A quick update, since there's not much that has changed:
I'm 23 weeks and still feeling great. No heartburn, leg cramps, headaches, back soreness, or any of that other stuff that I keep reading about on various pregnancy websites. My belly is slowly growing and I'm looking pregnant for real now! Still, no strangers have asked if I'm pregnant. Maybe I'm still at that "is she pregnant or is she fat" stage...who knows? I'm just about back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I have a feeling there's no slowing down now, especially with all this yummy holiday food that's always around. The baby is kicking harder and harder, although he has his active days and his lazy days, which worried me at first when I didn't feel him kick constantly for a couple days. I'm still quite comfortable when I sleep, I just don't usually sleep through the night anymore because I usually have to get up to pee a couple times. It could be a lot worse though, and luckily I seem to still have a lot of energy throughout the day even if I don't sleep well at night.
We've been having fun buying clothes for the little guy. I haven't gotten anything that's not on sale yet, so I don't feel too badly. I've literally never seen Jon shop online for anything, but the other day we were lying in bed and he went onto The Children's Place website and started picking things out and actually ordered them! I was shocked haha. Other than clothes, we haven't gotten anything else really. Since we live with my parents and don't have our own home with a nursery to set up, I haven't felt like there's any reason to buy anything else besides clothes yet. I'm feeling so relaxed and stress-free about the whole thing, actually. I'm excited about baby boy getting here, and I love that I don't feel like we have to have everything together first. I'm pretty sure it will all work out just fine as long as he gets here safely. That's all that matters.
I'm also feeling really calm about the actual labor and delivery part. I am reading a hypnobirthing book (no, it's not about being hypnotized while giving birth) and even though some parts are really weird and a little too new-agey for me, it really does have a lot of great points. For example, women hear their whole lives about how birth is the most horribly excruciating pain you'll ever feel, and how it's so hard and terrible. Which it very well may be so many women. But the book points out that if you go into something expecting a certain outcome, that outcome is a lot more likely to happen. It's the power of suggestion. It's kind of like how we can sometimes get a scratch or something, and not notice it, but then suddenly feel pain once our eyes see it. It doesn't hurt until we know it's there. Our minds are a powerful thing, and when we fear birth because of the pain associated with it, our bodies respond to that fear and the perception of pain greatly increases. That's not to say that it won't be painful - I'm sure it will be. But I can learn relaxation techniques and ways to work with my body and let it do what it was made to do, which can help advance labor instead of slow it down or stall it, which is what stress and anxiety can often do.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
:)
Monday, we found out the gender of our baby! I thought it would be the longest day ever, but luckily it wasn't. I did have about a hundred anxiety attacks during class though. I always get extreme anxiety about going to the doctor, even if it's for something painless and routine. Being that this was one of the most important doctor's appointments of my life thus far, I had constant anxiety and nervous excitement all day.
I was lucky enough to get to drink several glasses of water and then hold it for over an hour. That was quite uncomfortable, especially since I had to also drink something sugary (to get the baby to move around so the gender could be seen more easily). Sugar makes the baby move a lot! It was so worth it, though. At first, the tech took some measurements, because that was more important than knowing the gender, and she wanted to make sure to be able to get all the measurements she needed. The baby is right on target as far as how big it should be at this point. She got a profile view of the baby, and it was sucking it's thumb! Oh my goodness, it was the most precious thing ever. That brought on a few tears :) I think it really felt real at that moment. There's a little person in there and it sucks its thumb!! Wow. The tech then said that she thought she knew the gender, but it was hard to tell because the baby was breech and the cord was between the legs. I pleaded with her to do anything she could to get a better look, and she told me I could (finally!) go to to the bathroom, which could help reposition the baby. I came back, and she tried again. She was able to get a better look and tell us that the baby is a BOY!! She said she wasn't 100%, since the position of the baby and the cord between the legs didn't give her a perfect view, but it sure looked like a boy to me, and I'm no expert! I have since compared our ultrasound pictures to ones online, and I'm confident we're going to have a little guy :)
As soon as we stepped out of the doctor's office, I burst into tears. I had been so anxious/excited/emotional all day, and all those emotions finally hit me at once. I was so overwhelmingly happy that it was a boy, that I couldn't stop sobbing the whole drive home.
Jon called his parents and told them the news. We then arrived home to my family waiting anxiously. My mom is so cute. She had gotten 2 cupcakes at Costco earlier that day. One of them had a princess on it, and the other had a Superman logo. She had us choose the one that matched the gender, and hide it under a cup. We Skyped Drew in Washington, and announced the news by revealing the cupcake. It was very fun and everyone was so happy. My brother is the only boy cousin on my dad's side, so everyone's excited to have another boy in the family. We called my grandparents and then started telling everyone we knew.
It's still a little surreal that we finally know the gender of our little "it." I had been looking forward to 20 weeks for so long. It also feels weird to be halfway done with this pregnancy. It has flown by and now we have less than 5 months!
I was lucky enough to get to drink several glasses of water and then hold it for over an hour. That was quite uncomfortable, especially since I had to also drink something sugary (to get the baby to move around so the gender could be seen more easily). Sugar makes the baby move a lot! It was so worth it, though. At first, the tech took some measurements, because that was more important than knowing the gender, and she wanted to make sure to be able to get all the measurements she needed. The baby is right on target as far as how big it should be at this point. She got a profile view of the baby, and it was sucking it's thumb! Oh my goodness, it was the most precious thing ever. That brought on a few tears :) I think it really felt real at that moment. There's a little person in there and it sucks its thumb!! Wow. The tech then said that she thought she knew the gender, but it was hard to tell because the baby was breech and the cord was between the legs. I pleaded with her to do anything she could to get a better look, and she told me I could (finally!) go to to the bathroom, which could help reposition the baby. I came back, and she tried again. She was able to get a better look and tell us that the baby is a BOY!! She said she wasn't 100%, since the position of the baby and the cord between the legs didn't give her a perfect view, but it sure looked like a boy to me, and I'm no expert! I have since compared our ultrasound pictures to ones online, and I'm confident we're going to have a little guy :)
As soon as we stepped out of the doctor's office, I burst into tears. I had been so anxious/excited/emotional all day, and all those emotions finally hit me at once. I was so overwhelmingly happy that it was a boy, that I couldn't stop sobbing the whole drive home.
Jon called his parents and told them the news. We then arrived home to my family waiting anxiously. My mom is so cute. She had gotten 2 cupcakes at Costco earlier that day. One of them had a princess on it, and the other had a Superman logo. She had us choose the one that matched the gender, and hide it under a cup. We Skyped Drew in Washington, and announced the news by revealing the cupcake. It was very fun and everyone was so happy. My brother is the only boy cousin on my dad's side, so everyone's excited to have another boy in the family. We called my grandparents and then started telling everyone we knew.
It's still a little surreal that we finally know the gender of our little "it." I had been looking forward to 20 weeks for so long. It also feels weird to be halfway done with this pregnancy. It has flown by and now we have less than 5 months!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
19.5 Weeks!
Just a quick update, for my own memory's sake-
-We find out the sex of our baby in 2 days!! I am beyond excited and am really hoping it's a boy.
-I'm feeling great. No heartburn, sickness, leg cramps, or anything else like that.
-I'm still wearing my normal clothes. My pants are getting too tight, and I bought one pair of maternity pants, but they're too big still. I have to do the rubber band trick to be able to wear some of my pants now.
-I've gained about 3 pounds. I'm still not back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm getting there. I'm not worried, and neither is my midwife.
-I feel the baby kick all the time now. It's seriously the best feeling ever. I feel the most movement after I've eaten, but also when I'm laying down. I love to lay in bed at night and have my hand on my stomach, feeling all the movement and kicks. Sometimes I poke baby and it pokes me back! I'm in love :) I tried to get Jon to feel the kicks last night, but he just wanted to go to sleep...
-We find out the sex of our baby in 2 days!! I am beyond excited and am really hoping it's a boy.
-I'm feeling great. No heartburn, sickness, leg cramps, or anything else like that.
