Working Out Through the Trimesters

So here I am on week 37 of my second pregnancy, and still keeping active to a certain extent. Although for my first pregnancy I used to weigh myself every single week (not that it made a difference to my weight gain...), this time around I'm not as focused on the scale but rather trying to keep myself as active as I can to the extent that I can.

There are some general guidelines on what workouts to avoid during pregnancy, it's always best to check with your doctor, but I thought I'd share what worked for me personally. Everyone's fitness level is different and where you start before pregnancy will influence what you are/ aren't able to do during pregnancy.

Prior to Pregnancy

My workouts were a combination of body pump, crossfit, yoga and body balance. I generally liked some weight training and cardio, balanced with yoga.

First Trimester

Although what I read was that it was safe to continue carrying out exercises that you were normally used to. I preferred to play it safe since I'd had a miscarriage in the past, so I kept things lower key with mostly just yoga although it was vinyasa/ power yoga with some minor adjustments.

Second Trimester

By the second trimester, I was more confident picking things back up. I was starting to get a bit tired of lower impact workouts and was not feeling myself. So I picked up body pump again, and felt great to workout and get my heart rate going, I kept my bench on an incline and did some stretches instead of ab workouts for the last track. I continued to alternate this with some yoga and gradually reduced weights as I got bigger. Towards the end of my second trimester I started feeling less comfortable in body pump classes, as my bump started to get in the way of the bar, and it was especially difficult for me to pick myself back up from laying on the bench with a bar. It's really important to keep proper form to ensure that you don't get injured so as my bump grew it started getting a bit more difficult to keep the correct alignment. 

Third Trimester

As the third trimester kicked in, it was like a switch that turned off and I would just have general lazy vibes, and really could not be bothered to go to workouts at the gym anymore. I started focusing more on pre-natal yoga workouts, my own yoga routines, balance ball exercises and using some dumbells for weight training at home. Although in earlier trimesters, I would find pre-natal yoga too laid back and not enough of a workout, I started feeling more in-the zone of transitioning my mind-set to more calm and relaxing activities in preparation for birth. At my 33 week appointment I was informed that baby was transverse (laying side-ways and hadn't moved head-down yet), so I visited  spinningbabies.com and started following their recommendations for activities that could help the baby turn including; walking, swimming, handstands underwater and certain inversions.

I have another scan tomorrow, so wish me luck that baby has started moving head-down!

Babymoom Travels

So just because you have a bump growing, that doesn’t mean that the travel bug has left your system. 

I’ve just returned from my third pregnancy travel. I traveled during my last pregnancy to Thailand for a babymoon during my second trimester. This time around, I traveled during my first trimester to Vietnam and during my second trimester to Greece. 

There’s nothing that should really stop you from traveling, travel won’t cause any mishaps, however, if anything does happen you may prefer to be closer to home.

Considerations during the first trimester:

I was a bit nervous about traveling during the first trimester in case anything did happen, as my first pregnancy had ended in miscarriage at 5/6 weeks. The chances of miscarriage are higher during the first trimester. Some women also suffer with morning sickness and more nausea and headaches during the first trimester, however I don’t generally get morning sickness so thankfully did not have to deal with that. 

One thing that I did make sure to do before travel to Vietnam was to ensure that I had a full list of recommended hospitals for each of the cities which we would be visiting. 

I also made sure to pack insect repellant to keep mosquitos away, although malaria was not prevalent in the cities I would be visiting I wanted to be safe. 

However, halfway through our trip the first case of Zika virus was reported in Vietnam which did send me into a bit of a panic and out came the long sleeve pants and tops, with bug spray over it to try to keep myself safe.

I had no issues with food, just made sure to stay away from street foods and raw foods, otherwise enjoyed the Vietnamese cuisine and stuck to drinking bottled water. 

Considerations during the second trimester:

The second trimester is generally considered the honeymoon phase, as most women are over morning sickness, energy levels are back up, and you aren’t quite so heavy yet. The drawback however, is that with the added weight, blood volume and hormones you tend to feel warmer. Both of my second trimester travels were during the summer to warm places, Greece and Thailand. 

The main adjustment was to spend more time exploring in the early mornings, and evenings, and keeping cool in the afternoons by relaxing and napping! 

Things to keep in mind for air travel:

• First of all getting the OK from your Dr. that you don’t have any complications to be concerned about

• Making sure to move around from time to time on the plane, walking up and down the aisles keep circulation going as pregnant women are more likely to develop blood clots 

• Drink lots of water to stay hydrated  

• Fit to fly letter – some airlines might require this 

Other tips: 

• Travel insurance

• Staying in areas accessible to hospitals

• Taking it easy, planning for down time, realizing that you may not have as much energy as previously. For me that meant no diving, no intense hiking and more time spend at the spa and beaches relaxing and catching up on some reading

• Staying hydrated! 

