PG/TTC TF Mamas Chat - Page 3

[BetsyPage]

So I have two hopes/goals with this pregnancy-- first is to gain an appropriate amount of weight, given that I am overweight (size 22ish)... I think I was about a size smaller with my girls, but I was younger (27 & 29). I really didn't gain tons of weight with them. So I know I *can* have a healthy plus-sized pregnancy (though my long-term goal is really to get to a smaller size, which for me size 14/16 would be comfortable which is the low-end of the sizes I've been as an adult, and stabilize there... hoping that breastfeeding will help me this time around, it usually does though I've let the weight come back on in the past!)

My second and most important goal, related to the first, is to do everything I can nutritionally to avoid any potential pregnancy issues that come from being an older, plus-sized mama (I'm 35 this time around, will be 36 at time of birth). I'm thinking gestational diabetes, high blood pressure/pre-eclampsia, anything like that, etc. So if you have any info on having a healthy natural pregnancy and how eating traditional/whole foods helps with this, please throw it my way! I've read a lot about the conception stuff but other than the Modern Alternative Mama which someone mentioned above, and I think something on The Healthy Home Economist blog, I am scrambling to find good food for thought/info, so to speak...

So, the first trimester there is not the huge focus on protein, in general? Or is that just Nina Planck? I know that was an issue with me last time, my midwife kept getting on me about my lack of protein so I am definitely going to prioritize that, though because I eat differently now I suspect my protein intake is OK. I barely even though about nutritional issues with my first two pregnancies, I must confess, and I hate that. :(

Do people here just tend to use their intuition or does anyone track protein to make sure that is OK?

[1love4ever]

Hey BetsyPage, pre-e is  thought to be preventable by a healthy, high protein diet.  Here is my list of things to do to prevent HBP (I've had lots of friends with HBP in pregnancy, and have done research on it): LOW sugar and carb, high protein diet, no wheat, taking a calcium/magnesium supplement, drinking red raspberry leaf tea, accupuncture (to treat already existing HBP), swimming, other exercise like walking, yoga, etc, consuming unrefined salt to your liking, eating cucumbers, drinking lots of (filtered) water, massage, getting enough sleep (the magnesium supplement is supposed to help if you have troubles sleeping too), dealing with things that are stressing you, aromatherapy, eating raw garlic, eating beets, and taking chlorella.

Gestational diabetese should not develop if you stick to a low/no sugar diet, no refined flours, etc.

Here is the WAPF guidelines for pregnant women: http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/diet-for-pregnant-and-nursing-mothers

http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/vitamins-for-fetal-development-conception-to-birth

http://www.westonaprice.org/faq/faq-pregnancy-and-feeding-infants

HTH!

Edited by 1love4ever - 6/23/12 at 2:58pm

[katealicia]

1love4ever, if you are looking for resources on FAM the book that I have that I love is The Garden of Fertility by Katie Singer. She covers the biology of everything and using FAM for acheiving or postponing pregnancy, but she also goes over a lot more. The book covers some of the emotional aspects of the whole fertility experience and discusses using your charting to gauge your gynecological and overall health. Also, she has a whole chapter devoted to nutrition based on the teachings of Weston Price. In fact, this book is really how I got into TF. I had bought Nourishing Traditions and looked through it, and then set it aside for a while. When I read the Garden of Fertility it really began to sink in how important nutrition is to every aspect of health and I got way more into TF. This book helped me profoundly in my journey of restoring my natural fertility after 4 years on the pill.

[BetsyPage]

Awesome, thanks 1love4ever! That's wonderful, and pretty much in line with what I was planning to do, thank you...

I have a fish question. I've recently been researching the mercury issue, and learned that if a fish is high in selenium, it binds the mercury and has an overall beneficial effect- which is great b/c I've only been eating wild-caught salmon and now I can broaden my fish horizons some more. :) I know Nina Planck is big on fish. I bought some skipjack tuna at Whole Foods yesterday, it is wild-caught in Thailand and is sustainable, etc.

What are some other good kinds of fish to try? I love fish, but I've typically avoided it just because of questions in my mind when I've been pregnant/nursing. I'm wondering about domestic US fish that are easily available and good bets... sustainable is nice but I'm really wondering about quality. I know tilipia is pretty much a garbage fish, but not sure beyond that...

