Our first week

The time is flying by here, and I am soaking in every minute of my quiet days in my room with the baby. I decided to stick close to my bedroom for a week after the birth and it is providing a great environment for recovery, rest, and time to get Eleanor established with nursing. I'm sure it could all be done with a flurry of children and trains and guns and swordfights, but I'm pretty content to let that all happen outside of my world for a few days!

I want to get our birth story written down, if only to get the details out of my head so I will stop replaying it all! But so far there has been little time when I've had two hands and I wasn't eating, nursing, or trying to sleep. (I am talking about myself, not the baby...) I wake up, nurse, shower, eat, nurse, eat, rest, nurse, snack, nurse, have dinner, nurse, then it's time for bed so I can catch an hour of sleep before she wakes up. There's been a little computer time in between, but usually it's one-handed. I did read one book last week: Mother, by Kathleen Norris. I'm not usually drawn to fictional books, but it was a nice diversion (started in labor and finished a few days ago) and a perfect read to remind me of the value of motherhood. A few weeks ago a friend gave me Choosing to See, by Mary Beth Chapman, and I started it Saturday. Several chapters in, I'm still trying to decide if this is a good season of my life to read that book- I might have too many hormones to handle it this month. We'll see.

Here are a few highlights from our week:

Baby Eleanor Grey...

Is here!

Born at home at 9:27am, with no complications and a full head of long, dark hair. My first baby was just over 5 lbs, but the last three have all been 7 1/2 lbs on the nose, despite varying degrees of early arrivals. I guess that's how much my 5' frame can handle, and then they just make their way out! She is sleeping peacefully on me right now and it never gets less amazing to look at your day-old baby and realize just last night she was inside of you.

We are so thankful for God's provision and protection- we do not take these things for granted. More on the birth after I've had more sleep.

Heartburn relief for the hurting and huge

That would've been me not too long ago. But from what I hear, it's a lot of women. If you've ever had pregnancy heartburn, you know that you don't have to be huge to experience it. I can usually tell I'm pregnant by the onset of heartburn (which makes NO sense to me, although I hear it has to do with hormones). This time around, I was on a bioidentical progesterone supplement in the beginning of the pregnancy to see if that might help prevent a miscarriage. I stopped using it around 18 weeks for about a month, and the heartburn returned like a flood. I'm not talking about the occasional annoying heartburn, but the make-you-throw-up every time you lie down variety. And it lasted all day long, no matter what I ate. When I got back on the progesterone, it went away...until I got really big, around my 3rd trimester. So, that is not my recommendation for heartburn relief, although it was very helpful for me for most of my pregnancy. And I continued taking the progesterone until earlier this week, and it has kept my contractions at bay. I can't have a homebirth in my state before 37 weeks- my last was born at 37 weeks and 1 day- and labor typically begins when progesterone levels begin to drop. So there's a little lesson on hormones for you. But back to the heartburn.

When you look at the recommended list of "foods to avoid" that might cause heartburn, it's pretty much everything you might consider putting in your mouth. It was never very helpful for me, and there didn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the list. A few months ago our book club read Supper of the Lamb, by Robert Farrar Capon, and he suggested this little tip: For immediate relief of symptoms, drink 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 1/2 cup of cold water. WOW- this changed my life. (Note: My midwife says that an overdose of sodium bicarbonate can put you into a coma, but I think we're talking massive amounts. Still- talk to your doctor or midwife about how often you can take this.) Until I found a way to prevent the heartburn, I had days where I took it up to 5x a day, but usually it was once a day. I also have really low blood pressure, so the sodium content wasn't a concern for me. I was on an Rx for heartburn when I was pregnant with Thomas, just so I could sleep and rest.  I wasn't willing to take that this time around, and the baking soda was a lifesaver.

And then I discovered another interesting tidbit: many non-pregnant people stop eating grains to avoid heartburn. I'm already not eating sugar, dairy, any preservative or additive, or gluten, so the idea of cutting out another food group was NOT at the top of my list. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. If you are experiencing all-day heartburn, I suggest you give it a try. I was amazed to see that if I ate 3 bites of rice I had terrible heartburn, but I could eat red sauce and grapefruits and all those foods- which are typically considered heartburn triggers- with no problem at all. And for some reason grapefruits and oranges have been a big craving of mine this time around.