-I'm still wearing my normal clothes. My pants are getting too tight, and I bought one pair of maternity pants, but they're too big still. I have to do the rubber band trick to be able to wear some of my pants now.
-I've gained about 3 pounds. I'm still not back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm getting there. I'm not worried, and neither is my midwife.
-I feel the baby kick all the time now. It's seriously the best feeling ever. I feel the most movement after I've eaten, but also when I'm laying down. I love to lay in bed at night and have my hand on my stomach, feeling all the movement and kicks. Sometimes I poke baby and it pokes me back! I'm in love :) I tried to get Jon to feel the kicks last night, but he just wanted to go to sleep...
Thursday, November 10, 2011
17 weeks!
I'm 17 weeks today. The baby is about 5 inches long and 5 ounces. It's the size of an orange! I am so excited to find out the gender, I can't even stand it. I think that will make it seem a lot more real, because I still don't feel like it's really hit me yet. I think it's hard to really grasp that there's a little person inside me when I can't feel him or her kick yet, and we don't know the gender, or have a name picked out or anything. I've been feeling what I'm thinking are maybe tiny little flutters, when I'm laying down after a meal. It's so hard to tell though, because sometimes I can just feel my pulse really strongly in my lower abdomen. But soon I will be able to feel real, unmistakable kicks!
I'm finally feeling great, all the time. There aren't really any days where I feel sick anymore for the last 2 weeks. I'm still really tired all the time, but it's probably just because of my busy schedule. Hopefully I will continue feeling this well for awhile. I'm starting to notice that when I sleep on my back, my feet get a little tingly. They (doctors) say not to sleep on your back anymore after 16 weeks, but I still do, because sometimes I do it in my sleep, and I think my body will let me know when it's time to roll to my side. I'm starting to get a belly, too! I mostly just look chubby, but I am definitely noticing that my stomach is starting to stick out more. My pants that are higher up on my waist are getting more uncomfortable when I'm sitting for long periods of time. I just don't really like anything pressing on my stomach. I'm holding off on maternity clothes for as long as possible, though. I still haven't gained any weight (I'm 12 pounds below what I "should" be, but as long as the baby is growing and healthy, I personally don't believe that being below the suggested weight matters)...I really can't believe it since my eating habits are the worst they've ever been in my life. I know that eating healthy for the baby should be enough incentive, but unfortunately, it doesn't stop me from drinking pop, and eating junk every day. I'm trying to make small steps every day in a healthier direction, though.
This week, I started clinicals at the hospital, and all the walking made my hips and legs so sore! I couldn't believe it. We probably walked at least 5 miles each day, which is a lot more than I'm used to. It's good though - I need any form of exercise I can get.
I'm finally feeling great, all the time. There aren't really any days where I feel sick anymore for the last 2 weeks. I'm still really tired all the time, but it's probably just because of my busy schedule. Hopefully I will continue feeling this well for awhile. I'm starting to notice that when I sleep on my back, my feet get a little tingly. They (doctors) say not to sleep on your back anymore after 16 weeks, but I still do, because sometimes I do it in my sleep, and I think my body will let me know when it's time to roll to my side. I'm starting to get a belly, too! I mostly just look chubby, but I am definitely noticing that my stomach is starting to stick out more. My pants that are higher up on my waist are getting more uncomfortable when I'm sitting for long periods of time. I just don't really like anything pressing on my stomach. I'm holding off on maternity clothes for as long as possible, though. I still haven't gained any weight (I'm 12 pounds below what I "should" be, but as long as the baby is growing and healthy, I personally don't believe that being below the suggested weight matters)...I really can't believe it since my eating habits are the worst they've ever been in my life. I know that eating healthy for the baby should be enough incentive, but unfortunately, it doesn't stop me from drinking pop, and eating junk every day. I'm trying to make small steps every day in a healthier direction, though.
This week, I started clinicals at the hospital, and all the walking made my hips and legs so sore! I couldn't believe it. We probably walked at least 5 miles each day, which is a lot more than I'm used to. It's good though - I need any form of exercise I can get.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
15 Weeks!
Only 25 weeks left to go (roughly)! Today I had an appointment with my midwife and everything went great. The baby had a strong heartbeat and I'm measuring right where I should be for 15 weeks. She showed me how to feel my uterus poking out...I guess until now I couldn't really feel it but it's definitely almost up to my belly button! I'm still feeling great about my choice in midwife. She delivered two babies yesterday/last night and hadn't gotten any sleep in over 30 hours, but still kept her appointment with me. She's super sweet and is great at explaining everything. I feel like since it's my body, I have a right to know what tests I'm having and why, and what the results mean, and Wendy (midwife) really gets that and respects that.
I want to remember everything along the way during this pregnancy, so excuse all the little details and probably too-personal information. I'm still fitting into my regular clothes just fine. At the end of the day, if I wear some of my tighter jeans, they are a little uncomfortable around the waist. Luckily, most of my jeans are low-rider style so they sit low enough that they're still comfortable. My stomach muscles are sore every day, so my belly is definitely stretching, even if I can barely tell yet. I have been so lucky to not have any heartburn, so far. I'm still really tired and don't feel well some days. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that most days I'm too busy to wake up and eat a good breakfast. That makes me feel awful for the rest of the day. I've still only lost weight, no pounds gained yet. My midwife didn't seem concerned though. As long as the baby is growing and healthy, I don't really care how little weight I gain. I'm sure it's going to be coming soon, though. I for sure need to cut back on the junk that I eat. I've never eaten this badly before, and I keep thinking, "ok, next week I'm going to go to the store and get healthy food and stop eating Taco Bell in bed every night!" But, so far, that has not happened. I'm just so busy all the time that I hardly have any time to eat, let alone cook and prepare healthy meals. I'm lucky if I can scarf down a granola bar during my break in between classes.
I can't wait to feel the baby kick. I hope it will be soon, because I'd like to know that the little guy or girl is doing ok in there! Speaking of guy or girl, not too much longer until we find out! I am dying to know. I've started looking at baby items online, and kind of starting a registry because I am just so dang excited. It will be even more fun once we know the gender! Jon's going to have to take away my wallet so that I don't go crazy with buying all kinds of baby clothes. My midwife told me today that Baker College has a sonography program and that you can go get an ultrasound for free, since they need patients to practice on. I'm going to call and see if I can get an appointment in the next few weeks so that maybe we can learn the gender before 20 weeks. My mom wants us to wait until Christmas to tell them the gender (by giving them a wrapped boy/girl outfit, depending on the gender), which is a really cute idea, but I don't want to keep it a secret that long! I want to tell people and celebrate as soon as we know. Sorry mom!
In other news, we are moving in with my parents. I'm so excited! It will be so fun, especially around the holidays. Their house is so cozy and filled with love. We don't like the house we are renting, so instead of staying and wasting so much money every month, we are going to live at my parents house and save up money and get out of debt as much as possible before the baby comes. I am praying like crazy that we can find a cheaper little house to rent by the time the baby is here, because an apartment would be kind of an awkward place to deliver a baby...the neighbors would probably be a little freaked out by a woman screaming in pain all night long! We will see what happens. But in the meantime, we are so blessed to have a place to live and we are so thankful to my amazingly generous parents. We had to get rid of our dog Willy, and Jon was really sad about that. Well, so was Maci. And we are going to have to find a foster home for our cat Tucker ASAP because my mom is allergic to cats. We plan on getting him back once we move out though...he's an awesome cat and we love him! Lucky little Maci girl gets to live with us. Thank goodness, because she is my baby and I don't think I could be away from her that long. That, and she has a very, very short list of people she's comfortable with, so sending her to live with someone else would be really hard for her, if possible at all. I know she's just a dog, but she really is my baby. After we lost the first baby, I got Maci and having her to take care of and love has really helped me to heal :)
I want to remember everything along the way during this pregnancy, so excuse all the little details and probably too-personal information. I'm still fitting into my regular clothes just fine. At the end of the day, if I wear some of my tighter jeans, they are a little uncomfortable around the waist. Luckily, most of my jeans are low-rider style so they sit low enough that they're still comfortable. My stomach muscles are sore every day, so my belly is definitely stretching, even if I can barely tell yet. I have been so lucky to not have any heartburn, so far. I'm still really tired and don't feel well some days. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that most days I'm too busy to wake up and eat a good breakfast. That makes me feel awful for the rest of the day. I've still only lost weight, no pounds gained yet. My midwife didn't seem concerned though. As long as the baby is growing and healthy, I don't really care how little weight I gain. I'm sure it's going to be coming soon, though. I for sure need to cut back on the junk that I eat. I've never eaten this badly before, and I keep thinking, "ok, next week I'm going to go to the store and get healthy food and stop eating Taco Bell in bed every night!" But, so far, that has not happened. I'm just so busy all the time that I hardly have any time to eat, let alone cook and prepare healthy meals. I'm lucky if I can scarf down a granola bar during my break in between classes.
