We gave 10 mamas the opportunity to trial two amazing Weleda Stretchmark products, including the Body Butter and Massage Oil. All from the award-winning, multi-use Weleda range to hydrate and heal your bump, breasts, buttocks, thighs and upper legs, and hips.

Mama reviews below…

Finding time for yourself to nourish your skin (although difficult), is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your growing bump. Creating the ritual of giving yourself a few minutes in the morning and at night to connect with your baby, and hydrate and heal your skin will provide both short (relief from itchy skin) and long-term benefits (visibly reduced stretch marks).

You are in for a real treat with the Weleda Stretch Mark range, as these two products make the ultimate combination for your growing body throughout pregnancy. Both are suitable for all skin types and are made with 100% natural ingredients that are safe and nourishing. Both have a fragrance that is designed especially for pregnant women – a subtle and floral scent with rose, neroli and myrrh that is fresh, yet delicate. You can use either of these products whenever you wish, but the perfect routine is to use body butter in the morning straight after your shower, and then oil in the evening for massage as you wind down for bedtime.

A hug in a jar! Weleda Stretch Mark Body Butter (RRP $32.90) absorbs quickly into the skin, is crafted with extracts of centella asiatica and crocus bulb, and is enriched with precious organic shea and cocoa butter, organic jojoba, and sunflower seed oils.

Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil (RRP $32.90) naturally improves skin elasticity to help prevent stretch marks when you massage it in regularly. It contains precious almond and organic jojoba oil, vitamin E-rich wheat germ oil and an arnica blossoms extract.

reviews: Weleda stretch mark body butter

» 100% said it was suitable for their skin type
» 90% said it was hydrating
» 80% said it absorbed quickly into their skin
» 90% said they loved the texture and consistency
» 90% said they enjoyed the fragrance
» 60% noticed improvement in the appearance of existing stretch marks after just 2 weeks (trial period 2 weeks)

“I found that using the butter after a shower worked best and my skin felt amazing all day. I have had no itchy skin which has been incredible and found using this in the morning worked so well.” ~ Tania

“I loved following the Weleda pregnancy routine. As someone with reasonably dry skin I found the body butter absorbed fast but left my skin feeling soft and nourished. Its thick consistency was great to apply and warmed up quickly against my skin. This was great especially as it’s currently freezing in the morning. Its soft fragrance was comforting and didn’t overpower. Because of how fast it absorbed I could get dressed straight away without feeling greasy or struggling with tights. The thread on the jar made it easy to put the lid back on a tighten with newly moisturised hands.” ~ Brooke

“I really enjoy how thick the belly butter is and how it leaves my skin feeling. The scent of the products was divine, smelt really good. I found that this product has worked for me really well. I would definitely recommend this products to other pregnant mums.” ~ Claudia

“The body butter was my favourite, I really loved the texture of the butter and found it spread really well.” ~ Lisa

REviews: Weleda stretch mark Massage oil

» 100% said it was suitable for their skin type
» 100% said it was hydrating
» 80% said it absorbed quickly into their skin
» 100% said they loved the texture and consistency
» 90% said they enjoyed the fragrance
» 60% noticed improvement in the appearance of existing stretch marks after just 2 weeks (trial period 2 weeks)

“Using the oil at night was great not only because it was nourishing, but it was nice to end the day giving my bump some love and connecting with baby that way. Would definitely recommend these products.” ~ Tania

“I love to applying the oil at night in bed. The pump applicator made it easy to apply and didn’t mean I had to fiddle around with putting the lid back on with oily fingers. I found this routine calming before bed, taking time to appreciate how my body was changing through pregnancy. The oil has a soft, calming, comforting smell which I love. It absorbs into the skin without feeling greasy.” ~ Brooke

overall thoughts

“Would recommend the Weleda duo to other pregnant mamas! Was so nice having the 2 different items to try and reduce stretch marks and was lovely to have a few minutes out of every day to take time to connect with your pepi. The scent was lovely and the butter esp dried quickly to get dressed in the morning! Both super nourishing, will buy again :)” ~ Chanelle

