How to Relieve Back and Neck Pain When Feeding Your Baby

Guest Blog from Jessica at Treetots Yoga in Totnes, UK

New mother’s neck and upper back pain

Neck and upper back pain is common in new mothers, particularly those who are breastfeeding. A rounded shoulder position and forward neck posture puts a strain on the jointsand discs in the neck and upper back. This is a very easy posture to get into when feeding and once baby has latched on is difficult to correct.

Symptoms

Pain is often achy with a tight feeling between the shoulder blades or the back of the neck.

In the neck there may also be sharp twinges on sudden movement, stiffness, or achy discomfort.

Managing Neck and upper back pain.

Chiropractic treatment for neck and upper back pain pain includes releasing stiff joints using gentle joint manipulation to free the movement of the joints. Massage techniques are also employed to relieve muscle tension across the shoulders, between the shoulder blades and at the base of the skull. The most important action in reducing neck pain is correction of postures which are causing the problem.

The following should be practiced to minimise strain on the neck and upper back:

• Stand with the head held high and chin tucked, not jutting out.
• Relax the shoulders back and down, even when carrying you’re your baby there is no need to hunch up your shoulders.
• Try to alternate which side you carry your baby on.
• Get comfortable when breastfeeding, sit with your shoulders back and use supports and cushions to raise the baby up to your breast rather than lowering yourself down to the baby.
• When feeding check for tension in your shoulders and whether your head is forward.

Notice the difference in posture in the second picture below to the first picture.

Back is straight and well supported, shoulders relaxed, elbows hang vertically below shoulders, neck straight and looking forward, knees lower than hips, and baby well propped in cushions to hold them at the right height without strain on Mum’s neck and shoulders: 

comfy Mum- good latch- happy baby! 

All these points can apply to a well supported sitting position on a chair.

Below are some stretches to release tightness in the neck and between the shoulder blades.

Shoulders, stretch 1: 

Pull arm across body keeping torso facing forward.

Shoulders, stretch 2: 

Put backs of forearms together with elbows one on top of the other, it doesn’t matter if you can’t link palms. Gently push elbows downwards and pull arms outwards against each other, keeping them linked. You should feel a stretch between the shoulder blades.

Shoulders and upper back stretch 3: 

Kneel on the floor and lengthen arms in front. Reach as far forward as possible feeling a stretch in the upper back.

Neck strengthening: 

Lie flat and tuck chin to lengthen back of neck. Push head gently backwards into the mat (if you have a hard floor you can use a small cushion or towel). This will release muscles at the back of the neck whilst strengthening the deep muscles in the neck.

The content in this factsheet is intended as general advice only and does not replace a diagnosis by a qualified professional. It is based our combined professional opinions. Do not carry out stretches or exercises which cause pain, discontinue and seek advice. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

Sally Scott is a Chiropractor with a special interest in pre and postnatal care. She is based in Chorlton, Manchester http://www.sallyscottchiropractor.com

Jessica Healy is a baby and toddler birthlight yoga teacher with classes in Totnes. She is also a mum of three. More information can be found on http://www.treetotsyoga.com

How to Bring the Principles of Yoga onto Your Bike

5 Ways to Improve Your Posture while Cycling on an Upright Bike.

1. Lengthen Your Spine: 

Imagine there's a peice of string pulling the crown of your head towards the sky as you cycle along. Really feel the space opening out between the vertebrae in your spine. Try and elongate your spine and imagine yourself two inches taller.  

2. Engage Your Stomach Muscles

Understand that in order to protect your spine, you must make your stomach muscles work. Try tilting your pelvis forward slightly, as if you zipping up some trousers.

3. Bring Your Shoulders Down

Make sure there is a space between your shoulders and your ears. Bring your shoulders all the way up to your ears and then allow them to drop down. That's where they should be.

4. Awareness

As you cycle along, observe the abundance of the world. Notice the leaves or branches of the trees, notice the patterns in nature and the patterns made by

man. Feel the breeze on your face.