I can't wait to feel the baby kick. I hope it will be soon, because I'd like to know that the little guy or girl is doing ok in there! Speaking of guy or girl, not too much longer until we find out! I am dying to know. I've started looking at baby items online, and kind of starting a registry because I am just so dang excited. It will be even more fun once we know the gender! Jon's going to have to take away my wallet so that I don't go crazy with buying all kinds of baby clothes. My midwife told me today that Baker College has a sonography program and that you can go get an ultrasound for free, since they need patients to practice on. I'm going to call and see if I can get an appointment in the next few weeks so that maybe we can learn the gender before 20 weeks. My mom wants us to wait until Christmas to tell them the gender (by giving them a wrapped boy/girl outfit, depending on the gender), which is a really cute idea, but I don't want to keep it a secret that long! I want to tell people and celebrate as soon as we know. Sorry mom!
In other news, we are moving in with my parents. I'm so excited! It will be so fun, especially around the holidays. Their house is so cozy and filled with love. We don't like the house we are renting, so instead of staying and wasting so much money every month, we are going to live at my parents house and save up money and get out of debt as much as possible before the baby comes. I am praying like crazy that we can find a cheaper little house to rent by the time the baby is here, because an apartment would be kind of an awkward place to deliver a baby...the neighbors would probably be a little freaked out by a woman screaming in pain all night long! We will see what happens. But in the meantime, we are so blessed to have a place to live and we are so thankful to my amazingly generous parents. We had to get rid of our dog Willy, and Jon was really sad about that. Well, so was Maci. And we are going to have to find a foster home for our cat Tucker ASAP because my mom is allergic to cats. We plan on getting him back once we move out though...he's an awesome cat and we love him! Lucky little Maci girl gets to live with us. Thank goodness, because she is my baby and I don't think I could be away from her that long. That, and she has a very, very short list of people she's comfortable with, so sending her to live with someone else would be really hard for her, if possible at all. I know she's just a dog, but she really is my baby. After we lost the first baby, I got Maci and having her to take care of and love has really helped me to heal :)
Friday, October 14, 2011
13 Weeks!
Woah, I'm 13 weeks today. This is kind of flying by. Only 27-ish more weeks to go!
I've been feeling pretty well these last few weeks. Sometimes I still feel sick and can't eat much, but rarely. I'm still tired a lot and have slept like 11 hours the last 3 nights, but I think that's because I've had clinicals this week and am working 10 hour days. I feel like I'm in the in-between stage. When I had morning sickness, that was my way of knowing that baby was ok and still growing and everything. And once I'm able to start feeling the baby kick, I'll know he/she is doing ok also! Right now, I'm not having many symptoms and I can't feel the baby kick yet, so it's sometimes a little hard not to worry or wonder if everything's alright. My stomach isn't growing as far as I can tell. All my clothes still fit better than before I was pregnant and I'm still down about 6 pounds from when I found out I was pregnant. That's fine with me though, cause soon enough, I know I will feel like a whale. I was supposed to have an ultrasound yesterday, which would have been so cool because we could see how much the baby has developed and grown in the last 3 weeks. However, I told my job I could only work 30 hours a week because school and 40 hours of work per week was killing me. So I lost my insurance...I should have waited until after my ultrasound. Oh well. The ultrasound/appointment was to check for Down's Syndrome and other abnormalities. Finding out our baby has Down's wouldn't change anything, so it doesn't matter to me whether I have the testing for it or not. My doctor never gave me the option whether or not to have the tests. He actually didn't even tell me what my ultrasound/appointment was for. That bothers me a lot, because I feel like it is my health and my baby, and the doctor should at least tell me why I'm having the tests I'm having and that they're OPTIONAL. Needless to say, I'm not going to continue to go to that practice anymore. Which leads me to my next news...
I found a midwife that I absolutely love! I met with her last week, and the appointment was the complete opposite of anything I've experienced at my doctor's office. The midwife's name is Wendy, and she spent over an hour with me, getting to know me and answering my questions. She let me listen to the baby's heartbeat, and spent a lot of time explaining to me what each sound was, which was really nice. She was very clear that she isn't going to push any testing on me or anything. She told me what testing she thinks is important, and WHY it's important, and told me that it's up to me whether or not I do it. She helpfully offered her opinions without making me feel like I was under any pressure to have anything done. She made me feel very at ease with having a home birth, and was even familiar with my fainting condition, which was my biggest concern. She seems to have a true passion for helping women during this amazing time in their lives. After one meeting, I feel a hundred times more comfortable with her delivering my baby than I did with my doctor. Of course, I know that there are great doctors out there and that my experience is just an unfortunate one that I should not base my opinion of ALL doctors on. But I definitely feel that a midwife and a home birth is best for me and the baby, and it's a very personal decision that I wanted to feel 100% ok with. I've been reading lots of stories online about home births, and honestly, I have not read a single one where the woman has said "it was horrible, I hated it, and I never want to do it again." Every story I've read has been honest about how hard and painful it is, but every story ends with the woman saying that it's the best thing she's ever done and she would do it again. Every experience sounds like a good one in the end.
I've had a lot of people tell me things like "be prepared to go to the hospital," and "what if something goes wrong and you don't get to the hospital in time?" I think a lot of people close to me think I'm crazy and that having a home birth is dangerous and irresponsible. I definitely want to do it, but I also understand that if something does go wrong, and I have to go to the hospital, it's ok. Things don't always go as planned, and the ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby in the safest way possible. I live about 5 minutes from the nearest hospital, and the point of having a midwife there is because she's trained to deal with any problems that may arise. She said she's had one emergency transport to a hospital in her whole career. I think we're trained to think that pregnancy is a medical problem that must end with medical intervention (i.e. - going to the hospital for pain medications, induction, c-section, etc). It's not! It's a natural thing that our bodies were made for. Obviously there are cases where medication, inductions, and c-sections are absolutely necessary for the health of the baby.
I've been feeling pretty well these last few weeks. Sometimes I still feel sick and can't eat much, but rarely. I'm still tired a lot and have slept like 11 hours the last 3 nights, but I think that's because I've had clinicals this week and am working 10 hour days. I feel like I'm in the in-between stage. When I had morning sickness, that was my way of knowing that baby was ok and still growing and everything. And once I'm able to start feeling the baby kick, I'll know he/she is doing ok also! Right now, I'm not having many symptoms and I can't feel the baby kick yet, so it's sometimes a little hard not to worry or wonder if everything's alright. My stomach isn't growing as far as I can tell. All my clothes still fit better than before I was pregnant and I'm still down about 6 pounds from when I found out I was pregnant. That's fine with me though, cause soon enough, I know I will feel like a whale. I was supposed to have an ultrasound yesterday, which would have been so cool because we could see how much the baby has developed and grown in the last 3 weeks. However, I told my job I could only work 30 hours a week because school and 40 hours of work per week was killing me. So I lost my insurance...I should have waited until after my ultrasound. Oh well. The ultrasound/appointment was to check for Down's Syndrome and other abnormalities. Finding out our baby has Down's wouldn't change anything, so it doesn't matter to me whether I have the testing for it or not. My doctor never gave me the option whether or not to have the tests. He actually didn't even tell me what my ultrasound/appointment was for. That bothers me a lot, because I feel like it is my health and my baby, and the doctor should at least tell me why I'm having the tests I'm having and that they're OPTIONAL. Needless to say, I'm not going to continue to go to that practice anymore. Which leads me to my next news...
