the beginning of the cleanse. This is completely normal, because when you’re cleansing your body, you’re detoxing. And that can make you feel icky.

But guess what? After the first day, I no longer felt bloated, and I actually woke up with energy.

When the cleanse was over, I knew my body had done some serious detoxing, and I felt better, overall.

I’m going to try to do another juice cleanse in the near future. This time I’ll do it with my husband, because then we can cheer each other on. 🙂

After all, two is better than one, right?

Have you ever tried a raw juice cleanse?

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