post partum: clean eating

Another week gone by, another week with no dairy. Crying over here. I am really craving it for some odd reason. Like yogurt, I would kill to have a bowl. You always want what you can't have though... I am proud of myself though for eating super well this week. Although, I went to my 6week postpartum check up and the scale said ZERO lbs lost. Which sort of freaked me out. I am definitely not one who uses a scale on the regular, I gage my weight by how I feel and how my clothes fit (which at the moment is not well aka I am still wearing maternity leggings). Still though, I was a little bummed. Here are some shots of the meals and snacks that went down this week. If you want some more clean eating meal ideas check out my post last week.

Kale sautted in olive oil with garlic + ginger + soy sauce. Pomegranate seeds. Avocado. Wheatberries.

These rice cakes are GOOD. Tamari + seaweed rice cake. Avocado. Sea salt.

Sauteed veggies. Steak marinated in soy sauce. Rice. Which I jsut recently heard that brown rice actually isn't better for you. I need to find a good article with the facts.

Green smoothie. Kale. Pineapple. Mango. Banana. Udo's omega oil. Probitotic. Maca. Coconut water.

Whole grain toast. Avocado. Hard boiled egg. Sea salt. Hot sauce (tapatio to be exact).

Post partum: Clean eating

Eating clean. I love it. I feel good, I look better, and both of those things generally elevate my mood. Since Silas has started eating actual meals I have found I pay less attention to my own eating. My meals consist of eating scraps off his plate, stealing bites here and there. Not eating well rounded meals throughout the day does not make me feel my best (especially when I am breastfeeding 24/7). The first 5 months after having Silas I was really strict with my diet due to his MSPI (milk/soy protein intolerance). I went vegan for about 3 of those months and completely eliminated all packaged foods (so much hidden dairy!). I lost the baby weight extremely fast and my skin had never looked better. When he started eating solids was when I fell off the wagon. So, here we are after baby #2 with the same issue. Felix is most definitely suffering from MSPI and I am on day 5 of no dairy/soy. By day 3 I felt like a million bucks, no joke. Since I now have two little babe's to tend to, prepping meals during naps and at night are the way to go. For instance, the other night when they went to sleep I made a curry and that's been lunch the last 2 days. Below are a few clean eating ideas that can be made in advance and are so easy to throw together. I think the best way to go about it is creating dishes with components that can be made in advance, stored in the fridge, and go together in a few different combinations.

Avocado. Roasted sweet potato. Lentils. Homemade hummus. Cucumber.

Kale with a tahini dressing. Tomatoes.

Zucchini noodles. Hazelnut pesto (vegan). Snap peas.

Avocado. Cucumber. Homemade hummus. Black bean + Lentil patties. Crackers.

So the lentils I cooked in the beginning of the week went into the lentil patties along with black beans that I had made in my crockpot and froze in batches. Some things I always have on hand are avocados and sweet potatoes. I have been making homemade hummus in batches and it's not only cheaper than buying it, it is soooo good. The vegan pesto I also made and it's really delicious. I love eating meals where there are a variety of things on my plate, such as the lentil patties with hummus and the roasted sweet potatoes and lentils in the first picture. It's so easy to put things like this together!

Felix Ames: Birth Story

Contractions! The perfect time to snap a pic ;)

This moment...wow.

Felix Ames Bushong

1/26/15 @ 2:30pm

7lbs 9oz

Home Birth: Success. And wow...it's been sort of hard to describe just how amazing of an experience it was to have our little boy at home. Very personal, loving, and natural. It sounds cheesy, but it was just so special and all about us and bringing our babe earthside. Now that I've experienced both a natural hospital birth and a home birth it's really crazy how different the two were. The hospital was very business like. I was a name on a list of people to be seen. I tell yah, after this home birth experience I would love to do it again (but I am not crazy sooooo) ;)

