Ten Great Ways to Get Protein

Why is protein important?
Okay, so as you probably know, protein is very important for pregnancy and growing a baby, but why do we need so much?

• Getting a high amount of protein is proven to help minimize complications during pregnancy and birth. 
• Protein is made up of amino acids. These form the basic building blocks for your AND IN TURN your baby body's cells.
• Particularly at around 37 weeks, your baby's brain will really need those amino acids or "building blocks" from protein to make his or her brain into the organ that will help your baby do all the necessary functions when he or she is born. 

10. Carbs- Foods like noodles, rice, tortilla, corn, bread and potatoes actually have a pretty good amount of protein in them. This may not be the best way to get your main source of protein, but if you need a little something extra or a side that has some protein in it these might be some great choices. A cup of noodles, rice or corn has between 6-7 grams and most medium potatoes and single slices of bread have around 2 grams.


9. Select Vegetables- Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, asparagus, and squash have protein in them. These again would not be significant ways to get protein, but would be great to boost the amount of protein in a meal or snack as a side dish. Kale and broccoli each have around 5 grams of protein per cup while the rest of these vegetables have between 2-3 grams per cup.
8. Lentils- different kinds of beans like pinto, navy or kidney beans are are very good sources of protein. These provide 7 grams of protein per half cup. This is a great, easy way to get a little extra protein from a side dish or snack. Lentils are also known to help with morning sickness (seriously!) Eating 1/4 to 1/2 a cup every time you are feeling nauseous will take that away. Eventually, you will need to eat less and less lentils to make you feel better.


7. Eggs- Eggs have 6 grams of protein each, and let's be honest, who eats just one egg? The Brewer pregnancy diet suggests that you eat 2 eggs every day anyways. Any style, cooked anyway is fine. Eggs in French toast, or omelets is a great way to get eggs in your diet.


6. Milk/Dairy Products- Milk and other dairy products are not only good sources of protein but also great sources of calcium. We all know how important calcium is for our pregnancy bodies. One cup of milk has 8 grams of protein. Cheese has between 6-7 grams, and yogurt has around 7 grams.


5. Protein Shake- There are lots of protein shakes out there that have TONS of protein in it. Make sure to get a good one. Try out a few and see what you like. The most popular flavors are the traditional chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. These shakes can have anywhere from 15-30+ grams of protein.


4. Protein Powder- This is another great way to get a significant amount of protein. The most popular kinds of protein are soy and whey. Either is fine, but I use soy protein. When looking at protein powders, always look at the ingredients and try to find the purest protein possible. These powders are great to make protein smoothies with. I mix a scoop of the powder with my bananas, yogurt, milk and ice in the blender to make a super protein shake. I use the vanilla flavor and I love the taste.


3. Nuts- Almonds, cashews, pecans and sunflower seeds are excellent sources of protein and are great for quick and easy snacks. Almonds have 21 grams of protein per 4 oz, cashews have 19 grams and pecans have 10 grams (all per 4 oz) Peanut butter has 9 grams per 1/4 cup and sunflower seeds have 13 grams per 2 oz. These are great snacks to pack and take to work to snack on throughout the day. Make a mixed nut bag or a high protein "trail mix" with these nuts and maybe other protein snack foods. You will be surprised by how much protein you will have eaten if you snack on these throughout the day.


2. Meats- This is probably a obvious way to get quite a bit of protein because when you think of protein you probably think "red meat". Beef, turkey, chicken, pork and liver all have 20 or more grams of protein per 3 oz. If you incorporate a rotation of these meats into your dinner or lunch almost every day, this can be your main source of protein. Remember to cook your meat fully to the safety guidelines for that particular meat. Sorry, the "medium rare" steak is going to have to wait until after the baby comes! Stick with fully cooked, no pink in the middle, steaks. If you are not a fan of  red meat or chicken (or you are a vegetarian) There are plenty of other ways to get enough protein.


1. Fish- Although many say that fish should be limited during pregnancy because of mercury, it is also a GREAT and HEALTHY source of protein. The types of fish that have a high concentration of mercury are the fish to limit. (The recommendation that I was told was no more than 2-6oz portions per week) Fish like salmon, shrimp, scallops, and lobster are great fish to get a significant amount of protein. So head out to your favorite fish restaurant or go to the store or market and get some fish and eat up that protein!


Here is a website that has a list of high protein foods and a protein counter that will help you keep track of how much protein you eat every day.
Top 10 Foods Highest in Protein
Protein Counter


I hope these protein power foods help you get your recommended amount of protein and help you get a variety of foods (so you are not eating the same thing every day!) Happy eating and happy, healthy baby and as always, God bless you and your family!


