Hone These Mental Health Habits to Help Shed Your 'Pandemic Pounds'

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These last few months in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) have been chaotic and unpredictable, to say the least. With all of the uncertainty around schedules, routines, illness prevention, and trying to figure out what's right and what's wrong in the unprecedented landscape of a global pandemic, many of us have been left with little time to focus on healthy daily habits. If this endless cycle of stress has led you down the path toward weight gain, anxiety, and a general lack of productivity this year, just know that you're not alone.

So how do you break out of this stressful, unproductive rut as the world begins to adjust to a new normal? We reached out to Elizabeth Raynor, Senior Coaching Manager with Noom to find out just how important it is to create habits that support your mental health in additiontothosethat support your physical health. (And how focusing on eliminating stress can actually help you shed some of those "pandemic pounds" you may have gained, too.)

RELATED: How to Keep Your Mental Health Strong During Isolation

Even if you had developed some healthy eating and exercise routines before the pandemic, it may have become incredibly difficult to access fresh grocery items, keep up with fitness regimens, and remain motivated to stay on track once the world essentially shut down.

"When life gets stressful, we tend to fall back on our solidified habits for better or for worse," says Raynor. "If we havent established strong, maintainable, healthy habits by the first speed bump, we are likely to default right back to old habits like mindlessly munching in front of the fridge when we are stressed or staying up late watching TV to relax."

The stress of the pandemic ultimately jolted many people back to square one with their unhealthiest of habits reemerging to the surface, when in actuality, eating healthier, whole foods, and kicking up your cardio are far more efficient stress-busters. These unhealthy patterns of eating and lack of exercise, however, just add to the cycle of stress and make it more overwhelming to build (or re-build) healthy habits. So, if stress leads to bad habits and bad habits lead to stress, where does one even begin to break out of the cycle?

Raynor suggests creating a stress management toolbox that you can lean into when stressors build up and unhealthy habits emerge. As you become aware of negative feelings bubbling up, try turning to meditation or a regular sleep schedule to help you cope. Calming the mind lowers your body's natural response to stress, and staying well-rested allows both the body and mind to remain resilient even when the unpredictable comes our way. Best of all, neither one costs a dime!

RELATED:Feeling Stressed? Time to Give These Foods a Try

Just like you'd take small, specific steps to get your body into better shape, you can do the same for your mind, too. We have naturally occurring chemicals in our brains that help shape our current mood and emotions, namely dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin. In order to build better habits, we must first be in control of our own emotions and the way we react to stressors and stimuli that are often out of our control. By boosting those brain chemicals, we can learn to cope with things like unhealthy cravings that bust our diet and anxiety that stifles our productivity. Fortunately, there are so many ways to boost those feel-good brain chemicals, including exercise, checking off to-dos, laughing with friends, and even just taking in some fresh air and sunshine. Developing small stress-busting habits like taking a walk around the neighborhood after lunch or checking in with a friend every evening are just a few more things you can add to your stress management toolbox.

If you're spending extra time at home these days, Raynor also suggests keeping your surroundings organized. A disorganized space can cause a lot of stress, but rearranging what you have and adding visual cues to remind yourself to partake in healthy habits can make your day that much more streamlined.

Speaking of healthy habits, they should become much easier to develop once your stress levels are more regulated. Ideally, a calmer mind should free up mental space to focus on what's important and what's healthy, and this is precisely where Noom can help with identifying your patterns of thinking and how they are associated with your current habits.

"People are often surprised to discover the underlying thought processes that have made it difficult to make the changes theyre looking for," she says. "The good news is, behavior thats been learned can be unlearned, and Noom gives you the skills and guidance to practice new behaviors, little by little, that promote a healthy lifestyle."

Raynor reminds us that no change is too small or insignificant. In fact, starting with small habits will help build confidence and lay the groundwork for adding in other healthy habits down the road. She suggests picking something relatively easy and doable to start, such as drinking a glass of water each morning. To help make the habit stick, pair the new habit with one that you have already established, such as brushing your teeth. Now when you partake in the habit that you always do, you'll also be reminded to do the new habit until both are ingrained in your daily routine.