5. Smile

It's OK. Cycling is fun! Put a little yogic smile on your face as you whizz along.

For some yoga poses to help stretch you out after a big cycle, please click here.

5 Ways to Fit Yoga Into Your Day

1. Practice with your baby or child

By practicing yoga with your baby or child, you will be giving your child the most wonderful gift of an introduction to yoga. Not sure how? See Baby Yoga or practice some simple yoga breathing or mantras with your child. Try, 'I am peace'.

2. Breathe

When you feel like you are stressed or upset, try counting to 10 and inhaling and counting to 10 and exhaling three times. Allow yourself to relax into the breath. You always have a choice in how your react and when you slow your breathing down, your body will make a choice from a better place.

3. Meditate

Try meditating, even if it's just for one moment each day.

4. Bring Yoga Postures off the Yoga Mat

Whether you're pushing your buggy or walking to the shops, be aware of your posture. Tuck in your tailbone, elongate your spine, feel like there is a piece of string lifting the crown of your head to the sky. Walk proud.

5. Use online Yoga Videos to Practice at Home

Autumn Blues

I love autumn - the changing colour of the trees, bright crisp days and the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot…

But it can raise mixed emotions.

Shortening days, cold winds making you wrap up against the cold, rain and knowing that the darkness and cold of winter is on its way, can leave you feeling anxious or down. Autumn is a great time to take the opportunity to let go. Follow the lessons from trees as they let go of their leaves to conserve energy over winter and allow for renewal and rejuvenation in spring.

Try and get out in nature as often as you can in the coming weeks and take in the show that this season puts on.

Go for a walk and listen to the wind in the trees, collect fallen conkers, notice the change in the quality of the light, appreciate the beautiful colours of the leaves as they change week-by-week…

Autumn is a beautiful season, so relax, let go and enjoy!

Lack of Memory Post Pregnancy

My baby had just fallen asleep. I sat quietly, watching his chest rise and fall as he breathed and noticed how peaceful he looked. 

Suddenly, a moment of realisation occurred. I can do stuff! I am free! Right, now what was it I had to do?  

A lot of the problem is that there is so much to do, and really, I don't know how long my baby will sleep for, so it's difficult to match up the job with an amount of time required to complete the job. Also, the tasks I need to do vary from the easy mundane jobs (housework) to more complex mundane tasks (tax returns). Quite often in these moments of freedom, I walk quickly and purposefully into a room, to do something and then, it's gone. I have no idea why I walked into the room. Sound familiar?

Why Do We Forget Things?

Working memory loss can happen for a number of reasons. Often, while caring for young children, we are sleep deprived. We are also very busy and it's been proven that it's difficult to keep more than 3 - 4 items  in your mind at one time (ref. Alan Baddeley).

Motherhood can be stressful too. It is proven that when we are stressed, our bodies secrete a toxic hormone. This is why stress is very damaging to our bodies. Stress can lead to memory loss too.

How Yoga Can Help

It is proven that, 'neurones that fire together, wire together'.  This means that by repeating an activity over and over again, you can teach your brain and your body to behave differently. You can change. Wise yogis say that 'a calm mind is a focused mind'.  By spending 5 minutes meditating each day, you can retrain your mind to become focused and calm. 

There are also some very beneficial restorative yoga poses which allow your body to rebalance and deeply relax. Here is a restorative yoga sequence you can try.

I recommend, before you rush around trying to complete the many tasks ahead of you in a short space of time, to spend 5 or 10 minutes practicing a meditation or a restorative yoga sequence. You may notice a big difference in a short space of time.

Post-Holiday Blues

The weather has turned cooler. Long days where we could be a family unit, sharing time together and relaxing, not really having to be anywhere are in the past. Life has resumed it's routine of rushing to pack the children off to school, my husband rushing out the door and me rushing around managing the live's of 5 people and running classes. 