“I LOVE both the stretch mark oil and the body butter. I have used a number of Weleda products in the past and they have never failed me.” ~ Tania

“I normally hate putting body butter on in the morning as it feels sticky for such a long time, this product was great – didn’t feel sticky when I put on my clothes a few minutes later! I tend to have dry skin but using the body butter in the morning and the oil at night my skin is feeling great! I have a lot of stretch marks on my stomach and haven’t seen a huge difference however have only been using a few days hopefully in a week or two might see some improvement / will hopefully stop me getting anymore as this pregnancy continues. I would recommend these products to others! Thanks :)” ~ Christina

“The body balm left my skin feeling super hydrated for over 24 hrs and using the oil on too made it feel so much more luxurious especially after a warm bath! Absorbed so quickly and didn’t feel restricting like most products can do.” ~ Leilyn

“Overall my stretch marks softened and the dark purple colour faded slightly. My skin has felt a lot more cared for and not so dry and itchy. I would buy this product again and also recommend it.” ~ Brooke

“Also doing the combination of body butter in the morning then oil at night was great! If I was in a rush and missed a day or a stage then my skin still felt super hydrated and soft.” ~ Lisa

“The smell of both was good. Skin did feel soft and smooth after applying before things morning and night.” ~ Claire

“I loved the routine of using the body butter in the morning and the oil in the evening. I felt it gave me a much needed self-care routine in my day and an excuse to stop, slow down and connect with my growing baby (and bump!). I loved that the body butter seemed to keep hydrating my skin throughout the day. For both products a little seemed to go a long way so I felt the size of the product was generous. My only comment came from my midwife who said that the doppler can’t easily get past the body butter to hear the baby’s heartbeat! She wanted me to pass that feedback on. Thanks for including us in the trial, it has been really lovely and I’ll be using both products for the rest of my pregnancy and my recovery post-partum.” ~ Katie

“I love both products they left my skin feeling hydrated and smooth morning and night it’s become part of my daily routine to apply them. I will continue to purchase these products as I believe there helping a lot and the smell is divine and not over powering which I also love! I absolutely will be recommending these products to friends that are expecting as I’m sure they will love them as much as I do!” ~ Keely

“I really loved using the products and will continue to use throughout my pregnancy. There are no new stretch marks on my belly with this pregnancy. I found the products very nourishing and left my belly and back feeling soft and moisturised.” ~ Claudia

More information AT Weleda.co.nz

Poo – not fun to talk about, but a super-important topic during pregnancy and postpartum.

IT ALL STARTS IN PREGNANCY…

It is not uncommon for pregnant women to experience some digestive system sluggishness at some point in their pregnancy. Hormonal changes can have an effect of slowing slow down transit time, which means you may not be having bowel movements as frequently as you once were. This is common from around the second to third month of pregnancy and may get worse as pregnancy progresses and your uterus grows. To help normalise bowel movements during pregnancy:

• Drink plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day.
• Increase fibre by eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, mixed grain bread, brown rice, legumes, nuts and seeds.
• Try a natural digestive supplement such as Phloe, which is made from NZ green kiwifruit extract.
• Exercise! It helps to improve bowel regularity.
• Be careful with iron as it can lead to sluggish bowels – choose your source wisely.

POSTPARTUM POO, WHERE ARE YOU?

Your first bowel movement after birth, especially after a C-section, can be daunting, and postpartum constipation is common. It can have a number of causes, such as new sleep schedules, dehydration, less overall movement, iron infusions, and the use of opioid pain medication. It can take three or four days for your bowel to start functioning normally again after birth. Plus, if you have stitches (either from an episiotomy or C-section) or haemorrhoids, this may lead to constipation as you may be afraid to cause more pain by putting strain on your stitches, which means you hold on instead of going to the loo.

HOW PHLOE CAN HELP

Phloe is a natural digestive health supplement that is suitable for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is made from New Zealand green kiwifruit extract Zyactinase, which contains fibre, digestive enzymes and prebiotics to gently help normalise bowel movements and avoid discomfort from gas and bloating.