Just remember that perfection is not the goal. "If you miss a day, dont beat yourself up; just pick things back up and keep rolling," Raynor encourages.

As you find new ways to lower your stress levels and build a framework of small, but healthy habits, the intersection between stress management and weight management (or even loss) becomes abundantly clear. It then becomes easier to develop bigger habits focused on your outward physical health, such as planning your weekly meals and kickstarting a new exercise routine.

Ultimately, developing a series of healthy habits creates a calm foundation from which you can tackle any stressors that come your way. Once formed and solidified (with a little help from Noom), you'll be able to fall back on strong, healthy habits to get you through whatever the future may have in store.

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Why Stress Management May Be More Important Than Weight Loss During the Pandemic - AskMen

Market Study Report LLC adds a new report on Weight Loss Market Share for 2020-2025. This report provides a succinct analysis of the market size, revenue forecast, and the regional landscape of this industry. The report also highlights the major challenges and current growth strategies adopted by the prominent companies that are a part of the dynamic competitive spectrum of this business sphere.

The research report on Weight Loss market offers a granular analysis on existing market trends, as well as drivers that are slated to catalyze the market growth during the forecast period. It also highlights major market segments, and key manufacturers. Furthermore, the report also comprises of the restraints which may hamper the remuneration over the analysis timeframe. The report throws light on the business overview keeping in mind the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the industry vertical.

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Weight Loss Market Analysis with Key Players, Applications, Trends and Forecasts to 2025 - The Daily Chronicle

Everyone wants to wake up healthier and lose weight fast. Luckily there are things you can do every morning to push your body closer to the healthiest it can be. And while there is no quick fix (to lose weight, have boundless energy, and look and feel years younger bydinner) there are small steps you can take to become healthier, more energetic, and detox your body over time. Detoxing is a way of allowing your cells to do the important work of staying healthy, by eating better, getting sleep, exercising, and taking care of yourself, every day.

Going into a long weekend of fun and relaxation shouldn't mean falling off a cliff, healthwise, since consistency is the key to being healthy. If you make a habit of starting the day right, everything flows so much more easily from there. Committing to yourself and taking theselittle steps to being healthier is the way to see long-term health and wellbeing changes, says Nicole Rose, RD and master in nutrition, who practices in Ridgefield CT, and who loves to help her clients take the necessary steps to detox and get healthier, day by day.

"Overhauling your health or diet all at once can be overwhelming," she says. "Instead take small steps, do something to detox every day, even days a week, and that will lead you to wellness." Here are her five tips for making your body healthier, and they all add up to allowing the body to work less hard to process junk food, and spend more time getting healthier, one day at a time.

Rose is a big believer in eating more plant-based foods, adding healthy fruits and vegetables to your plate, but not being too harsh on yourself or setting unrealistic boundaries and telling yourself you can't have certain foods you may love. "If you put someone in a box and they want to get out of that box, and when they eat that off-limits food--whether it's meat or junk food--it's like they fail," she explains, which is why I don't like labels (such as vegan). But if you help them do a little better every day, they feel like they are winning, conquering their bad habits by adding good ones, and eventually, they feel so great they want to keep going."

Wellness doesn't have to cost a lot of money, or be complicated. It can start with jumping jacks in the morning, or dry brushing, or keeping a healthy salad dressing made in a mason jar in the fridge. But the more little things you do to be healthy, the more they add up, says Rose, and these wins beget bigger wins, and suddenly you are living a healthy lifestyle.

Her detoxing morning rituals and healthy habits for Rose includes any combination of these five ideas.Rose also believes that detoxing is a way of getting rid of what's unhealthy, which is an easier and simpler path towellness since it allows the body to work less hard to eliminatetoxins in our food, which allows you to stay healthy.Then she advises her clients to add clean foods, especially plant-based choices which are rich in antioxidants. Rose advisesclients toavoid acid foods (from animal products) and add alkaline foods (which grow in the earth) to allow your body to get healthier, naturally.

