The Blog
How I Prepped My Body For Pregnancy
To call the changes and adjustments a woman’s body goes through during pregnancy "miraculous" would be a bit of an understatement. Although a miracle, the reality is that carrying a child through those 40 weeks does take a toll on your body in many ways. Not all pregnancies are planned, but having time to prepare yourself physically definitely provides many benefits to you and your baby, even long after birth.
The best things a woman could do to prep her body really varies for each person, depending on her starting point. Some important things to consider addressing would be….
Salted Maple Hazelnut Fudgsicles
This week we celebrated the fall equinox. I absolutely love fall, it's my favorite season. The crisp air makes me feel energized and I can't get enough of the golden leaves on trees, wool sweaters, stove fires, hot tea... I adore it all. I should probably be posting about seasonally appropriate things like root vegetables, squash, and warming soups, but I had to get one more summertime treat in! These fudgsicles are dairy-free and use "nice cream" as a base, which is simply blending frozen bananas to make delicious soft-serve ice cream with wonderful consistency.
Mango Ginger Creamsicles
These mango ginger creamsicles are a kid-friendly treat and wonderful on a warm day. The ginger in them is subtle, but it’s a great ingredient to broaden your little one’s palate. Introducing your children to a wide variety of flavours from a young age can help them to be less picky. Using new flavours in their favorite treats is easier on the less adventurous child: like ginger in creamsicles.
What We Ate: Camping
It can be challenging to stay committed to healthy eating when you're out of your daily routine. My family travels often, so I've had some practice and this series "What We Ate" was created to share some of the ways I've managed to keep us eating well when we're away from home.
Baby's First Finger Foods: Size, Shape, Texture & Flavor
When babies begin eating finger foods, stick or finger shaped foods are great for them to practice with. This allows your baby to firmly hold the food in the palm of their hand and bite off little pieces (with or without teeth). If using baby-led weaning, the stick shape is fantastic for babies who have not yet developed their pincer grasp. Stick shape is still recommended even if your baby was fed purees first and their pincer grasp has already developed by the time they begin finger foods. It helps them to bite, chew, and learn how much food they can safely manage in their mouths.
Garlic Cumin Yam Fries - Great For Baby
This is a great recipe for the whole family. Baby food doesn't have to be bland! After you've introduced your little one to simple and unseasoned foods, you can try adding different herbs and spices to broaden their palate and encourage them to be more adventurous eaters. This recipe for yam fries is a great example of this because it includes garlic & cumin.
Homemade Almond Milk
Guest post by Eve from www.underthebigfirtree.com
I recently met with Carley for a nutrition consultation. I’ve been feeling like I need to switch things up. As a new mama I’ve not been feeling like myself very much lately. She was wonderful and so incredibly knowledgeable. After everything she said, I responded with “That’s interesting.” “That’s really interesting.” “Hmm interesting.” Nutrition is so cool!
The Birth Story Of Clementine
Written by mama, Melissa
I knew before I ever got pregnant that I wanted to have an unmedicated birth. After all, my mom had seven, yes SEVEN, natural births. My husband and I had completed Bradley Method childbirth classes and were both onboard for a healthy, active pregnancy and birth.
I had switched over from an OB doctor to a group of midwives at a natural birthing center at around week 26 of my pregnancy. I had a friendly, capable doctor, however she was not completely onboard with my idea of an intervention-free birth, so we made the switch even though I was well along in my pregnancy. The experience and care I received there was night and day with my experience in the OB office. I was finally ready and excited to continue with the pregnancy under their care and birth at the birthing center.
Foods To Support The Post Weaning Blues
Many breastfeeding mothers find the process of weaning to be emotional. Breastfeeding is a sacred act of bonding and it can be difficult to give up on those quiet moments shared together. Besides the emotional aspect, when breastfeeding becomes less frequent or stops completely you can experience a significant hormonal shift as well.
Delayed postpartum depression, also referred to as post-weaning depression, can surface in varying degrees as a direct result of weaning. It’s more than the general wistful feeling of your baby “growing up entirely too fast”. In some women it can make the everyday tasks of life and motherhood feel completely overwhelming and exhausting.
Labor-Aid: An Energizing Lemon-Lime Electrolyte Drink
During early labor it’s beneficial to continue eating light and nourishing foods to keep energy up, but as sensations start to intensify food often becomes the last thing on a laboring woman’s mind.
Just like any other intense physical activity, staying hydrated throughout labor is also crucial. It’s especially important to ensure that the liquid you consume contains electrolytes. Electrolytes are required for muscle contractions and without them muscles become weak and contractions of the uterus can be less effective.
The Birth Story of Leo: A Vaginal Breech
Written by mama, Alexis
Oh birth… you are such an interesting beast.
I had no idea what to really expect when it came time to give birth. My husband squirms at the site of blood, or any bodily fluids, so the thought of catching a baby made him a little green. When we told my mother that we were planning a home birth I think she wondered if I had paid my taxes and my father kept asking, “What’s a Doooula?” - assuming we were incorporating voodoo into the birth. Then there was the neighbor who felt the need to warn us against a home birth because her friend ended up being rushed to the hospital. Oh, and when we mentioned we had enrolled in a hypnobabies class they all really thought we’d lost our nut. Every birth is different, every woman is different, and every baby is different. We all have our own beliefs and expectations going into birth, and I am so glad that I went into mine informed and on the one side of the spectrum and not the other.