[1love4ever]

I get the frozen wild caught cod fillets at Albertsons, they are a product of the US.  I dont buy any food that is a product of China, which many "wild caught" and most farmed fish are.  Cod are not high in mercury, but yeah I have seen stuff about the mercury in fish not being as bad as they say it is, I havent looked into details tho.  I also buy wild caught Mahi Mahi and Halibut.  Salmon is some of the best but the only wild caught I have available to me is a product of China.  I could order it from vitalchoice but it is insaaaaanly expensive!!   And I dont trust the canned stuff because of their can linings

[craft_media_hero]

Tilapia is a garbage fish? why?

I thought it was a good choice because it can be sustainable farmed :?

I don't know, the fish issue is confusing to me. Especially now that I'm freaked over radiation due to Fukushima I pretty much have only been buying wild caught alaskan salmon. I want to buy the generic pack of "domestic shrimp" but then I worry about pollution in the Gulf from the deepwater oil spill and all that

I have really been more concerned than ever for our mother ocean's well-being. Love me some sushi and just about any seafood, but the fukushima disaster has really got me concerned about buying any asian seafood or sea vegetables.

I am probably being paranoid, though. Please give m e some facts that will allow me t o enjoy seafood worry free again!

[Dove84]

1love4ever- I'm going to try the chlorella, I've been wanting to do a mild de-tox but wasn't sure how or when as I'll probably be either pg or nursing for a looooong time lol.  I'm just turned 28 but look about 18-20 definitely check out The Garden of Fertility if you can, it's very helpful.

Has anyone looked into the Brewer diet?  BetsyPage, it is supposed to prevent all those pregnancy problems

www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/

www.blueribbonbaby.org/

It can easily fit in with TF.  I've been thinking of following it as I like how it's very specific as to what you should eat each day, I have a tendancy to forget to eat or just not have enough so I like the idea of ticking off what I need to eat

I've also been doing a bit of reading on how to grow a smaller baby.  I'm thinking 8-10 lb would be ideal, I don't expect to have a very small baby with my genetics!  Apparently suger and carbs especailly refined can make a baby grow bigger so my goal is to cut out ALL sugar and white carbs, and limit my grains.  I don't have a lot of sugar but sneak a bit here and there  I was so bad with DD in the first and second tri ate a lot of candy, white stuff as I didn't know better and felt that was all I could actually stomach.  I even failed the first GD test. 

I'm so confused over the fish issue as well.  We don't really have fresh fish here (except from the lakes which I worry about pollution) we buy wild pacific salmon frozen and Tilapia, Basa, Sole etc.  what's wrong with Tilapia, I like it b/c it doesn't taste like fish!  My hubby is Portuguese so he loves Cod and any seafood....

[Dove84]

No, I don't have mercury fillings, but Dh does, is that a concern if he takes Chlorella too?

[BetsyPage]

I don't know what's wrong with tilipia... I got that info from a friend, her sister works for the EPA and basically said she wouldn't eat anything from China.

Gosh, I completely forgot about what happened in Japan, and how it might affect Asian fishing... I just read that skipjack was OK b/c of the high selenium content off-setting the mercury and it's a very sustainable fish... I haven't eaten what I bought yet, now wondering...

OK- found this article about tilapia- it is fed corn & soy...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/science/earth/02tilapia.html?pagewanted=all

Also this: http://www.tesh.com/topics/home-and-food-category/whats-the-problem-with-tilapia/cc/7/id/8553

[BetsyPage]

Also found some helpful info about fish on the Whole Foods website, it is consistent with what I've read elsewhere:

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/methylmercury-seafood.php

[craft_media_hero]

Crap I just checked and the tilapia I bought say farm raised product of China

I am usually soooo good about checking labels and never buy product of china fish, grrr. Wonder what I was thinking that day at the groc store? Sigh. Oh whell.

I have been craving smoked salmon so much lately! Think I'm gonna just source it on Amazon coz the stuff at the store I checked out was wicked expensive and had some additives.

So I just realzed that we are starting a new week and don't have a menu plan! Eeeek! My menu plan saved me last week--I think it is pretty much a necessity for now while I am growing a baby. I need a reminder to thaw such and such or soak so and so or we'll totally end up back on boxed cereal and baloney sammiches

Thankfully I'm getting over the food aversions except for touching or thinking about raw pork cooked, I can handle but it s a major labor of love for me to make breakfast sausage patties in the AM!

