Tag Archives: post-pregnancy

April 11, 2012

Coffee and mums

I don’t know about you but when I was pregnant I found the advice about drinking caffeine and coffee really confusing. The British Coffee Association provides consumers, healthcare professionals and the media with latest, accurate and balanced information about coffee drinking and its effects on health and wellbeing. Their website contains lots of videos covering topics such as hydration, heart health and how a regular coffee break can help to take the stress out of a typical day.

Many mums will have cut down or stopped drinking coffee altogether during pregnancy. The BCA supports the current national advice from experts such as the Food Standards Agency, The Centre for Pregnancy Nutrition and the Royal College of Midwives that a safe level of consumption of coffee during pregnancy or while breast-feeding is 2-3 cups per day. However many mums will be pleased to know that post-pregnancy and for those who are not breast feeding, 4-5 cups of coffee is safe and can form part of a balanced diet.

Moreover there are a number of health benefits that are likely to be welcomed by many mums (and dads) – including those looking for an energy boost and those wanting to stay hydrated throughout the day.

If you’re pregnant then it is recommended that you limit your intake of caffeine to no more than 200mg per day from all sources which includes tea, coffee, cola and chocolate – equating to 2-3 cups of coffee a day.
Many mums are in a hurry to get back into their favourite pre-pregnancy jeans. A mug of black coffee contains only 4 calories and 0.1g fat.
The arrival of a new family member, whilst joyous on many levels, is often a huge drain on energy. Research has shown that caffeine, the main ingredient of coffee, is a mild stimulant and can therefore improve alertness levels and increase both mental and physical performance.
Broken nights, feeding concerns, unfamiliar experiences and responsibilities? Stress often makes an appearance in even the most laid back of new families. One in five people wrongly believe that coffee increases stress levels. In fact there is little evidence to suggest that moderate coffee consumption is linked with an increase in stress or anxiety.

Give up clothes for good!

My wardrobe has desperately needed sorting out but funnily enough it hasn’t been high on my list of priorities, I’ve been slightly too busy juggling children and boring household chores. However, last weekend I couldn’t take it any more. I realised I was wearing the same few items which were just being washed and put back on and I needed to declutter.

My wardrobe and drawers were full, just not with clothes I wore anymore. I grabbed a bin bag and took a closer look – old work clothes (too small!) and lots of maternity clothes. Some items I greeted as if old friends. ‘Ah yes, remember when…?’ others reminded me of my first pregnancy, when I needed to look smart at work, a bit like a uniform without really being qualified for the job.

I wasn’t sure what to do with them. The pile of clothes I no longer needed grew bigger as my wardrobe got emptier. The unwanted pile represented so much, cost so much but were part of the old me. I didn’t go back to the job and I am getting my body back (very, very slowly). Anyway, I decided I didn’t need to keep any of the pile. I don’t know if I’ll ever be pregnant again. Life is beyond hectic with two and our little house is bursting at the seams. We’ll be moving house before we can even think about squeezing another person into our lives.

I’ve found just the place for my unwanted clothes. TK Maxx and Cancer Research UK are in the fifth year of their annual Give up Clothes for Good campaign, the UK’s biggest charity clothing collection, which raises valuable funds for research into beating kids’ cancer. Give Up Clothes for Good has already raised a staggering £10 million worth of donations and aims to raise a further £2.5 million for groundbreaking research by the end of 2012. Did you know that by clearing out your wardrobe this Spring, and passing on some unwanted, quality clothing, you could help the fight against children’s cancer?

Give Up Clothes for Good asks everyone in the UK to take their quality, unwanted items to their local TK Maxx store in April. Donated items are tagged and sorted before being sold through Cancer Research UK stores around the country. Every penny raised from these items will be used in the fight against kids’ cancer. I’ll be taking my unwanted clothes to my local TK Maxx – please help if you can.

1 Comment

Filed under clothing, post-pregnancy, pregnancy

Tagged as clothing, maternity clothes, post-pregnancy

December 1, 2011

Discharged too early?

My community midwife had mentioned that North Middlesex University Hospital were keen to discharge patients the day after the section if they and their baby were fine. She warned me that this could cause problems and not to leave if I wasn’t ready so I went into hospital with an open mind. I was surprised when my midwife suggested it to me but I felt fine, was on top of the pain and really wanted to be at home with Edward. We were back at home 32 hours after we walked into the Labour ward.

Our first night at home was strange but good. Edward was unsettled and I spent all night propped up in bed getting lots of cuddles with my new girl. The next day we received our first visit from the community midwife who unfortunately packed us off back to hospital with suspected jaundice as she was sleepy and not feeding well. I was not happy to be going back there so soon and wondered if we had been discharged too early? We had just missed the Paediatrician so a midwife checked her billirubin levels which were fine and once more we were back home again.

As I’ve been discharged so early I need to wait until my next midwife appointment for my suture to be removed, for baby weighing and the heel prick test!

I’ve been feeling really good but look a right state. I’d forgotten what sleepless nights do to your skin! I’m not ready to start searching botox prices just yet but found www.sknclinics.co.uk are offering 25% off their anti-aging treatments this Christmas season if you’re interested!