Now, onto my little guys story. After a night of absolutely zero sleep due to our loving little toddler, we were up for the day at around 6am. I don't know what it was, but I just knew. I knew it was going to happen on a day when Silas chose to go buck wild at night and not let us sleep a wink. And there we were. Around 6:30am I had my first "holy shit" contraction. Now, with Silas I had horrific back labor so this felt like a minor little blip on the chart compared to things with him. But I knew it was the real deal so I told Nick I didn't think he was going to go into the office that day. So, what does he do? He goes ahead and starts getting ready to go to the office. After my "WTF are you doing look?" he took me seriously. I decided to get into the shower to alleviate some of the pain and once I was in there Nick definitely knew that this was going to happen. We called my midwife Heather and put it on her radar that it was going down! Nick started setting up our birth tub and I chilled with Silas and kept track of my contractions every so often. Around 11am I put Silas down for a nap. Yes...ME. It was sort of hysterical because I was willing him with my mind to fall asleep ASAP while clutching his headboard during my contractions. He actually fell asleep pretty fast and after that I finally felt I could relinquish control to my labor and I think that's when it really started getting intense.

There are two things that I tell myself during contractions. 1) Allow yourself to feel this pain. This is normal pain. Accept it. 2) Don't fight it. I really try and allow it to spread over my body and do it's thing. Every contraction gets me just a little closer to seeing my baby. And every contraction has a purpose. I really believe in positive affirmations. It's amazing how much your mind set can affect your labor.

Of course, this is hard to do when you feel like you can't take it anymore, but that is why I cannot stress enough how important it is to have people on your support team. We had two doulas; one for Silas when he woke up and then one for myself. Between those two ladies, my two midwives, and Nick, I could not have asked for better support. Yes, I said out loud a few times that I couldn't do it, but I was reassured that I was doing it and it was what I wanted.

Around 11:30 my midwives and Doulas showed up and set up their supplies, monitored the baby and myself for a bit, and then I was told I could get in the tub. I was in active labor now so the water was absolutely glorious. Let me mention that it was a blue sky, gorgeous day at 63 degrees. So we had the window open above the birth pool and between the breeze flowing over my face and the water I could not have asked for a better way to manage my pain. And this is where it ends kids, it went fast. At 2:27 my water broke and holy sh*t if that baby didn't just fly out. Seriously, I immediately needed to push. I pushed for exactly 3 minutes and at 2:30 I lifted our sweet little angel out of the water and held him for the first time. It was the craziest, best experience of my life. When Silas was born I was so exhausted at the end and this time I felt so alive and energetic. It was truly amazing and special.

Is it bed time yet?

6am selfie which I totally intended to send to a girlfriend who wants to start a family with the caption "Don't do it." I know, I know, I'm a being a brat.

I don't really have a lot of "mom friends". That is to say, most of my girlfriends are still soaking up all that their 20's have to offer and they get a full 8 hrs of sleep. Can you tell I am writing this while having a bad day? I don't mean for it to sound harsh, I swear. I love being a mama. I really do. Over the past few months though I have just really come to see how insane of an emotional roller coaster it is. Just yesterday I thought to myself, "Wow, I love this stage that Silas is at. He is just the sweetest and cutest." And then, days like today I am just praying that the hours will zoom past me so I can put this kid to bed and maybe have a few minutes to myself. 

Girlfriends often mention to me that they are "Thinking of starting a family" or contemplating diving into this crazy world. My first reaction is always sweet and coaxing, "Oh yeah, it's amazing! You should totally do it!". But let's get honest here, sometimes in the back of my mind I have a little voice screaming, "Don't do it! If you like sleep, a clean house, and date nights with your lover, stay where you are!". And I think that sort of encompasses this world I now live in. The majority of my days are spent loving on the sweetest little boy ever. Playing in the park, swimming, laughing, building block towers and knocking them down. But, there are days where I am constantly pulling my hair out, trying to get him to eat something, stopping him from ripping our cats fur out, all while thinking about what my husband and I are going to eat for dinner. It's hard. It's easy. It's fun. It's horrible. What a trip, huh? 