I found a midwife that I absolutely love! I met with her last week, and the appointment was the complete opposite of anything I've experienced at my doctor's office. The midwife's name is Wendy, and she spent over an hour with me, getting to know me and answering my questions. She let me listen to the baby's heartbeat, and spent a lot of time explaining to me what each sound was, which was really nice. She was very clear that she isn't going to push any testing on me or anything. She told me what testing she thinks is important, and WHY it's important, and told me that it's up to me whether or not I do it. She helpfully offered her opinions without making me feel like I was under any pressure to have anything done. She made me feel very at ease with having a home birth, and was even familiar with my fainting condition, which was my biggest concern. She seems to have a true passion for helping women during this amazing time in their lives. After one meeting, I feel a hundred times more comfortable with her delivering my baby than I did with my doctor. Of course, I know that there are great doctors out there and that my experience is just an unfortunate one that I should not base my opinion of ALL doctors on. But I definitely feel that a midwife and a home birth is best for me and the baby, and it's a very personal decision that I wanted to feel 100% ok with. I've been reading lots of stories online about home births, and honestly, I have not read a single one where the woman has said "it was horrible, I hated it, and I never want to do it again." Every story I've read has been honest about how hard and painful it is, but every story ends with the woman saying that it's the best thing she's ever done and she would do it again. Every experience sounds like a good one in the end.
I've had a lot of people tell me things like "be prepared to go to the hospital," and "what if something goes wrong and you don't get to the hospital in time?" I think a lot of people close to me think I'm crazy and that having a home birth is dangerous and irresponsible. I definitely want to do it, but I also understand that if something does go wrong, and I have to go to the hospital, it's ok. Things don't always go as planned, and the ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby in the safest way possible. I live about 5 minutes from the nearest hospital, and the point of having a midwife there is because she's trained to deal with any problems that may arise. She said she's had one emergency transport to a hospital in her whole career. I think we're trained to think that pregnancy is a medical problem that must end with medical intervention (i.e. - going to the hospital for pain medications, induction, c-section, etc). It's not! It's a natural thing that our bodies were made for. Obviously there are cases where medication, inductions, and c-sections are absolutely necessary for the health of the baby.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
11 Weeks
I am 11 weeks pregnant tomorrow, and I can't believe how quickly this is going by! It probably helps that I'm incredibly busy 24/7 which makes the days fly by. I'm still feeling pretty sick. I started to feel better for a couple of days last week which made me a little worried, but I definitely feel icky again. I notice that it's mostly only when I'm at work. I know that sounds silly..."Work makes me sick!" but really, I think it's because it's the time when I am sitting all by myself in a quiet office which gives me lots of time to concentrate on how crappy I feel. When I'm at school, I don't notice it very much because I'm busy writing notes, doing lab activities, etc. I also haven't been grocery shopping in over a month, so we've had no food and I've had to rely on scrounging up whatever snacks I could find at work. Plus, I haven't cooked since finding out I was pregnant. I haven't had the time or the energy, and food mostly grosses me out until it's ready and right in front of my face. If I think about it too much before hand, it just makes me feel sick. So, being hungry all the time doesn't really help with feeling sick! Jon is finally going to get groceries tonight and I am so excited, even though it's hard to think of food that sounds good and can be made into meals...not just snacks.
I'm still always exhausted, and some nights I have to drag myself into work after a long day of class. I haven't had time to take naps lately and I'm still managing to function until about 10pm every night, so maybe it's getting better! I know I'm complaining a lot about being sick and tired, but I remind myself every day that it's a good sign that the baby is healthy and growing. I wanted this so badly for so long and I feel so blessed to be pregnant again, no matter how sick it makes me feel.
We still haven't told any friends that I'm pregnant (except my best friend Haleigh). We told Drew and Catie the other night, via Skype. Drew is in Washington, and we wanted to be able to tell him "in person." Earlier that day, I had posted a facebook status about free puppies at the dog park, and Drew had responded saying that he wanted one. So when we Skyped him, I said "Well, sorry that we couldn't get you a puppy today at the bark park, but in April we'll be able to give you a little niece or nephew!" And Drew's response was priceless - "A real one?!" Yes Drew, a human baby, not another animal :) After we told him, Catie got online, so we told her too. She had a look of shock and excitement on her face for about 10 seconds before she said anything, and I thought maybe the computer had frozen. It was really great to be able to finally tell them.
Instead of telling Jon's parents, Jon simply sent a picture of the ultrasound to them. They didn't call or anything, so I didn't know he had sent it, until I saw a posting on Jon's mom's facebook, telling her sister to call her because she had big news. I quickly told Jon to call her and tell her that it was a secret and not to tell anyone! A little bit of lack of communication there on both sides haha. I'm not feeling very rushed to tell anyone else at this point. I'd like to keep it private for as long as possible, which should be easy for at least a few more weeks.
I'm excited to start showing, but I have a feeling it could be awhile. My clothes are actually fitting me better now since I haven't been able to eat much. I haven't lost any weight, but I've definitely lost a lot of muscle. My poor arms and legs are so weak! I know Jon will have me working out as soon as I feel better ha!
I'm still always exhausted, and some nights I have to drag myself into work after a long day of class. I haven't had time to take naps lately and I'm still managing to function until about 10pm every night, so maybe it's getting better! I know I'm complaining a lot about being sick and tired, but I remind myself every day that it's a good sign that the baby is healthy and growing. I wanted this so badly for so long and I feel so blessed to be pregnant again, no matter how sick it makes me feel.
We still haven't told any friends that I'm pregnant (except my best friend Haleigh). We told Drew and Catie the other night, via Skype. Drew is in Washington, and we wanted to be able to tell him "in person." Earlier that day, I had posted a facebook status about free puppies at the dog park, and Drew had responded saying that he wanted one. So when we Skyped him, I said "Well, sorry that we couldn't get you a puppy today at the bark park, but in April we'll be able to give you a little niece or nephew!" And Drew's response was priceless - "A real one?!" Yes Drew, a human baby, not another animal :) After we told him, Catie got online, so we told her too. She had a look of shock and excitement on her face for about 10 seconds before she said anything, and I thought maybe the computer had frozen. It was really great to be able to finally tell them.
Instead of telling Jon's parents, Jon simply sent a picture of the ultrasound to them. They didn't call or anything, so I didn't know he had sent it, until I saw a posting on Jon's mom's facebook, telling her sister to call her because she had big news. I quickly told Jon to call her and tell her that it was a secret and not to tell anyone! A little bit of lack of communication there on both sides haha. I'm not feeling very rushed to tell anyone else at this point. I'd like to keep it private for as long as possible, which should be easy for at least a few more weeks.
I'm excited to start showing, but I have a feeling it could be awhile. My clothes are actually fitting me better now since I haven't been able to eat much. I haven't lost any weight, but I've definitely lost a lot of muscle. My poor arms and legs are so weak! I know Jon will have me working out as soon as I feel better ha!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Baby Abbott on the way!
Well, the time has come again..FINALLY! Yes, we are pregnant! After many, many months of trying, I was expecting the worst and was somewhat in disbelief when I got a positive pregnancy test in August.
I had decided in July that I was going to finally see my doctor about my options regarding fertility drugs. It had been a year since Jon and I started trying for a baby again after my miscarriage, and we were getting worried and discouraged. I told myself I would wait until I started my period in August, and then I'd go see my doctor. I knew that it would be absolutely crazy to continue to try to get pregnant while I was working and going to school full-time, but I didn't want to give up in case something was really wrong and it would be a very long process.
