Pics and Passing the Torch

This morning for breakfast I had a huge piece of bacon, which tasted especially amazing today. It must be a really good batch. I also had 2 pastured eggs with sauteed greens, red onion, fresh dill and some smoked salmon. Delicious! I can't believe that I can eat the salmon and not be turned-off by it. It used to be a little too much for me at times.

It looks like a ton of food, but it's really on a salad plate with a smaller fork next to a small glass. Funny coincidence.

Pics
I am lucky enough to have amazingly talented artist friends, one of whom is a photographer that enjoys playing with different ideas as much as I do. This guy took our wedding photos, my boudoir photos (for a book I made for my husband as a wedding gift), and now some maternity photos. I had this idea about a pulp-inspired shoot and he had some ideas of his own. Together, I think we made a little magic. For a sample of his portfolio, check out Gordon Dooley.

This last photo is from our boudoir shoot. It doesn't hurt that he lives very close to an amazing outdoor location in Newport Beach, California.
I am also adding some quick iphone shots into the belly pics page.

Passing the Torch
I am coming up on my due date pretty quickly. At that point, I will continue to post as a new parent, but no longer be "primal and pregnant." I am putting the word out there to anyone who IS pregnant and following a primal lifestyle. Consider this an invitation to contribute your experiences along your journey. Send me your stories to post and share with other curious soon-to-be-moms. We would like to hear what you are thinking about, how you are coping with the everyday changes a pregnant woman goes through as well as how you stay primal and fit. Email me if you are interested and tell me a little bit about yourself.

Second Trimester, 3D Ultrasound and Paleo Thanksgiving

I just wanted to give an example of how much spinach I actually eat every morning with my eggs and bacon or sausage. Never underestimate the power of greens!

Second Trimester
I can feel the romance of the 2nd trimester that has been described in my books. It has been easy and wonderful this past couple of months. I've been watching my belly grow, feeling my baby's play and admittingly visiting the gym only about once a week. I am now at 26 weeks and just passed my 100 days-til-due-date mark. I talk to the baby sometimes, sing and try to guess which end is which and what is poking out under my hands. Sometimes I get up and feel the baby in an awkward position and so I massage a little and give him/her time to re-adjust angles. I think the hard wide part of the baby is it's back as it curls up facing my spine. Both of the last ultrasounds have shown the baby facing the rear and using "our" placenta like a pillow. The movements are definitely getting stronger and seemingly more frequent. I think the baby has put on another pound in just the last two weeks. I wish I could somehow find out the weight! My parents were out for the holiday and even commented on my increase in belly size during that time.
I have gained 12 lbs. so far and am still eating the same things. I still have my smoothie every morning followed by a breakfast of egg, spinach and bacon or another breakfast meat. Over the last couple of days, the trusty poop-smoothie has not worked (smoothie does not contain actual poop, just pooping aids). I have suspicions about this problem coming from either my hectic mornings or my recent dinner containing falafel and hummus - the deliciously digestive-disturbing legume based combo. I am pretty sure it was worth the the cheat, but let's hope the problem can correct itself or the third trimester may prove to call for a stronger morning concoction. I did also start taking an extra probiotic alongside what comes in the greens in my smoothie which seems to at least provide some relief later in the day. But, I would so much rather be back to my usual rhythm.
The best part of this trimester is how I feel and how I feel I look. I finally get to be that woman with the beautiful round belly that is so much fun to accessorize. I feel beautiful and have never been more pleased with what I see in the mirror. No sign of stretch marks but I am a little bummed to no-longer have an "inny" belly-button.

3D Ultrasound
My sister told me some while ago about someone who recommended going to an elective ultrasound company to get the 3D and 4D experience. I decided that since both sets of grandparents would be in town for Thanksgiving, it would be the perfect time to reveal the baby's gender. I also was sure they had never and possibly would never get to have an experience like this in their lifetimes. How can you argue with that? Overall it was an awesome experience. I got to see the baby's little hand come up and hold onto his/her ear. I got to see yawning and eyes opening, legs crossed at the feet and soft, full little lips. My baby is so beautiful. I can't wait to have that little face inches from mine!
We had considered doing this again when the baby was a little further along, however things I have heard about the ultrasound waves possibly causing damage to those little vulnerable cells has changed our view. I can't say I would recommend this to anyone without doing the proper research beforehand, as we should have done. I know that I at least picked a place that was run by currently hospital employed technicians instead of someone who has been at a 2-day training seminar. Really look into the company you are going with if you decide to go through with it. There are companies all over that are basically a business-in-a-box and could not possibly offer services with years of training to back them up. Ask questions about training and certifications and be thorough!
This is what we got to see:

Paleo Thanksgiving
This was my first Thanksgiving hosting family in my house and cooking the entire menu for them. It turned out perfect! The menu looked like this:

Organic spinach salad with caramelized onions, toasted pecans, goat cheese and cranberry vinaigrette
Roasted pearl onions with sea salt
Organic mushroom, cherry and hot italian (pastured) sausage stuffing (complete with paleo bread crumbs)
Roasted brussel sprouts with smoky bacon ends
Mashed organic rosemary and thyme sweet potatoes and turnips
Brined roasted organic, pastured turkey with gravy
Homemade grass-fed corned beef
Homemade organic cranberry sauce

Dessert: Primal organic apple pie & Dark chocolate nut and pumpkin custard bars

I brined the turkey overnight on Wednesday and took it out in the morning on Thursday. This turkey turned out amazing. I really didn't even touch it after I put it in the oven. I didn't even have time to baste it once because I was so busy with everything else. It was perfectly cooked, moist and flavored throughout the bird. Since it was an organic, pasture raised bird and the extra parts were still with it (giblets, etc...), I took them  and put them in a sauce pan with a little white wine and let them create a stock. It's a good thing I had done this because there wasn't really any juice in the roasting pan. I took the stock and poured it in the roasting pan and it picked up all the cooked drippings (probably why the gravy was so dark- pic above). To this liquid I added a tsp or so of arrowroot and it thickened up nicely. Salted to taste and this gravy was fabulously rich!
The stuffing was also amazing. This was really an experiment that came out tremendously successful. I will be making it again for Christmas and posting the recipe on the Primal Pantry beforehand. I used cherries, mushrooms, celery, onions and hot italian sausage. I roasted them with a little white wine and seasoning then created a slab of almond-flour crust for the top. When the mixture was just about done I put the crust on top, let it bake and then cracked it open and stirred it in with the filling. The only thing that didn't make it in was toasted walnuts. I had a guest that wasn't a fan of nuts, so I intended on toasting them and putting them on the side but never got to it. I would've liked that little extra crunch but I cannot complain. This may have been my favorite dish on the table!

