Anisah's Natural Living

11/04/2026

🌿THE HEALING POWER OF PLANTS🌿

This afternoon, my son accidentally cut his finger pretty badly on my razor. He was bleeding a lot and went through two applications of gauze.

As I was trying to decide whether we needed to make a trip to urgent care, I went searching for my yarrow (which, of course, seems to be missing 🫠).
So, I reached for something else growing in my kitchen: THYME! 🌱
This plant is commonly known as Cuban Oregano, but in Guyana, we call it Broad Leaf Thyme.

Most of us know it as the aromatic herb we use to clean meat and season our food, but this plant has a history of medicinal use, too.
Broad Leaf Thyme is valued for its natural antibacterial, antiseptic, and antioxidant compounds and is also rich in vitamins A and C.
I took a leaf and held it pressed to my son’s finger, and within a few minutes, the bleeding had stopped. He even stated that it was no longer hurting.
I cleaned the area, replaced the leaf with a fresh one, secured it with medical tape, and covered everything with a Band-Aid.

It was one of those moments that reminded me just how much plant knowledge is woven into our everyday lives.

🌿 Sometimes, the plants we overlook in our gardens have the most fascinating stories to tell.
A little reminder: I’m not a doctor and I am not giving medical advice or advising you to not seek professional wound care. I am a self-taught herbalist who shares her experiences🤗

Do you use Broad Leaf Thyme in your cooking? If so, what name do you call it by? Have you ever used Broad Leaf Thyme for something other than cooking? I’d love to hear about your experiences!

10/26/2026

🚨🚨🚨 In a landmark case, an Australian woman is awareded $275,000 in negligence case after she was coerced into an exam during labor.

The woman's birth plan stated she only consented to exams as medically necessary. However, when she arrived at triage in labor, she was refused admission, care, and any pain management unless she consented to an exam.

Many people experience medical coercion and it's an uncomfortable and often traumatic experience. However, when one is IN labor, navigating one of the most vulnerable experiences of their lives, the lack of autonomy and control makes forced exams potentially life altering.

The supreme court of Victoria, ruled the forced exam to be battery, assault, and medical negligence. By not providing care unless a one allows an exam is coercion by withholding care.

This landmark case has the potential to change maternity care, something many can't wait to see happen.

Everyone deserves informed CONSENT, autonomy, and rights - being in labor does not negate the right to consent and autonomy.

Do you think this case will impact maternity care in AUS? Does it have the potential to impact maternity care globally?

Consent always matters, labor or not.

09/16/2026

It’s always an honor when a former client refers me to a friend—but nothing tops when it’s the 𝘥𝘢𝘥 doing the referring.

“Bro, my doula was the sh*t. You need to call her.” 🤣 (verbatim quote)
“Yo, you 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 to take this childbirth class—it was so helpful.”

I love my families. Grateful every time. 💛

07/07/2026

“I wrote him off day one.”
“That kid is an asshole.”
“He’s a lost cause.”
“She’s got a nasty attitude.”

These are actually things I’ve heard colleagues say about students, often right in the hallway where anyone could overhear.

Can students (especially in today’s increasingly challenging teaching environment) be disrespectful and difficult to teach? Absolutely.

Can students also sense when they’re disliked or dismissed and respond to that lack of respect? Absolutely.

Some of my favorite students over the years have been the ones others had already written off. They’re the kids who just needed someone to see them, listen to them, and believe in them. These are the kids who would (and have 😩) cuss someone out over me, not because I let them get away with anything, but because they know I have their backs. They treat me like I’m their auntie because they know my library is a safe space where they’ll be heard, respected, and cared for.

Every student deserves at least one adult who refuses to give up on them.

07/06/2026

Graduated high school together 🎓 Reunited as coworkers 💻 Spent 2 years causing trouble together ✨Then they RIF’d me and robbed her of her work bestie 😩

03/04/2026

🚨 Recent research is challenging the CDC's strict guidelines on breast milk storage—especially for partially used bottles after feeding.