Fibre: Phloe contains two types of fibre – insoluble and soluble – which both work differently. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to loose stools and soluble fibre absorbs water to soften firm stools.

Digestive enzymes: These help to gently support movement in the bowel without sudden urgency and assist in moving toxins and waste through quickly.

Prebiotics: Phloe is a natural source of prebiotics which help to feed the good bacteria in the gut. This, in turn, supports the bacteria balance in the digestive system and overall gut health.

CAN’T I JUST EAT SOME KIWIFRUIT?

Phloe’s production process makes the kiwifruit extract Zyactinase more bio-available. This means it’s more available for absorption into the body than it would be from just eating kiwifruit – in other words, you would have to eat A LOT of kiwifruit to get a similar effect!

Review

A little piece of Kiwi ingenuity. My friends warned me about how uncomfortable number 2s can be postpartum, so I decided to stay well ahead of the game and take these. I took the Phloe capsules once a day, and they really supported me with regularity and bloating! Love that they are made of kiwifruit and natural too. ~ Maria

This article was written by BUMP&baby with information supplied by Phloe

Looking for cute and comfortable maternity activewear? You’ve found it.

Launched by sisters Carena and Bex West in 2017, CLIQUE is not just another activewear brand. Focused on fostering an inclusive, supportive, encouraging environment for all women, no matter the stage they are on in their fitness journey, CLIQUE began with simple compression tights and has now expanded into a huge size-inclusive range of tights, bras, shorts and more. This year the sisters embarked on a new journey and launched CLIQUE Maternity to provide comfort and style for pregnant and postpartum mamas.

How it started…

“When I was pregnant I wore my CLIQUE tights right through my pregnancy – albeit a size larger than normal!” says Carena. “I loved the way they supported my stomach and back, but I wished that we had something a little more comfortable around the tummy for when I just didn’t feel like squeezing my tights on over the bump.” Carena says when she and Bex set out to design a maternity range, they wanted to create “the most comfortable maternity tights that ever existed.” Offering compression support to legs and ankles, a perfect fit at the hips to stop the tights from sliding down and becoming baggy at the crotch, and a soft, stretchy tummy band. “Of course, they had to be environmentally friendly, too!” she says.

The design process…

The process from start to finish took a long time – sourcing fabrics, sampling and resampling, who would have thought that my daughter Emily would be two-and-a-half by the time we finally released them?” says Carena. “Time flies!” The CLIQUE Maternity range is constructed using two distinct fabrics. The base (from the hips down) is made from CLIQUE’s popular classic compression fabric, so you can have the “CLIQUE” feeling right through your pregnancy. The hip area is specially shaped to avoid the dreaded sag down that many maternity tights inevitably get from having less hip support. The waistband is a buttery-soft recycled fabric that is so comfortable to wear, can be folded down and has a hidden drawstring that you can use to tighten over your tummy if needed. “Our maternity tights feature a leg pocket – the same as our power compression range – because who doesn’t need a pocket, right?” says Carena. “As with our Power, Dynamic and Zone collections, CLIQUE Maternity fabrics are all made from post-consumer recycled plastics.”

The result…

The CLIQUE maternity range features full-length and 7/8 tights, as well as classic biker shorts and mid-length bikers. “Comfort and functionality were our two biggest concerns,” says Carena. “We wanted to make maternity wear that you don’t have to keep pulling up when you are going about your day-to-day activities or exercising, but that isn’t too tight on your growing stomach!”

CLIQUE Maternity is available in sizes NZ6-22 from cliquefitness.com – and you can have any colour you like, as long as it’s black.

Boost your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing during pregnancy with these strength training exercises from personal and postnatal trainer Fleur Park .

To get the full story, and a comprehensive set of exercises for all trimesters, grab BUMP&baby issue 14 . Subscribe here or buy a digital copy. See video guides to a selection of your first, second and third trimester exercises to support this story below.

First Trimester 

Squat to Press

Reverse Lunge With Bicep Curl

Second Trimester 

Single Arm Bent Over Row

Third Trimester

Sumo Squat 

Swiss Ball Banded Row 

The breasts go first, and then the waist and then the butt. Nobody ever tells you that you get a butt when you get pregnant.