Working Out
My last WOD was:

3 Rounds
_________

20 - 14 lbs wall balls
20 - SDHP 16kg KB
20 - step-ups (24 inches)
20 - push press 45 lbs.
Row 500 meters

for time (I did 28:26)

Notes to the Little One

Hello Little One!

"Yes Mommy? I'm listening."

Notes to the Little One
I had the great joy of seeing you again on Tuesday. I saw your feet and hands. I saw your fingers and a "thumbs up." I saw more of your backside than the sonographer wanted and we tried and tried to get you to roll over to show us your profile. I got to see your heart with all four chambers pumping away. Your Daddy was there too. We saw the placenta that looked like a pillow. You were cold I think, and am guessing that is why you wouldn't turn around. Maybe it's because it was past lunch time by the time they got us into the room for the exam. By that time I was already pretty annoyed with the lady at the front desk and the weirdos we had to sit in the waiting room with. Sorry about that. I'm sure it didn't help your mood either.
Nonetheless, there you were. I am truly not alone. Your head was on my right side and your feet on my left. I feel like that is the way you stay most of the time because the majority of your movement comes from where I assume your feet are. I feel little movements by your hands and head. Seeing you move on the screen and feeling it at the same time made me realize all those little feelings were really you tapping away. Now that I know that you are there, I am hyper-aware of everything you do. It's you and me now, hanging out in the apartment when everyone else is gone.
Let's make breakfast!

We are having 2 pieces of TJ's bacon, 2 pastured eggs, red onion, spicy peppers and spinach topped with a half of an avocado. I hope you like it. You must like a little bit of spice because I didn't start adding that to my breakfast until you came along. First it was an addiction to Cholula, which now I couldn't care less about, and now with the spicy peppers that your Dad pickled. We also take our vitamins every morning.

I'm pretty sure I felt you hiccuping the other night. It was a repeating movement that felt like a strong heartbeat coming from where I think your head and chest are. It says in my Sprout app that you are doing this from time to time to learn how to breathe and swallow. In another week and a half you will start to develop tastebuds but you wont really taste the food for some months after that. You can expect us to be eating plenty of veggies and weird things that I will want you to like when you are a growing child. I read it in my book: Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies?: The Surprising Science of Pregnancy by Jena Pincott. The foods I eat when you are in the womb and tasting them, will be foods you eat without protest when you come out. You will be a primal baby from the beginning!

By the way, there is supposed to be a hurricane coming tomorrow and Tuesday. We were supposed to go to the doctor and talk about your development but they called and cancelled all appointments due to the storm. I have never been in a hurricane before, and it's going to be an interesting Halloween this year (Wed. night) if it continues until then. Some people are worried but I am a little excited to see what happens and don't mind the prospect of sitting in candle-light watching the wind strip the trees of their red and yellow leaves. We have to pull the remainders of our vegetable garden inside since it could all blow away. Your dad says that we might not be able to go outside to even let Olive and Dexter go to the bathroom. I won't understand until I see the storm in action. Poor doggies. Olive is an anxious girl and Dexter was always afraid of thunder, so they will probably be a mess through the whole thing. I can't wait for you to meet them. They will be your biggest fans, I am sure.

Now I am off to the gym. We gotta keep this body in shape!

Working Out
Today's WOD:

100 double-unders  (I scaled to 25-30 and at most linked 7)

5 snatches 95 lbs.  (I did 65)

***5 rounds for time***  my time - 20:54

*work-out side-note: Too much jumping makes me pee or feel like I'm peeing or just have a little extra wetness in the baby-exit area. It sometimes, like today, is necessary to make a quick bathroom break to pee or just wipe-down. Yes, too much info. but info. nonetheless.

The last time I worked out was last Sunday. I know these wods are getting few and far-between but I will continue to fight the urge to be lazy. I did row sprints. That's row your ass off for 250 meters, record your time, rest for 2 minutes and try to row faster the next time, for 8 rounds. It felt good. I didn't really warm-up so my first round was the worst.
The rounds looked something like this:
1:03
0:56
0:57
0:58
0:59
0:58
0:58
0:58

Not too shabby. I did end up sucking down some huge gasps of air afterward... but since I have learned that my baby gets it's oxygen from the placenta and not from what I am breathing in, I wasn't worried for the little one. I feel that we're both strong enough to take a little extra physical exertion. After all, many a cavewoman probably had to make quick escapes from more dangerous predators than a gym while pregnant, right? And man has survived obviously.
I don't think the little one minded the workout then or today. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of racket going on in there until we got super hungry for lunch.

For lunch we had nooodles. No, that is no typo. It is actually No Oodles. I used leftover meat sauce from the other night and had spaghetti bolognese. It wasn't as fancy as it sounds but I LOVE NOOODLES! Followed this up with some apple-pear pie I made and was in heaven.