Life can feel miserable at the end of the summer. You may have said 'goodbye' to friends or family who you're not going to see for a long time. There may be nothing to look forward to and the winter holidays seem a long way away. It's important to acknowledge these feelings and know why you're feeling a bit sad and take time to think about it. Knowing that you're having these feelings is the first step to being able to move forward and find a way of making yourself feel better. If you don't feel like you can move forward, it could be a good idea to visit your doctor and seek professional advice.

5 Ways to Beat the Post-Holiday Blues

1. Get Involved: Find an activity or area of interest you really enjoy and volunteer, join a class, connect with others. 
2. Bringing gratitude into your daily life. Begin to list three things you feel grateful for each day and watch how more wonderful things start to come into your life.
3. Practice some restorative yoga poses. Child's pose is great, or follow a restorative yoga session on YouTube. This is a lovely one to try.
4. Remember, you are in charge of your feelings. Try and experiment and play with what helps you heal and feel complete again.
5. Plan an event, whether it be a walk in the forest, a coffee with a friend or a holiday. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it does need to be a date in your diary and something you can look forward to.

Tummy Time

Why do Tummy Time

As many babies are encouraged to sleep on their backs, giving baby set periods of time to be on their tummy has become a more important issue. Parents are concerned that their babies head has become flat at the back, or noticed that their baby has lost a lot of hair and has bald patches at the back of their head as a result from spending a lot of time on their backs. 

When to Start Tummy Time Play

Each baby is unique and each baby will have a differerent ability to hold their heads up for periods of time.  You may find that your baby doesn't develop neck, shoulder and torso muscle strength until they reach 3 or 4 months. As your baby’s neck and upper body control improves, you can gradually increase the amount of time spent on on their tummy.

For babies under 3/4 months old, you may find that your baby enjoys tummy time more if he/she is close to you. For example, you can try lying on your back with your baby on his/her tummy on your chest.  

For babies over 4 months old, you could try sitting on the floor with your legs out in front of you.  You may find it more comfortable to sit on a cusion, try to engage your tummy muscles and sit up tall, stretching out y our back.  You can begin by placing your baby on their tummy across your lap with a toy on the floor.

For babies over 6 months, your baby may be much happier to be on their tummy with some toys.

Is Crawling Important?

A baby is born with approximately 100 billion neurons and during their everyday activities the synapses are developed. Activity, interaction and movement are like food for an infant’s brain, helping it to develop.

Not all babies crawl. Some babies will shuffle on their bottoms or commando crawl to help them get from a to b.

The Au people of Papua, New Guinea have babies which don't crawl. They move around on their bottoms, propelling themselves with their hands.  Tracer, associate professor of anthropology and director of the Program in Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado at Denver has carried out research among the Au people. Among the Au people, Tracer found babies in their first year of life were carried during 90 percent of their waking hours, usually by a mother, father or sibling.

In Bali, babies are not allowed to touch the ground until they are over 7 months. There is no record of any developmental difference between Balinese, the Au People of Papua New Guinea and Western babies who crawled earlier.

Published studies on the value of crawling have given mixed results. A 1991 study by Temple University researchers found that children who didn't crawl were later deficient on specific tests of motor development. But a 1989 study at the University of Padua, Italy, found crawlers were actually more likely to have delayed motor development.

Research demonstrates that it is not important if a baby crawls or not. It is important to observe that a baby's movements are balanced on both sides and it is important that a baby can move from one point to another. 

The Art of Attunement

You may have heard of 'Attachment' parenting. I would like to talk about attunement parenting. The art of being at one or in tune with your baby. For many, it may not come naturally. There are postiive activities you can do with your baby to help you become more attuned to each other.

1. Holding
By holding your baby, or wearing your baby, your baby will cry less. Your baby will not be worried about where you are, will be entertained and warm. 'When a baby rides in a sling attached to his mother, he is in tune with the rhythm of her breathing, the sound of her heartbeat, and the movements his mother makes—walking, bending, and reaching. This stimulation helps him to regulate his own physical responses.' Source, Baby Wearing International.