In the middle of August, I went on vacation up north with my family. Jon was unable to go. I was expecting to start right at the beginning of the vacation, which was a bummer, but I accepted it. By the end of our trip, I still hadn't started, and I let myself get a little excited, even though it wasn't unusual for me to have extra long cycles. I remember having a cup of coffee one morning while up north, and it made me extremely shaky. We climbed the 400 foot sand dunes near the Sleeping Bear Dunes and I was shaking badly the whole time. It seemed strange to me, but I just thought it was probably because I'm really sensitive to caffeine. By the time we got home, I decided to just take a test so that I wouldn't continue to get my hopes up. Hah! It was positive. That was right after our 2nd wedding anniversary, so when Jon got home from work that night, I told him I had a late anniversary gift for him (we don't normally do gifts...we've always been too poor!) and I told him to close his eyes. I put the pregnancy test in his hand, and he opened his eyes and said "there are two lines. Does that mean...??" He responded quite a bit better this time and was really happy.
I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks, and I started nursing school at 7 weeks, which actually worked out pretty well. No, working full time and going to school full time and having terrible morning sickness and a house, dogs, husband, etc, to worry about probably wasn't the ideal combination, but at least I was able to rest more and sleep in more than if I hadn't been going to school. I was able to sleep in a little before class and go home in between classes to take naps. I worked late some days after class, so I was able to sleep in a little bit the next day before going to work, and that usually helped me to feel not quite so sick. I did feel horrible from weeks 6-9 but now, at week 10 (today!) I'm feeling so much better. Not great, but I can at least get out of bed in the morning to get myself a bowl of cereal.
Jon and I went up to the UP to visit his parents over Labor Day weekend, and I was very sick all weekend. Jon's mom was so sweet and had so much food cooked for us, but strangely all I was craving was vegetables and fruit. It was hard for me to eat the food she made, and I felt so rude when I couldn't finish my meals. I was also super tired, and took several naps throughout the day, which worried Jon's mom. She kept asking what was wrong with me! We didn't want to tell them yet, so I just told her that it was vacation and I never got to take naps! (That's true, though...I LOVE being able to take naps.)
At about 8 weeks, I had kind of a scary thing happen. At work on a Thursday, I had been feeling horrible all day, worse than I had ever felt before. I still attributed it to the fact that I was pregnant and probably just hadn't had enough to eat all day. Friday around 4am, I woke up to use the bathroom, and still felt terrible. I once again didn't think much of it, until I was using the bathroom and felt like I was going to get sick. I remember putting my head between my knees and then thinking "If I'm going to throw up, at least it will be on the linoleum, which will be easy to clean!" Gross, I know. I started to put my hair back in a pony tail, and the next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and the wall was inches from my face. It took me several minutes to figure out where I was and what was going on. I had passed out and landed face first on the floor. I was laying behind the closed door, so I somehow rolled myself over so that I could open the door, and I started pounding on the wall and screaming Jon's name. It took almost 10 minutes, but he finally came in and found me. I ended up going to the ER that Sunday because I was still in so much pain. I had landed on the side of my face, bruising my cheek and jaw, and possibly dislocated my jaw as well. My neck had been cranked backward from the force of me landing face first, and my ears, face, and back were sore. I had a terrible headache and could barely eat anything. The ER doctors said I was ok, and they gave me an ultrasound to make sure everything was fine with the baby, even though there was no way falling could have hurt it. That was really nice to see that the baby still had a strong heartbeat, because I lost the last baby at just after 8 weeks, and this ultrasound in the ER was also just after 8 weeks too.
I started feeling a little better during my 9th week. I would have days where I didn't feel as sick as I normally had, and I started to get worried that I'd lose this baby also. Last time I was pregnant, I had dreams almost every night about babies. This time, I haven't had a single one. I've had a lot of stressful, nightmare-ish dreams that wake me up and leave me feeling upset but unable to understand why. I was dreading my 10 week ultrasound yesterday because I feared the worst. Luckily, the baby had grown and had a great heartbeat! We saw little arms and legs, and the baby was wiggling around a little bit. The baby was also measuring farther along than we thought it would. Because of my irregularly long periods sometimes, the doctor had told us before that the baby was probably about a week younger than we thought, but it measured 10 weeks yesterday.
Every time I go to my OB/GYN, I think about how much I dislike that place. It's not somewhere that I want to continue going. There are 7 or 8 doctors, and any one of them could end up delivering my baby. I don't want to form a bond with a doctor, and then have a stranger deliver my baby. I know that the doctor really doesn't do much except for catch the baby, but still. I've been going to that office for several years, and have been there over a dozen times, yet every time I go, they treat me like a first time patient. They never seem to look at my chart before coming in to see me, so I always have to explain 10 times that no, this is not my first pregnancy, I had a miscarriage before, so I know what morning sickness is and how to deal with it, thank you very much! I'm also starting to feel like a hospital birth with a doctor telling me what to do is not for me. There is nothing wrong with delivering in a hospital. There are so many instances when a woman SHOULD have her baby at a hospital, both for her safety and the baby's. However, as long as my pregnancy stays normal and without complications, I see no reason that I can't have my baby with a midwife, at home or at least in a birthing center. I always said that I wanted the strongest epidural possible because I didn't want to feel any pain. Now, after doing a lot of research and reading lots of natural birth stories, I think that I want to give birth drug-free. I generally don't react very well to any drugs. I'm very sensitive and get sick from drugs really easily. I think an epidural would end up making me very sick. And usually, when there is one kind of intervention in the hospital, there are more to follow. I definitely would consider giving birth drug-free in a hospital with a midwife, if I found the right hospital. I personally just don't want a doctor standing over me telling me that if I don't progress quickly enough, I'm going to need drugs or a c-section. I know there are good doctors out there, but hospitals are businesses. Hospital employees are under pressure to get patients in and out as quickly as possible. Most "emergency" c-sections happen at 4pm (right before dinner time) and 10pm (before bed time). And no, I don't mean the patient's dinner and bed time...I mean the doctor's. Interesting, huh? Of course, this is all my personal opinion, and it's what I believe and feel is best for me. I'm definitely not going to judge any woman who chooses a different option. There is no RIGHT choice when it comes to giving birth, as long as the baby and mother's safety and health are the main concern.
Ok, I'm done with that tangent. I'm excited to be feeling a little better now. I feel like the last 5 weeks have gone really quickly. I guess it helps that I've been so busy! Lately, my schedule has been this: Wake up, go to school, come home, take a half hour nap, go back to school, go to work until 8 or 9pm, come home, go to bed, wake up, go to school...etc, etc. It's not too bad though. School is fun and not as hard as I thought it would be, yet. I know it will get harder, but so far it's manageable. Work is the hardest thing. I am so exhausted all the time, and some days when I have to work 10-12 hours, it's really tough. I just keep telling myself that I chose to do all this. I CAN DO THIS! In a way, I can't wait to start telling more people (my parent's know) but I also want to see how long I can wait. I'm not showing or anything, so I might be able to wait a few more weeks. We'll see!
I had decided in July that I was going to finally see my doctor about my options regarding fertility drugs. It had been a year since Jon and I started trying for a baby again after my miscarriage, and we were getting worried and discouraged. I told myself I would wait until I started my period in August, and then I'd go see my doctor. I knew that it would be absolutely crazy to continue to try to get pregnant while I was working and going to school full-time, but I didn't want to give up in case something was really wrong and it would be a very long process.
In the middle of August, I went on vacation up north with my family. Jon was unable to go. I was expecting to start right at the beginning of the vacation, which was a bummer, but I accepted it. By the end of our trip, I still hadn't started, and I let myself get a little excited, even though it wasn't unusual for me to have extra long cycles. I remember having a cup of coffee one morning while up north, and it made me extremely shaky. We climbed the 400 foot sand dunes near the Sleeping Bear Dunes and I was shaking badly the whole time. It seemed strange to me, but I just thought it was probably because I'm really sensitive to caffeine. By the time we got home, I decided to just take a test so that I wouldn't continue to get my hopes up. Hah! It was positive. That was right after our 2nd wedding anniversary, so when Jon got home from work that night, I told him I had a late anniversary gift for him (we don't normally do gifts...we've always been too poor!) and I told him to close his eyes. I put the pregnancy test in his hand, and he opened his eyes and said "there are two lines. Does that mean...??" He responded quite a bit better this time and was really happy.