Happy preggy travels! 

Mom-to-be getaway in Muscat

If you are looking for the ideal spa-day in Muscat for moms-to-be then look no further than The Chedi Muscat. 

I've tried a couple of other spas during pregnancy both in Muscat and Abu Dhabi and none of them have come close to the experience and relaxation at The Chedi.

I have always felt that the experience of going to a spa goes well beyond the massage or facial that you have signed up for, a spa experience should cater to the other senses of sight and scent ultimately leading to total relaxation of the mind. 

Although The Chedi is located in the middle of the city, the design of the hotel has been done in such a way that you feel a sense of escape or getaway as soon as you drive down their long driveway leading up the main entrance of the hotel. As you park your car and start zig zagging your way down pebbled footpaths and symmetrically planted trees and ponds, you already start feeling a sense of escape.

The Spa is located close to The Long Pool, and here's the obligatory photo that one must take when standing in front of it. 

As you walk up the stairs to The Spa and enter their dimly lit reception area, you automatically feel a sense of zen and healing as the aromas of spa oils fills you and a mental sense of escape lingers. 

All the spa rooms face the long pool, and that setting alone with the beach in the background creates a sense of calm. Add to that some candles and soothing music and they've really got the scene setting down to a T.

I used to visit The Chedi Spa during my first pregnancy, but 2 years down the line and they have really taken in to the next level. Instead of placing you in a side lying position as most spas do for pregnant women, they now have a special bed with a portion of it that is removable around the belly area, so that you can comfortably lay on your "belly" without any pressure on your baby bump as it hangs out of a hole in the bed.  This gives much greater access to the therapist trying to ease out those sore back muscles that us preggies always complain about. 

The ila-Mother-To-Be Massage is a 90 minute treatment which includes an exfoliation comprised of black current seeds and Himalayan sea salts, which leave your skin very smooth, followed by a quick rinse and then a massage. The massage oil used is a special blend for moms-to-be which includes organic argan oil and herbal extracts. The massage was firm (just the way I like it!) and hit certain pressure points and was finished off with heated herbal poultices (little herb filled heated up bags) placed on marma points containing herbs like lavender for relaxing the muscles and bringing harmony to baby and mama. 

The treatment is on the expensive side, rounding up to 85RO with the taxes and service fees, but definitely worth it. 

Are you a Fitness App Junkie?

So have you joined the fitness app fanatics with multiple fitness apps to keep track of your heart rate, sleep rhythm, food intake, water intake, workouts, footsteps, calories burned...etc..?

Ok well I have, here's a screen shot of my fitness apps, and that's only the first page!

I thought I'd share a bit on my experience with each one of them.

Cody

This app specifically has fitness classes that you can view and follow on your iPhone or iPad. The app comes with a few free classes as part of the starter kit including mostly yoga and some strength classes. They then have several classes that you can purchase online on  https://www.codyapp.com which include yoga, strength, flexibility, nutrition and weightlifting. I've visited the site several times and have been tempted to download classes but promised myself to only purchase classes if I consistently used the free ones to begin with. That hasn't happened yet. But the 2-3 classes that I have tried were enjoyable.

Wodify

This app was downloaded when I was still at Crossfit Tempo, you can register for classes, keep a log of your performance, and see your progress over time. You can also "like" other people's performances and workouts.

UP

I purchased a fitness wristband, the UP3 and this is the app that goes along with it. It keeps a log of your sleep (deep sleep, REM and light sleep), keeps a tab of the footsteps you've taken and whether your have reached your goals. You can also log in any workouts that you have done that day, and it will add those calories for you to give you a total of calories burnt for that day. Your passive heart rate also gets logged. If you've got friends using the same app, you can follow them, check their progress and encourage each other. The app also provides you with daily feedback on how you've been doing and recommendations for how you can improve on reaching your target. I'll be honest, when I first got the band I was constantly checking the updates on it, but have gradually lost the interest as I realized that I hardly ever meet my 10,000 footstep goal, and its a bit discouraging for me to keep seeing that. I've been advised by the app to set a lower target but am in denial and want to keep the same target. It would be good to be able to set other fitness goals related to gym workouts or gym classes that are not necessarily reflected by footsteps. On the other hand, getting the band has encouraged my partner who used to hate walking to walk more and meet his daily goals.

My Zone

This is a chest band that I first started using when I joined the Engine Room at Horizon. It tracks your heart rate during workouts and gives you the information on the workout zone you are in and the calories burnt. This is meant to be more accurate at calculating calories burnt than wristbands as it is worn close to your heart. I think it's pretty cool, but I also got a bit bored of strapping something on my chest, when all I wanted to do is just go enjoy a workout rather than stress over exact calories burnt and what zone I was in.

