I had someone suggest to me that I plan something as if I’m not pregnant. Like, really plan it down to the details. I said I’d go on a trip with my husband. He said plan it…now! Forget about the birth, put all your energy into planning this trip. Well, I kinda planned two!
We are going away this weekend to see a very good friend of mine who I have not seen in nine years! We talk daily (usually on Facebook…lol) and I miss her. I can not wait to see her and her family. I haven’t met her sweet two year old son yet and she can meet my children as well!
I don’t think many women would take a weekend trip at 42 weeks pregnant! Why not though? I don’t have to be close to an OB or a midwife. No one is pressuring me to induce (natural remedies or not). No one is ‘dropping me’ from care. There isn’t anyone I am allowing to put fears into my mind about it. So, we are packing up and heading out this afternoon! Brandon is totally up for it to. Something other than chiropractic and birth!
So, I’ll pack a bag of birth supplies, let go of the birth even happening and enjoy my weekend with a beautiful friend! Ahhhh…the perks of an unassisted birth! I am ecstatic, because this is so me…to do something spontaneous and crazy. I hope you all have a great weekend as well! When I get back I’ll let you know about mini trip number two.
Wow. OK, where am I at? I ate all raw for 4 days. I was loving it. I had made a decision and had no problem sticking to it this time. I have bigger goals in mind to worry about not eating cooked food. So, what happened?
I love being a mom. I adore my children. They are a blessing from God and I am grateful every day that they chose me to be their mother. With motherhood comes many responsibilities as you know. Right now one of my responsibilities is feeding my newborn baby girl. Before going raw, Annabelle (she is 3 months old now!) slept really well through the night. She usually wakes up once or twice to nurse and then drifts back to sleep. The four days I was raw, she was up ALL night snacking and not able to get satisfied and back into a deep sleep. Also, I pump extra breast milk for a friend’s baby. As she says, it’s usually like cream. I make super power milk! While I was eating all raw, though, my pumped milk was very light in color and more of a water consistency. I also was making less milk. My baby was not getting what she was used to.
I spoke to another friend about it. He is very knowledgeable about nutrition and eating a raw diet itself. We talked about what I was eating. He pointed out how I was not eating grains, oats or lentils. These foods, in his opinion, are necessary for sustainability and health. I was not prepared to sprout and eat these foods raw. I was just going to not eat them for now and work my way up to that. So, I either had to find a way to get them now or eat them cooked. I decided that I would introduce some cooked food that day and see what happened. After having Ezekiel bread with lunch and a falafel pita at dinner (along with the other raw food I ate that day), my supply went up. Also, my pumped milk was creamy again and Annabelle slept normal that night (thank goodness). Coincidence, you ask yourself? Maybe. I don’t think so. Everything changed with me changing what I ate when I started all raw and when I ate some cooked foods. I do want to say that this does not happen to all breast feeding moms. This was my experience and mine alone. It was based on what I was eating and may be different if eating other raw foods.
So, back to the responsibilities of motherhood. I am not privileged at this time to make selfish decisions. Decisions just for me that don’t effect others. What I eat right now has a direct effect on my baby. This is actually one of the reasons I wanted to eat all raw. So Annabelle could be getting the best breast milk possible. I can not be in a state of detox ( I was) and not making enough milk. It just won’t work. I was totally bummed. For once I was really doing this. I was not looking for any excuses to stop. Something out of my control came up.
I would like to look into sprouting beans, grains and lentils. Also, Alissa Cohen sells raw oats. If I can be more prepared and have these foods on hand, then maybe it would work. My breast milk supply and make up may not be negatively effected. I wonder if part of the reason there was a change was also because not enough calories. I was eating as much as I could though being on all raw. Obviously, I would have to go about an all raw diet differently than I did.
So, this morning I decided that doesn’t mean I have to eat a SAD (Standard American Diet). I (and my baby) can still benefit from a high raw diet with some cooked grains, beans, lentils and oats. I do have to admit though, this morning I had to consciously tell myself, "January eat a raw breakfast. This is not an excuse to eat crap". So, with it on my mind, I ate raw and cooked today. I am still going to pay attention to how I feel eating both.