I write this because I just can't imagine what life will be like x2 and it's been weighing heavily on my mind, especially days like today where I can't get my sh*t together. How will I manage? Sometimes I am barely holding on and other days I feel like I've got this down to a science. When I contemplate all of this I can't help but just feel sad that my own mother isn't here to help me out, show me her ways. I've essentially been flying solo for 16 months, no one to call to babysit or help me out while I run to the grocery store and that kind of loneliness is just something I have never experienced before. I haven't lived near home in almost 10 years and it has never bothered me until now. I know that once my babies are a little older and I can drop them off at activities that I will get the alone time I am craving, but I also can't help but feel like wishing for those days to come sooner so that I can have that is hindering my ability to enjoy what I've got now. Almost like because I don't have that family nearby to lend me their extra hands I'm missing out on enjoying my babies to the fullest. If only...right?

Time to enjoy coffee + chocolate while my monster child naps. Sometimes it just feels good to get a good bitching session in.

PS. I totally condone my friends joining me in baby land. Please. So that you can understand why I am unable to hang out at 8pm at night. Thanks!

Fit pregnancy

Now, I am in no way preaching about this topic. I am simply putting my experience out there of having an "unfit pregnancy" and a "trying to be fit pregnancy". You know, I look back at my pregnancy with Silas with a slight tinge of bitterness. "I hated being pregnant" is what you could most likely find me saying about it. And really, it was my fault that it was how it was. I gained an extreme amount of weight with him. By the end of my third trimester I was unbelievably swollen, Silas was facing the wrong way as a result of my laziness, and during labor I had high blood pressure. Now, whether that had to do with the weight gain...I'm no doctor. But deep in me I know that it possibly could have been a little more enjoyable had I focused a bit more on the physical well being of my body. I could list off a bunch of excuses on why I gained so much; living in a new city, winter weather of -10 degrees, etc., etc. But really, that's all a bunch of crap. I knew with this pregnancy I wanted...needed to feel better about myself. I mentioned to a girlfriend who had just started working at a new yoga studio that if they needed someone to clean in exchange for free classes I was so down. I have always been envious of my girlfriends who practiced on the regular and had attempted throughout the years to become somewhat of a yogi myself. It never stuck because I was always "busy". Well, here I am cleaning a studio two nights a week in exchange for unlimited access to classes and I am hooked. I have actually never felt stronger or more flexible since my high school cheerleading days. And the crazy thing is, I've only been at it for 5 weeks.

It's been an awesome experience fixing my "mistakes" from the last pregnancy and I am just really enjoying myself this time. It's also nice to get out of the house and spend some time working on me. Motherhood doesn't always allow you the privilege of that very often and I am relishing in it.

Here are a few of my tips:

*Don't overdue it or start something that is extreme. Know your body and its limits. One reason I love doing vinyasa is that it allows me to take it as far as I feel as I can. Or con the contrary, hold back when I need to.
*Find someone to work out with. My friend Rikki is an amazing little yogi ( Hi, Rickles!). We take usually one class a week together. She is definitely more advance than me, but I love having my mat next to hers because it's 1) inspiring (I want to do crow, dammit!) and 2) seeing her flexibility and knowledge of the poses pushes me to be better at it.
*Talk to your health care provider about what is best for you. Now, i see a midwife who is all for my yoga practice. But, I know that there is probably more than a few OB's out there who would say "OMG YOU'RE GOING TO HARM THE BABY!". Whatever the case may be, you should make sure that what you're doing is safe and that you don't have anything going on medically that would prevent you from whatever exercise you've decided on.
*Know your limits and don't push yourself to the extreme. Remember, you are pregnant. Things are different. Listen to your body. Today, I stopped about 5 times to sit and skip a pose and sip on some water. It's OK to take breaks and go easy. Little bits of exercise are better than nothing!

Favorites >> Maternity

Not like I'm an expert or anything, but I definitely know more this pregnancy than the last. For example: Don't over pack for the hospital, the nurses will laugh at you. Ha! Seriously, so embarrassing. Anyways, there are certain things that make pregnancy easier, or for my sake, more bearable. Some comfy/cute clothes, the right beauty products, those things make you feel good when you might actually not feel so good. Here are a few of my favs:

1. Japanese weekend maternity leggings. I don't splurge on maternity specific items (especially this go around) because you are only really wearing them for a few months. But a great pair of comfortable leggings are a must have of mine. I really like the kind that go over the belly.

