Grandpa Biscuits / Anzac Biscuits

Anzac biscuits get their name from Australia and New Zealand Army Corps because these kind of biscuits were sent out by families to the troops. They survive in tins for absolutely ages, don’t mind the heat, survive a bit of sea water along the way and so on. Brilliant biscuits.

They were also the first biscuits that my father learnt to make and they became very popular with the grandchildren, visitors, plumbers, indeed anyone to whom he owed a favour. Hence, in our family, Grandpa biscuits.

So without further ado, here’s the recipe. Very simple. Takes about half an hour to make. As I said, in an airtight container they last AGES (weeks unless you eat them all which is a greater risk tbh).

Grandpa Biscuits / Anzac Biscuits

Set oven to 165oC

Get two bowls

One bowl

250g self raising flour

250g porridge oats

1tsp baking powder

Stir together

Other bowl

250g butter

250g soft brown sugar (ideally light as it’s harder to see when it’s cooked if not)

2 tbsp golden syrup

Melt in microwave & stir together

Then mix two bowls together. Now wait for 10 minutes. Get three baking trays ready with baking paper on them.

When your 10 min timer has gone off, grab golf ball sized amounts of the mixture, squish each one into a firm ball and put it, spaced out on the tray. 

Put into the oven for 5 minutes. Then grab a wooden spoon and squish them all flat with the back of a spoon.

Back into the oven for 8 minutes. 

When golden around the edge, take it out of the oven. I then pick up the baking paper and put that directly onto a wire rack to cool. You could faff about picking up each one individually with a fish slice but that takes ages.  Then eat them.

Practical Advice: Birth Partners - what can they do?

After a pregnancy yoga chat this week, it seemed like many people weren’t aware of the ways in which a supportive birth partner can be truly a wonderful thing. And my partner certainly didn’t know how to help on the first time around. The second time he was truly brilliant. So with no further ado, here’s what your birth partner CAN do.

1. BE KNOWLEDGEABLE. Know what you both want / would like in terms of a birth. Know if she absolutely does not want something (eg pethidine). Know the principles of hypnobirthing if this is what she wants to do. Know whether she’s allergic to something. Know when she last went for a wee / last ate something. The birth partner can then feed this information to the ever changing staff without mum having to try to concentrate in the middle of a contraction. Why does it matter when she’s been for a wee? Because a full bladder can stop a baby coming out. A quick catheter and an empty bladder and then whoosh, 20 mins later our baby came out.

2. MEDIATE. Most birthing women are not at their most patient / communicative. A birth partner can smooth many difficulties. For example, I found a student midwife deeply irritating and muttered “get her out of here before I punch her” and he was able to find a better way to ask her to attend a different birth / step back and observe. Equally, when the midwife wanted me to sit and I didn’t feel able to, he was able to find a compromise that worked for her needs (my spine needed to be vertical for an epidural top up) without me needing to sit on my most painful part. Some women are silent labourers and midwives can sometimes not realise that the woman is as advancing in her birth as she’s not being vocal. A birth partner can diplomatically remind the midwife that she’s a quiet person but if she says she feels the baby is coming, that means the baby is coming. Ask the midwife to examine her to see what progress has happened.

3. BE PRACTICAL. Birthing women often forget to eat / drink and can run low on energy as a result. Women also lose track of time in labour. My partner reminded me that I was flagging and that I needed to eat something to get through it as I hadn’t eaten in four hours. Better to eat little and often then wait until you totally flag (if you’re a cyclist, you’ll know the expression “bonking” - better to eat before you bonk. This applies in labour too).

4. REASSURE. Some women like massage. Some need a hug in the middle of a long night. Some like reassuring chat. Some want to be left alone. Check in with her regularly as her wants / needs will change. You’ll need to be thick skinned as you will probably be told to get lost at some point. Please don’t take it personally. At some point (often at transition, just before the pushing starts), most women feel like they can’t do it. This is your point to look her in the eyes and say that '“yes you CAN”. Tell her she’s doing well.

