The Birth Lounge Blog

What You Really Need to Know About Formula and How to Choose the Right One for Your Baby Ignore the labels, it’s all about the ingredients The red-bolded words “anti-colic remedy” on the front of a formula tub can seem pretty promising when you’re standing in the formula isle of Target after several evenings with a fussy baby. This is exactly what the manufacturer intends when marketing their formula brands to parents. They knowingly get paid by targeting vulnerable new moms who are sleep deprived and desperate. Formula brands will advertise products made specifically for things like reducing spit up and gas or to help improve sleep. But, like most things baby related, it’s not a “one size fits all” solution. The ingredients and how they react to your baby’s specific dietary and digestives needs are most important to understand when you’re in the process of choosing a formula. And I say process because you are most likely going to need to change formulas at least once or twice, and t...

Food First Nutrition with Ryan Kipping ( Derived from Ep. 148 of The Birth Lounge Podcast ) Today Ryann Kipping, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Lactation Educator, and Author of The Feel-Good Pregnancy Cookbook is here to break down how to get the majority of your crucial vitamins and minerals from food first! So many foods can be solutions to problems that pop up in pregnancy--constipation, nausea, heartburn. Ryann is sharing how to find the perfect prenatal, how to spot 3rd party testing, and how to identify trustworthy brands! Diet culture is crazy right now. It's hard enough to eat when you aren't pregnant to figure out what to eat when you aren't pregnant. Then when you throw a pregnancy in the mix there's like so much confusion. There's so many do's and don'ts floating around. One source says something and another source says something completely different. That is why I'm here- to clear that confusion and make you feel confident. ...

  Heartburn in Pregnancy Why does it happen? Heartburn is incredibly common and will plague between 17%-45% of pregnant people (Vazquez JC. Heartburn in pregnancy. BMJ Clin Evid. 2015;2015:1411. Published 2015 Sep 8.). This happen because of two hormones: progesterone and relaxin. They are responsible for relaxing the muscles in your body during pregnancy to allow for growth and stretching in order to accommodate your baby. This causes your esophagus and the sphincter that keeps it closed to relax as well. Also, as your baby grows your “real estate” gets smaller and smaller. With this change, your stomach gets squished which forces stomach acid back up into your esophagus. Not pleasant, but there are ways to combat this physical change and discomfort! First, what not to do! -  Do not stop eating.  Your baby needs to be nourished. Not eating will actually increase your stomach acid making your heartburn worse. -  Do not munch on antacids  (TUMS, Rolaids) like can...

One-Handed Snacks That Won’t Break Your New Year’s Resolution (This was originally written as an article for Birch Baby, here .) The new year is a time filled with making goals to strive for, and envisioning yourself one year from now. Many parents will make promises to themselves to eat healthier and exercise more. However, between feedings, diaper changes, doctor’s appointments, play dates, and household chores, it can be challenging to find time to prepare food let alone eat. If eating healthy were easily incorporated into your daily life, would you be more likely to stick with it? Of course! Check out this (free download!)   list that requires little prep, can be easily taken on-the-go, and won’t make you break your New Year’s Resolution of eating healthier. Our free download and the Birch Baby article break down the reasons behind each snack, so be sure to check one (or both!) out, but let's get to the good stuff: snacks! You don't want to miss these- especia...

Hey Tranquility Tribe! This week we’re going straight for the gut - HeHe has enlisted Liz Bane, a wellness concierge and a holistic health coach certified by the Institute of Integrated Nutrition to help us understand this often mentioned yet often misunderstood system in our bodies. Liz is here to share all her best tips and tricks to helping your gut function at its optimal ability! Gut 101 So what exactly is your gut? Your gut starts at the back of your throat in your esophagus, goes down to your stomach, through  your large and small intestine and out the back where you go to the bathroom. It is the largest organ in your body, second only to your skin! The health of the gut impacts your entire well-being, from your brain to your muscles to your moods. By caring for your gut, you’re caring for your entire body, and this is why it’s so important for a pregnant person to care for their gut! A healthy gut is an essential aspect of...

Do You have a Hormone Imbalance? Hormone Imbalances come in all different shapes, sizes, colours. From acne to heavy periods, from stubborn weight gain to light or no periods, your hormonal imbalance could look completely different from Sally’s down the street. Now, you’re probably asking yourself, “what the heck is a hormonal imbalance?” I’m so glad you asked! Hormonal Imbalance is a term thrown around a lot in the wellness world, but it’s not defined or explained very often. Hormonal Imbalance simply means the ratio of hormones in your body (i.e. estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) is out of balance. Ideally, in the first half of your menstrual cycle Estrogen should be dominant, then as you get into the second half of your cycle progesterone takes over and rises. This seesaw should happen every month (or 21-33 days) but what a lot of women struggle with is progesterone not taking over in the second half of their cycles. That’...

What is Seed Cycling and Why Should You Do it? How Do You "Seed Cycle?" Seed cycling is when you rotate different types of seeds in your diet to align with the part of your menstrual cycle you are in. In the first half of your cycle you consume seeds which contribute to estrogen production and in the second half of your cycle you consume seeds which are naturally more progesterone producing in the body. Follicular Phase (Days 1-14) Starting on Day 1 of your period add 2 tablespoons of raw ground flax seeds or pumpkin seeds to your diet. You can add them into a smoothie, top your oatmeal, or add them to your salad. Everyday until ovulation, you’ll have 2 tablespoons of raw ground flax seeds or pumpkin seeds. You can alternate between pumpkin and flax or have them both, it’s up to you. If you don’t get a regular period or you haven’t been getting a period, start seed cycling on the first day of the full moon an...

Eliminating Toxins in Your Home with Bri Pruitt [This is also an episode of Friday Free Talk on The Tranquility Tribe Podcast on iTunes. Listen  here .] All about Bri Bri is a registered nurse and nutrition health coach and has been focusing on a healthy and holistic lifestyle for seven years.  She lives in Idaho with her six year old daughter and has countless tips and tricks for transitioning to a toxin-free lifestyle in steps so that you can achieve the life you want without feeling overwhelmed. For as long as she can remember, Bri has been facing a variety of health issues.  From migraines to depression and anxiety to fatigue, she has always been curious about what was causing her health problems and how they could be prevented.  In an effort to avoid taking medication and create a healthy environment for her daughter, Bri really decided to pursue a clean lifestyle when she became pregnant. As a nurse, Bri found that the hardest part was con...