Fresh Food Perspectives

One Year Update for Jackson

It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago today I was driving my son Jackson to day care and I looked in the rear view mirror at him and he had turned blue. It was a terrifying moment in my life. You can read about this experience from my post here. Since I often get asked about how Jackson is doing, today seems the perfect day to give you an update. 

I quickly learned from that experience a year ago that I am a first responder type. I react and can make decisions in intense situations. I am thankful for that as this was not the end of my need to make quick decisions on behalf of my son. We've learned now that Jackson is epileptic, but we still don't know why. 

His seizures come in clusters and happen about once every four to six weeks. I believe he has petite mal seizures that present as his blood oxygen saturation dropping to the low teens, his face turns blue, he is alert but not very responsive, and becomes lethargic. They are brief now, lastly about 10-20 seconds, but they still aren't fun to experience.

Jackson has been on medication since last April and it has been a wait and see process to increase his dosage, which we've done about 5 or 6 times now. It's been just over 5 weeks since his last day of seizures. The longest he has gone without them is 6 weeks. On most days, he is a very healthy, active and happy little boy.

While we have been happy with his medical care here in Jacksonville, we are seriously considering and praying about traveling to Boston Children's Hospital to see the specialist at their Epilepsy Center this summer. If any of you have traveled to this hospital, please share your experience in the comments. I would really appreciate it. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who have prayed with us, brought us meals, and encouraged us in the past year. We are so grateful. 

Pregnancy Survival Guide: Wrap Up

I have really enjoyed finally getting my survival guide on the blog this week. I called it a "survival guide" because that's what I feel like I need sometimes. Pregnancy is not easy, regardles if you have issues or not. I read one quote that described this time as a construction zone in your belly. What a great mental image! No wonder I am always tired. 

I hope you were encouraged by some of the tips offered this week. Pregnancy is an amazing journey that brings you to your knees somedays and makes you feel like wonder woman on others. I will conclude with this quote that is pretty common but still inspires me.

"We have a secret in our culture, it's not that birth is painful, it's that women are strong."

- Laura Stavoe Harm

Pregnancy Survival Guide: Skin Care

When I found out I was pregnant with Jackson, a very good friend gave me a gift of several skin care products. With it came an explanation about the importance of taking care of your stretching skin and how to prevent stretch marks. I had no idea there were so many things to worry about! 

I'm starting to be interested in using a more natural skin care reginment. Our skin is a breathable organ and I'm curious about how topical products affect our overall health. So my choices listed here reflect this. 

I like to call pregnancy one big science project in your body. All kind of weird and funky things happen and you change on a daily basis. For me, the science project presents itself as skin problems. Honestly, I still haven't figured them all out and don't think I will.  

What I have figured out are some great products that I've use to try to take care of your skin. My goal has been to find products that work without parabens or similar controversial ingredients. I also look for products without salicylic acid, which is the active ingredient in most acne treatment products and not recommended for use during pregnancy.

So here's my list of must-have skin care products:

• Mustela 9 Months line: This is a French product line that is amazing!! My favorite product is the Stretch Mark Double Action Cream. This line specifically formulate for pregnancy and prevention and treatment of stretch marks. I use this on my chest, tummy and thighs daily and I believe it's the main reason my skin made it through my first pregnancy and hopefully this second one to. It's worth every penny. I also love the Nursing Comfort Balm and the Post Partum Reconstruction Gel for use after birth. 
• Burt's Bees Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil: This is one of those products my friend gave me during my first pregnancy. At first, I didn't like putting oil straight on my skin because I felt greasy. But this time around I started mixing a few drops in with the Mustela lotion and then rubbing it on my belly. I think it's just a little extra kick of moisture. So far, I've had very little itchiness and no stretch marks. (Crossing my fingers)
• Burt's Bees Radiance Night Cream: For some reason, this pregnancy has brought on really dry skin for me. This seems to be the only cream I can use at night that doesn't overhydrate my skin and cause me to breakout. 
• Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Shea Butter Lotion: My dry skin seems to have traveled everywhere. I just found this lotion in Target and I love it. It's thick enough to hydrate all day but not so thick I feel greasy. It is free of any controversial ingredients and contains natural ingredients.
• Yes to Blueberries Scrub & Daily Moisturizer: Most of the Yes to lines are more natural products. This products is a gentle scrub and doesn't have salicylic acid. The moisturizer has zinc oxide for the sun protection.
• Sinus Fixes: I get major sinus congestion while pregnant. In an attempt to avoid taking medication I use Breathright strips and a Neti Pot at night and it really does help. I also drink Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Sinus Soother tea with some local honey at night as well. 
  