I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks, and I started nursing school at 7 weeks, which actually worked out pretty well. No, working full time and going to school full time and having terrible morning sickness and a house, dogs, husband, etc, to worry about probably wasn't the ideal combination, but at least I was able to rest more and sleep in more than if I hadn't been going to school. I was able to sleep in a little before class and go home in between classes to take naps. I worked late some days after class, so I was able to sleep in a little bit the next day before going to work, and that usually helped me to feel not quite so sick. I did feel horrible from weeks 6-9 but now, at week 10 (today!) I'm feeling so much better. Not great, but I can at least get out of bed in the morning to get myself a bowl of cereal.
Jon and I went up to the UP to visit his parents over Labor Day weekend, and I was very sick all weekend. Jon's mom was so sweet and had so much food cooked for us, but strangely all I was craving was vegetables and fruit. It was hard for me to eat the food she made, and I felt so rude when I couldn't finish my meals. I was also super tired, and took several naps throughout the day, which worried Jon's mom. She kept asking what was wrong with me! We didn't want to tell them yet, so I just told her that it was vacation and I never got to take naps! (That's true, though...I LOVE being able to take naps.)
At about 8 weeks, I had kind of a scary thing happen. At work on a Thursday, I had been feeling horrible all day, worse than I had ever felt before. I still attributed it to the fact that I was pregnant and probably just hadn't had enough to eat all day. Friday around 4am, I woke up to use the bathroom, and still felt terrible. I once again didn't think much of it, until I was using the bathroom and felt like I was going to get sick. I remember putting my head between my knees and then thinking "If I'm going to throw up, at least it will be on the linoleum, which will be easy to clean!" Gross, I know. I started to put my hair back in a pony tail, and the next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and the wall was inches from my face. It took me several minutes to figure out where I was and what was going on. I had passed out and landed face first on the floor. I was laying behind the closed door, so I somehow rolled myself over so that I could open the door, and I started pounding on the wall and screaming Jon's name. It took almost 10 minutes, but he finally came in and found me. I ended up going to the ER that Sunday because I was still in so much pain. I had landed on the side of my face, bruising my cheek and jaw, and possibly dislocated my jaw as well. My neck had been cranked backward from the force of me landing face first, and my ears, face, and back were sore. I had a terrible headache and could barely eat anything. The ER doctors said I was ok, and they gave me an ultrasound to make sure everything was fine with the baby, even though there was no way falling could have hurt it. That was really nice to see that the baby still had a strong heartbeat, because I lost the last baby at just after 8 weeks, and this ultrasound in the ER was also just after 8 weeks too.
I started feeling a little better during my 9th week. I would have days where I didn't feel as sick as I normally had, and I started to get worried that I'd lose this baby also. Last time I was pregnant, I had dreams almost every night about babies. This time, I haven't had a single one. I've had a lot of stressful, nightmare-ish dreams that wake me up and leave me feeling upset but unable to understand why. I was dreading my 10 week ultrasound yesterday because I feared the worst. Luckily, the baby had grown and had a great heartbeat! We saw little arms and legs, and the baby was wiggling around a little bit. The baby was also measuring farther along than we thought it would. Because of my irregularly long periods sometimes, the doctor had told us before that the baby was probably about a week younger than we thought, but it measured 10 weeks yesterday.
Every time I go to my OB/GYN, I think about how much I dislike that place. It's not somewhere that I want to continue going. There are 7 or 8 doctors, and any one of them could end up delivering my baby. I don't want to form a bond with a doctor, and then have a stranger deliver my baby. I know that the doctor really doesn't do much except for catch the baby, but still. I've been going to that office for several years, and have been there over a dozen times, yet every time I go, they treat me like a first time patient. They never seem to look at my chart before coming in to see me, so I always have to explain 10 times that no, this is not my first pregnancy, I had a miscarriage before, so I know what morning sickness is and how to deal with it, thank you very much! I'm also starting to feel like a hospital birth with a doctor telling me what to do is not for me. There is nothing wrong with delivering in a hospital. There are so many instances when a woman SHOULD have her baby at a hospital, both for her safety and the baby's. However, as long as my pregnancy stays normal and without complications, I see no reason that I can't have my baby with a midwife, at home or at least in a birthing center. I always said that I wanted the strongest epidural possible because I didn't want to feel any pain. Now, after doing a lot of research and reading lots of natural birth stories, I think that I want to give birth drug-free. I generally don't react very well to any drugs. I'm very sensitive and get sick from drugs really easily. I think an epidural would end up making me very sick. And usually, when there is one kind of intervention in the hospital, there are more to follow. I definitely would consider giving birth drug-free in a hospital with a midwife, if I found the right hospital. I personally just don't want a doctor standing over me telling me that if I don't progress quickly enough, I'm going to need drugs or a c-section. I know there are good doctors out there, but hospitals are businesses. Hospital employees are under pressure to get patients in and out as quickly as possible. Most "emergency" c-sections happen at 4pm (right before dinner time) and 10pm (before bed time). And no, I don't mean the patient's dinner and bed time...I mean the doctor's. Interesting, huh? Of course, this is all my personal opinion, and it's what I believe and feel is best for me. I'm definitely not going to judge any woman who chooses a different option. There is no RIGHT choice when it comes to giving birth, as long as the baby and mother's safety and health are the main concern.
Ok, I'm done with that tangent. I'm excited to be feeling a little better now. I feel like the last 5 weeks have gone really quickly. I guess it helps that I've been so busy! Lately, my schedule has been this: Wake up, go to school, come home, take a half hour nap, go back to school, go to work until 8 or 9pm, come home, go to bed, wake up, go to school...etc, etc. It's not too bad though. School is fun and not as hard as I thought it would be, yet. I know it will get harder, but so far it's manageable. Work is the hardest thing. I am so exhausted all the time, and some days when I have to work 10-12 hours, it's really tough. I just keep telling myself that I chose to do all this. I CAN DO THIS! In a way, I can't wait to start telling more people (my parent's know) but I also want to see how long I can wait. I'm not showing or anything, so I might be able to wait a few more weeks. We'll see!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
help!
Can someone tell me why spaces don't show up when I publish posts? I had everything separated by a few lines and now everything is just smashed together in that last post. What is happening?
Friday, March 11, 2011
Food (Warning...this is LONG)
Lately, I've been trying to eat better. I kind of gave up on exercise and a healthy diet for way too long, and as a result, I gained weight, felt lethargic all the time, and my stomach would always have problems. It's so easy to be tempted to go on a diet, which for many people means depriving oneself of certain foods, or severely limiting calorie intake. There are so many fad diets that people buy into because they promise quick results. The first problem is, they usually aren't good for your body. A popular diet that I can think of off the top of my head is the Atkins diet. I'm not super familiar with it, but from what I gathered when one of my co-workers was doing it, it involves little to no carbs and mostly protein. Your body needs carbs! I think most people think of bread, pasta, potatoes, etc, when they think of carbs. Yet, according to the food pyramid, a large portion of our diet is supposed to be comprised of carbs, good carbs, like fresh fruits and veggies, and whole grains. Another problem is that people don't realize that if you eat too much protein and your body can't use it all for fuel, your body will store it as fat!
A second problem with fad diets is that they don't force you to change your lifestyle and maintain it for more than a set period of time. Sometimes people think that they can lose weight by not allowing themselves ANY treats whatsoever. But after a while, you will probably start carving sweets or junk food, and once you break down, you are more likely to overindulge. Complete deprivation is not a healthy way to diet.
