Hey Baby, Take Care
Welcome to Sridhar’s newsletter number # 11. Appreciate you being here, so we can connect weekly on interesting topics. Add your email id here to get this directly to your inbox (https://sridhargarikipati.substack.com).
This week I want to talk about my love for you baby and I want you to be safe, healthy, happy, active, peaceful and in many ways, I cannot describe them in words. My love for you cannot be measured and I do not need a reason to care for you. so, my dear baby, I will take care of you and want you to learn to take care of yourself. If you are reading this, you are my baby.
Sleep
Do sleep for 8 hours in night. Do log your sleep for a week and see if you are meeting those 8 hours. If needed, use your phone in-built app or external app to track sleep time. Have a peaceful time an hour before sleep, do your brushing before sleep and be on bed on-time. Meet your 8 hours of good night sleep for sure, get awake my sunshine after that.
Do take some naps during mid-day or evening, those are effective for your improved sleep, cognitive tasks, and mental health.
Oil Massaging
Add Oil Massaging to your bath routine, weekly once. It helps to relive stiffness, improves blood circulation & also helps in boosting your energy levels. so not just physical it benefits mental health.
Cold Showers
Warm feels comfy, try cold showers. Yes, it was hard for first week when I tried in 2019 February (Coldest month in North east of U.S), but from then on, it is all Cold showers for me. There are both physical and mental benefits like increases body metabolism during bath, makes morning more active, improves immune system, boosts morning mood.
Eat Healthy
Eat salt as recommended. Avoid the additional salty foods. Mostly restaurant foods, fast foods or package foods are high in sodium, cook at home so you can measure it well. if not an option, choose foods such that you know it will not be used much or mention while ordering.
Avoid Sugar fully or limit merciless (You can get your sugar from fresh fruits, honey and other sources)
Avoid those All-Purpose flour Biscuits, Cakes etc.
Say No, to Sports drinks, Cola any sort of those. Drink water at recommend levels, stay hydrated. Avoid those sugar drinks fully
Limit Cow milk. As an adult, you can get Vitamin D or other from outdoors and plant-based diet (Not many but Mushrooms or Milk alternative with had Vitamin D added to them like, Almond Milk).
Have Wild Caught Salmon from Seafood in your weekly menu (Not Farm Raised)
Say No to red meat sure. Follow Plant based diet majorly
Replace your All-Purpose foods with Whole Grain Whole Wheat when apt. Web has full of alternatives, Example, you can do banana, Avocado pan cakes
Eat pasture raised certified humane eggs
Eat 100% Dark Chocolate as only Candy or refer to natures fruit candy like Dates
Make your own popcorn at home, make your own peanut butter, Cook your food at home
Avoid Chips, French fries, any fried foods
Eat Homemade cooked food daily. Learn new recipes or stick to constant food menu with diverse foods. Majorly Cook yourself.
Be Active
Move your body to move your mind. The more you will move, the more active you will be. Do 10,000 steps per day for sure. As you grow old, you may not be able to take those many steps so add other activities for movement. Do Move is the point.
Run, Walk, Play some active sports like tennis, shuttle, basketball
Pee
Your pee should be colorless. if it is turning more yellow and smelling it is an alarm for your hydration levels not right. Drink recommended water per day i.e. 3.7 liters for men and 2.7 liters for women
Poop
Yes, I want you to check your poop for your own wellness. Color, Consistency are your clues. Notice your diet and nutritional levels in them and change your menu if its impacts. Just like pee, poop is your way of body sharing its wellness.
Laughter
Be more joyful person, be happy at yourself and with people around you. Spread Joy. Laugh reduces stress hormones, relieves some physical pain, boosts number of antibody-producing cells and leads to a stronger immune system.
Read Books, Literature. Keep on learning
Do read a lot, there is no stop for learning in life. You took me back to visual learning and added a sketch notes skills for me. So, pick your style, Visual or Audio or Reading/Writing learning skills all life.
Music, Dance
Dancing helps in overall body workout. dancing can maintain and even boost your ability to think as you age, so it boosts cognitive performance.
Music helps to regulate emotions so choose the playlist which amplifies you, brings happiness and relaxation in everyday life.