I still feel a vegan all raw diet, is the superior way to eat. I am looking forward to getting myself there again. In the meantime I am going to enjoy the health benefits of eating a lot of raw food and the pleasure benefit of eating the cooked foods I love.
So What Did I Eat Today?
Fresh orange and carrot juice and a banana for breakfast made in Jack La Lanne juicer
An apple and raw cheese for snack
Jasmine rice (probably 2 cups cooked) with soy sauce for lunch (the rice cooker is great)
Cut up slices of cucumber and raw cheese for snack
Jasmine rice with soy sauce and Bragg’s dressing
Pasta with organic sauce and roasted tomatoes (olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, sea salt)
I had raw fruits, veggies and cheese today along with rice, pasta and cooked tomatoes. I don’t know what the percentages are of raw and cooked. I did feel good today. I love jasmine rice. I know it’s not brown rice, but I just love it. I think the biggest challenge for me is to make sure to still get in high raw even though I’m eating cooked as well.
I want to take this blog in a new direction. I am going to bring information about all types of health related topics. I am going to finish my birth stories and get support and information for VBAC moms! I am going to have an international cuisine category. I love culture, traditions and food. I want to bring some of that here! We will continue to write articles about food, thoughts and personal development. Let’s not forget that I will continue to get healthy and in shape in the process!
I am happy to tell you that today I am feeling much better! No headache! My congestion has turned into sneezing and draining. It feels good to know my body is releasing all the crap! Last night I had the headache, bad breath, gas and I was terribly bloated! Today I feel lighter, and have more energy, even with my lack of sleep! This is why raw is awesome! I also had a rash on my left arm that started about a week ago. This morning it is almost all gone. Just like that …overnight!
I also need to bring you some bad news. My husband can’t hack it! That’s right, the food machine can not eat all raw. It’s too hard for him. You have no idea the joy this brings me. That’s right…joy. For the first time in 10 years I am the better example and have the superior diet. I made him say it. "January, yes you have a superior diet". Oh ya baby! I don’t think him eating high raw is bad, it’s great, but I am better. LOL.
I think most people can benefit from a high raw diet, that’s obvious. To eat all raw, you have to want it. It’s not something to take lightly. We don’t live in a raw world. I have a fault (one of many). I can not make decisions and stick to them…usually. In the rare cases that I do make a decision, I become hard core about it. When I decided to have children instead of going to school and have a career (want to be a Dr.), I decided to put my all into being a SAHM (stay at home mom) . It may be hard when 3 kids are screaming at me, but I know it’s right. When I decided to never have another c-section (or surgery of any kind) again, that was it. I fought damn hard for my VBA2C (vaginal birth after 2 c-sections). I have finally made the decision to eat raw. Since I have made the decision, I have not been tempted to eat anything else. I feel strong and powerful in my choice.
These are pictures of my 4 and 2 year old helping me make fruit salad. We actually had a lot of fun. They ate some, then I snacked on it the rest of the day! It was very good. I don’t normally like blueberries, but with bananas and raw agave they taste better to me.
What I Ate:
-Fruit Salad: blueberries, blackberries, banana, raisins, and raw agave nectar
-2 kiwi
-Chopped up celery, radish, tomatoes and baby cucumbers mixed w/Bragg’s
-G.T. Synergy Kombucha
-Dried organic mango
-Small handful raw almonds, grape tomatoes, sprouted raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, sea salt (I usually eat this with avocados and not almonds. Unfortunately when I went to prepare it, my avocados were not ripe. I was so bummed.)
-Few bites of peanut butter, raw cocoa, and raw agave nectar
-Banana
-3 organic dates
I drank more water today, but I think I still need more. I can just feel it in my body. I don’t feel hydrated enough. I think the dried mangoes are causing too much gas (I know, too much information, but that’s what this blog is all about!). I did feel much better today, like I expected (maybe that’s why I felt better, b/c of my expectation!). Towards the end of the night, the headache came back. I think this is from lack of sleep though. I almost feel like I have allergies. I am welcoming all of it though.