In order to get myself back on track with my eating habits, I started making green smoothies. They are a super easy, healthy way to get lots of vitamins and minerals. I get my daily serving of fruits and veggies in a smoothie that takes me about 5 minutes to drink. How easy is that? The great thing about green smoothies is that they are made up entirely of fruits, veggies, and water. Lots of times, people will make a smoothie in an attempt to eat better, yet they will add things like yogurt, milk, juice, and honey or sugar because that's what we think of when we thing "smoothie." Those things aren't bad, but they add unnecessary sugar, fat, and calories. It's better to use water instead of juice, because juice is full of sugar. Yes, it's "good" sugar, meaning not refined white sugar that you buy from the store. But it's better to get that sugar from whole fruits so that you are getting the fiber from the fruit as well. I love to add ground flax seed meal to my smoothies to add some healthy fats. Flax seeds are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which can help lower cholesterol, among other things. Most Americans eat way too much Omega 6 fatty acids, which are found in red meats, and not enough Omega 3 fatty acids. I could go on and on about the benefits of green smoothies, but I won't bore you :)
All I can say is that green smoothies are amazing. No, I won't claim that they've cured my every health problem and helped me to lose weight instantly. But I do have a ton more energy. My skin is more clear. My digestive system has never run more smoothly...if you catch my drift. And the best part is, I crave fruits and veggies ALL the time now! When I'm hungry for a snack at work, I will cut up a bell pepper and eat it, or an apple, or carrot sticks. I can't say I NEVER crave junk food or sweets, but when I do, it's pretty rare and after a few bites, I feel a bit sickened by so much refined sugar. Trust me, I do have my cheat days, and that's ok.
(picture from Google)
Want to make your own green smoothie? It's easy! I just fill my blender with some water. I usually start with about a cup. I add a banana to thicken the smoothie. I usually add an apple, frozen pineapple chunks, or frozen mixed berries (I use frozen fruit because our ice cubes always evaporate in our freezer before I get a chance to use them...but ice is great in smoothies if you have it!). Then, I add a huge handful of spinach. When starting out, I suggest you use 60-70% fruit and 30-40% veggies/spinach. I usually make mine with so many veggies that they don't taste sweet, but not everyone likes that. Then I blend everything together, add more water if I need to, and ta-da!
Here's a list of great things to put in a smoothie:
Bananas, apples, pears
Frozen or fresh berries (These are generally low in sugar and won't cause your blood sugar to spike!)
Kiwi, pineapple, mangos
Spinach
Kale
Collard Greens
Parsley
Mint leaves
Celery
Cucumber
Bell peppers
Flax seed powder...or any others, like hemp, chia, or unflavored protein powder.
One last thing. If you love potatoes, like I do, try substituting a sweet potato (or yam, because although technically they are two totally different things, most of the time when you see a "yam" at the grocery store, it's a sweet potato) for a regular potato. Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, vitamin C and vitamin A and beta carotene. It's a great food for someone who's diabetic, because they help to stabalize blood sugar, not cause it to go up. One of my favorite foods ever is oven-roasted sweet potatoes. I love to add carrots and onions, too. Just cut everything into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil, (or cooking spray, which is all we have at work in terms of oils) and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and garlic powder. I bake mine at 400 degrees for roughly 40 minutes, or until everything is tender. It's so delicious! And very simple.
A second problem with fad diets is that they don't force you to change your lifestyle and maintain it for more than a set period of time. Sometimes people think that they can lose weight by not allowing themselves ANY treats whatsoever. But after a while, you will probably start carving sweets or junk food, and once you break down, you are more likely to overindulge. Complete deprivation is not a healthy way to diet.
In order to get myself back on track with my eating habits, I started making green smoothies. They are a super easy, healthy way to get lots of vitamins and minerals. I get my daily serving of fruits and veggies in a smoothie that takes me about 5 minutes to drink. How easy is that? The great thing about green smoothies is that they are made up entirely of fruits, veggies, and water. Lots of times, people will make a smoothie in an attempt to eat better, yet they will add things like yogurt, milk, juice, and honey or sugar because that's what we think of when we thing "smoothie." Those things aren't bad, but they add unnecessary sugar, fat, and calories. It's better to use water instead of juice, because juice is full of sugar. Yes, it's "good" sugar, meaning not refined white sugar that you buy from the store. But it's better to get that sugar from whole fruits so that you are getting the fiber from the fruit as well. I love to add ground flax seed meal to my smoothies to add some healthy fats. Flax seeds are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which can help lower cholesterol, among other things. Most Americans eat way too much Omega 6 fatty acids, which are found in red meats, and not enough Omega 3 fatty acids. I could go on and on about the benefits of green smoothies, but I won't bore you :)
All I can say is that green smoothies are amazing. No, I won't claim that they've cured my every health problem and helped me to lose weight instantly. But I do have a ton more energy. My skin is more clear. My digestive system has never run more smoothly...if you catch my drift. And the best part is, I crave fruits and veggies ALL the time now! When I'm hungry for a snack at work, I will cut up a bell pepper and eat it, or an apple, or carrot sticks. I can't say I NEVER crave junk food or sweets, but when I do, it's pretty rare and after a few bites, I feel a bit sickened by so much refined sugar. Trust me, I do have my cheat days, and that's ok.
(picture from Google)
Want to make your own green smoothie? It's easy! I just fill my blender with some water. I usually start with about a cup. I add a banana to thicken the smoothie. I usually add an apple, frozen pineapple chunks, or frozen mixed berries (I use frozen fruit because our ice cubes always evaporate in our freezer before I get a chance to use them...but ice is great in smoothies if you have it!). Then, I add a huge handful of spinach. When starting out, I suggest you use 60-70% fruit and 30-40% veggies/spinach. I usually make mine with so many veggies that they don't taste sweet, but not everyone likes that. Then I blend everything together, add more water if I need to, and ta-da!
Here's a list of great things to put in a smoothie:
Bananas, apples, pears
Frozen or fresh berries (These are generally low in sugar and won't cause your blood sugar to spike!)
Kiwi, pineapple, mangos
Spinach
Kale
Collard Greens
Parsley
Mint leaves
Celery
Cucumber
Bell peppers
Flax seed powder...or any others, like hemp, chia, or unflavored protein powder.
One last thing. If you love potatoes, like I do, try substituting a sweet potato (or yam, because although technically they are two totally different things, most of the time when you see a "yam" at the grocery store, it's a sweet potato) for a regular potato. Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, vitamin C and vitamin A and beta carotene. It's a great food for someone who's diabetic, because they help to stabalize blood sugar, not cause it to go up. One of my favorite foods ever is oven-roasted sweet potatoes. I love to add carrots and onions, too. Just cut everything into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil, (or cooking spray, which is all we have at work in terms of oils) and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and garlic powder. I bake mine at 400 degrees for roughly 40 minutes, or until everything is tender. It's so delicious! And very simple.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Maci
We've had a new addition to our family since my last update. Well, lots has happened since my last post, but I'm going to take it slowly and do it in multiple posts.
