Place all ingredients in high speed blender. Blend in till smooth.
Transfer to baking tray.
Turn oven down to 180 degrees and bake for 45 minutes. At 45 minutes turn oven off and open door to check. Then close door with oven off for another 5 minutes.
Written By Alice Bingham on behalf of Medela Australia
Just under two years ago, I had a wild experience with my third birth.
I went between three hospitals in just one day.
I had an ambulance with sirens, a 20hr breach labour which then transitioned to an emergency c- section under general anaesthetic and welcomed our baby girl at just 35 weeks. All while having heart symptoms going on and a possible Pulmonary Embolism.
I ended up spending the week in hospital with heart monitors on myself and tests run all week, all while trying to care for our newest addition who had a few health things going on herself with being a premie. It was quite the experience, one that I will never forget. When I look at my happy little 21-month old now, I pinch myself that we are both okay and doing well.
In fact, we are expecting our fourth child in February 2021.
This has had me reflect a lot on my experience with birth and breastfeeding my third baby in 2019 – how can I use this to prepare myself and my baby for a beautiful breastfeeding experience after a year where nothingâs gone to plan?
A reminder to embrace the chaos with presence.
The first 12- weeks of any newbornâs life can be a bit of a blur for any mum. And mine was no different. I had two little ones to care for, and was also recovering from a c-section and a feeding schedule for our preemie baby.
I was given the Medela Symphony pump immediately and was told to pump a minimum of eight times in 24 hours.
So, I was very grateful for the Medela double breast pump in the hospital as it was fast and efficient, which I needed as the feeding routine was extremely exhausting for me.
On day three, my daughterâs blood sugar level remained low. I asked to speak to a Lactation Consultant and a Paediatrician to see if a different feeding routine would help her blood sugar levels stabilise. Our current schedule of 10 minutes on the boob topped up with expressed breast milk, then pumping again wasnât working. The team and I decided to change her feeding schedule to give her expressed breastmilk (EBM), then 5 minutes on the boob and then double pumping again for top-ups. I would also set alarms for breastfeeding and alarms for pumping using my Medela Harmony breast pump. The beauty of pumping was it made me sit down, which is essential for recovery.
My two children, then 3.5 years and 18 months, would also come and sit with me or play on the floor near me. Some days they would all be crying at once; I just had to take a deep breath and remind myself I was doing my best. The days were long, but the weeks would fly by, it was all a bit of beautiful chaos. And this is one of the most important lessons Iâve learnt with motherhood and breastfeeding â embracing the chaos, with mindfulness and presence.
For any other mum or mum-to-be who may be finding motherhood and breastfeeding difficult â I hear you.
But if you can take time to find your breath and come back to this moment, itâs one of the most powerful ways to find strength, peace and joy in these moments of chaos. I found great comfort in journaling too. A simple way to practice gratitude and reflect on the day. Plus, my journal is filled with many raw and wonderful memories of those postnatal days. I often look back on these pages to see how far I have come.
Lean on your support army wherever and however you can
The year 2020 has brought some great uncertainly for a lot of us in the Australian community, with restrictions and lock downs. Postnatal after our third child, we required a lot of appointments once we left the hospital. We ended up seeing lactation consultants, had daily weigh-ins at the hospital, saw midwifes and child health nurse practitioners for the first 12 weeks of our little girls’ life.
This had me thinking after everything happening right now, would we receive the same support if we required that care again with this child? During this pregnancy I havenât been allowed to have my children at antenatal appointments or my husband at the scans or appointments. I also had to have emergency surgery a few months ago when pregnant, we were given some news that meant our baby may have not made it, I would have loved to have had my husband there with me, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, he was not allowed at the hospital with me. So, I had to take the news by myself and just chat to my husband over the phone during my hospital stay.
Thankfully, this baby is still doing well though post-surgery and as I write this, I am 26 weeks and filled with gratitude. âŻThere have been some positives though, during this pregnancy, I have been lucky enough to have the support of my own midwife. She has been able to come to our home for visits for my check-ups, if I have my other young children at home. Plus, David can be here as well.
Baby Bump #4
I have seen some great improvises from our local hospital and the staff doing their best to support families and the post-natal care they provide for them. Now thankfully with restrictions easing, I feel a lot more positive about having our fourth child next year.⯠Wherever you can â call on your support networks â from experts and loved ones. But if you are having trouble â telehealth is a great avenue to find support from a lactation consultant. Or engage in online communities where you can find and talk to likeminded mums. Rely on breastfeeding aids if you need it
Next time I hope to give the brand new Medela Harmony breast pump ago.
I think having this will give me the freedom to pop out a little more in the earlier days to my close friends and families houses. Or even to pop in the car and drive to the waterfront. Pumping with a view is oh so blissful! The Harmony Manual Breast Pump is light, compact and portable making it easy to pop into your nappy bag and go.
Being on a time schedule with breastfeeding a premmie can be challenging if you need to be back home all the time to do it. I think this will allow me some more freedom. I am highly impressed with the 2-Phase Expression technology as it can mimic your babyâs natural suckling rhythm, which is ideal for going from baby to pump for your breasts. I think this pump will make my life a little easier, with four children in five years, I am up for anything that will guide that! So, as a final prompt to myself and other pregnant and breastfeeding mums today, in this extra time of change â take life slower, more mindful and be kind to ourselves â and always call on help when need it.
