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Week 1: Healthy Meals

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Here goes the first week of trying to eat healthy. I am only going to be planning out dinners as there is only two people I am feeding and we usually eat leftovers from dinner for lunch the next day…and breakfast…lets just be honest…I really don’t have time in the mornings. So first thing first…starting to make dinners.

Monday: Brussel Sprouts and Rice Casserole

Tuesday: Stir Fry

Wednesday: Kabobs

Thursday: Steak and asparagus

Friday: Taco’s

Saturday: at home Mongolian BBQ

Sunday: Broccoli Cheese soup

Fat, Sick, And nearly Dead

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So I have been struggling during this pregnancy to get my veggies into my daily diet. I work at a weight loss clinic where our clients eat 4 cups of vegetables a day. That is a lot. (especially when it doesn’t include potatoes and carrots). My parents have started Juicing after watching a documentary entitled “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/ After they and my midwife told me to watch it I finally did. I needed to find some way to get all those healthy green veggies in. It is a super interesting film. My parents have been feeling so much more vibrant and healthier from all the fresh fruits and veggies. So anyway this is a great film to watch. It helped me realize that most American’s really don’t get the veggies they need.

I do however feel like it is a complete waste of vegetables to juice them. You loose a lot of the bulk of the veggies. (ok and the real truth) I can’t stand to drink them. I think they are disgusting. So although I love the idea and the ease of it I really needed to come up with something else. I decided to just make sure I ate tons of veggies. So of course if I want to eat them whole it is going to take a lot for me to learn how to incorporate vegetables into my diet.
How to shop for veggie’s
How to cook them so they taste good
How to cook meals that include veggies but don’t take forever. (let’s face it…it’s easy to throw spaghetti on the stove, it’s easy to do whatever is already a habit.)

So there is the goal…. Learn to cook healthy meals that taste good but don’t take forever to make. Can I do it? I hope so. 🙂

Fat Sick and nearly dead

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So I have been struggling during this pregnancy to get my veggies into my daily diet. I work at a weight loss clinic where our clients eat 4 cups of vegetables a day. That is a lot. (especially when it doesn’t include potatoes and carrots). My parents have started Juicing after watching a documentary entitled “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/ After they and my midwife told me to watch it I finally did. I needed to find some way to get all those healthy green veggies in. It is a super interesting film. My parents have been feeling so much more vibrant and healthier from all the fresh fruits and veggies. So anyway this is a great film to watch. It helped me realize that most American’s really don’t get the veggies they need.

I do however feel like it is a complete waste of vegetables to juice them. You loose a lot of the bulk of the veggies. (ok and the real truth) I can’t stand to drink them. I think they are disgusting. So although I love the idea and the ease of it I really needed to come up with something else. I decided to just make sure I ate tons of veggies. So of course if I want to eat them whole it is going to take a lot for me to learn how to incorporate vegetables into my diet.
How to shop for veggie’s
How to cook them so they taste good
How to cook meals that include veggies but don’t take forever. (let’s face it…it’s easy to throw spaghetti on the stove, it’s easy to do whatever is already a habit.)

So there is the goal…. Learn to cook healthy meals that taste good but don’t take forever to make. Can I do it? I hope so. 🙂

Do it at Home Box

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I am starting to get slightly crafty. 🙂 While preparing to have my first baby I wanted some cute boxes to put the clothes in.  I already had a nice bookshelf and knew a box would be perfect to spice it up. I am planning on using it for clothes but these boxes would be perfect for many different types of decorative storage. I started by gathering up some cardboard boxes from my work. Luckily I was able to find the perfect size for the job. I got extra just in case I would need them. I then started checking out the local fabric stores for the covering. I wanted a pretty thick fabric to give the cardboard box some protection. I found this fabric on sale at Walmart. It was thick and had kind of a plastic feel to it. Jean fabric would work, or burlap. Just something with a little texture to it. I chose this because I also liked the color:

Next I got my box ready. I measured out how much fabric I would need to fit around the box. (On the first box I just folded the flaps down but I cut them off on the second one. That seemed to work much better and gave it a smoother look and more room on the inside.)

Then I wrapped the box like  present. I hot glued the side and started going around. Gluing as I went, paying specific attention to the corners. Then I finished it off by folding over the fabric and sealing that with the glue as well.

The bottom I folded in like a present and glued it down pulling tightly to keep the fabric from puckering. The first one was difficult. I was more successful with the next one.

Then I folded the other side down into the box and glued it to the sides.

 I repeated this five times to fill the bookshelf and make cute shelves. It is pretty simple but the boxes definitely got better as I went.

