Postpartum Tummy Skin, Helping get it back.

Before

 After

( Notice the skin about the belly button getting smoother)

After you have had a baby,  not only do you have to work out and get your abs tight again, but the skin on the stomach itself has broken down the collagen during the pregnancy. As we age,  the collagen continues to break down leaving the skin looking altered and may not go back to its former glory.
I will tell you that my own skin, while I was blessed with no stretch marks due to my heritage, I do now have altered collagen around my belly button. I have been testing a product called Regenemax, which is largely made of choline which is a macronutrient that aids in connective tissue regeneration which also includes our stomachs, facial wrinkles and breasts.  So what I am really saying is that this is my vanity supplement and this is what I am taking and trying to get my body back.

I am going to do it and show you a picture, because I started this as an experiment on my abs specifically and I am still testing it. So far, it appears to be working on my abs, but not on the eye bags yet unfortunately.  So here is my abdominal photo and the product I am testing which is pharmaceutical grade Regenemax  (choline).

I don't like Breast-Feeding, a story about some womens journeys.

In my practice, I run into women of all kinds who either love or hate breast-feeding. Most new mom’s start breast-feeding and experience some mild breast tenderness and a little bit of anxiety but are overall successful. Many enjoy breast-feeding and all the things that it entails like bonding and spending time with a new baby.

I have started coming across a group of women that I think need a voice that we often don’t acknowledge or recognize.  It’s women who want to breast-feed but don’t enjoy it because it ‘s painful, or the sensation of nursing doesn’t agree with them in some way.  While still other’s wanted to nurse their babies but have rigid work schedules that do not allow for the baby to nurse longer when they needed to.

Prior to having my baby, I was a very rigid no nipple-shield person and tried not to pump. This had been my philosophy.  But since seeing more moms and all the lifestyles that they live in, I have since realized that not everyone likes breast-feeding, they don’t love it but don’t hate it.I found myself to be one that just liked breast-feeding but didn’t love it.

With my first child, I thought that I had somehow missed something and the hormones that a mom normally got which made you love breast feeding had missed me. Also because I worked and was away from my baby for several hours at a time, and sometimes I had to rush my babies along, I would pump instead. I was grateful to be able to nurse but never found in myself the love of nursing.

Please forgive me all my wonderful lactation consultants but my thoughts on breast-feeding have changed to do whatever keeps you breast-feeding. Whether it’s pumping or even using a nipple-shield, I would encourage the mom to continue breastfeeding so the baby gets the nutrients (remember this-without nursing directly you don’t get the babies saliva to change the antibodies in mom though). If it means pumping the entire 1st year of life than switching to formula - do it - it is worth it.

So I give a huge shout of admiration to all the mom’s and women who nurse or use a pump even if it doesn’t give them the satisfaction that so many of their counterparts got. We know every woman has a different experience with breast feeding.

Postpartum Pregnancy Massage

Postpartum is hard on the body and mind.  Often, you are exhausted and you are building your baby holding muscles up by lifting your new heavy bundle of joy.  The physical act of holding your new born especially if you are breast feeding  can cause any mom to start having shoulder and neck pain that will often result in a headache.

At In Health Clinic, we offer a postpartum check up for mothers. A common complaint we hear every time is how stiff their shoulders and neck are.  The bad news is that baby only gets heavier, but the good news is you are helping your child grow bigger.
What can mom do to help keep herself healthy so she can continue to care for her little one and entire family?  I find myself struggling with these very same problems as I have had 2 beautiful girls in the last couple of years and my recommendation to new mom’s and dads has always been get a postpartum massage or muscle work.  This may sound decadent,  but if you are like me you start getting significant amounts of headaches and neck pain that won’t go away which makes caring for a new baby even harder.  This is definitely a time in your life that postpartum massage work is tied very closely to your health in general.  I have also found that new mom’s rarely give themselves permission to go get a massage because they guilty. I now suggest that dad’s or partners should be the one to schedule it for them.  The new mom will be very grateful that they taking care of them.

With my pregnancies, I was sent by my husband to get a massage and both cases I was so glad because I was starting to get headaches from nursing and staring at my beautiful baby. Going a few times postpartum helps relax the body, alleviate the soreness, and get the blood flowing to the muscles.  The baby continues to grow and moms body needs help accommodating to it’s new job as mom (compare it to starting a new work out routine).
 So I can say with 100% certainty that this has saved me and below you will see the people I have gone to and recommend.

Adeline Carlson  - a certified pre-natal and post-natal massage therapist  with Light and Joy Acupuncture 408-357-0295

Bridget Eding – Just B Massage 408-836-9259

Mom’s Emergency Kit

1.  Tampon - for period’s that can catch you off guard
2.  Tide to-go stick – for the messes that kids and you make while on the go
3.  Krazy glue – for cuts and injuries this glue was originally created for surgery
4.  Triple antibiotic plus ointment – this is for cuts and abrasions where infection is likely. Caution: do not over use.
5.  Barrette – For hair emergencies
6.  Pacifier – for melt downs and baby’s need for sleep
7.  Sunscreen – because sometimes you are out and forgot to bring sun prescriptions
8.  Benadryl – this is for allergic reactions and emergency reactions to foods, bee stings etc…
9.  Camilia Teething drops – For teething issues (starts around 7-8 months)
10.  Light day pads – for emergencies whether postpartum or periods that come unexpectantly
11.  Bandaids of various sizes – for injuries and pain.

