Tatyanna Wright's Haute Mama

Breastfeeding: Real Moms Tell You How

The number one breastfeeding book in Australia comes to the US next month - And, even more exciting, it’s co-authored by me!

The internationally best selling book "Breastfeeding: Real Mums Tell You How" - in its first year sales were compared to that of “What To Expect When You Are Expecting” a book that to date has sold over 15 million copies - Has been adapted and revised for the US market with additional sections and August 1st will be available as an e-book with enhanced features like videos and the ability to purchase products right from the page.

Despite what most people think, breastfeeding does not come naturally, it has to be learnt and most women are starved for information and support. “Breastfeeding: Real Moms Tell You How” is based on the premise of encouraging and supporting women, not just giving them a whole bunch of information to read in the hope it all works out for them. Written by a ‘Breastfeeding Champion’ and a ‘Bottle Babe’ together they give their tips and words of wisdom from one mother to another.

Co-Authors Melissa Macdonald and Tatyanna Wright interviewed thousands of women to hear their baby feeding stories gathering advice that only mothers can offer and share with other mothers. This is a no-guilt, zero pressure approach to a growing dilemma new mothers face: breastfeeding. 

It’s very difficult to get breastfeeding right and it can be extremely painful during the first couple of weeks post birth. This combined sends many women running. It’s also difficult to understand how your baby should latch on without having actually had a baby. It’s a learned technique. With kind permission from Dr. Jack Newman and lactation consultant Edith Kernerman of the International Breastfeeding Clinic, “Breastfeeding: Real Moms Tell You How” offers videos of actual nursing mothers and babies to show you correct latching and other important elements of breastfeeding that can be difficult to envision or learn when you’ve never had a baby.

“Breastfeeding: Real Moms Tell You How” has been featured in leading Australian pregnancy magazines, including Cosmopolitan Pregnancy (10 page spread), Practical Parenting, Pregnancy and Birth, Child Magazine (syndicated nationally) and a string of websites including, BubHub.com.au and the top baby blogs including Babble.com.au. The book was featured on The TODAY SHOW (Nine Network, Australia) to a phenomenal response with sales sky rocketing after the author’s appearance.

To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week “Breastfeeding: Real Moms Tell You How” is out August 1 through Diversion Books on all e-readers (Kindle, iBooks, Sony Reader, Droid, Iphone, Nook, etc).

A Mother's Day Dedication

This Mother's Day, to celebrate a special mother in your life, add a leaf to our partners mothers2mothers "Tree of Hope" dedication tree.

mothers2mothers is an NGO that helps to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

mothers2mothers is aiming to reach 500 leaves. Every dedication helps their tree grow larger, bringing more hope and strength to mothers in Africa living with HIV. You can make as many dedications as you wish - for free. Your special mom will receive notification of your dedication. You can also donate to mother2mothers. 

To dedicate a special leaf now, click here. Have a wonderful Mother's Day.

 

Recycle Your Plastic Toys For Earth Week

What will you do to help celebrate Earth Week this year? Second Chance Toys is having its annual Earth Week recycle your plastic toys drive in the Tri-state area. It's an excellent opportunity to share your previously loved toys with children in need. Second Chance Toys accepts plastic toys in good condition: meaning, toys must be a complete set, clean, and unbroken - think Little Tikes and Fischer Price as a starting point and you'll be surprised what you begin to dig out from toys baskets. 

For a list of drop off locations click here. 

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Many of you probably don't realize this, but today, March 10th is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The New York City Department of Heath and Mental Hygiene and more specifically their NYC Knows program put together an infographic in an attempt to show the landscape of HIV/AIDS among women and girls in New York City.

As mothers/parents/sisters and friends of teenage girls we know discussing the birds and the bees can be hard enough to talk about especially when its on the topic of STI's. The purpose of creating the below infographic is to help break the ice. The hope is that this disease is met head on and that can be done by destimatizing it.

Please help get the word out about this cause. Its sensitive but it doesn’t have to be and this is just one more way you can help in the fight to make the world AIDS free. For more information or to become active in the initiatives, visit: Facebook/NYKnows.com or nyc.gov

NYC Knows is a public initiative carried out by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.  The program aims to increase HIV and AIDS awareness by promoting free testing facilities, treatment centers and prevention education. The ultimate goal of the NYC Knows program is to have every citizen of New York City knowing his or her HIV status. 

 

Happy Valentines Day

Ah Valentines Day - Like every “holiday” it only comes around once a year, which is why we like to make such a fuss of it. But in house we have two small children, so its cuddles and loving all year round. And I like that way.