Notes to the Little One (cont'd)
I started to buy things for you, little baby. It makes me super happy already. I brought it all home and made your dad come and look at each and every thing. I don't think he got the same fulfillment that I did out of it, but he was happy that I was. I can't wait for you to see all the little wonders that I am going to put together in your room. I bought knobs for the armoire that I rescued from the street. I'm going to start painting it if we get stuck in the house tomorrow because of the wind. I bought little things to hang from a mobile for you and little friends to say hello to when you look in the mirror. I bet you are excited too and that's why you are kicking around now. You are going to be my favorite project! I am off to start hanging your new curtains and play with the other things I bought you. Daddy is napping on the couch and the doggies are in their beds waiting to see what this storm will bring. I love you little one!
-Your Mommy

New Things and Working Out

Breakfast is truly no joke in this house...
Today I had a hankering for some of our pickled jalapeños, so I went with a fully loaded omelette that also had bacon, avocado, tomato and spinach. This giant (only 2 egg) monstrosity is pictured here with my special butternut squash homefries.

I still take my 3 fish oil supplements and a vitamin D and prenatal. I do take a probiotic sometimes in the morning and it doesn't really affect my stomach in any way. My chocolate/greens smoothie is a regular morning staple followed about 45 minutes later with the breakfast plate. I have been trying to incorporate a half of an avocado into my breakfast every morning because 1) they are easier to come-by than ever... getting a bag of organic ones from TJ's.  2) totally awesome to eat with anything... Who doesn't love avocados? and 3) listed as one of the 100 Healthiest Foods to eat During Pregnancy during the second trimester. I finally remembered to pick that book up again. What else is in the list? Carrots. The day I read this entry was in the evening after a trip to Costco where I showed my husband a lifetime supply of organic baby carrots and said "Let's get these." He asked if we are really gonna eat all of them. I said "Sure, I will make dill carrots and we can use them for our baba ganouj..."
Don't fight the pregnant lady's decisions... they might be coming from the little one inside.

New Things
Clothes- I finally got myself some maternity jeans. I ordered them online, made by my current favorite brand Lucky Jeans, selected in my pre-pregnancy size and they arrived the day after my birthday. Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it's not a good idea to buy clothes over the internet. They were somehow too big. They had enough extra room in the thighs and butt that they will not stay up without further assistance. I'd like to say that I will grow into them, but I am certainly not hoping to get a larger ass and thighs... catch-22 eh? I am hoping that as soon as my belly is big enough, the full elastic waistband will be enough support to keep them up.
In the meantime, I went out and bought my first pair of jeggings (also will not stay up) and 5 pairs of various leggings to wear under dresses and with long shirts. Now I just have to wait until I can afford to buy the top halves of the outfits. Until then, I am in sweatpants and occasionally my jeans that are stretched enough to fit under the belly (We will see how long that lasts).
Sleep Positioning- This is starting to get a tad uncomfortable. I sleep on the left side of the bed and am most comfortable sleeping on my right side facing out. Sidenote- I am a "loner" sleeper. Yes, I just coined that phrase. This means I cannot sleep when I am being touched. I don't spoon or get spooned, don't want legs or feet touching me, a hand, a hair, nothing. Otherwise I am awake and miserable. This is very unfortunate for my husband who likes to be cuddled. 
I have read that the best position to sleep in while pregnant is on your left side according to what it says on numerous sites including BabyCenter.com: Sleeping on your side is best while you're pregnant. In particular, sleeping on your left side may benefit your baby by improving blood flow – and therefore nutrients – to the placenta. It also helps your kidneys efficiently eliminate waste products and fluids from your body, which in turn reduces swelling in your ankles, feet, and hands.
That sounds great! Nobody wants swollen ankles, feet and hands or waste products floating around their bodies. Easier said than done. I'm sure that nobody ever miscarried because they were a back-sleeper. I actually woke up almost every morning quite comfortably on my back for the first trimester. Maybe this is because of the large dent I have created in my area of the mattress, which also makes it harder to sleep on my left side as I am fighting the uphill battle. I am getting to the point where I may need to purchase the pregnant-lady body pillow worm thing. (Yes, that's a link to my registry)
Now doesn't she look happy...?

Limited Movement- I have started to feel a slight hinderance to some of my everyday movement. As I told my husband this morning: "I can't put my pants on one leg at a time, like everyone else." Or, at least it is getting harder. Bending over to reach my feet is becoming difficult. I am also having to start to rock myself a little when getting out of bed or up off of the floor. This is very strange for me, and I have to remind myself that it's not just something I can push through. I have to actually be careful and not put too much pressure on the little thing inside.
Fluttering?- Apparently I am supposed to be able to feel the baby moving around. Some people say it's like fluttering... which makes no sense to me. I felt a tapping from the inside in the beginning (when in Hawaii) and now some more forceful pokes. I wonder if it is just my uterus doing it's growing thing. It is the largest muscle in the female body and probably throbs and contracts in spots while it is enlarging. I question the feelings because sometimes they seem repetitive in one spot a couple of times before I feel it in another spot. Honestly, I still don't quite believe there is someone inside my belly even as it grows every day. Seriously... is this really how life begins? Women are doing this all around the world like it is no big deal... but how is it not? One day I will be cursing the little guy/girl for kicking me in the ribs.
Boy or Girl- I cannot say that I don't have a preference as to what comes out, because I do. I think and feel that I am having a girl first and later will come a boy. Well, I will find out in 3 days. ONLY 3 DAYS!!! Yes it is a big deal! This is to be my future... heck, the rest of my life! Will it be sports teams or dance classes (probably not really dance classes... but something else little girls do). Will I really even have a choice? I will only be able to direct their interests for so long before they are wanting tickets to whomever becomes the Justin Bieber of their generation. Jeebus help me.
I saw a funny quote that said:
boy (n):  1. noise with dirt on it
Seriously, that makes sense and is a little daunting. Although I do have a pretty great nephew with scary intelligence and interest in all things musical... but, he can be exhausting to keep up with. My niece seems pretty mellow in comparison, but who's to say girls can't be spastic too? Either way, my child will be taking art class and self-defense of some sort (as per my husband's request).

The first thing I'm gonna do when I find out is start planning bedroom decor. Planning, planning, planning.... I'm addicted to it, even if it's chaotically unorganized and never comes to fruition. I already have folders on my desktop for a little girls room and a little boys room.