Build Healthy Habits For Babies & Avoid Picky Toddlers
We all possess intrinsic wisdom of how to best nourish ourselves. Although most adults have become extremely disconnected from their body’s own signals and have lost touch with when to eat and how much food they truly need. This disconnect from hunger/satiation cues can start very early in life if babies are introduced to solid foods with someone else dictating how much they should be eating. When given the opportunity and presented with healthy options, babies know how much to eat and which foods they need to properly nourish themselves.
Natural Inductions & Possible Complications
Maybe you’re reaching your estimated due date and feel like it’s "time to do something". Or maybe you've gone past your due date with an antsy obstetrician and the threat of artificial induction is looming. If your intention is to have a natural labour and birth, be careful with the use of 'natural' methods of induction.
Any medicine, herb, or technique used to force the body/baby before it's ready can have unwanted effects and consequences. Natural birth involves a very complex series of events, with each one setting off the next. Inductions may "work", but they can also disrupt the delicate cascade of physical changes that happen during labour: triggering Y before X.
Naturally Relieving Constipation in Babies
Before babies begin on solid foods, their elimination patterns can vary greatly. Some breastfed babies will have 5 bowel movements a day, while other healthy babies only have one every 5 days. Infrequent bowel movements in a breasted baby isn’t a cause for concern, as long as they have sufficient wet diapers, continue to gain weight well, seem content and comfortable, and their stool isn’t hard and dry.
Egg Yolks For Babies
While I believe in eating whole foods, I prefer to feed younger babies egg yolks only. Their stomachs are small, so whatever food they eat should be as nutrient-dense as possible. Egg white omelets were the rage for a while, but the truth is: nutritionally speaking, egg yolks trump whites. The whites have mostly protein, sodium, and potassium, but the yolk is where the most beneficial nutrients are found. They are stocked with B vitamins, healthy fats, choline, and the harder to obtain fat-soluble vitamins A & D. Also, allergies and sensitivities to the proteins found in egg white are much more common.
Naturally Increasing Breast Milk Supply
Most women are faced with the peril of low milk supply at some point during their breastfeeding journey, whether at the beginning, middle or end. Wanting to breastfeed but feeling unable to sufficiently nourish your child can be utterly devastating.
I was surprised at how aggressively my milk came in, days after my son was born. I was engorged to the point of discomfort, but it was a welcomed relief knowing that there was no concern with my milk production. When my son was a few months old I became quite ill with the flu and I was unable to keep any food or water down. I quickly became dehydrated and under nourished, and subsequently my supply vanished. My heart ached as he suckled with grunts of increasing frustration. I understand first hand how panic-stricken a mother can feel over low breast milk production, like her body is failing her. Luckily I was able to rebuild my supply before I needed to supplement, and I'm now eager to share some tips with other mamas.
Blueberry Banana Chia Seed Pudding
I've already shared my Chocolate Cherry Chia Seed Pudding. Here's another variation of this balanced breakfast favorite of mine.
During early pregnancy, many women notice strong cravings for starchy foods. The body is smart because food born illness is much less likely to come from sources of carbohydrate-rich foods. Unfortunately, large amounts of starchy food can throw off blood sugar, and unbalanced blood sugar is one of the main causes of nausea or "morning sickness" in pregnancy. Chia seed pudding contains more healthy fat and protein than cereal grains and oatmeal, to help keep blood sugar and nausea in check.
The Birth Story of Jones Wilder
All throughout my pregnancy I’d had the suspicion that our babe was going to arrive past the estimated due date, which was May 28th, 2014. Just as I’d thought, the due date came and went. By this point I’d experienced the tease of 4 false starts. Sensations that I thought were the early stages of labour, lasting for hours each time but not progressing into anything. Luckily I wasn’t feeling anxious or impatient, but I did feel like life was almost on pause as we were waiting. The day before actual labour began, my husband Jeremy and I went to a quiet beach in West Vancouver. We relaxed in the sun, swam in the ocean, and discussed how differently our lives were about to be in a very short time. I threw up quite a bit that day, 7 or 8 times actually. I took it as a sign that my body was clearing out and getting into gear.
Pregnancy: My Third Trimester
I’ll be honest… I was kind of intimidated by the third trimester. I felt so great in my second trimester, I didn’t want the good times to come to a crashing halt. Looking back though, I’d probably say that this third trimester has been my favorite.
People often tell me that I’m lucky after hearing about my relatively complication-free pregnancy and I definitely agree. I’ve felt excited, balanced, healthy, and really happy. I can’t totally attribute it to random luck though, like winning the lottery. Good pregnancy genes do run in my family (thanks mom!), but I also believe that eating well, staying active, and taking care of myself all greatly added to my smooth and enjoyable pregnancy.
Pregnancy: My Second Trimester
A woman in her first trimester of pregnancy often hears that the second trimester is a mystical period of pure bliss. Besides lower energy levels, my first trimester luckily went pretty smoothly, but I was still anxiously awaiting this promised glory of the second trimester with much eagerness.
During my first trimester, whenever I had a little less “pep in my step” than usual, I would confidently assure my husband that he need not worry. As of the 14th week of pregnancy, I would enter the second trimester, and then… I would be “cured”.