Herbs for Fertility

An interesting thing started to happened when I got my period back at 19 months post partum.  The desire to have baby number 2, started slowly creeping in.  I have always wanted more than one child, but I had such a difficult babyhood with Penelope that I wasn't sure I could go through it all over again.


Quite honestly, I am still not sure I can, but I feel the call from the soul of our second baby.  And no matter how scared I am to do this all over again, I can't deny her.  Yes, I am already certain she will be a girl.


As I mentioned here, one of the ways I am answering The Call to grow my family, is to restore myself.  Mothering takes everything of you, and as I start this journey all over again, I want to deeply and firmly be in a place where I have plenty of reserves to give.


Another way I am getting ready is by using herbs to get my menstrual cycle regular and as fertile as possible.  I am in no rush, we want to go the "see what happens" route.  If I get pregnant this cycle, awesome.  If it takes 5 years, awesome.   I am trying to act consciously and purposeful as possible, as I move my body towards fertility and away from milk production.


I am drinking yogi teas such as Woman's Raspberry Leaf and Woman's Moon Cycle.


One of the very first books I read after I became a Certified Massage Doula (exact same thing as a Certified Doula, except we are all also LMT's), was Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year.   A friend of mine wanted to borrow it recently, and of course I found myself speed reading it all over again.  It is a classic, and I think one of the must have books if you are of childbearing age and are into natural/alternative wellness.


Per Wise Woman Herbal:


Herbs used to encourage pregnancy are characterized by their ability to 1) nourish and tonify the uterus, 2) nourish the entire body, 3) relax the nervous system 4) establish and balance normal functional of the hormonal system, and 5) balance sexual desire.


Herbs for Fertility:

• Red Clover Flowers
• Nettle Leaves
• Red Raspberry Leaves
• Dong Quai Root
• False Unicorn Root

The Yogi Tea Woman's Moon Cycle has Dong Quai and Red Raspberry leaves in it.   I also buy herbs in bulk and make blends myself.  If you don't have a local co-op, where you can get bulk herbs you can order some here.

This is a great website with more information about herbs for fertility.  

Is anyone else out there trying to conceive?  What are you doing to boost your fertility?

Pinterest Love: Fall Nature Crafts

Even though I am in North Florida and the highs are still in the low eighties/high seventies, there is some seasonal change around here.  The Live Oaks are dropping acorns.  Goldenrod is in bloom.  So are Mums.  Red Maples and Dogwoods are changing color too.   


I would love to do some fall crafts with Penelope this year.  We have already done a couple of Halloween ones.


All of these Fall Nature Crafts on Pinterest were so inspiring, I can't wait to try some!

And you all remember my fabric pumpkin debacle on Facebook?  Well, maybe these will be easier??

By Best Kids Health Blog

Fall Nature Walk at St. Marks Wildlife Refuge

St. Marks Wildlife Refuge is a local gem.  It is so beautiful and peaceful and only a quick 25 minute drive from our house.


St. Marks was established in 1931 to provide a wintering habitat for migratory birds and it is one the oldest refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System.


We love to go their on weekends for a short hike or even just a quick drive to take in the scenery and relax.


October is my favorite time of year to visit, because it is the time of the monarch butterfly migration.  They are everywhere!  And because of all the Fall wildflowers in bloom, like Goldenrod above, one of my favorite flowers.

St. Marks is right on the Gulf of Mexico and you can walk along the beach.   Penelope loved checking out all the little crabs up and down the beach.

We even got to see an aligator!







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Penelope's Apple-Butternut Squash Soup

I am in an apple recipe mood as I get ready for Penelope's apple themed 2nd birthday.  This recipe is one of the recipes I was thinking about making for her party and wanted to experiment with it.


I had such fun making this soup, a perfect way to spend a Fall afternoon.  I looked at several different recipes, but in the end, I just started adding ingredients and amounts in the moment.  I totally understand why people say cooking is an art.  When you can let go of a following a recipe verbatim, and truly let yourself create something, it is art.  

Here is my recipe.  Feel free to create your own version and have fun with it!


1.5 butternut squash, halved and roasted in the oven, at 350 for over an hour.
2.5 green apples, cut up into cubes.
1 onion, chopped.
3 celery sticks, chopped
1 cup of carrots
3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of homemade chicken stock
pumpkin pie spice
salt and pepper


First, I sautéed the onions in butter ( A LOT, butter is good for you!), then added the celery, carrots and apples.  I sautéed them all, until they were mush.


When the squash was done roasting, I scooped out the insides and added to my veggie mush.  Then I transferred everything to my blender and adding the heavy cream, chicken broth, spices, salt and pepper and blended until smooth.


Then I served it up!  Penelope is a big fan of soups. Which is great, because she is kind of a picky eater and it is a way I can get a ton of veggies in one sitting.  And with the homemade chicken stock in this soup, it is a very nourishing meal.

And P.S. this freezes well! I either freeze it one big container or individual servings like I do with my chicken stock.

By Best Kids Health Blog

Easy DIY Baby Gift

One of the blessings of being a woman of childbearing age myself, is that I know lots of other women of childbearing age, that are busy bearing children.  And that means I want to give lots of gifts and go to lots of showers.  


I mentioned on the MBL Facebook page, that I love kids birthday parties because they are a celebration that the child is here and healthy and should they should be honored (not something to complain about like this Mom), and like birthdays, I love celebrating my friends pregnancies too.


I wish I could go and drop serious cash on each and every preggo friend, but alas, I can not.  But I found the perfect handmade gift to give instead.


Warning, if you are reading this and you are pregnant friend of mine, you will be getting this gift.  :)


The combination of a coordinated burp cloth and crinkly toy is perfect.  The burp cloth takes like 2 minutes to make and the crinkly toy about 15 minutes, when its all said and done.  They both use just a tiny bit of fabric, so it is a great way to use up some your scrap fabric.  


