Ready to Move On

My education at Bastyr University is coming to a close. Hard to believe I have just a few assignments to turn in, one test to take, and I'm done. Literally, done. I'm not just entering a between-quarter break, I'm entering a whole new era – a new chapter in my life.

I must say, I'm ready. I will look back on Bastyr with fondness, as a place of comfort, a “bubble” of natural-health-minded people (not at all like-minded people, but certainly natural-health-minded people!) A place where I had many beliefs challenged, some altered and others strengthened. A place where personal trials seemed to shoot me through a whirlwind of evolution and development, spitting me out on the other side much changed from the person who walked into Bastyr at the end of a 2-hour train and bus commute from Puyallup nearly two years ago.

I'm so glad, so blessed to be here, on the other side. Granted, it has been only two years – not really that long, in the scheme of educational pursuits, or LIFE, for that matter – but I greatly appreciate the changes that have occurred in that time period.

Here I am, with a baby inside, ready to begin focusing my attention in a few less directions at once. Ready to start getting READY to welcome this new life into the world. Ready to start paying closer attention, to start cleaning house (literally!) and moving into that “NESTING” phase.

I almost feel as though, now that I am officially DONE with my education at Bastyr, I am ready to begin teaching myself anew. You can only process so much when you are being bombarded with information at a constant pace throughout school, so, now that I am out of that, I feel as though I can go back, look through notes, and re-LEARN and TEACH myself anew all the things I may have forgotten or “misplaced” in my memory banks. The things you really learn and remember are the things you learn through experience, on your own, fueled by your own drive and desire to know. When you start to feel burned out by the pace of full-time classes, oftentimes that drive and desire wans, replaced sometimes by a reluctant “if I have to, to pass this class” mentality. Now free from that pace, I can take or leave whatever I feel is most relavent to my future. And I am very ready to do that!

So, little baby, here we go!

Protein - How Much is Enough, Part II

One thing I know for sure, when it comes to protein powders and such products, is my desire to avoid anything with SOY in it. The majority of soy grown in the United States is genetically-modified, so, unless it is labeled organic (and is therefore non-GMO), I consider it an unknown risk to my health and my baby. There are plenty of other mysterious substances in our food supply these days that I don't need to add purposeful genetic modification to it. What really makes my skin crawl is the fact that lab workers have to INJECT the target plant's cells with a VIRUS in order to get a new strain of DNA to bind to the target cell's DNA – the new strain of which could come from practically ANYTHING of a different species.

But I'm getting off topic. In a nutshell, by my personal standards, soy is off the list. Even organic, I'd just rather not go there. It frankly doesn't taste that great, and I'd much prefer eating the actual soy beans themselves than some highly-processed soy “product.”

So what other choices are there, then? Whey protein, an abundant byproduct of the cheese industry, is a very common protein powder, and one I would be a bit less fearful of. (Of course I would do my research on finding out all I could about where it came from, etc). Other sources of processed protein would include egg, rice, pea, hemp, and other legumes, etc.

Were I to start using these products, I would not allow them to be any more than a snack in my daily diet. They would be a SUPPLEMENT to my protein intake, like an iron pill is a SUPPLEMENT to the iron I am already getting in my diet. I might add protein powder into my daily smoothie, or use a protein bar as a snack. Given how deeply I have been influenced by the whole-foods focus of my school, I confess that I wince as I consider this possibility, but I wonder if the compromise on whole-foods-only is worth it for the sake of my body's – and my growing baby's – protein needs.

Probably a question that has very individual and personal answers!

Protein - How Much is Enough, Part I

The last couple of days – with temperatures reaching the mid 80s – I have been experiencing edema in my feet and ankles. A funny sight, really – feet, which are already on the thick side, puffy and chubby-looking, connected to ankles that wrinkle with the extra mass and legs that look relatively normal. Roomy sandals are definitely helpful, as are extra pillows for propping up the feet when laying down or a chair or exercise ball to do the same thing when sitting.

Most pregnancy literature doesn't seem too worried about edema in pregnancy. In fact, it's considered normal, especially in the 3rd trimester, where I am find myself at the beginning of now. The only times for worry supposedly are when swelling is experienced in the face and/or occurs suddenly and very severely. These symptoms could apparently be warning signs of preeclampsia or other potentially-dangerous conditions.

Most recommendations are simply to drink plenty of water, elevate the feet as much as possible, and avoid tight-fitting footwear and/or clothes that may restrict blood flow.

