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Jill Amery

Jill Amery is a mom of 2 small boys and the Publisher of UrbanMommies, a stylish digital lifestyle magazine filled with fitness, style, health, recipes and savvy mom advice to help you through pregnancy, birth, and raising your kids.

Felicia: Portion Control

Uncategorized By March 18, 2011 Tags: , , , No Comments

To recap: week two was a disaster for me; mentally – I was very negative, emotionally – I was riding a rollercoaster and physically – well, only one pound was lost (amazed that I even lost that!). A tremendous high followed by a disastrous low, as extreme as those two weeks were, week three was neither. Although the meal plans are incredible (both in taste and nutrients), I began to take what I was learning about portion sizing and nutritional content to create some of my own meals. Workouts were done for part of the week – they felt great yet did not provide the high I experienced within the first week. Stepping back on the scale, I was shocked and encouraged to discover further loss. What contributed to my success this week? I would have to say it’s “the little things” – portion sizing – the size of my stomach is not directly related to the size of my appetite, I am not a human garbage can – I do not need to finish my boys’ drinks, snacks and meals, water is my friend – it keeps me from drinking my calories and eating a real breakfast allows for quality bonding time with my children.

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Felicia: Missing the Bakery

Uncategorized By March 1, 2011 Tags: , No Comments

Prior to beginning this competition did I think I would have challenges? You bet! Did I consider these challenges and plan ways to combat them in my totally awesome TBR Workbook? Absolutely! Did I consider that something as simple as walking through the bread section at my local grocer would stop me in my tracks? Most def… wait, what? Having considered roadblocks like emotional eating, boredom or incessant snacking, I didn’t even think to consider the everyday places and activities that could trip me up.

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Kirsten: Rough Start

Uncategorized By March 1, 2011 Tags: 2 Comments

Rough start. Beginning with the diet; which is actually fabulous and tasty, but got tricky as the week wore on. By Saturday I was losing it. We are doing the Baby-Led Weaning method of introducing solids to the tiger cub; so that means he eats finger food portions of whatever we’re eating. It also means as a family we adapted what we eat a little as well. Most of the diet is a little advanced for the tiger cub, and what was left didn’t interest Daddy at all so I spent half the week making two breakfasts, two lunches and three dinners.  Top it off with the tiger cub laughing at me during the first half my workouts, and crying for attention through the last half – Not an easy week.

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Caroline: Challenges

Uncategorized By March 1, 2011 Tags: No Comments

I  have impressed myself a lot with this program, it is a good challenge and I love challenges. I followed the program every single day ever since I started. Sunday which was day 7, fatigue had caught up to me and it took quite a bit of will power to do the workout but I did it. My daughter’s been quite sick with a nasty cold and we’ve had some sleep issues with her, she kept us up many nights during this first week and I was and still am so tired. I just wanted to go nap after I put her down for her nap but I gave myself a kick in the butt and did the exercise. I love the after workout feeling and being proud of myself. I also wanted a cupcake real bad even though I’m not really into sweets and I admit, I had a few glasses of wine this weekend, I had to reward myself a bit! I am going to challenge myself  to try and wake up at 6 AM some days to do the workout because right now I do it when my daughter nap, I don’t get to do all the other things I use to do while she nap.

– Caroline Alarie

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Felicia's Frustrations

Uncategorized By March 1, 2011 Tags: , 3 Comments

Wow, what a disappointing week this has been, I have been putting off this post until the last possible moment because I really didn’t want to have to admit to myself (and you) how terribly I did. After the euphoria of a fantastic first week (including a near four pound weight loss), I really thought week two would be just as “fun”. Not so. The long weekend really threw a wrench into my newly made schedule. As I was not forcing myself up at 6am to work out, the day had begun without me – my kidlets were up needing to eat, house was a disaster, pets had to be taken care of, etc, etc. This translated into a lack of any kind of workout for three days.