Until the Whole World Hears,
Katie
grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com
grace.faith.dirt on FACEBOOK!

Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

In large part due to my very FIRST visit with the Chiropractor at my birth center this last week and the raving testimonies I have heard about using a Chiropractor during pregnancy, I thought I would write about Chiropractic care while pregnant! This took quite a bit of research on my part, because I am a totally newbie to chiropractics and its benefits.


What exactly is chiropractics? Here is what I found (take these definitions as you will):


1. It involves the art and science of adjusting misaligned joints of the body, especially of the spine, to promote health throughout the body.

2. Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine that emphasizes diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine, under the hypothesis that these disorders affect general health via the nervous system.


In addition to my general information about chiropractics, I have also included a few links to articles for you to read for yourself. The important thing to remember about going to a chiropractor during pregnancy is to make sure it is safe for you and your baby.


Make sure to go to a chiropractor that specializes in prenatal chiropractics. You want to know that the person taking care of you knows what they are doing.


Talk to your doctor or midwife about going to the chiropractor. He/she may be able to recommend someone that they know and tell you what is safe/unsafe that is specific to you and your pregnancy.


So why go to the chiropractor during pregnancy?
As you can obviously tell, your body is going through a lot of changes physically during the process of growing a baby. Even though our bodies were made to do this, it can still cause us pain, discomfort and physical problems as baby grows and we grow. Hormones that are released during pregnancy cause muscles, ligaments and other things in our bodies to relax and can cause more pressure on our bones and joints and can cause our spine to get out of alignment. A body that is out of alignment cause be painful. Keeping your body aligned can help with general pregnancy pains and can prevent more serious problems.


What are the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy?
There are so may benefits of going to the chiropractor while pregnant and these benefits are not limited to the mother. Chiropractic care also benefits the baby. Here is a list of benefits of going to the chiropractor:

• Alleviates common pregnancy pains- It is amazing how being properly aligned can alleviate a lot of the common pains that go along with being pregnant

• Helps make labor shorter- it is a proven fact that mommies that have regular chiropractic care during pregnancy have shorter labors. This is because the chiropractor helps prepare your body to be in the best position for birth as possible.

• Help turn breech babies into the right position- There are techniques that a chiropractor can do to help your baby move into the best correct birthing position. This is not a guaranteed thing, but it is proven to help babies move.

• All over healthier pregnancy- Chiropractors know more than just how to pop your bones. Chiropractors can help you with many other ailments that go along with pregnancy

• Helps with nausea- it is really amazing what chiropractors can help with. Let them know what symptoms are bothering you and they can suggest things to help.

• Helps with lower back pain/round ligament pain- This is what their specialty is! Once you are properly aligned, your body will have much less pain

• Helps with headaches caused by hormones and stress- The hormones released during pregnancy can cause wonderful headaches. Believe it or not, hormone releases are connected to our spine, the vertebra and the nerves connected to them. Chiropractors can help align your spine and as a result help with those hormones that can cause headaches

• Is a drug free approach to dealing with pregnancy symptoms- Chiropractics is considered an alternative medicine that prides itself on drug-free approach on caring for patients. There are so many medication that are unsafe during pregnancy and it is really best to avoid medicine all together. So an alternate way to deal with pregnancy symptoms is always great!

When and how often should I go to my chiropractor?
This is a question that would be best answered at your first appointment with your chiropractor. My midwife suggests to start going regularly starting at 20 weeks and go every week. Me, personally, I have decided to go every other week until 30 weeks when my chiropractor said I REALLY need to go every week. My midwife suggests that all her patients start going regularly at 20 weeks, but talk to your doctor and chiropractor.


Here are some links that have to do with chiropractic care during pregnancy:


Expected Mother's Guide article


Alternative Medicines article


Birth Without Fear blog post


Remember to always tell your chiropractor what is going on with you since you last saw him or her. What symptoms are you having? What pains are you having and are they new or reoccurring pains? Are there any concerns that have turned up? Always communicate with your chiropractor about what is going on.


Also, ask your chiropractor about adjustments during labor for you and newborn adjustments for after your baby is born. This can really help with labor pains and shorten your labor. Getting your newborn adjusted can help your baby with many things including proper digestion. Being born is hard work and can twist the baby's body in many weird ways and an adjustment is very beneficial.


There is so much to learn about chiropractic care and I am learning more and more as I go along. I have a feeling this will not be the last post on chiropractics. If you have any questions are comments about your experiences feel free to leave a comment or email me at grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com. As always, God bless you and your family!


Until the Whole World Hears,
Katie
grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com

How to Beat Pregnancy Insomnia

Everyone but Mommy's asleep!