Wellness

This app was downloaded when I joined the Wellness Center at The Wave, and gives you the option to add or drop classes. It's pretty easy and simple to use. I haven't used it for anything other than that. If you drop classes less than 3 hours before class, or don't show up to class, you run the risk of being black listed from classes, yikes, a bit harsh!

My Fitness Pal

This app was really cool for the 72 hours that I dedicated time to use it. You can add in your food and drink intake and it calculates that amount of calories that you have consumed. Its better than the nutrition section of the UP and has a lot more variety of foods to select from, including local favorites like Al Marai low fat laban. You can sync this with other apps including UP and get your caloric intake to be reflected on your UP and get info on workouts and footsteps from UP to be reflected on My Fitness Pal. Based on the amount of calories that you have burnt, it could give you additional calories to eat up. I somehow didn't always think that enough additional calories transferred over from UP to My Fitness Pal - so I'm not quite sure how the conversion works. While its fun to do for a short time, to get an idea of calorie busters, its simply not that practical to log every single thing that goes into your mouth. The app is also linked to the MyFitnessPal Blog on which you can find recipes and other health and nutrition advice.

Libra

Welcome to the new age of weighing scales. This app goes along with the Runtastic weighing scale, which gives you not only your weight and BMI, but also your water content, fat percentage, muscle mass, bone mass and tissue content. Over time it graphs out all of your data. 

Health

Is an app that comes with the iPhone, you can link all your other apps to it, and you can get a dashboard of your performances. I don't really use it that much, but maybe I just haven't figured out its benefits yet.

Nurture

This is a mummy to be app, which tracks your pregnancy - tells you how many weeks you are, gives info on the baby's growth hat week, pregnancy related tips and is also linked to a community board. Moreover, you can sync it with your UP and My Fitness Pall apps to keep track of your overall fitness wellbeing and see a full dashboard of your nutrition, calories, weight and other health info that you've entered from your prenatal visits.  

So in summary, although I may be a slave to downloading tons of apps and trying them out, I'm definitely no slave to the apps themselves!

Considering joining a gym in Muscat?

I always think its important to keep yourself physically active, no matter what the activity is, as long as its enjoyable to you and keeps you interested enough to keep coming back. Over the last few months I've worked out at 3 main fitness centers, here's a look at my experience at each of them:

Horizon Ladies Gym - Al Hail

Horizon is one of the oldest gyms in Oman, and has branches popping up all over the place. I got interested when they opened a bright and shiny new ladies gym in my neighborhood and decided to give it a try. The membership process was quite confusing, and they never had any leaflets or signboard that clearly indicated packages and membership inclusions. Instead, you get bombarded with information about membership and classes by the ladies at the front desk, talking to you simultaneously. You can't pay for classes as you go, and have to be a member, I was ambitious and decided to get an annual membership. I then realized that my membership did not include any of the classes, and that would have to be paid for separately. At the time, I was interested in the Engine Room, so I paid separately for that and for a personal trainer. Communication of the payment options and packages could have been better. That aside, my Engine Room personal trainer was great, and really pushed me the right amount that although the class is only 30 minutes it is very high intensity, I always left feeling like I was  pushed to my limit and got the best out of those 30 minutes, she would finish off the class with a quick massage and stretch, which was PERFECT!

Crossfit Tempo

Crossfit, sounds intimidating and that its for hard core heavy lifters, but everyone works at their own pace and fitness level. Crossfit Tempo is located in Al Khoud and is a man's world kind of gym, but you will find a few women who attend the mixed classes too. I tend to go to these classes with my husband. The crowd is a pretty mixed background who don't care how they look and can wear the same ripped t-shirt with holes that keep widening as the weeks pass. What's important is pushing yourself as hard as you can and topping the leaderboards or your previous performance levels. You also get the occasional neighborhood kids walking in to curiously see what's going on - before getting kicked out. Class registration is done through an app "WODIFY", and you can also track your progress by logging in your performance at the end of each workout and can also encourage each other by  "liking" other people's performances. You have the option of paying per class or getting a membership. The moves and WOD (work out of the day) are very clearly broken down and explained. A typical workout would start off with a warm-up, followed by practicing a skill (like lifting techniques), and then a breakdown of the WOD (Workout of the Day). They are usually high intensity workouts with lots of repetitions, that sound impossible to complete, but somehow you do make it through to the end of the class. Crossfit will definitely teach you to count and divide as you try to break down the workout with minimal breaks. The focus of each class on a given day may vary, from gymnastics, to weightlifting, or anaerobic based workouts. They have had a few different trainers that have come and gone since they opened last year, each with a different style.