  

Hopefully this list gives you some ideas of how to take care of your changing pregnancy skin. If you have any other ideas, please post them in a comment. 

Tomorrow I will wrap up my pregnancy survival series with some concluding thoughts. Thanks for reading along!

Pregnancy Survival Guide: Nutrition

     


Although this topic is most definitely my expertise, I almost don't know where to start. There's so much I could talk about in this post. People have written (great) whole books about this topic! But here goes...

What you eat while pregnant provides the building blocks for your baby's genes and tissue that they will carry for the rest of their life! It's a pretty big deal. Nutrigenomics has taught us that a person's food choices can turn on and off gene expression. Therefore does it not seem crucial to provide the best nutrition for when your baby's genes are being created from scratch??!! The answer is a hearty yes! The stereotype of "eating for 2" or getting to eat whatever you want is no longer supported by health professionals. Instead, it's time to to educate women on choosing a balance of healthy, nutrient-providing food for their baby's development. Pregnancy can impact a child's health profile. I say this all not to paralyze or scare anyone but rather to empower women to take charge of their health. This is a wonderful time to enjoy nature's bounty of flavors and nutrients and reduce processed, nutrient-poor food.

It is always important for me to state that every woman is unique and special, therefore having unique and special nutrition needs. I am going to share a couple of things that I have opinions about, realizing that they may not be appropriate for everyone. Always consult your physician and if possible (your best choice), a registered dietitian, about your personal prenatal nutrition plan. 

Here is my punch list of my must-eat pregnancy foods and eating habits. 