So everyone tells you to sleep and rest as much as possible before the baby comes, because sleep will become a luxury. If you are like me right now, it has already become a luxury! Pregnancy insomnia is very common and can show its ugly face in many forms. Sometimes its that we cannot fall asleep, or sometimes its that we cannot stay asleep. I was lucky enough to be able to sleep just fine when I was pregnant with my son. With this pregnancy I have not been so lucky. So for my sake and for the sake of all you other mommies-to-be with bags under your eyes, hopefully my research and experiences will help us all!


What Causes Pregnancy Insomnia?


Having too much on your mind. You still haven't picked out a name, the nursery still looks like a storage room, and you cannot decide whether to go back to work after maternity leave...and that's just the tip of the iceberg, am I right?


Oh those wonderful baby kicks! Remember when you were so excited to feel those first movements of your little one. Not that they are not still magical, but they also might be keeping you up at night. Uh oh, baby is keeping you up already!


Getting up to go to the bathroom. Making a million runs to the bathroom each night might cut into your sleep time, especially during the first and third trimesters where that baby is sitting (and kicking at) your bladder constantly!


Nesting. This may be related to the first one, but for me it is different. You wake up in the middle of the night and have a STRONG erg to clean the bathroom NOW ! (or maybe its to wash another load of baby clothes) I know the feeling! I would start sweeping, mopping and vacuuming at midnight sometimes and it really cut into my sleep, but there was no way sleep would come until it was done!


Those wonderful pregnancy dreams. You know the ones! You wake up and think "What kind of drugs am I on?!" Pregnancy can cause some pretty crazy and frightening dreams and as a result of those dreams it may be hard to sleep or get back to sleep.


Ok, so it is not like you need me to tell you WHY you are not sleeping, right? So what are some ways we can put all of that aside and get some much needed rest for you and your growing baby. Here are some tips that I found while researching AND from personal experience.


1. Have a calm down time before bed. This should probably be around 30 minutes or maybe longer (Its longer for me because it just takes me longer to fall asleep) Put away the computer, phone and any other distraction that has a lot of light. Light from computers and other technology actually keeps your mind stimulated and awake. Grab a good book or a puzzle book (or in my case, my wonderful Kindle. Read a few chapters or do a puzzle. This will get your mind off the million different things you are worried about.


2. Limit your drinking before you go to sleep. This will (hopefully) help limit the times you need to get up and use the bathroom. I say limit NOT eliminate because if you are like me sometimes baby just needs a little something to eat or drink before bedtime (especially if you are still feeling kinda queasy)


3. Just get up and do it! Sometimes there is nothing you can do about that nagging feeling that is keeping you up. So get up, do a load of laundry, start organizing the baby's room or research more names. Sometimes doing a project will put your mind at ease enough to get some sleep.


4. Take a nice, warm, bath. In fact, you should probably make it a bubble bath. Take some time just sinking into the suds and relaxing before you head off to bed. This was one thing that has really worked. The water is still and quiet (unlike the shower) To make it even better, add some candles around the tub and turn off the lights. What a wonderful way to end the day! Make sure your bath is around body temperature (don't exceed 100 degrees) A bath too hot can cause your temperature to rise and is potentially harmful to your baby.


5. Get help from your husband. Ask him for a back/neck massage, or just to simply rub your back or play with your hair as you fall asleep. Getting some personal attention from the hubby might be exactly what you need to relax and fall right asleep.


6. Keep it dark. If you keep waking up in the middle of the night, keep all the lights off. If you need to, have a nightlight in the hall towards the bathroom. Keeping it dark will help your body stay in sleep mode. When a light is turned on, it wakes your body up more. Once you are back in bed, you have to re-adjust yourself to the dark and calm down again.


7. Make sure your room is the right temperature. If you are not comfortable, you will not sleep. Make sure it is not too hot or too cold. Basically make sure you are in charge of the thermostat (the hubby is not allowed to touch). If your husband complains about it being too hot/cold just simply say "welcome to my world!" No, I'm kidding, but the rule in our house is the pregnant lady gets control! (because if pregnant mommy aint happy NOBODY'S happy!)


8. Try some relaxation techniques. Try and clear your mind. Start with the top of your head and move down your body and consciously relax each muscle in your body. This will not only help relax your entire body more fully, it will also keep you concentrating on your body and NOT on the millions of things keeping you awake. This is also a great exercise to help prepare for labor!


What NOT to do:


DON'T use your bed as a work area during the day. This will cause your body difficulty in associating laying in bed with sleeping and will make your insomnia worse.


DON'T lay in bed longer than 45 minutes (more or less depending on how long it NORMALLY takes you to get to sleep). Get up, do something, eat something and try to lay back down in a little bit.