5. ADVOCATE. When you’ve been waiting for two hours for something (an epidural, a meal, the hearing test for your new born), go and (nicely) ask where it is. Query choices with doctors for reasons why they’re recommending something, especially if it’s something she has said she didn’t want. Ask if there are alternatives. There are many routes through birth and you may be able to find compromises that better suit your family. Doctors and midwives are hardworking and have your best interests at heart but the NHS is oversubscribed and sometimes compromise or a gentle chivvy are needed.

Have I missed anything? Do please chip in - anything to help partners be more helpful and mums have a smoother birth!

Practical Advice : Post Natal Fitness - First steps

The first and most important thing to say is PATIENCE. It took you nearly ten months to grow this baby and it’s unfair on yourself and unrealistic to expect to be fit and strong in ten days’ time, especially whilst caring full time for a demanding baby.

Next, the most important thing to do is work on your pelvic floor. This can be done as soon as your baby is born. It is SUPER IMPORTANT to move your pelvic floor muscles through the whole range of movement, not just endlessly squeezing to lift, it needs to be released too.

Inhale release
Exhale lift the pelvic floor and draw tummy in

Posture is the next big one to think about. Feeding often leads to stooped shoulders and we have all done the tired trudge with a buggy, shoulders hunched against the rain. Sit up, roll your shoulders back and down. Breathe. You’ll feel better already.

Once you’ve thought about the above then I would suggest a few walks with your baby. Fresh air and moving your body is also great for mental health. It doesn’t have to be a 3 mike hike. Just little bits, with great posture will be a fantastic start. Have a faff with the height of the handle so that your back is straight and you can stand upright. When going up a hill, try not to stick your bum out, but stay in great posture, push with your legs and off you go.

Great pics from XO Three - do look here for more details

After your six week check, you will probably have the all clear to exercise from your GP. The check is time-limited however so they don’t check scars (unless you specifically ask) or pelvic floor function. A great next step is to get a full MOT done by a women’s health Physio. I recommend Lisa and Nicky. Hugely knowledgable women who can help you back to full health.

At six weeks after your baby is born you can start appropriate post natal exercise. So post natal yoga, Mother and Baby Yoga, buggyfit, post natal Pilates etc or specific fitness sessions with a personal trainer. You absolutely need someone who’s had post natal training however - it’s such an important area to get right. I recommend Anna Coe and Zoe Cowell Jones as particularly excellent personal trainers if you’re going down that route. A class setting can be wonderful for meeting other mums as well as moving your body.

In the post natal period it’s helpful to think about having nutritious snacks in the house because you will be hungry.

Post Natal snacks

Including

hummus and pitta bread

wrap with peanut butter and banana

Hard boiled eggs

Cheese and crackers

Nuts and dried fruit

These suggestions from Catherine Lippe, a local Nutritionist.

Tiredness and breastfeeding make you hungry. It’s ok to eat. You need to eat. You will gradually lose weight by being active and mindful of food and body. But right now, in the immediate post natal period, you need to get through the days.

If you have any other questions, do let me know.

Yoga: Stiff Back?

Now… backs are complicated and you should go and see your doctor for back pain. But for many people, they just have a stiff back because they’ve

• spent too long at their desk

• stood for hours at a conference / at the playpark

• slept badly

• spent ages riding a bike

So in these cases, simply slowly moving your back gently can really help you feel loads better.

Just follow the sequence in the video but for reference, these are the elements included. This is also suitable for pregnancy.

• Move through cat / cow

• Hip rotations

• Yogic squat (with yoga mat under heels if yours don’t touch the floor)

• Forward bend / Half Forward bend

• Roll Up and down

• hip circles.

Practical Advice : Do you need NCT? What are the options?

Many people choose NCT as their provider of antenatal information and as a way to meet other mums who are due around the same time. And that’s entirely logical and fine.   NCT is very expensive however (£300 if I remember rightly... ) and tends to have a strong emphasis on breastfeeding which can lead to feelings of guilt if that doesn’t work out. Socially too, some meet lifelong friends from the group of 4-6 mums and others, well, don’t.

So I thought it’d be worth letting you know about other alternatives to learn more about birth and afterwards, including my pregnancy yoga classes of course!

Keeping Active in Pregnancy / Birth Preparation Classes

• My pregnancy yoga classes, obviously. On a Wednesday evening in Claygate.