Multiple hormones produced by the mother, placenta and the foetus drive and coordinate the amazing biological changes and development of the baby that occur with conception, foetal growth and birth.

The word “hormone” is derived from the Greek word “hormon” which means “to urge on or that which sets in motion”. As any mother will tell you, the nine months of pregnancy is quite a journey.

During pregnancy, there are significant changes in the mother including changes to heart and kidney function, increases in body fat and fluid retention, changes in skin and psychological changes, as well as the obvious changes to the uterus and breasts.

Basically, all organs in the mother’s body are required to increase their workload to help with the pregnancy and the development of the baby.

These maternal changes are due to hormones being produced by the mother’s glands and the placenta – hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone, prolactin, renin, human chorionic gonadotropin and human placental lactogen.

We now understand that if a baby develops in an unhealthy uterine environment, this can not only lead to problems at birth, but also increased risks of diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, when the baby becomes an adult.

The more we understand the changes to the mother’s body, the better the advice will be from health professionals, and the more medical treatment can help when diseases occur, all leading to better outcomes for mother and baby.

Heart and kidney function

Throughout pregnancy there is an increase in the amount of blood the heart pumps each minute. Dilation and relaxation of blood vessels, due to hormones such as oestrogen and relaxin, results in a lowering of blood pressure. There is also an increase in kidney blood flow.

Activation of the renin-angiotensin system, an important system to control normal fluid balance and blood pressure, leads to fluid retention in the pregnant mother. This can manifest as ankle and hand swelling. Despite more fluid being retained, the mother’s blood pressure normally does not rise. In fact, it falls due to the dilation of blood vessels as discussed above.

Increases in total blood volume and circulating red cells occur throughout pregnancy. This is due to a stimulation of red cell formation caused by increases in erythropoietin, a hormone secreted by the kidney that controls the number of red cells circulating in the blood.

Skin changes

As pregnancy progresses some women notice pigmentation of the skin, often involving the face, called melasma, which fades away generally a few months after the birth.

Melasma is due to increased skin pigmentation produced by the pigment-forming cells (melanocytes).

Small dilated skin blood vessels, thought to be related to the high level of oestrogens, can develop during pregnancy and regress after birth.

Breast and uterine development

In preparation for lactation (breast feeding), breast tissue, including milk ducts, areola and nipples, increases in size due to hormones such as oestrogen, prolactin and human placental lactogen.

High oestrogen and progesterone levels during pregnancy inhibit any significant lactation. However, some women notice nipple discharge (colostrum) towards the end of pregnancy.

Following delivery, when levels of hormones such as progesterone fall, breast milk production increases and lactation occurs (the mother’s milk comes in). Prolactin levels remain high during lactation due to ongoing stimulation from suckling.

Placental hormones such as human chronic gonadotropin (the hormone that is detected in urine tests to confirm a pregnancy), human placental lactogen, placental growth hormone, oestrogen and progesterone are produced to maintain the pregnancy.

These hormones encourage foetal and uterine growth, encourage transfer of maternal nutrients for foetal fuel metabolism, and increase blood supply across the placenta to the foetus.

Increase in body fat

About half the mother’s weight gain during pregnancy is due to increases in body fat, a fuel source required for the increased demands of pregnancy and in preparation for breastfeeding, although the hormonal mechanisms for these changes are not completely understood.

The ideal weight to gain during pregnancy has recently been debated, especially in women who are overweight pre-pregnancy. Too much fat gain in pregnancy can lead to poor maternal and baby outcomes, so careful dietary advice and planning are required. It may be that women store fat more efficiently in pregnancy, so pregnant women don’t really need to be “eating for two”.

Psychological changes

Maternal mood changes during pregnancy can range from joy to anxiety to depression related to the expectations of the pregnancy, physical changes, tiredness, difficulty sleeping and worry about the pregnancy, birth and the early post-birth months.

