Ask me a question!
Given that I spend my life around other Mums, it’s not surprising that as soon as people find out what I do for a job, they inevitably have a question for me. Today’s question was one that I have answered time and time again, and given our soaring temperatures here at the moment, I suspect it’s something on a lot of parent’s minds. So I thought I’d share my answer with you all and extend the offer for you to ask me anything! If you’ve got a burning question, pop it in the comments section below, send us a message on Instagram or FaceBook or just drop us a line over email.
Anyway, onto today’s question which was “ My baby is 10 months old, she’s only ever been breastfed and isn’t taking much water. I’m worried she’s not getting enough fluids, especially in the heat”.
On Further questioning Mum said she had introduced water around 6 months of age but noticed that her baby drank very little of it. Mum had also tried (multiple times!) to get her baby to take either expressed breast milk or formula from a bottle but she had always outright refused. The baby was still breastfeeding 3 times a day and taking about 1/2 a sippy cup of water throughout the day.
It’s perfectly normal for babies to take very little extra fluid beyond what is offered via either breastmilk or formula. Baby’s first foods (be they pureed or mashed) have a high fluid content and this combined with the fluid they are naturally getting from breastmilk or formula will be enough for most babies. I always recommend introducing water from around 6 months (or the time that you introduce solids), but I wouldn’t expect a baby to get through more than about 1/4 of a sippy cup a day until they are 9 - 10 months old. As they start moving onto more solid food (and the fluid content of their meals drops and they also start reducing their breast or formula feeds), their intake of water will naturally increase. Most 12 months old babies will be taking close to a sippy cup (i.e around 250ml) of water across the whole day. If your baby is taking less and you’re concerned, check their nappies. If they’re wet enough that you need to change them several times per day and they are also passing regular bowel motions, then that’s generally a sign that your baby is getting enough fluid. Their lips should also appear moist, not dry and cracked.
My top tips for encouraging babies to drink water include: persistence - don’t give up just because you think they aren’t drinking much. Many parents panic and start to introduce dilute juice as a way of tempting babies to drink. This only leads to the expectation that beverages should be sweet, and usually in my experience, further exacerbates the problem. Your baby will most likely to be thirsty immediately after eating, so always have water available at the end (or during) every meal or snack that is offered. Many babies are also thirsty when they wake from sleep. If you’re not going to be offering them a breastfed or formula, it’s a good time to try some water. It’s worth remembering that breastfed babies under 6 months of age don’t need any extra fluid, just feed them on demand. Formula fed babies may be offered some cooled boiled tap water if they seem thirstier than usual (eg on a hot day). All babies can be offered tap water from 6 months of age. You may like to first offer water in a baby bottle, but I would suggest moving him or her onto a sippy cup after a few months (we like the Tommy Tippee range of adapters for baby bottles here: https://www.tommeetippee.com.au/product/weaning/cups). These are good all rounder cups/bottles if your baby is breastfed.
There are a large variety of sippy style cups on the market and the drinking style needed will vary from brand to brand. For example, some sippy cups require more of a “bite” to get water out style, others require sucking from a straw (generally babies won’t be ready for this until closer to 9 months) and others will require a suck somewhat similar to breastfeeding. Some come with valves to regulate the flow and others the water will simply pour straight out. If you’re really confused about cups and have a baby who’s really reluctant to take one, I would suggest consulting a paediatric speech pathologist who specialises in infant feeding. Another option would be to try an open cup but this will obviously be messy!
So my advice to this Mum today? Her baby was getting enough fluid and she just needed to hang in there offering water regularly as per my recommendations above. I had a feeling he was probably about to take off on the water as Mum was actively reducing breastfeeds, and his diet was expanding considerably. The other thing that’s worth remembering is that babies do have the ability to regulate their own thirst so long as the water is being offered regularly. It’s only in rare circumstances that babies won’t do this, usually as the result of a medical condition, or infants with extreme feeding disorders and food refusal. These babies are special cases that warrant individual assessment and advice.
Text by Julia
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It's Podcast Time! Connecting Through Motherhood Struggles & Creating Your Village with Tiffany De Sousa Machado
#WellbeingWednesday
Wellbeing is a term I really appreciate. It captures something broader then Mental Health - it reflects the biopsychosocial elements that, when aligned, support us in our thriving. I do believe we all have the capacity to thrive, to cultivate rich wellbeing in our lives.
However, as you probably know, motherhood is a particularly challenging season. With many joys, but many struggles. So, I wanted to share this Wisdom for Wellbeing podcast interview with The Village Foundation founder Tiffany De Sousa Machado.
