baby Archives - Dr. Whitney Young ND

Leaving the Kids & Letting Go

December 5, 2016 By // by Whitney Young, ND

On my second last night in Hawaii, Stephanie, the beautiful Australian wife of one of my business coaches, asked if I missed the girls and then she said, “it’s ok if you say no.” We both laughed out loud. The permission she gave me was simple but so great.

She, being a mom of 3 totally understood that it was ok to have your time away from the kids. That enjoying myself, didn’t make me appreciate them less or that I was a bad mom. I didn’t feel regretful about my life or them in it. But I was just enjoying my time away from them.

I had permission to just appreciate my “me time.” That I had the opportunity to go away and do something just for me. To enjoy the sun, sand, friends, work, and totally immerse myself in my own needs. That it was okay to let go of taking care of my little people and of taking care of others in my practice just for a little while.

For these 10 days, I could just concentrate on what I wanted in the immediate moments of wanting sleep, snacks, to dance, to swim, to cry, to remember, to laugh.

For these 10 days, I could also concentrate on what I want for the future. Who am I, what do I want? What do I want for the girls? For our life together? For my work and my impact on the world? To “dream big, little pig,” as one of Jillian’s bedtime stories says.

I made the conscious and real decision to use my time away to become refreshed, reenergized and refocused.

3 Tips for Leaving the Kids and Letting Go.

Remember they are in good but different hands. Grandma, Auntie or Daddy won’t do it the exact same way as you would. They might feed them food you normally wouldn’t or put them to bed later than you would, but your kids will be just fine. And they might even have good memories from it. I remember when my parents went away to New Zealand when my little sister and I were young. My grandparents took us to McDonalds for pancake breakfast. I’d never done that before and now I have a special memory to treasure.
Give yourself permission to enjoy yourself. You left for a reason. To visit a friend, attend a conference, go on vacation. So be present and enjoy yourself. Your baby won’t have a better time knowing that you’re miserable. They don’t even understand the concept of time and how long you’re going to be away! So, give yourself permission to have fun. And savour each bite of every uninterrupted meal.
Let go of the Mommy Guilt. It surrounds us in every area of our lives. We feel guilty for working and putting them in daycare. Or if we stay home with them, we feel guilty for not giving them the social experiences of other kids. We feel guilty for not putting them in as many activities as others do or not feeding them all organic food. We’ve gotta put aside the mommy guilt. It’s not worth it. I decided before we left, that I wasn’t going to feel guilty and that I was going to enjoy myself. My family made sacrifices to take care of the kids for me while I was gone, so I chose to honour them and be thankful and really soak up my work-cation.

So, go ahead, book that girls night away, go on a romantic getaway or even an afternoon away as the first “baby step” away from your baby. You deserve it and your kids will be happy when Mommy comes back happy and refreshed.

Talk soon,

Whitney

Whitney is a Naturopathic Doctor and Superbaby Coach. She sees moms and babies in her local practice and via Skype. She also is the creator of the solid food introduction course: The 30 Day Super Baby Program

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Baby Food Workshop

March 1, 2016 By // by Whitney Young, ND

Hi there,
I wanted to share with you the news of our first ever Advanced Baby Foods & Beyond class. This is for moms and dads who have started to introduce foods but want more info. It’s perfect if your little one is 3-12 months old.

Baby Food Workshop Details:

BABY FOOD & BEYOND
Feed their Future from Milk to Meals
Thursday March 3rd 9am-12pm at Serenity Birth Studio in Barrie.

In this workshop you will learn:

BABY FOOD BASICS
– what to feed them, what order and how to do it
POOP PATROL
– the steps to take if they get constipated
THE 5 D’s OF ALLERGIES
– what the science says about developing food allergies
THE PEANUT PLAN
– the 3 steps to take to avoid developing peanut allergies
CRUSH CRADLE CAP
– 5 steps to beautiful baby heads
IRON INFO
– does my baby need iron?

Cost $47 +HST. Click here to register https://rootedinhealth.leadpages.co/baby-food-and-beyond/

What to bring:
Paper, pen, water bottle, layered clothing (in case it’s too hot or too cold for you), snacks (I’ll provide some too) and your baby.

Yes, babies are welcome!

To register visit: https://rootedinhealth.leadpages.co/baby-food-and-beyond/
Email whitney@rootedinhealth.ca with any questions

I look forward to seeing you there!