The Wellness Center

The Wellness Center is one of the newest gyms and is the crème de la crème of Muscat gyms, really elevating the standard of service and professionalism. Its the type of place that is spotlessly clean, has a sauna and Amouage body products in the locker rooms. It the type of place that you want to walk into looking clean cut and pulled together, as the Lululemon wearing crowd definitely likes to check out who's who as you pass by. You have to be a member to attend the classes, and can choose to get a 1 month, 3 month, 6 month or 1 year membership. Registering for classes is done through an app on your phone "Wellness", and the classes are in such high demand that you may try to register a week in advance, and still be put on a waitlist. Their class cancelation policy is quite strict, and if you don't show up or cancel at a minimum of 3 hours before the class, then you risk being blacklisted from classes for the rest of your membership if it happens 3 times. I like the diversity of the classes offered and have been mostly attending the yoga and body pump classes.

I generally prefer classes over independently using gym equipment, all of these centers were enjoyable to me in their own way, it really depends what you're looking for.

Stay fit!

Early Risers Get the Best View - Wakan

What better way to enjoy a weekend morning, than sipping on freshly brewed Karak at the top of a mountain with beautiful views of the rising sun making its way over the mountain range. If you're looking for a quick outdoor trip and comfortable hike that's not too far away from Muscat, then you should consider heading to Wakan Village during spring. 

 

We usually head out around 4:00am, to make it to the viewpoint at the top in time to watch the sun rise. Waken is situated in Wilayat Nakhl, it's an hour and a half drive away from Muscat, and another half an hour of walking up 700 purpose built steps that take you along a falaj system as you walk up to the viewpoint at the top. 

The crisp early morning cool air fills your lungs with freshness as you make your way up in semi darkness, hastily so as not to miss the sunrise.

If you have friends kind enough to make you fresh Karak at the top as you watch the rising sun, that takes the experience to a whole other level. 

The village has beautiful terraced gardens and they grow apricots, grapes, pomegranate and maize from what I could see. The pathway is well built making it a comfortable climb, with lots of lookout points with seating areas to rest as you make your way up. Unfortunately, the restrooms at the final view point have not been maintained and were locked last time we visited.

 

For those who find this pathway too easy, there's a hiking trail connecting Wakan to Jabal Akhdar although it may take several hours to get there, I haven't ventured that path myself yet.


Click here for more info on Wakan.
Coordinates N23.14343 E57.73541


   

Psst, what's in that bag?

So I've been carrying around this colorful bag that I bought in Thailand to work with me everyday along with my usual handbag after returning from maternity leave.

Wondering what's inside?

• Medela Freestyle Pump
• Handsfree bra 
• Cooler bag with ice pack
• 2 medela milk bottles 

If you are not interested in a long boring story on pumping then read no further! You have been warned...

So I guess this makes me a so called "work and pump" mom. I wanted to make sure that Jude continued to have breastmilk while I was away at work so I just made sure to pump on a daily basis the equivalent of the milk that she consumed. She would typically have three 5oz bottles of milk while I was away. That equated to me pumping 3 times a day; in the morning before heading to work, at work and then at night before bed.

Jude has just turned 1 and this 1 year I have to say that I really bonded with this little palm size pump. I have used it in a lot of unexpected locations ...  in the sky (on a plane) on the ground (train, car) at sea (on a boat) ... haven't managed to take it underwater diving!  The reason that it was so necessary for me to pump in all those locations was not just to collect milk , in some cases I just dumped it, but it could get really uncomfortable if I went long hours between feeds or pump sessions. I also tend to get blocked ducts quite easily so I just wanted to keep that in check.

Now that Jude is 1 I have decided to discontinue my relationship with my pump, yes! Finally! And I must say that I feel somewhat liberated to be walking around not worrying about how or when or where I'm going to be pumping. I literally feel lighter not carrying my colourful bag around town with me. I have now replaced Jude's bottle feeds with full fat cow's milk and she gets to nurse from me whenever I'm around. I still need to figure out how and when I'm going to wean her completely but I expect it to be gradual over this year.

Here are some useful links on:
Milk storage : http://www.lalecheleague.org/faq/milkstorage.html
Traveling : http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/travel_recommendations.htm
Work and pump: http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/bf-links-pumping/

*Note: this post was drafted over a year ago, we have long since weaned from breastfeeding :)

Has it really been 15 months?

I have just realized that its been 15 months since my last blog post! I realize that I have been away for some time, but just didn't realize how long its been exactly. Coincidentally, my absence from the blogging sphere coincided with Jude starting to stand, walk and run around. I guess I've been busy running behind her and she has been more demanding of my time lately.

I'm going to give blogging another attempt and hope to keep it up!

Bakasana to headstand I will conquer you ...

So my latest physical challenge is to get myself to go from bakasana (crow pose) into headstand.