"Doing all these little things(like dry brushing or waiting to eat until you're hungry in the morning)is a bonus, and will help you feel like you're winning, so you want to keep on taking care of yourself, by eating healthy for the rest of the day," she adds. And while there is no one-size-fits-all for diets, she loves working with her clients to help tailor their programs to fit their needs and their lifestyles and add more plant-based foods to their plate.

Lemon Water first thing is the number one thing I advise. It helps your body by adding antioxidants first thing. You can add apple cider vinegar or ginger if you like, which is antibacterial and antifungal. I call it your morning flu shot. Start with water and lemon in the morning to alkalize your body and let it start to get the toxins out. Drinking hot Lemon Water in the morning has been linked to weight loss and improved immunity, so especially now, while coronavirus is still a threat, drinking this first thing will supply nearly 30 percent of your vitamin C for the day, boosting immunity and giving your body a healthy start to the day.

This is such a simple thing. Go outsidefor 15minutes in the morning to start your day and get sunlight. You can walk, bike, jog or just do sun salutes, or stretch by reaching for the sky, but the important thing is to let the sunlight hit your eyes and send a signal to the brain that you're awake,set restart on the day, "this is a bright new start," which works to reset your circadian rhythms and signal your body to wake up!

A new study shows that bright sunlight within an hour of waking up will help you fall asleep earlier in the evening (as will avoiding bright light within 2 hours of bedtime) so if you're sleep deprived or anxious and having trouble getting to sleep, head outside within an hour of waking to reset your body's natural clock. There's the added benefit of getting vitamin D which your body needs to metabolize nutrients like calcium from the food you eat, and boost your immune system. For energy and immunity, better sleep and a healthy metabolism, get a dose of early sunlight!

Sweat is important and we would be remiss if we didn't tell you to start your day with an activity that makes you sweat, even if it's jumping jacks. But there is another way to rid your body of toxins in sweat and that's by opening your pores and stimulating the skin with dry brushing. "People love dry brushing. You feel good, and it's believed to help your lymphatic system," Rose says. The idea is that by brushing your skin you slough off any dead cells and allow your pores to breathe,Dry brushing devotees do it torelease toxins through the skin.The bristlesstimulateand open pores andmay make it easier for the body to sweat out toxins, which lowers the number of toxins flowing through thelymphatic system. Rose tells clients to start doing it every day before their shower. "This is a way to feel like you're doing something healthy. You don't have to conquer something big."

She adds that if you like the brushing, you're going to start feeling good about your life and loving your routine. "You have to enjoy your morning and getting into it is part of a healthy lifestyle."

Changing up your breakfast is a big help in losing weight and feeling better. Everyone is trying intermittent fasting to lose weight, but Rose thinks there's a simpler and less harsh approach. Don't eat until you're hungry and even then keep it simple.

"Maybe start by pulling back on what you are eating.If you wake up and you're not that hungry, just wait to eat. My advice, and there's no delicate way to put this: Start by not eating until you have a bowel movement because we don't want to put today's food on yesterday's garbage."

Then, Rose advises, eat a small piece of fruit in the morning, instead of a big omelet or smoothie with 19 different ingredients. A simple piece of fruit like a peach, an apple, or a handful of berries is a perfect start to a clean day. "This gets your digestion going but is less work on your body to digest, so you can continue detoxing from the night before. The whole idea of detoxing is to give your body less work, so your liver and kidneys and intestines can do their job to cleanse your system. You want to start the day by cleaning out."

Start by giving your body less work to do, during the beginning of the day. "The less digestive work your body is going through, the healthier you are going to be," she adds

When you eat foods, the metabolic waste is either acid or alkaline, and the more fruit and vegetables and plant-based foods you eat, the more alkaline your body becomes, which is considered healthier in avoiding diseases like cancer. The flip side is that meat and dairy leave an acid metabolic waste and can increase your risks of chronic diseases. There are myriad studies now that link red meat and processed meat to cancer risk, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, and mounting scientific evidence that diets rich in plant-based foods and high in fiber lower your risk for all these diseases and conditions.

