Pumpkin Spice Pancakes (grain- and dairy-free)

This pancake recipe is adapted from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam. Hers is a great recipe, but we don't care to use agave nectar or grapeseed oil, and found the arrowroot powder & vanilla extract unnecessary. Over the course of the last couple of years, I have evolved this version. This past weekend, I added some pumpkin spice blend to the recipe and Holy Cow was it delicious!

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes (grain- and dairy-free)

Makes 8-10 cakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp coconut sugar (optional)*
2 Tbsp gently melted coconut oil
2 eggs

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice blend

Directions:
Mix wet ingredients in a blender. Add dry ingredients and blend until well-incorporated.

Make pancakes as you usually do. I use an electric griddle set at 325 and cook them with either coconut oil or grass-fed butter. If you aren't accustomed to cooking with non-wheat flours, you will find that your usual visual cues for doneness don't apply. These cakes are ready when the griddle-side looks a bit darker (but they don't really get "golden") and sturdier. Flip and cook until the other side looks done.

Great served with Grade B maple syrup, date paste, or your topping of choice!

* If you top with maple syrup you may not want to use the coconut sugar. I have also tried substituting this with date paste. Delicious!

Breast Care During Lactation (BCDL)

Caring for your breasts is essential self-care throughout lactation. In this series, Breast Care During Lactation, I will share some ways you can support your hard-working breasts during this time. We'll cover tips for increasing milk supply, preventing sore nipples, and alleviating some of the common discomforts that may come up throughout your nursing "career". I'll also discuss ways to inhibit milk production, for those of you who need or want to stop lactation.

Make no mistake, nursing a growing baby is a full-time job for your body. If you have a nursling who likes to linger over their meals, you may feel it's a full-time job, period. This can certainly be true during the fourth trimester, as your body eases from pregnancy into postpartum hormones and responsibilities. Though breastfeeding is a "natural" body function, it does not follow that it "comes naturally" to everyone involved. Babies have to learn how to latch properly, transfer milk from your body to theirs, and coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. This can be tricky if your baby has a tongue-tie or is born premature. Meanwhile, you have to learn how to position yourself well and hold the baby so they can latch properly. You may experience sore nipples or intense let-down. As with any endeavor, there are highs and lows physically, emotionally, and energetically. In the spirit of staying realistically optimistic...

Let's talk about support.

Did you know that one of the biggest indicators for whether a woman will meet her breastfeeding goals is support from her partner? It is also helpful to have the support of older women in your family and to have seen other women breastfeed. Sadly, such exposure can be hard to come by. There's an unfortunate cycle of women feeling unsupported in their breastfeeding endeavors, which leads to feeling overwhelmed at the process and, therefore, having difficulty integrating it into their everyday activities. Eventually they will need to breastfeed in public (or go to fairly extreme scheduling practices in order to avoid it), but the less comfortable women feel feeding their nurslings in public, the fewer of them do it. This means less exposure to this physiologically normal activity for all of us AND shortened breastfeeding relationships.

Many women have shared with me that they wish they'd known more before beginning their breastfeeding journey. It is very common to feel frustrated, unsure, and an assortment of other feelings as you learn how to breastfeed. Take advantage of the support around you and try to connect with other nursing families. Seeing breastfeeding in a variety of settings and with a variety of age groups helps you see the wide spectrum of "normal", and how different families make nursing work for them.

You can lay the foundation for a supportive environment in pregnancy! Here are a few ways to do it:

• Talk with your family about your breastfeeding goals. Answer their questions and tell them how important it is for you to have their support.

• Take a class specifically on breastfeeding. You can find them through local childbirth education resources, such as Parent Trust for Washington Children, at your local hospital, or from a qualified professional (such as an IBCLC).

• Get your midwife, OB, or an IBCLC to assess your breasts and nipples and help you troubleshoot any potential obstacles (like flat nipples, or a history of PCOS).

• The Affordable Care Act requires insurance plans to cover pumps, so talk to your insurance provider about procuring a good breast pump.
• Even if you don't plan to bottle feed, a pump is very handy for dealing with engorgement, for example, and milk supply issues.

• Attend a local La Leche League meeting and get to know the leader and group members.

• Learn your legal rights as a nursing mother.

• Understand the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and nighttime parenting.
• I have read this book, too, and found it very helpful. I recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand the nighttime needs of breastfeeding families, the health benefits of bed-sharing (to baby and nursing mother) and how to bed-share safely.

Even if you're already breastfeeding and things are going well, it is useful to know how to easily access your local support resources. If an issue should arise (6-month growth spurt of an easily distracted baby, anyone?) you'll know where to go for the support you need. If you've had a smooth breastfeeding experience, consider being a mentor to women in your community.