I have been practicing yoga for around 2 years now, I started right before I got pregnant because I wanted to get myself into a regular exercise that I could continue throughout my pregnancy. Prior to that, I had been doing regular boot camp sessions on the beach, so not the ideal workout to continue while pregnant.

I started off yoga twice a week with an Iyengar yoga instructor by the name of Shipla, who works from her home in Ghubra. Her instruction uses props such as belts, bolsters, blocks and ropes to help students get into correct positions. The class mixes beginners, advanced, expecting, non-expecting students all in one class, but she groups and instructs students according to their levels. I really enjoy the benefit of the props which allow for deeper extensions, encouragement of inversions and improvement of flexibility in general. Her classes are an earful for sure as she describes the 8 limbs of yoga, and keeping your mind clear of destructive demonic forces and other such mindful teachings.

After getting pregnant , I also added on pre-natal yoga classes with Karen Wilmot at Whispers of Serenity. Her yoga classes are specifically catered to pregnant women, so it was a great way to meet other expecting mothers. The class focused on hip openers, strengthening the pelvic floor and long sessions of belly breathing. Regular belly breathing exercises made it very easy for me to switch into the mode of belly breathing during labor which I feel really helped keep me calm through contractions in labor.

I complemented my yoga practice with regular walking and even added on climbing up and down stairs as an exercise to open up my pelvis in the last few weeks leading up to my due date. I considered myself to be quite fit for a pregnant woman and didn't expect my fitness level to drop much.

What I did not realize is that although you may not feel much different from your previous self, your body really does change a lot through pregnancy. I started getting back into light exercise around 2 weeks postpartum. My super-fit mom encouraged me to get on her treadmill every now and then when Jude was napping. I can't say that I was consistent about it but it did feel good to start doing normal activities other than focusing all my thoughts and efforts on my newborn baby.

I did not feel confident pursuing other exercises right away. I did a quick self-assessment at home and realized that my abdomen had separated as a result of the pregnancy, I could literally fit 3 fingers straight through a gap in between my left and right abdomen.  Abdominal separation also known as distasis recti is quite common for multiple pregnancies , and places you at a higher risk of lower back issues and  injuries such as a hernia. Certain exercises may even make the gap wider, which concerned me.  

At 4 months, post partum , I decided that I needed to get into a regular exercise routine so that I could start feeling like myself again and stop treating myself like a patient that's still recovering from some illness. I got a personal trainer to come home and trained with her twice a week.  With my busy work schedule and rushing home to spend time with Jude before bedtime, I just did not have the energy to leave home again for a workout, so that option worked quite well for me. I was so shocked the first time I tried to do a leg raise because I could barely lift my lower legs. I had lost so much muscle strength in my abs, but I took that as a challenge. 

I also added on yoga sessions again, with another yoga instructor by the name of Tomoko whose detail-oriented instruction focuses on correct technique, flow and breathing, with a perfectly matching soundtrack for each session.  

The thing that I enjoy most about yoga, is the fact that no matter how much I progress there's always something more to attain. I've worked hard to be able to hold a headstand without wall support, this is a great achievement for me, because it makes me realize that I have managed to bring back some of the abdominal strength that I may have lost during pregnancy.

Through yoga and meditation, I have gained mind discipline. In labor, I managed to virtually levitate my mind away from my body and thus minimize my perception of pain.

My next big challenge is moving from crow to headstand, so I guess I need to work on my crow pose to feel comfortable enough to drop my head. I should add that this is just as much a mental exercise as it is a physical one. Wish me luck on progressing with this!

For more info on distasis recti visit http://www.befitmom.com/diastasis_recti.html

Love at First Sight? I think not...

After waiting for nearly 10 months to finally hold my baby in my arms, I expected to feel some kind of eternal love for her, some type of inexplicable connection to her. I expected to adore this little creature that I had been hosting within me for so many months and praying for her successful birth.

I felt none of this.

Following my labor, I felt elated to have crossed that hurdle of no longer being pregnant. I was exhausted and my whole body ached. Despite this, I knew that I had to do my best to ensure her continued survival now that she was out of the womb.

I remember people coming over to visit and talking about how cute she was. I didn't see anything cute about her, alien maybe, but not cute. When family members took photos of her to share with people who were out of town, I remember feeling truly embarrassed for them to be sharing photos of my baby who simply did not look that great to me. I didn't even feel like she was mine, I felt like she could easily have been the baby of any of my friends who had recently delivered. She certainly looked like any other newborn out there.

In trying to search for words to explain how I felt about her in the first couple of weeks, the only thing I can say is that it was biological instinct. There were no emotions involved. I just knew that I had to work to ensure that she was fed, kept warm and comforted. I worked mechanically and instinctively to do that. I'm not quite sure why I felt that way, maybe I felt the need to ensure her safety first before allowing emotions to get in the way. I did not feel comfortable admitting these feelings of un-love to anyone.

