So I do have to say that the daily lists of things I need to do and take since becoming pregnant are pretty extensive.
Taking care of your body, mind and spirit during pregnancy are very important things and takes practice. Here is my daily list as not only a pregnant woman, but a Type 1 Diabetic woman:
- testing blood sugars 8x per day at least, once before every meal and once after every meal and having my sugars between 4.7 and 6.3 all the time which is very difficult but I've actually been accomplishing this pretty much 80% of the time
- take my thyroid medication upon waking up and not having any calcium or magnesium within four hours of this pill which includes of course all dairy products
- take my three prenatal mutlivitamins daily as well as 2 folic acid supplements and 3 vitamin B complex pills
- take a tbsp of my omega oils at night and a tbsp of my calcium / magnesium liquid supplement
- make sure to get at least 30 min of physical activity every day: I include my 2km of walking to the street car in this and try to practice at least 30 min of yoga at night, usually prenatal vinyasa as well as my at-home workouts which consist of squats, push-ups, lunges, planks, arm exercises and weights
- make sure to connect with the baby twice daily and practice gratitude at the same time morning and night which I basically turn into a five min mediation whether it's in the shower or sitting or lying in bed
- ensure my meals are as healthy and clean as possible
- and finally, work!!!
So it's a bit of a long list but I seem to be doing pretty well so far. I have also been reading nightly different pregnancy books on yoga, midwifery and other subjects
Xoxo
Follow me on my healing journey as I cook, cleanse and eat my way to health and happiness with easy, healthy & delicious recipes that have helped me control the disease I've lived with for over 25 years!
Monday, 20 January 2014
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Happy New Year and…we're expecting!
Seeing as it's a new year, and things have changed dramatically in the last few months I felt the need to write a long post and let you all in on some spectacular news:
My husband Will and I are expecting!!!! Here are the little babe details:
Due date: June 26, 2014 (although I've also been told the 27 and 28)
*Note: because I'm Type 1 Diabetic and considered High-Risk, I'll be induced two weeks prior to my due date at 38 weeks
Today, I'm officially 17 weeks and 3 days pregnant.
I feel amazing, completely normal. All of my tests at the 3 month mark were normal and the OB said I have the health of a healthy 15 year old which made me feel really great! I've gained about 8-10lbs now and I can feel my mid-section expanding slightly, but I'm still wearing all of my clothes just some of my jeans are a tighter (and most of my bras) - I cannot wait to start sporting a small bump, should be about another month - let's hope anyway!!!! ;)
A lot of things have changed in my life not only due to finding out I'm carrying another person in my body, but since I started working at this amazing new job downtown my schedule has changed, my commute has changed and therefore my life has changed.
Unfortunately, I had to stop volunteering at the Power Yoga Canada Oshawa due to my new work schedule and life, and I had to stop practicing as well. Most pregnant women are not advised to practice hot yoga during any trimester, although depending on your level of experience some still do. Being high risk I was advised by both my OB-GYN and Naturopath to refrain from practicing hot yoga.
This was literally the hardest thing I had to give up - next to red wine of course! I have been practicing some non-heated yoga classes, and signed up for yogaglo.com again because they have some amazing prenatal classes!
I've been doing my own workouts at home and following this amazing blog fitinheels.com for extra at-home workout ideas. I've also been walking about 3km a day but I'm really looking forward to getting more of a sweat on - think spin class (but I will take it easy), riding the bike and I'm also thinking about doing some sort of swimming further along in my pregnancy because I love the water!
In terms of food, the only things I've been craving are salmon, spinach, goat cheese, apples and eggs. Actually, the week I found out I was pregnant I had eaten eggs 4 days straight for every meal - I didn't think anything of it until I reflected after the test was positive and something clicked…I had an aha moment!
I truly didn't have any pregnancy symptoms that were obvious like nausea or morning sickness. I was tired about a month in and the tiredness lasted about 6 weeks and normally hit around 9pm. Around 9 weeks along I felt a bit relieved and then at 10 weeks I felt normal again, I could actually stay up past 10pm!
My diabetes is another story altogether - my sugars are going in stages. Some weeks they are very controlled and I'm in the 4's and 5's, like a normal person, every single day. Then they will jump up into the 9's and I'll have to adjust my bolus rates a bit. I have my new Accu-chek pump and love it - and I am really trying as hard as I can to get my numbers perfect as it is the most important thing for me during this pregnancy. Not only does my health depend on it, but so does my baby's, and that is something I don't want to mess with. My A1C before I was pregnant was 7.6 and 3 months in I got it down to 6.9 which isn't too bad, but it needs to be much better. It is interesting though how my sugars were very low for about a month and a half which happens to non-diabetic women as well.
