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Postpartum

Post-Weaning Symptoms: 9 Things you Need to Know

Mom Life

7 of the Most Overlooked Newborn Baby Essentials

Inspiration

Sickle Cell Anemia: Vanessa & Elijah’s Story

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5 Postpartum Traditions

Postpartum

9 Tips for Pregnancy & Postpartum Nutrition

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10 Top Tips to Getting Your Little One(s) to Love Veggies!

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5 Women Share Their Story of Miscarriage

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Balance Your Hormones and Avoid Endocrine Disruptors

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Why I Announced my Pregnancy at 10 weeks

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The Three R’s of Postpartum Recovery: What Every New Mom Needs to Know

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Debunking Collagen: Is there Science Behind Collagen and Skin Health?

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Motherhood in the Age of Social Media

Mom Life

A Different Way to Treat Baby Eczema

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5 Birthing Tips for Pregnant Women

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La Patria: Female Entrepreneurs Making a Difference

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My Experience with Pelvic Physiotherapy

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Making Friends with Fear: My SVT Heart Ablation Surgery

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Healthy Homemade Banana Protein Bars

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Life Lessons from a Pregnant Fitness Teacher

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Healthy Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

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Latest Scientific Research on Diastasis Recti

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Tips for New Moms from West End Mamas

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8 Tips to Get Back in Shape

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Watermelon Mint Mocktail Recipe

10 things you may not know about Canada 🇨🇦 10 things you may not know about Canada 🇨🇦

We are in the US visiting my husband’s family right now. Feeling some twinges of missing home on Canada Day, so put this list together. 🍁🥰 

The first pic was taken this morning. And the second was 2 years ago today when H was 6 weeks old on his first Canada Day!

1️⃣ We almost ALWAYS take our shoes off by the front door. It feels impolite not too! 🤣

2️⃣We have ketchup flavoured potato chips and Hawaiian pizza was invented in Ontario in the 1960s by a Greek restaurant owner. 

3️⃣We use British spelling and add a “u” to words like honour, neighbour, labour etc. We also spell it “cheque” not “check” in the financial context. 

4️⃣We blend metric and imperial systems of measurement. We measure houses in square feet and a person’s height & weight in feet & pounds, but measure distance in kilometres and gas in litres. 

5️⃣We often say “washroom" instead of restroom, "toque" instead of beanie, "runners" instead of sneakers, "transport" instead of semi truck, “serviette” instead of napkin and "knapsack" instead of backpack. 😃

6️⃣Canada has 34.5 million people - about 10% of the US population. We have the largest population of native French speakers in the world outside of France. And all our products are labelled in both French and English. 

7️⃣We don’t use pennies. We just round up or down to the nearest 5 cents. 

8️⃣Since 2005, same-sex couples have had the right to marry on an equal basis with different-sex couples across all of Canada. 

9️⃣We do say “Eh” a lot! “Eh" is used in the same way that we might say "right?", following a statement or question. For example, “The Jays smoked the Sox last night! Amazing game eh?” 

🔟Canada's universal health-care system utilizes a taxpayer-funded model that automatically covers all citizens. It’s not a perfect system, but nobody lives in fear of bankruptcy because of a major injury, surgery or disease. Kid in the NICU for months? No bill. The heart surgery I got is about 40k in the US. Never saw a bill. 
That's freedom. 🇨🇦 

Which one surprises you most? 😆Happy Canada Day 🍁

#canadaday #canadian #proudtobecanadian
It’s timely to write this as I wrap up my week i It’s timely to write this as I wrap up my week in NYC. 

This letter from NYC-based OB/GYNS at @weillcornell was sent to me by a current prenatal student doing our Push Prep course. She also happens to be an OB/GYN herself. She was appalled. 

You can swipe to read her thoughts about the letter, originally shared by @drheatherirobundamd 

I teach our pregnant students to  advocate by first considering the perspective of their doctors. It’s not “us against them.” It’s about having a productive conversation. We must lead with mutual respect. 

So let’s do that here. 

I empathize with the doctors who wrote this patient letter as they are clearly frustrated about “unrealistic birth plans” - perhaps they are overworked, under-supported and tired of perpetually disappointing “uneducated” patients with unrealistic expectations in a medical system that doesn’t easily facilitate physiologic birth. 

That said, this kind of attitude towards obstetric patients isn’t going to help the cause. Shutting down conversations before they start is akin to saying, “Sit down, quiet your pretty head dear. Doctor knows best.” 

It is the epitome of infantilizing pregnant women and birthing people. 

And the U.S. was recently given the distinction as the most dangerous developed country to give birth in - ESPECIALLY for black women. 

Letters like this emphasize the deepened need to self-advocate in an intelligent and respectful way. 

EDUCATE yourself. Choose your care provider carefully. 

As for birth plans - they are not about trying to control outcomes that cannot be controlled. We are not idiots. 

Birth plans are simply a tool to help facilitate a conversation with your care provider and help you make informed decisions about your care. 

Informed consent. Mutual respect. 
Let’s lead with that. 

What do you think?

#obstetrics #laboranddelivery #birthmatters #pregnancy #obgyn #thebellemethod #prenatal #birth
Diastasis Recti Myths 🙅‍♀️ ❌ You need Diastasis Recti Myths 🙅‍♀️

❌ You need surgery to fix it:
Sometimes surgery can be a good option, but there is SO much we can do with rehabilitative exercise for improving tension and function in the abdominal wall. 
And even if you plan to get surgery, the more rehab you do beforehand, the better your outcome will be. 

❌ It's all about the gap:
False. Tension is a better indicator of function for most people. Stop worrying so much about finger width gaps!