Working Out

My work-out days, which are supposed to be every other one, are few and far between mostly. I did get a WOD in on Tuesday and Thursday and was supposed to go in today... but Sunday will suffice.

Tuesday's WOD:

15 shoulder press (55 lbs.)

400 m row

10 pull-ups (I used a band and tried not to kip)

15 air-squats

400 m row

***3 rounds for time***   (I did 27:40)

Thursday's WOD

1-1-1-1 deadlift  (I did 175-180-185-190) Not too bad, but my PR is 220 for 3 reps.

______________

sumo deadlifts (125 lbs.)

v-ups

strict press (45 lbs.)

***15-10-5 for time***   (I did 8:56 non Rx'd)

We went for a walk in the park with the dogs today and I had a chance to sport my new leggings and belly. Horizontal stripes do wonders increasing the size of things... or maybe I really am that big already.

Working Out and Great Food

This morning I had my usual chocolate smoothie with banana, almond butter, coconut water, cocoa powder, stevia and Amazing Grass chocolate greens. This link is to what I find to be a great deal. It is totally worth buying in large amounts, however it also comes in smaller sizes. I highly recommend this product for any pregnant woman or otherwise. It is delicious when mixed in a smoothie and a huge dose of your daily nutritional needs, especially greens. It is expensive but if you can pay to be more healthy, why not?
I went to the gym as a spontaneous decision and had my eggs, bacon and wilted spinach for lunch. I'm really glad I worked out today and hope that I can start getting back into my every-other-day routine.

Working Out
Today's WOD:

Push Press

3-3-3-3   (I did 55-65-75-85lbs.)
__________

25 Handstand push-ups  (I modified by doing them on a box)

50 Toes-to-bar  (I counted my no-reps too- about 20)

800 meter Run  (I ran 400/rowed 400)

75 Push press  (I Rx'd these)

150 Double-under  (I did 150 single-unders)

***For Time***

Rx: 75/55

I ended at about 34 minutes. I can do double unders but didn't feel like it would be a wise decision to take the workout too much further after passing the 30 minute mark. I was also a little wary about jumping that much knowing it probably would've taken me through another 300 or so singles to get all my doubles. I struggled quite a bit with the toes-to-bar after the first 20. At first it came so easily but I tired quickly. I also slammed the bar into my nose pretty hard around rep 68 of the push presses. Ouch.

Other than that, I felt it was a very good workout.

I feel great today. No issues lately. I am longing to hear the baby's heartbeat again soon. We see the midwife for our first official patient-midwife meeting. Hopefully she's got some equipment to satisfy that longing. I will go over the visit and all of the questions from a list I compiled for our meeting.

I started reading a book I got for my husband called The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin. So far there is not much I don't already know, but I am only just at the beginning and hopefully it will be helpful for him and a possible family-member turned doula. No reason not to get some extra education!

The other day for lunch I made myself an amazing tuna cobb salad (above). I used canned tuna (which they say a pregnant woman should not eat, but I allow myself only 1 can a week or less), chopped heirloom tomato, crisped bacon, hard-boiled egg, avocado, red onion and hearts of palm on a spring mix. I made a balsamic ranch dressing to go on top and it was delicious! Yes, it took a little extra time to make, but I sat down and enjoyed it along with one of my tv shows. 

Another great recipe we've been making is squid salad. We enjoyed this in Croatia on our honeymoon and were able to get calamari for such a great price at costco, that I decided we could certainly replicate it at home. 

To make: clean the calamari thoroughly and cut into rings, parboil the pieces in hot water for about a minute, chop veggies to add such as: red onion, red pepper and a green (parsley, spinach, arugula)

To dress the salad mix in a food processor or bullet: balsamic and apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, a squirt of mustard of any kind and a dash of some sort of hot sauce (I used my favorite Cholula). Keep playing with it and tasting until you like it. Pour it over the calamari and veggies and chill it or eat it warm. The taste only gets better as it sits in the dressing and fridge.

Favorite Foods and Working Out

Breakfast has pretty much been the same every morning, with the exception of adding a smoothie every other day. I love my eggs. They are my favorite thing to eat and believe it or not, bacon is second. My body just really wants that choline I guess. Sometimes when I'm done with breakfast I think, maybe I could just do the egg part again. I haven't had too much trouble with the greens. Spinach is my first choice, but I know kale is better. I try to switch off every once in a while. I even tried taking some sauteed mushrooms and leftover kielbasa and adding it to the kale mix. Good move.

