The Best Time is Right Now

Today is the 6 week mark of giving birth to Zoë. I've taken it easy so far, trying to get rest. When I do get out to walk, I usually go 1 mile. It may not seem like much, but I feel it is a good start. Considering I've been in the hospital, on bed rest, or post-partum for nearly 3 months, I feel slow and easy is best for my body right now. Plus, I've walked and recorded 10 miles on RunKeeper since I've been home. Which I'm reminding myself is better than 0 miles!

Hard to beat this view! -- On one of my recent walks -- Do you see the moon up there? 

Tomorrow is my check up, so I've placed a hold on my first workout video from the library--The Biggest Loser: Power Walk. I'll be happy to give a review once I've used it. I thought it would be a good starter video because from what I read, it's broken down into 1 mile segments, so I've already started doing that at a slow pace, now to see what they add to make it more of a workout. I'm looking forward to trying a new video every week for the next several weeks! I think I've picked out over 20 already so I should stay busy :)  

As I was thinking about how I might encourage myself and others to make small, healthful changes, I thought of 2 things. My 2 tips for this week are:

1) Having and Wearing workout/comfortable clothing.  

I think it's important (and I like) to dress nicely and feel good about yourself and I plan to keep doing so. But sometimes it's equally important to make exercise as easy as possible and that might mean wearing workout clothes for most of (or all) day. For me, sometimes I'll have a chance to workout, but knowing I'll have to take extra time to go change my clothes makes me reconsider my time and what I want to do with it. Maybe for me, right now, that means I'll wear workout clothes 3 days a week so I can achieve my goal of working out 3 times a week for the next 3 months. Another benefit of doing this is that I tend to be willing to play with my kids more when I'm not 'dressed up' because I'm not worried about ruining my clothes; this helps to burn a few more calories as well, rather than taking the sideline approach. Plus, what kids don't like their parents to interact more? 

2) Drinking water-- I admit, I have been struggling to reach my goal of drinking 1 gallon of water per day. In fact, I have not done it yet. I'm usually finishing my gallon in more like 30-36 hours. I don't feel completely defeated, but I really would like to do better. One of the things I'm going to try is adding a drop of essential oils to one of my glasses (in an actual glass, not a plastic cup) each day. Changing up the taste might give me just a little boost to drink more water and get closer to my goal. The oils I like to use are orange and grapefruit. And a great perk of grapefruit is that it helps to boost your metabolism!! Woot!

I'm hopeful that by implementing these couple of things starting this week, I might be more likely to achieve the 2 goals I've set for myself between now and the end of the year. What healthy living goal(s) might you set for yourself for the next 3.5 months? The year is not over. You can achieve your goals at any time, whether they were your New Year resolutions or brand new September goals.

To life... full of setting goals all year, not just in January!  

Melaleuca Alternifolia: Why I'm Using It

I have struggled with acne for years, half my life really. I've used a wide variety of products; some worked for awhile, others made things worse. At times I've found success and then we moved to a new climate area and it didn't work anymore. Or, as in the past 4 years, I've been in various stages of pregnancy and breastfeeding, which alters my hormones and changes how my face looks, again. I've been experimenting with different combinations of oils to see what might work best for my face. I have tried several combinations, but ultimately, what has worked best is simply this one oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia, also known as tea tree oil. It is "highly regarded as an antimicrobial and antiseptic essential oil."(1) It helps to promote cleansing and studies have shown it to be as beneficial as benzoyl peroxide. I began using it consistently about a month ago. After washing my face with water in the mornings, I apply the oil directly to any pimples on my face. I have noticed particular improvement along my jawline where I typically have many large, painful red pimples. I have been extremely thankful for this oil as I'm able to feel more confident being out in public without make up on. My skin is not perfect and I'm still working to find the right washing routine in the evening, but I have seen enough difference in my face from this one change (and actually eliminating most of the other products I was using) that I felt it was worth sharing.