Causes of edema are generally linked to normal pregnancy physiology, but some potential causes link edema with insufficient protein intake. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein among non-pregnant women ages 19 or older is 46 grams a day, or 0.8 grams/kg body weight/day. This figure is increased by 25 grams throughout all three trimesters of pregnancy. According to these guidelines, I would personally need a minimum of 54 grams of protein a day were I not pregnant, but, now that I am, I would need to be ingesting at least 80 grams of protein a day. I have to confess, I don't think I've been getting this much! I am probably close on some days, but, when I analyze it objectively, on most other days I probably fall short. The protein-containing foods I consume on a daily basis include a couple of eggs, a small handful of nuts or seeds, a cup or so of yogurt, and either a legume or meat dish, sometimes both. The more irregular sources of protein may include cheese or nut butter.

I've begun to wonder if using a protein powder, or a protein bar, might be helpful to reach the level of protein intake that I need – and that may be expressed through my recent bouts with edema.

Upon beginning my education in a university nutrition department that highly values WHOLE foods and for the most part rejects highly-processed, made-in-a-lab food products, I realized that things like Clif bars and Zone bars really didn't belong in a diet based on whole foods – at least with no real frequency.

So now I'm drawn to wondering if such things would have a negative impact on my baby and I, were I to experiment using such products to reach the goal of 80 grams of protein a day. I will continue considering this in my next post.

An Excursion to Paradise

Last weekend, my husband and I went into Mount Rainier National Park and to Paradise. Above are a few pictures from that excursion.

I can't think of a more beautiful mountain to possibly have so close to home. It's medicine for the eyes, and the soul, to drive and hike through the GREEN, and the BROWN, amidst the BLUE of the clear sky.

The view from Seattle just doesn't compare to the majesty that you can practically TOUCH as you meander through the park. Even the view from southbound highway 167 kicks the butt of any view from Seattle proper. With the pollution and clouds to mar the view, any, “ah, isn't that nice” you might get from further north is humbled into jaw-dropping wonder as you get closer and closer.

We hope to settle ourselves closer to this force of nature. It feeds us something that no amount of extra income or convenience in Seattle can ever do.

Some people can't relate to this, or understand this. We all need different sources of medicine and sustenance to get us through the day. I'd rather be surrounded by wild meadows, forests of emerald, and clear skies, and close to a mountain that could blow any year or month, than the city streets of gray and the attractions of the town. Our area is one that could experience many forces of nature with little or no warning. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions are a few of the big ones, and no amount of concrete or nicely-constructed buildings can do anything to stop them.

I am reminded by something a favorite teacher of mine from school said once (and I'm paraphrasing): I'd rather be in the middle of the wilderness, with no idea of what's going on in the world, making a minimal impact on nature, than anywhere else. Sure, I'm a born-and-raised city girl with much to learn, but does that ever sound like music to my ears.

The Forces of Food and Stress

I haven't been perfect in my avoidance of wheat, as of late. Instead, I've been faithful to regularly ingest some source of probiotics (good bacteria), in an attempt to support my body's natural defenses and maximize my digestive capacity. My hope is that, by doing this, the wheat won't get to me later.

I still think I do better without wheat, but on those days when I haven't prepared enough other whole-foods treats in advance, the seductive convenience of that slice of bread sitting so innocently in the refrigerator, combined with some smooth butter and a little jam, has a powerful effect on me. I've been lucky so far, but I know I need to be better disciplined.

Without proper allergy testing, all my theories on my body's needs are just that, anyway – theories. My thinking that I have a problem with wheat is based primarily on personal experience and intuition, which I like to think are generally close to the truth anyway, but which may be ignorant of many important points. One of these days I'll have to get the real thing done, and compare the results to my previous assumptions.

It does make me wonder about the impacts of stress on the ability of the body to do with ANYTHING with what it is fed. Too much of any one thing can become a burden to the body, if its digestive abilities are compromised. Mix poor digestion with stress and you have a recipe for disaster, such as compromised immunity, illness, and harmful overgrowths of bad bacteria and yeasts, etc. I guess I have managed my stress level and supported my digestion well enough to allow my body to take those dietary compromises in stride.