• Breakfast: Early in my pregnancy with Jackson I had a monstrous appetite. As soon as I woke up in the morning I would need to eat (to prevent becoming nauseous) and I would need to eat a lot to prevent being hungry again in 45 minutes. Thus begun my mega (for me) breakfast choice that I've really continued to do since. Breakfast is extremely important for everyone, including pregnant women. You are breaking the fast from the night before and fueling two human beings. Don't be chintzy in the morning ladies! Fuel your body. My equation for a strong breakfast is fruit & veggie + protein + whole grain. This translates into my Smoothie of Life, egg and some sort of whole grain toast, bagel or English muffin. 
• Supplements: I have to be honest here and say that I don't think prenatal vitamins are anything great. They are just like any other multivitamin (with isolated, synthetic nutrients) but add extra folic acid and iron. Sometimes you get DHA/EPA. I haven't taken a general multivitamin in many years, mostly because of this research study showing that they may do more harm than good in increasing risk for disease, especially for women. I don't see prenatals any different. Certainly, if a women is deficient in nutrients or eats a very poor or inadequate diet, then multivitamins can do a lot of good. I personally subscribe to the idea of taking responsibility for my nutrition by eating crucial nutrients daily in food and then supplementing with the whole food based Juice Plus+.  Take all this with a grain of salt as you must decide what is best for you and what you are comfortable with. I am not comfortable with multivitamins, but it's ok if you are (I think - time will tell with more research). 
• Leafy Greens - Due to the above manifesto, I have to eat greens veggies every day to ensure that I get 400 micrograms a day of folic acid. Spinach seems to be one of the best vegetable sources of folic acid with one cup providing 262 micrograms. I throw at least a cup in my morning smoothie daily. In fact, my smoothie has become a catch-all for high-nutrient ingredients that I want to make sure I consume daily. Beets and greens are also great sources of folic acid and can be easily included in a smoothie as well. And for your information, lentils (which I don't eat often but have decided I'm going to start including more regularly) are one of the best natural sources of folic acid with one cup providing almost 360 microrams. Here's a link to one of my favorite websites and the list of folate containing foods is toward the bottom of the page. 
• Avocado - Avocadoes provide about a fourth of your daily folic acid needs so that's one good reason to enjoy them regularly while pregnant, but there are so many more. This super food provides a unique type of healthy fat that is anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants. It also helps you absorb other key nutrients. It contains a good amount of fiber, which paired with the fat, helps keep you full and satisfied. I try to eat avocado several times a week and daily if I can find good ones. 
• Eggs - I choose to eat a local, free-range egg almost every morning. I do this for a couple of reasons. First, the protein helps fill me up and control my appetite the rest of the day. There are other protein options for breakfast, many of which are meaty and don't appeal to me. I will eat a meat-alternative product once or twice a week but I don't like to do this daily as it's still a highly processed food. The other reason I choose eggs is because they add vital choline to my diet, which is crucial for both my brain health and the development of my baby's brain. You only get one shot at building brain so it's important to provide key nutrients for this important process. 
• Beverages: When I say survival guide here I mean it. Strangely, pregnancy is the one time of my life where I crave beverages other than water. I also enjoy a glass of wine with dinner and miss that during pregnancy. So I have 2 drinks that I treat myself to during these 9 months. The first is an occasional drink - Chick-fil-a diet lemonade. Oh man, so good! The sweet and tart combo is so delish and I love that it has real lemon bits in it and no added calories from sugar. My other drink that I have several times a week is flavored La Croix sparkling water. There is nothing artificial in it so I feel good about enjoying any of their delicious flavors. My favorite is most definitely coconut. 
• Omega-3 fatty acids:  Omega-3 fatty acids are a very important nutrient as maternal intake has been shown to have positive benefits on their babies cognitive and visual capabilities as well as help with postpartem depression. Fish is one of the best source of DHA omega-3's but mercury is a safety concern. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends it's safe for pregnant women to consume up to 12 oz per week of low mercury containing fish. I personally try to eat a 3-4 oz serving of fish a week. I happen to love seafood and have access to some pretty fresh options living in North Florida. I occasionally (maybe 1-2 times per week) take a fish oil supplement, especially if I didn't get to eat any seafood that week. Other sources of ALA omega-3's, which have health benefits as well, are almonds, walnuts, flax and chia seeds. I try to eat one of these foods every day. 
• Miscellaneous: Here are some other things that I try to eat as daily as possible are turmeric, cinnamon, cocoa/dark chocolate, garlic/onions, fresh ginger, and orange/yellow fruits and vegetables. All these foods have high antioxidant contents which protect my cells as well as the developing cells/DNA of my little guy as he is being knit together. Check out my recipes below for ways to include them and my other ideas in your prenatal diet.   

Tri-Color Ribbon Salad

Cocoa Cupcakes

Coconut Orang Poached Salmon

Orange Chicken over Apricot Spinach Quinoa

There are many more foods or eating habits that I could address. If I get a good response on this post, and you all want more info, I will add more ideas in a part two. 

In conclusion, I'd like to to just encourage you to relax and enjoy the nutrition journey of pregnancy. It's a miracle what is happening inside of you and no one is a perfect eater. I'm sure not. I think the most important thing to consider is the big context of your diet - the foods you eat the most regularly. A few non-optimal foods here and there during the week are not going to ruin your baby's health. Enjoy a good splurge every once in a while, just not every day. 

Tomorrow I will wrap up Pregnancy Survival Week with my skin care suggestions. Don't forget to enter my coconut water giveaway as it's the last day!

Pregnancy Survival Guide: Fitness part 2

If you are just joining in on my Pregnancy Survival Guide, check out yesterday's post on Fitness part 1. 

Today I want to share with you what I like to do as my pregnancy fitness routine. I am a firm believer in combining cardio, weight training and yoga into your pregnancy exercise plan. First, let's talk yoga.

Yoga - I would not consider myself a super yogi, but I do really enjoy the practice and feel the difference when I take it at least once a week. My goal is to go to a yoga class once a week (pregnant or not). I think it made a big difference in my first pregnancy as it helped me stay flexible, balanced and strong. Many of the poses are excellent practice for labor as well. My yoga instructor encourages me to do happy baby pose every day.

