I haven’t really said much about my pregnancy until now {most of my clients found out as I popped out} – but, for everyone else – here it goes! I am 26 weeks pregnant with my 5th baby, and so excited about it! This will be our 7th child together {I also have 2 step-children} and the tie-breaker, since we now have 3 girls & 3 boys. And … according to the ultrasound at 19 weeks, girls win! I have been buying pink everything lately, and getting more and more excited to meet our little girl in November.
This pregnancy has actually been my best one yet. I still had morning sickness the first 12-13 weeks {although it was so much better than any of my other babies!}, and the exhaustion… well was completely exhausting. 🙂
I made it through that first trimester though, and so far the 2nd trimester has been pretty good. I have more energy, have been able to stomach veggies again {yep, the mere thought of vegetables during my 1st trimester was awful – thank goodness I had my hubby & kids who made them for me so I could just eat without thinking!}, and find everything running a lot better now.
Now, with all of that out in the open, I want to share with you a few of my favorite pregnancy tips that have seen me through that yucky sicky feeling & these first 6 months.
First & foremost – nutrition during pregnancy is probably the most important aspect of this magical creation of life. Good nutrition before and during pregnancy can make the difference between health and sickness and support the general health of your baby as well.
The key word for pregnancy is eat – and that means to eat well, to eat highly nourishing foods, but not to overeat. We all hear that age-old excuse that because you are eating for two you can eat whatever you want, haven’t we?? Well, I’m sorry to burst that bubble, but that isn’t the case. Eating TOO much, or the wrong things puts more of a strain on your digestive system, body, & makes it harder to bounce back after.
While you grow your little bundle of joy, you ARE going to need more of everything – calories, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, B-vitamins, and most other vitamins and minerals – and don’t forget more rest and activity! The main thing is to find your balance.
Ok, so what do you do when you just feel like poop & can’t eat anything at all though? This is what I did:
- SMALL amounts of good food more often during the day. I found I craved carbs, and probably ate more bread than I ever had before, but that is what my body needed. Sprouted grain bread, whole grain crackers, my homemade granola & oatmeal got me through it.
- Protein. Protein at each meal is important to balance your hormones & blood sugar levels, AND to grow that baby! I had raw nuts/seeds, natural nut butters, beans, quinoa, chia seeds, some protein powders, eggs & some lean meats {other than the first few weeks when I actually CRAVED steak, which is not like me! – meat has not appealed to me very much} but still struggle to make sure I keep protein up to a good level.
- Drink! Water is so important, so I made sure I was drinking enough, and added lemon to keep it tasting a little better. 🙂
- Herbal Teas – ginger & fennel became my go-to teas. I drank ginger so much I can’t stand the thought of it now!
- Switch the supplements. I found taking my prenatal supplements at lunch made me feel worse. Instead I made sure I only took 1 in the morning, and 2 at night. This made a huge difference! {I use a supplement from my Naturopath that is 3/day}.
- Get help! Like I mentioned, I had my daughter make the salads. My husband ran to buy me fresh salads whenever I happened to mention it MAY sound good {what a good guy!}, and my family took on more jobs around the house.
- Nap. I admit it – I napped every day. I had to in order to make it through that 1st 3 months. Thank goodness for having some energy back now!
It’s so important for your baby that you try to stay away from junky, high-calorie, empty nutrient or high-fat/salt foods. I know how hard it is when you just want something sweet, but try to make choices that will be good for you and your baby as often as you can.
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Banana Bread
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 1 large loaf
I am going to share with you one of my favorite go-to’s I have used quite often during my pregnancy. My kids love it, and so do I {and I’m sure my little girl does already too!}. It only has natural sugars, no yucky fat or oils, and is gluten free too. I hope you enjoy it just as much!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (rice flour) + ½ tsp xanthum gum
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (make sure they are gluten-free if you need it)
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
- 3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup apple sauce
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- In a mixing bowl, mix together all dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and cinnamon)
- In a separate bowl mix together the remaining ingredients until thoroughly mixed
- Mix the wet into the dry
- Mix until well blended
- Grease a 9-inch Pyrex with coconut oil and dust with a little flour
- Pour batter into the pan and distribute evenly with a spatula
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 40 minute or until lightly brown on top, firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean
Notes
Option: Chocolate chips! Add about a 1/2 cup once batter is mixed. That turns this from banana bread into banana cake.
*Here is our snack today – frozen blackberries {that we picked last week – the kids love them frozen!} with our banana bread! YUM!
Here’s to a healthy, happy pregnancy!
