Eat Better, Feel Better Volume 1

I want to start a weekly section of the blog called Eat Better, Feel Better. I've found that pregnant women and new moms have one thing in common. We are hungry!! If we named babies based on our cravings, both my kids would be named "cake donut". No joke, I could have eaten cake donuts for every meal. I want to give all you mamas out there some delicious alternatives to the cake donut in hopes that one snack and meal at a time, we can fuel our bodies better to have more healthy and overall better pregnancies and births! 

First up is snacks. Snacks are tough for me because I'm not very good at planning ahead. With two small children in my home, I've found that snacks are crucial to the sustainability and sanity of our home. Snacks are where it's at! If you have good snacks, happiness just follows your kids around! I remember when I was teaching (I taught first grade for a year!) I HAD to have my snacks to get me through the day.

Snack ideas:
Applesauce cup-If you hate the texture of applesauce, I'd skip this but otherwise this is a great way to get a little extra energy (natural sugars!) during your day.

Carrots-There's something about the snap of carrots that is all at once fun and annoying. I always forget about these little guys as a snack idea but its definitely something I want to add to my snack arsenal in the future. 

Raisins- My three year old LOVES raisins. They make the tiny boxes that are perfect for him (and me!) to snack on the car and out and about. 

Almonds- I kind of hate almonds by themselves but if you spice them up with a little cocoa powder or salt, they really are a great snack! They help energize you for the day and fill you up with protein so its a win win!

Veggie straws-These little processed sticks of goodness are my kids absolute favorite right now. I don't let them eat chips because of the choking hazard and my paranoia but these really are the next best thing. They are yummy and made of veggies! 

Pretzels-Salty goodness!

Use a ziploc container and throw your snacks all together for an easy way to keep them from getting smashed in your bag. Take your snacks to work with you and munch throughout the day and alway always always bring a water bottle (with water!!!) to wash it down.

Whether your pregnant, nursing, or up all night, a little snack can really help get you to your next meal. What's your favorite work day or week day snack? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! 

Sleepless and pregnant

You guys, pregnancy is tough! Its NOT a walk in the park for most people and it can often take a serious toll on your body, mind and spirit. You are literally giving up your body to house another human being. As cool as it is, it doesnt make it any easier. One of the main issues that i've heard from other mommas and that i've combated myself is the serious lack of sleep. Between waking every few hours to pee and never being able to find a comfortable position, it is NOT easy!

The first thing I want you to know is that you are not alone! A lack of sleep, especially during that last trimester is afflicting to most if not all pregnant women. Being tired all the time is totally normal! Also your body is preparing itself for a year or more worth of no sleep so it may be the best policy to embrace it now. 

If you've embraced it but are still pining for those beautiful peaceful hours of REM here are some suggestions!

1. Body pillow, like yesterday! 
With my first I tried to hold off on the pillow mania for a while since I wasn't super uncomfortable and felt confident that I could keep up my normal routine on sporadic sleep. Once I hit mid second trimester I got a regular body pillow and it worked ok but i remember how obnoxious it was to flip back and forth back every time I had to roll over. I had to wake up, roll and adjust my pillow before I could drift back to sleep. After I had my first I did some research and found this. This is the real deal. The great love of my pregnancy life. The joy that was missing from my first child's sleepless pregnancy nights. THIS was IT!! 


It changed my life and at just 6 weeks pregnant with baby 2, I jumped at the chance to have this pillow. It stayed with me through the second and third trimester and even accompanied me to the labor room. I hugged the crap out of this baby during contractions at one point. I used it postpartum, to ease my cramps and help me get a good rest between nursing sessions. This pillow is my everything! 

Ok enough about the pillow, What else is there?

2. Empty your bladder
I know its easy in theory but seriously, you may want to think about not drinking water a few hours before bed and if you really need it, maybe just a sip. Baby is putting a lot of pressure onto your bladder right now and that makes it feel like you have to pee every other minute. That urge will be lessened with less liquid in your system. Now I'm not saying to never drink water because a pregnant mama needs plenty of fluids, you just may want to cut yourself off at a certain hour. 

3. Go on walks. 
I know it sounds crazy but exercise can make a HUGE difference. Exercise will help put you into a deeper sleep and could even help you stay there. Plus it never hurts to help your heart and stamina for the big day!

4. If all else fails, ask your care provider.
The amazing thing about doctors and midwives is that they have a wealth of information and experience that can and should be tapped into through crucial conversations! Let your care provider know that you are struggling with sleep and need some suggestions. They may know just what to do to help you out. 