DON'T count the time. This will just make you more awake. Forget the "if i fall asleep at this time and sleep in til this time then I can get this many hours of sleep!" That type of thinking is just going to keep your mind awake!


Here are links to a few articles I found helpful in my research;
5 Ways to Cope with Pregnancy Insomnia
Insomnia During Pregnancy


So for the sake of all mommies-to-be with insomnia, I hope that at least one of these techniques help you get a better, more restful sleep at night. And if you are reading this later than midnight...SHAME! Turn off your computer and read a good book! (Just kidding!) Happy Zzzzz's to us all and as always, God bless you and your family!


Until the Whole World Hears,
Katie
grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com
grace.faith.dirt <---FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK!!

Top 10 Most Important Things to do While Pregnant

There is so much to do in the nine months before your little one arrives. You have a whole room to prepare, tons of stuff to buy, read a million books, and not to mention trying to figure out all the changes your body is going through. We have a million things to do to prepare, so I thought I would make a top 10 most important things to do while pregnant. Obvious there are more than 10 things to do and LOTS of them are important, but these are 10 things that I thought were the most important based on my previous pregnancy and this one.


10. Write a pregnancy journal
This may not be a MUST, but it is a great thing to do. Keep a journal (or a blog) and write about each time you go to the doctor and what happened. Document when you hear baby's heartbeat, when you find out the sex of the baby, when you picked a name and the reactions of both you and your spouse. Also it is great to take pictures of your growing belly as it progresses. You can do this weekly or a little farther in between pictures in the beginning. These are great things to look back on after the baby is born and maybe even share with your child when they get older.


9. Plan a "Babymoon" Vacation
This is a great way for you and your spouse to get away for a while and just enjoy each other's company. Plan a relaxing extended weekend for you guys to just be together and enjoy each other. Go out to dinner at a nice place, maybe go to a movie or just relax. It is true that vacations and dates will get fewer and farther between when babies come along, but it is CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT to make sure and not neglect each other and pay attention to each other.


8. Decide/Talk About Finances
Finances are often the things most couples fight about. This might be a conversation to have with your spouse before the baby comes. Are you going to stay at home and not work or will you return after maternity leave is up? Will you need daycare and how much will that cost? What other things do you and your spouse need to be concerned about financially? These are great things to talk about before the stress of having a newborn is added to the mix.




7. Prepare pets/older siblings
Not only is your life going to chance, so is the life of everyone in your household. Your dog, your cat and your older siblings' lives are going to chance forever as well. Start preparing your pets and older children pretty far in advance. Help your dogs learn what is okay and NOT okay to do with a baby around. Do any drastic changes months before the baby is expected (potty training, moving, changing from crib to big bed, etc.) 
Preparing Your Pet
Preparing Older Siblings




6. Attend a birthing class
I think this is a very important for both you and your spouse to do before your baby comes to prepare you (and especially your spouse because he is not reading all the stuff you are) Your hospital or birth center has classes that they suggest or even require you to go to. My husband and I went through The Husband Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method. If you are planning to breastfeed, MAKE SURE and attend a breastfeeding class. This will help you know what to do and probably make you more successful in your nursing. Here is a link to the Bradley Method and La Leche League to help you find local classes or just get any help you might need.
The Bradley Method
La Leche League


5. Pick a pediatrician
This is an important thing to do before your baby comes. Find out what is important to you and your spouse in regards to a pediatrician. Ask other parents to suggest pediatricians and interview a few and see who you like better. Ask them plenty of questions in regards to their policy on giving medications, vaccines and shots, and parent versus doctor choices. This also might be a great time to read up on standard vaccines and see what you and your spouse want to do (regular schedule, delayed schedule, no shots etc)
Choosing a Pediatrician 


4. Take Suggested Vitamins/Supplements
I know that the bottle says "cannot replace a healthy, well rounded diet" or something to that affect, but it works the other way around too. No matter how well you eat, you just cant get 100% of EACH and EVERY vitamin and mineral that you need EVERY day. It is important to take those vitamins and whatever other supplements your doctor or midwife tell you to.


3. Eat Healthy
I know this is kind of a "duh" but it is so important to keep you healthy and to help baby to grow properly and be healthy. This will also help control your weight gain to where it should be. Find out what you should and should not eat, what is okay occasionally, and what you should eat on a regular basis. The Brewer Pregnancy Diet is a great way to tell if you are getting all the nutrition you and baby need to be healthy. Here are links to my post about eating healthy and the Brewer Pregnancy Diet website.
Blog Post: Brewer Pregnancy Diet
Brewer Pregnancy Diet Website


2. Make a birth plan
If you are delivering in a hospital this is a GREAT thing to do. This can be intimidating to do, but it is a great way to educate yourself of birth standards and your options! (Yes, you have options) Ask your doctor what things are standard during labor and delivery (IV, immediate skin to skin, cutting umbilical cord, medications etc.) Research about what is best for you and baby and put it together in a plan to pass out to your nurses and doctors at the hospital. In our birth plan we included EVERYTHING so that we knew what we wanted to happen in any situation. Here are some birth plans that you can use for examples (including the one that we used) I will do a whole post on birth plans later.
Our Birth Plan
Pregnancy Today Birth Plan
Baby Center Birth Plan 


AND THE #1 MOST IMPORTANT THING IS...