But my body needs both: A proper management of stress AND good nutrition. I can't expect a compromise in one of those areas to be completed balanced out by extra efforts in the other – that is, I can't expect the effects of a high-stress lifestyle to be completed negated by great nutrition. But it is appears to be true that such attempts DO HELP. Nothing remains in perfect balance, anyway, but continued efforts to obtain adequate play time and rest, and to consume a varied diet, pay off in the end, I think.

So may the forces of food and stress be tuned and directed to create a “harmonious symphony!”

Popping Pills

I'm taking iron supplements. I started out pregnancy taking a prenatal complex with iron in it, but when my first blood test results came back, my midwife said I just below where she would want my iron levels to be and that I needed to take iron supplements free of competing minerals (such as calcium, zinc, manganese, and nickel).

I was a bit surprised. I have no fear of red meat and consume meat with gratitude on a regular basis. I try, as much as possible, to limit my consumption of meat to that which has come from animals I can trust have been humanely treated and raised primarily on grass. I might average one or two of ounces of meat every day. As a result, I assumed my iron levels would be “just fine.” Granted, for years I have never once had my iron levels tested and didn't figure I could be losing THAT much in my monthly menses. Ah, ignorance is bliss – but then it goes away!

Of course my blood volume HAS expanded and the need for iron has increased. It may have been I wasn't deficient to begin with, but that I hadn't compensated for the growing blood volume with adequate changes in my diet.

So I immediately began taking a iron/folate/B12 complex recommended by my midwife twice a day. I tried to be careful to take it away from high-calcium foods (as it competes with iron for absorption) and take it with vitamin C (as it boosts iron's capacity for absorption).

After another blood test, my levels had dropped slightly, as expected, but were still just below where I needed to be. So I was instructed to take the iron three times a day.

I think the horror of imagining my baby running out of the iron it needs to develop normally fired me up to pop these pills religiously. Thank heavens the body puts to baby's iron needs above my own, and that the baby can just take all it needs from mommy until the supply runs out! Iron deficiency in women – especially in pregnancy – is so common, I guess any pride or denial I may have had went right out the window. I don't want my baby's cognitive development to be hindered by my ignorance or neglect.

Not that I believe a pill is the answer to any question or problem, nor that I wholly trust every test result, either! It just seems as though, if I am a far cry from toxicity levels – and am not even yet within normal ranges – supplementation may just be the extra help my body needs to get the iron necessary for normal fetal development.

We're planning on testing my levels again at my next appointment, and hopefully the pill-taking will have proved itself worthwhile. Like with the glucose question, it seems that common sense paired with mindfulness and education SHOULD be the answer. But we'll see how it goes with me!

Orange Sugar Water

At my last prenatal visit, my midwife had “gestational diabetes” on the agenda of things to take care of. We had already talked about it in an earlier visit, so by the time it came around to officially accept or decline the glucose tolerance test, I felt ready to answer with confidence. I declined.

You may or may not be familiar with the risk factors for developing gestational diabetes. They include being over 25 years of age, having had gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy, having a BMI over 25, having delivered a baby over 9 pounds or a stillborn baby, having a first-degree relative with diabetes, spilling glucose in the urine, and being of Hispanic, African, Native American, Asian, or Pacific Islander ethnicity. You also may or may not be aware that only 50% of women with gestational diabetes experience 1 or more of these risk factors. So, while I checked myself off as free from the listed risk factors, statistically I could still develop the condition. So why did I turn down the test?

I think it comes down to me not wanting to abuse my body, just for the sake of a test. I mean, come on – what is natural about stuffing an obscene amount of glucose in your system at one time? Granted, they are careful to ensure you have been eating well before taking the test, but still. It smells a bit fishy to me.

Apparently the glucose challenge test has re-entered the arena of discussion as of late. Apparently some doctors consider this testing as creating more problems than it potentially solves.

It is true that women who have had gestational diabetes during a pregnancy are at greater risk for developing normal Type II diabetes later in their lives. But it is also true that many things change in a woman's physiology while she is pregnant.

I wonder if, in women who are fairly sensitive to sugar, this test might put them “over the edge.” That is, it may create imbalances in bodies who are already a bit more vulnerable to such imbalance. Take myself as an example. I've struggled with yeast imbalances in this pregnancy, and know that a bottle of sugar water is the last thing my body needs to maintain its wellbeing. Not to doubt the ability of the body to recover and compensate for the “abuse,” if you will, but it still seems unnecessary. I don't know. Maybe next time around I'll have a different opinion.