Fluctuating hormone levels can also have impacts on mood. Post-partum depression is well recognised and it should be watched for and managed appropriately. However, some women can develop symptoms suggestive of depression during pregnancy. Medical help should be sought if these appear.

Other hormone changes

Thyroid function alters especially in the first trimester in normal pregnancy and thyroid disease is not uncommon in pregnancy. Maternal iodine requirements increase, leading to pregnant women being advised to take iodine supplements.

Resistance to insulin, the hormone that helps glucose (sugar) metabolism, leads to glucose intolerance in the second half of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes occurs in up to 8% of pregnancies.

Significant changes occur to maternal biology, metabolism and body composition during pregnancy. Maintaining optimal maternal health is very important for a healthy outcome for mother and child.

Tony O’Sullivan, Head, Department of Endocrinology, St George and Sutherland Hospitals, and UNSW Medicine., UNSW Sydney. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

If a pregnant woman catches COVID, it’s very rare for the virus to be passed through the placenta to the foetus. But it’s long been known that a mother’s antibodies can cross the placental barrier to the baby and can also be transferred via breast milk after the baby is born. This is why it’s common in many countries for pregnant women to be vaccinated against flu and whooping cough.

When a mother passes antibodies to her child, it’s known as passive immunity, and this can be generated by a mother being vaccinated or infected during pregnancy. It happens with COVID as it does with many other diseases.

COVID-specific antibodies have been found in umbilical cord blood from pregnancies of women who either caught the virus or got vaccinated during their pregnancy, confirming the passage of this immune protection from mother to unborn child. These antibodies should then give the baby better protection against COVID during the early stages of life. Indeed, new research from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that this is the case.

The research was carried out between July 2021 and January 2022. It looked at 379 babies under six months old that were admitted to hospital. On average, they were two months old. The babies were split into two groups. The first comprised babies hospitalised with COVID symptoms and who tested positive for the virus. The second included babies hospitalised with suspected COVID or for other reasons who subsequently tested negative for the virus. This type of study is known as a “case-control” study because cases (babies with COVID) are matched with “controls” (babies without COVID).

The researchers then compared the vaccination status of the mothers of each group to see if the babies with COVID were more likely to have unvaccinated mothers. All the infants studied either had mothers who were unvaccinated or who had received two doses of an mRNA COVID vaccine. To qualify, vaccinated mothers had to have had their second dose during pregnancy and more than 14 days before giving birth.

The scientists found that there was a difference. Just 16% of the babies with COVID had mothers who had been vaccinated, whereas for the COVID-free babies, the rate of maternal vaccination was double that – 32%, a statistically significant difference – suggesting a protective effect. Some of the COVID-positive babies were admitted to intensive care, and among these, 88% of their mothers were unvaccinated. The one infant in the study who died had an unvaccinated mother.

The study has some other limitations too. It’s a case-control study, which means while it can show whether there’s an association between maternal vaccination and lower COVID rates in infants, it can’t prove that the former causes the latter (for that, a randomised controlled trial would be needed). Indeed, the study’s authors note that other factors may have influenced the rates of COVID in the different groups of babies – for instance, whether their mothers had previously had COVID (either during or before pregnancy), or whether they were breastfed, attended child care or were born preterm.

But assuming passive immunity is playing a role, how long will it last? One study has found that in infants whose mothers were infected naturally during pregnancy, passive immunity persisted up to babies being six months old. It’s likely that passive immunity generated through vaccination would also last for at least this long.

Not getting vaccinated is dangerous

Yes, COVID has its severest effects on the elderly, but protecting newborns from it is important too. If a baby is infected shortly after being born, this raises the risk of it being admitted to neonatal intensive care. According to one study, 21% of infants under three months old that get COVID end up needing intensive care.

Plus, getting vaccinated also reduces the chance of mothers getting COVID while they’re pregnant, keeping their unborn baby safer. A coronavirus infection during pregnancy raises the risk of stillbirth, preeclampsia and preterm birth.