Then to add the decoration. I just took a regular ribbon and wrapped that around the box. Then I attached a flower. These flowers are pretty easy to make. You can get the fabric at Michael’s and then you just glue the colors you want together. I took whatever button was lying around an made that the center.

The best part is that if I change my mind on color it would be really easy to change out the flower or ribbon.

And Wala There you have it. A easy homemade box. 🙂

Walking Hills

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My Husband took me out this morning for a speed walk. We sped walked down and up a hill. This is a great exercise because it let me get my cardio up without having to worry about my bouncing belly getting to annoying.

How Far and How Often?

If you already walk, keep up your regular program. To get started, walk 20 -30 minutes a day three days a week and build from there to 30 – 60 minutes most days of the week. Walking for exercise can continue into your last trimester and right up until birth as long as it is comfortable for you.

How Fast and How Hard?

Moderation is the word during pregnancy, don’t push yourself to the extreme. The chemical byproducts and raised body temperature of overexertion are bad for the fetus. Your pulse rate should not be above 140 beats per minute at any time during your walk. You may also use the “talk test” — you should be able to speak in complete sentences without having to huff and puff and gasp out only short phrases. A pulse more than 100 beats per minute five minutes after a workout means you have worked your body too hard. Drink water before, during, and after your walk to help regulate your core body temperature. The fetus cannot get rid of excessive heat, so avoid exercising in hot weather and keep your walking workout moderate. Consider mall walking as an alternative during hot weather.

Posture!

A good walking posture is essential and can help prevent backache.
Stand up straight: Think of being a tall and straight, do not arch your back.
Do not lean forward or lean back: Leaning puts strain on the back muscles.
Eyes forward: not looking down but rather 20 feet ahead.
Chin up (parallel to the ground): This reduces strain on neck and back.
Loosen the shoulders: Shrug once and let your shoulders fall and relax, your shoulders slightly back.
Suck in your stomach
Tuck in your behind: Rotate your hips forward slightly. This will keep you from arching your back.

Other Helpfull Pregnancy Exercises

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  • Pelvic Tilts: These can be done in nearly any positions. For beginners, I’d recommend standing, my personal favorite is hands and knees. To get started in a standing position, place a hand on your abdomen and a hand on your lower back. Bend slightly at the knees. Concentrate on moving only your pelvis only. You should not get a lot of body movement from this exercise. It should be done slowly. Do this often through out the day.
  • Squatting: Try this first with a partner or a chair back. Slowly go down into a squat, stopping as low as you can go but before your heels come up off the floor. Practice this several minutes a day.
  • Tailor Sitting: Basically it’s sitting with your legs crossed at the ankle and knees out, much like you used to do in kindergarten. It helps stretch your inner thighs.

Kegels

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Kegels

The “wonder exercise of pregnancy”, kegels are something every woman, pregnant or not, should learn how to do. Though you may be sick and tired of people telling you to exercise during your pregnancy, kegel exercises require so little effort from you, yet give you so much back in return, you really have no excuse not to do them.



Little Pain, Lots of Gain

Kegels are named after their inventor, Dr. Arthur Kegel, who suggested them to his female patients in the 1940s. Kegel exercises target your pelvic floor muscles, helping to strengthen your urethra, bladder, uterus and rectum. Both women and men can become a kegel exerciser, although men won’t gain the childbirth benefits that women do.
Pregnant women are encouraged to do kegels because strong pelvic floor muscles help make childbirth, specifically pushing, easier. Plus, the exercise can lower your chances of tears happening during labor. During the postpartum period, doing kegels can aid in your healing from an episiotomy as well as prevent postpartum incontinence and tone your stretched out vaginal muscles, thereby making sex better.
But the benefits don’t stop there! Kegels can also:

  • Prevent incontinence from happening later in life
  • Make your orgasms better
  • Reduce your chances of hemorrhoids (the exercise aids in circulation to the rectal area)
  • In men, kegels can help with erections since kegels encourage increased blood flow to the genitals

Become a Kegel Master
Easy childbirth? Better sex? What are you waiting for? It’s time to get that kegel technique down! Thankfully, instructions for kegel exercises are very simple and easy to follow:

  • Contract your muscles as if you were trying to stop the flow of urine
  • Hold this contraction for a count of three
  • Slowly release and relax