As most of you know, we have a dog named Willy, and he's Jon's baby. We have a cat too, which I absolutely love, but I was really wanting my own dog. My dog that I had growing up had died a few years ago, but I still got really sad about it all the time and wanted a dog, not to replace Paige, but so that I could have a buddy again! I started looking online and was certain I wanted a Golden Retriever. I'd always wanted one, and I kept saying that if I didn't get one now, I might never get one. But as I researched, I decided there was no way I'd pay $800 for a dog when I could rescue one for much cheaper. So I found a puppy online from a rescue that I decided I would go look at. I had scheduled to have surgery on both wrists to have some cysts removed, but I figured I'd be fine a few days later, so I contacted the shelter and told them I'd be coming to their adoption event to get the puppy. It turns out that the surgery and recovery was wayyy more painful than I had anticipated and I could hardly do anything that involved using my hands because it hurt so badly. So I didn't end up getting that dog. I waited until my wrists healed a little more, and I kept looking for puppies online. I went back and forth between a few, one of them being a Jack Russell-Border Collie mix. I remember joking to my family that I would be crazy to get a dog that was a combination of two of the most hyper dogs ever. Somehow though, I decided to go look at her. Part of the reason I was so drawn to her was because she looked a lot like Paige. Jon and I went and played with her at the end of September. She was part of a litter of 8, and we were the only ones there to look at any of them. She was so very sweet but really shy. I instantly knew she was the dog I wanted. We had to wait 2 weeks for her to be "quarantined" since she had just been brought from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky and they wanted to make sure she didn't have any illnesses that needed to be treated. I anxiously waited those two weeks, and on October 5, after one of the longest days of work ever, I went to pick her up. I named her Maci. She was about 14 weeks old. I brought her home and realized that she had become way more nervous than the first time I played with her. She wouldn't go to the bathroom outside because she was afraid of every little noise. She slipped out of her collar because it was too big, and when I bent down too quickly to pick her up, she bit me because she was so terrified. She was scared of Willy and Tucker and she wouldn't come near me unless I sat on the floor for about 5 minutes. She was of course scared of Jon. I had mentally prepared myself for a couple weeks since I knew she would cry at night and I wouldn't get much sleep for awhile. I put her in her cage next to my bed the first night, and she didn't make a peep the entire night. She slept next to my bed for the next few months and never cried once. She's still outgrowing her fear of everything. She's gotten so much better though, and can now go for walks calmly and will sometimes even get excited to approach dogs and people, even though once she gets too close she changes her mind. She's exactly what I needed to help me stop feeling sad about Paige. She's my little buddy and I take her with me everywhere I can. Sometimes when Jon works late and ends up falling asleep on the couch, Maci will sleep with me. I love it because it makes it so much easier to wake up in the morning. She gets so happy to wake up and will squirm her way over to me so I can pet her. I know I'm obsessed with her, and I don't care. I am a huge animal person, and I consider her more of a family member than a pet. She's extremely hyper and high strung, but she's also very smart and has been pretty easy to train. I took her running for the first time the other day (we usually go on walks, but never runs because I'm too out of shape!) and she heeled perfectly. I'm excited to see if she will like swimming in the lake this summer.
I don't feel like putting these pictures in order. There's got to be an easier way to put pictures on blogspot!
I made Jon take this picture with his phone. This is the first time we went to meet her. I still couldn't bend my wrists, but I didn't let that stop me from cuddling her!
She loves laying on the window sill and looking out the window. She often falls asleep on top of the couch after she's done checking out things outside.
The first time it snowed, we took her for a walk in the woods. I think this might have been one of her happiest days. She literally ran around nonstop for an hour and was soaking wet by the time we were done.
She's got quite the personality. She can be a brat, but the other day Jon said it perfectly when he said that she's the most sweet, innocent puppy without a mean bone in her body.
She and Willy are best friends. They love each other. Even though she started off being so nervous, she ended up being the dominant one and has no problem taking all his toys and bones from him whenever she wants.
This is when she was about 4 1/2 months old.
I'd forgotten that she was ever this little. This was when she was about 3 1/2 months old. I didn't really notice how much she was growing because I'd see her every day, but I'd always have neighbors telling me how big she was getting.
They love to cuddle with each other. Maci and our cat get along and play also, I just don't have a good picture of them together because Tucker doesn't really prefer to cuddle with her.
She really likes Jon. Whenever he gets upset, even if it's not at her, she acts like he hurt her feelings and she will get very sad. She gets very excited whenever he comes in the door and I say "Daddy's home!"
We've only had Maci for 5 months, but it feels a lot longer. She's the best dog and we love her!
As most of you know, we have a dog named Willy, and he's Jon's baby. We have a cat too, which I absolutely love, but I was really wanting my own dog. My dog that I had growing up had died a few years ago, but I still got really sad about it all the time and wanted a dog, not to replace Paige, but so that I could have a buddy again! I started looking online and was certain I wanted a Golden Retriever. I'd always wanted one, and I kept saying that if I didn't get one now, I might never get one. But as I researched, I decided there was no way I'd pay $800 for a dog when I could rescue one for much cheaper. So I found a puppy online from a rescue that I decided I would go look at. I had scheduled to have surgery on both wrists to have some cysts removed, but I figured I'd be fine a few days later, so I contacted the shelter and told them I'd be coming to their adoption event to get the puppy. It turns out that the surgery and recovery was wayyy more painful than I had anticipated and I could hardly do anything that involved using my hands because it hurt so badly. So I didn't end up getting that dog. I waited until my wrists healed a little more, and I kept looking for puppies online. I went back and forth between a few, one of them being a Jack Russell-Border Collie mix. I remember joking to my family that I would be crazy to get a dog that was a combination of two of the most hyper dogs ever. Somehow though, I decided to go look at her. Part of the reason I was so drawn to her was because she looked a lot like Paige. Jon and I went and played with her at the end of September. She was part of a litter of 8, and we were the only ones there to look at any of them. She was so very sweet but really shy. I instantly knew she was the dog I wanted. We had to wait 2 weeks for her to be "quarantined" since she had just been brought from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky and they wanted to make sure she didn't have any illnesses that needed to be treated. I anxiously waited those two weeks, and on October 5, after one of the longest days of work ever, I went to pick her up. I named her Maci. She was about 14 weeks old. I brought her home and realized that she had become way more nervous than the first time I played with her. She wouldn't go to the bathroom outside because she was afraid of every little noise. She slipped out of her collar because it was too big, and when I bent down too quickly to pick her up, she bit me because she was so terrified. She was scared of Willy and Tucker and she wouldn't come near me unless I sat on the floor for about 5 minutes. She was of course scared of Jon. I had mentally prepared myself for a couple weeks since I knew she would cry at night and I wouldn't get much sleep for awhile. I put her in her cage next to my bed the first night, and she didn't make a peep the entire night. She slept next to my bed for the next few months and never cried once. She's still outgrowing her fear of everything. She's gotten so much better though, and can now go for walks calmly and will sometimes even get excited to approach dogs and people, even though once she gets too close she changes her mind. She's exactly what I needed to help me stop feeling sad about Paige. She's my little buddy and I take her with me everywhere I can. Sometimes when Jon works late and ends up falling asleep on the couch, Maci will sleep with me. I love it because it makes it so much easier to wake up in the morning. She gets so happy to wake up and will squirm her way over to me so I can pet her. I know I'm obsessed with her, and I don't care. I am a huge animal person, and I consider her more of a family member than a pet. She's extremely hyper and high strung, but she's also very smart and has been pretty easy to train. I took her running for the first time the other day (we usually go on walks, but never runs because I'm too out of shape!) and she heeled perfectly. I'm excited to see if she will like swimming in the lake this summer.
I don't feel like putting these pictures in order. There's got to be an easier way to put pictures on blogspot!
I made Jon take this picture with his phone. This is the first time we went to meet her. I still couldn't bend my wrists, but I didn't let that stop me from cuddling her!
She loves laying on the window sill and looking out the window. She often falls asleep on top of the couch after she's done checking out things outside.
The first time it snowed, we took her for a walk in the woods. I think this might have been one of her happiest days. She literally ran around nonstop for an hour and was soaking wet by the time we were done.
She's got quite the personality. She can be a brat, but the other day Jon said it perfectly when he said that she's the most sweet, innocent puppy without a mean bone in her body.
She and Willy are best friends. They love each other. Even though she started off being so nervous, she ended up being the dominant one and has no problem taking all his toys and bones from him whenever she wants.
This is when she was about 4 1/2 months old.
I'd forgotten that she was ever this little. This was when she was about 3 1/2 months old. I didn't really notice how much she was growing because I'd see her every day, but I'd always have neighbors telling me how big she was getting.
They love to cuddle with each other. Maci and our cat get along and play also, I just don't have a good picture of them together because Tucker doesn't really prefer to cuddle with her.
She really likes Jon. Whenever he gets upset, even if it's not at her, she acts like he hurt her feelings and she will get very sad. She gets very excited whenever he comes in the door and I say "Daddy's home!"
We've only had Maci for 5 months, but it feels a lot longer. She's the best dog and we love her!
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