• Antenatal Pilates - in Claygate

• Swimming is also great. You can usually attend a normal aquafit class too if lane swimming isn't your thing. 

• Birth Preparation Classes

• Noobies run by midwives from Kingston hospital. Some classes based in Surbiton and some in Kingston

• NCT. The most commonly used course. Several evenings or a weekend of info. 

• Hypnobirthing. You can prepare to use hypnobirthing in your labour with a CD/book or with a course in person. I used Katherine Graves’ recording with my second pregnancy and found it super helpful for helping me to look forward to labour with a good sense of embracing the unknown.

  • There are loads of hypnotherapists around and I personally know Meghan (also a student midwife which is reassuring) and Sophia. Do feel free to recommend any others that you may know.

Post Natal Classes / Help

This is more helpful/important than you might think. Most people are focused on the birth and don't quite get beyond that. BUT caring for a newborn is a whole new world and help is helpful!  You may have an amazing mother / sister nearby to walk you through it all (lucky you!) but if not, it may be worth learning more. 

• My NCT classes explained how to change a nappy and wind a baby and explained how important it was to breastfeed and that was about it. I subsequently learnt A LOT from a local night nanny who came and spend three hours with me talking me through all the issues I was having and helping me resolve them (not least me using the clever Gro Swaddle upside down. Oops).

• Kingston Hospital offer a one day parentcraft course

• Post Natal Doula. This is a person who's trained to help you, at home, learn how to become a mother. Help with breastfeeding, winding and so much more. 

• I also found a huge amount of support via my mumsnet group of people who were all due at the same time. 6 years later, there are 42 of us in a facebook group, offering friendship, support and laughter, every day.  We've met, we've sent parcels, flowers and care packages when people have needed them. I love my mumsnet group. You can find people due in the same month here. 

Also there are plenty of ways to meet people after your baby is born , for example

• at rhyme time at the library (10am on Wednesdays and Thursdays

• at baby massage courses,

• Mother and baby yoga (classes are starting in September 2018),

• Buggyfit

• sling meets

• and via websites (mummysocial, mush and others).

Yoga : Pregnancy Yoga Videos

Quite often people tell me they'd love to come to pregnancy yoga this week but they can't make it because of work / other half's work / life / commitments.  So with that in mind, here are some online options. 

1) My yoga video. Of course! It's not in a fancy hollywood setting - sorry!  - but it is me, and it is yoga. 

2) Lara Dutta's video. I LOVED this when I was pregnant. Partly I think because of the glamorous location and her glorious shiny hair and smile and general loveliness. Partly as well because it was dynamic enough to feel like I'd actually done something. Plus it's 30 mins long, which is better than lots of youtube videos. 

3) Fiji McAlpine on doyogawithme (register and then free to see some videos). Some of her pregnancy yoga is really quite challenging so it depends on your fitness levels and what you’re looking for, but some of it is quite accessible like this one.

Also : Tara Lee's DVD and Nadia Rafaat's DVD. 

Baking : Diabetes Friendly Cake

I always bake for pregnant yogis in their last week - in your 40th week if you have no issues, but earlier if you're scheduled for a C Section or induction. This week is the first time that I've been set the challenge of baking for someone with Gestational Diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes means no regular cakes with lots of sugar, so I did some searching and have found this Courgette Loaf recipe on Diabetes UK's website. I changed it to put it in muffin cakes, but otherwise didn't alter the recipe. I was tempted to add nuts but wasn't sure what impact that would have on the nutritional information and didn't want to mess up my yogi's carefully balanced diet management.

Ingredients are:

Courgette Muffins

2 eggs
75ml oil
1tsp vanilla extract
3tbsp granulated sweetener
300g courgette, grated
200g wholemeal flour
1tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 180oC
Oil the tin and set to one side
Beat together eggs / oil / vanilla / sweetener in a bowl
Add courgettes then add flour / baking powder and cinnamon (I always mix the baking powder and flour well before adding as no-one wants clumps of baking powder in their muffins)
Put in the oven and bake for approx. 20 mins (30-35 mins if in a loaf tin).

I tasted one with my morning coffee and they're not bad. Another time I would use muffin cases rather than oiling the tins as the recipe suggested as I think it'd make it easier. Plus I think they'd be better with some oats / nuts / seeds but will consult my friendly nutritionist friend for advice.