According to the Alkaline Diet, choosing more alkaline foods will improve your daily health and help you avoid long-term diseases, including cancer. Says Rose: "I am not a fan of meat and dairy. It creates acid in your body, and your body has to go thru so much work to neutralize the acid. Eating animal foods like meat and dairy leads to inflammation. I try to keep it simple. I tell clients to eat more fruits and vegetables. It's the small things that make a difference. Cutting out meat and dairy is the diff between your body being acid and alkaline and if they understand that they can choose healthier foods.

"I don't say. eat vegan but I try tolead by example and show clients how to shop, cook and eat more plant-based foods, which inevitably makes them feel great, as they try it.

"If you tell them what they can do, like eat more plant-based foods, as opposed to what they can't do, like cut out a specific food they may like, then they feel like they have won the lottery. You let them do all these healthy things and choose healthy foods. That's a win."

Ultimately the detox you do will make you feel positive, and give you the sense of taking control of your health from the very start of the day onwards. You want to feel empowered to become the master of your own life, she adds. "Ultimately you are giving people the power to be healthier."

"The love you have for your self, the happy talk, all adds up to make a healthier lifestyle. Small changes like these allow you to live a better life."

Wellness doesn't take crazy amounts of money or time. It's these morning detox moves. And then carry that forward throughout the day. It's making yourself a simple dressing, she adds, that you can keep in a mason jar and put on your greens at lunch to make them tasty. It's all these little strategies that add up.

Take these little steps and others that will set yourself up for success, Rose explains. "I care about consistency, that's where you're going to see progress. One morning at a time. Build a relationship with your wellbeing."

Nicole Rose, MFRD has a Masters in Nutrition and is a Registered Dietician. "I eat sleep and breathe this lifestyle," she says, practicing in Ridgefield CT. "On a personal note, I have never felt better than now at 47. For the past 25 years, I tried everything. I loved Diet Coke and Tic Tacs and gum. But I don't do those things anymore. I got informed. And I don't want those things anymore. It's nothing to do with willpower. It's knowing what you feel like when you are doing something great. It's building yourselfup."

Continued here:
5 Easy Ways to Detox in the Morning to Be Healthier All Day Long - The Beet

Provided by Best Life Growing up, Jasmine Parenthas always been athleticnot to mention tall. Hitting 5'10" at an early age, her above average height and natural athletic ability made basketball the obvious sport of choice. And it was one she excelled at greatly, even playing at Arcadia College in Nova Scotia. But it wasn't long after graduating that real life started to become overwhelming. Missing the piece of her identity previously fulfilled by basketball and dealing with the loss of her father, Parent found herself struggling with a lack of purpose. She turned to food as a means of coping, and in just a couple of years she put on over 100 pounds. She also got married to her now-husband Jeremy and gave birth to two girls. As a wife and mother of two, she found little time to focus on herselfcausing both her physical and mental health to fall by the wayside."I looked at myself in the mirror and saw a photo of myself with some friends, and I didn't recognize myself at all," Parent, now 31, told Best Life. "It was like I blinked and two years had gone by."In late 2017, with New Year's Eve quickly approaching, Jasmine and Jeremywho was also significantly overweightdecided it was time to commit to turning their lives around. In order to be the best parents possible to their two young girls, they needed to get serious about their health. So, they did what millions of people every year dothey made a resolution to lose weight. But, they'd made resolutions in the past and tried an array of trendy diets. What would be different this time? After all, according to a survey by Statista, only 4 percent of people who made New Year's resolutions in 2018 reported keeping them for any reasonable length of time."We made a point of emphasis to say that this wasn't going to be like other New Year's resolutions before. We need to make this real," Parent said, adding that having two children to think about gave the couple the extra edge that had been lacking in previous attempts to change their lifestyle. "Instead of just making some short-term changes, we want to make life-long changes." And that's exactly what they did.On the morning of Jan. 1, 2018, Jasmine and Jeremy rid their house of any and all junk food deemed to have the potential to prevent the couple from achieving their goal. That was the first step of their plan, which also included cutting out all beverages besides water, getting regular exercise, and, perhaps most importantly, tracking their food with Lose It!, a popular weight loss app that allowed them to monitor their food and water intake."We didn't have a clue how much food we were actually consuming," Parent said. "You don't have to starve yourself. We decided to eat cleaner and track our foods. That's how you make long-term changes."That's not to say that there weren't challenges along the way, but based on trial and error, they figured out what worked for them. When two cheat days a month seemed to be pushing them too far off track, they narrowed it down to one day per month in which they allowed themselves to indulge in some less restrictive diet decisions.A few months into 2018 and already showing signs of success, on a whim, Parent began documenting her weight-loss journey on Instagram. Though she hoped her story would inspire others in similar situations, she never thought it would take off the way it did. After quickly growing her following on social media, by the time Dec. 2018 rolled aroundjust a year after the couple made their resolution to get healthyParent had not only dropped more than 100 pounds, but she was also able to leave her job and start her own business, I Am Worthy Wellness.Now a certified nutrition coach and behavior change specialist, Parent helps people overcome the hurdles standing in their way of achieving positive lifestyle goals, especially those posed by mental health issues, which she has a personal passion for."I had been on anti-anxiety medication for five years," Parent told Best Life. "And before this all started, my anxiety had reached the point of crippling." But after talking with her doctor, she was able to get off medication only a year after beginning her weight-loss effort. "I'm thankful to say I've never had to go back on them," Parent said. Though theirs is an incredible story, Parent swears it's not an unrealistic one for those who want to make a similar change.