Can I just say TMI I would really like my bottom to work normally again I am either stopped up or loosey goosey I would just like to get regular. I am eating tons of veggies and fats so what up with that? It is my biggest concern so far!

I haven't taken my prenatal since the insomnia session the other night--def time to order a new one! I guess I should keep taking the RLs until the new ones come? Is it negligent to skip the prenatal? Haven't done so well on making the RRL/nettle infusion nightly either this week Anybody know how long the infusion keeps? Coz I'd really be more apt to drink it if I could make a gallon to last several days instead of a quart nightly, you know? I don't need anymore daily tasks to remember and keep up with.

ETA: See, this is why I am freaked out about buying asian seafood: [=http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/01/worst-vegetable-mutation/][/] Even though with the wind and currents I know it is all connected I am still so sad for this tragedy. On that page, he talks about a national poll where a large number of women who were pregnant at the time of the disaster or became pregnant after have reported that they are depressed. Can you imagine having the added worry of genetic mutation due to radiation along with all the regular concetns of pregnancy? So sad.
Edited by craft_media_hero - 6/25/12 at 10:26pm

[1love4ever]

Looks like you ladies basically figured out the tilapia thing?  Yes it is farm raised, and fed Genetically modified corn and soy, and I've heard they are also fed stuff like blood and manure from factory farms, whatever waste products that they can find for free they throw in there.  YUCK

I looked a little bit in to the Brewer diet link that Dove provided, very interesting!  There is info there about growing too big of a baby too.  What are some of the components of that diet that you are incorporating?

IDK if he can take the chlorella or not lol, I am tempted to say yes he can take a littlle bit because thats what I want my DH to take too but I'm just not sure....  I've been taking it tho, and DD actually chews up the tablets, yuck!  I wasnt even planning on giving any to her, and she asked for some so I did and she likes it, I couldnt believe it lol!   I know your DH should not drink kombucha tho.  I am thinking chlorella wouldbe ok because it binds to the toxin, whereas the kombucha frees it into the body.

[Dove84]

Thanks for the info on the fish, that's crazy about the Tilapia!  I won't be buying it again!

I started on the Chlorella, I bought the powder and it's pretty gross, like drinking seawater.  Maybe I'll get tablets next time...

I'm basically just following the serving suggestions on the Brewer diet http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id89.html and using TF.  I like ticking off what I had each day as it reminds me to eat enough especially of protein and milk which I tend on skimp on a bit.  Plus I am supposed to add on extra servings of calories and protein for having pregnancies less than a year apart and for nursing, but I haven't done that yet, it seems like a lot of food!

I just made an app to see an acupuncturist, I'm hoping it might get rid of the last bit of nausea and I'd like it as a back up in case the MW says I 'have' to induce.  Anyone else done acupuncture?

Craft_media_hero, I don't know how long the infusion lasts in the fridge, I left mine out on the counter overnight and all day and it went bad.  I hate meal planning too, I do it for two weeks in a row and then I don't have to worry about it as much 

[katealicia]

Wow, am I the only first time mama on here? I am pretty comfortable with my nutrition, but I feel a little bit anxious about the fact that there is so much unknown in the whole pregnancy/birth/parenting arena. Of course I am treamendously excited, and I read A LOT, but it sounds like you all have so much valuable experience

[Millie Ivy]

I think you rock for being here as a first time mama!  A lot of times, when we are in our first pregnancies, we succumb (I say we, I mean this was my experience, and that of lots of women I've known) to the erroneous advice of just "eating whatever sounds good", "eating for two", and our own crazy whims.

That's not to say that there isn't a grain of truth in all that.  In the first trimester especially, I try not to stress too much and really just eat what sounds good within reason.  Eating double isn't needed, but most women do need more calories and definitely more nutrients.  And our crazy whims sometimes need to be sated, damnit.

But a lot of us had to learn the hard way, with our first pregnancies that experiencing pregnancy that way isn't really satisfactory, or necessary, or anything.  And we look for a better way.  Or we have gone down a path towards traditional foodways as we have forged the path as parents, led by needing to heal or simply nourish ourselves and our children.  And then, the subsequent pregnancies are viewed in a new light.

No matter why, I think it's incredible that you are here as a first time preggers.  Congrats!

