Waiting for our third baby to come was strange. I completely expected him by the weekend following his due date (a Thursday) since the longest I had ever been pregnant was two days after my due date with my first son. By Monday night there were no clear signs he was coming any time soon. However, I had a little feeling that with the full moon Tuesday evening and the fact that our planned babysitter couldn’t watch my older two and because my husband had a really busy day planned at work, he would decide to come that day.
Today I’m sharing what goes into preparing for a home birth. First and foremost in order to have a home birth you must be a low risk mother (meaning no hypertension, gestational diabetes or other complications), your baby must be head down (in most states), and your baby must be born between 37 and 42 weeks gestation. If you’d like to know more about home birth in general and why it is as safe (attended by a well experienced Midwife or OB of course) for a low risk pregnancy than the hospital, I highly recommend watching the documentary Why Not Home. If you feel home is the best place for your baby to be born, finding a Midwife or OB that you completely trust is definitely the next step.
I’ll be 35 weeks pregnant in a couple days and I am definitely at the point where almost everything is uncomfortable, moving, sleeping, picking up my kids. I’ve been having muscle separation pain near my pubic bone and it’s painful to turn over in bed. If I sit on the floor for extended periods of time, it ruins my tailbone and it’s painful to walk, thanks to the hormone relaxin. I am continuing to go to the chiropractor bi-weekly to keep everything aligned. Baby is definitely maxing out on space and I have a feeling this baby is very long like his brother because his feet are all up in my ribs. I’m also at the point where even if I have a half ounce of pee in my bladder I feel like I have a full bladder. Braxton Hicks are coming a lot more frequently the past couple weeks as my uterus preps for labor and birth.
There is a lot of confusion surrounding exercising while pregnant and postpartum, and understandably so, because there is so much conflicting information out there. I did not have all the information I needed when I was pregnant with my first. I continued to do the same exercises I was doing prior to pregnancy which at the time I thought was fine. I found out later that some of the exercises I was doing put too much strain on my core / abdominals and probably caused more muscle separation pain than was normal and hindered my recovery postpartum. I also had no idea how connected breath is to deep core and pelvic floor muscles! These were things I didn’t find on google or even learn from my prenatal care providers.
One of my readers recently asked me if I have taken a folic acid supplement throughout all my pregnancies and the answer will probably surprise you. I have talked about this topic before in my post on supplements, but I figured I would go a little more into depth for those of you interested. Folate is found in plants. Folic acid is the synthetic form, and is chemically different than folate, is found in supplements and fortified foods and is twice as absorbable by the human body compared to natural folate. Folate is essential in the folding of the neural tube which is a precursor to the brain and central nervous system in a growing embryo. This happens in the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy, probably before you even know you are pregnant, which is why it is so important to have adequate intake prior to pregnancy. As most of you probably know, insufficient folate can have devastating effects on a pregnancy, leading to birth defects. However, synthetic folic acid, found in most prenatal and multi-vitamin supplements is linked to increased risk of breast and colon cancers. A 2011 meta-analysis of six folic acid supplementation trials found that the incidence of cancers was 21 percent higher in the folic acid supplementation groups than control groups.
Finishing out the last week of my second trimester and it’s always such a surprise when I reach that third trimester mark! Things start to get real! I have been feeling really good (besides for injuring something near my tail bone last weekend, which is better now)! I’ve been working out consistently and strengthening my body which feels so good! Actually making myself do it is tough but I am always so glad I did afterwards. I am loving Ali’s pregnancy workout which is broken down into trimesters and weeks. I think I’ll try to do a separate post on that too. I still have the sciatic pain the day after sex, which is annoying but could be so much worse. Exercising has really helped with a varicose vein I developed as well. Yeah you read that correctly, women with normal BMI get them too, who knew! I also think drinking celery juice has helped improve the vein too, although it could just be the extra hydration in general that’s helping. Still have the stubborn hormonal eczema on my face but it is soooo much better since I’ve been using Yay For Earth face lotion!
Warm oatmeal on a cold morning is the ultimate comfort food AND it is also good for you! The consumption of 3 servings of whole grains every day is as powerful as high blood pressure medications! Just a single serving of whole grains daily can lower cholesterol! The fiber in whole grains also causes an increase in the diversity of bacteria in your microbiome (community of bacteria in your gut). This is a really good thing because is strengthens your immune system in the process, reduces inflammation and your risk for chronic disease! I also don’t want to forget to remind the breastfeeding mommas that oats are a galactogogue, which means they naturally increase a mother’s milk supply! Today’s post isn’t so much of a recipe as it is a method which I learned from Anne-Marie over at Zero Waste Chef. If you haven’t tried making steel cut oats this way, give it a go!
It’s hard to believe I’m HALF way through this pregnancy! The nausea is still hanging around, but thankfully not 24/7. I haven’t thrown up in over a week! Almost everything that I was eating at the beginning of the pregnancy, I’m just over now. I don’t know if it’s because I overdid it or it just reminds me of how awful I was feeling.
Diving into probably the most asked question I get… supplements! I will always stand true to my belief that there is NO substitution for a plant based diet which includes a variety of vegetables, fruit, beans, mushrooms, nuts and seeds. Food is our most powerful medicine and the answer to chronic disease. This is the part I work on most with my clients, because it is the most basic foundation for health! Supplements can be necessary and helpful but that is certainly not the first thing I look at. There is no magic pill, magic drink, or even magic superfood that you can take once a day and cure all your ailments. If any supplement has weight loss claims or any other extreme health claims that is a huge red flag for me! Weight loss and health does not come in a supplement or superfood powder, it comes from a lifestyle of eating nutrient dense foods, reducing animal products, exercising, good sleep, good relationships, clean water and stress management!
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