And it is cheap.  It probably costs me less than  5 bucks on supplies for this gift, but if I were to buy this at boutique it would be MUCH more!


To make the burp cloth, you cut out a rectangle the length of the burp cloth and top stitch all around.  Seriously, less than 2 minutes.

Here is my tutorial for the crinkly toy.  This toy was one of Penelope's first favorite toys.  She could clutch and play with this way before she had the ability to clutch all her wooden Haba toys.  


This was the only thing that would keep her happy on car rides when she was a baby.   It was a God send.  Not only is this toy adorable and easy to make, it is something your preggo friends will be grateful to have received it.


What is your go to baby shower or new baby gift?

By Best Kids Health Blog

Pinterest Love: Painted Wood

Before I met my husband, I was the kind of girl that would paint wood furniture all the time.  In college, almost every piece of furniture in my house was painted. I don't know what it is, maybe I watched way too much HGTV my senior year of high school, but I just love the look.

Peter is the kind of guy who is snooty about painted furniture.   He makes turned wood pieces of art and builds furniture from scratch and thinks that the wood is sacred and should not be covered. 


Which I get and with beautiful wood, I understand, but not all wood is the same.  And plus, I feel the itch to paint some furniture coming on!! 

We are in need of a head board in our master bedroom, since we put our bed in the guest bedroom, when we moved our mattress to the floor to make co-sleeping with Penelope safe.


I saw this and fell in love.  Not sure where the heck I can get a used door cheap, but sure it is cool.

 

This is not furniture, but I really, really want to do this to my garden. Maybe later this winter, when it is all dreary outside.  

 This is why painting furniture is so great. You turn some piece of crap thing, into awesomeness for just a few bucks!  You can see all my pins here.

 

Do you like to paint furniture?  Or are you a purist like my husband?

By Best Kids Health Blog

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Massage Appointment

This economy has everyone tightening their fiscal belts and my family is no different.  One of the line items in our budget, that never gets bumped, is my massage appointment.  


I get one every 4 to 6 weeks depending on how busy or stressed I am.  I see it as an investment in myself and my own health. It is the essence preventative health care.  


And it is a way for me to mother myself.  I have been saying this for years: if you don't take good care of yourself, it is impossible to take good care of your child.


If you are like me, you want to get every penny's worth of relaxation out of your massage appointment.  So here are few tricks and tips I have picked up over the last ten years of giving (I have been an LMT for over ten years) and receiving massages.


1. Get to your appointment a little bit early and absolutely on time.  Not just out of respect for your therapists time, but so you don't feel like you are a chicken running around with it's head cut off.  It will take you much longer to get into a relaxed state, once on the table, if you feel rushed from being late.


2.  Don't drink caffeine or eat a heavy meal before your appointment.   It is much harder for your body to relax if it is high on caffeine or working hard to digest a big meal.  Not to mention, you will probably want to get up of the table and pee.


3.  Talk with your therapist.  If for some reason they don't ask about your health or past experience with massage, tell them. Tell them what kind of pressure you like, any areas of your body that is in pain or tight. And once on the table, tell them if you are cold or hot, or if the pressure is not right.  Therapists are not mind readers, so you if you don't speak up, there is no way for us to know.  And nothing is worst than getting a massage and being freezing or being in pain from the pressure being too deep.  So just speak up!  We won't be offended, promise.


4. If you see a chiropractor, make an appointment for earlier in the day, the day of your massage appointment or a couple of days before hand.  If your muscle pain is stemming from a structural misalignment, there is only so much a massage therapist can do.  But if you get a massage after a chiropractic adjustment, the massage will be much more effective and the effects longer lasting.


5. When you are on the table and the massage has begun, if you find your mind racing or you find yourself not being able to fully relax, take several deep breaths.  If you know some mediation techniques, like breath awareness, use them.   Sometimes I like to focus all my attention on the therapists hands and follow them as they work and intently focus on how it feels.   If my mind wanders, I just come back to her hands. If I am thinking about her hands and how it feels, I can't think about my grocery list at the same time.  Tip for LMT's: I always start a massage with a good, scalp massage.  And if I notice my client is having a hard time relaxing, then I will do some gentle rocking, a la Trager Method.


6. After your massage, drink a TON of water.  I am talking like double the amount you normally do.  The massage helps flush toxins into your lymphatic system and drinking water will help flush them out of your body.  


7.  Take an epsom salt bath.  The epsom salt does the same thing as drinking lots of water, but I also like to ride the high of relaxation for as long as possible.  In our busy, hectic lives, it is nearly impossible for us to turn on our parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest part of our nervous system) and really restore our adrenals and other systems.  The longer you can stay in this relaxed state, the more restoration and healing your body can spend its time and energy on.


8. Do some yoga or simple stretches after your massage.  Your muscles are warm and limber from the massage and it is the perfect time to do a little stretching.  Nothing crazy, something simple like my 2 Minute Mama Yoga routine.


9. Try and stick to one therapist, once you have found one you love.   I have been seeing the same massage therapist for 8 years now.  She knows my body as well as I do, and knows exactly what to do.  That kind of relationship and experience, makes the massage so much more effective.  


10. Get regular massages.  Once your body learns how to relax and rejuvenate because of the massage, it will respond faster and your relaxation levels deepen, as chronic muscular tension releases.

Now go enjoy your massage! 

And if you are local, I am accepting new clients, check out this rave review Mother Rising Birth Services did if you want more info about what the massage will be like.  You can email me at stephanie.brandt.love@gmail to make your appointment.  :)

By Best Kids Health Blog