It was only after 2 weeks that the feelings of love started to come in. The rush of going through the labor and the shock of having a newborn in my arms started to sink in and settle in to a level of comfort in which I could allow for emotions of love to make their way in. It was only once those feelings of love came that I admitted to my husband that I initially felt no love. I felt safe admitting to it once the love started to flow. Maybe I had initially feared that those feelings would never come and that I would surely be considered a horrible mother if I felt no love for my child.

The love that I feel continues to flow in with each passing day and even when I think that I can't possibly love her more than I already do, these feelings just continue to develop and flourish as she continues to grow and expresses her personality. The love just continues to wash over me daily, consistently, continuously and undeniably.  

Pain to Pleasure, Challenges to Enjoyments - my breastfeeding journey

One thing I knew for certain when I got pregnant was that I wanted to be able to breastfeed my baby. I had already heard so many stories of moms giving up on breastfeeding attempts early on. After all my prep work leading up to Jude's birth (see post on Confidence - the essential ingredient to successful breasfeeding) , I envisioned a pretty smooth journey. We had even practiced different holds in my pre-natal class so I was all set, I knew exactly how to hold my baby in a cross-over hold  and what a correct latch should look like, sounds easy enough, right? Wrong... 

      

Although I was mostly hung up on not having enough of a milk supply to continue breastfeeding that ended up being the least of my concerns. 

The journey started right in the delivery room. Lucky for me, the only intervention I ended having was the nitrous oxide/laughing gas which I really enjoyed. I'll have to save my birth story for another post. Nitrous oxide does not pass through the placenta as would the epidural or pethidine. With the help of midwives at Corniche Hospital we managed to latch on and get breastfeeding started in the delivery room. I was a happy camper!

Well the following few days were not easy. From having people pinch my boob to get her to latch, from having a lactation consultant yell at me that crying was a late sign of hunger - even though my baby was on the boob just a few minutes before she walked in - , from having my mother and other relatives try to convince me to put my baby on a supplement when Jude would be crying at night. It was definitely not easy starting things off.

However, I'm glad that I stuck with my instincts and kept what I had read in mind. I knew that supplementing would not encourage my milk to come in and that I just needed to keep my baby on the breast and nurse her as much as she wanted.

It took a bit of practice to get the correct latch. Even when we were latched correctly, the first few seconds were quite painful. I initially thought the pain was due to wrong latch, but it turns out that some women get latch-on pains that last for a few seconds at the beginning of every feed session until they get accustomed to nursing. It was quite painful,  I would just close my eyes in anticipation of the pain at each feed. That continued for at least a week. 

By the second week I was so engorged and could feel lumps forming, all the way up my underarms. That's right, my UNDERARMS ...  I know! Shocking - apparently the way I was sleeping with my arms crossed over my head would get the milk to flow in that direction. How odd!

By the third week I started getting a fever and chills and ended up being re-admitted to the hospital. I was so chocked up when they told me that I would be admitted all I could muster up to say was "What about my baby? She's breastfed". At that point in time I could not bare to be separated from my baby. I'm sure she would have been fine if I had left her with my mom to take care of. 

I insisted that I would be able to cope with taking care of my newborn whilst being hooked up to an IV the whole time. Of course my mom knew that it would be difficult and she insisted on staying with me for the whole three nights that I was in hospital sleeping on an uncomfortable semi-reclinable chair since there was no spare bed in my room. While she cared for her daughter I cared for mine. 

They put me on antibiotic drips and I had to continue on antibiotics for another 2 weeks. After running all kinds of tests they could not fine anything wrong with me and attributed my high fever to possibly mastitis and told me that I had an oversupply issue! Who would have thought. The lactation consultant asked me if I was taking any galactagogues .. and I was like galacta - WHAT? Sounded like something from a galaxy in outer space. I now know that a galactagogue is any substance taken to increase milk supply. Well, yes of course, I was on hilba and both my mom and mom-in-law insisted that I drink 3 cups of this heavy fenugreek porridge to ensure that my milk supply came in (recipe below). I was so sick of being forced to drink this porridge, it would make me feel so full that I had no appetite to eat anything else. I was so glad that I could go back home and finally stop drinking it on ... ahem.. "medical grounds". That's what it took to convince my overeager family !

During my time at the hospital I met with different lactation consultants all with different opinions on how to address  the oversupply issue. Some insisted that I should pump to relieve the engorgement, whereas others discouraged me from pumping as that would not resolve the oversupply issue. It was so confusing, but I ultimately ended up going with what I felt most comfortable doing. I took a break from pumping for a few days but then went back to pumping once a day at least because I wanted Jude to be able to alternate between bottle and breast.