It seems like, no matter your family history of diabetes, it is always good medicine to keep sugar intake minimized. And that doesn't mean using Splenda or Equal instead. It just means minimizing intake of refined sweet foods, and maximizing intake of whole food sources of fiber, protein, and natural complex carbohydrates. It means balancing the ingestion of a sweet whole food – such as a raisin, an apple, or a banana – with a fat, or – even better – a protein food. It means being sensitive to the fact that your body doesn't like sugar in big quantities, and prefers the natural sugars found in real plant foods with a “skin” to those in a powder or a jar.

Maybe next time around I'll feel differently. For now, I don't feel it is right for me. We can only wait and see!

The Time for Silence

Right after beginning my education at Bastyr, my righteous indignation regarding America's food supply seemed to multiply in force. All of a sudden, I felt powerless to resist the knee-jerk reactions of, “That food is horrible for you,” and “Oh my, do you know what is IN that?” As a result, I shared more than my fair share of opinions regarding “good” and “bad” foods with my defenseless family members.

It took at least a few quarters for this near “better than thou” nutrition mentality to be shamed by a refreshing voice of humility. In a field where experts often come across as haughty and self-righteous, and in which tempers flare and collars are ruffled with remarkable ease, this voice of humility was quite a shock to MY pride! This voice said that, when it comes to nutrition, it's nearly always best to just keep your mouth shut until people ask for your opinion – ESPECIALLY if the people around you know that you are studying it, know something about it, and/or just care about it.

I struggled – and still struggle – with this. At first, when I began to put this silence into practice, I felt a load lift from my shoulders, as if, all of a sudden, I didn't have to try to “fix” the problems I thought I was seeing around me. But, with the passing of time, a greater weakness revealed itself to me, in the area of keeping my responses controlled when I WAS asked for advice! Once someone asked me in an email for advice on adult acne and dairy-free sources of calcium and I nearly wrote a book in response! I loved the process of research and discovery for the sake of someone else's wellbeing – and the chance to get patted on the back, too, I suppose! – and got rather carried away with my reply.

Too much of a good thing just isn't so good any more. Nutrition advice seems to be a bit like chocolate – it's best in small bite-sized pieces. Not only can people not process information they don't want and aren't actively seeking, but the amount that can be absorbed is limited, as well. Change can't happen overnight, and is most meaningful in small amounts. How long will it take for me to get this?!

May the small steps forward continue – God willing, with compassion and humility!

Hot and Spicy Memories

In the attempt to methodically control our monthly food bill, staples like dried beans and rice have become more frequent guests at our table. Last week, a few of the items I cooked in bulk included Mexican-spiced aduki beans and rice. Homemade salsa from canned tomatoes and jalapenos and toppings of plain yogurt and Tabasco rounded out our plump bean and rice tacos (corn for me, wheat for hubby). They were filling and delicious.

But then I had my first run-in with acid reflux. I experience heartburn once a year – if that – so having the sensation of a lump in my throat for a few days was mildly alarming. It took me several more days to figure out that, more than likely, the Mexican spices had triggered this reaction. Since spicy foods don't consistently give me heartburn, I guess I was reluctant to acknowledge that the Mexican seasonings may have caused such a fuss. But given that I haven't had any other pregnant run-ins with heartburn aside from this experience, I guess I have to admit the probable truth!

A school buddy told me that acid reflux can be made worse if the mother is eating something the baby doesn't like. That is, if the baby doesn't like something you've eaten, you might experience more acid reflux than normal. An interesting thought that I could only pretend to know the answer to. I'll have to jot that question down for investigation after the baby is born!

Lesson learned, though: Take it easy on the spice. Given that half the time I indulge in spicy foods, I'm merely trying to keep up with my spicy-food-fiend husband, I suppose I should spare the baby the playful competition! Poor thing has limited-enough say in what mama eats, after all!

To Drink or Not to Drink

Coffee, that is.

When I realized I was pregnant, I immediately banned all caffeinated drinks. Felt pretty proud of myself, too! Coffee was gone and teas were carefully selected to ensure both caffeine and harmful herbs were not present.

But you can guess where this is going. At about four and a half months along, I let myself indulge. My husband and I were taking a short road trip to Bellingham and, as coffee beans had not been seen in our house for quite awhile, we decided to treat ourselves and made a stop by the local – well, not really local – Starbucks for drip coffee on the way out of town. (We had a gift card, so we thought it'd be okay!)

