​                            With  my first I thought a pack n play with an adjustable  bottom was the best  thing for co-sleeping (we co -slept in the same room), but honestly they are big and a pain to move around. Don't get me wrong,  pack n' plays  are great, but when it comes to 0-6 months,  rock n' play sleepers  are the best.  There are a couple of brands that offer  a product like this. I  personally love the  cradling   design  of  INGENUITY Rocking Sleeper Deluxe .  The other features I love about  this sleeper are  the soft washable textiles (we all know blow out are bound to happen), light weight design and  the fact you  disassemble  for easy storage or travel.  

Sensory play is such a critical part of brain development.  Babies and children learn best and retain the most information when their senses are engaged. Sensory play develops cognitive skills such as; problem solving and decision making,  fine motor skills like tying shoes and turning the pages in a book,  and even  social and emotional skills. The neurological pathways are better developed in babies and children  when they are given the opportunity to investigate different materials using there senses.  Sensory play can involve  any of the 5 senses, with the most common being touch. In preschool and toddler years, we see activities like rice tables, finger painting, water beads, and so much more! But how in the world do we stimulate tiny babies in this way? I want to give you three simple, doable, inexpensive and realistic activities  for sensory play with your little one who is 6  months and younger. 


Massage
I don't know about you, but I LOVE a good massage! And believe me, your little one will too.  The benefits of baby massage are so never ending! It can help promote better sleep, bonding to parents,  boost the immune system, improves circulation and so much more. Also, infant massage can be done at any age! Yep, from your tiny little newborn baby to your teenager. I have been massaging our boys since tiny babies and they still want their massages! You don't need to be a massage expert to do this with your little one. The first step is HEAT UP THE ROOM! Your baby will not relax and enjoy if it is cold. Now create a comfy place for her to lay  along with getting some nourishing oil such as Jojoba oil or coconut oil to massage her with.  Massaging is quite easy with infants. Using a gentle touch, cup your little ones  thigh in the palm of your hand. With your other hand softly stroke her thigh and go downward to the foot making a circular motion with your hands and encompassing the whole leg.  You can do this for each part of her body.  Let her tell you how much and for how long she wants to be massaged. This is something you can do every day. Make it part of your routine. Right before bedtime is a great time to sing to your sweetheart while relaxing her body with a massage.

Water play
Not only can water play be done in the tub, but it is also wonderful for tummy time. Especially once your baby is lifting his head. Fill a baking sheet with a little warm water and maybe put a few floating toys on it to explore.  Put your little one on their tummy on a blanket with the baking sheet in front of them. Let them splash around  and explore the warm water on the sheet. So simple, so free, so fun! Just make sure you don't walk away from them as water can of course be dangerous when babies are left alone. 
 
Sensory bottles and bags
You can fill up small water bottles or  zip lock bags  with all sorts of materials for your baby to look at, hear and touch. In water bottles, things like buttons, colored water with glitter and small toys, pom poms, or any thing you can think of that is fun to look at and maybe makes a fun rattle noise as well. Zip lock bags are especially fun because they can be touched and squeezed. My personal favorites in zip lock bags are shaving cream and hair gel. I always tape, double bag, and supervise.  
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Once your little can sit up, the ideas are endless! At this age the key is just making sure that what they are playing with it is safe to go in their little mouths. Try things like potato flakes, cooked  spaghetti noodles,  pudding, and so much more! Have you tried any sensory play with your baby or children? What has been your favorite? We would love to hear your ideas!

        As a birth doula, we talk a lot about preparing your body for birth, being educated in labor and delivery matters, post birth care for baby and nursing. But what about the days, weeks and months following the big day? When your precious little one is in your arms and at home with you. Here are some ideas that may make the transition of adding a new wee one to your family a little easier and more enjoyable. I have a wonderful group of moms in my life who have added to my list of tips and tricks.  This three part series will cover: Food, Tried & True Mommy Must Haves and Setting Your Home Up for Life with Baby.
        Let's get started with Part 1: FOOD!  We will cover  how to make feeding your family easier with a newborn, how to properly nourish  the nursing &  postpartum mom and of course the sweet sleep deprived daddy. 

