GUEST BLOG by HANNAH GILLESPIE
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​Benefits Of Sleep
There are endless benefits to sleep and reasons it is so important. When your baby starts to sleep independently, is able to sleep long stretches at night and having good naps, this is when you start to see regenerative sleep. Regenerative sleep is important because this is when your body is no longer at a resting state, it is now restoring, repairing and growing.

The Benefits for your Baby

Development: The body and brain develop while your child sleeps, helping your child reach important milestones. Sleep also helps your child to have better concentration, making it easier to learn, retain information, and to promote better memory.
Health: Sleep helps the body to fight infection, illnesses and viruses more easily, so your child is less likely to get sick and will recover faster. Healthy sleep lowers the risk of obesity, and also helps with diabetes. Poor sleep changes your fat cells. It also changes insulin disruption, making you crave food. Good sleep habits established early will help reduce the chance of them developing ADD or ADHA later in life.
Behaviour: Your child will make better decisions when they get enough sleep and will be less impulsive. Children with good sleep habits have less behavioural outbursts or tantrums allowing them to make friends more easily, and maintain healthy relationships with others. When your child sleeps well it helps to grow the bond between the parent and child that will last a lifetime. When your baby sleeps well, so do you, improving overall well-being and helping you to develop that special bond.

How this helps the Family:

Sleep helps the entire family as a whole. When the family is sleeping well, there is less fighting between children, parents, and between parents and children. When children are sleeping well, it allows more alone time for the parents and promotes a happy home life overall.

Teaching your child to sleep independently can change your lives in so many ways. I can help you get there and help you respond to your child’s cries and to reassure them while teaching them the skills that they need in order to self soothe. Teaching them these skills early on will help them for their whole life. Let me help you get the sleep your family needs and deserves.
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Message me if you have any questions, I would love to chat with you.

For more information about Hannah and Sleep Consulting, check out her website here! 

Postpartum is a time where there is continued risk for joint hypermobility due to hormones such as relaxin still present in the body and the hormonal influence of lactation. These hormones effect the ligaments and connective tissue which are being stressed by the biomechanical and ergonomic positions of childcare activities.
 
Other things that can influence musculoskeletal pain postpartum include:

• Sleep deprivation (increases acute pain, decreases pain tolerance, increases sensitivity to pain stimuli, increases fatigue and negative mood, and decreases cognition)
• Depression
• Degenerative joint disease
• Chronic pain syndromes
• Hypothyroidism (increases risk of  carpal tunnel or tarsal tunnel syndrome)

Ergonomic assessments during breastfeeding may be beneficial to prevent joint injury, promote proper body mechanics and allow for energy conservation. Finding an optimal position for mother includes a neutral position that allows for balanced posture and avoids musculoskeletal strain. A neutral spine is a comfortable spinal position that creates equal pressure for all vertebra and discs.

Tips to Conserve Energy

• Simplify tasks
• Organize work spaces to eliminate unnecessary bending, twisting, lifting and carrying
• Roll or slide objects rather than carry or lifting them
• Make sure to add frequent rest breaks. Rest when baby rests! Rest after eating. Rest before becoming overly fatigued
• Sit instead of standing (requires less energy)
• Use gravity-eliminated positions that require less energy expenditure. For example a side-lying position with a pillow placed between knees/ankles during breastfeeding. This promotes a neutral spine and decreases energy use.

 
Tips to Protect Joints and Promote Proper Body Mechanics

• Avoid a prolonged tight grasp or pinch especially when wrist is bent
• Avoid staying in one position for long periods of time
• Minimize repetition
• Avoid bending, extending, or twisting the wrist during activities
• Use a power grasp (loose grip, keeping all the fingers together, thumb straight)
• Avoid reaching, grasping, and lifting with the palms down (especially with the wrist bent). Instead, lift objects from underneath with palms up (with wrist straight)
• Avoid leaning over a work surface or twisting the torso while lifting (especially into the crib)
• Keep objects close to body while lifting
• Maintain a straight or neutral spine while lifting
• Use a wide base of support (feet wide)
• Lift with leg muscles instead of bending at the back
• Use a golfer’s lift (bend at the hips while raising one leg behind)