[katealicia]

Thanks Millie Ivy! I have been into TF for several years, mainly because I have wanted to start a family for several years but it was never the right time yet. So in the meantime I wanted to focus on getting as healthy as possible and making sure I would be able to conceive when the time was right :) So just like you I was drawn into it because I wanted so much for my children (in this case future children). I just love this tribe and this thread

[Millie Ivy]

Aw, sweetie, you re welcome!

I have been TF as well (grain free now, as well) for about 4 years.  Finally off the vegen/vegetarian/low fat merry go round that was my life growing up.  You are giving your kiddo such a great start, thinking about how to nourish you guys!

:-)

[1love4ever]

I agree, first time moms who are in to TF or even on mothering.com period rock!  I wish so much I had known all I know now the first time around!  I wanted to do everything right, and at the time I thought that meant following doctors orders, staying away from all raw foods, watching your fat and salt intake, but other than that no special or different diet was needed for pregnancy, just eat when your hungry, and eat what you normally would eat.  And of course get the flu shot, RRRGGGHHHHH!!!  So stupid, they dont tell you anything you really need to know or that will actually help.  So good for you for getting to this point BEFORE you even got pregnant!  Lol

Anyway, Dove why would your midwife want to induce?  Or you just mean like if you go over your due date significantly?  I was so sick at the end of my pregnany (a really bad cold) that I didnt go into labor when I should have, my body was holding off on labor til I was well again, so when I went a few days over I started trying to induce by taking long walks, I even ran and jumped up and down lol, did stretches, drove on extremely bumpy roads, went up and down stairs, had sex, nothing worked.  Until I went to the chiropractor.  Ahhh, now that worked.  Haha, I went for a walk after that, went home, ate dinner, went to bed early, and woke up in the middle of the night in labor!  I was on my 7th day past my due date (I was positive about my exact due date because I knew my date of conception).  I think your body has to be ready though, for any natural method to work, thats been my experience as well as friends anyway.  :)

Could you guys tell me how you plan meals?  I am soooo bad at planning ahead, I have never made a meal plan, and am always scrambling to get a meal together.

[katealicia]

   Here's how I make meal plans (I am by no means a master or the most methodical): I have several cookbooks that I really love as well as some collected recipes. On Thursdays I check the sales fliers for the grocery store so I know what will be on sale Saturday morning when I go. I also look at what I already have (brown rice pasta, chicken stock, coconut milk, etc.) on hand. If I am going to be picking up a farm order that week I also take those items into consideration. Then I sit down with all of my recipes and we decide what we want for dinner that week, keeping in mind also what's in season and the weather that week. I only meal plan for dinner because breakfast is almost always bacon and eggs and lunch is kind of catch-as-catch-can. Additionally, there are only the 2 (well actually 3 of us) so if I cooked a big meal every night that would be too much food.

   So the way I do it is this. I plan a big seafood dinner, like baked coconut salmon, grilled mahi mahi, or linguine in clam sauce for Saturday. We sometimes have leftovers from this. Then I plan a big meat dish like pot roast, fried chicken, pulled pork or chili on Sunday. We always have leftovers from this, and this is primarily what we have for lunches. I also usually plan a soup for Thursday because we want to make sure we are getting all that healthy homemade stock, so that would be something like easy coconut seafood soup or chicken and wild rice soup. We will almost always have leftovers from this as well. I usually cook a meal one other time during the week, maybe on Tuesday. This could be another soup or it could be spaghetti and meatballs or chicken marsala or whatever you just want that week. The rest of the meals I make really simple. We have a few stand-by things for which we always have ingredients. Right now those are quesadillas and baked potatoes. These are great because we always like them and the basic ingredients are cheap, and also because DH can prepare them if I don't feel like it  For the quesadillas we just use sprouted tortillas (alvarado street bakery, not ezekial) raw cheese, and usually the meat from the Sunday dish, cooked in lard and served with sour cream (and sometimes lacto-fermented salsa). Baked potatoes are so yummy rubbed with butter, baked, and then with more butter, sour cream, and cheese on top. This is DH's specialty. If I made chili that week we also put it on top of the potatoes to stretch it further. We might also make chili dogs if I made chili (with grass-fed organic uncured hotdogs, yum). This way all of the meals during the week are kind of working together.