Baby yoga will demonstrate lots of different ways you can hold your baby.

2. Playing
When your baby is alert, (e.g. not tired or hungry) your baby will love to look at your face and interact with you. As your baby can only focus about 30cm away, your baby will love it if you hold your gaze at this distance. Please refer to this page if your baby has a visual impairment. 

Playing with your baby, will improve your babies cognitive development and enhance their social/emotional development. Baby yoga demonstrates many different activites and games you can play with a non-mobile baby.

3. Touch
For some reason, parents are frequently told not to hold their baby, 'you'll spoil her', 'he'll get used to being hold and you'll never be able to put him down'. 

However, many health professionals agree on the importance of physical contact between babies and their carers. Babies thrive on physical touch.  Not only does touch improve their circulation, digestion, breathing, hormonal balance, touch helps develop a baby's nervous system. Touch can also help carers improve their confidence when handling babies and improves communication. Touch also reduces stress levels for both baby and carer, promoting bonding and closeness 

During pregnancy and birth, new mothers release the hormone oxytocin, associated with relaxing, connecting and nurturing.  Baby massage and yoga both stimulate the on-going positive effects of this hormone. This means that doing baby massage or yoga is especially important for mum's who are not breastfeeding, as breastfeeding naturally releases oxytocin. 


 A loving touch also helps regulate the stress hormone, cortisol.  The more massage and yoga practiced with your baby, the greater combined sensory effects take place to enhance this closeness. Massaging and touching your baby is incredibly important to bonding with your baby, especially if you're not breastfeeding. 

Baby Yoga in Amsterdam

Teeny Tiny Yoga Has Arrived in Amsterdam

After arriving on the ferry in early October, following closely by a huge container lorry with our furniture, clothes and baby yoga equipment, we have arrived in South Amsterdam. 

My family and I have been travelling as much as we can by bike and enjoying exploring our new home.

We've also been busy looking into running baby yoga classes in Amsterdam and have found a wonderful new venue in Oud Zuid. Here is a sneak preview of the venue. As you can see, it is perfect for baby yoga, very clean and with a soft flooring.

Classes will run on Thursday mornings from the end of February 2014. Please contact teenytinyyoga@gmail.com  or www.teenytinyyoga.com for more information. Classes will be in English, with English songs.

Tuilips, Windmills and Cloggs

Classes are busy, I'm running baby and children's yoga classes at Debutots summer workship, the Lollibop festival and I've been offered three private contracts to teach baby yoga and my middle child will be in school for full days from September.

So, just when I felt that my life here was falling into place, something comes along to change EVERYTHING. 

My husband has accepted a new job in Amsterdam from the middle of August. We have decided to move to Haarlem in October this year. 

This means leaving behind family, friends, our lovely house and garden and my thriving business in which I've invested so much into during the last two years.

We don't speak Dutch, the children can't cycle and we barely know anyone in the Netherlands.

However, we plan to move by the sea, the children are safe to play out in the streets, the pace of life will be slower and we will learn about Dutch culture and learn to speak some Dutch.

So here are some things I am learning about Amsterdam:

• Amsterdam is the home of the Montesorri movement

• Bank holiday's take place on Thursday's so people can enjoy a 4 day weekend (unlike UK, where we often have a 3 day weekend as the bank holiday falls on a Monday).

• There are more museums in Amsterdam than any other city in the world

• There are twice as many bikes as cars.

• Children have no school on Wednesday or Friday afternoons and take a packed lunch
• The work-life balance is valued. People leave the office generally no later than 5.30pm.

It will take a few months to settle into our new home. 

While we live in the Netherlands, I plan to deepen my knowledge of yoga, carry out research and study the benefits of baby yoga and run new classes in Haarlem from January 2014. 

It will be fun to cycle around and visit new museums and make new friends. 

Our new house will be a short cycle ride to the beach, so we will look forward to visiting the longest beach in Europe and flying a kite.