This episode is going to resonate with all the mumma’s out there, but I think it will hit home more broadly in the discussion around the importance of community and exploration of how we can create this in our modern world (*update: and now, our socially distanced world!). You will, no doubt, feel connected to Tiffany as she transparently shares her own losses and challenges, including her lived experience with postpartum depression, and her struggles balancing her work and family. Tiffany also shares sociological reflections, which offer a useful framework from which to understand the all-to-common experience of postpartum stress and isolation.
I hope you find Tiffany’s wisdom as validating and connecting as I did. It is certainly important to know that ‘wisdom’ is sometimes simply recognising we don’t know it all - and we are not supposed to have it ‘all figured out’. I think this is a particularly important message in these uncertain times of COVID19, where we are all just doing our best to figure it out, stay safe, and support our community.
Wishing you and yours well,
Kaitlin xx
www.embodiedpsychology.com.au / www.drkaitlin.com
Wisdom for Wellbeing Podcast - Season 1 - Episode 6
What Happens When You No Longer Recognise Who You Are?
What happens when your lived experience or the external representation of yourself doesn’t match your ideal or the way you view your inner self?
Perhaps you’ve always expressed yourself as organised, in control, tidy. This is something you love about you and maybe measure others against. Maybe you love clean living – organic food, no packets, no sugar. Perhaps the life you envisaged was simpler, or busier, had fewer people in it, or more. Maybe you’re a workaholic or a family man. Maybe you love to surround yourself with others, or you could be a harry hermit (like me). Whatever you feel you are or describe yourself as we tend to have a great deal of attachment to it; it defines us, its who we are, it’s how we self-identify. What happens then, if we find ourselves living out a persona we don’t identify with? Or worse, that we don’t want to identify with, despite still loving and choosing the life we lead?
In a society of combined families, working parents, and celebrated extroverts, this dissonance can be the root of mental and emotional unrest, of anxiety and a loss of wellbeing.
I had a daughter. One daughter and she was my world. After 4 years of waiting she was here and she was my whole focus. A born extrovert, she loved people and would make friends with everyone. I remember when she was 3 we were on a beach in Byron Bay. Just her dad, our two dogs, me and her. She was desperate to play and as she chased other children along the beach her dad and I looked at each other and knew she needed a sibling. We couldn’t have any more children; as it was, Faith was a miracle. And so our life focused around her and I and despite always wishing for her a sibling, I loved it. She came everywhere with me.
Her dad and I parted ways, but I loved being a single mother of one child; Faith never went to childcare and I didn’t have parents to care for her so we were always together – work, uni, everywhere. The house was clean, organised, we were routined, I was in control, she and I worked as one…it was easy, it was as I wanted it in terms of food, aesthetic, activities, cleanliness – everything.
Fast forward 5 years.
Im the mother of 5, I share a house with my partner, and now, my daughter is distanced from me – she’s one of ‘the kids’. We don’t do things together, her and I, we do things as a whole or separately. I yell a lot. It’s them and me, and she has quickly been absorbed away from me and into them like spilled water rushes into a paper towel. Its what I wished for of course and I love my partner. She has siblings. She has fun, she has company. She a best friend who lives with her. The house, well, its’ almost never tidy. Why, for the love of God, do cushions not stay on the couch? They live permanently on the floor as though in defiance of being told what to do – maybe they’ve learned it from the kids? The pantry is well beyond my control now - filled with packets of things I would never buy. I’m not even going to talk about the bathroom. The harry hermit in me feels quite lost and at the very least overwhelmed, most of the time. I don’t recognise myself or my surroundings as something that resonates naturally with me. I miss Faith. I mourn her and the time we shared together. I am so happy that she is happy but I miss us. I miss giving her the things she wants and the experiences we had, in order to be fair or frankly because who can afford it, with 5. People introduce me as a mother of 5 and I don’t sit comfortably with all the connotations that has.
It’s not because I don’t love my life, or because I’m not grateful for the abundant family I have. It’s simply a recognition of the loss of identity change brings, and the difficulties in navigating the new road, and the new self.
This is something women (and men, but particularly women) face in various areas of their lives, especially in terms of the identity we lose in the workplace when we become a mother, and its’ not to be underestimated; suicide is the leading cause of maternal death and one in 5 women experience postnatal depression. The strong self-identity we have developed by our early 30’s is hugely linked to who we are in the workplace. Driven, career-focused, workaholic, switched on, sharp, well-presented, awake, available. The list goes on. Unequivocally, we change as we become parents. And how many of us return to work, torn, teary, tired, blurry, less available and to top things off, with Weetbix in our hair (that we don’t notice until mid-morning).