We know that giving COVID vaccines during pregnancy is safe for both mother and child. We now know that maternal vaccinations appear to provide immunity to infants that prevent severe disease. And we know that vaccination during pregnancy lowers the risk of COVID-related complications. So really, vaccinating during pregnancy is vital. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists urges pregnant women to have the full course of COVID vaccines, including the booster.

April Rees, Biochemistry Tutor, Swansea University and Catherine Thornton, Professor of Human Immunology, Swansea University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

You’re pregnant, yay!  Congratulations!  Unfortunately, around week 6 of pregnancy, the symptoms of morning sickness can start.  It usually subsides around week 14-16 of pregnancy.  Here are a few tips that may help you find relief.

Any woman who has suffered from morning sickness knows that it is absolutely debilitating.  It affects a woman’s ability to work and has a psychological, emotional and social impact on women and their families.  Up to 85% of women suffer from morning sickness.  This varies from mild to severe nausea and vomiting several times a day.  Severe morning sickness is otherwise known as hyperemesis gravidarum.

There are several known factors which can increase the likelihood of morning sickness.  Some factors are unavoidable such as being aged under 24, having a girl, or carrying twins (or more!)

The good news is, some factors are avoidable

Iron supplements can aggravate the symptoms of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.  However, the majority of prenatal supplements contain iron.  This is because iron supplementation is essential later on in pregnancy due to the increase in blood volume.

In the first-trimester, iron supplementation is usually unnecessary, especially if a woman has followed a preconception care plan and boosted her iron stores prior to conception.

The pregnancy hormone, hcg, stimulates a woman’s thyroid in the first trimester.  This is known to aggravate the symptoms of morning sickness.

The recommended daily intake of iodine in pregnancy is 220 micrograms.  This should come from her diet and she can supplement as well.  However, supplementing with this amount may be too high for some women in the first trimester.  It is possible that her thyroid could become overstimulated and lead to an increase in nausea and/or vomiting.  The World Health Organisation recommends that all pregnant women should supplement their diet with 150 micrograms of iodine daily. 

Severe morning sickness

Hyperemesis gravidarum is associated with helicobacter pylori, a spiral-shaped bacterium in the digestive tract.  It is common, infecting over 30% of the population.

Hopefully, helicobacter pylori would have been detected and treated prior to conception.  If you are suffering from severe morning sickness it’s a good idea to ask your GP for a urea breath test when you have stopped breastfeeding.  This test is contraindicated during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Tips to ease the symptoms of morning sickness

75mg of vitamin B6 taken daily has been found in several randomised controlled trials to reduce the frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

The type of vitamin B6 often used in supplements is pyridoxine hydrochloride rather than the activated form, pyridoxal-5-phosphate (the type that naturally occurs in food).  However, it was pyridoxine hydrochloride that was used in the studies and it is is possible that 75mg of pyridoxal-5-phosphate could be too much B6 in pregnancy.

People who lack pyridoxal kinase, the enzyme that converts pyridoxine hydrochloride to pyridoxal-5’-phosphate need to take pyridoxal-5’-phosphate.  Pyridoxal kinase is activated by zinc and magnesium so a lack of those minerals also inhibits conversion.

Stabilising blood sugar helps reduce symptoms of morning sickness

Eat frequently, preferably every 2 hours.  Try snacking on almonds and other nuts to stabilise blood sugar.  Eat foods high in chromium such as apples, raisins, nuts and cheese.

It’s a good idea to eat something high in protein just before bedtime.  This will help prevent blood sugar from dipping too low overnight.  Nuts or yoghurt are especially helpful.

Keep some crackers or ginger biscuits next to your bed to eat before getting up in the morning.

There are several nutrients that help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.  These include chromium, biotin and alpha lipoic acid.  Other nutrients involved in carbohydrate metabolism include vitamins B1. B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, magnesium, manganese and zinc.

Ginger

Ginger is a traditional remedy for morning sickness and has been shown in several studies to be effective at a dose of at least 1000mg daily.  

Due to its blood-thinning activity, you should be cautious when taking ginger with other blood-thinning medication such as aspirin or supplements such as fish oils and CoQ10.