❌ Crunches are unsafe:
No exercises are inherently unsafe - some are just tricker to do while managing pressure. Forward flexion is something we eventually need to learn how to do again after pregnancy! 

❌ Diastasis Recti can't be prevented:
100% of people get DRA by the end of the 3rd trimester. But we can mitigate the severity of diastasis recti by better pressure management in pregnancy! 

❌ Specific Exercises can heal it:
There is no magic bullet, despite what the internet might be selling you! Progressive overload and better breathing mechanics is a good place to start! 

❌ It's too late to fix it:
Never TOO LATE to improve your core and pelvic floor! 

❌ You need to wear a binder for months:
Just NO. That waist trainer isn't going to bring your abs back, and it's probably doing a number on your pelvic floor by pushing your organs down! 

🔺 Which one surprises you the most? Tell me in the comments! 🔺

#diastasis #diastasisrecti #myths #diastasismyths #postnatal #diastasisrectirecovery
I took Gabrielle this weekend with me to choose a I took Gabrielle this weekend with me to choose a gown for a formal wedding I’m attending later this month. 

It’s an amazing dress rental studio called @fitzroyrentals - and it never disappoints. ✨

It was packed. The 6 curtained off change rooms open into one central mirrored space, with everyone waiting for a fitting room as an audience. It’s basically a fashion show of chiffon and sequins. G was in her element. 🤣

“Oh wow I love that colour on your skin tone” 

“Ok stop, you are stunning you have to get that one.”

“That is so flattering on you!” 

“Here let me zip you up.”

“That dress was made for you!”

I heard every single line spoken. And I saw Gabrielle soaking it all up like a sponge. 

Women complimenting each other. 
Women helping each other. 
Women making each other feel good about themselves. 

And it was food for my soul!! 
Have you ever experienced bathroom or dressing room bonding with a perfect stranger? 

Here’s to bringing that energy into the week ahead. 

Tag someone here and pay them a compliment. 

And thank you all for being here. I feel you’re like the women in that magical dressing room 😍👯‍♀️

Photo: @alexannesolomon 

#womensupportingwomen #womenempoweringwomen #dressingroom #complimentsomeone #bodyimage #femalecommunity
H U M B L E P I E 🥧 ⁣ Before I had kids I en H U M B L E  P I E 🥧
⁣
Before I had kids I envisioned myself as a mom who would hand make all my own organic baby food. Formula? Of course not. 

Oh and I would strictly limit television (fries their tiny brains don’t you know?), do Montessori style play with natural wooden toys and never resort to bribery, iPads at a restaurant or raising my voice at my precious children. ⁣
⁣
Then I had kids. I ate some humble pie. 🥧⁣
⁣
This last week I have:⁣
⁣
1️⃣ Hit up the drive thru for chocolate donut Timbits, just to stop whining. ⁣
⁣
2️⃣ Played countless episodes of Cocomelon so I could respond to emails and take phone calls (you know when Netflix pauses the show & asks if you’re still watching? Ya, that makes me feel like shit. And ya, my kids are still watching). ⁣
⁣
3️⃣ Served frozen pizza, fish sticks & ice cream for dinner. ⁣
⁣
4️⃣ Bribed 4 year old with jelly beans so she’d finally let me wash and comb her bird nest hair (it had been a week since shampoo touched it). 
⁣
5️⃣ Yelled “stop that, don’t touch that, put that down, NO we do not throw the soil, stop colouring on the wall, gentle with your brother,” more times than I can count. ⁣
⁣
And you all know Gabrielle eventually got formula. 😉#breastfeedingjourney 
⁣
The list goes on. ⁣
⁣
My point is that we cannot judge what we don’t understand. I had a whole slew of judgements about the best way to be a “mom” ⁣
Then I become one. ⁣
⁣
#humblepie⁣
⁣
Mamas, you’re doing a great job. And God bless the drive thru. The kids will be alright. ❤️

What was your biggest pre-kids assumption that you’re now eating as a slice of humble pie? 🤣THIS SHOULD BE FUN!

#momlife #momtruth #motherhoodunplugged #momconfessions #mumsofinstagram
FIND YOUR PELVIC FLOOR Having a hard time connec FIND YOUR PELVIC FLOOR 

Having a hard time connecting to your pelvic floor?

These 4 moves involve tactile feedback to help. They are safe for pregnancy, postpartum or anytime. 🥰

The pelvic floor muscles are the foundation for the core of the body. They help stabilize the pelvis and support the bladder, rectum and uterus. 

It is important to keep these guys functional! Not too tight, not too weak: functional. 

Try these moves and see if you can build that neurological brain muscle connection! 

SOUND ON FOR CUES ❤️

1️⃣Ball Plank Rock
2️⃣Knee Hook Wrap
3️⃣Seated Ball Marches
4️⃣Ball Bounce 

All you need is a large stability ball! This one is 55 cm. 
Go for three rounds, 20 reps each. 

Questions? Just ask! There are lots more tips saved to the pelvic floor highlights above. Also, if you have requests for specific tutorial videos, just let me know below! 

Finally, see a pelvic PT if you have any symptoms of dysfunction like pain with sex, chronic constipation, low back pain, bladder or poop leaks (yes fecal incontinence is a thing especially after severe tearing in birth & not talked about enough). 

We talk about all of this and more in our prenatal and postnatal classes. Link in profile! ❤️

Xo, 
Nikki 

📷@alexannesolomon 
#pelvicfloor #pelvichealth #incontinence #prolapse #postpartumrecovery #postnatalfitness #thebumpmethod 
#postpartumbody #prenatalfitness
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