2. Kimono cardigan. This super cute one is from Nordstroms. Easy, versatile, and you can use it post-baby. They dress up or down and camouflage the areas that I'm a little self-conscious about during pregnancy.

3. Liz Lange tank tops from Target. The absolute best! Thick and stretchy, I still wore mine after I had Silas.

4. OLE HENRIKSEN moisturizer. This is such a splurge, but my skin is crazy when I am pregnant. Breakouts galore! A girlfriend of mine got me some of this for my birthday and it is without a doubt the best moisturizer I've ever used. It's free of all the crap that is normally found in beauty products (parabens, sulfates, etc.) which makes me love it even more. So worth it, and you only need the smallest amount to cover your face.

Pregnant and lazy

I was about 34 weeks pregnant here! Photo by the oh, so lovely Christy Cassano-Meyer.

Pregnancy...oh man. I know, it's a blessing to be able to be pregnant and I love this little nugget to death already, but my god it makes me want to sit on the couch and nap until week 40 rolls around. Especially now that I am running around after a 15 month old, my energy is on empty which makes it really hard to find the energy to get a good workout in. When I was pregnant with Silas, I gained an enormous amount of weight. It was winter, I was in a city with no friends, the list of excuses goes on. Everyone tells me that they didn't see it, but the scale does not lie people. It made for an extremely uncomfortable 3rd trimester and even though I lost all of the weight + some (due to breastfeeding) the outside just does not look the same. My midwife "diagnosed" (<---that seems like a rather intense word to use for this) me with diastasis recti. My muscles never healed on my abdomen from being stretched. This is fairly common, but tends to get worse with subsequent pregnancies. My goal this time around is to keep the weight gain at a healthy number in order to lessen the chance that I make the diastasis worse. After baby boosh #2 comes I'll head to a physical therapist to help me heal and lessen the gap in between my muscles. I've also been looking a lot into belly binding. Interesting enough, our culture is one of the very few that does not bind postpartum. Binding the belly after pregnancy really helps heal your muscles, organs, and bones after months of stretching. I can't wait to try it! In the mean time, I've decided to challenge myself to yoga 3 days a week. I am determined to get stronger this pregnancy and there is no time like the present. I've taken up a gig at a new spot downtown cleaning 2 nights a week in exchange for all the free yoga my heart desires. Not a bad trade. Namaste!

More about diastasis recti here
Yoga studio here

Breastfeeding while pregnant

Furbaby snuggles + nursing = multitasking.

As most of the people in my life know, I am a huge breastfeeding advocate. So it's no surprise to most that I have decided to still breastfeed Silas during this pregnancy. Last week, if you asked me how it was going I would have immediately replied with "horrible". Because it was. The pain. Wow. I hadn't felt that since the first few days after Silas was born. Now, he definitely doesn't need my breast milk for nutrition, but he does need it for comfort. And who am I to say no to that? We have slowly started the process of weaning, although I doubt that will happen any time soon. I really want it to be on his own terms, but I am trying to encourage it just a bit. So, we are just going with the flow. Some days he feeds a lot and some days he barely does. We consistently nurse for naps and bed times and if I had it my way that would be the only time. I have chosen to let him lead the way though. I listen to him and what he needs from me and if he needs a boob that barely produces any milk at the moment, then that is what he gets. The last week I have seen my milk production increase slightly which was a huge sigh of relief because nothing feels worse than a child nursing on a breast that has nothing coming out. I'm sad that the end is possibly near of our nursing relationship, but I'm also open to continuing it as long as he needs to (hellllllo tandem nursing!).

What's for dinner?