There is some research coming out to support the benefits of yoga and pregnancy. One study found that starting a yoga program 3 times a week during the 12-28th weeks of pregnancy effectively reduced risk for complications for both mother and baby. Another study found that yoga helped reduce discomfort in women in their third trimester and improved their self-efficacy expectancies during active labor. Translation = yoga is a great type of exercise than you can start during pregnancy and it can help you be more comfortable in the last trimester and maybe have an easier birth. So go pick out a yoga mat with that Mother's Day gift card you got and get started! You will not regret it. Here's a beginner 10 minute prenatal yoga workout that will relax and stretch your pregnant body.

In an effort to keep this post reasonable in length, download this document for specific safety guidelines for practicing yoga during pregnancy from my certified prenatal yoga instructor, Diane.  Download Safety guidelines for prenatal yoga

Weight Training - This is another crucial component of my pregnancy fitness routine. I think this is the area where it's easy to slack off but you can't! Weight training keeps your bones healthy and your muscles strong. Back pain is a common complaint for pregnant women and weight training can help alliviate that. My goal is to get at least one weight-lifting workout a week. Two is ideal. 

For me, my lower body is very responsive to weight training or the lack thereof. I choose to continue with lots of leg work (lunges, dumbbell squats, dead lifts, one leg good mornings, & step-ups) as well as back strengthening exercises (lat pull downs, dumbbell rows, & assisted pull-ups). This past week, at my favorite group exercise class, we did squat cleans - albeit with light weight. It's such a powerful movement that makes me feel strong and fit. It works your whole body and that is my favorite kind of exercise. I also love TRX training. I find that I am able to comfortably and effectively move through many motions on the TRX that I could not do without it.  As my belly gets larger and my body is strained to hold up extra weight, I know weight training is essential to making it through safely. Here is the download of my current workout, fresh off the press from my trainer with adjustments for my second trimester. Now, this plan is tailored to me. Please do not try this workout if you are new to weight lifting or have not been doing it while pregnant. Consult your physician and certified personal traininer first.  Download Workout plan

Cardio/Aerobic Exercise - This type of exercise accomplishes a couple of goals. First, it helps with appropriate weight gain. Let's be honest, it's not easy seeing the number on the scale go up weekly, sometimes daily. Weight gain is healthy and good during pregnancy but too much weight gain is not beneficial and could be harmful. It makes birth harder on mom and baby. So incorporating some good calorie burning sessions into your week is a great way to achieve the right amount of weight gain. (As a quick review, normal weight gain is between 22 and 35 pounds.) Second, it keeps your heart in good physical condition. Birth is an intense experience my friends. Epidural or not, you can expect to need some serious cardiovascular stamina to push out a baby. Staying fit with cardio will make this job much easier.

The ACSM does not recommend a specific duration of time for exercise during pregnancy, but 30 minutes minimum is a good place to start. They do recommend non weight bearing exercises like stationary bike and swimming as excellent choices for increasing your fitness level but walking, low-impact aerobics, and jogging are great options too. I try to get at least two, 30 minute cardio sessions a week of walking, elliptical, stair master, or spinning. 

In wrapping up let me also encourage you to take good care of your feet. Get fitted for the right athletic shoe. Remember your feet and gait may change as a result of pregnancy and you should be in shoes appropriate for these changes. (I am saying this to myself as I desperately need a new pair of sneakers myself and just keep putting it off.) I find that my feet ache while pregnant if I'm barefoot or in non-cushioned shoes. When I'm not in my running shoes, I am in my Spenco Yumi Sandals. They are wonderfully comfortable. 

I hope that my thoughts here are helpful or encouraging to you, regardless if you are pregnant or not. This is a topic I am really passionate about. 

Tomorrow I will discuss my nutrition survival guide. Don't forget to enter to win a whole case of coconut water in my giveaway this week. 