The CDC currently recommends using or discarding leftover breast milk within 1–2 hours after a baby finishes feeding from the bottle, to limit bacterial risks.

A 2026 German study (preprint on medRxiv, with 44 healthy full-term infants) tested this directly by measuring bacterial growth in leftover human milk after actual bottle feeds.

Main findings:

• Bacterial levels rose after feeding due to contact with the baby's mouth, but showed no meaningful further increase at 4 hours or 8 hours—whether kept at room temperature (~20°C) or refrigerated (4°C).

• Significant growth appeared only after 24 hours at room temperature.

• Refrigerated leftover milk stayed low-risk and stable for up to 24 hours.

For healthy, full-term babies, this suggests it's generally safe to:

• Refrigerate a partially used bottle and reuse it within 24 hours, or

• Leave it at room temperature for up to 8 hours when needed.

Unused pumped milk also proved more stable than the CDC's 4-hour room-temperature rule, with very little bacterial growth even up to 24 hours in many cases, consistent with other recent studies.

The current guidelines are understandably cautious, especially for preterm infants, NICU babies, or those with health issues, who should stick to stricter rules and check with a doctor.

For most parents with healthy babies, though, this new evidence provides real relief: less wasted breast milk, fewer stressful discards, and guidelines that better match actual safety data and everyday feeding life.

🔗 Full preprint: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.13.26346179v1.full-text

12/28/2025

Cold and flu season…aka low Vitamin D and high processed sugar season.

11/30/2025

Cough season doesn’t stand a chance. 😌

Sharing my favorite DIY cough syrup—100% natural and super easy!

Simmer marshmallow root, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon. Strain when warm (not hot!), then mix with lemon, cayenne pepper, and raw local honey.

Keeps for 3 months in the fridge. A teaspoon calms a cough instantly.

09/27/2024

08/03/2024

It’s ! 🤱🏽

August 9th would have made 9 years that I have been breastfeeding. I weaned my youngest last month when I went to Guyana 🇬🇾. It only took two weeks of her constantly asking once I returned 😅

The ambivalence I feel regarding my almost decade journey is wild 🤯:

9️⃣years. 9 years I shared my body. 9 years of being exhausted, constantly hungry and thirsty. 9 years of being touched out.

But.

9️⃣years my body provided nourishment and comfort for my four children. 9 years my body provided antibodies to keep my children healthy. 9 years my body created the perfect blend of vitamins, minerals, fats, sugars, carbohydrates, proteins, and antioxidants. For 9 years, my body provided my children with leukocytes, which are living cells that can only be found in breastmilk, to help fight against infections.

Alhamdulillah, all thanks is to God for enabling me to provide for my children in best of ways that He commanded 🤲🏽🙏🏾

Breastfeeding is the most natural aspects of motherhood that does NOT come naturally to most. The majority of us lack the proper resources, support, and guidance to make our journeys successful.

Our providers fail us in so many ways. We have family members who are completely ignorant of breastfeeding, but want to give us advice about what we’re doing wrong. We have communities that shame us and demand that we stay hidden while feeding our children. We have a society that demands we return to work before our supply is even established and make pumping difficult, if not impossible. We are set up to fail.

None of that changes the *fact* that . Fed is the bare minimum.

Set yourself up for success with proper education. Get a doula and research your birthing options because your birth can play a major role in your breastfeeding journey. Seek out an IBCLC for education and support. DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE (and that includes your pediatrician) who does not provide you with support and encouragement. Find yourself a pediatrician who is supportive (not tolerant) of breastfeeding.

I have breastfed four babies. Each child came with their own set of challenges. All of my children had tongue and lip ties (my third also had cheek ties-ouch!). I went back to work six weeks after having my third and three months after having my fourth. Knowledge about paced bottle feeding is *essential* to your breastfeeding journey for a baby receiving a bottle.

Trust in your body. Believe in your abilities. And never, never, ever quit on your hardest day ❤️