Baby's First Trimester
Hooray, to the first trimester being completed! As most Mom’s would agree, the first trimester has a lot of physical effects to our bodies. I was nauseous all the time, but never threw up. It was hard to find anything appetizing even though I was starving. I was falling asleep at 7pm, and getting 11 hours of sleep. My boobs were sore. My low back was sore. I had a lot of anxiety during this first trimester of this pregnancy because of my previous molar pregnancy and miscarriage.
I was diagnosed with my partial molar pregnancy March 30, 2018 at 14 weeks and had my D&C to have it removed the next day. Molar pregnancies are very rare, that is when the egg and sperm that match up have 69 chromosomes instead of 46 like a healthy pregnancy, and often times lead to chemo or radiation after. I had to have my blood drawn every week to test my HGC levels until they were negative for a consistent 3 weeks. It took my body 4 weeks, and then I went to monthly blood samples for 6 months. We didn’t make it more than a few months when I had a monthly blood draw show that I was 3 weeks pregnant.
Since we had the previous molar pregnancy, I was considered high risk and had multiple ultrasounds, blood and urine tests early on. The baby this time has been ruled out for another molar pregnancy, other diseases or conditions, and looks very healthy. It is such a relief to know our baby is healthy this time. I still get nervous before every doctor’s appointment to hear the baby’s heartbeat. I think I have a little PTSD from my last experience, but for the most part I am positive and confident about this pregnancy.
I love physical exercise mostly because of its mental benefits, but also because of the physical benefits. I teach hot vinyasa flow classes at Sumits Hot Yoga 1-2 times a week, and once a week at Veterans United. I plan to continue teaching my classes throughout my pregnancy. I run once a week because it makes me feel so good, but it can hurt my joints if I run too much. I just can’t give it up. I am on my feet 5 days a week at Nourish cooking, and have been able to continue this so far in my pregnancy. I have the same active lifestyle with this pregnancy as I did with my daughter’s pregnancy, and was able to work until I went into labor. That’s the plan for this pregnancy as well.
Co-owning and running a healthy restaurant has its perks when pregnant. I am surrounded with the healthiest ingredients available. For those of you that don’t know, Nourish Cafe & Market is local, organic and free of gluten, soy, corn and processed sugar. What I eat while I am pregnant, and what I feed my children after pregnancy is the most important choice as a parent. Food is either medicine or the slowest form of poison. All I can do as a parent is raise healthy children. Nourish is great for my cravings, the ease of not having to meal prep half my daily meals and the variety has been something I will always be grateful for.
I released my second cookbook, Happy Baking & Desserts, in August 2018. It is free of gluten, dairy, corn, soy, peanuts and processed sugar. I got to start writing this cookbook with my second pregnancy, and it was released with this pregnancy, my third pregnancy. It has a lot of emotional and sentimental value for what I went through while creating the recipes. I am very grateful for those memories with this cookbook. I am rewriting my first cookbook, Happy Food Cookbook, and it will be released in 2019. These cookbooks are personal journals of my life.
I normally limit my grain and meat intake to 1-2 meals a week before I was pregnant, but my cravings are hard to resist. I still keep my meat intake very low, but grains I am eating more often to increase my nutrient intake and feel fuller longer.
Pregnancy food cravings
Dried turkish figs, eggs, huevos rancheros, mexican food, kombucha, coconut water, marinated kale, tomato soup, zoodles, vegan mac’n’cheese, detoxifier drink at Nourish (water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, spirulina, chlorella), fried fish with mustard, simple mills sea salt crackers, goat cheese, baked goods-bread, bagels, pumpkin spice log, pumpkin spice muffin, pumpkin spice bites, nourish chicken/chicken sausage patty, fruit roll ups, dried fruit, spring rolls. I make everything at my house to keep processed foods and sugars out of my food. My 2 year old loves cooking and baking with me. Fruit roll ups are our newest favorite to make. She loves baking anything with bread, and we keep it healthy by using my recipes.
My must haves
Supplements: prenatal vitamin, iron, ginkgo biloba, bee pollen, maca, matcha, chlorella, spirulina, turmeric curamin, vitamin d3, vitamin b12, cla and green tea . Sports bras that fit and support, and workout clothes. Maternity clothes for work, since I’m moving all day cooking. Simple mills sea salt crackers for nausea. Water all day everyday. Ginger tea, pregnancy tea, smooth move tea and calm tea for different symptoms and quick relief. Coconut oil for stretch mark prevention. My husband’s back rubs.
I never get sick, and if i do it may be once a year for a day or two. Nothing severe ever. I got a terrible cold at week 13 that had me in bed for a couple days with a headache, stomach cramps, fever blisters, fever, a cough and congestion. Here are the holistic remedies I used to get over it in 3 days.
Sickness Remedies; Stomach pain: activated charcoal and kombucha. Headaches: past tense essential oil from doterra, epsom salt baths and magnesium. Fever: peppermint essential oil up and down my spine, baths with epsom and himalayan salt, colloidal silver and oregano oil. Fever Blister: 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1-3 drops melaleuca essential oil made into a paste, and rub on blister on the lip. Cough and congestion: breathe essential oil from doterra, Traditional Medicines teas: Gypsy Cold, Breath Easy, and Throat Coat.
I believe, and some research shows that if you were consistently eating certain foods or had certain physical habits that you can continue to do those things while pregnant. I have been taking my supplements for over 8 years, and don’t think it is smart to get off them all cold turkey and put my body in shock just because a doctor hasn’t studied the supplements before. My daughter Dillon is so healthy and smart, and I know it is because of our healthy lifestyle. I also, don’t recommend taking new supplements while pregnant. Wait until after breast feeding to start experimenting with new ingredients or physical activities.
Now that our secret is out I plan to have monthly updates and recipes to share on this blog. Comment on anything you would like me to discuss. I hope to inspire others to keep it healthy during your pregnancy!