Pregnancy Survival Guide: Fitness

The first time I heard my doctor tell me that now that I was pregnant, I shouldn't raise my heart rate over 140 beats per minute, I wanted to punch him. That just sounded ridiculous to me as I was accustomed to running and exercising at a moderate to high intensity a least a couple of times a week. Who came up with that recommendation anyways?

Well, come to find out, it's hogwash -- thankfully. 

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Congress on Obstetrics and Gynecology teamed up to write a great, quick reference guide on safe exercise during pregnancy. Here's the link and it's an easy read. But I'll sum it up for you too here with the major points:

It's safe to continue with the type and intensity of exercise you were accustomed to prior to becoming pregnant. This brings up a memory of my Child Development teacher at Florida State who vehemently encouraged all the women in his class to get in the best shape of their life before getting pregnant. I agree with this. Pregnancy is a pretty physical state to be in. You go through all these crazy changes internally and it can get hard on your body. Starting in a fit state will help you have a successful pregnancy. It also allows you to continue exercising at a pace that makes you feel good (endorphin wise) to the very end (hopefully). 

For those of you ladies who are reading this and are already pregnant, there's good news for you too. I think pregnancy is a great time to continue or slowly and carefully improve your fitness level. The ACSM paper states that maternal fitness can be improved through non weight bearing exercise. I believe any type of fitness can be beneficial for a easier labor.

Some of the most important thing to remember when exercising while pregnant are:

• It's important to regulate your body temperature (more so than heart rate). Wear comfortable clothing, drink lots of water and avoid extreme temperatures. If you are a heavy sweater you may need to consider additional ways to replenish electrolytes or shortening the duration of your exercise to minimize spikes in body temperature. I always exercise with at least a bottle of water while pregnant, even if I am just walking. You need more fluid to keep cool and hydrate both you and baby.
• Listen to your body abd be willing to adjust what you thought you could do. I like using the stair master during pregnancy because I get a great workout in a shorter amount of time (compared to walking). However, at a certain point in both of my pregnancies, it felt like my hip tendons were catching on something and it became uncomfortable to stair climb. Instead of just pushing through, I experimented with a few ideas and realized that I needed to be nice and warm before starting my stair master workout. I also realized in my first pregnancy that I needed to stop running after 6.5 months. It just didn't feel good anymore. This pregnancy, I was not running very consistently prior to getting pregnant. Although my brain was telling me that I could run if I really wanted to, I decided to stick with other cardio exercises and pick back up the running next spring. 
• After the first trimester, it is not recommended to do exercises where you lay on your stomach or back. I hate this one because I hate feeling limited. Obviously, lying on your belly is a no-brainer once you become round, but the whole back things bugs me. It's for a good reason though as it puts pressure on your vena cava which delivers crucial oxygen and nutrients to both you and baby. So for me, this means I won't be doing any bridge pose for a while. 
• Exercise that improves both cardiovascular and muscular fitness are safe and beneficial while pregnant. I recommend working with a certified trainer at least once though to learn how to modify your weight training to your changing body. Strenuous weight lifting is not recommended for pregnancy. I have found that I need to lighten up on some of my weights and my movements need to be adjusted (or abandoned) as my belly grows. I do believe that weight training is so important to keep you strong and healthy through birth and recovering. 
• Monitor your intensity while exercising to ensure a good workout but always be careful not to overdo it. I monitor myself with my Polar Heart Rate Monitor. Since it takes me a little longer to warm up and keep up my intensity while pregnant, this watch helps me know that I am working hard enough to benefit but also not too hard for too long. It's easy for me to get distracted, go through the motions and realize that I haven't worked hard at all for 30 minutes. It's still ok to burn some good calories while pregnant. I highly recommend a heart rate monitor for anyone. 

Lastly, I'll leave you with a few of my favorite clothing items for exercising in. As I've mentioned before, I am no fashionista. But I do love looking and feeling good while exercising and being pregnant makes this challenging. Here's what has helped me feel comfortable as my belly grows:

• Old Navy Side Mesh Running shorts: They have a nice wide waste band and a good length. Buy at least one size up from your normal size.
• Old Navy Go Active Tanks: I can't tell if this is the exact one I have but they have some great tanks that are long enough to cover the belly. Buy at least one size up from your normal size. 
• Nike wide band running shorts: This is just one example but look for their wide band shorts with the bloomers in them. Buy one size up. Here's another style.
• Nike Pro compression capri tight: As long as it's not too hot, these babies are super comfortable and stretch nicely with you.
• Kirkland Signature clothing (Costco): I love these yoga tops and pants, active tanks and their tech shirts. I buy a large and they are plenty long enough. 