January 2015 

January 2015 

Wow! I knew I had taken some pictures, so I went through our hard drive and found them tonight. It looked even worse then I remembered. Here are pictures from tonight, May 5...

May 2015

May 2015

There are many more uses for this oil. I have used it to help prevent mold growth in the shower and also recently added it to the sunscreen I made to see if it would help as a natural bug repellant. You can see in the graphic below the versatility of this essential oil.

To life... full of finding natural solutions! 

Reference 1: Essential Oils Desk Reference, pg. 84

Peppermint Oil: Why I'm Using It

Peppermint was one of the last bottles I emptied after purchasing my starter kit from Young Living. For one, I didn't really know what to use it for. And two, I was in the third trimester with Levi, and peppermint can cause a baby to turn in utero. Then after that, I was breastfeeding, and peppermint can diminish your milk supply, so I held off because I did not want to deal with a limited supply anymore than I already do.

So February hit and I finally had my chance. We had eaten at Subway for supper and my stomach was turning somersaults. It was almost unbearable when I remembered that peppermint can help with nausea. I rushed to the bathroom and mixed one drop with some almond oil and rubbed it all over the tumultuous area. I sniffed the rest that remained in my hands and laid back down on the couch. Within minutes, my stomach was feeling more calm and I was able to focus on doing something else. I have used it a time or two since then for the same reason and it is a welcome relief. It is nice to know I have a natural remedy close on hand for times like those.

Last summer, I also used peppermint for the first time in warding off spiders. You can mix 10-15 drops with 8 oz. of distilled water, shake it up in a glass spray bottle, and spray wherever those nasty things lurk. Every time I would spray down the insides of the windows and then along the outsides as well and I wouldn't see spiders for weeks. Then when they started to come back, I would just mix and spray again. And sometimes I would spray the spiders (especially the big ones!) directly with the concoction and they would just curl up in a ball and never move again. Yes, I realize that is probably not very nice, but I am not a fan of spiders, whatsoever, so this was a win in itself, even if I had never applied a single drop to myself.

Peppermint is also a great oil for boosting your energy! I like to put 3 drops of peppermint and then 3 drops of either lemon or orange in the diffuser and not only does it smell great, it keeps me moving and motivated. Some more uses are listed below in the graphic.

To life... full of smelling pepperminty fresh!

Gentle Baby: Why I'm Using It

     When I bought my first bottle of Gentle Baby, I was not a fan of the smell. (I think I feel that way about quite a few of the oils. It takes me a while to warm up to them!) It contains geranium, rosewood, lemon, lavender, jasmine, roman chamomile, bergamot, ylang ylang, palmarose, and rose oils. But it grew on me and I'm enjoying it more now. I didn't use it much when I first got it, but once the weather turned cool, it has been wonderful for my boys' skin!
     First up, I noticed Zeke was getting some red skin on his back and when I would put his pjs on after his bath, it almost felt like sandpaper! I felt so bad! I started using some coconut oil and 1 drop of Gentle Baby after his bath each night and it healed it up nicely. It took about 10 days, but now his skin is nice and smooth. I try to remember to use it every night to maintain the healthy skin, especially in these dry winter months!
     I've also been using it on Levi. For awhile I was having a really tough time with him getting diaper rash. I felt guilty because I was using cloth diapers this time and thought maybe that was the reason. I would switch to disposables and use a medicine and get rid of it, then back to cloth and he'd get red fast and have sores before I knew it. I wanted to just use disposables, but I thought I'd try something before I gave up. Every night after his bath I apply coconut oil and 1 drop of Gentle Baby (not too much coconut oil because I try to make sure it is completely rubbed in so I don't get a build up on the diapers). Since doing this, I have had next to zero problems with diaper rash, except if *ahem* Jeremiah gets him dressed and forgets to put it on.

      I am thankful for this gem, Gentle Baby. My kids have much healthier, smooth skin because of it! This oil is a calming oil and some people have had success getting rid of stretch marks when they used it. I need to get on the ball and try that next!