Anyway, hopefully she will appreciate that I've tried to make her something special for her last week. I hope that her Gestational Diabetes is left behind her once she has her baby (apparently 50% of the time you get to keep that particular joy with you forever!) and she can once again indulge in occasional sweet indulgences like the rest of us.

In the meantime, does anyone have any other suggestions of recipes using sweetener? I've got a massive pot of it now and can't see me getting through it any time soon.

Practical Advice : Newborn Babies - What they need and what to do

When I had my first child, I was pretty clueless. I hadn't thought I would be (I have two sisters who'd both had kids before me) but it turns out that changing the odd nappy and cuddling a baby occasionally is not much preparation for the reality of 24/7 care of a newborn. 

So with that in mind, Mumsnet do a fab list of things you absolutely need to buy. And this is a short guide to looking after babies.

• FOOD

• Breast milk or Formula or a combination of both.

  • If you plan to breastfeed it can be helpful to google a list of breastfeeding clinics before the baby is born so if you have issues then you can just get out the list. Googling with a howling baby in one arm isn't as straightforward. Buy Lansinoh. Apply liberally. Keep it in your pocket if you have a winter baby as it otherwise is so hard to get out of the tube.

  • If you do formula feed full time, I'm told that a Tommee Tippee perfect prep machine is worth every penny.

• After feeding them, they need winding. Baby's chest to your chest, tap lightly on the back. This MAY work. If not, try Tiger in a Tree (baby lying along your forearm, one arm to each side of your forearm). I googled loads of different methods and what worked best for one child wasn't the same as for the other. If you've fed the baby and put them down for a nap and they're still squirming and wriggling, odds are they've still got some trapped wind so you need to keep going.

• Though you'll get through a lot of nappies in the early days (10 or so a day), babies also grow really fast so don't buy too many of size 1 or you'll end up giving them away.

• CRYING

• All babies cry sometimes. This is normal and no reflection on you as a mum. Sometimes it's because they want something (food / winding / changing nappy) and sometimes because they're overtired / overstimulated / in a wonder week / being grumpy.

• If you've tried to meet all the needs (food etc) and they're still crying you may want to try the Five S's. Personally I found this AMAZING.

• White Noise - the constant noise that you hear on an aeroplane, the constant hum of traffic, all these noises are white noise. Similar to what your baby heard for 9 months - your blood whooshing around, your heart beating and so on. A silent room feels odd to them. There are hundreds (probably thousands) of white noise apps out there. My top tip is to consider whether you want to listen to it. It's all very well teaching your baby to sleep to the sound of a hoover but can you sleep to the sound of a hoover? I found ocean waves or rain noises to work well for both of us. This can calm your baby and can also help them drift off to sleep.

• SLEEP

• Some babies are great are sleeping, others not so much. Many are ACE at sleeping during the day and pants at sleeping at night.

• I have heard loads of people recommend the Sleepyhead. Fiendishly expensive, however, and you're committed to buying each of the increasing sizes as baby gets bigger. I was recommended to instead put rolled up towels under the sheet to mimic the same nurturing shape.

• I found this swaddle the best by a country mile. No faffing with which bit goes up and down and tucks in and no houdini baby escaping. Just then used a light blanket over her tum (under her arms) to provide a bit of reassuring pressure on her stomach.

• BOOKS

• There are THOUSANDS of books on how to look after a baby and half of them contradict each other (helpful, right?!). Some books are more routine focused (e.g. Gina Ford) and some are more baby-led, attachment parenting style (e.g. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding). Some books are more in the mid ground.

• I suggest going to the library and having a browse until you read one that sounds like your style. Neither routine nor attachment parenting is bad if it suits you and your baby. Having said that, if you’re going to co-sleep (sleep with the baby in your bed) please do some research so that you can do it safely. My understanding is : no pillows, granny blankets with holes in, onesies.

  • Some folk rave about Gina Ford. Lots of people hate her. I'm not a fan as I drove myself to tears on a number of occasions with "but the baby's supposed to be asleep" type worries. My husband reminded me (frequently) that the baby can't read and hasn't read the book and is awake so stop worrying. AH. If only it were that simple!