So what do we do? We try harder. In an age of self-care, wellbeing and speaking our truth, we put our heads down, and we try harder.
Dissonance. It eats away and creates unrest. It shakes the foundation of how we self-identify and how we validate ourselves; how we measure ourselves against others and against who we know we used to be. We don’t sit comfortably with the connotations our new self brings. We strive and compare and fight and mourn the loss of that special time, that one-on-one time with ourselves and our work. We miss it. We miss the focus and commitment. We miss who we were and what we represented all the while loving this new life. It’s both, we are both, and while it feels like there is an imbalance it’s all still there, in us somewhere. It takes some time to work out the new reality of what we are, who we appear to be and how this sits within us. Up, down, inward and outward we will travel.
I find it hard to be the me I am now and to let go of the image and the me that I was. Absolutely, it can be hard. And on those days I take a minute and allow myself the time I need to have those feelings – and to watch them pass. I know there is a richness and depth to my life and beauty in the chaos. It will pass. The bathroom will be clean again, one day. This ‘mess’ will form the memories of my children and it will develop who I am as a person to have increased compassion, empathy, and acceptance of all things, including myself if I let it.
I think back to that day on the beach, often. The peace, the ease, the quiet. Faith’s loneliness and our longing for more.
Saturday just passed, my partner and I took all 5 kids, with mayhem, noise, and a very cramped car, to the beach. I sat on the sand and watched Faith walk playfully towards the water, arm-in-arm with her sister; her best friend, and I knew that although I missed her, this was good. This was beautiful. And that although this moment too would pass, that her heart was full, and so was mine.
Why Food isn’t Aways About Nutrition…
We’ve just returned from a short family holiday and it’s had me thinking a lot about food. I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me “ohhh you’re a dietitian, I bet your kids eat well!”.
Well yes and no. If you saw me on holiday I’d suspect that dietitian wouldn’t be the first thing that sprung to mind. That’s because on holidays I’m completely happy to live in the moment and enjoy plenty of occasional food. After all, that’s the very definition of occasional food..it’s eaten occasionally, and that’s what holidays are.
Food isn’t just about nutrition. Food can also act as a wonderful memory. Cast your mind back to your own childhood and I’ve got no doubt that you can instantly identify both positive and negative memories that you have of food. Perhaps your nana made a particularly good chocolate cake and now every time you eat cake you think of her? Maybe you made pancakes on the weekends and they are now symbolic of family time for you? Did you have a particular food that you shared with your family at Christmas?
Rituals represent an important part of family life that bring happiness to children’s lives and give them something to look forward to. Many rituals in family life revolve around food and the benefits that come with this have nothing to do with nutrition.
So back to my holiday, let me tell you what we ate. For my children the day started with either cocopops or nutrigrain, two cereals that would generally NEVER make their way near my pantry. But do you know why I do this? Because it’s a ritual my husband had as a child. He has fond memories of this and therefore it’s something he wanted to repeat with his own children. My kids have to agree on what two choices of cereal they want and when it’s gone, that’s it. My kids don’t ask for these foods outside of holidays because they know it’s simply not what we do.
Beyond breakfast there was generally no planning and we ate as saw fit in the moment. Our five days away certainly weren’t balanced and we definitely didn’t eat enough vegetables. Will it kill us? Absolutely not. One of the most important things to remember about diet, is that it’s your overall pattern that matters, i.e. what you are doing most of the time.
Some of the biggest studies that have been conducted looking into which diets are best for cancer prevention and heart health such as the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) or Women’s Health Study (A large prospective study looking at risk factors that predispose women to heart disease), look at say fruit and vegetable intake over a prolonged period of time, and then break it down into groups with the highest and lowest intakes. What we see in these studies is that those people in the highest groups of intake have significantly lower rates of disease (eg heart disease or specific types of cancer). If you monitor your diet and try to get your 2 serves of fruit, 5 serves of vegetables, preference wholegrains and a moderate intake of lean meat and dairy, you are doing a really good job and the occasional ice cream, cheese platter or cake won’t really make any difference.
Some people might argue that I’m putting these foods on a pedestal, but I disagree and feel that I am simply reminding my children that some foods are only occasional. I could pretend that many of these processed, high sugar, low nutrient foods don’t exist or I could prohibit my children from consuming them. But do you know what? Research has actually shown that the stricter you are with your child’s (or your own) diet, the more they (or you) are likely to binge on these occasional or “junk foods” when they have access to them. I’m a realist, these processed foods exist, and I don’t see them leaving our supermarket shelves anytime soon. I know my children will be introduced to all of these foods eventually, so I might as well do it in a manner that pleases me, and truly teaches them that occasional foods are just that. I also spend time teaching them what good nutrition looks like and how to cook. Learning where processed “occasional” foods fit into your diet is just as big a life skill as learning what good nutrition is and how to cook!