Tummy Muscles Knitting Back together Post Pregnancy (Diastasis Recti)

It's amazing just how much your tummy stretches during pregnancy. It takes 9 months to grow a lovely big tummy and that tummy is not going to look the same as it did before you had your baby straight away (if ever!). I used to be very proud of my nice, toned tummy. Three babies later, it's not quite as washboard looking as it was in my mid 20's. I wish I had known which were the safest and most effective exercises to help strengthen and tone my abdominals.

During some pregnancies, your abdominal muscles may split completely causing diastasis recti.

The textbook definition of diastasis recti (also known as abdominal separation) is a disorder defined as a separation of the rectus abdominis muscle into right and left halves. Normally, the two sides of the muscle are joined at the linea alba at the body midline. It is essentially a cosmetic condition, with no associated morbidity or mortality. Diastasis means 'separation of normally joined parts' and 'Recti' means 'straight muscles'.

So, what's the worse that can happen if the long muscles in your tummy don't knit back together again after you've had a baby? Weak abdominal muscles can lead to back pain.  In severe cases, with no muscle coverage, it will be possible to view your internal organs moving and there will be a lot of loose skin.   However, in most cases, the gap will close up within a few months of delivery.

Here is a great video which explains how to self diagnose diastasis recti.

How to Fix Diastasis Recti

Most importantly , do not attempt any sit ups or tummy crunches, or any other tummy exercises where you're lying on your back. These will do more damage than good as they are exercising the muscles which will widen the gap between your abdominal recti.  

Here are some exercises to try. 

1. Plank

Leaning on your knees and elbows, lock your hands together. Straighten your legs and raise your body so that you're supported by the balls of your feet, with feet hip-distance apart. Face the floor, being careful not to arch your back or stick your bottom in the air. Hold this position for as long as you can, perhaps starting with 10 seconds, extending the time gradually as your strength increases.

2. Seated Tupler Technique: If you are holding your baby properly, you can do this one while breastfeeding. Remember, pillow(s) under baby, bring him/her up to you, rather than bringing your breast down to them-- no bending. You need to be sitting for this exercise. Cross-legged with your back against a wall, or in a chair where your thighs and bottom are completely supported. The seat should be firm but comfortable. Sit with your bottom touching the back of the chair. 

There are two parts to the Tupler Technique: Elevators, and Contractions. If you are breastfeeding, you can switch exercises halfway through when you switch breasts.

Part One: Elevators: sit as described above. Place your hands on your tummy, one above the belly button, one below. Take a belly breath and expand tummy to floor one. (Floor 1 is all the way out, floor 5 feels like your tummy is touching your spine, floor six you try to push your tummy outside your back.. Then bring your bellybutton back toward your spine-- floor 5. Imagine your ribs coming together. Hold for 30 counts but count outloud so you know you're still breathing. Then pull your tummy back even further to 6 for a little squeeze, and count as you do 5 of these squeezes, and release. Do a full, deep belly breath. Do ten sets of these every day.

Part Two: Contractions: sit as above. Place hands in the same position, above and below bellybutton. This is so you can feel that both top and bottom are moving backward.

3. Zipping

Place a finger on your pubic bone. Trace a line very slowly up to your belly button. As your finger moves, tighten the muscles where your finger tip touches the skin.

Good luck and if you have any concerns, visit your GP.

Reference: Tupler Technique

I Forgot to Breathe

Inspirational Breathing

Did you know that the word for inspiration in Latin is ‘Inspare’?

When we breathe in, we inhale fresh oxygen, new ideas, new life into our bodies. When we exhale, we are letting go of toxins of negativity and beliefs which are no longer productive. Learning to control our breathing can help us in a number of ways. You may notice that when you are in a stressful situation, your breathing becomes faster and shallower. 

I remember during labour with my first child. I forgot to breathe. I panicked. I held my breathe. Baby did appear, very rapidly, but I think I would have been more flowing and calmer had I learnt breathing control. With baby number two, I tried very hard to remember to breathe, but still panicked and wow, it really hurt. With baby number three, I had a false alarm and during the false alarm, I practiced hypno birthing relaxation techniques and breathed and managed to fall asleep and went into a deep relaxation. This helped me relax more when the real labour began.