  • I liked the Baby Whisperer as she spoke a lot of good sense and accepts that not all babies have the same characters. There are also some really useful bits about baby body language which I found invaluable.

  • I’ve had people recommend “What to expect in the first year” and “How to have a baby”.

Does anyone have any other tips they would like to add? Let me know. 

Food: Post Illness Smoothie

I know... yoga teacher suggests a smoothie... nothing revolutionary there... but we've been ill in this house for about ten days (a lovely relay routine of illness) and no-one's appetite is back to normal yet. So in the interest of feeding myself something more nutritious than dry toast, I made a smoothie.

• one banana

• one avocado 

• couple of tablespoons of walnuts

• three tablespoons of vanilla soy yoghurt

• a cup of unroasted almond milk 

I'm sure this could happily be made with cow's milk yoghurt and milk but it gives me spots, so I'm mostly dairy free. 

It was delicious and my husband declared it "The nicest smoothie he's ever eaten" (which considering he's had quite a few, I consider a serious accolade). 

Yoga: Sun Salutations

At today's vinyasa flow class I was asked for things that people can practice at home, in order to keep moving forward with yoga. A personal practice is absolutely key to making real progress with yoga but it can take time before you know enough poses to feel comfortable practising at home. 

A great starting point is the sun salutations - Sun salutations A and B. In the Ashtanga tradition (on which vinyasa flow is based) they do five of each, every time. I'd say that doing 3 of each, each day, would be fantastic. 

Apologies that it's just at home - no glam location etc. If I get organised I'll try and do it in the studio tomorrow before my next class. Here it is though to be getting on with: 

Sun Salutation A

Sun Salutation B 

Yoga : Mother and Baby 4

As you baby gets older, they can often really enjoy doing yoga with you - in this video you can't see much baby involvement as it's a doll, but real-life babies love all the eye contact and being tickled. 

Baking: Gingerbread Biscuits

I normally provide mince pies for the last class before Christmas but since it is also likely to be the last class for two mums due end December, I thought I'd bring out some home baking.  My kids usually help make any home baking and since my littlest is allergic to dairy and eggs I needed to find a decent vegan recipe that delivers on the taste front. This one, from Veggieful is delicious and easy. 

Some of the gingerbread yogis that I made for pregnancy yoga.

 Ingredients  (NB a cup is 250ml if you don't have the cup measuring thingys)

2 1/4 cups plain flour
   1 tablespoon ground ginger
   1 teaspoon cinnamon
   3/4 cup brown sugar
   1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
   3/4 cup melted vegan margarine (eg PURE or Vitalite)
   1/4 cup golden syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 180oC
Mix it all together.
Roll it out on a lightly floured surface.
Cut out shapes
Bob's your uncle. 

Practical Advice: Post Natal Stomach Muscle Separation

Many women's stomach muscles become separated whilst they are pregnant and in most cases the muscles can go back together, without need for any medical intervention, so don't panic if you fear that yours are separated. 

First of all : how do I know if my stomach muscles have separated?

Lie on your back, feet planted on the floor by your bottom. Lift your head up and put your fingers into the midline of the stomach. If the fingers dip in, you have separation. In the picture below you can see that I don't have separated muscles (any more) at the top, but they are separated at the bottom by my belly button. *

Secondly, what can you do about it? 

I am not a doctor or physio, but have read quite widely around the subject. With careful management, many stomach muscles will gradually come back together without the need for surgery.  The focus is on exercises that draw the muscles together, rather than pulling the two sides apart. Sit ups, for example, tend to pull the two sides apart. As does boat pose. Over-opening of the torso in upward dog or bow pose can also be considered unhelpful. 

Helpful exercises include :

1. Cat / Cow stretch. From an all fours position, exhale, draw your stomach back towards the spine and arch your back like an angry cat. Inhale, flatten the back down. Repeat x5.

2. Heel Slides. See here

3. Leg Lifts. See here. 

4. Heel Taps. See here 

5. Pelvic Tilts. Either lying on the floor with feet pressed into the floor by your bottom or standing against the wall with knees slightly bent, exhale and bring your lower back towards the wall or floor. Inhale to relax, repeat again.