Of course as adults we need more than cuddles and hugs, we crave romance and a little indulgence now and again never hurt anyone. So this Valentines Day in the midst of this cold winter warm up to the radiant glow of these fabulous sexy new candles by pleasure enthusiasts LELO.

LELO's Massage Candles are made from all natural soy wax, shea butter and apricot kernel oil. The lightly scented wax melts into an exquisite pool of luxurious massage oil. The silky formula is specially designed to nourish and moisturize your skin with natural vitamin E, while the subtle fragrance excites your senses for the pleasures that lie ahead.

Their enticing collection consists of blends like BLACK PEPPER & POMEGRANATE, SNOW PEAR & CEDARWOOD, and VANILLA & CRÈME DE CACAO. Each candle burns up to 36 hours and retails for $29. 

If you’re seeking a last minute Valentines gift, this sensual candle might just do more for you than a few tricks. If you're in NYC, you can buy the candles at Babeland in Soho or the LES, or online at Lelo. Whatever you do, have a Happy Valentines Day.

Healthy Home Party Recap

Last week I hosted my first Healthy Home party. It was a great success.I presented the evening over a couple of hours beginning with explaining a little about Healthy Child Healthy World, specifically about how it began and why their work is so important.

While we discussed the toxic issues presented in our daily lives as a result of living a mostly urban modern life, my guests enjoyed organic wine, organic strawberries, sauteed organic tofu and some wild caught shrimp I procured from Whole Foods.

Our discussion went right into a special presentation of the film My Toxic Baby that highlights not only the toxicity that exists in everyday house hold cleaning products, but in other everyday items like plastic toys, mattresses, and flame retardants on our children’s clothing. It was an eye opening film for many of my guests that made them realize why you’re asked to remove your shoes when you enter my home (it prevents tracking pesticides indoors where the residues can rub off on my rugs lingering and exposing my children playing on the floor to chemicals you aren’t even aware of). And why I harp on about eating organic and explain how using a certain glass and window cleaner is terrible for your health, and that using an enviromentally friendly product is so much better for you and your indoor air quality.

Afterwards my good friend and certified EcoBroker, Emma Hamilton spoke about her field of work which involves a lot more than finding your next green home! Her expertise assists families wishing to green their present homes as well as clients unsure of the best and safest way to discard renovation waste or what they could possibly reuse and repurpose.

Finally, my guests enjoyed a wonderful sampling of products from brands like Kleen Kanteen, Plum Organics, LUNA, BabySoy, Earth Friendly Products, Seventh Generation & HappyBaby generously donated by Healthy Child Healthy World.

But the most rewarding part of the evening was having my friends want to share this important information with their friends and families. Two friends asked if it was possible to share this information with their schools – of course!!! I’ll be sharing it with my sons school too.

If you’d like information on how to host your own Healthy Home party, please visit: healthychild.org

Healthy Child Healthy World: Healthy Home Party

Tonight I’m hosting a Healthy Home at my residence. A healthy what????

Firstly a little about Healthy Child Healthy World:

Healthy Child Healthy World is a nonprofit organization. They have been a national leader for nearly two decades, igniting a movement of awareness and responsibility to inform and inspire millions of people to take action and create cleaner, greener, safer environments for our children and families.

Unfortunately, tens of millions of Americans, overwhelmingly children, now face chronic disease and illnesses including cancer, autism, asthma, allergies, obesity, birth defects, ADD/ADHD, and learning and developmental disabilities. The number gets higher each year and more parents ask WHY? Scientific evidence increasingly finds chemicals in everyday products like cleaning supplies, beauty care and cosmetics, home furnishings, plastics, food, and even toys, that are contributors to these ailments.

The good news is that parents are best equipped to “do something” to prevent harm and help their children have the healthiest and happiest life. Healthy Child Healthy World ensures parents know what they can do today.

It’s an amazing organization with incredible support and I feel honored that they have asked me to host a Healthy Home party to explain the importance of reducing toxic exposure in our homes by sharing with my friends and neighbors the five easy steps to creating a healthier environment and lifestyle for all stages of parenting.

EcoBroker, Emma Hamilton has kindly donated time to speak about what to look for in a green home, and explain what a certified EcoBroker does. I’m looking forward to great evening of organic wine, organic food, safe samples, good company and a unique opportunity to present my passion in a fun and comfortable setting.