I got a “short” drip coffee with plenty of room, so I could load it with half and half and a little sugar (I was hoping for rice milk, but they didn't have it and I didn't want to be one of THOSE Starbucks customers that makes being a barista sound like an absolute nightmare). It took me about two hours to get through the whole thing! Before pregnancy, I would have devoured it in 15 or 20 minutes. But now, not only does coffee taste a little less “good,” but it also seems really special. (A strange combo, huh? Less “good” and really “special.” I don't know how to explain it!)

Maybe subconsciously I was thinking that, if I drank it really slow, the caffeine would affect me and the baby in a gentler way. (And I was snacking as I drank it, too.) But that's been the main thing that's kept me from drinking coffee regularly while pregnant: the caffeine, and the uncertainty of its effects on the baby. I've actually read that decaf may, in reality, be worse for babies than caffeine, but my midwife simplified the matter by saying that we don't really know WHAT the effects of either are on babies in the long run. But she did assure me that an occasional coffee with friends would be fine.

So I've broken my streak, and I'm okay with that. I wonder how many babies growing up today – or in the past – came out of mothers who had drank coffee regularly while pregnant. I wonder if there have been/are/will be any long-term effects on those who did. I'm not yet wholly convinced either way – I mean, before pregnancy, I was an addicted regular coffee drinker myself! I guess I just figured it'd be safest to avoid it, and therefore tried to do so until the extremism wore off. It does seem as though, with the baby being so much smaller than me, whatever I DO put in my mouth has the potential to affect them in ways I might not consider or imagine!

Now the question, “to drink or not to drink” ALCOHOL is another matter entirely – and probably one that with a little more evidence behind it!

Abundance

Lately my husband and I have been evaluating our spending habits and expenses, and have been slightly shocked to see how much we spend on food. Granted, there are “three” of us now, instead of just two – but still!

I'm one who thinks that, in general, Americans spend a disproportionately small amount on food compared with material goods (like cars, TVs, and fancy cell phones). That is, they spend nearly all they have – and more – on STUFF, and then “cut back” by grocery-shopping at Wal-Mart.

I realize not everyone falls into this category. But statistics do show that Americans spend a much LOWER percentage of their income on what goes into their bodies compared with many other countries. It's clear that we value a bargain at the grocery counter.

So when I say we were shocked by how much we spend, it wasn't with TOO much regret, for the percentage of our income spent on food is still pretty low. It's just that, stacked up next to other living expenses, and with the knowledge that we “indulge” on a fairly regular basis – when there is still plenty of dried beans and rice in the cupboard – it was clear we needed to change some of our habits.

We both value quality and prefer wholesome foods to more questionable ones, with the odd enjoyment of a frozen pizza, a restaurant-bought hamburger, or a box of Hostess miniature chocolate-coated donuts. But the reality is we can still improve our utilization of the foods that we HAVE.

So today I began a new exercise. (Bear with me if this is something you've been doing for years and years!) I set limits for ourselves on what we could spend total each week on food, with specific guidelines for categories such as “vegetables,” “fruit,” and “meat,” etc, and then let those figures guide my decisions in the grocery store. When I got home, I recorded what I actually ended up buying in each category and then went through the kitchen to see what all we had on hand. I brainstormed what I could do with those ingredients in the week to come and was pleased to come up with quite an impressive list! I was amazed with how much food we had “hiding” in the cupboard, just waiting for me to pay attention to it, and how many things I could think of to make throughout the week – all while making CUTS to our overall weekly grocery bill. I can now plan what days I will attempt to make those dishes, for what meals, etc. And hopefully end up sailing through the week with ample ready-to-eat dishes on-hand without needing to make another trip to the store.

We truly live in a land of abundance, even IF half of the food in our local supermarket comes from the other side of the continent, or even halfway around the world! I'm guilty of abundance hovering right under my nose, with myself completely oblivious to it.

Free Water

One thing about living in Seattle is the amount of “free” water we get. This isn't always a good thing, as rivers can flood and homes can be severely damaged by excess water. But if you have a garden, from time to time you may breath a sigh of gratitude that nature is taking care of watering your plants for the time being. Especially for a newbie gardener like myself, still nervous about over- or under-watering my container plants, it's a slight load off my shoulders when I realize that, for the next few days, I can lay the responsibility elsewhere. After all, unless we are surprised by snow or a hailstorm, I can feel fairly confident that in our mild climate, the plants should be able to tolerate whatever nature throws at them.