I know this was a lenghty post, but I actually have more to say. Tomorrow I will talk about my specific workouts of yoga, cardio and weights. Stay tuned and don't forget to enter my coconut water giveaway this week! 

 

Disclaimer: This post is based largely on my personal experience. Please consider your personal situation and talk with your physician before implementing any recommendations stated in this post. Make sure you are healthy enough to exercise while pregnant and that it is not contraindicated for you.  

 

Pregnancy Survival Guide

This week I am dedicating to my pregnancy survival guide, a topic I've wanted to post about since we announced I was expecting baby #2 in February. 

When I found out I was pregnant with my first son, Jackson in 2010 I went through a withdraw/angry period as I learned all the things I wasn't suppose to eat, do or use while pregnant. I knew I wasn't diseased, but yet it seemed like that's the way I had to act -- fragile.

I started doing some research on many of my lifestyle habits to determine what was fact, fiction and just being super cautious while pregnant. I also became fascinated by how dynamic and amazing the environment in the womb is for a baby. When you think about it, a baby is being knit together, DNA strand by DNA strand. Knowing what I know about nutrigenomics, I knew my lifestyle choices could and would impact my child's development. 

With all that said, I also feel like a woman could make herself go crazy during pregnancy trying to protect her baby's development. I didn't want to do that so I tried to figure out a balanced approach to taking pregnancy seriously but also enjoying it and life in general.

This week I'd like to share some of the principles I came up with, based on my research and really my comfort level. I want to emphasize that decisions a mother makes during pregnancy are personal and you should only do things that are comfortable to you and your doctor. But I also found that many of the recommendations shared were outdated or were blanket suggestions for a population who isn't generally healthy. So keep that in mind.

A book I really enjoyed reading is called Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of our Lives by Annie Murphy Paul. The author is a journalist, not a scientist, which makes it easy to read. She talks about research that pertains to each month of pregnancy and how the current recommendations for pregnancy came to be. 

The main topics I will cover this week are fitness, nutrition and skin care. Check back in this week and join the conversation. If you have something to share about your pregnancy survival, please share. 

Don't forget about my coconut water giveaway that's going on now through Friday! Enter here.

 

Nutrition for Nursing Moms

Jackson at circa 2 weeks

A friend recently asked me to post about recommendations for nursing moms. As a nursing mom, I can relate to many of the ups and downs experienced during this time of your child's life. 

Often moms report feeling very hungry while nursing. I can speak first hand about this one. During the first couple of months of nursing my son I ate every few hours. I would even leave a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his room for during our night time feedings! 

Breast feeding is NOT a time to severely restrict calories. Be reasonable; but don't under or over do it with your eatin. Listen to your body. If you are hungry, you should probably eat. Choosing protein and healthy fats will help satisfy your appetite better than straight carbohydrates. My favorite way to start the day was with 2 eggs on whole wheat toast with a little bit of real butter. That hit the spot and gave me energy to get going. Fortunately, the massive hunger does seem to subside after 2-4 months. 

Research has shown that regardless of what a mom eats, she will produce a nutrient rich milk for her child. I believe this is very true, but I also believe that you can increase the nutrient content of your milk at least slightly but choosing healthy foods. I tried to eat a high intake of fruits and vegetables, beans, hearty whole grains, healthy fats, and fish. 

Lastly, be diligent about your hydration. Drink lots of water! I often felt wiped out after a nursing because it seemed like everything I had (energy, fuel, water) had just left my body. Staying hydrated helped me overcome this feeling. Consuming small amounts of caffeine seems to be ok (from research) while breast feeding, but check with your doctor first. 

Caroline, I hope this helps! 

Reference: www.kellymom.com