Normally, we breathe using the upper part of our lungs. The problem is, this doesn’t remove all of the old air from our lungs, only part of it. By breathing using our diaphragms, we can train our lungs to remove much more of the old air stored in them and replace it with fresh air. Not only does the fresh air provide our bodies with more oxygen, by slowing our breath down, it makes us feel more relaxed.

In any situation, you have a choice in how you react. For example, imagine you are late for an important meeting or to collect someone and you are stuck in traffic. You can choose to be stressed or you can choose to be calm.  Should you decide to approach the situation in a calm manner, you can alter your breathing.  By imitating a deeply relaxed state, you will find your mind will follow and feel more relaxed. Try breathing more deeply, filling up your entire lungs with oxygen. Take a deep breath in through your nose and into your belly and exhale through your nose. 

It makes sense that a calm mind is a much better state to problem solve. Once you are calm, you will be able to think of more imaginative ways to resolve problems. It’s much easier to find solutions when you are in a calm state than a stressed one, when you go into panic mode.

Have a go at practicing the yogic breath detailed at the bottom of the blog. It may feel a little strange at first, but once you become accustomed to it, you’ll feel so much better. While you’re practicing, try and imagine you are breathing in positive thoughts and energy and breathing out any negative thoughts and redundant beliefs. 

Breath is Life. According to Yoga philosophy, our life is measured in the number of breaths we take.

You may hear of breathing excercises being called ‘Pranayama’. Searching on Wikepedia, I found that Prāṇāyām (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम prāṇāyām) is a Sanskrit word meaning "extension of the prāṇ or breath" or, "extension of the life force". The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, Prāṇ, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and "ayām", to extend or draw out. (Not 'restrain, or control' as is often translated from 'yam' instead of 'ayāma').

The reported benefits of Yoga Breathing include:

• ·         Increased vitality and alertness
• ·         Stress management
• ·         Improved sleep
• ·         Greater confidence and positive thinking
• ·         Improved concentration and memory.

The full yogic breath can be carried out using the following technique:

Full Yogic Breath time

1. Close those eyes.

2. Place your hands on your stomach, slightly interlacing the fingers so that the fingertips come to the second knuckle of the opposite hand. Your navel should feel cradled.

3. Begin to breathe deeply into the navel, into the belly (see photo)

4. Practice breathing with a controlled, slow breath so that you feel the fingers slide apart on the inhale and back together on the exhale. As much as you try to expand on the intake, see how much you can expel on the out breath. You may find that you can  have those fingertips slide together farther than they started. Whether they do or do not, the most important thing here is to work on controlling the breath. Smooth in, smooth out. Notice where you tend to rush or lose control.

5. Breathe like this 15-20 times as deeply as you can without discomfort or force.

6. Slide the hands up to your ribcage. A good estimation is to have your little fingers hang over the edge of your ribs with thumbs right below the pectorals. 

7. Continue breathing, except now inhale into the belly, in to the ribs. Fill the belly first before expanding the hands on the ribs. Visualise the breath filling in your body from the bottom up. First the belly, then the ribs. Feel the ribs expand in all directions-- not just forward, but sideways and into the back body.

8. As you exhale, retrace the steps from the inhale. Exhale starting from the ribs, finshing off with the belly. The navel drawing in should help fully expel your air. Don't force your breath in either direction, in or out.

9.  Repeat this another 15-20 times. Into the belly, into the ribs. Out from the ribs, out from the belly

10. Separate the hands and place them on your chest, resting the palms above the heart centre with fingertips gently curled over the collar bones. 

11. Continue breathing. Start into the belly, into the ribs, into the chest. Filling up your torso with breath from the bottom  up, all the way to your fingertips. Feel the breath rise along the spine, expanding the insides in all directions.  Exhale the way the breath came in. From the chest, through the ribs, out of the belly.