Exercise
This is the FIRST thing that I tell all my friends when they tell me they are expecting! (after "congrats" of course!) Getting regular exercise is one of the most important things to do while being pregnant. It will help keep you healthy, keep baby healthy and will help make labor easier. Yes, that's right, make labor EASIER! Labor is like a marathon and if you prepare properly it will go smoother. My husband and I walked 2 miles every day and it was the best thing I did while pregnant! Prenatal yoga is another great way to keep in shape!


I hope this is helpful for you and your spouse! Happy baby and as always, God bless you and your family!


Until the Whole World Hears,
Katie
grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com
grace.faith.dirt <--- LIKE us on FACEBOOK!

Never Say That Again!

First I just want to give a SHOUT OUT with lots of LOVE <3  to all of you out there! I am getting my happy dance on because my blog has officially passed 1,000 views! (and I have only had it a month) Thanks so much for the support! In celebration of this milestone I wanted to put a funny post up. This came to me when my husband said something to me and my first thought was "Oh my goodness! No one should EVER say that to a pregnant lady! Here are my top things you should NEVER say to a pregnant lady (even if she is your wife!) The explanations are very sarcastic, but for the most part true!


What?! You're pregnant?! I cannot even tell!
If it is early in her pregnancy she WANTS to be showing, but if it is later (and obvious) then someone is just being sarcastic. Either way she will walk away grumbling at you! So basically, the rule is don't EVER assume someone is pregnant nor should you ever assume someone isn't pregnant!


Wow! Haven't you had that baby already?
Really? My response would be "Yes, I have! That's why my belly's still HUGE and don't have a baby in my arms!" I did actually say that to someone. You think its taking forever?! Think about the one who has to carry the baby around with sore everything and swollen feet! No one wants it to be over more than the mommy-to-be!


Dang you look HUGE!
And my response would be "Well, I have lost some weight. Can't you tell?!" She already feels huge and probably not that great about her looks and all she needs is someone to encourage her low self esteem! You might just get slapped...or you might cause some tears.


ANYTHING that starts with "When I was pregnant..."
This is NEVER a good sign. Either the story will end in a horrific story that will scare the living daylight out of her or will make her feel disappointed. For example, don't tell her that you NEVER had morning sickness (because she will walk away HATING you) and don't tell her about the scare you had and almost lost her baby (the last thing she needs is another thing to worry about) KEEP IT TO YOURSELF! 


Are you sure there aren't twins in there?
This would be under "encouraging low self-esteem" Again, she doesn't need you to tell her she looks huge. She owns a mirror and probably stands in front of it way too long worrying about how she looks. Instead try telling her how RADIANT she looks!


Are you really going to eat all that?
The answer is ALWAYS yes! She is going to eat all of that, some off her husband's plate, some off of your plate AND THEN she is going to get seconds! Yes, that's right, I am really going to eat all of it!

You shouldn't eat/drink/do that while you are pregnant?
Really?! Don't you think she knows what she can and cannot do? Don't you think she has sat in front of her doctor and asked a MILLION questions and Googled a million different things to make sure it is okay? Trust me, she knows and she is insulted that you don't think she cares enough about herself and her baby to find out what she can and cannot have/do!


AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...THE ONE MY HUSBAND SAID TO ME:

Wow! If that's what you look like after gaining only 8 pounds, don't ever gain any weight!
Yes ladies, this is truly what my husband said while we were at the doctor (right after I got weighed) I am 20 weeks and have gained around 8 pounds. I almost slapped him right there in the doctor's office! When he realized what he said he was like "Oh my goodness! I am just kidding!" Still, never, ever say this to ANY prego!



As you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun writing this post (as I do with all my posts!) Thanks so much for supporting my blog and getting me to 1,000 views so fast! I owe it all to you! As always, God bless you and your family!


Until the Whole World Hears,
Katie
grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com
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Gender Reveal Video

Wow! It has been too long since a post has gone up on my blog! Time just flew by while we were finding out the sex of baby #2 and creating the reveal video and announcing it and all of that!  As a parent, I am learning we cannot wait for things to slow down to take action and do something, because then we would be spend our lives waiting instead of doing! God created us to DO not to WAIT! (Just food for thought!)


