Posts tagged: Health + Wellness

Moms and coffee are a pretty perfect pair (cue the “may your coffee be stronger than your toddler” memes)—especially because java contains chemical compounds that research suggests can lower your risk of certain diseases. But there’s a buzzy (literally), supercharged version of coffee called mushroom coffee (stick with us here) that’s supposed to boost your focus and energy, thanks to the inclusion of nontoxic healing herbs called adaptogens. Foods like ginseng, rhodiola rosea (golden root) and certain mushrooms all fall under the adaptogen umbrella, and fans believe they boost your...

There's denying that pregnancy is a whirlwind—but postpartum recovery can throw you for just as big of a loop. And while there are apps and frequent doctors appointments to help you through all the body changes that happen during pregnancy, transitioning into your post-baby body can be full of surprises—and a few weird symptoms. While you should always, always check in with your doc if you've got questions, here's a peek at what a number of women experience in the first few weeks after heading home from the hospital. Feeling...

Most babies make it easy on you—they’ll fuss when they’re uncomfortable, says Payal Adhikari, MD, a pediatrician with Child & Adolescent Health Associates in Chicago. It’s normal for your baby's hands and feet to feel a little cold (or even look slightly purple those first few weeks of life as their circulation adjusts to working on its own) but the core of baby’s body (her stomach and back) should feel warm like yours does—not super hot or frigid cold. So what does that mean when it comes to getting dressed?...

Curious about what superfoods can do for you and your bump? Guest blogger Carla Jian, a personal trainer and holistic health coach based on Chicago, dishes on the best foods for a healthy baby and happy mama during pregnancy. When I was first became pregnant, all the restrictions that came with a prenatal diet felt a little overwhelming—and a little scary. All of a sudden there was a list of foods I wasn’t allowed to eat because they could harm my baby. Then I was warned that since I was...

Gearing up to give your little their first bite of real (pureed) food—or running into questions as you transition into bigger bites? Consider this your ultimate cheat sheet. Our go-to pediatrician Payal Adhikari, MD, with Child and Adolescent Health Associates in Chicago, is sharing her ten best tips for teaching your baby the art of a good chow. 4-6 months is a good time to start solids “I like to start closer to six months, or when your baby shows an interest in food and has good head and trunk...

Any mom will tell you—even if you read all the baby books and take all the classes, the journey through new parenthood is an on-the-fly, messy, trial and error experience. And the best info doesn't usually come through google—it comes from your mom friends. Which is why we asked ours—what do you wish you had known before leaving the hospital for the first time? (We could have written a book—but picked our ten favorite real-talk tips to start.) If you are a seasoned mama, let us know what you'd add!...

For those accustomed to tracking their steps and sleep with the swipe of a finger, it would make sense that pulling up data about our ovaries should be just as easy. A number of startups and drug developers think so—as more women put off having a baby (or another baby) until their late 30’s and 40’s, at-home fertility tests (a relatively cheap and easy way to ease that biological clock panic—or trigger it) are popping up. But do they work? Is it possible to tell how fertile you are before...

There’s really only one thing you can bet on when it comes to delivering a baby—unpredictability! Babies tend to arrive on their own schedule, in their own way. But there are lots of choices to be made in the delivery room, and before the action starts, it’s helpful to write down your preferences and hopes in a “birth plan.” (Because hey—even if that all natural water birth doesn’t go as planned, you’ve still got control over the music.) To get started, create a bulleted list answering these questions: Who should...

You’ve probably heard about those naturally great sleepers—the baby who snoozes through the night at six weeks, or the six-month-old who exclusively takes two-hour naps. But for a good majority of parents, getting baby to sleep well takes work. (Sometimes, hours of it—at 3 a.m.) And that’s where sleep training comes into play: it’s the process of teaching baby to self-soothe, so he or she can fall asleep on their own, minus the song and dance (ie: 45 minutes of rocking and sneaking quietly out the door) from Mom or...

Whether you’re sniffling through the final days of maternity leave, or feeling a swell of anxiety as a family-filled holiday break comes to an end, the guilt working moms feel is all too real. Despite the fact that 70 percent of moms with kids at home work, most of those mamas worry at some point: Will my kids be ok? Is my job hurting them? (Spoiler: yes—and no!) Here’s the good news for all moms and families: research shows babies and kids of moms who work wind up just as...