One concept that has grown in popularity with the boom of interest in permaculture is the idea of water collection. It makes perfect sense with the amount of rain we get here. Setting out buckets under gutter runaways or anywhere exposed to the sky allows some of the rainwater to sit and slowly evaporate while we get to use it to water our plants, at no expense to our tap.

I realize this has nothing to do with eating and being pregnant, but as I've begun to attempt growing a very small amount of food for my family, I have grown increasingly impressed by and tuned-in to those plants' need for moisture. Similar to my own body's need for water, made all the more important with the baby inside, the plants need adequate amounts of water to survive and grow. Making use of what nature gives to us “free of charge,” if you will, is stunningly simple and rewarding.

Now as I think of buckets and jars to use to collect rainwater with during our next shower, I think I'll go pour myself a glass of water. We are so blessed.

Starting Again - From the Ground Up

I'm giving it another go. My container garden flopped last year, and I'd nearly decided I wouldn't bother with it this year. I had figured the distraction of being pregnant and getting ready for the birth would keep my interests occupied elsewhere. But I was only fooling myself – as April rolled by, visions of color were flooding my mind. Vegetables and ornamentals bursting out of pots arranged in a loose border around the patio, complete with a lovely pergola overhead and a couple of cheap-o lawn chairs planted in the middle. Can you just see it? I was intoxicated. I couldn't help but try to create this vision, even if it'd be a far cry from the picture in my head.

I shake my head in wonder at how, initially, I was a chicken to try because of the life growing inside me. And now I feel more strongly about trying BECAUSE of this life growing inside of me. Maybe it's the connection of miracles in the womb to miracles in the soil – lessons in biology long forgotten and never fully understood. I have trouble believing all started from nothing for no real reason when I see a sprout of life budding through the ground. Or a life growing in my belly.

So to the nursery I went. Last year I tried seeds, but this time I was cheating with starters. A mental wince at the check-out counter, but a chuckle once home – I'd treated my trip to the nursery like a trip to the produce department of the local PCC. Sometimes the only thing – besides cost – that is able to turn me away from a luscious piece of produce is the label beneath it, “Guatemala” or “Chile.” The rainbow of bounty found on those produce counters, seductive in their textures, shapes, and aromas, is similar to the enticement of the nursery. And there I didn't even check where any of the plants came from. Oops.

With my husband out for the evening, I engrossed myself in pots, soil, worm castings, perlite, rocks, and the little starts that seemed to be watching and waiting for me to set them home. I realize I may be romanticizing the experience, but mixing together ingredients in each pot felt a bit like a ritual, a ceremony of reverence. A song got stuck in my head – darned if I can't remember what it was now – and I sang quietly to the plants as I worked (it helps when no one is around!). I did a lot of talking, too, conversing the matter over with myself to make sure I was doing everything right. Maybe the plants could count as listeners for all the talking I did to myself!

I felt – and still feel – the tension of nervous excitement, as I don't yet have the confidence gained from years of experience with successful plantings. But I'm savoring the nerves. I try to remind myself: Experience is gained through living in wonder and humility, not worrying or trying to control nature. If I am blessed with one Black Russian heirloom tomato this summer, I will be overjoyed.

So I'm giving it another go. Engaging in life is an intoxicating experience.

Listening to the Baby... Through the Belly?

I have been working on an essay for school entitled, “The Mystery of Cravings.” It explores the reasons why some women have strong cravings for certain foods during pregnancy and others do not. In it I compare two viewpoints, one that says a pregnant woman should be allowed to eat whatever she wants, whenever she wants, because it is the baby speaking through her, telling her what it needs, and another that says that, even though a woman's intuition is heightened during pregnancy, it doesn't mean she should follow every whim and fancy – she still needs to ensure a balanced and nutritious diet, regardless of what she may “want.”

I would like to believe that every woman does have a heightened sense of what she needs to eat when she is pregnant. However, my own experiences thus far have made me wonder on more than one occasion. When nausea was commonplace in the first trimester, ice cream, toast, and cheese were mild foods that seemed to soothe both my belly and my mind. But then I discovered that my body did not tolerate them so well anymore. So I was left thinking, DOES my body really know what it needs?