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Gallery: How to Encourage Your Kid to Have a Good Relationship With Food and Their Body (PopSugar)

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Here's How This Couple Lost 220 Pounds Together and Changed Their Lives - MSN Money

CUMNOCK twins have shed an incredible seven stone between them in just under two years.

Brothers Ryan and Lewis McGregor, 20, have been on a sensational weight loss journey and have hailed their personal trainer Jordan Drummond who got them fighting fit.

Ryan has gone from 19st 3lbs to 15st 3lbs, whilst Lewis has gone from 17st 10lbs to a trim 14st 8lbs.

Lewis lost a total of three stone.

After entering a biggest loser competition at the towns In Da Hut gym, they started to blast the fat which was holding them back and leaving them low on confidence.

Smashing initial targets, they lost a stone each in the first month.

Last week they revealed the incredible results as they set their sights on some new goals.

Ryan told the Chronicle: We were 18 at the time and we were massive.

We were both big props who played rugby but when we stopped playing, we were just really unhappy and

unfit.

We entered the competition as we wanted to become a better version of ourselves.

Lewis and I would join up with another two people, and wed all compete against

each other as a group.

Ryan believes the intense workouts put them on the right track and helped them develop into football coaches for Kilmarnock FC at pro-youth level.

He said: For us it was really intense.

We werent used to that environment of having personal training sessions.

We are always there for each other, thats why weve got the opportunities we have.

Were always there to motivated to push forward.

It has helped us with football coaching. We started going to courses when we were 18 and we were the biggest there.

Now we work in a professional environment and look professional as well.

Its helped our confidence.

The twins helped support each through the testing times as they hit stumbling blocks along the way.

Ryan added: There was times where wed lose so much weight so quickly.

After that first stone, we werent losing. If we did it would only be every second week.

We battled ourselves to get through that.

Jordan was really patient with us.

Jordan added: They have both worked so hard and done exceptionally well.

Its been amazing to see both twin brothers achieving their own personal goals and doing it together.

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Cumnock twins team up to smash weight loss goals shedding seven stone - Cumnock Chronicle

As the conversation around body positivity and body-shaming continues developing new layers with every new voice added to the conversation, we are growing in appreciation for Lizzos brand of body positivity and what it means to be body goals

From her hyper positive music to her out of this world can-do attitude, Lizzo is quickly changing what the world considers body goals. Here are three reasons we are completely on board with Lizzos version of body goals.