One of the most exciting times during pregnancy is when you and your spouse get to find out the sex of your baby! That is, if you decide at all because some love to be surprised! (My parents were surprised three times!) My husband really wanted to know the sex of our first baby and I was indifferent about finding out, but to please his planning, analytical personality we found out (mainly so he could prepare himself!) Last time we did a reveal party with both families (so much fun) but this time was a little different with it being the second and my brother being gone because of the military. So we decided to create a video to share with family and friends! I thought I would share this video to enjoy or to take ideas from it to create your own! I hope you enjoy our video as much as I enjoyed making it! As always! God bless you and your family!





Until the Whole World Hears,
Katie
grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com

10 Ways To Be the Best Daddy-To-Be!

My husband loving on our daughter, who is almost 3 weeks old in this picture

We all know it is hard work growing a baby, working, keeping the house from being a wreck, plus trying to figure out what's for dinner! So this would be one of those posts that you read and then pass to your spouse and say "Honey, you need to read this!" This post was co-written by my husband. Since this is our second baby, I figured he was an expert at dealing with a pregnant wife. Here are the top ten things your hubby can do to make your life easier!


10. Fix Dinner- She has been busy all day at work or at home caring for the kids. Occasionally offer to make dinner for the family. If you have a meal that is a "husband specialty" offer to make it so she can sit and relax for a moment (or take care of the kids) Just simply taking care of the meal might relieve just enough stress to help her relax a little. It is amazing what little things can make a huge difference. This will also help her see how much you appreciate her and her hard work! 


9. Be Romantic- Just because your wife looks different and may be acting different does not mean she is a different person. She is still your wife and she needs to know that you still love her. It is a great idea to take her out on a date several times while she is pregnant. Make her feel special and beautiful. Take her out to a nice restaurant, let her dress up a little OR just simply bring home some flower to her or write her a sweet note about how much you love her! Remember, your wife might be in a very romantic mood one night and then not at all for long periods of time. Do not get offended, it is the wonderful pregnancy hormones you can blame.


8. Fulfill requests happily- If you have not noticed, your wife gets tired a lot easier now that she is pregnant. Being on her feet for long periods of time is hard. She is probably taking naps (if there is time) when she normally did not.  And she will probably ask you to do more for her. Happily fulfill whatever request she asks. She probably already feels bad for asking and complaining or what-not would make things worse. My wife's most common request is to get her some ice water. She knows I will get it for her and I know how important it is for her to drink enough water. Every evening I make sure she has water by her bed before she goes to sleep.


7. Offer massages- Your wife's body is going through lots of changes physically and it is very tiring on her body. She will ache and be sore in places she never dreamed she would be! Offer to rub her back and neck or offer to do a hand massage with oils or lotions. Skip the foot massage because later in pregnancy this can cause pre-term labor (it is very unlikely, but it is not worth the risk)  Not only will a massage from her husband feel wonderful on her aching body, but it will also make her relax and feel more beautful because you are paying attention to her.


6. Be flexible and understanding- As previously stated, your wife is growing a baby and that causes your wife's body to do crazy things. Just because your wife was very active before she became pregnant, she may not want to do as much OR she may not feel up to it. When my wife was pregnant with our son she would get so frustrated because she wanted to do all these things, but then would get too tired and not want to do anything. Be flexible in the fact that plans may change in an instant depending on how your wife is feeling, and when things do change on a whim, do not be upset (she is probably already upset herself and does not need you to be upset too). Be understanding and encouraging.


5. Compliment Her- There is nothing like a growing tummy to make a woman feel ugly, but there is also nothing like a genuine compliment about the way she looks from the man she loves. Compliment her and tell her how beautiful she looks. Trust me, she needs to hear your compliments often. Do not be shy with your compliments, but be careful with them. Make sure they are compliments to make her feel beautiful, not compliments that make her think you are shallow. Growing a baby is hard work, and the fact is...men CANNOT do it! Make sure you tell your wife how much you appreciate her and how proud you are of her. The best compliments of appreciation are those that say "you are doing a great job growing that baby" "I am so proud of you eating right so the baby will grow healthy"


4. Help out with other kids- If  your wife is a stay-at-home mom, the last thing she needs when you get home from work is another kid to take care of. Yes, you have been at work all day too, but so has she. Just give her a little break. Offer to give the kids a bath OR offer to care of the kids for the evening/afternoon while she goes and gets her nails done or has a girls night!


3. House cleaning- take over a chore that your wife normally does, but is hard to do now that she is pregnant. Your wife will hit a stage in her pregnancy that is called "nesting" and she will want to clean everything in sight! Offer to help her. She is going to clean whether you help or not, but helping always makes it better. It is especially great to offer to take over a chore that is difficult for her to do now that she is pregnant. Taking over cleaning the tub was the chore in our household that was hard for her to do.