Favorite Foods
Most of the time the food we are really drawn to or have strong cravings for contain some nutrient that our body is telling us it needs. I think the first thing is pretty obvious, as it is something I have every morning (see above pics).
Cholula- This is something I used to eat back in college days and decided to recently buy a bottle because I remember loving it's smoky flavor. It's not a very hot sauce, but the taste is amazing. I have been regularly dousing my eggs with it in the morning, but now I'm starting to lighten it up a bit and appreciate the taste of the actual eggs.
Seaweed salad- I bought a container of this at Costco and had to pry myself away from eating it all in one sitting. It is a little on the sweeter side and has an alkaline feeling in my stomach which makes it good for me to eat when feeling a little nauseous. Seaweed has numerous beneficial nutrients including:  iodine, calcium, vitamins A and B-12, protein and fiber. I have been worried a little about my calcium levels because I haven't had broccoli in a while and I know that it is the best source of calcium of all green plants. But wait! Actually, seaweed is the best source. I really just found this out after having decided we should have broccoli with dinner. Broccoli contains 1 third of the amount of calcium compared to a portion of seaweed that is 35% smaller. Now I know why I want it so bad.
Horseradish mustard- We bought this at whole foods (it's their brand) and I can't find enough excuses to eat it! I love it. What could possibly be in it that I need? Besides boosting the body's intake of certain vitamins and minerals it also contains small amounts of selenium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. The mustard seeds themselves have insignificant amounts of various vitamins and minerals as well. This one may just be a typical vinegar/salt craving.
Pickles and Tahini- This is my substitute for pickles and peanut butter. By no means is this a craving I developed while being pregnant. The combination of pickles and pb has been around since I was a kid and my dad used to make it into sandwiches. I loved it then and still do, but since I don't eat peanut butter I had to find a comparable substitute. Tahini had the right salty alkaline qualities to offset the crisp, cool dill pickle. Sesame seeds are also on some lists for superfoods during pregnancy because they contain high levels of calcium besides their contribution to daily needs of thiamin, phosphorus and copper.
It's funny how I thought I wasn't getting enough calcium.
Lamb- The lamb meatballs we made the other night were amazing as usual and of course go extremely well with the homemade baba ghanouj and tahini I've been eating. It would seem as though I'm on a middle-eastern kick. The lamb is obviously helping with the high amounts of iron a pregnant woman needs to keep up energy levels while growing all that extra blood. I am truly lucky that we have access to such high quality lamb through our CSA with Herondale Farm.
Tomatoes- I have been eating quite a lot of tomatoes lately. I don't know if it is because we have access to so many during this time of year, or if I'm just drawn to their sweetness. I really like the little grape tomatoes I can pop in my mouth like candy. We have also been buying some heirloom tomatoes from farms and some of these are just amazing sliced and eaten as is. The flavor is crazy sometimes, like it has been seasoned. All it takes is a little splash of balsamic or a pinch of salt and I could eat a bowl full of tomato salad. I am definitely missing the luxury of goat or feta or buffalo mozzarella cheese bits though.  :(
Taken from LiveStrong.com:
"Like most vegetables, the tomato is nutrient-rich, supplying your body with essential vitamins and minerals needed for good health. A 1 cup serving of chopped or sliced tomatoes contains 25 mg of vitamin C, 27 mcg of folate, 1,499 IU of vitamin A and 427 mg of potassium. Vitamin C is necessary for the formation of collagen, and the support protein for your skin and ligaments. Folate is a B vitamin necessary for the formation of red blood cells and DNA. Vitamin A supports growth and health of teeth and bones. Potassium is a mineral needed for proper heart function and muscle contractions."

Besides the above foods, I have of course been having cravings of milk and cheese and soft, squishy rolls with onions on them and all the other things I see at the store. I smell all the cheeses on display at Whole Foods and daydream about my favorite sharp cheddar to the point of almost tasting it. I smelled a baguette the other night and was having a really hard time walking away from it. I'm pretty sure I seem like a crazy person... but it is worth it. I smell my husband's sangria, barrels of roasted coffee beans and anything that has an aroma to stop me in my tracks. It's always only the things I can't have. Sometimes I think if I smell it long enough I can recall that smell and imaginary taste later when sitting on the couch imagining my future re-introduction to these foods. It makes my mouth water and I almost start chewing on my own tongue. I decided that as soon as I can eat bread and cheese again I will get myself a baguette and a good hunk of cheese and put slices of the cheese in the baguette and eat it just like I did in France at 16 years old. The way I figure it is, if I breastfeed for a year after my due date I only 560 days until I can have this dream come true. If I breastfeed for 1 1/2 years that makes 742 days. Geez. That's not a bummer....

For lunch today I had leftover spaghetti squash with meat sauce and a little seaweed salad for some greens. This meat sauce is a total comfort food for me. I can't get enough of it! Definitely gonna have a huge stash of this for when the baby comes. Below is a picture of a dinner we had with sausage and organic farm peppers and an heirloom tomato and arugula salad on the side. Also another favorite meal maybe because it is so extremely easy.

Working Out
I finally got off of my lazy ass yesterday and went to the gym again. I haven't been feeling as exhausted during the day as I was before, so now I really have no excuse for not working out.

Yesterdays WOD:
Squat cleans- I did 5 at 65lbs. - 5 at 85 lbs. - 5 at 105 lbs.

10 chin ups (I did ring rows)
15 sec Support hold on the rings

3 rounds (I only completed 2 in the time allowed)

Barbell Complex:
5 – Deadlift
2 – Hang power clean
2 – Front squat
2 – Front rack lunge (alt legs)
2 – Hang power clean
5 – Deadlift

***10 rounds***

-The entire complex must be unbroken. If the bar is dumped at any time, the round must be started over
-increase the weight by 5-10 lbs each round

I did 8 rounds total: 5 rounds at 65 lbs. - 1 at 85 lbs. - 1 at 75 lbs. - 1 at 65 lbs.

We got to see our little guy/girl on Tuesday at a sonogram appointment. I will get into detail in the next post.

Dinner tonight is fish and broccoli. We bought some wild Hake at Costco. It is a mild white fish and comes in a long skinny piece that reminded me of fish and chips.

Food Aversions, Constipation and Midwives

It's been a couple of days since I've had greens for breakfast. This is not just because I ran out of spinach, but also because I don't feel I can stomach kale lately. We bought some from a farmer's market yesterday and after reading that it is only bitter when it is going bad, I tried the fresh bunch with today's breakfast and it was fine.

Food Aversions
When I think of greens, I don't think of the picture on the left, I think of the wilted slimy hot mess they will become in order for me to eat them. This picture even makes my stomach turn a little. This has been my problem since my first bout with nausea weeks ago. Things that are bitter turn me off and make me lose my appetite altogether. Salad with a little too much vinegar in the dressing, the fridge full of leaves my husband insists I eat and even the thought of the steak-burgers I got in the mail make me want to go upstairs and sleep through dinner time. Last night I knew I had to get some more greens in my body since it had been days without more than a caesar salad to balance out my nutritional needs. I decided that maybe I could eat kale if I made a soup with the canned organic butternut squash we had in the cupboard. My thinking was that the thick and somewhat creamy sweet squash broth would drown out the bitterness. It didn't turn out the way I expected, but it was damn good. I used leftover italian sausage, red onion, homemade beef broth, butternut squash and some leftover pizza sauce to make a very meaty italian soup. It is quite possible that having this soup with greens in it helped me with my latest constipation problem.