         Food is something that everyone has to have but chances are, for a while you won't feel like being Placerville's version on Julia Child. Some of these ideas take a little bit of preparing now, but will be a life saver as soon as your little one is here!

1) Make it now, you wont go hungry later!

•  Freezer meals:

        Nothing was more helpful to me after bringing home my baby, like already prepared food. I did not make any where near as many freezer meals as I should have, but what little I made was so helpful.  My suggestion to you would be to  prepare at least a months worth of freezer meals about 3 months before your due date. This way, in the event that your little one comes early or  you need a little longer than 2 weeks postpartum to start feeling like yourself, you are prepared ahead of time and have enough food to sustain for a while.  Most freezer meals will keep for 6 months if packaged correctly (I often double bag in Ziploc bags). Now days there are so many freezer meal ideas on pinterest. I would think about preparing a wide range of types of freezer meals.

Crock pot  Freezer Meals:        New Leaf Wellness  has lots and lots of healthy freezer meal ideas for your slow cooker meals. These are often the easiest freezer meals to make as all you have to do is throw the ingredients into the bag!
         Wonderfully Made  Doula Service's pinterest page has  a wonderful board full of easy, healthy and  absolutely   delicious crock pot meals for after  baby. 

Freezer Stove Top  Meals:  
         I personally love soup for freezer stove top meals, but there are a lot of other options out there. Here are just a few yummy  soups & stews .
     
Meals that can go in the microwave:
         For this one, there are so many different options! Some of my favorites are breakfast burritos, chili verde burritos, teriyaki rice bowls, etc...  already prepared in a glass dish.  Almost any type of casserole split into small portions and put into glass containers will do.  This way, even if you forget to defrost  or just don't have time, you are still in luck with a quick meal.  Another one I want to mention that falls into this category which is not a meal, but super helpful, is making your favorite muffins and freezing them! Then when you want  a little homemade snack, you can simply pop one of these little guys in the microwave! One of my favorite recipes for muffins is from this tiny little muffin cookbook that has been in our family for years. These bran muffins  are not only yummy and healthy, but lets face it, sometimes things don't always "move" as quickly in the postpartum months, so they may be able to assist you a little in that area too!

The Best Bran Muffins 
 2 large eggs
 1/4 cup  light brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/4th cup  vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups wheat bran cereal 
1/2  cup oat bran
1/2 cup all-purpose flour  
 2 teaspoons baking powder 

          Heat oven  to 375    degrees F. Grease muffin cups, or use paper or foil baking cups. 
           Beat eggs and brown sugar in a medium-size bowl until smooth. Whisk in milk and oil. Stir in wheat bran cereal. Let soak 10 minutes (longer, if more  convenient).
          Thoroughly mix oat bran, all-purpose flour, and baking powder in a large bowl.
          Add soaked bran mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened. 
          Scoop batter into muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown  and firm in the center. Turn out onto a rack to cool. 
 
NOTE: Oat bran can be found in the cereal or health food section of most grocery stores. 
VARIATIONS: Brush muffins with 2 or 3  tablespoons of maple syrup as soon as they are removed from the oven.
Add 1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup walnuts to batter. 

 Meals that are cooked in the oven:       
         Get creative with this one. Either purchase a bunch of tin casserole dishes from Costco, or if you don't care to use tin, use a few extra glass casserole dishes if you have them. You can do just about any type of casserole. Broccoli rice and cheese casserole, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, enchiladas...just use your favorite recipe and start cooking! 

      I promise that having freezer meals on hand is going to save your life after pregnancy and while they take some time now, you will not regret making them. Now if for some reason you don't get  to do this, I know how life goes, especially when your pregnant, then your something else you must know about is...

2) Bring me some food!!!! :
        It is time to sign your friends up to bring you a meal!  If you don't want to personally do it, which I totally get, have your best friend or some close family post it on facebook. Our group of moms uses this all the time and it works great!  http://www.takethemameal.com/
It is an easy meal system where you can know what type of food is coming ahead of time and who is coming. If you like visitors and want people to dote over your new little bundle, great! If not, you don't have to let them in!  And don't  feel bad about it, other moms especially, totally get it.  People bringing meals is what truly helped me right after pregnancy. Like I said, I only made a few freezer meals. Meals were brought to me for 2 weeks and it was wonderful. 