This week I totally failed at my normal grocery list/meal planning. Honestly, I was just too tired. When things get crazy like this I tend to just head to the store and grab the basics and that way I don't have to think very hard about what I'm making, I have a bunch of possibilities. I try to stay away from doing this though because then it means I spend a lot of $$ and I tend to make multiple trips to the store to grab items. By planning out our dinners for the week it keeps the reigns a little tighter on my wallet. This week was a great week for leftovers though. I try to make dinners that are great (or even better!) the next day for lunch.

Poulet au citron et lavande. This is by far my most favorite chicken dish. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are so cheap so this is a great dish because it's easy on the wallet and absolutely delicious. It has honey, lavender, and lemon. The recipe is by the lovely Rachel Khoo, one of my favorite chefs. I really look up to her style in the kitchen.

Salade Nicoise. French theme this week? This was my take on the traditional Salade Nicoise. I cooked up a salmon filet and served it with a dill vinaigrette. All of these componets were made ahead of time and that makes dinner so much easier!

Hawaiian style pulled pork with coconut rice. We had leftovers from this for almost 3 days. The pork was made in the crockpot so all I had to do was make the rice and roast some veggies. So easy.

Falafel with a mint + dill yogurt sauce. I was not in the mood for cooking the other night so this came to mind. A healthy and light salad made easy with falafel mix that I get in the bulk bins at my grocery store.

Happy cooking! xo

Juice junkie pt. 2

Continuing to take breaks form this -space- for the moment due to some crazy changes happening in our household. Not much time to sit in front of my computer! Anyways, the reason why we are here today is to discuss my obsession over smoothies/juicing which I have discussed before. Silas freaks out if I go into the kitchen (it's blocked off by a baby gate) so my time to eat during the day is minimal. Now, let's not get crazy here and replace food with juice/smoothies, but it makes it easier to get through the day if I have a couple of these vitamin packed drinks rather than snack on chips or what have you. I love, love our vitamix and it really is my favorite household appliance. I can pound one of these out in about 15 seconds with that gorgeous piece of machinery. Worth every penny.

Now, lets talk about the ingredients. I really put little thought into what I'm about to make. And I mean, little. I tend to just toss in whatever we have going on in the freezer and fridge. One thing I love to experiment with thought is color. I absolutely love creating a juice that looks beautiful. It really makes it more fun to drink. Vibrant pink (beets, raspberries), bright green (kale, cilantro), orange (mango mixed with tangerines). I usually start with a base of coconut water because it contains a good amount of potassium and electrolytes, but if I don't do that than it is always filtered water. Next I go with something on the sour/tart side. Citrus (grapefruit is my fav!) is a good go to for that. Next up is a little something sweet- mango, banana, pineapple. Those are my go to choices and sometimes I end up adding all three. If I feel like going green it's always kale. Raw kale, stem on. Ginger is also my must have. So you can see how easy and fun it is to create your own mix. I have a couple of "go to" combinations, but I also love to experiment. This week I bought a small watermelon and added it to everything. It tasted amazing. Definitely got my wheels turning for some new summer inspired juices that are thirst quenching, but still so good for you.

Most recently I've been adding some super foods to my drinks. I've always been a big hemp seed person  - delicious, nutty, and lots of protein, and Chia seeds have been big in my house too. After doing some research though I knew I wanted to a little more. Maca and camu powder were my choices and a bit more affordable than the others that I wanted (Goji berries! Why do you cost so much?! Also, Bee Pollen!!). Obviously it's best to do your own research on what is right for you, but there are so many ways to get nutrition packed into your daily juices.

Here are a few of my recent favorites:

Carrot. Grapefruit. Ginger

2 cups of carrot juice
1 ruby red grapefruit peeled
1 1/2 piece of ginger

*Blend until smooth and chill.

Watermelon. Pineapple. Mango. Banana

2 cups of watermelon
1/2 cup of pineapple
1/2 cup of mango
1/2 banana

*I use mostly frozen fruit. Blend until smooth.

Kale. Maca. Pineapple. Mango. Banana. Coconut H2O

4 stalks of kale, stem on
1 tsp of maca powder
1/2 of pineapple
1/4 mango
1/2 banana
Coconut H2O

*Blend until smooth adding coconut H2O until you get a consistency you want.