This is my kit that I keep in the diaper bag at all times in a little bag. I check it frequently to make sure it is stocked.

Post Partum Depression

Before I was pregnant, I had volunteered at an event called Jenny’s Light and it is NOT named after me. It is a foundation created to bring awareness to postpartum depression something that effects 1 in 7 women and can range from very mild to very severe. In the case of Jenny, she took her own life and her family created a foundation to help prevent that from ever happening in anyone else’s family.

It’s important to recognize the signs in our friends and loved ones. It effects so many women. When a couple is in my office, I always make sure the significant other is aware of the signs. Often the new mom will not see the signs and know that it’s happening. See below for a basic list of the most common signs:

Mood swings
Anxiety
Sadness
Irritability
Feeling overwhelmed
Crying
Reduced concentration
Appetite problems
Trouble sleeping
Depressed mood or severe mood swings
Excessive crying
Difficulty bonding with the baby
Withdrawing from family and friends
Loss of appetite or eating much more than usual
Inability to sleep (insomnia) or sleeping too much
Overwhelming fatigue or loss of energy
Reduced interest and pleasure in activities usually enjoyed
Intense irritability and anger
Fear that you’re not a good mother
Feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt or inadequacy
Diminished ability to think clearly, concentrate or make decisions
Severe anxiety and panic attacks
Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

There are many resources to help with identifying postpartum depression:
One of my favorite quizzes that is one that the new mom can take or a partner can take for her is here: http://www.postpartumhealthalliance.org/screening-test

Help Resource guide: http://www.supportingmamas.org

Treatment options:

Medication
Acupuncture and herbs
Counseling
Support groups

Supporting the cause: http://jennyslight.org

This is a great cause that you can join and either donate, race or volunteer. Our office has a booth every year trying to help create awareness about this issue that can effect many women. Come and join us each May for the 5K race at Vasona Park in Los Gatos to help prevent future postpartum tragedies.

Postpartum Weight

What can you do postpartum to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy or should you lose the weight?

It is important to not push yourself to lose weight especially if you are breast feeding, but losing weight gradually is normal and to be expected. That’s why they say that breastfeeding is a great way to lose weight. Plus it’s a safe way to not damage your milk supply.  But let’s face it - we are still women and there is an element of vanity in our souls and we do read magazines that talk about models and actresses that get their bodies back in 1 month and we want an easy solution.  In our lives, we may work full time (and our job’s usually aren’t to look beautiful as a profession) or we already have children to care for leaving us with little time to have perfectly cooked dinners for weight loss plus we don’t have time for exercising hours a day to lose our love handles.  So what’s a hard working mom’s to do to lose weight? The following are healthy recommendations:

Mega-Former workout Coremocean
(start after 6 weeks only and maybe longer based on ab tearing called diastis recti).
Lower your carbohydrate consumption and eat more protein.
Regular meal consumption- the worst thing is skipping meals.
Sleeping when the baby sleeps - lack of sleep will cause your body to hold on to weight.
Protein shakes are a great way to always have an easy meal.
Walk with the kids in the stroller daily to burn off calories.
Weight lifting – you can do kid lifting if you do not have weights at home.
Squats and lunges are a great way to activate large muscle groups to help lose weight.

During my post-partum with both Zara and Allegra, I have done running and mega-former and lower carbohydrate consumption.  With Zara, I was able to lose the weight faster than with Allegra and this is a common phenomenon.  Second pregnancies are usually harder to lose the weight. It is also important to make sure that your thyroid function hasn’t been compromised which in my case was an issue making my metabolism slower.  With the help of herbal supplements, I was able to correct the problem.

Humidifiers for Babies

Humidifiers are a popular item on baby registries for very good reason, babies have much more sensitive skin than adults. With forced air heat in our homes in the winter, it can dry their sensitive skin out.



Not only do babies have sensitive skin but they also have delicate respiratory systems and low humidity homes can cause them to wheeze or cough or develop a rash.

Humidity drops to 10% in centralized heating homes which can allow viruses or other respiratory infections to take a hold in dry lungs.

Many of my first babies items have been passed down to my new little one, but there are some things that you need 2 of and a humidifier is one . Here are a few key reasons to have a humidifier in each child’s room:

Reduce the risk of illness
Soothe Cold and Flu symptoms
Preserve Vocal Cords
Protect Skin
Provide Warmth to Baby
Prevent Asthma

We have a blue humidifier for Zara and we have a White one for Allegra.  Based on its reviews, we purchased the Crane Drop Shape Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier.
It’s small enough for the babies room and it was affordable.

Here are the top 5 best rated reviews:  http://bestreviews.com/5-best-humidifiers