3) e-cart grocery shopping:
        I have personally never tried this, but I know moms who do, and they say it is so handy. At least perhaps for a couple weeks postpartum this would be a great option. Not only do you probably not feel like going out and about, but also you won't have to worry about people wanting to touch your tiny baby...and other grocery store germs, YUCK! Not all Raley's and Belair have e-cart, but most do. You are probably wondering how much it cost, surprisingly, it is totally worth it! If you order $100 dollars in groceries, its totally free! If not, it is a little less that $5.  You can check out  Raleys.com  for more details.  
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4) Postpartum Nourishment:
     This may not sound like something to you that is going to make your life easier postpartum, but it is!  Good  healthy food is going to nourish your body when you are exhausted and don't have any energy, keep your mood uplifted when you  feel your life has changed so much, and keep things moving in the bathroom when...well, when things are just aren't the same as they use to be. Oh, and super important, the right foods are going to help you keep a good healthy milk supply for nourishing your baby.  Choosing snacks like apple slices and almond butter, already prepared steel cut oatmeal, carrots and cucumber sticks with hummus, etc... are all great choices  for grabbing something quick while giving our bodies  a good dose of fiber and macro nutrients.   I do want to go a step further though from talking about the foods that most of us know are healthy and we are all pretty familiar with. I am going to assume that when we talk about healthy foods, that when we talk about healthy eating, we know to stay away from highly processed and refined foods and go for whole foods whenever possible.  There are a few foods I want to mention that are a real powerhouse for the postpartum mother. One of these is bone broth! Not only is it pretty easy to make, it is cheap too!  It is simply made by boiling bones (preferably beef or pork, you can get them pretty cheap from your local butcher), some select vegetables such as celery, onions, garlic, etc... and boiled until the broth is rich and savory. It will probably need to cook all day, around 9 hours. So what is so good about this food? First of all, it is full of cartilage! During pregnancy and childbirth your joints have been through A LOT! You have been stretched  pulled and pushed from the inside out! Minerals! If you add a little bit of vinegar to your broth when boiling, you will extract tons of minerals from inside the bones. It is also very hydrating, which you need lots of to produce milk. It has tons of other great benefits too! Another very important supplement for your body is Omega 3 fatty acids. This can be found  in salmon, nuts, flax and chia seeds, shrimp,  along with a number of other items. The great thing about Omega 3's is that it is going to give you lots of energy and is great for depression should you struggle with that after pregnancy.  The last one I want to mention here is fermented foods. Your bodies immune system can become a bit  compromised  during pregnancy along with after. When you are snuggling your new little newborn, the last thing you want is to catch a cold.  This one is especially important if any antibiotics were used during your labor or after. Fermented foods include yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut. Among these, you may find some that you like better than others. In our house we really like kefir and make our own using kefir grains.  Nutrition during the postpartum months is just as important as it is during pregnancy. This is a time when your body needs to  rejuvenate, rest, and heal in order to care for your little one as they grow along with providing the nourishment to feed your little one so that they can grow.  Taking care of yourself is so important through out all of motherhood!

I never in my life dreamed I would have a job that I enjoy so much. Every time I get that phone call in the middle of the night or during the day, I can hardly wait to get out the door. Not only is there so much fulfillment in seeing babies be born, but to be by a mother and be a source of encouragement to her during one of her hardest and most exciting times is one of the best feelings there is. 

Every time I see a little one welcomed into this world, I get chills at the miracle of child birth. When that little one is placed on their mamma's chest, it brings me so much delight to see the pain of labor fade and a mother and father's joy as they are in awe of their little bundle created by God.  

When I leave the hospital after a long night or a maybe just a short day, My cup and my heart are full!   I know every time I walk away that I am right where I am suppose to be in life...Helping mammas, standing by daddies, and loving on their precious babies!