Unfortunately, being on antibiotics probably lowered our good bacteria and ended up leading to thrush which was something we ended up struggling to get rid of for another 6 - 8 weeks. I even gave up sugar in the hopes of expediting the recovery.

Its been pretty smooth sailing since then, although I do think that I tended to be a bit susceptible to blocked ducts and had them on at least 4 different occasions. After trying a few different things, I found that the quickest solution for me was to take lecithin supplements whenever I started feeling a block and pumping directly after feeds to make sure to drain the block.

Today nursing is so easy and enjoyable I look forward to connecting with Jude when I get home from work in the one way that I know no one else can. I love our bond and although I initially planned on nursing for 6 months, my new aim is 1 year and will see from there.

Hilba Recipe (if you dare!) 

Ingredients
2 tbsp hilba (fenugreek)
3 tbsp rice soaked in water
pinch of cardamon powder
Saffron strands
Sugar to taste
1.5 litre milk

Directions
Soak hilba overnight in water
Grind the rice in a blender with a bit of water
Heat the milk, then add ground rice
Stir continuously to keep lumps from forming
Add sugar, cardamon and saffron
Continue to stir and cook on low flame until milk is reduced to half
Add drained hilba and continue to cook for a few more minutes
Cook less or more according to the thickness you prefer

Post Eid Clean Eating

Eid Mubarak!

Hope you had an excellent Eid with your families. If your Eid was anything like ours, then you probably over indulged in halwa, biscuits and lots of meat meat meat. One of the most exciting things is the lamb Shuwwa that our family has on the second day of Eid. Its absolutely great, but then we definitely feel the need for a healthy eating streak to compensate for the over-indulgence. Not to mention all the fried foods that accompanied breaking our fast in Ramadhan and the sweet cravings that followed.

We've decided to have salads every night post-Eid and we've done quite well at sticking with it. Thanks to pinterest there's always a new or creative salad to try out. The winning salad this week was the Shrimp Quinoa Superfood Salad.

Quinoa is a protein and fiber rich gluten-free whole grain, cooked pretty much the same way as rice and can easily be part of breakfast, lunch or dinner. This low GI carb is considered to be a superfood packed with antioxidants and is one of the more popular super foods - at the moment - we all know how quickly the celebrity foods get de-listed. Qunioa is a low glycaemic index (GI) carb , so takes longer to break down and keeps you full and sustains energy for longer. 

 

 

I got this recipe from Iowagirleats.com, here's the recipe . The lemon vinaigrette goes really well with the quinoa and the combination of savory and fruity ingredients was really enjoyable. 

 While looking out for healthy recipes, I also decided to try out zucchini noodles, also known as "zoodles", which are cooked similar to pasta recipes, replacing the pasta with zuccini. The concept sounded pretty interesting so I decided to give it a try. There are several different tools out there for getting the perfect shaped zoodles. I just used what I could find in my kitchen, a grater and veggie pealer. The grated zucchini seemed more mushy whereas the pealed slices seemed to have a better texture. I threw my zoodles on a pan with some pesto sauce, sprinkled some parmesan over it and added some pine nuts.  It actually looked pretty good.

However, it miserably failed the taste test, and turned out to be quite bitter. I don't think I'll be trying this out again and will just stick with my usual whole wheat spaghetti.

 

Ramadhan and Bran Muffins

Ramadhan Kareem!

Today is the 22nd of Ramadhan and they have just announced the Eid holidays. We've been given a nice long 10 days off together with the Renaissance Day holiday. Its going to be Jude's first Eid so we are looking forward to spending time with family.

I wasn't sure whether to fast or not this Ramadhan as its not required for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers if they feel that it may affect their baby. I decided to go ahead and give it a try and take breaks if I felt that I was having any supply issues. I didn't want to miss out on another Ramadhan since I was pregnant last year and didn't end up fasting. 

So far I haven't had any major issues. I just tend to get really thirsty during the day and end up drinking over 3 litres of water between iftar and imsak. Just last week I noticed that my supply tends to be a bit low as I approach 7 pm, I don't want to end up with any long term effects on my supply so I decided to take 2 days off over the last weekend, and noticed that it did make a bit of a difference. We are close to the end of Ramadhan so hamdilla I managed to fast nearly all the days.

I'm not so great at having suhoor, but there's a buzz feed post that's been circulating about some of the ideal foods for Suhoor. The recipes look really delicious, so I decided to try out the bran muffin recipe today since I also happened to notice wheat bran for the first time at the supermarket. 

I skipped out on the pieces of raisin at the end, but not quite sure why my first batch collapsed down the middle. Either way, tastes good!

For some links on breastfeeding and fasting click here

Confidence - The essential ingredient to successful breastfeeding

Its unbelievable the amount of people who can make you feel that you don't have enough milk, or aren't successful at breastfeeding. This is probably the major reason that a lot of women give up breastfeeding or introduce formula early on.

