*GIVEAWAY* Enchant Vancouver

Enchant, the world's largest Christmas light maze is coming to Vancouer! Running from November 25th to New Year's Eve (when it will finish with a flourish of fireworks!), Enchant is a Christmas light maze and holiday market which features over 40 local vendors, craftsmen, and artisans, as well as 12 food trucks and a licensed section with drinks to warm the bones and boost holiday cheer.

Enchant is a family-friendly festival with a 55,000 sq.ft. maze of light sculptures, a 64-foot Christmas tree, live performances, an outdoor fire pit, lots of holiday shopping, and a Christmas storybook written by local storyteller Leanne Johnston and illustrated by Sebastian S.C. available for purchase at the exit of the light maze or pre-ordered with tickets.

Event Details:

Where: 1st & Crowe St, Vancouver (between the Cambie Street Bridge and Olympic Village)

When: Nov 25- Dec 31, 2016, 4pm- 10pm 

Tickets: 

Adults (16+) : $19.95 

Children (6- 15) & Seniors (65+): $14.95 

Children 5 and under FREE 

Family passes also available

You can buy your Enchant tickets here or win a pair to the exclusive Media Preview night on November 24th by visiting my Facebook page and telling me your favourite Christmas carol. (Please note that kids 16 & under get in free on the Media Preview night).

{Disclosure: I received complimentary access to the Media Preview night in exchange for this post.}

#PrayForFlo

On October 25th, local mama, Florence Leung, went missing. Florence has a two-month old son and, according to her family, is suffering from postpartum depression. Since her disappearance, she has been seen on surveillance video buying a snack on the day she disappeared, and her car was found in Stanley Park. No other trace of her has been found.

The community has rallied around her family. People are still searching, hoping, and praying that Florence will return home safely. If you're in the Vancouver area, tonight there will be a group of supporters showing their love and positive energy at Ceperley Playground near Second Beach in Stanley Park. If you're not able to make it in person, will you spare some good thoughts and light a candle at 6:30pm(PST) to show love and hope for a struggling mama?

If you are struggling, please speak to someone you trust. If you're a BC mom, the Pacific Post Partum Support Society is a great place to start. Another great resource is Postpartum Progress. And a good number to have, even if you're not struggling (because you never know when you'll encounter someone who is,) is the Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. Everyone deserves to get the help they need. You are not alone. Depression lies.

Meal Plan 11/07/2016 - 11/11/2016

The beginning of last week was chaotic (Hallowe'en! Coming home from a weekend away!) but the end of the week felt much more settled and we were able to stick to a fairly healthful meal plan. This week Shawn requested we stick to fish and poultry because he wants to cut back on his red meat intake now that he's doing Bulletproof coffee in the morning.

Monday: Roast Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary. Mashed sweet potatoes. Green salad.

Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie made with ground turkey and topped with mashed sweet potatoes.

Wednesday: Leftovers.

Thursday: Oven-roasted Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Sauce.

Friday: Homemade pizza.

What's your favourite non-red meat entrée? I need some fresh ideas!

*GIVEAWAY* How to Hack Your Breastfeeding / Pumping Routine with #MedelaCanada's PTPA Award-Winning Trio

Pumping kind of sucks. Literally and figuratively. It takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication to pump breastmilk. There's set-up, clean-up, storage, sterilizing, and that doesn't even touch on the actual pumping (or feeding the expressed milk to your baby for that matter).

Pumping can be a pain in the boobs but it doesn't have to be terrible. Medela's PTPA award-winning trio of products can help you hack your pumping routine to make it less tedious and more productive. Skeptical? I was too until I gave it a try. I thought that after breastfeeding and pumping for my firstborn, I was a bit of a pro. I should have known better (I'm convinced babies are sent to keep us humble!).

What I've learned is new baby = new breastfeeding experience. Sure there are some similarities - I'm still rocking the same rack - but breastfeeding the second time around has been a much more involved process. 

My first breastfeeding experience was one of managing oversupply. I pumped to relieve pressure. I stuffed my sleeping bra with nursing pads and slept on folded up receiving blankets to try to sop up the milk that leaked from my body. Grady couldn't keep up with my supply and my freezer soon became full of baggies of frozen breastmilk. After a long screening process, I was accepted as a donor at the BC Women's Provincial Milk Bank and I'd lug giant grocery bags packed to the brim with frozen breastmilk to the hospital to donate.

My body started making too much milk again this time but when Poppy was about two months old, it suddenly lessened. I don't know if it was stress (there was no sleep in the early weeks) or my thyroid hormone adjustments, but my supply seemed to level off and then start to dip. With the help of Medela's Freestyle double electric breast pump, Calma feeding system, and MyMedela App, I was able to hack my breastfeeding / pumping routine to keep my supply on track with Poppy's needs.

Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. For many women, following baby's cues is a great way to maintain a healthy supply. If anyone is struggling with their supply, my first suggestion is always get that top off, strip baby down to a diaper, and get in bed. Lots of skin-on-skin and breastfeeding are a great way to give your supply a bit of a kick start. This isn't always a practical solution though. If you're separated from your baby (because of work, illness, or you know, life) a double pump is the next best thing. Removing milk from your breasts (by breastfeeding or pumping) is the most effective way to trigger your body to make more milk. Put down the fenugreek capsules and lactation cookies and pick up a pump!

My supply is always fullest in the morning so adding an a.m. pumping session is a great way to build a bit of a stash for when my body can't keep up with Poppy, and to give my body a bit of a nudge. I use the Freestyle's handy single pump feature and hands-free getup to breastfeed Poppy on one side and pump on the other. My letdown reflex responds to her suckling and I find that I'm able to pump more milk than if I was just using the pump alone.

The Calma feeding system is designed to help breastfed babies switch between breast and bottle with minimal confusion because the same orofacial muscles are engaged so baby can create a vacuum to start the milk flow (instead of the milk just flowing out like with other teats). I know that for my exclusively breastfed baby, drinking straight from the tap is the best case scenario. I appreciate the Calma for times when that isn't possible because it takes some of the pressure off of me. Feeding a tiny human with my body is a wonderful thing but sometimes the responsibility of it is overwhelming. It's reassuring to know that I've got Calma in my corner.

The MyMedela App is great for keeping track of your baby's development (height, weight, sleep, feeding, diapers, etc.,) your pumping output (you can track how long you pump, how much milk you were able to express from each breast, which breast you finished your session on, and any other notes you want to make about your pumping session) and breastfeeding. If you aren't a data person (I'm not!) the app is also great for troubleshooting. There's a handy Problem Solver section which addresses common questions about breastfeeding and pumping. I appreciated the section on milk blockages; the issues I've encountered with breastfeeding (albeit minor, though it doesn't feel like it at the time!) always seem to show up in the middle of the night. The MyMedela App is a reassuring quick reference guide for those times when you just need a few tips or tricks to get you through. It's kind of like having a girlfriend or older sister on-call 24/7 to say "you're doing great, it will get better, have you tried this?"

And now for the good stuff! One lucky winner will take home a Medela Freestyle double electric breast pump (valued at $495CDN). Contest open to Canadians, excluding Quebec.

Medela #MedelaCanada Freestyle Double Breast Pump Giveaway

{Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Medela Canada and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.}