Be that 1-year old baby in your dance moves, that happiness and movement is all one need. Your favorite song in between.
Avoid screen time
Explore the nature around, world around you and sounds. Interact with others, Play with others. Do read a lot and learn from human interactions. Limit screen time, so you can see yourself and your values first, instead what the world/media is portraying of what you should be. Once you keep your values first, then you can limit the usage around it. For me, its reading on Kindle or writing, as it values me than anyone else. So, I limit my screen for reading and writing, not on movies/shows.
Avoid chemicals in all cleaning supplies
It includes hand soap, bath soap, shampoo, bathroom/Kitchen/Laundry/Home cleaning.
Look for EWG certified as helpline to avoid multiple options for any product.
Sleep on firm bed
Stand up against your failures/mistakes in life
You reminded me more of getting back up than anyone else. We learn to walk by falling. Again, and again you were falling and getting up quickly teaches me and anyone else a great lesson. Just like this, in your life when you make mistakes or at failure treat them as your falling down moments and you know better than anyone else to stand up again to move on. Be like a baby my dear baby always.
Communication
I am not just saying talking here. I want you to connect with others, choose your people right, be in right relationships. Be kind with others in nature and in your communication. Show compassion more towards others. Hear others out, even when you do not agree with them, be that kind.
Never criticize others, look good in others, so you can see best in yourself.
Never get into gossip conversations and never gossip about anyone in your conversations.
Get Outdoors.
Morning Sun is good for you, you get your Vitamin D, it is a crucial ingredient for overall health, protects against inflammation, lowers high blood pressure, helps muscles and improves brain function.
Take a nature walk
Splash in water
Caring
Do not give your attention to what others do or fails to do. You were in front of me, so my care towards you will be what I do and what I fail to do. So, do not look how others are doing or failing to care for their baby, Care of yourself and care for people around you
Patience
Show the Patience to the extent that you can overcome your upcoming emotions of anger or any. so can take time to react better. Everyone can lose patience and can react and spoke ill words hurting others, but it would be your charm for not letting that negative emotions to win over real you.
I love you beyond any measure and reason. By now you are very much aware that I am talking about my little baby. Yes, I noted all my thoughts about Ved (My son) in last 13 months.
For me Parenting is like sitting in exam directly and given a guide to look for the answers and best I can respond. I try to have a learn it mindset, as not knowing annoys me. Pregnancy and first 1 year of Ved had made me question a lot. It might be Cleaning, Food Choices etc. Every time I was reading a book (I pick a book for any topic instead of reading tons of articles over web, as Books will give end to end picture if not at least one chapter will resonates with me compared to article or blog post) or article, I was questioning a lot. For sure few things are not good for baby in first year say in food section. Honey is not recommended in first year, but after first year its good. Above list is for sure not for a one year old as they will not be taking 10 K steps per day or will eat sugar. While going through what is good for my son month by month, each activity or choice as a couple we were making for him, reminded me why for Adults this Care is not there. We are bombarded with media may be its for food, electronic devices or any and this exists for Toddlers as well as they grow in age.
Self-Care is must for any person at any age. As it helps us functioning our best. For sure I have adapted and wanted to share with my baby for later to remind the care to be taken and for broader audience even one person can make a change for their Self-Care. So, these were my learning since I became a father and more to come. If you are reading this, see the world as a baby and as a parent. Self-Care is greatest gift you can give to yourself and for others. Take Care.
See my Newsletter # 10, where I talked about Self-Care from a book review for additional notes.
Or Look the post of Self-Care written few months ago here,
For sure I/we had lot of help (Family specially grand mom) in last 13 months of parenting and will have more in future. For now, calling out a book and few websites. I made sure I was reading limited as too much information is also not good.
During pregnancy and even post that, What to Expect When You're Expecting book and their website.
https://www.amazon.com/What-Expect-When-Youre-Expecting/dp/0761187480
for Week by week baby progress,
And topmost person is my better half. Specially in food section, she is my encyclopedia. Questioning partner and just proud of you. Take a bow (vintunnavaaaa).
That is all for this week. See you again.
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