Constipation
This article helpfully discusses why it is that pregnant women get constipated. I was using the greens that I added to my smoothies to help me regulate my system, however these are expensive and not always around. They contained psyllium husk, which is the main ingredient in most fiber supplements. This morning I woke up with my back a little sore and have been feeling full and bloated lately. I thought something's got to give today or I will be in worse shape tomorrow. Luckily, I had some relief this morning maybe from the kale I got down last night or the bowl of fruit salad I made for dessert. It really goes to show you how big of a part fruits and veggies play in your diet.
Another thing I discovered is coconut water. One morning I was having the same issue and decided that I would drink a coconut water first thing on an empty stomach. This proved to be a good move. As I researched a little today, I was able to confirm that coconut water has natural laxative effects. My assumption is that when used on an empty stomach, your body is more easily able to absorb it and not only cause quick hydration (needed for regularity) but have a more efficient laxative result.
One other helpful thing during constipation is exercise. This can be a catch 22 as nobody really feels like moving around too much when they feel "full of shit" so to speak.

Midwives
We met with our first midwife on Friday afternoon and a second one on Thursday. We could continue the interview process and meet with many more, but since we had such great experiences with both of them, we can probably just make a decision at this point. One thing we did before meeting was make sure to have a list of questions. Here is our list based on some of the suggestions made in the homebirth forum I was reading in an earlier post:

-What will we need as far as pool rental, birthing stool and birthing kits go?
-Is there a back up plan if the midwife does not arrive in time?
-is there a problem if the pregnancy goes past the due date?
-How often do their clients tear and what they did to prevent tearing?
-What about harvesting cord blood?
-What doctors do they recommend or work with?
-What insurance do they take, if any? How much will this cost us?
-What is their experience and background?

-How often does a client need to transfer to a hospital?

We were told by both that they have specific doctors they like to work with and would have a list of recommended doulas if we decide to get one. We probably will based on the fact that both really seemed to be in favor of it. Both were willing to travel to where we live, which is 45 minutes away. They also had the same reaction to my question of them not arriving in time. I got a laugh and the response that I was a very lucky woman if this were to happen because that would be record breaking labor time. I really felt comfortable with both women and they were completely open to our lifestyle. I was told that my nutrition and overall state of health would play a factor in whether or not I would have tearing and how much. Insurance will cover most of it except for a doula and possibly the pool rental fee. As far as harvesting cord blood (something for a future post), one of the midwives made us feel like it would be no big deal for her to take care of it and the other suggested we have someone else there to handle it. This was pretty much the only difference between the two of them besides age, location, years of experience and one of them being a certified nurse. Despite the fact that she is not currently a certified nurse (but will be by the time we deliver), we decided (or my husband decided) on the midwife who will handle the cord blood. After all, you do want everything to be taken care of by the people you are hiring right? I think I liked her because she told me I was healthy and seemed to be doing everything right. It certainly doesn't hurt to be flattered and have your own thoughts confirmed. It also sounds a little funny, but I liked that she gave me a hug when I left her office. I found this to be a very comforting gesture from someone who will have a major part in our family for this monumental event and who will (pardon me) be seeing an awful lot of my vagina.

Questions: "Pump and Dump"

This morning's breakfast was the same as yesterday's: 2 eggs, bacon, wilted spinach and a handful of heirloom tomatoes. These little things are amazing because each one has a distinctive flavor. I even got one that tasted like a miniature melon or berry, it was so sweet. I've been on a kick adding lemon to my water. I used to hate lemons in my water, but after the trip to Vegas I have just loved the taste. I am wondering if this is my body craving more vitamin C. After all, I don't drink orange juice. I'm definitely getting a little bored with the spinach and think maybe a squirt of lemon will liven it up for me.

I also seem to be feeling a distant nausea that is so faint I am unsure if it is only in the back of my mind or a real possible threat. I ignore it and eat and it goes away for a little while.

Questions

Q: What is it to "pump and dump"?

In my daydreams about when I can eat cheese and drink coffee or wine again, I imagine that I can just pump the breast-milk I would otherwise be giving my baby after these little indiscretions and pour it down the drain. When I bring it up to my husband he argues with me about the fact that the dairy is still in my system and really never goes away. To this I say "Well, then isn't all the dairy I've ever had still in my system? So what's the point of not eating it if it's still gonna get into my baby?" Thus the research begins. How many dumps until the baby will not actually get any dairy in the breast-milk? The same with caffeine, alcohol and grains?

A: It is exactly what it sounds like. You would pump your breast milk after consuming something you do not want to pass to your baby and then dispose of it. The easiest thing to address first is the consumption of alcohol. This site tells us that once alcohol is out of your blood, it is out of your milk as well. So, as long as you have some back up milk if you baby gets hungry, you don't have to dump the milk you produce after drinking. Obviously if you still feel intoxicated, you're not going to breast feed. It might also just be safer to wait until the next morning to pass the milk on to your baby. This is under the stipulation that only 1 or 2 drinks are being consumed (as I generally don't last past one glass of wine or one bottled cider). Likewise, remember that alcohol that comes from grains (beer, etc...) is still putting "grains" into your system also.

Now, I will address grains or mainly gluten, as that is the easiest to find information for. I found this article which makes me think that in between the 4th month and 6th month of breastfeeding it might not be such a bad idea to introduce a little gluten through the breast milk. Why? Well, I think about my husband's lactose intolerance and seeing him writhe in pain after eating one of my favorite recipes that contained heavy cream (in the tiniest amount). This was a while ago and obviously we don't eat that recipe anymore without cutting out the cream. I would hate for my child to never have any gluten introduced into his/her system and then accidentally eat something that contains it and have a dangerous reaction. Heaven forbid it happens when I or my husband are not around. Besides that, for people who have intolerances (lucky me to never have suffered so) wouldn't they rather not have to suffer from severe reactions, should they one day eat something they know they shouldn't? I'm not going to be able to control what my child eats for their entire life and I'm sure they are bound to make some unhealthy decisions at some point. I'd rather it didn't come with such a painful price. I will compare it to chicken pox: It is better to let the child get it and recover than to have the child grow up and get a case of shingles, which can be tremendously worse and possibly deadly. Right?