Health is wealth. In the culture of extreme dieting and get slim quick gimmicks, health is secondary to finally fitting into those jeans and getting bikini ready.

Lizzo, a proudly plus-sized artist has a tight workout routine and maintains a clean diet and she does it all to feel good. From her music to her social media presence, Lizzo maintains she has no intention of losing weight and is doing it all just for herself.

Loving the body she has, has become a signature for Lizzo and put her front and centre of the body positivity movement but Lizzo says her body is no gimmick and nothing to be brave about.

Loving myself was the result of answering two things: Do you want to live? Cause this is who youre gonna be for the rest of your life. Or are you gonna just have a life of emptiness, self-hatred and self-loathing? And I chose to live, so I had to accept myself, she wrote in her NBC News op-ed.

Sending a strong message to critics like biggest loser trainer Jillian Michaels, Lizzo shared a Tik-Tok video which stated in colourful language that health isnt always about what you look like.

Warning: Video contains strong language

Related: Lizzo claps back at body-shamers in explosive TikTok video

While Lizzos self-love and lifestyle might be of concern to some, concern for your health (whether it means losing weight or not) stems from self-love.

Lizzo has inspired many women to exercise no matter their size and eat well for their health and not short-lived weight loss.

Lizzo has recently gone vegan, while many expected her diet change to lead to drastic weight loss, it hasnt.

A plant-based diet doesnt automatically lead to weight loss, a calorie deficit diet does. Extremely restrictive diets may lead to rapid weight loss, but are rarely sustainable and could contribute to binge eating and other destructive eating habits.

A clean diet may not give you quick results but it can sustainably improve your health.

Related: Lizzo goes vegan during lockdown, shares her new healthy diet

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Why you, me and Lizzo are totally #bodygoals - All4Women

Melanie Huneycutt and her husband Bradley were looking forward to welcoming a third child into their family last August when, at around 10 weeks pregnant, Melanie received news no mother ever wants to hear: she had suffered a miscarriage.

We thought that was one of the worst days we would ever have in our life, said Melanie, 28, a sixth grade math teacher at Albemarle Middle School.

But the couple, who reside in New London, put their trust and faith in God to help lead them through the grief and pain.

We trusted in God and prayed about it and knew that God would send us a blessing, though we didnt know what that blessing would be, she said.

They wouldnt have to wait long for their prayers to be answered.

Rainbow Baby

Roughly two months after suffering unimaginable heartbreak, the Huneycutts tragedy quickly gave way to pure joy when in October, Melanie discovered she was once again pregnant. They referred to the child as their rainbow baby the term often used to describe a child born to a family who had previously lost a child due to miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.

Roughly 10 months after suffering the loss of one child, the family exuberantly welcomed the birth of another. On June 18, Kolbie Dawn Huneycutt, who weighed 8 pounds and was 21 inches in length, entered the world.

We are so thankful God has given us this sweet sweet blessing, Melanie posted on Facebook at the time, adding the hashtags #ourrainbow, #rainbowbaby and #rainbowafterthestorm.

Unlike most typical newborns, whos crying often prevents parents from getting much, if any, sleep, Melanie said Kolbie was different.

She was perfect, Melanie said, adding that she would sleep all night. She didnt do anything but smile and laughshe was eight weeks of pure joy.

The couples two older children Callie, whos almost 8, and Robbie, 6 were also elated at the birth of their sister, Melanie said. Both kids enjoyed holding their sister and she loved to be held. Bradley, whos 32 and works at Crook Motor Company, also enjoyed holding his daughter and playing her favorite song, The Blessing by Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes.

Pictures of Kolbie, often adorned with cute headbands, colorful outfits (especially llama-themed ones, which Melanie loved to dress her in) and a warm smile, quickly dominated Melanies Facebook. In one picture, Callie and Robbie, wearing Big Sis and Big Bro shirts, lovingly smile at their sister, who is asleep and snugly bundled in a wicker bassinet. In another, Kolbie, wrapped tightly in what appears to be a rainbow blanket, is lying on a bed surrounded by a garland.