12. This is a great time to remind yourself to keep the spine as tall as possible. Just by following the breath from the bottom to the top, from the top to the bottom, you're already mindful of how the spine is stacked.

13. Repeat this 15-20 times.

Source of yogic breath instruction: Daniel Scott

Gratitude is the Best Gift

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little,
and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick,
and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.”

Today, my 6 year old asked, 'Mummy, are we rich'.  Regardless of our personal circumstances, I wanted her begin to understand gratitude. I answered, 'Yes, we are very rich. We have shoes to keep our feet warm, food to keep our tummies full and we are all healthy and we have each other. There are many people in the world who don't have any of these things. We are very lucky.' 

Gratitude is something we should be conscious of.  In a society where children are given a much coveted gift, only to see the next television advert and then immediately start asking for the next material item, we should be teaching our children that there are more important values than material goods. A child will never be satisfied when given the latest toy.  To start showing a child to appreciate what they have and give them some exposure to those who have very little is a good step forward. Another idea is for us ask our children to think of three things they are grateful for each day.  

To give a child an understanding of gratitude is possibly the best gift you can give them.

“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

How to combat sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation is very tough to cope with.  It can be debilitating.  Your mind turns to mush, your head hurts, even the smallest task can seem impossible to conquer. Time seems to tick by slowly, you struggle to find words when conversing and as to remembering why you walked into that room…Sound familiar?

Other than consuming large amounts of caffeine (NB caffeine can have an adverse effect to good sleep quality), one of the best ways to survive the day is to go for a long walk.  Not only will you feel better while you are walking, your baby will benefit from the fresh air.  Being outside and moving, is sometimes the only guaranteed way to help lift your mood.

The happiest people I know are those who spend a lot of time outdoors.

The science behind why we feel good after spending time outside, is that sunshine is the best source of vitamin D.  We have been taught that Vitamin D is a ‘vitamin’, but it is more accurate to describe it as a sun hormone. During pregnancy, your baby will sap up lots of your body’s store of vitaimin D, so it’s vital to make sure you and your baby have lots of fresh air.

Vitamin D will help regulate both yours and your babies sleep.

Vitamin D is a chemical produced on our skin during sun exposure.  While it is possible to source vitamin D from foods, the most beneficial source of vitamin D is from the sun. All forms of vitamin D are fat soluble, which means they are stored within the body when in excess and used when needed.  Early vitamin D deficiency signs include extreme sweating, heightened anxiety, fatigue, reduced appetite, mild depression, muscle cramps and sore joints.

One of the many roles of vitamin D is to regulate the pineal gland's secretion of melatonin, a "master control" hormone that regulates circadian rhythms and controls the cascade of other hormones and chemicals needed for falling asleep and waking up.  With the help of vitamin D, melatonin is released into the blood during periods of darkness or episodes of reduced sunshine.  Research has shown that insomnia and sleep apnea are due in part to vitamin D deficiency and that spending safe amounts of time in the sun can reverse many sleep irregularities. So, while exposure to sun won’t give you a much needed 12 hour sleep, it will mean that when you do sleep, your sleep will be deeper and of better quality.

At this time of year, you may feel like staying at home, especially if it is raining.  I strongly recommend buying a waterproof coat with a hood (if you don't already own one) and braving the elements. 

There is so much to enjoy outdoors.  Observe the budding leaves on the trees, feel the squishy mud underfoot, listen to the birds singing, notice the varied colours of the flowers, the changing shapes of the shadows and appreciate the beautiful colours in around you as summer bursts into life.

I wish there were a magic sleep pill available, but sadly it hasn't been invented yet.  You may lose count of the number of times people advise you to, 'sleep when your baby sleeps', but we know this isn't always possible, especially if you have other children to look after, dinner to make or washing to do. 

Try to follow the Norwegian principle, 'there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing'. So, even if it's raining, put on that rain coat and remember that life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dancing in the rain.