There are a lot of variables to successful breastfeeding but in my opinion one of the most important things that you can do is build up your confidence that you actually are capable of breastfeeding. There are some women who truly are unable to but some women are simply misguided.

Its unfortunate that in the short time that formula has been introduced, our women's breastfeeding support system has completely sunken into the forgotten past. Formula is definitely easier, but why not provide your child with the most natural, most healthy nutrition for the first few months of their life if you can.

These are a few things that I did that gave me the confidence I needed to begin and establish breastfeeding.

1. Pre-natal classes
2. Attending local LLL meeting
3. Reading
4. Understanding cluster feeding

 Pre-natal classes

I attended a pre-natal class by Karen Wilmot of  Pregnant in Oman.  This class not only gave me the confidence that breastfeeding is possible , but also gave me the confidence to go for a natural delivery. Understanding the different stages of labor and delivery, and the different types of medical interventions got me well prepared to know what to expect and how to deal with different circumstances that arise. Going for a natural delivery helped me ensure that both me and my baby were alert in the first few hours after birth (not drugged through pethidine or an epidural), thus we were able to get her latched on and begin the breastfeeding journey right at the delivery room within minutes of being born. I'm thankful that my circumstances allowed for a natural delivery although I did come very close to having an emergency c-section.

La Leche League Meeting

La Leche League (LLL) is an international women's support organization that encourages women to breastfeed and provides support to those who may have difficulties or questions. The group was established in the 1950's by a group of American mothers who wanted to go the ulterior path away from the mainstream formula feeding that was current at the time. This group of 7 housewives began having meetings to support other women who wanted to establish breastfeeding and were available to answer questions at all hours of the day or night. This small group has now turned into the most influential breastfeeding advocacy organization with chapters all over the world.

I attended my first LLL meeting in Abu Dhabi a few weeks right before delivery and dragged my other pregnant friend along with me. It happened to be a toddler meeting (mothers and their toddlers).
The mothers we met were very open to discussing any of our questions or concerns regarding getting things off to a good start. They handed out leaflets on breastfeeding and even had a library of breastfeeding books that we could borrow. More importantly, having met the group leaders and exchanging phone numbers with them, ended up being very helpful for the needed support in the early days. I remember feeling like I was failing miserably in the first week and was scared to go into my appointment at the lactation clinic for fear that they would tell me that my baby was loosing weight and that I would have to go on formula, the women at LLL really gave me the advice and support that I needed at that time and to my surprise my baby had re-gained her birth weight and more within the first week (its normal for babies to loose some of their birth weight before gaining it back again).

I remember my friend and I walking out of that first meeting thinking that we had never been exposed to so much boob ever before. Whilst we knew that we wanted to breastfeed our newborn babies, we were quite surprised to see that moms were still nursing their toddlers who were walking around the room playing, hopping onto their moms laps to nurse and then hoping back off to join their play group. We could not remember the last time we had seen a woman nurse a newborn baby, let alone toddlers old enough to be walking around. Little did we know that within a few weeks when our babies arrived we would also be bearing it all and not ashamed to nurse. I guess with older babies, although nursing does tend to continue its less common to see it done in public.


Reading

The only way to understand more about how to get things off to a good start is to be armed with the knowledge. Given that more women around us today are used to grabbing formula if a baby seems to be crying too much or waking too often, I found that reading helped me understand the cycle of breastfeeding and persevere without caving in when older women around me tried to challenge me by saying that my baby was not getting enough milk from me. Two sources that I found really helpful were the LLL book Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and the online web source www.kellymom.com

Understanding Growth Spurts and Cluster Feeding

When your baby starts cluster feeding, that can be the time that you really think that you must not have enough milk. In fact many women around you will probably tell you that you don't, and that's why your baby is still hungry. I'm sure this is the point when women will grab that formula and begin supplementing.

Cluster feeding takes place when the baby demands to be fed frequently, even hourly. For us this tended to happen usually late evenings and early mornings.

Our first incidence of cluster feeding took place right around the 1 week mark which also coincides with a growth spurt period and my baby pretty much nursed from 6pm all the way through to past midnight, with very short breaks in between. I was fine with doing it because I understood what was happening. Because my husband had attended the pre-natal class with me he also understood what was going on and was very supportive. Breastfeeding is based on supply and demand, by following the baby's cues to feed whenever they want you can ensure that your milk will come in to meet their demands.


Overall, these are the things that I really believe helped me out, although I did struggle with nursing in the first month, starting off with soreness from the wrong latch followed by mastitis and a course of antibiotics which then also led to thrush which took over 6 weeks to get over. Despite the initial hurdles the experience has been very rewarding and I am amazed at the power of our bodies to nurture and I enjoy the special bonding experience that comes with nursing.