6. Head Lifts. Lying on the floor with feet pressed into the floor by your bottom, inhale to prepare and exhale lift your head up. Inhale release your head to the floor. Note you're just lifting the head, not your shoulders. This is not a sit up!

7. Squats against a wall, ideally with a block or small ball between the thighs. 

8. Bridge - with leg lift.

9. Side Planks (normal planks are potentially unhelpful, particularly if held). A side plank with knees on the mat is a great place to start if you're rebuilding your strength.

*You may well ask, if I'm following my own advice, why are my stomach muscles still separated? Well, first of all my youngest child is only 18 months old and it can take years for muscles to fully go back together. There is a much smaller separation than there was a year ago. Secondly, I have had several umbilical hernias and in the place in the photo where I have separation, I have a mesh repair behind it. The doctor advised me that my hernia would still be visible after the repair, but it would be safe. I therefore am assuming that my separation may be visible but not important. But I'm not a doctor. Please check with yours if you're concerned.

Baking : Banana biscuits

I initially thought I'd include some of the recipes of baking that I do for last pregnancy yoga classes (if you come in your 40th week, I'll bake as a send off), but this is one of the most popular bits of baking that I do in my week with my kids and as such thought it might be useful!

Two ripe bananas (even better if they're the black dotted ones left at the bottom of the fruit bowl). Mash them in a bowl. 

One cup (250ml) of oats

1/4 cup of bits and bobs  seeds, chopped dried dates / apple / apricots / walnuts / raisins / whatever you have in the cupboard that your kids like. I've added vanilla essence and peanut butter before (not to the same batch). 

Mix together, put on a baking sheet in blobs that are roughly biscuit shaped, cook for 15 mins at 200oC.

Obviously (from the pic) I'll not be entering Bake Off any time soon, but they are delicious and a pretty healthy snack. Toddlers also enjoy helping to make them. 

Yoga : Mother and Baby Yoga 3

It's been lovely to see the babies who were nestled inside their mums at pregnancy yoga out and about in the world, growing and learning. 

This week, one of the exercises we did during the class is toe taps. 

Lie on your back, feet hip distance apart, pelvis neutral (ie neither pressing spine to the floor, nor arching your back).

Place your head on a block or large book so that you can reach to hold baby in place on your tummy. If you don't have baby with you, you can lie with your head flat on the floor.  

Inhale, engage your core, lift one leg to be parallel with the floor, then lift the other leg up so both legs are parallel.

Then exhale, lower one toe to lightly tap the floor, inhale, lift the pelvic floor and the leg up, then exhale, lower the other leg. Repeat 8 times for each leg. 

If your back starts to arch off the floor, then your core may be under too much strain, so don't lower the foot all the way to the floor, just half way. As your core gets stronger, you will be able to tap the floor.

Yoga : Mother and Baby Yoga 2

The key with all post natal exercise is patience! I know this to my cost, having started running too soon post natally and have the sore knees to prove it. I know that taking it slowly can be frustrating, but slowly and steadily building back up your strength is the key to long lasting health and fitness with no aches and pains. 

So with that in mind, three things for this week:

1) Sphinx pose

Lie on your tummy, then bring your weight onto your elbows, with elbows under your shoulders, hands facing towards the front of your mat.  Keep the neck long, lifting out of the shoulders. 

Inhale, lift through the pelvic floor, exhale lift your tummy off the mat, wrapping it around you (as though you were wearing a corset), release pelvic floor, then inhale tummy goes back onto the mat as you inhale to lift up through the pelvic floor again.

2) Leg Lifts

Here's a video. Start from a lying on your back position with a neutral spine, with a slight curve in your lower back. Both feet on the floor, knees bent. Inhale, lift your pelvic floor, exhale suck your tummy in all around. Then Inhale, lift the pelvic floor, lift the leg so it's level with the other thigh, then exhale lower the leg, sucking the tummy in and around. 

3) Pelvic Floor exercises. 

You'll be doing this already, regularly, right? Well we all forget, but please try and make it part of your day. You want to be holding the pelvic floor up, as well as bringing in the stomach, to have a strong core again. You can get an app which reminds you (Squeezy is the NHS app) or stick reminder stickers around your home, but do make it happen.