Healthy Home parties are presented by LUNA bars and Klean Kanteen with sponsor sample participation from Activeion, Earth Friendly Products, EAT CLEANER^TM, Say Yes To Carrots!, HAPPYBABY, Organic Valley, Plum Organics and Seventh Generation. If you're interested in hosting your own Healthy Home party, please click here

A Green Halloween

Last night I attended Twitter parties discussing ways to celebrate a green Halloween. It inspired this post.

As my children get older each Halloween has started to become a bigger and bigger deal. What started as a cute idea to get dressed up has turned into an event to gather up and consume as many sweets, treats and junk one little body can handle before it develops an awful stomach ache from not being used to consuming non-organic corn syrup filled chemically dyed “candy”. 

Last Halloween I managed to convince my then five-year old son to discard all the “really bad ones” – candy corn, nerds and some I’d never heard of - I let him keep the M&M’s and mini Mars Bars but he was only allowed to have one or two on weekends. We managed to string the candy out for 6 months. 

Fast forward a year and thinking about alternatives for Halloween I discovered Green Halloween online – a movement founded on the notion that some people might actual think outside the conventional candy-box seeking a healthier Halloween. I know I do.

Last nights Twitter parties were hosted by Green Halloween and Holistic Moms Network. We discussed costume swapping, reverse trick-or-treating (buying fair Trade chocolate) and eco-tips for making up your child or yourself. Herein are some tips from our conversation that will hopefully inspire you to have a healthier, greener more holistic Halloween. 

1. Adopt the Switch Witch’s approach to Halloween and explain to your child that during the night all the rotten candy will be switched out for a special present by the Switch Witch. This way you don’t have to worry about your child eating all that horrible candy and they still get to partake in the trick or treating with their friends. 
2. Consider holding a costume swap with your friends and neighbours. This way you’ll be passing on your old costumes and saving buying a new one. To learn more visit: Greenhalloween.org
3. Buy Fair Trade chocolate. Give Fair Trade chocolate back to adults, along with an informational card...while Trick-or-Treating door- to-door in your community.
4. Buy organic sweets and make homemade organic treats like pumpkin cookies.
5. Decorate in a sustainable fashion buy gathering up leaves and other nature items, make beeswax candles and buy organic pumpkins that you can carve and then cook with the in flesh.
6. Use natural face paints and use spices like paprika or curry powder and mix it with an organic hair pomade for some scary but well scented fun for your hair.

For more information on how you can get involved in creating a Green Halloween visit greenhalloween.org

Prenatal Belly Dancing

Belly dancing isn’t the first physical activity that comes to mind when one becomes pregnant, but it makes total sense. Intrigued by the movements, the technique and the physical attributes belly dancing has on the body I asked Maternal Dance founder Suzanne Caesar how belly dancing can positively enhance pregnancy and labor.

Caesar was always a lover of dance history and discovered during her own pregnancy that before belly dance was called just that, it was called the ‘womb’ dance. This was because women would dance with and around the pregnant woman to celebrate new life and help ease contractions with hip swaying. “My prenatal classes naturally and organically progressed into what they are today – belly dance with yoga.”

Caesar doesn’t teach traditional belly dancing, instead she incorporates moves that you would normally see in a typical belly dance class: “There are many different forms of belly dance. These movements are not necessarily the seductive dance most people think of when they hear belly dance, though the movements I incorporate when teaching women, pregnant or not, are very sensual and meant for the women dancing to feel their sensuality as they move in this way, even pregnant women!”

So what’s in a typical routine? Caesar works down from head and shoulder rolls to rib cage (modified) and hip swaying/rolls/figure eights – “All to loosen up; wrist and ankle rolls, snake arms and shimmies – shoulders and hips, but not so jerky and abrupt.”  

Caesar modifies the moves so you can dance the "belly" at any stage of pregnancy. “Most of the moves I have developed in my class “warm up” women who are just weeks or days from delivery. They enjoy it very much, because the lower back is stretched. These muscles shorten as the belly grows and pulls the weight forward, hence the shift in a pregnant woman’s center of gravity. Hip rocking and pelvic swivels are also excellent right until the end because they work with the pregnant body by opening the pelvis and stretching muscles and ligaments that can cause discomfort.”

The use of hip swaying and figure eight movements helps the baby work its way down the birth canal. Preparing for labor includes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual changes. Exercising during pregnancy enriches the placenta and amniotic fluid, and can result in a shorter labor and fewer Cesarean births. As with any exercise, please check with your caregiver before attempting a new form of exertion.

