Juggle the Struggle from Pregnancy to Toddlers This Fall

Not sure how to handle it all? Want to know how other moms seem to have “it” all together? Here are tips from three moms who have a combo of 11 children between them! They all balance work, kids and even squeeze in some much sought after “me” time once in while!

From balancing your calendar, to body image pre and post pregnancy to managing your raging hormones these three moms have strategies to help the busiest of parents create more calm and balance in their lives.

Want to delve deeper into each topic? Join each of them on stage at the Babytime show from Friday, November 16-Sunday, November 18 2018 – visit www.babytimeshows.ca where you can find times to see each of them present.

Lisa Canning, mom of seven children ages nine and under, is an interior design expert, life-balance coach, and an advocate for good mental health. Want to know how this busy mom of seven stays sane in a house full of children and is still able to run a successful business? Here are Lisa’s top tips to live a balanced life:

• Invest time rather than spend it. In the whirlwind of life, it can feel so easy to feel like time is slipping from away from us, sometimes it feels like time is slipping out right from under us! So just like money, think about creating boundaries on your time that allow you to invest it, rather than spend it! Invest in a regular date night with your spouse, invest in aimless time with your kids, invest in time for yourself, and protect it, fight for it.
• Automate as much of your life as you can. Take advantage of a click and collect grocery service every week. Have toilet paper delivered to the house on a monthly basis. Plan your outfits on Sunday night in advance of the week. The less decisions you need to make in the everyday things allows you to offer more energy to the truly important things.
• When our spaces feel overwhelming, it’s really easy for us to get overwhelmed. Commit to decluttering regularly.

Jenn Pike, is a RHN (registered holistic nutritionist) specializing in Women’s Health and Hormones, yoga instructor, and mother of two who talks and teaches about all things hormones. Here are Jenn’s top three tips for balancing hormones.

• Ensure each meal and snack has a balance of fibre, fat and protein to help keep your blood sugar in check, your energy supported, adrenals balanced and you feeling satiated. Without the right balance of nutrients your blood sugar will drop leaving you tired, cranky, nauseous, light-headed and feeling like “I need to eat something, anything right now or else!” Try this Wonder Woman smoothie recipe as a great start to your day or quick meal on the go.
• Try to get much rest as you can – as a new Mom, I know this sounds like mission impossible! But notice how I said “rest” and not necessarily “sleep”. As a new Mama, 8-9 hours of sleep is not really a realistic goal. So, its really important to sneak in REST and time for yourself while your baby is sleeping or napping. The dishes can wait. The laundry can wait. Just sit your booty down with a tea and Netflix-it Mama! You need to get your rest so you can be on top of it all when the baby wakes back up. When you do get the chance to sleep, your sleep environment is crucial! Keep your room dark and cool, and stay off your devices late at night. 
• Hydrate!! It sounds so simple and completely un-sexy so how could it possibly help your hormones so much? If you are not hydrated right out of the gates in the morning and throughout your day your digestion will slow, energy will slow, cravings will be up and your bowel transit time will slow (yup, I mean pooping. Aim for one full glass, about 500ml of water when you wake and an extra 1.5-2 litres throughout the rest of your day. Omit your plastic water bottles and choose glass or stainless steel instead.

Samantha Montpetit-Huynh,  is a mother of two beautiful girls, a pre and postnatal core and pelvic floor rehab coach with over 15 years in the industry has a mission to help moms re-connect, feel strong and love their bodies again. Here is are her simple tips for “keeping it together” during pregnancy, after birth and throughout motherhood.

• Stay moving as much as possible during pregnancy. Think “preparing your body for recovery while still pregnant”! The W.H.O. (World Health Organization) recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week and this does not change during pregnancy if you are having a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy. Moderate intensity means getting your heart rate up and working at about 12-14 out of 20. This is more than walking your dog or going to prenatal yoga. Think about training for the biggest event of your life. Labour and birth is a marathon and should be treated as such.
• After birth, focus on re-training before Learn to connect to your deep system (your Core 4); which has been significantly impacted from pregnancy and birth. This is important to ensure that you are safely returning back to exercise with a strong foundation. Be sure to see a pelvic floor physiotherapist at 6 weeks postpartum before returning to high impact exercise.
• Be realistic. Pregnancy and birth is a BIG deal and requires patience and time to fully recover. No two pregnancies are the same so try not to compare yourself with “the Jone’s” when it comes down to exercise. Follow your instincts and do what feels good – not what you think (or someone told you) that you “should” be doing. Set realistic goals and be easy on yourself. Giving birth is probably the most physically demanding thing you will ever do so take it slow and don’t push yourself. You will get there when you are ready.