Dr. Whitney Young, ND

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Well-Baby Visits

April 3, 2015 By // by Whitney Young, ND

We love seeing healthy babies in our practice. We also see the sick ones but we more often than not are assessing a new baby. Here’s what you can expect from your well-baby visit for the first visit:

review of pregnancy & birth history
recommendations for any current symptoms
physical exam including – hair, skin, lymph nodes, abdomen, ears, heart and lung check, weight, height and head circumference
charting on the growth chart
information for stages where you are at now e.g. natural solutions for fevers, coughs & colds, food introduction, teething

Our baby patient then come to see us at set intervals so we can help track their growth and development as well as address any concerns that have come up since we saw them last. This is a safe place for you to bring your baby where we have the time to listen to your concerns. Babies also come in for acute visits for 15 or 30 minutes to address things you don’t want to take them to the walk-in clinic for.

Also, check out our new baby scale that we can accurate weigh your baby and toddler up to 40lbs!

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To ultrasound or not to ultrasound

January 29, 2015 By // by Whitney Young, ND

Hi there,

Somewhere between week 18 and 20 pregnant women usually go for an anatomy ultrasound to check how baby is doing and maybe find out the sex of the baby.

I had mine a week ago and we found out it’s a…..drum roll please…..sorry, you’re going to have to wait a little longer before I tell you. Yes, that was mean.

My ultrasound was with a new tech who was being coached by a more experienced tech. It was a nice experience because they were chatting about this and that about my baby. So I got to see and understand a bit more about what I was seeing when I was craning my neck to watch what they were doing for an hour.

Is ultrasound safe?

It is generally believed to be safe for mom and baby, is painless, gives results quickly, and is convenient, however because “a form of energy and, as such, demonstrates effects in biological tissues it traverses (bioeffects).(1)”

50% of physicians and obstetricians polled believed ultrasounds in low-risk pregnancies should be kept to 1-3 and 70% disapprove of “keepsake/entertainment” ultrasounds (2). However, is this based on fact or generally held beliefs?

The risks of ultrasound are thermal and mechanical.

I tried to find more research about the exact mechanisms and some definitive answers for you but this was very challenging. I think this topic is a whole thesis that I could spend a lot of time on.

My general philosophy is to strive for the least amount of intervention necessary. If you need another ultrasound for medical reasons I think that’s very important. Discuss the risks and benefits with your health care provider to help you make up your own mind.

I thought I would just put this out there as food for thought.

Stay tuned for more highs and lows of pregnancy….I think my heartburn has just started and there is still so much time to go! I’m in trouble!

Talk soon,

Whitney

Sources:

1. Semin Perinatol. 2013 Oct;37(5):295-300.

2. J Ultrasound Med. 2007 Mar;26(3):319-25.

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Is my baby ready for solids?

August 9, 2013 By // by Whitney Young, ND

I’m asking myself this question now. Little Jillian is 5 months old now and many of the women in my baby group are discussing this very question. Is it time? How do I do it? What comes first?

I’m also getting this question from my relatives. The older generation is asking “so when do they recommend starting solids now?” They are realizing that research changes and views change with generations.

So what is the right thing to do?

As with any parenting decision I think the most important thing is to be confident in your own decision. All parents will do things differently, so you need to be ok with that. Gather the information and make informed decisions about everything. This can seem overwhelming, but listen to your intuition and also to trusted health care professionals.

I’m referring back to what I learned in Pediatrics class with my mentor in naturopathic medicine. So here are a few considerations to take into account:

Is my baby ready for solids?

Able to sit up well without support
Tongue reflex is gone – baby doesn’t automatically push solids out with her tongue
Teeth are starting to come in
Baby is interested and watches what you are eating
Baby can pick up food and put it in her mouth with pincer grasp

The following are NOT good reasons for starting solids:

Baby is “big” or has doubled her birth weight – the AAP recommendations of starting solids at 6 months make no execptions for babies who weigh more
Baby is “small” – ounce for ounce, breastmilk has significantly more nutrients than any type of solid food and is easier to digest and assimilate
Baby doesn’t sleep through the night – 2 studies have shown that babies who eat solids before bed had the same patterns as those who had no solids

If you want more information on how I’m going to introduce foods, what order etc, bring your baby in for a well baby check to become a patient and I can coach you through it.

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