So the question then becomes, how long does it take to rid the gluten or gluten antibodies from your system. Well, I read one article that says the half-life is 3-4 months which would make the whole life 6-8 months. This is also dependent on how healthy the person is to begin with. This article also suggests that it will take around 6 months to get gluten out of your system. So the "pump and dump" method is clearly not an option for at least 1 grain. If I can discuss this with my husband and get his okay, it looks like I may only be able to have 1 meal that includes grains and that being for the purpose I stated earlier.

I also looked into rice, but couldn't even find what it introduces to your system to cause an allergy and therefore could not find how long it would take to get it to leave. My guess is that it just passes through like food, but that's just a guess.

Dairy is the current argument point, so I will explore that one next. Here's a quote from this article:

"Milk protein can be eliminated completely from a person’s system anywhere from 4 hours to 4 days, depending on her metabolism and the amount of dairy products she has consumed." 

Let's consider this person (me) has no dairy in the system to begin with, is as healthy as one can be, and has a high metabolism from continuous exercise. It is probably safe to assume that if I do not go on a crazy cheese binge or try to do the milk challenge, I can safely "pump and dump" for 24 hours and not have to worry about passing dairy proteins on through my breast milk. This is probably not enough research for my husband and I will probably need to do a follow-up. I'd really like some more specific answers that involve the differences between raw milk/cheese and pasteurized and how those get processed through the body.

Caffeine is hopefully more along the lines of alcohol. One person suggested that you'd have to urinate to get the toxins out of your body, but that doesn't really have and back-up info or make enough sense to me. This site suggests that after 12-15 hours there is no caffeine still in the system while this article says that it can be 3-12 hours for a half dose of caffeine (1/2 cup?). If I do end up drinking coffee, it will most likely be decaffeinated and will contain certainly no more than 20 mg of caffeine. As long as I "dump" one load of breast milk, I can assume that my intake is otherwise completely harmless to the baby.

 

For lunch I had leftover chili, a small salad and some squash bread that I baked today. It was a little too sweet, so I lowered the amount of xylitol before posting the recipe. This has two yellow squashes and two zucchinis and no sugar or grains! It's really really good. I just worried a little about the amount of xylitol because it has been known to cause "digestive discomfort" or diarrhea when consumed in large amounts. No reactions to it yet!

 

Last night for dinner we had blackened fish (half a piece of cod and mahi mahi each) and roasted carrots with dill. This is such an awesome recipe because it is super simple and tastes better than you could ever imagine carrots to taste. All it takes is some sliced carrots (it's easier just to use organic baby carrots out of the package), some fresh dill, sea salt and a fat to cook in. I used a combo of lard and bacon grease. You just roast all of this together until the carrots are forkable. It probably takes about 30 to 45 minutes. The blackening seasoning used on the fish is found here. I put the fish on some arugula to get some greens in the meal. 

Tonight we are having slow-cooked country pork ribs and collard greens with homemade bar-b-que sauce.

Morning Sickness? Working Out and Ice Cream

I am back on the Cholula and trying a different flavor too! The bottom half of the eggs are covered with  the chili garlic flavor. It's good. It's not what I expected and you definitely have to be in the mood for garlic first thing in the morning, otherwise it's probably amazing on tacos. My husband is stoked on it, which makes me happy since I am obsessed with the original. 

Morning Sickness?

Friday morning at about 4 am I woke up to pee and felt nauseous. I tried to ignore it and went back to sleep however, when I woke up later that morning I still felt it. It wasn't an urgent puking feeling but the feeling before that tells you it might get that bad. I started off with a little water before getting up and going downstairs. The first think I did was eat a banana. The sugar/starch base seemed to mellow the queesiness enough for me to make my usual breakfast and even continue with my Cholula covered eggs. The nausea continued throughout the day as a distant warning but never got worse than that. Despite the fact that it made me not want to eat, I did it anyway. Someone once said I love to eat and well, who doesn't? Every time I ate something the feeling went away for a little while. 

Why was I feeling this way? My thought was that it was too late for morning sickness to start as I am already into my 9th week. So, I started thinking that maybe it was food poisoning or that maybe I swallowed too much chlorine during my body-fat test (something we did at the gym involving submerging yourself entirely in a small pool by letting out all of your air... during which I'm pretty sure some of the water went up my nose because I was tasting chlorine for the rest of the night... Ick!). Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. I don't know what was happening here but luckily the next morning it was gone and all I had was a memory of the feeling. By this, I mean that if I thought about it hard enough I could bring the whole nausea back again. Maybe morning sickness is more of a mental thing and if you just try to ignore it and move along your day as you normally would, you could suffer from it less. Wouldn't that be nice...

For lunch I had a salmon burger on some cut organic pea shoots with tomato, big mac sauce, mustard and relish. Today's lunch was my second day having tuna salad, which seems to taste realllllly good to me lately. It all started when I came home on Saturday and while walking up the stairs to my apartment I kept smelling tuna salad on toasted bread. I could actually smell the toasted bread which was really the most enticing part. I ate a ton of tuna salad as a child and at some point decided I was over it. When I got older, I realized I could put more in it than just the mayo and relish I grew up with. So, I got fancy with it and used homemade mayo (equal parts extra light tasting evoo and an egg), onion and garlic powder, fresh organic dill, salt and a splash of white vinegar. To the mixed liquids and tuna I added chopped red onion and some pickle relish. Today I just poured the sauce over the tuna and two small wedges of iceberg lettuce and added some grape tomato slices. It was so good I could make it again right now but I'm waiting for dinner.