This means I had to cut out my gluten-free toast for breakfast, granola/cereal (which I love...going to have some of that as soon as this baby comes out), oats, rice for dinner, etc., and replace those grains with white potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and bread products made of almond and coconut flour. Are you dizzy yet? I think it was an easier transition because I already have so many food limitations. What's one more? :) Breakfast has been the hardest, but I just eat two eggs and either some sausage or these delicious sweet potato hash browns (recipe below). I'm not wasting away, and I rarely have heartburn. That's gotta count for something, right? The heartburn I do experience (maybe a couple nights a week?) is only at night when I lie down, and I take care of it with the baking soda. When you are carrying around 20-30 extra pounds on your front and all your organs are rearranged, I'm not sure you can expect zero heartburn. 

The pain and aggravation (burning, throwing up, all that fun stuff) really made me hate being pregnant in the past. Taking care of this one discomfort (and there have been others, especially the older I get!) has made this pregnancy so much more pleasant, and given me hope that we might be able to do it again. Although no women who is near to giving birth really wants to talk about that. :)

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated (you can also use regular potatoes)

1/2 cup almond flour (I buy in bulk here and here)

1 egg

salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

Mix all ingredients, and fry in butter or coconut oil until brown on each side. I usually make a huge batch and freeze them after they are fried. I think they are better the second time around- they get a little more cooked when I throw them back in the pan to reheat.

Sharing the Love

I thought I would celebrate Valentine's Day by letting everyone know that I am still alive. Yes, even more than alive, just a little bit bigger than a house, very pregnant, and sleepier than I used to be. In honor of the day, and the fact that food is one of my loves right now, I thought I would share some successful recipes. I've made others that weren't so great, but I will save those for some other more morbid holiday.

Hope your day was loverly. My kids were really into the day for the first time; it all started when I taught them how to make paper hearts. Next thing you know the house is covered in hearts that say things like, "I love mi Momy." I'd correct her spelling, but she is only four. We had a lovely candlelit dinner with the kids, and a tasty pork tenderloin (it's nice to have a farmer husband). Then my husband cleaned up everything while I took a bath, and he was off to a deacon's meeting. He left me with jammied kids who seemed willing and interested to sit down and watch my wedding video. It was their first time to see it- and of course I cried (again). 

Yesterday was my official "37 week" mark, and since I have had a fair amount of contractions already, I'd been trying to keep things at bay up until this point. But today I woke up and felt like there was no more need to hold back...let's have this baby!! Cooper and Adeline helped me make two special desserts this afternoon, which I did not get pictures of or eat, because my huge baby girl is taking up all the dessert room. Both were really good though, if licks can tell you anything- and gluten, dairy, and sugar free. I know! Imagine that! Here are the links for the few who would want to make such a dessert:

Cookie Dough Bites, image and recipe compliments of Kelly at The Spunky Coconut

Strawberry Cream Pie, image and recipe compliments of Tropical Traditions

I used the cookie dough recipe from the first picture and link to make the pie crust, per Kelly's instructions. We ate it a little too soon and it wasn't all the way set up by dessert time, but it had the general consistency of a cheesecake, which is a pretty big treat if you are not eating dairy!

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Cider Sauce. Photo and recipe, compliments of Gourmet.com. RIP, Gourmet Magazine. You are sorely missed. But I am thankful you still bless us with your archives on the website.

Here is one other dessert I am enjoying on a daily basis:

Healthy Chocolate Frosting Shots, photo and recipe compliments of Chocolate Covered Katie

I don't actually eat it like the picture depicts, although you might find me sneaking in the fridge and eating it with a spoon. I usually spread it on a banana for a quick snack. It's mostly coconut milk, which adds enough fat and protein to my banana to balance out all the sugar.

So much more to report: a mini-kitchen remodel, a surprising cure for near constant pregnancy heartburn, a recent baby shower, new highs and lows with pregnancy and adrenal problems. But those things will have to wait until another day. I'll leave you with a couple blurry pictures from our evening- Amore!