Fennel Oil: Why I'm Using It *Updated

Updated September 2014-- It has come to my attention that in the Essential Oil Safety book it is not recommended to use fennel by any route during pregnancy or breastfeeding. This obviously made me nervous as I had written up this post about using it, successfully, and promoting it to others. So I could not in good conscious, leave this post as it was. I have been searching and asking others for advice because I did not fully understand the reasons for not using it. So what I will do is leave for you a couple of articles and references so you can make the best decision for yourself possible.

A study conducted about the use of fennel as one ingredient of several in a drink for boosting milk supply: http://www.drugs.com/breastfeeding/fennel.html.

Essential Oil Safety Webpage: http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2013/08/06/essential-oil-safety-during-pregnancy/ 

Debra Raybern is a Master Herbalist, Certified Nutritional Counselor, Certified Natural Health Professional, and a member of The Texas State Naturopathic Medical Association. She has a Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences and a Master's Degree in Herbology. She wrote the book "Gentle Babies" and does promote the use of fennel for increasing milk supply (page 60). 

Finally, here's information about fennel in general from Web M.D. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-311-fennel.aspx?activeingredientid=311&activeingredientname=fennel

I hope these are helpful resources as you make your decision!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Some of you know that I have started using Young Living essential oils for my family. We use them for a variety of reasons, so I might start writing about them occasionally. We have enjoyed this change for our family and have had several successes!

I have never had a strong milk supply. With Zeke I supplemented from the beginning and had started to with Levi as well. **I know some people choose to use formula or do half/half. Please know this post is not intended to discourage or make anyone feel bad about their choice to use formula. Now that I'm a parent, I know we all try to do what's best for our families!!** Anyway, I have really wanted to breastfeed exclusively because of all the benefits for both baby and mom! And it was discouraging for me when I needed to use formula because I didn't make enough milk myself. I took Fenugreek while nursing Zeke and I have been with Levi as well, but I was still a little short. So after some research I noticed that some people had success with fennel oil. Since I was already using oils, I decided, why not? I ordered some and my little goldenrod-yellow bottle arrived on April 18. I excitedly opened the bottle and almost barfed on the spot. Eeew! It stank! Seriously! People said it smelled like licorice.

I realized why I must not like eating licorice.

And I really debated if it was going to be worth it.

Since I couldn't bear the thought of ingesting it (although it is OK to do so), I decided to apply it topically. You can use it neat (which means with no other oils, just the fennel), but I decided to dilute it 1:1 (one drop of fennel for every one drop of olive oil) to make it last longer. I put it in a roller ball bottle for easy use. The first day I noticed a more "full feeling" and after the first couple days of using it, I took away the 2 oz. of formula I typically gave Levi after lunch. He seemed happy without it. A few days later I took away another 2 oz. in the evening and Jeremiah only gave him 1, 2 oz. bottle. So after about one week of using it topically, typically 3 times a day, I had reduced Levi's formula intake from 6-8 oz. down to 2 oz. per day. I didn't want to take it away too quickly because I knew he was used to it and I wanted to make sure he was still getting enough to eat! At this point, I was starting to get used to the smell, so I bought some local honey and began to take 1 drop of fennel in a spoonful of honey, before both lunch and dinner. This seemed to help even more!

Now, about a month later, Levi has not had a bottle (until last night. I've been out of fenugreek for 2 days and I didn't apply any fennel until almost 7 pm. Dumb!) in almost 2 weeks! I apply topically when I feel like I need a boost and take it with honey as I can bear it (nope, still not a fan of the taste or smell). I try to be sensitive to Levi's needs and not get too caught up in the "I have to do it all by myself" mentality (which is very hard for me). I am willing to give him a bottle if he seems to need more than what I can give. But overall, I feel the fennel oil has boosted my supply enough to meet the needs of my baby! I am very happy about this development, thankful I tried the fennel, and glad to be sharing my success story with you!