Working Out

Friday I did half of Angie instead of the full workout, as this was my first day back after vacation and I was still faintly nauseous.

So, my workout looked like:

50 pullups

50 pushups 

50 situps

50 air squats

my time: 21 minutes and 25 seconds

I went really slow and took my time obviously.

Ice Cream

We bought this coconut ice cream at Whole Foods on Thursday and it was gone by Saturday night. I made it perfectly clear that if there was ever to be a crisis-quencher during the future of this pregnancy, this is the motherlode. This is absolutely without question the best mint and chip ice-cream that a non-dairy, sugar-free eating person could dream of. I dare not say that it wipes out all dairy competition because it has been so long since I have had any. When I am eating this, I don't care about all the other possibilities. Mint chip has been my favorite flavor for a while and we've tried to whip up our own batches with coconut milk and stevia, but I think I can relinquish that trouble to the experts. My husband said I can't eat it all the time because it's ingredient list is not just as simple as coconut milk, stevia, peppermint extract and dark chocolate. Okay, that's fine... but one day I may be moaning my head off for it and I will not be refused. I will save my battle for then.

Holy balls... they make butter-pecan too...... I'm trying that next!

For Dinner we are having chili-fries (my favorite). We made this on Saturday night and had leftovers to eat tonight. How can you not eat these? They are sweet potato fries, but the sweetness is that much better with hot meaty chili on top! My husband made this batch and he must at this point realize that he is supposed to chop the onions a little better (per MY recipe)... I hope.

Working Out Weekend and Travel

I was at my crossfit training seminar this weekend and it was exhausting. I haven't felt this way in a long time. Both nights I wanted to come home and go right to bed (at 6:30 pm).
Generally I get a little tired spell around noon and try to take a little nap for about 30 minutes to an hour. Without these on Saturday and Sunday, I was surprised I made it through the lectures.
I brought a couple of pieces of fruit just incase I needed a sugar boost at some point. It definitely helped for the test! Their was a ton of movement going on as well as lecturing, so I definitely got my work outs in.

Working Out Weekend
We worked on (in depth) our air squat, front squat and overhead squat on Saturday. Later that day we also went over the shoulder press, push press and push jerk. Then at the end of the day we did "Fran" which is customary for the level 1 certification. My time was 6 minutes 35 seconds with 35 lbs. and jumping pullups. Not impressive by any means, but after an entire day of working on movements, I was satisfied to not push it.

Sunday we worked on our deadlift, sumo deadlift high-pull and medicine-ball cleans. Wow, was I a mess. I feel like I've never worked these muscles before even though I've been doing all the movements for almost a year. My legs are still burning. After all of that hard work we did a ten minute amrap WOD (as-many-rounds-as-possible/workout of the day). I moved pretty slowly and having not had any mid-day nap was struggling to push myself through the movements.

Travel
I am spending the week in Las Vegas with my sister and a couple of friends. The hardest part of being here is feeding myself and I realize I will have to make some exceptions. Tuesday morning I had an omelette with organic eggs, veggies and chicken sausage. It came with fresh fruit (some or all organic) and potatoes but I had tomato slices instead. This was at the Canyon Ranch Grill at the Palazzo. Their water was infused with lemon and was surprisingly good. This really impressed me for some reason. I will definitely go back here. For lunch my sister and I will be gorging on corned beef and pastrami at the Carnegie Delicatessen at the Mirage. I cannot account for their meat source, as it is most probably grain-fed and full of antibiotics and hormones, but I will follow up this rare cheat with some fish oil.

Working Out and Working Out Myths?

This morning I was lucky enough to eat some bacon from Herondale Farm, where we are part of a CSA share program for meat. It was wonderful- the perfect balance of fatty and crispy! I also had two eggs, tomato and avocado. I smothered all of this in Cholula right after snapping this photo. I think I've discovered a craving/addiction. Before all this I had a smoothie with greens.

For some reason right before we went to the gym I started feeling really tired. Instead of staying home, I went to the gym and did a couple things instead of one tough workout.

Working Out
Today's WOD:

Deadlift  5-5-5  (I did 145 lbs. - 165 lbs. - 185 lbs.)

Instead of the scheduled WOD, I did:

row 1000 meters
tabata thrusters and overhead squats with pvc pipe
partner wall ball situps
worked on my pullups

Afterward we had hot dogs from our CSA and some homemade sauerkraut for lunch.

Working Out Mythbusting
I also found a book on Amazon that I have ordered from the publisher. It is called Exercising Through Your Pregnancy - 2nd Ed. written by James Clapp, M.D. and Catherine Cram, M.S.
I am excited to get more of the science supporting the fact that women really should be working out through their pregnancy. This book hopefully holds the answers to many common questions and dispels what Dr. James Clapp lists as myths about exercising while pregnant.

Common Myths About Exercising and Pregnancy

1. Pregnant women should keep their heart rates under 140 beats per minute.
2. Exercise during lactation makes the milk taste sour.
3. Women should avoid abdominal exercises in mid and late pregnancy.
4. Pregnant women should not lift weights.
5. The bouncing and jarring which occur during running and high-impact aerobics increase the risk        for the baby getting tangled up in the umbilical cord.
6. Exercise causes premature labor.
7. Exercise will cause the fetus to detach from the wall of the womb.
8. Exercise right after a pregnancy will cause hernias and loss of vaginal and pelvic support.

Before dinner we tried the liver again, but this time on a cracker I made from almond flour and coconut flour. They were just enough to get rid of that slightly off-putting aftertaste. 

For dinner my husband made arroz con pollo (cauliflower rice). It was really good. The chicken of course came from our CSA.

For dessert we had apple pie ice-cream. Just a quick description of the ingredients for those curious about how this is done... coconut cream/milk from the can, xylitol, stevia extract, 1 pint of date sweetened applesauce (homemade), and ginger and cinnamon to get the pie taste. It was awesome. This was probably one of the best flavors we've made. I am also tempted to try peach pie sometime soon.