So this holiday season quite worrying about your diet! Eat mindfully and enjoy the food you are eating with your family. The ice cream won’t kill you, but the memory your kids have of that time Mum and Dad let us eat 2 ice creams in one day, will last a lifetime.
Text by Julia
Bloom Nutrition Studio
Lunch box snacks
If you’ve been following Bloom for a while you’ll know that I like to make a lot of my children’s snacks. I do this to maximise the nutrients in their snack choices whilst minimising less desirable nutrients such as salt, sugar, fat and refined carbohydrates. For young children who need to eat regularly, snacks form a large part of their daily diet and should really represent our major food groups as much as possible, not something just grabbed in haste to fill a hole.
Now no one likes to be a slave to their kitchen, so when I bake for the lunchboxes I do large batch cooking and freeze. I look for recipes that include ingredients from our key food groups like fruit, vegetables, wholegrain cereals and seeds (or nuts if your school permits them). I’ll often try and reduce the sugar too. If you need some inspiration you might like to try our green seed slice or coco cranberry bliss balls.
Even with great planning and preparation there are still weeks where I might find I have nothing on hand, or I just don’t want to or have time to cook. In these situations I turn to a selection of pre-packged snacks from the supermarket that still offer plenty of nutrition. I also like to alternate my home cooked choices with purchased snacks to mix things up a bit and ensure the kids don’t get bored of the same old thing.
To help you make smart choices in the supermarket we’ve come up with this list of Bloom approved snacks.
1. Roasted nori sheets - These are a great source of iodine. 1 small 8g packet provides 30% of a young child’s daily iodine requirement. It should be noted that these are very high in salt but as the serving size is so small (8g) the total quantity of salt consumed is small.
2. Fruit/Raisin bread - I’ve always got a loaf in my freezer. Sure it has some added sugar, but most of the sugar comes from the added dried fruit. It’s low GI, filling and has around 120 calories per buttered slice (1 slice is plenty for a recess snack). Tip top have also have a wholemeal Raisin toast and that’s got my tick of approval
3. Cheese and Crackers -I’m not really a fan of the pre-packaged cheese and biscuit packs as they cost a fortune. Even when you’re low on time you can still still grab a handful of crackers and cut a slice of cheese (or a cheese stick if you really need to). Not all crackers are created equal though. You definitely want to focus on buying a wholegrain variety (look for those with at least 4g of fibre per 100g) and with a sodium content less than 400mg/100g (harder to find). My top picks would be Ryvita wholegrain crisp breads (I’d suggest breaking two in halves as they are larger), Vita-Wheat crisp bread range and crackers (note these all exceed 400mg of sodium/ 100g,but most are under 500g/100g) and the Mary’s Gone Crackers range (although please note these are a more expensive option). Team with your child’s preferred cheese and you have a filling snack option high in fibre, B vitamins, Omega 3 fatty acids (from the seeds), calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.
3. Roasted or puffed Chickpeas and Fava Beans
The crunchy texture of these products will appeal to many kids. They come in plain (lightly salted), as well a variety of other flavours. I love that they come in individually wrapped portions so you can simply grab and chuck into the lunchbox. They also hit the mark for fibre content, sodium and overall calories, not to mention they also count towards your child’s daily intake of vegetables!
4. Popcorn
Another option that’s sure to be a hit with most kids that is filling and high in fibre. I’d recommend you check what type of oil your popcorn is cooked in (or better yet go for air popped, although
many kids may find this too bland) and avoid any cooked in palm oil (a saturated fat we want to avoid). Also look for those with a lower sodium content, ideally less than 400mg per 100g. I’d also stay away from any of the sweetened varieties, children don’t need the extra sugar in these products.
My pick would be CobsR natural sea salt variety. I buy it in the large packs and portion it out to save money, but if you’re really low on time you may prefer the individually packed option.
5. Coles “buddy” dried fruit and seed packets - with a few varieties on offer there should be something here that most kids will like. Some varieties contain “fun” foods like mini marshmallows and chocolate buds. This personally doesn’t bother me and I find the inclusions of some fun foods in a trail mix makes it more likely my kids will eat the whole thing.
6. Weetbix and BelVita breakfast biscuits - These biscuits have just over 1 teaspoon of sugar per 2 biscuits (about the right serving size for most children) and 2.5 g fibre, more than most other snack biscuits on the market. They are also fortified with iron and a range of B vitamins. Bel vita also make a similar biscuit in convenient mini size multi packs for the lunchbox. These however have 3 teaspoons of sugar per packet of biscuits but contain more fibre at 4g per packet.