Melanie said Kolbie was by all accounts a completely healthy baby, which is what makes what occurred two months after birth all the more unexpected.

The first day of school, on Aug. 17, started exactly as planned. Bradley changed Kolbies diaper and delivered her to the babysitter while Melanie headed to Albemarle Middle to welcome her new students. She was behind her desk pumping milk at around 8:15 a.m. when she received an urgent call from the babysitter.

Kolbie wasnt breathing.

Melanie immediately rushed to her car, called Bradley and they both raced to the babysitters house. The ambulance was already there when the Huneycutts arrived and first responders were performing CPR. The couple werent allowed to see Kolbie, so they stood outside the house and did the only thing they could they prayed.

After detecting a faint heartbeat, the first responders rushed Kolbie to the hospital with the Huneycutts trailing behind. Once at Atrium Health Stanly, Melanie was in a triage-type room as around 10 to 12 nurses performed CPR on Kolbie.

I didnt know if I wanted to see that, but Im so thankful that I did see that because I could see how hard they were working to save her life, Melanie said.

Melanie and Bradley were at the hospital for at least an hour when they were informed that despite the nurses and doctors best efforts, Kolbie had passed.

Even though that day is a blur and she has forgotten much of the specifics, she does remember sitting with Bradley for a long time, both still in shock, holding their child because we didnt want to leave.

The family has not yet received the autopsy report so they dont know the specifics behind Kolbies death. But there is one thing the Huneycutts know for sure: After going to sleep that morning, Kolbie woke up in heaven, Bradley said.

Her funeral was Aug. 21 at the Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care Chapel and she was buried the same day at Mattons Grove United Methodist Church in Gold Hill, according to her obituary. The Huneycutts decided that for Kolbies funeral, in lieu of flowers, they encouraged people to make donations to the Pregnancy Resource Center in Albemarle.

Finding Joy In Helping Another Mother

Even after Kolbies death, Melanie, out of simple routine, continued to pump milk for the next week and a half. She had already compiled an oversupply of milk for her daughter over the past two months, which she kept in the freezer. Melanie ultimately had 800 ounces of breastmilk she no longer needed.

Melanie was debating whether she wanted to donate her milk, when she happened upon the Facebook page Human Milk 4 Human Babies North Carolina, which is an informed milk sharing network where mothers can post specific milk requests.

She read through tons of requests from mothers across the state before quickly zeroing in on a woman named Tessa Davis. Though Davis, who lives in Carthage, was looking for breast milk donation for her daughter Dylann, who was born in July, what initially caught Melanies eye was the accompanying photo of a sleeping child wearing a llama outfit, which reminded her of Kolbie.

Though Melanie had gravitated towards Davis and her child, she still didnt know if she wanted to donate her milk. She prayed to God for discernment while continuing to think about Davis.

Once she got confirmation from God when he says move, you move, she said, Melanie contacted Davis on Facebook and the two began a conversation that culminated in Davis and Dylann coming to New London to meet Melanie and her family.

Davis, who has been on medication due to postpartum depression and therefore could not breastfeed Dylann, said she had tried several formulas, but her baby was upset with each of them.

She was nervous about meeting Melanie, and admits taking anxiety medication before driving to New London, because she wasnt sure how to act or what to say to a woman who had recently lost her child.

But those thoughts quickly dissipated once she met Melanie and realized how easy and natural it was to talk to her.

The two women talked for about an hour and a half, bonding over how each had ended up on the breastfeeding Facebook page and about their faith similarities. Davis grew up in an Assembly of God church while Melanie and her family are members of The Gathering in Albemarle.

Melanie Huneycutt with Tessa Davis and her one-month daughter Dylann last week.

For the first time in weeks, Melanie was able to hold a baby in her arms again, which she acknowledged brought up a mix of emotions.

It was hard, but it was nice to have that weight in my arms because I had missed that so much, she said.

Davis, 32, said she was especially touched when Dylann actually reached out and grabbed onto a necklace Melanie was wearing, which featured a picture of Kolbie.

It was kind of one baby reaching out to another baby thats not here anymore, Davis said of the moment.