That’s it. You’ve just done your first kegel. To begin with, try to do three to four sets of 25 repetitions several times throughout the day. As your pelvic floor muscles get stronger, increase the length of time you hold the contraction for, working your way up to ten seconds.
When you contract your pelvic muscles, though, be careful not to squeeze your buttocks and abdominals. These muscles aren’t needed to do a kegel. You may also find that you squeeze your rectal muscles. As you get better, you should be able to focus on just your pelvic floor muscles. To make your workout harder, and more effective, try changing your contractions. Do some quickly, like little flutters, while doing others more slowly.
Do It Anywhere!
The best part about kegels is the fact that you can do them anywhere at anytime. Whether you are watching TV, standing in line at the grocery store or are driving in your car; fitting kegels into your busy schedule is easy. Once you’ve had your baby, though, don’t neglect these muscles that you’ve just built up. Make kegels are regular part of your fitness routine for life.

This article from: http://www.pregnancy-info.net/exercise_and_well_being_kegels.html

Homemade Granola!

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I enjoy simplicity. Especially when it come to granola. I don’t really like all the raisins and nuts and things in my granola. So here is a basic recipe for granola. Feel free to add whatever you want to it.

  Homemade Granola
from “Baked: New Frontiers in Baking” by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(Things you could add: I prefer just plain)
1/3 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup whole hazelnuts
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.

 Bake for 7 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola.
Bake for another 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool completely.

 If you want to add other ingredients follow these instructions for baking:)
(Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. 
Sprinkle the almonds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.
Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins and cherries over the granola…)

and use your hands to transfer it to an airtight container.

The granola will keep for 1 week.

The Decision to Deliver my baby at Home

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Up till even after I got married I always imagined that my children would be born in a hospital with an OB-GYN. Of course isn’t that what everyone does? The realization that there was more than one option came when I was shown a documentary, “The business of being born”. This documentary looks at birth the business aspect of it. As those who are delivering our children are running a business. There was a lot of insights that made me question if what was happening in hospitals was really for the good of the expectant mother and baby or just good for the business of bring babies into the world.
I started researching and talking to people who had used midwives and had home deliveries with there labor and deliveries. Everyone I talked to seemed very satisfied with the whole experience. Many women who had turned to midwives had done so because of bad experiences at the hospitals. The midwife allows much more freedom and the comfort of your own home.
I started considering using a midwife for my own children’s births. Of course I was concerned. First of all was:
What if something goes wrong? How would a midwife deal with complications? Would we have time to get to the hospital if needed? The more I have looked into this the more reassured I am. Many studies show that home births with a midwife are actually safer for both the infant and the mother. There tend to be less complications and less interventions involved in a home birth when compared to a hospital birth. One Study looked at the outcomes of planned home birth with a registerd midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician. The comparison was of midwives at home verses those same midwives at the hospital and hospital births with a physician. The results were as follows
Per 1000 Births of infant death
Planned home births: 0.35
Hospital births with Midwife: 0.57
Hospital births with a physician: 0.64
This concluded that those with a midwife at home were almost half as likely to end up with an infant death. And even with those same midwifes at the hospital the risk drastically increased. Those women in the at home group were less likely to have obstetric interventions or adverse maternal outcomes. Newborns at home were less likely to need resuscitation or oxygen after birth.
According to this study along with others, my question seems to be the wrong one. There was less complications with the at-home births. Many think this is because of the easily available interventions. We are just intervening too much with birth and maybe God actually did make a woman capable of having her own child. Maybe we should just be prepared to handle the labor and delivery and then in cases where something still goes wrong then start intervening
My second Question was: How much is this going to hurt and will I be able to handle it?
It was funny because when some people found out I was planning a home birth they thought I was crazy. It would hurt. And that is what I’ve heard my whole life…it hurts. Now I’m not going to argue that it doesn’t hurt. Pain in childbirth is a given. But soon I found that there really is no avoiding it. Although an epidural may help I was always a little nervous with the idea of numbing my whole lower body with something so close to my spinal cord. It just seemed really risky. After talking to a few people who’d had epidurals I also found that they are often times less than desirable. They can be put in wrongly and cause complications or you would still be able to feel pain. Also they interfere with the mother’s ability to be involved in pushing out her own child. (an important part of giving birth…the involvement of the mother.)
I also took a birthing class that outlined many different positions that can greatly reduce the pain and speed childbirth. I was introduced to the idea of a water-birth. (the midwifes epidural). I loved the idea of more natural ways of dealing with the pain. For example: being upright instead of laying on your back, eating so you have the needed energy for labor, and relaxing. 
Source of study:
CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal; 9/15/2009, Vol. 181 Issue 6/7, p377-383, 7p, 4 Charts

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