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Much of the information above comes from my quarter-long Breastfeeding course in Midwifery School. Follow the links for specific information in the bullet-points.

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What have you found most helpful in meeting your breastfeeding goals?

Delicious Pumpkin Muffins!

'Tis the season for all things pumpkin! Years ago I used to make fabulous dairy- and gluten-free Pumpkin Millet Muffins. They were beloved in our household, and considered a harbinger of All The Good Things we love about Autumn.

Then we went Paleo. Rawr.

It was a good change for us. We're healthier and more vibrant than ever before. I'm not ashamed to admit that I miss those muffins, though. When I make treats nowadays, I usually use almond flour. It's great, but I don't think it's awesome to eat such huge amounts of almonds so often. In spite of looking, I had yet to see a low-sugar, almond flour-based Pumpkin Muffin recipe. Until now!

A friend recently posted a link to a great food blog called Zen Belly. There, in the list of baked goods and desserts, was a recipe for grain-free, nut-free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (do yourself a favor and click on that recipe link!). Instead of almond flour, she makes sunflower seed flower with her high-powered blender. In fact, the whole thing is mixed up in the blender. Easy!

As it happens, I own a Vita-Mix.

So, obviously Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins happened. Let me just say, they were totally worth the treat! Still a little sweet for my taste. Next time I'm going to make them with 1/4 less maple syrup. Rob has requested nuts instead of chocolate chips. As usual, we're tweaking them to our preferences.

One thing I did to streamline the process was to use my Pumpkin Spice Blend instead of the piecemeal spices listed in the recipe. I used two tablespoons of the following blend and the muffins were satisfyingly spicy.

Arya's Pumpkin Spice Blend*
1/4 cup ground ginger
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
3 tbsp ground cardamom
3 tbsp ground cloves

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

* Adapted from a novel called Bread Alone, by Judith R. Hendricks. I love it when there are usable, delicious recipes shared throughout a novel about food!

Welcome to Growth Spurts

My baby is in the throes of her 6-month growth spurt. Which means, of course, that I'm in a growth spurt, too. Hers is a physical and developmental force of nature: she is getting longer and heavier, she is starting to sit up with support, she notices when I'm not near enough for her liking, she vocalizes in new and interesting ways and responds to her name.

Mine is partly physical: my body responds to her increased need for calories by making more specially-tailored milk in higher quantities. This is a tiring endeavor, and my endurance continues to surprise me...just when I thought it was already nearly limitless. The bulk of my growth spurt, however, is personal: I am finding new reserves of patience and compassion. I am developing new ways to connect with my partner even while feeling utterly enveloped by my baby's needs. I'm learning to juggle the "I wants" and "I needs" with the "he wants" and "she needs", all the while shedding some of the overwhelm of the fourth trimester. I have more confidence in my ability to understand and respond to her cues. I'm finding pockets of "space" in which to do my own thing...even if all I do is remove some flaking nail polish. I'm figuring out how to incorporate her in some of my personal activities, like going to Mom & Baby Yoga instead of trying to keep her happy while I practice at home. I'm learning to give in and let go when she just needs me to lie next to her while she naps. I'm getting used to the reality that grieving is a very real part of the emotional mix of early motherhood.

Life is full of growth spurts, and having a baby is by no means the only way to grow. It's my situation, though, and as a long-time yoga teacher my inclination is to observe, incorporate, and share my lessons learned. That's what this blog is about.

It's about Life, with its ups and downs and the lulls in between.

Thanks for joining me. I hope the stories I share, and the lessons I've learned, help you feel less alone in your own growing.

A few things:

• As a health/fitness professional AND a student midwife, much of what I write about will be complementary care for health and wellness, especially during the childbearing years. Keep in mind the usual disclaimer: I am not a doctor, my writing should not be taken as "medical advice". Please consult with your healthcare provider.
• I also write about my creative endeavors, new favorite recipes, and life in general. I have a Pinterest account that I don't know how to use. So far, I'm not inclined to learn. /shrug
• I like to take pictures. I do it with my iPhone. The most editing I do is whatever's available on my phone: brightening, erasing red-eye, cropping. What you see is more-or-less what I saw. Just keepin' it real.
• My bias is toward "natural health", whole food, paleo template eating and balanced living. My opinions - both professional and personal - should not be taken as judgements of your decisions or preferences. My aim is to share empowering knowledge, not change everyone into Mini Me.
• I take my work seriously, but endeavor not to take myself too seriously. I hope that will come through in my posts.
• Whenever I can - and for health-related posts, in particular - I will provide resources for my suggestions. Some topics lend themselves more toward anecdotal evidence and personal experience, which are also valuable ways of knowing. Not everything is privileged enough to get the scrutiny of scientific research, so we rely on tradition, experience, and observation.