2. Remember, she is always right!- Be flexible and understanding. Remember, growing a baby not only changes your wife physically, but also emotionally and mentally! She may be moody some days and totally happy the next. Understand that this is just part of being pregnant. Sh can usually tell when she are grumpy. Respect the fact that she need some space and she does not need you to argue with her about anything. Do not be offended! She still loves you, she just needs you to be agreeable!

AND THE #1 THING A DADDY-TO-BE CAN DO IS...

1. Be Involved- She did not make this baby by herself and she will not be raising the baby by herself, so why should she prepare for the baby by herself? Get involved in the pregnancy: go to as many prenatal visits as you can, go with her to create the baby registry, help pick out colors, themes and whatever else she wants to do to the baby's room, go to birthing classes with her and be involved. It may not seem like a lot to you, but being involved will mean the world to her and show her how much you care about her and the baby.

I hope you (or your spouse) have found this helpful! I would like to give a shout out to my husband for helping me with this post and for being a wonderful husband to a grumpy pregnant lady that loves to change her mind! Happy "Top Ten Tuesday" and as always, God bless you and your family!

Until the Whole World Hears,

Katie (and Jeff)

grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com

Brewer Pregnancy Diet

When I was pregnant with my son, we went through a Bradley Method birthing class that was 10 weeks long and met once a week. This was where I really got a lot of my information and resources from. One of the most important things in this class was the education on having a well balanced pregnancy diet. Being pregnant means you are not only eating to keep yourself healthy, but you are eating so that your baby can grow to be the healthiest it can be too! So, what should us pregnant ladies eat to get the best nutrition for ourselves and our babies?

Dr. Thomas Brewer is like the top most authority on nutrition during pregnancy. He has made a guided diet to help pregnant moms get exactly what they need for both mommy and baby to be healthy! This particular diet (minus my personal notes) came from my Bradley Method workbook. Dr. Brewer suggests that every day, you should have the following:

 1. Milk Products- 4 glasses of milk of any kind, including milk, buttermilk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream etc. Getting enough calcium has always been hard. Have whole grain cereal for breakfast and you will get part of your milk AND whole grains for the day!

2. Eggs- two eggs (hard boiled, in french toast, or added to other foods). Eggs are a great source of protein. It is always hard for me to get enough. Try egg on your salad, or making an omelet for dinner, or having a hard boiled egg for snack.  

3. Protein- This is so important! You need to be getting 80-100 GRAMS of protein a day! This is hard, but having enough protein can extensively reduce your risk of complications. It is a proven fact! Proteins provide amino acids which are the building blocks of the body. Two servings of fish, or seafood, liver, chicken, beef, lamb or pork, beans or cheese.

4. Greens- Two good servings of fresh green leafy vegetables: collard, turnip greens, spinach, lettuce or cabbage. I try and eat a side salad with my lunch almost every day. I get small containers and make enough for the whole week on Sunday. Then I just have to grab one out of the fridge and add dressing!

5. Whole Grains- Four or more slices of whole grain wheat bread, corn bread, cereal or tortillas. I am not a fan of wheat bread so I buy whole grain white. It is just as good for you. Make sure that it is truly "whole grain" by looking for the yellow whole grain LOGO on your food.

6. Vitamin C Foods- one or two pieces of citrus fruit or glasses of juice: lemon, lime, orange tomato or grapefruit. I buy real fruit Popsicles that are lime. Also, I love squeezing lemon juice onto unseasoned pasta (garden rotini) The best way is eating the fresh fruit. (or make sure to add tomatoes to your daily side salad)

7. Fats and Oils- Three servings of butter, flax seed oil, avocados, olive oil etc. Avocados are just all around excellent thing to eat. They are such an excellent source of the GOOD fats you and your baby need. My husband and I would cut an avocado down the middle (long ways) take out the middle, salt and pepper the inside and eat it just like that. (You really have to love avocados to do this) Or make some fresh guacamole. 

8. Fruits and Vegetables- One additional serving of fruits and vegetables. I love to eat strawberries and blueberries. Try freezing your blueberries, I think frozen blueberries are the best! (frozen grapes are great too!) Also, you can make a fresh fruit smoothie! Add a little protein powder (at the suggestion of my midwife) and it makes the smoothie even healthier!


Other food that Dr. Brewer suggests to include in your diet are:

• A Yellow or orange-colored fruit or vegetable five times a week

• Whole baked potato three times a week..

• Plenty of fluids (water, juice, etc.) Getting enough fluids is SO important!!

• Salt food to taste for a safe increase in blood volume.