Together, weâve got this â and whatever life throws our way.
ABOUT MEDELA AUSTRALIA
Medela exists to enhance mother and baby health through the life-giving benefits of human milk. Medela has actively been supporting Australian mothers, babies, and their families in Australia for more than 19 years.
As Australiaâs hospital breast-pump innovator, Medela, has launched their Harmony⢠manual pump at $69.95, to their Medela Flex⢠technology range which adapt to fit every mumâs personal breast shape and lifestyle needs.
Developed and clinically tested with a team of research scientists and breastfeeding mums, the Medela Flex⢠family help mums produce up to 11 percent more breast milk, more comfortably.1
The Medela Flex⢠technology range is now available from major pharmacies and retail outlets including Baby Bunting and Chemist Warehouse, as well as via the Medela Store Online.
On Tuesday last week, just before I ticked over to 35 weeks gestation, we welcomed the beautiful, Danielle from Your Sacred Space into our home. David and I completed the first day of the Positive Birth Course a couple of months ago with 4 other couples (you can read about that HERE) . We choose to do the second half of the course in our home. It was everything we imagined plus so much more.
Danielle came so prepared, she catered the course to suit our wishes. This is our fourth baby and she made sure we were externally educated and informed surrounding the excitement of this journey we are about to embark on together as a couple.
Like last time we met Danielle, we were blown away about how much we took from this session, how much we learnt about birth, but most importantly how much we learnt about ourselves and each other. Danielle spent the time to listen to our previous experiences, chatted about what our wishes are for this birth and is just so easy to get along with. David really enjoyed this whole experience just as much as I did.
As Danielle was leaving she requested I share 5 things that I took from this experience. These were my answers.
1ď¸âŁ How important this was for David and I to do together. Weather itâs your partner, your mum, your best friend that you are planning to have as a birth partner. I realised how important their role is in birth today. How important it is to connect together. How important it is to rebuild that trust before such a life changing moment is about to happen in our lives.
2ď¸âŁ Something that is extremely simple, however we all forgot about is our breath. When you were doing some breath work with me during the meditation today, it took me my surprise how quickly I tuned into what I was doing because of my breath. I felt so calm and ground.
3ď¸âŁ I found learning about the placenta fascinating. The anatomy and physiology was mind blowing. Feel grateful for my knowledge behind knowing why we do cord clamping.
4ď¸âŁ The power of visualisation. During the fear release to day, Danielle used this empowering technique for me to visualise letting go of my fears surrounding this pregnancy and birth. Just like manifesting for our future, seeing it helps me to believe itâs possible as morning as that may sound.
5ď¸âŁ Knowledge truly is powder. That being educated is a huge part of preparing for birth and helping support and believe in my wishes for our babies entry into the world. Knowing that I am, or David is okay with making informed decision for our baby.
Learning how to create space for our baby, connect as a couple and release any tension in my back
Want to get in touch with Danielle from Your Sacred Birth?
đ Back To School /Day Care Organisation Tips đŤ
Do you have a child starting day care, kindy or school this year? I want to share some of my tips that can make your life as a parent easier! This year I have one school starting prep, one pre kindy and one in the toddler room. Plus we have a newborn arriving all when the school year starts. So I decided to be organised AF. Here are some of the things we already do or will be implementing and I hope they can help you tooâŚ
1ď¸âŁA school bag station! This will the bags all in the one spot. I love the idea of having a basket or a mini locker below or above each childâs bag. That way any important paper work or cute drawings can go there. 2ď¸âŁ A mini planner above each bag. That way you can all see as a family what is happening and when. Weather itâs a play date, school spot or who is picking which child up. A great communication tool for the family. 3ď¸âŁ Meal prep some of the lunches for the week on a Sunday. Freeze muffins, scones, mini quiches etc so you can grab and pack. Cut up veggies and fruit in mini containers so itâs easy way to pack the lunches. 4ď¸âŁ At the end of each day unpack the childâs bag or get your child too. That way nothing gets left in their that can get smelly. Refill the water bottles at this time too. 5ď¸âŁ Have some after school snacks prepared as kids will be hungry between pick up and dinner! Haha Iâm a professional #snackbitch 6ď¸âŁ Lay or hang the kids clothes out the night before or for the walk. Include undies, socks, shoes, hair ties, brush l and nappies etc. that way itâs a smooth transition for getting ready. Even for yourself itâs a good idea if you are going to work. 7ď¸âŁ Have your dinners on a meal plan so you know what you are having each night.
Optional by great for feeding – 2 Tbsp. @milky.mumma Chocolate BF smoothie blend.
đŞ Preheat oven to 180degrees. đŞ Mix all ingredients in a bowl. đŞ Roll cookies dough into call and place on baking paper and into the oven for 15:20minutes. đŞ Store air tight container.
