It’s official! I’M PREGNANT! I just received the call from the nurse at New Hope Fertility. My numbers came back great! YIPPEE!!!!!! YEEHAW!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!! HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
pregnancy
EXCITING, AWESOME, AMAZING NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!
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Fertility Monitor For Pregnancy
Since my husband and I started planning for a family, I have been doing research on fertility and tracking my cycle. There are old-fashioned (tried and true) methods such as taking your temperature every day (immediately upon waking). I’m doing this, but with my erratic sleep schedule, it’s proving hard to do. I think the best aspect of taking my temperature will be when my temp stays raised once I’ve conceived, letting me know sooner than later that I’m pregnant.
On the advice from a good friend, I bought the Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor to track my cycle. And, it’s really cool. Basically, I pee on a stick every morning, insert the stick into the machine, and get a reading for my daily fertility. It’s fun, especially when I see the little egg symbol meaning that it’s the right time to try if we’re ready. It’s not an inexpensive gadget (the sticks you have to keep buying or the monitor) but I decided it was worth it. If we decide to have more than one baby, I’ll use it again. And, when the time comes, I’ll pass it on to someone else to use.
The reason I started using it now is because it can take a couple of months to “learn” your cycle and because I was dying to know if an egg would show up. Whew! It did! The Amazon reviews on the Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor are terrific, check them out. Some things I’ve learned so far are 1) make sure you use the first pee of the morning and 2) pee for a full three seconds on the stick (count 1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi, 3-Mississippi).
Other things I’m doing for pregnancy prep:
1. Researching various topics such as breastfeeding, vaccines, and homebirth
2. Finding a midwife and doula
3. Trying (and checking) into different pre-natal options for those times I might need extra help if I think my diet lacks on a particular day, or when traveling
4. Eating extra healthy (lots of plant blood, extra protein, etc) Obviously being HRAV (high raw, all vegan) gives me a great advantage because this lifestyle is already extra healthy.
5. Eliminating toxins from my life (hair, body, home)
6. Putting on a couple extra pounds so I’m at a healthy weight for getting pregnant
7. Researching supplementation of B-complex and DHA
Many other things…
haha… had to update you with something Raw and fun. It’s night time and I was craving cookies BIG TIME so this is what I did. Not even measuring, I tossed the following into my food processor and processed until coarsely ground: soaked and dehydrated buckwheat groats, almonds and pecans, dried unsweetened coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, Himalayan crystal salt, and cacao nibs. Then, I added currants and dried cherries and processed it until it was mixed well. Voila! Took me about 3 minutes to make a HUGE bowl of it which will last for well over a week (maybe! haha). Anytime I get a craving, I simply open up my refrigerator and take a few spoonfuls! YUM!
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We Met Our Future Doula
It’s been an exciting week so far. I’ve been assembling my future birthing team (found my midwife already) and this week we interviewed our future doula. I want to have as much planned and figured out as possible so that when I’m actually pregnant, I can just relax and focus on the health of my mind, body, and spirit. Anyway, back to my doula… she’s AMAZING! We clicked immediately and I’m truly ecstatic to have her as a part of my birthing team.
What is a doula? Well, she’s basically my helper for anything I need during birth. The word “doula” means “servant to women” so she’ll be there to do everything she can do make me comfortable from massage to making sure I’m hydrated and fed to coaching and supporting us to running interference if anyone or anything is messing with my birthing flow (very important!) to helping me have the best and most safe birth experience I can.
What am I eating these days? My goal is to get used to eating a little more than I usually do. I want to put on a couple of pounds to help facilitate getting pregnant and get used to eating more protein on a daily basis. For the past couple of months (and going forward), my HRAV food intake includes:
a) 1-2 quarts fresh organic green juice (I affectionately call it Plant Blood)
b) Organic Hemp Green Smoothie (loaded up with all kinds of goodies for extra nutrition)
c) Vitamineral Green Powder
d) Fruits of the Earth Powder (and/or camu powder) every few days or so
e) Fresh fruit and salads
f) More Raw Vegan foods (for example: raw pasta, pesto, soup, crackers, etc) and/or low fat cooked vegan foods (for example: lentil soup, beans, sprouted bread with raw nut butter and jelly, hummus, red quinoa, cereal/raw hemp seed milk, etc).
g) I’m still taking my Heavy Metal Nano Detox (will be done this week) and Pine’s Wheat Grass (will take throughout pregnancy and beyond) daily
h) I’m done taking my ground milk thistle seeds to cleanse my liver
i) I’ve recently decided to add this Vitamin B complex after much research and debate. I’d rather be safe than sorry and I can’t guarantee to get enough B-vitamins with my foods alone. I don’t want to stress about it either, that would wreak havoc on my body.
j) Women’s Tea of nettle, alfalfa, and raspberry leaf daily (I want to add lemon balm, but mountainroseherbs is out of stock right now).
Another thing I’m getting into my routine is taking a 2-3 mile walk every day no matter what. It’s something I want to keep doing all through pregnancy so I’m getting into the habit for it now.
Daily Conversation Question:
In what era would you most like to have grown up?
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A Nourishing Day In Spite Of Monsoon Clouds
Today in Arizona it’s pretty cloudy (although I do see some sun peeking through the clouds). As it’s monsoon season, it’s common to have cloudy days as well as lots of storms at night. While I like the beautiful storms in the desert, I’m not a fan of cloudy days. This is because I grew up in Michigan where it’s common to have gloomy and cloudy days… one of the reasons I moved to Arizona was for the sunshine.
So, today, with the gray clouds looming above, it felt like a day of nourishing for my mind, spirit, and body. Here’s what I did:
Mind:
I put on yoga-type meditation music and started my day. Even though I was working away at the laptop, I was filled with peace, calm, and relaxation.
Spirit:
Danced with my dog. Yup, I danced with my dog which makes my heart soar. He’s my bud!
Body:
I’m filling my body (as usual) with deliciously healthy food; and, in spite of the clouds, I feel vibrant, full of sunshine (must be from all of the chlorophyll-rich plants I eat), alive, and full of nourishing energy.
Today’s Raw Food Plan:
Heavy Metal Nano Detox
Vitamineral Green – 1 heaping tablespoon in a cup of water, chugged down fast. This is now a ritual I look forward to, in spite of the extremely green taste. I feel so energized and buzzing with life when having this daily.
Pines Wheat Grass Tablets – I take the 1st serving of these with my cup of green powder noted above.
Plant Blood – cucumber, celery, dinosaur kale… I love love love Plant Blood. I love the way it feels going down my throat, esophagus, and into my tummy. You know how red wine can give you that warm feeling inside your body as it travels through you after a sip… well, it’s similar for fresh Plant Blood for me, only it’s invigorating, cooling, refreshing, and full of life.
Sauerkraut – hhhmmm… talk about extra nourishment for my pregnancy planning bod!
Power Hemp Shake – water, banana, apple, Vitamineral Green powder (1 tsp), Manitoba Harvest Hemp Protein Powder, and 1 tablespoon Milk Thistle Seeds.
Heavenly salad full of fresh ingredients: home grown sprouts (broccoli and alfalfa), avocado, and radishes.
Plant Blood – apple, dinosaur kale
If hungry later, I’ll eat more sauerkraut along with fresh veggies
More Related Posts:
Plant Blood 1, Plant Blood 2
Pre-Pregnancy Planning (Future Mom, Prenatal Vitamins)
Organic On A Budget