I am totally not a nutritionist or a doctor so you should always talk to your doctor about starting a diet. Ask your doctor about Brewer Pregnancy Diet. It is hard to get all of all of these things every day. I just try to get as close as I can each day. This diet also helps me decide what I should have to eat (since I am so indecisive!) Here are some links that are very helpful:

The Brewer Pregnancy Diet homepage

The Brewer Diet Plan

Brewer Pregnancy Diet Weekly Record

These are much more detailed than my post and are very helpful in what to eat and how much! Check it out! There is some great stuff on there! Feel free to email me if you have any questions! Happy eating and as always God Bless you and your family!

Until the Whole World Hears,

Katie <><

grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com

Mommy Must Read Books!

I think one of the most important things a mommy-to-be can do is educate herself. I lost my job when I was around six months pregnant with my son. I was unable to get a job because of the wonderful economy and the fact that I would only be working for three months before the baby was due. So I was stuck at home, just me and the dog while my husband was at work. I decided that the best use of my time was to read, read read! I read everything I could get my hands on. I wanted to know EVERYTHING about being pregnant, having a baby and being a mommy. 

These books were the ones that I found the most beneficial to me. All of these may not appeal to you, but these were by far my favorite. Do not be intimidated by the big stack of books! It is not necessary to read ALL of ALL of these books to be a well educated mommy-to-be! Again there is a link attached to each of these books that will take you to more information about them! Happy reading!

What to Expect When You're Expecting- This is one of the most popular mommy-to-be books! It is like the pregnancy bible and a must have for all mommies-to-be! This has a whole website What to Expect and community that you are probably very familiar with. This book breaks down your pregnancy month by month (and even by weeks) to tell you how your baby is developing, what your body is going through and what to expect at your next prenatal visit. In addition to all of that it has answers to ANY questions/concerns you might have including but NOT limited to: worries about pre-pregnancy size, diet and exercise, different types of unusual pain, pregnancy after a miscarriage, and TONS more. It also goes through the laboring process to help you know what to expect at the actual birth as well. 

The What to Expect: The First Year is set up the same way, but it talks about your baby's development. It, again breaks it up month by month telling you what developmentally is going on with your baby, what milestones should they be at and what milestones are soon to come. It also addresses concerns that you might have including immunizations and when to call the doctor. This is another must have!

Healthy Sleeping Habits, Happy Child- This is a wonderful book that explains the benefits and reasons why healthy sleeping habits are so important to babies and toddlers. It explains how much sleep in needed for babies and toddlers of any age. My son was a GREAT sleeper until he turned six months old and then we have no idea what happened! We started using the method in this book and he sleeps 12+ hours a night with two 2 hour naps a day! There is a "cry it out" method and a "no cry" method in this book for either preference.

Super Baby Food- If you read my post on All Natural Cleaners, then you are somewhat familiar with this book. This book is a wonderful mommy go-to book for pretty much anything. I wanted to make my son's baby food (because it is so much cheaper) but I was not sure what to make him and how to make it. This book was a great help. It breaks it down by months and tell you what is safe to give your baby, and what new items you should introduce him to that month. It also has how much to feed your baby and examples of schedules of when to feed (breastfed babies and formula fed babies) It also has great recipes for healthy toddler food, homemade playdough, homemade cleaners and SO MUCH MORE! It is a great resource to help moms' make sure their little one is getting enough food and that it is health.

Husband Coached Childbirth- This is the book that goes along with the Bradly Method of Natural Childbirth. It is very interesting and educational about the birthing process and what is actually happening to the mommy and baby during labor. It is written by an obstetrician that grew up on a farm watching animals give birth. It is a little "old school" in some of its ideas, but I found it very informative on the labor process. There is even a section for husbands (duh! its called the HUSBAND coached childbirth) that I practically had to read aloud to my husband just to get him to read it. The basis is the female body knows exactly what to do when in labor and giving birth, and the best person to help is the husband. It is a family affair!

Baby Signs-This is a book I picked up after reading the benefits of teaching your baby sign language to help communicate. This book shares the science behind baby sign language and tells the benefits of teaching your baby sign language. It helps you determine when to start teaching signs and how to use them so your baby understands. We were really "hard core" about teaching our son sign language, but it fell a little to the wayside and I wish we would have stuck with it. The signs he does know are very helpful in communicating with him. He knows "all done", "more" "thank you" and "what" pretty well.

I hope you enjoy some, if not all of these books! I think it is so important for women to be educated about pregnancy and childbirth to help them prepare for what labor will be like, and so that you can discuss your birth preferences with your doctor or midwife (Yes! you have options!) Happy reading and God bless you and your family!

Until the Whole World Hears,

Katie

grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com