I wonder if there were emotional, rather than nutritional, reasons for wanting some of those foods. While my desire for ice cream MAY have meant that I needed more protein, calcium, or magnesium, it could have also simply been an addiction to something sweet, with a creamy mouthfeel and nostalgic memories of ice cream during childhood. While my inability to eat other foods MAY have had physiologic roots, it could have simply been me looking for more attention from my husband and peers. After all, women are told it is normal to go through extreme changes in appetite during pregnancy, almost to the point that is not only expected but thought of as “cool” or “hip.” Could this make women feel pressured to change their diet in extreme ways?

I'm just wondering. I'm wondering if my initial changes in appetite were really founded on anything the baby may have been trying to tell me - or if it was, so to speak, “all me!” I hope that I am listening to my body honestly, and that the needs of my baby are being heard and met. I have no doubt that my body is putting the needs of my baby above my own, and indeed I don't want to obsess over every bite I put into my mouth (I think that's called orthorexia!), but I DO want to be consistently hearing the needs of my baby. I have heard of couples who, when given the opportunity to sit down, close their eyes, and mentally ask the baby what it needed, came up with the same reply, instantly. Maybe I need to do that more often – not just assume I know, but actually sit down, close my eyes, and ASK the baby. Because, after all, I am feeding the TWO of us, aren't I? It's now about more than MY needs.

Digging through Worm Poop

This past Sunday I went through my worm bin for the first time.

Don’t worry, I had only begun using my worm bin last September, after being gifted with a free bin in my organic gardening class, which we prepped ourselves during our “final exam.” But, needless to say, it had still reached the point of overflowing – the lid didn’t quite latch like it’s supposed to anymore, and it was clear that the worms had been living it up.

So I spread out the tarp in the garage, got a few empty, flattened cardboard boxes, and a few yogurt containers for scooping. Then I began the process of scooping out the leftovers of the worms consumption and separating the not-yet-consumed food bits from the worms, from the worm castings. It was a lovely process – surprisingly fulfilling!

I confess I didn’t get as much “out of it” as I could have (in the way of actual worm castings), because, when I would spot a family of worms lingering together in a clump of soil, I would leave them alone and not bothering picking through them. The whole clump was just added them to the growing pile of “worms NOT to be disturbed.” And there were so many of them! Back in September, I started out with probably just 8 or 12 worms. Boy, have they been busy reproducing!

So now I have a lovely 3 gallons worth of worm castings, and another 2 gallons or so of compost “tea” (the liquid that filters out of the food decomposition/worm consumption/etc process).

The experience of digging through the work of my beloved worms reinspired me to make use of the containers I have out behind the house. In fact, visions of a flourishing container garden, out on our background concrete porch, with a trellis arching over it, came to me mind, and I found my senses tickled with a sense of longing and determination. Even though my attempts at growing food from seeds failed pretty miserably last season, I am now bound and determined to try again! Not from seed, though – not this year, anyway. I’ll “cheat” this time around.

If you haven’t tried digging through worm poop before, I highly recommend it!

Feeling the Weight

I must confess that in the last week or so I have been really feeling the effects of growth. Belly growth, that is. And I am loving it – I mean, I am loving my growing belly, knowing there is a growing baby inside. But I suffer from just enough vanity to make those shifts from normal pants to larger and still larger pants a bit worrisome.

I know, I know. Get over it, right? No one wants to hear about somebody else's self-absorbed vanity complexes. But despite the fact that I tell myself I don't care what other people think, weight is still a sensitive topic. I've never kept a scale in my house for that very reason.

Now I realize, yes, that as a pregnant woman, I am expected to gain weight – I NEED to gain weight! I WANT to gain weight, to support my baby's development. My “fears,” if you will, regard the “after-birth” weight.

My GOAL is to be a woman at peace with her changing body, able to calmly adjust to its changed status after birth and able to moderate her habits so as to bring her body back into balance and good health. But I know I “haven't seen anything yet,” and I'm already nervous about it!

I'm fully prepared to gain the weight needed to prepare my baby for life outside my body, and I intend to eat healthfully to support his/her health after birth, too. It's all just vanity, I guess. I've read that pregnancy changes a woman's body permanently, and I want to be at peace with it when it does! I guess I better start being mentally proactive about it now, so it doesn't come as an depression-inducing shock after-the-fact. My hope is that by practicing good nutrition and physical activity now, the habits will be set in place for working through the changes I know are to come.

I would love to know what other moms have learned about practicing good health prior to birth, in an effort to help the post-birth changes. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

My Problem with Wheat

Well, that makes it sound like I really know what's up with wheat. It sure is a popular topic these days – all sorts of writers and health professionals are out there sharing their two cents about whether or not it is a good grain to consume anymore, with it's extensive breeding and common genetic modification. And of course wheat is carefully avoided by those steering clear of gluten.