Melanie Huneycutt holds Tessa Davis daughter Dylann.

She was so overcome with emotions due to the encounter with Melanie that she started crying once she got into her car. The 800 ounces of breastmilk, Davis said, have filled up her deep freezer and should last at least two months.

For Davis, the milk means more than merely feeding her child. Melanies donation has also helped to alleviate some of her mental health problems.

I cant even say thank you enough, she said.

Even through tragedy, the Huneycutts were thrilled that they were able to glorify God by donating Melanies breastmilk to Davis and by doing so, they were also able to keep Kolbies memory alive. The two women have exchanged numbers and plan to continue their friendship.

After the visit, Melanie posted on Facebook: My arms are still empty as is my heart, but it gave me joy knowing that because of Kolbie I was able to provide something to someone in need.

Any time you can help somebody else out, thats what were here for, Bradley said. Thats the standard to help other people in need.

Uplifted By The Community

Over the past few weeks after losing Kolbie, the Huneycutts have felt the love and support not just from the community, but from people in other cities in the state and beyond who have reached out after hearing their story.

The support from the community through all this has been overwhelming, Bradley said, adding that people from other states have sent cards and other gifts to the family. It has helped out a ton to know how many people care.

One of Melanies good friends, Mary Margaret Wysocki, who owns Make it Personal, a screen print and embroidery shop in Albemarle, has been selling shirts with the word Mama on the front of them. Melanie modeled the shirt for her when she was pregnant with Kolbie to post on Wysockis website. All proceeds from the shirts have gone to the Pregnancy Resource Center.

The community really showed out in purchasing these shirts in memory of Kolbie, Wysocki said, adding that she has sold 520 shirts and has raised about $9,300 for the Pregnancy Resource Center. People really have supported them through the fundraiser.

The Huneycutts faith, even in the face of such terrible grief, is what has really stood out to her, Wysocki said.

Even people Melanie has never met have gone to great lengths to comfort the family. A woman from the Sweetest Beginnings gift shop in Concord designed a rainbow and butterfly sticker with Kolbies name affixed to it while a woman from Virginia sent books to Melanie and her kids about dealing with loss.

From phone calls, texts and heartfelt Facebook comments to people sending cards, packages, donations and even a colorful weighted bear composed of a variety of burp clothes and blankets with the words Llama Love You Forever, the overwhelming love and support the family has received has meant so much to them. And its helped them to realize that, even in the midst of such great pain, they have a strong support system and they are not grieving by themselves.

The Huneycutts received a colorful weighted bear with the words Llama Love You Forever from their friend Audrey Carter.

We felt alone for the first couple of days (after Kolbies death), Bradley said, but the more you go through it and the more support you receiveyou realize that other peoples lives stopped that day, too.

The familys pastor told them during the funeral that the death of a child affects people so much because its out of order, Bradley said, because parents are not supposed to bury their children.

The family has set up a small memorial inside the house with several pictures of Kolbie. Theyve also talked to others who have lost loved ones whove told them you never get past it, you just live through it.

Melanie has been out of school since Aug. 17 and doesnt plan to go back for at least another week as she continues to process what has happened and spend time with her family. She said the school system and the faculty at Albemarle Middle have been incredibly supportive of her during this tough time. But she still misses her students and calls teaching in a classroom her heart and her happy place.

Reflecting on Kolbie, we know that she knew nothing but love, Melanie said, and were thankful for that.

And Kolbie loved many things in her short life, according to Melanie, including her brother and sister, being held, smiling, her silky blanket, her butterfly mobile and spending time on Lake Tillery.

For some people, it takes 80 years to have an impact on others, Melanie said, but for Kolbie, it took her 8 weeks. She had a humongous impact.

Chris Miller has been with the SNAP since January 2019. He is a graduate of NC State and received his Master's in Journalism from the University of Maryland. He previously wrote for the Capital News Service in Annapolis, where many of his stories on immigration and culture were published in national papers via the AP wire.

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After suffering great loss, family helps another - The Stanly News & Press - Stanly News & Press