7. Milk boxes/Smoothies - Devondale mini milk boxes are a perfect option to deliver a hit of calcium (and protein) to your child’s lunchbox. As they are long life milks you don’t have to worry if they get warm during the day. My kids are happy to have plain milk but I do also give them flavoured ones to mix things up a bit. The Devondale Moo flavoured milks have around 1 tsp of sugar per 100g which is not overly bad given that this product also contains lots of other worthwhile nutrients. Sippah straws are another quick option to pop in the lunchbox with a thermos of plain milk and contain less than 1/2 teaspoon per straw. Nudie also released a range of long life brekkie smoothies last year in flavours such as banana and mixed berry. They are sweetened with maple syrup and have around 1.5 teaspoons of sugar per 100ml.
8. Fruit straps - There are a few different options on the market now, for example The “Fruit Wise” and “Bear Yo Yo’s. Both brands are made from 100% dehydrated fruit with no added sugars or fillers. Per serve these products contain about 1/2 the calories of a fresh piece of fruit. Most people don’t find them as filling as eating fresh fruit (because the water content has been removed from them) and of course being quite sticky they aren’t a great option for your child’s teeth. I wouldn’t make this your every day fruit option but they’re a reasonable back up.
9. Date and seed based bites/bars and protein balls - eg Kez’s kitchen lamington bars. These are made from dates and seeds and have nothing but real ingredients added. If you are buying these sorts of products check the ingredient list and try and avoid those with added sweeteners such as honey or rice syrup. Most of these products are quite pricey and I feel you could make a similar version yourself for much less but for those busy times they are a handy option.
10 Messy Monkeys - Out of all the flavoured savoury snacks/biscuits on the market for children these would probably be my pick. They are high in fibre (2g per serve) and don’t contain artificial flavours or flavour enhancers, the salt and fat content is however quite high (as are many other similar products in this category). My biggest concern with savoury salty snacks for children is that it tends to program their taste buds to want more salty highly flavoured foods and these flavours aren’t found in natural whole foods. That’s not to say that I’d never buy these snacks for my children but I certainly limit them to occasionally and where possible I try to buy plain varieties of biscuits.
11. Mini dips and baby cucumbers - we love the Obela mini dips for the convenience of their grab and go size! Keep and pack of baby cuqs (cucumbers) on hand and have you have a super healthy snack prepared in 30 seconds!
Text by Julia
Bloom Nutrition Studio
September 10th is Suicide Prevention Day
This Tuesday September 10th is Suicide Prevention Day. I know that sounds very heavy, but did you know that 1 in 5 maternal deaths is caused by suicide? This is a staggering number. Its hard to imagine that we alone could make a big enough difference in someones life, to prevent a tragedy. And yet, a kind gesture, reaching out, sharing some time, are all important ways that have shown to impact so greatly on peoples lives, that decisions like this are avoided.
If all we do this week, is take an extra 5 minutes to talk to someone, smile at the stranger in the lift, compliment someone, or reach out and ask how they’re going, then we are doing our part. Choose kindness, as they say, and you just never know the impact it can have.
Today, in a moment when I was feeling a little low, an older lady in my community reached out and touched my hand to show me she could see that I wasn’t myself, and that she was there with me. It was a simple, 1 minute interaction that changed my day.
How will you change someone's day today?
Have a beautiful week.
If you or someone you know needs support, please use the navigation tool bar to find contact details of various organisations. You are not alone x
World Breastfeeding Week
This week is World Breastfeeding Week. Breastfeeding can be the most wonderful or the most painful experience (or both). It can be a magical way to bond with our babies. It can be nourishing for both the body and the soul.
It can also be impossible, strained, painful. There can be issues with latching, with intolerances, with nipples, with little mouths. It can lead to a great deal of distress if things don't go to plan.
New parents can put so much pressure on themselves to get this right straight away and fit the norms they, their families, the hospitals and society place on them. It can lead to feelings of guilt, desperation and sadness.
Its important to remember that this isn't something you should 'just be able to do naturally'. There are many variables and it can take a lot of practice. Not breastfeeding doesn't make a new mum less than, or a failure.
I encourage you talk about the experiences you’ve had. Reach out to new parent or someone who has been through this before and talk about what breastfeeding means to you, or how you're experiencing it now. Remember, while we often hear that 'breast is best’, what's really most important is the health and happiness of mum, so that she can be all she needs to be for her baby and herself.
Happy World Breastfeeding Week