Whatever you do just know that pretty soon you will be thrust into a world of pure, wonderful, oxytocin filled love and it will all end up being a distant memory!

Being a parent is a boring job.

Let me start over. Being a parent is the hardest, most exhausting, most rewarding, most wonderful job that I could ever ask for you. But you know what else it is? Boring. Like mind numbing, brain cell killing, almost hilariously boring. 

Its getting asked the same question over and over and over and over again. 
Its cleaning up the same mess over and over and over again. 
Its the constant tension of watching to make sure no one kills themselves or ingests anything they shouldn't. 
Its picking up the same toys over and over and over again. 
Its having the same fight over and over and over again. 
Its dishes, laundry, bathrooms, dishes, laundry, bathrooms, dishes, laundry bathrooms. 
Its being asked by your child if you want to play and then having all the toys you were playing with stolen from you and essentially ignored until you get up to do something else (read dishes, laundry, bathrooms) and your child decides nows a good time to follow  you around again. 

Parenthood is submitting yourself to a childlike reality and exploration of all things new, dirty, gross, weird and most likely socially uncomfortable (read nose picking and poop). I find it all at once extremely difficult and insanely rewarding to watch the inner workings of a three year olds brain behind his beautiful blue puppy dog eyes. 

Children need our submission to the boring. They thrive off our attentions during the monotony and I for one am a proud parent of the boring. I embrace it, I live it, I may not thrive off it right now but I know my children do and I fully embrace it for them. I once heard it said that when they are small, if we make the small things big, when they are big, the big things wont seem so big. I hope that through this monotony I can form a bond with my children that outlasts their childhood and brings us into teenage and adulthood when things have the potential to get seriously fun! Until then, I have some squished grapes I have to go pick off the floor. 

Christmas Wassail

I never knew what wassail (wah-sul) was until I went to college and since then I've been scouring the internet for a delicious recipe!! The other night at a work shindig, a friend brought some of the most amazing wassail and we all begged for the recipe!! Thankfully she was nice enough to oblige and now I will share it with you!

This is the perfect drink for a pregnant women's holiday season. Actually anyone's holiday season if you ask me!

Combine sugar and water. Boil 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and add cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, cloves and ginger.
Cover and lets stand in a warm space for 1 hour
Strain
Just before serving add juices and cider and bring quickly to a boil
Remove from heat and serve!
Makes 36 half cup servings of deliciousness

So... What's dad supposed to do?

We encourage moms and dads to work hand in hand to have the best birth experience for them.  Many dads experience anxiety and fear at the thought of helping a laboring women and would benefit greatly from having an experienced birth professional by their side to guide them in helping their laboring partner. Take my husband for example:

He is your typical car loving, math minded, engineer type man of the house. When we found out we were pregnant with our first he was... nervous to say the least. I went into labor right around midterms (yes he was still in school) and when I went in to be induced, we had been so excited the night before that he FORGOT he had a huge midterm due by the end of that day. *cue extremely upset past dates pregnant wife!!!* I was livid! We went in to be induced and he worked on his test all morning. When contractions finally started to hit me, they hit me HARD. I needed him, someone, ANYONE desperately and my being upset didn't make any part of that experience easier. He finally finished his exam and was able to support me through the majority of the labor but I knew that I wanted something different the next time around.

With my second I employed an amazing doula. She and I were already close friends so she knew exactly what made me tick and how to read my cues. The best part was that she guided my (completely clueless!) husband in how to help me. She instructed him in "slow dancing", breathing techniques, and when to say nice things to me. It was a night and day difference! I finally got the experience of feeling like a goddess during labor and having the man that I love by my side to help strengthen me through each contraction! And he got the support he needed to do so.

So you may be saying "well we have a doula now! What's dad supposed to do?!" Or "Dads there, he will be able to handle it, we don't need the extra support." Well from one new mama to another I'm here to tell you, he may look brave, he may act the part, but nothing instills fear in a man like being the only support person for a very pregnant, very hormonal women and having absolutely no clue what to do to make her stop giving you that dirty look!

Dads can be such amazing support people and there's nothing like watching a once timid dad truly step up to the plate. Whether dad is a go-getter ready for anything that labor throws at him or a quieter voice near by, we are here to support and help you to have the best experience possible! Don't worry dads, there's still lots for you to do!

Photo courtesy of thelocketphotography.com