I was #gifted a few punnets of @australianblueberries and to be honest I was pumped as we eat a punnet every few days in our house. With smoothies, snack boxes, homemade jam and did I mention snack boxes đ¤Şđ. I wanted to make up something different and get creative in the kitchen after we went to the shops. Iâm craving 𤰠a blueberry pie with coyo yogurt so I thought why not make one up. It was so easy to make. .
Ingredients đĽ§
2 sheets of short crust pastry(we use a vegan one) 1 large punnet of @australianblueberries 1 small red apple, grated 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 2 drops of green mandarin essential oil (could totally squeeze a lemon though) 2/3 cup of warm filtered water 3 tbsp. maple syrup
Method đĽ§
Preheat the oven to 180degrees.
Line a small Pyrex pie dish.
Throw in the blueberries and the grated apple into the centre.
In a bowl mix, warm water, maple, spices and citrus.
Pour over the apple and blueberry mix.
Pop some of the remaining pastry on top however you wish to style.
Bake in oven for 45minutes on 180 degrees. Then turn down to 100 degrees and bake a further 15minutes. . Serve warm or cold. We are teaming this with coyo, but you could totally serve it up with ice cream, custard, cream. Your choice. âđź
We have been making these twice a week of late. All my little ones love to eat them, plus I don’t mind a cheeky one for afternoon tea either. It’s so handy to have bite size foods to grab straight from the fridge that are made from wholesome foods with no added nasties!
They are really simple to create and take 5minutes prep time and then 20minutes to bake.The is perfect for your older bub or toddler for breakie, morning tea or an afternoon snack.Here is the recipe! Tag me @aliceinhealthyland if you make them. It melts my heart seeing your little ones eat my recipes!
So we recently welcomed a new addition to the Bingham tribe, our darling Lottie Jean. So upgrading our nappy bag size was a must for us. I have a 3 year old boy, Cruz, a 18month girl, Winter Rose and a newborn baby girl, Lottie. 2 days a week its just Lottie and myself but the other 5 days we will head out on adventures as a mini tribe. I have had a few messages from you mumma’s asking what we pack in our nappy bag. So here it is lovelies…
Firstly the nappy bag I choose was the Storksak Stevie Luxe in black scuba. I choose this bag because it was a decent size (being a mum of 3), however it is super lightweight to carry. It has lots of compartments to keep your bag organised, which we all know “sparks joy” thank you Marie Kondo for reminding us of those oh so good feels. It also keeps your essentials stored safely. There is even a cheeky cooler at the back of the bag with a hidden zip for easy access to the baby bottle. This has come in handy for me as I have had to pump EBM every three hours so I didn’t have to hunt through the bag when she got hungry. The bag comes with a cooler bag, I have used this to not only store milk but snacks too. You can even use it as a cooler bag for your lunch, once you no longer need a nappy bag. There is also a luxurious size changing mat with pocket storage, so it is easy to take out of the bag and it covers the surface area of most changing tables in the parents rooms.
So what is in the nappy bag this time round you ask…
Nappies of course, I have a mixture of both cloth and disposable.
Wipes, I make my own and store in a travel sealed container (see recipe here) or love Water Wipes.
Change Mat, I love to use a reusable one to look after the environment. My nappy bag came with one ,but you can buy one from Storksak if you don’t already have one. The parents rooms can be a little gross or there might not be somewhere to change your bub, so you can just do it in the pram or on the floor with the mat.
Hand Sanitiser, just a small one is fine. I make my own non toxic one with essential oils and aloe vera gel.
Outfits for the baby, just one spare in case of emergency poop. For my toddler I have spare undies (because toilet training).
Snacks for all of us and bottles for the girls (still breastfeeding to but expressing). I like to stick to easy snacks like fruit, popcorn, bliss balls, mini muffins.
Not always, but depending on where we go I like to put a small activity or toys in the bag like colouring pencils and a pad or cars for my son.
 A muslin wrap, this can be doubled as a cover for bub or tie the two corners around the neck and its a breastfeeding cover. Great if bub falls asleep and you can cover the pram with it. I always like to keep a pram peg in the bag to, just to secure if need be.
I currently need an organic or natural baby/nipple balm. I buy one that can do both.
A disposable bag to store a dirty nappy. Just in case there is not a bin around.
CADDY STROLLER ORGANISER LUXE is handy if you are just heading out for a few hours. Fits a packet of wipes, 2 nappies, baby bottle, my wallet and phone.
I have been loving learning how to use my essential oils in my everyday life. Providing a healthier + brighter future for my family. I know you will love learning about them to. Everyday I am finding new ways to utilise these beautiful oils, wether it be to clean my house, creating blends for emotional support, killing off the bugs, flavouring my smoothies or in my beauty routine.
I have created a Instagram account for you all to see exactly how I am using them. Click here to see + follow my oil journey.
Boston & Winnie are just about to venture into the wonder world of food, where did the last 5 months go! Lucky for them they have Mother’s that are serious foodies.
Infant nutrition is crucial for supporting optimal growth and development. Think about this for one minute.. choosing foods for your infant can either prevent a disease or feed one. Now, that sounds serious, but we actually have the power to influence our children with fuel to set them up for a healthy life.
aliceinhealthyland 