The truth is I don't really know where my problem with wheat comes from, or how serious it is. I do know that I have long loved wheat bread and was unaware of any trouble with it until I became pregnant. And only now do I have any idea there might be a problem because even sugar doesn't seem to pose the problems to my system that wheat does, even though, as wife of a home-brewer, I know sugar feeds yeast. It is quite honestly a mystery to me.

The only clue before pregnancy that wheat might be problematic was the fact that I chronically experienced white spots on my nails. I have always figured they indicated a zinc deficiency, but then learned in school that they can indicate many other things, including fluctuating blood sugar levels and wheat allergies. Hmmm! Makes me wonder.

My current “white spot status” is much lower than “normal,” so maybe there IS a connection there...!

That's one thing I gotta say I love about nutrition and food. The mysteries take time to unravel, and they keep coming. Whenever I think I “KNOW” something, a dozen other things come along to question those “facts.” Helps keep me humble, I guess.

I'm interested in knowing how wheat has affected your life, both pleasantly and less pleasantly. Let me know!

Trial and Error

The first few months of pregnancy saw multiple shifts in my diet. After the initial discovery, back in January, my appetite was low, perhaps due to the shock and awe of realizing I was now a “mother-in-becoming.” However, decreases in blood sugar every 2-3 hours led me to eat regularly anyway to avoid the consequential bouts of nausea. My energy was decreased and attending school full-time and commuting 3 hours a day on the bus was enough to wipe me out completely by the evening.

I fell in love with citrus – oranges and grapefruit, especially – and enjoyed the daily bowl of ice cream, which felt soothing to the stomach and sweet to the tongue. Following the recommendations of others, saltine crackers and slices of cheese were also kept nearby. Within several weeks, however, I began to fall into trouble with the diet my own appetite had led me to follow - a diet uncharacteristically high in refined carbohydrates, fruit, dairy, and sugar, and simultaneously low in protein and vegetable matter. I was following my “instincts,” but oh did they fool me! They were leading me on a rather painful learning curve and there was no avoiding it!

I don't usually have yeast issues. But these changes in diet combined with the altered hormonal environment inside me seemed to open the door to a whole rainbow of new internal imbalances. And, as usual for me, an “extremist's response” was triggered. In this case, a “candida diet” was implemented and dozens of previously-loved foods were avoided. Probiotic supplements were also popped on a religious basis. I had messed up, and now I was on a warpath to fight this!

Initial symptoms subsided and healed within about a week, and I walked away from that experience impressed with the power of diet. I continued to avoid wheat, gluten and yeasted products, and also minimized or otherwise avoided vinegar, uncultured dairy, cheese, sugar, refined grains, fruit, and even nuts. What did I eat? Basically, eggs, lean animal protein and legumes, rice, and vegetables! My midwife thought that avoiding wheat was a worthwhile endeavor, but encouraged experimenting with fruit and the moderate use of organic, raw vinegars, as both can be potent and beneficial in small quantities. So the experiments began, and I have since determined that many of the foods I initially considered off-limits are not my source of trouble. Used mindfully, fruit, nut products, organic vinegars, and even a small and infrequent amount of sugar are all okay - my real sources of trouble are wheat, yeast, and – perhaps – gluten.

To come, “My Problem with Wheat.”

Introduction and Welcome

Welcome to Eating Expectantly!

My name is Holly Crow, and I am nearly halfway through my first pregnancy. I love to eat, cook, and think about good food, but I have found certain changes to my diet necessary for both the wellbeing of myself and the health of my baby. In the midst of this journey towards motherhood, I will be sharing some trials and discoveries about food and health in the context of a natural birth process where food is considered medicine, the first line of defense and prevention.

I am a student in the natural health sciences, set to graduate from an undergraduate Nutrition program at the end of spring 2009. I have lived in Washington state my whole life and love the green and blue shades of its natural environment. The move my husband and I have been anticipating – out of the city, into areas less populated – has been delayed by this pregnancy, but we are grateful to be near a naturopathic doctor and midwife who we respect for the first stages of this new chapter in our lives.

I hope you enjoy and are able to get something out of my mistakes and discoveries! This road is a new one for me, but I look forward to enjoying the process, confessing my shortcomings, and sharing my discoveries with you!