Sponsored by ByHeart
My Story Prior to having my daughter my plan was to go into infant feeding with flexibility. I intended to breastfeed and supplement with formula when able. However, like many new moms, I learned quickly that even the best laid plans don’t always work out the way we want them to. Although I began my feeding journey the way I planned, after six weeks I was no longer able to breastfeed. Truth be told, I was heartbroken. Would I be able to give her the proper nutrition without also breastfeeding? Was there a formula that I could trust 100% with her feeding? At the same time, Aria was dealing with digestive issues that did not seem to change whether she consumed breastmilk or the formula we were supplementing with at the time. Every feeding was a battle that left me anxious and frustrated. As a brand new mom, I was completely overwhelmed. Enter ByHeart Infant Formula. I switched to ByHeart in October and after a few weeks the difference was palpable. We experienced less spit up, softer poops, and easier digestion. Not to mention Aria was finally sleeping longer stretches at night. I was truly SO relieved. Aria was THRIVING! As a mom I knew I had finally found my formula but as a nutritionist, I wanted to understand more about why! ByHeart Innovations in Infant Nutrition ByHeart uses a patented protein blend of partially hydrolyzed whey protein, as well as alpha-lactalbumin and lactoferrin–the most abundant proteins found in breast milk–to get closer to bridging the gap between infant formula and human breast milk. Breast milk is always seen as the gold standard in nutrition for infants. Human milk boasts benefits for infant cognition, digestion, immunity, gut health and efficient growth. ByHeart was inspired by the nutrition science of human milk when developing their infant formula. All of their high quality ingredients such as fats from organic grass-fed whole milk and carbohydrates from lactose were intentionally chosen as part of their innovative recipe for specific and exciting outcomes. Results from Their Trial Did you know that 50% of infants change formulas due to a perceived digestive issue with the main issue being spit up or vomiting? When doing their clinical trial, ByHeart focused on spit ups per day as an outcome. And what they found was that infants had significantly lower amounts of spit ups per day versus babies on a leading infant formula. Additionally, they focused on stool consistency and found that ByHeart babies had softer stools than babies on a leading infant formula. Happy Belly, Happy Life I feel so confident in feeding Ari a formula that she not only thrives on BUT is researched, tested and clinically proven to have these positive outcomes. Feeding is one of the main challenges that new parents face and the inability to breastfeed for whatever the reason may be can be so upsetting. Digestive concerns can also be so stressful on top of the new parent pressures, not to mention dealing with them on lack of sleep. What I have learned is that a fed baby is a happy baby and a happy baby makes for happy parents! To learn more about ByHeart and check out their formula for yourself, visit: https://bit.ly/3Ng8OjA
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As someone who has dealt with chronic illness for the past decade, I have gotten pretty good at being prepared when it comes to going somewhere (anywhere, really). Which, had also come in handy for being pregnant. This summer my skin (and body) needs a little bit of extra TLC so I am sharing what I am using to keep myself cool. Supernova Toner, from Olive + Grayce Supernova is soo refreshing for pre- and post-sun skin care. The Supernova toner contains healing aloe which, when applied 24 hours prior to sun exposure has been proven to improve the skin's immune system and reduce UV rays by 20% (though not to be used to replace your SPF!). It also contains the gemstone, blue malachite which is known to detoxify, hydrate and clean the skin. It also hydrates the skin by helping to fight against free radicals, preventing water loss and stimulating collagen. I personally love that it smells like peppermint and vanilla, which feels like a sipping minty cocktail on a hot summer day. Shop here. Glow Botanical Serum, from Olive + Grayce I use Glow every morning and night after washing my face and applying my toner. I feel naked without it. With rosehip oil as its main active ingredient and antioxidants of lemon and blood orange, Glow is like a multi-vitamin for your face. I am pretty much addicted to rosehip oil for my skin. It contains high amounts of vitamin C and antioxidants which brighten and boost skin complexion, while protecting against oxidative stress and damage. It also helps reduce redness, making it the perfect follow up to the Supernova Toner for pre- and post- skincare. Shop here. Natural SPF SPF is obviously super important, but I do prefer to go natural and non-tox when I can so that I am protecting my skin while also not adding to any oxidative stress or toxins. Some of the brands I like are Cocokind, Grown Alchemist and Saie for face. Dry Brushing Dry brushing before a shower can help to exfoliate and brighten the skin which can give you that summer glow without even going into the sun. It also helps to flow and drain the lymphatic system, which detoxes the body. I use my plant-based dry brush from Olive + Grayce. Just a word of caution, if you are sunburnt, give it a little time before dry brushing as that could irritate already inflamed skin! For more on my dry brushing tips click here. Hydration + Nourishment Hydration and snacks are top of mind for me when I go anywhere. Well, snacks are always top of mind for me but hydration is also SUPER important when spending any time in the sun. Some tips are adding things like coconut water or fresh lime to your water bottle to give you an added boost of electrolytes and hydration. For snacks, I like to focus on water-based fruit like watermelon so that I am continuing to hydrate and eat my water so to speak. But I will also make a trail mix with nuts, seeds and dried fruit for easy packing and a quick nutrient boost. For some healthy snack inspo, check out my cookbook, The Nourished Spoon. Herbal Drops I almost always have a tincture in my bag (with the exception of pregnancy) with adaptogenic or nervine herbs just in case I need a little pick-me-up or calm me down. I usually have my Olive + Grayce Focus drops with me since the adaptogenic schisandra berry supports my adrenal function and hibiscus helps to cool and calm the body. The best part is you can drop some right into your tea or water! Shop herbal drops here. Besides these essentials I am usually packing a hat, sunglasses, towel and a light change of clothes! I hope you found this helpful - I am curious what else you all pack! Comment below :)
After 10 years of chronic pain and illness, I was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease and Coinfections in 2019. To be honest, it feels like a lifetime ago. Back then, I had just started this page in an effort to connect with others dealing with similar symptoms and embarked on a journey that I had no idea would entirely change my life. For years, I shared my experience - all my ups and downs, which turned into more of what you see now which is sharing health tips and my education. When I say that I have been where you are I really mean it. I have seen multiple doctors, I have searched for answers. I have taken medications, been gaslit, and have cried in frustration and pain. I tried a million things and spent way too much money (they always say lyme isn’t a poor man’s disease, which is ironic considering anyone can get it). The journey isn’t linear which makes it difficult to share but I promise I will write a book one day. For now - I aim to show the light at the end of the tunnel, even if it is just a glimmer. I aim to empower others to advocate for themselves and to provide hope, because so many times in my journey I needed that hope.