Caesars final words of wisdom: It’s important for pregnant women to have all the information they can get their hands on to empower them, so they feel confident to go through the labor process.  At the same time, enjoy this very special time in their lives, remember to “squeeze” in 50 kegels a day and take the time to rest.

Suzanne Caesar is a movement educator, certified perinatal fitness trainer, prenatal yoga instructor, and longtime student of Pilates.

For more information or to purchase her DVD, “Rhythm For Life – The Prenatal Belly Dance Workout” please visit: maternaldance.com

Breast Feeding & Post Natal Depression

Having a baby causes so many changes in a woman’s life. The demands of caring for a new baby 24/7  accompanied by the lack of sleep, combined with the hormonal shifts of pregnancy and childbirth, can take a huge toll on new mothers.

Did you know the stress of initiating breastfeeding raises a woman’s cortisol levels, in turn decreasing her milk supply? It’s a vicious cycle a new mother attempting nursing for the first time can be seriously affected by. However, studies have shown that once women got breastfeeding going successfully, they had lower cortisol levels and lower levels of depression. Supporting a woman in those crucial early weeks post birth is important yet it seems this is where our health system fails us. 

Around 65% of new mothers experience the baby blues in the first two weeks postpartum. Without any reason, they are all of a sudden in tears. They may feel sad, restless, exhausted, and worry about the lack of happy feelings that are supposed to experience with the birth of her baby. In most cases, these baby blues are limited to about two weeks and are a completely normal occurrence partly due to a rush of hormones. But for some woman, giving birth triggers something more serious than a simple case of Baby Blues. Postpartum Depression, also called PPD, can affect a new mother's ability to look after her baby. This requires immediate medical attention.

In some cases a mother develops a postpartum psychosis. The symptoms and feelings are much stronger than with a postpartum depression and a mother may harm herself or her baby. Medical treatment and admission to hospital may also be needed.

In some cases, breastfeeding contributed to depression by increasing women's sense of being trapped by the dependency of their babies at the expense of their own well-being, and intensifying their feelings of responsibility for keeping their babies alive.

The time spent nourishing and bonding with your baby can be one of the most rewarding experiences a new mother ca Having a baby causes so many changes in a woman’s life. The demands of caring for a new baby 24/7  accompanied by the lack of sleep, combined with the hormonal shifts of pregnancy and childbirth, can take a huge toll on new mothers.

Modern mothers face a lot of pressure be it financial, marital, maternal or work stress related, its no wonder so many women are being affected by post natal depression.

Did you know the stress of initiating breastfeeding raises a woman’s cortisol levels, in turn decreasing her milk supply? It’s a vicious cycle a new mother attempting nursing for the first time can be seriously affected by.

However, studies have shown that once women got breastfeeding going successfully, they had lower cortisol levels and lower levels of depression. Supporting a woman in those crucial early weeks post birth is important yet it seems this is where our health system fails us.

Around 65% of new mothers experience the baby blues in the first two weeks postpartum. Without any reason, they are all of a sudden in tears. They may feel sad, restless, exhausted, and worry about the lack of happy feelings that are supposed to experience with the birth of her baby. In most cases, these baby blues are limited to about two weeks and are a completely normal occurrence partly due to a rush of hormones. But for some woman, giving birth triggers something more serious than a simple case of Baby Blues. Postpartum Depression, also called PPD, can affect a new mother's ability to look after her baby. This requires immediate medical attention.

In some cases a mother develops a postpartum psychosis. The symptoms and feelings are much stronger than with a postpartum depression and a mother may harm herself or her baby. Medical treatment and admission to hospital may also be needed.

In some cases, breastfeeding contributed to depression by increasing women's sense of being trapped by the dependency of their babies at the expense of their own well-being, and intensifying their feelings of responsibility for keeping their babies alive.

The time spent nourishing and bonding with your baby can be one of the most rewarding experiences a new mother can have. However breastfeeding doesn’t always go according to plan.

Breastfeeding is a skill that must be learned over time by both mother and baby as a team, and it can take patience and perseverance and some women need extra support.

So what’s the answer?

•        Preparation for breastfeeding prior to giving birth so you know what to expect.
•       Asking for help in hospital and when you get home from nursing friends, family, and lactation consultants. 
•        Don’t feel guilty if you give your baby a bottle and don’t let others put pressure on you if that’s what you want to do
•      If you are feeling depressed or unwell seek help immediately and try and tell a family member of friend.

This article was written for Haute Mama Online by Melissa MacDonald, author of the best selling book: Breastfeeding; Real Moms Tell You How.