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Quinoa and Butternut Squash Baby Food Recipe

Quinoa and Butternut Squash Baby Food Recipe

baby, EAT By March 1, 2011 Tags: , , No Comments

The nutty flavor and grainy texture of quinoa is delicious with the sweet juicy flesh of the squash, a combination popular in Peru, home territory to both of these ingredients. Quinoa was the staple grain food of the Incas of Peru – they call it the mother seed. Modern chemists identify it as being remarkably high in protein – particularly lysine, which is difficult to obtain in other vegetable source. It also supplies fiber, vitamins B and E, calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.  This makes a delicious Quinoa and Butternut Squash Baby Food Recipe.

Quinoa and Butternut Squash Baby Food Recipe

1/2cup quinoa
Spring water
1- pound piece butternut squash or other yellow-fleshed squash

  • Put the quinoa grains in a small pan with enough spring water to cover by about 2 cm.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the dark skins pop open, showing the pale insides.
  • Meanwhile peel the squash with a sharp knife, remove the fibers and seeds in the middle and cut up the flesh.
  • Stir the cut-up squash into the quinoa, let it bubble up, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, tightly cover, and cook for 20- 25 minutes, until the grains are tender and translucent and the squash is completely soft.

Makes about 3 cups
Suitable for 9 months and on

Food Adventures – Elisabeth Luard & Frances Boswell
For 9 mos and up

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Caroline: Out with the Black

Uncategorized By March 1, 2011 Tags: 5 Comments

We’re already starting week 3 of the program and it’s been a challenging adventure, but a challenge that I love. I am learning to eat better, not that I didn’t eat well, my husband and I are avid cooks. We make everything from scratch – salad dressings, stocks, etc… But I was eating portions that were too big, along with too much cheese and maybe a tad too much wine. When you think about it, even using the best ingredients plus a few glasses of wine and up goes the calories. So with this new way of eating I tell myself that I am training my stomach to be fine with eating smaller portions more often and so far my stomach is enjoying it. Sometimes I’m hungry but I’m sure soon enough it will all be well adjusted and balanced.

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intravenous fentanyl

Intravenous fentanyl for pain relief during labour

FAM, pregnancy By February 26, 2011 Tags: , , , , No Comments

 

What is Intravenous Fentanyl?

It is a drug that is a powerful pain reliever (narcotic). It may be offered to you to help you cope better with the pain of labour. Some women say it takes the edge off the pain and helps them to cope better.  It will take the most of the pain away but not all of it.  We’ve gathered some Information about intravenous fentanyl so that you can make your labour decisions.

Doses that would take away all your labour pain would make you very sleepy and would decrease your ability to breathe.  This could be dangerous for you.

How is Fentanyl given?

It is given to you in a way so it is safe for you and your baby.

  • First your nurse puts a tube in your hand or arm called an intravenous or IV.
  • Your nurse, doctor, or midwife gives you the drug through this tube or you can give yourself this drug through the IV by using a pump that you control. It is called a patient-controlled pump. If you are using a pump you cannot give yourself too much of the drug because the pump is set to only allow safe doses.

Side effects of Fentanyl

  • You may become sleepy
  • Your breathing may slow down. Some women need to be given some oxygen and be watched closely if this happens.
  • You may feel sick to your stomach. This happens less often with Fentanyl than with other narcotics.
  • Fentanyl crosses the placenta and goes to your baby. As a result, your baby may be sleepy and not breathe well at birth.  If this happens your baby may be given a drug that helps called Naloxone. Naloxone is given to your baby by an injection into the muscle of her or his leg.  Sometimes, if you have needed a large dose of fentanyl, your baby’s breathing may have to be watched closely for several hours.
  • Your baby may have some trouble starting breastfeeding because she/he is sleepy and you may need more help to get your baby to breastfeed. Your nurse and/or lactation consultant will be able to help you get breastfeeding started.

What does is it not do?

  • Fentanyl will not take all your pain away.
  • Fentanyl does not give pain relief so your doctor/midwife can help your baby be born by the use of forceps or vacuum.
  • If your labour is very long it may not be as helpful later on as you may need a different form of pain relief.

BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre
September 2006, BCW#766

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