Chewing on crystallised ginger or drinking ginger tea during the day may help to ease symptoms.  Chamomile or peppermint tea may also be helpful.

During my last pregnancy, I found that eating a cube of crystallised ginger helped my nausea disappear within 5 minutes!  Although, I did need to do this quite a few times during the day.

Carry some Quick Eze in your handbag as neutralising stomach acids can help to relieve nausea.

If you are constipated, try having 2 kiwifruits at night to gently stimulate your bowels.  Relieving constipation can help reduce nausea.

Supplements

NaturoBest Prenatal Trimester One with Ginger is a high-quality prenatal multivitamin and mineral supplement specially formulated to reduce morning sickness.  It contains 1300mg of ginger and 75mg of vitamin B6 including the activated form of B6, pyridoxal-5-phosphate to reduce morning sickness.  It also contains 500mcg of the highest quality folate on the market, Quatrefolic®, to support healthy foetal brain development.

Nikki Warren is an experienced fertility naturopath and herbalist based on the Sunshine Coast who launched NaturoBest Supplements in 2016.  

nikkiwarrennaturopath.com

Looking after your body during pregnancy goes hand in hand with looking after your mental state. It is extremely important that you are developing beneficial mental practices to ensure that you are staying as happy and healthy as possible. Browse the 6 tips below to inspire some ways that you can check in with your mental health and maintain a positive attitude throughout your pregnancy.

Get lots of sleep

Perhaps the best way that you can look after your mind is to get lots and lots of rest. A good night’s sleep is essential for clearing your head and allowing yourself some time to relax. While sleeping during pregnancy may sometimes prove difficult, finding the bedtime routine that works for you is a great way to start taking steps towards ensuring that you wake up the next morning refreshed and ready for the day.

Eat a balanced diet

Diet is, of course, associated with looking after both you and your baby physically, but it can also have a significant impact on your mental health. Not getting the nutrients you need can negatively affect your mood, perhaps more than you realise. While sustaining a balanced diet is the first step towards maintaining your mental health, ensuring that you are switching up your cooking routine with new delicious healthy recipes is a great way to get excited about the meals you are eating. This helps you avoid falling into a dull and tiresome routine that negatively affects your attitude towards food.

Get out of the house

Maintaining an exercise routine is also just as beneficial for your internal state as it is for your physical health. Getting out of the house to go for a walk is a good habit to practice as it increases your physical fitness at the same time as it does your mental wellness. Staying inside for days on end can negatively affect your mental health so getting out and about for some daily exercise is a great way to refresh yourself and gain some clarity on what’s going on inside your head.

Try some meditation

Meditation, particularly the kind that involves deep, concentrated breathing, is a fantastic way to clear your mind and focus on feeling some positive energy. Trying out some yoga is another excellent meditative option that not only benefits your mental state but will help to align your physical condition at the same time, aiding both you and your baby.

Drink plenty of water

Drinking water is crucial, especially during pregnancy. While ensuring that you are well-hydrated is essential for the physical health of you and your bub, it will also do wonders for your head. Drinking plenty of water is a great way to calm yourself, clear your head and boost your mood.

Maintain your social life

Ensuring that your routine involves catching up and communicating with the important people in your life is one of the best ways to look after your mind. Talking about what you are feeling is one of the simplest yet most effective ways that you can release some of that build-up of mental pressure. Finding someone to talk to, whether it’s a friend, your family or a professional, will improve your mental state exponentially and will benefit you more than you realise.

Got 20 minutes? Try this self-guided meditation and tap into some mindful relaxation.

Meditation can be intimidating to try, but the benefits have been studied copiously by scientists and are, frankly, incredible. With a regular meditation practise, we can reduce our stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and actually start to rewire the grey matter in our brain – in as little as eight weeks. There are many types of meditation, and many routes in. Try a few different things until you find what works for you.  