Everyone is different and everyone’s “cocktail of illness” is different. Because of that, what works for some may not work for others. All I can do is share the support that actually helped me along the way. Here are some of the big things below:
I hope you found this helpful, I have a lot more to come! Please comment if you are enjoying the blog and share with anyone who may benefit from it! We can’t thrive in survival mode, yet so many of us are just getting by. We are clenching our teeth, tensing our muscles, grinning and bearing it. We are “getting through it.” Whatever “it” may be because “it” is always something else. Have you ever heard yourself saying “once I get through XYZ…” I can rest. Then that XYZ goes from a busy work period to planning a wedding to falling on hard times to sickness to whatever it may be. We begin to feel like we are being waterboarded by life and there is no “once I get through” because there is always something else around the corner to knock us back.
So we go into survival mode. We may say our body, mind and emotions are running on fumes, but what does this really mean? Well in this state, physiologically, our body is running on stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, etc.). Our sympathetic nervous system, which is in place to innately protect us from threats, turns on and we are in survival mode. In survival mode our digestion, liver, gallbladder and even our brains stop functioning as they should because there is minimal energy left for those organs. All of our energy needs to go to surviving, moving our arms and legs so we can flee our threat, staying awake, pounding our heart, quickening our breath, dilating our pupils. In a primal situation, we need this sympathetic state to protect us from attackers and threats. Once the threat passes, we are supposed to come back into balance and move on. Today, we are continually triggered and activated by our lives and environment. This chronic state of fight or flight has long lasting physiological effects because we are not meant to remain this way. It fries our adrenals, imbalances our hormones, causing issues with things like fertility, early menopause, ED, etc. Without our liver or digestion functioning our bodies detoxification systems become overloaded with toxins and oxidative stress. We crave sugar, we put on weight we can’t lose. We don’t sleep and then we drink more caffeine to survive the day because we have to get through and so on and so on. I know because I lived this way for over a decade. I know because my body gave out leaving me in constant pain and chronic illness. I know because I numbed that pain and buried that illness and kept going. I know because I had a breakdown in 2021, sitting in a closet with my knees pulled to my chest, shaking and crying, telling my husband I wanted to run away from the world but I couldn’t. Like many people, I couldn’t just give up my responsibilities because I had bills to pay, people counting on me. A full shutdown was not an option for me. We cannot thrive while ignoring our body’s messages, because it will scream. We cannot heal in a state of fight or flight. We need to come back in, into our bodies, into homeostasis. We can do this by nervous system work, and we can do it while continuing to show up in our lives. In fact, we have to do it in order to show up in our lives. For me, it is a continued practice of self-regulation, which is why I get so frustrated when I see people saying XYZ days to heal your nervous system! You can get out of fight or flight, but you still need to have continued practices to maintain that state in your own way with your own toolkit. All I can do is help you build that toolkit and teach you what has worked for me, which I will share below: My top NS regulating tools in my own life:
Keep following along for more on these topics, tools and my stories on how I got to where I am now. Also if you want to learn more about Nervous System regulation I recommend checking out my virtual class Find Your Nerve. Until next time, stay well! This time of year is, in my opinion, the best time to be doing any type of lymphatic drainage. Spring is the season to cleanse, our bodies, our homes, our energy fields - whatever feels right. It is also the season where we have allergies popping up all over (excuse me while I sneeze as I write this) and where we hold onto water. In Ayurvedic medicine, Spring is Kapha season, which is the season of “wet and damp.” As we move from Spring to Summer we need to wring out some of that water, that puffiness and that stagnant energy within the body. Personally, being in this season prone to sinus allergies and also being pregnant, I am feeling not only congested, but like I am holding onto a lot of extra water (spoiler alert: I am) The lymphatic system is our body’s sewer system. Here are some key functions that makes it so important:
Here are some of my favorite lymphatic practices:
I also like to change up my diet to be more seasonally appropriate during this time. In the Spring, it is a great time to consume fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables, especially those with bitter or astringent properties to help the body detox for Summer. Here are some superfoods to help things flow:
I hope you find this post helpful! I also have a virtual class offering called Go with the FLOW for anyone looking to dive deeper into this topic! |
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AuthorAmanda Nova, MS, HHP Archives
December 2023
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