   So for example, this week on Saturday we had blackened Mahi Mahi. Normally I would make a large Sunday meal, but I was picking up a farm order, knew I would have plenty to work with, and we had extra money in our grocery budget so we had steak for dinner Sunday night (a very rare treat). On Monday I made stock with the chicken from the farm order, and we had quesadillas with leftover chicken meat from that. On Tuesday we had chicken and wild rice soup using the stock and the chicken. Yesterday we had quesadillas with chicken meat again. Tonight I am making white chili (it's a family recipe, lots of chili flavor but with chicken). Tomorrow we will either have quesadillas or leftovers. Then on Saturday morning I will go grocery shopping again.

   Grocery shopping is by far my favorite activity of the week. I make a detailed list of exactly what I need for that week (this includes ingredients for recipes and staples for which we keep a list on the refridgerator all week), along with what I expect to pay for each item. I went to the trouble of making a list of the prices of things we buy often (hugely helpful) and I guess for things not on that list. This way I know how much I will be spending before I even leave the house, which I love. When I get to the store I make sure to update my list. For example, with produce I know the price per lb, but I won't know exactly how much 3 onions cost until I weigh them. Luckily my phone has a calculator. Prices might also change on meat or seafood items depending on weight (like of they give me 0.96 lb instead of a lb). Also, there might be something on sale that I didn't know about. It is useful to keep track of this in the store because at the end, I might have come in under budget and I can get a special treat like kombucha or a nice cheese (or a craft beer for DH).

   Anyway, that's the way I do it and I really like it. I know the post was long but I wanted to be exhaustive. It looks complicated, but once you get into the swing of it it is actually easy and super fun. One more thing that I sort of mentioned earlier is that we try to do things pretty seasonally, so like in the fall there would be honeycrisp apples (my favourite) in almost every dish, and a lot more pork. I really like doing things this way. I miss the apples terribly right now, and I know that I will enjoy them soo much in a few months.

[Millie Ivy]

The way I do it is similar to KateAlicia, even though there are 5 (soon to be 6!) of us.

I run a food coop, so ever two weeks I get stocked up on produce, raw milk, eggs, meat and coconut oil/flour/almondflour/honey/salt as needed. 

We are almost entirely grain free, so most of our food is based around my coop offerings.  We get a few things at the store regularly.  Canned tomatoes, coconut milk, nuts, nut butter, raw cheese, bubbies, a very small amount of beans and rice, stevia,um, chocolate, and the few and far between packaged treats like fruit leather or chips.

I do a lot of basic, simple cookups.  I cook big and keep my fridge stocked with easy to use meal components.  Like we usually grill on Sunday (well, husband grills) and I do whatever we are eating that night, plus at least another pound of chicken thighs, maybe some burgers, or fish or something.  this just gets tossed in the fridge mostly for lunches or quick additions to veggies or eggs for a fast dinner.

I then plan a couple other big meals that week, based on when I have the most time to cook.  Favorites are pork carnitas, roast chicken, beef/veggie filled spaghetti sauce, stir frys, tacos, meatloaf, sloppy joes.  I do lots of different seasonings, sides and variations, but most of our meals are somehow based on this type of stuff.  When I cook chicken, I cook extra.  Then that extra gets turned into chicken salad or soup.  When I cook carnitas it gets used for lunches and dinners for days.

So I'll usually sit down with the produce list I just got in, and the meats I always buy through the coop, and plan my 2-3 per week big cookups, for the days I have time to do so, and then fill out the other nights based around what extra meats I will have cooked.  Lots of veggies each meal. (baked potatoes, fried potatoes, roast veggies, braised veggies, steamed veggies, shredded veggies in soups and sauces, etc.  I pack them in at every opportunity)

Breakfasts are usually egg, meat, fruit, veggie.  I'm experimenting this summer with some new options that the kids might like before school starts because they start to get bored with the same thing (I could eat eggs daily for the rest of my life...).  I'm going to try grain free granola and a few new baked items. Yogurt, nuts and smoothies are other standbys

Lunches are leftovers, salads (with meat, eggs, nuts, lots of fats), soups (more in the winter, salads in summer), smoothies, or my "colorful beautiful snacks" (as my dd dubbed them almost a decade ago!  I make a pretty plate with a little fruit, veg, fermented something, meat, egg, cheese.  Often this will have smoked oysters or liver for the meat if it's for me.

I've gone through periods of time where I meticulously plan out (or follow other peoples) menu plans for a month, etc. But that's not what works for our lifestyle right now.  The best advice I can give you is be aware of your time allotments, get in there and cook and see what you enjoy, and take notes on how your family works with food.  The best plan is one that works for you!