To do a simple mindfulness-awareness (shamantha) meditation

•  Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
• Get into a comfortable, upright position (a cushion or chair are both great; just aim to have your knees below your hips).
• Place your hands gently on your legs (without gripping) and gently close your eyes.
• Take a moment to check in with how you feel, without judgement.
• Take a few slow, deep breaths.
• Pay attention to the physical sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body.
• When your mind wanders, notice that, then gently bring your attention back to the breath.
• Repeat the above step over and over again, until the time is up.
• Before you finish, take one last moment to check in with how you’re feeling.
• Take a few more deep breaths and open your eyes.

You meditated! If, even once, you noticed that your mind was wandering and then brought your attention back to the breath, you practised mindfulness. It’s not clearing the mind of all thought that makes it mindfulness, it’s noticing when the mind wanders. If a self-guided meditation doesn’t feel right, you can try one of the dozens of meditation apps or thousands of recorded meditations online. (They vary in quality, so be sure to look at reviews.) Many big cities (and even smaller ones) now have drop-in meditation studios, sanghas (meditation communities), or meditation classes held at yoga studios.

5 rules for meditation beginners

1. When you first meditate, it can be incredible to discover how loud your mind is. This is normal.
2. You can’t meditate “wrong” or be bad at it. It’s a practice.
3. Sticking with it daily (10 to 20 minutes) can create incredible change.
4. Try different stuff until you find what works!
5. The most important thing – always! – is to be gentle with yourself.

Extracted with permission from Eff This! Meditation: 108 Tips, Tricks, and Ideas for When You’re Stressed Out, Anxious, or Overwhelmed, by Liza Kindred (Quarto RRP$27.99).

Breastfeeding is important to human health at all times, but especially in times of emergency such as COVID-19.

Breastfeeding provides immunological protections to the breastfed child. Most often babies who are breastfed remain healthy even when their parents or other family members are unwell with an infectious illness.

Those women who become infected with COVID-19 shortly before giving birth and then begin breastfeeding, and those who become infected when already breastfeeding, will produce specific antibodies and other critical immune factors in their milk to protect their breastfeeding infant and enhance their infant’s immune responses. If you become unwell and you are breastfeeding your baby, it is important not to interrupt direct breastfeeding. Your baby will already have been exposed to the virus and will most benefit from continued direct breastfeeding at the breast.

This advice is for women and babies who are not admitted to hospital.

Confirmed or probable COVID-19

There is no evidence of transmission of the virus in breastmilk.  It is ok for you to breastfeed if you have confirmed or probable COVID-19, as it is beneficial to your baby for you to continue breastfeeding. To reduce spread while breastfeeding, hand washing before you feed is essential. You should also wear a surgical mask during breastfeeds. Avoid kissing and touching your baby’s face.

If you are well enough, you should continue to breastfeed directly, while using the necessary precautions. This includes washing hands before and after contact with your baby (including feeding), avoiding coughing or sneezing on them, and cleaning/disinfecting contaminated surfaces – as should be done in all cases where anyone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 interacts with others, including children.  

If you are too unwell to breastfeed, you should express your milk and give it to your baby via a clean spoon, cup or bottle – all while following the same infection prevention methods.

Your baby will also be considered a “close contact” of a confirmed case and you will be provided advice about this from your Public Health Unit.

Self-isolation after potential exposure to COVID-19

If you are in self-isolation after potential exposure to COVID-19, your breastfed baby should remain with you so that you are able to continue breastfeeding. Wash your hands before touching the baby, avoid touching their face and coughing or sneezing on them. Exclusive breastfeeding offers the best protection for babies, so if your baby is less than 6 months old, aim for exclusive breastfeeding. Even if your baby is older than 6 months, remaining with you and continuing your breastfeeding relationship is beneficial for you both.

Re-lactation

If you have recently stopped breastfeeding, it is possible to re-lactate or re-establish the production of breastmilk. Many women who re-lactate can produce enough milk to breastfeed an infant exclusively. The easiest way to bring back a milk supply is through a baby suckling at the breast. The more often a baby suckles at your breast, the more likely your breasts will make milk. Talk to your midwife or Well Child nurse for more information on re-establishing your breastmilk supply if this is something you would like to do.

This information is from the Ministry of Health. Please continue to check the Ministry of Health for updated information.