Hi all

I can't believe it's November already - this year has gone so fast! And, it has been a particularly busy month for me as I trained to be a birth and post-natal doula with Nurturing Birth (www.nurturingbirth.co.uk)! For those of you who aren't entirely sure what a doula is or does, here is a brief description:

Doulas are women specially trained to give emotional and practical support during the pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal period, leading to more satisfying and empowered experiences, and a decrease in interventions, caesarean sections, postnatal depression and an increase in breastfeeding success.

Suffice to say that it has made me even more passionate about the care women get during and after labour and I am raring to get going! So, for anyone who is interested in doula support for their next birth and/or post-natal period then don't hesitate to get in touch. As a trainee doula (I have to attend four births and support four families post-natally before I become accredited) I am only allowed to charge a minimal fee so in this credit crunch time I am fairly affordable!

Speaking of Fit For a Princess I recently did their Gut Buster workshop which was a 2-hour session targeting the problem midriff area - I would highly recommend it to anyone! As well as exercise we talked a great deal about nutrition and lifestyle (again something I am very interested in) so I am going to pass on a few top tips! It seems relevant to pass on to Mums as we are particularly prone to exhaustion etc!

I have always had a ridiculously sweet tooth and I now know that a lot of the time it is down to Candida - a fungus that naturally occurs in the gut, but can overwhelm you leading to fatigue, bloating, constipation and a whole host of other symptoms. It is very common and one of the main symptoms of it is sugar-cravings, due to the fungus (a yeast) needing to feed on sugars. I have discovered a few things that can make a world of difference:

1) Probiotics. Most of us know about acidophilus from ads on TV about the Yakult and Actimel products (don't buy them - they are so full of sugar that the cons outweigh the benefits!) However there are actually 13 different strains of probiotic that naturally occur in our gut. As Candida increases the numbers of beneficial bacteria in the gut tend to decrease so it is a very good idea to keep those levels boosted. A specialist recommended a probiotic powder called Prime Directive to me - it contains all 13 strains of bacteria, but also 22 wholefoods. You can order it from www.saferemedies.co.uk

2) Prebiotics - a new concept for me. Fructo-Oligo-Saccharides (FOS for short) feed the bacteria in the gut - so it is something that supports your body's natural defences. It looks and tastes remarkably like sugar, but is not absorbed into the body. It is a natural fibre too so can support your digestive system in making you more regular! I have found that a spoon on my cereal in the morning definitely helps reduce the sugar cravings.

3) Slow-release carbohydrates. I have real issues with the Atkins diet and its relations. I believe that we need complex carbohydrates in our bodies for slow release of energy, so I try to avoid refined flour (white bread/pasta) and white rice as much as possible. I make my own bread (I have a fab bread machine recipe if anyone is interested courtesy of one of my massage clients) using a blend of barleycorn and spelt flours with loads of seeds, which is delicious! However, I think the ultimate carbohydrate to eat is oats - so porridge is brilliant in the mornings, particularly if you are tired and have been up all night with a crying baby!

4) Sugar-free drinks. Lots of women are keen to lose baby weight and also to boost their energy levels so it is amazingly common to see women drinking Diet Coke, or the like. A friend of mine recently went to see a nutritionist and was told that she would rather be told that her client was drinking full-fat coke than diet coke for one simple reason - Aspartame. Aspartame is an intense sweetener - used in diet drinks, sugar-free foods and a whole range of other foods - it is commonly known as Nutrasweet. People have been poisoned by aspartame leading to misdiagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus as well as many other serious illnesses. At a certain temperature (exceeded in the human body) aspartame converts to formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve "tissue specimens." Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we should not store it in our body! There is a good article about Aspartame on http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e951.htm

Finally, it is coming up to Christmas so Claire at Its A Kids Thing has suggested a Baby Massage Christmas Party - an opportunity to get lots of Mums, Babies and Kids together to have a coffee, mince pie and a catch-up - in the playzone for those under 7! So, date for your diaries is Tuesday 9th December from 2-4pm. Entry to IAKT will be £4 per adult and we can accept a maximum of 40 bookings. It would be lovely to catch up with you all! Please RSVP to me so that I can make sure your name is on the list.

That's all for now - phew!

Lots of love and hope to see you soon

Sophie

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