In terms of meals, I am eating the same but having more substantial breakfasts. My typical day looks something like this;
7am - Green Smoothie with banana, spinach, pumpkin seed protein, chia seeds, hemp seeds, frozen raspberries, fresh ginger and water
9am - amaranth porridge with cinnamon and home-made granola
11am - almonds, small apple with almond butter
12:30pm - soup, small salad, half a sandwich or quinoa salad
3pm - mary's crackers, carrots, celery with hummus
7pm - brown rice pasta with sautéed kale, olives, tomato sauce, veggies or baked salmon with baked sweet potato slices, steamed broccoli
10pm - small bowl of organic greek yogurt with granola
Supplements: I have to take 4-5mg of folic acid a day being diabetic so I ensure I get at least that amount in supplements but also consume healthy meals full of nutrients
- Pre-Natal Multivitamins (3 per day = 1mg folic acid and all other supplements required)
- Folic Acid (2 pills per day)
- Advanced B-Complex AOR brand (3 per day = 1mg folic acid and all B vitamins)
- Calcium/Magnesium Liquid (1 tbsp)
- DHA Nutrasea Oil
I'm going to continue some posts along the way mainly talking about my diabetic journey with pregnancy. There are so many things to discuss when it comes to pregnancy that every woman goes through - but the diabetic journey is different. I hope you will take what I write as valuable and helpful information as most of it will be encouragement for a happy and healthy journey!
My husband Will and I are expecting!!!! Here are the little babe details:
Due date: June 26, 2014 (although I've also been told the 27 and 28)
*Note: because I'm Type 1 Diabetic and considered High-Risk, I'll be induced two weeks prior to my due date at 38 weeks
Today, I'm officially 17 weeks and 3 days pregnant.
I feel amazing, completely normal. All of my tests at the 3 month mark were normal and the OB said I have the health of a healthy 15 year old which made me feel really great! I've gained about 8-10lbs now and I can feel my mid-section expanding slightly, but I'm still wearing all of my clothes just some of my jeans are a tighter (and most of my bras) - I cannot wait to start sporting a small bump, should be about another month - let's hope anyway!!!! ;)
A lot of things have changed in my life not only due to finding out I'm carrying another person in my body, but since I started working at this amazing new job downtown my schedule has changed, my commute has changed and therefore my life has changed.
Unfortunately, I had to stop volunteering at the Power Yoga Canada Oshawa due to my new work schedule and life, and I had to stop practicing as well. Most pregnant women are not advised to practice hot yoga during any trimester, although depending on your level of experience some still do. Being high risk I was advised by both my OB-GYN and Naturopath to refrain from practicing hot yoga.
This was literally the hardest thing I had to give up - next to red wine of course! I have been practicing some non-heated yoga classes, and signed up for yogaglo.com again because they have some amazing prenatal classes!
I've been doing my own workouts at home and following this amazing blog fitinheels.com for extra at-home workout ideas. I've also been walking about 3km a day but I'm really looking forward to getting more of a sweat on - think spin class (but I will take it easy), riding the bike and I'm also thinking about doing some sort of swimming further along in my pregnancy because I love the water!
In terms of food, the only things I've been craving are salmon, spinach, goat cheese, apples and eggs. Actually, the week I found out I was pregnant I had eaten eggs 4 days straight for every meal - I didn't think anything of it until I reflected after the test was positive and something clicked…I had an aha moment!
I truly didn't have any pregnancy symptoms that were obvious like nausea or morning sickness. I was tired about a month in and the tiredness lasted about 6 weeks and normally hit around 9pm. Around 9 weeks along I felt a bit relieved and then at 10 weeks I felt normal again, I could actually stay up past 10pm!
My diabetes is another story altogether - my sugars are going in stages. Some weeks they are very controlled and I'm in the 4's and 5's, like a normal person, every single day. Then they will jump up into the 9's and I'll have to adjust my bolus rates a bit. I have my new Accu-chek pump and love it - and I am really trying as hard as I can to get my numbers perfect as it is the most important thing for me during this pregnancy. Not only does my health depend on it, but so does my baby's, and that is something I don't want to mess with. My A1C before I was pregnant was 7.6 and 3 months in I got it down to 6.9 which isn't too bad, but it needs to be much better. It is interesting though how my sugars were very low for about a month and a half which happens to non-diabetic women as well.
In terms of meals, I am eating the same but having more substantial breakfasts. My typical day looks something like this;
7am - Green Smoothie with banana, spinach, pumpkin seed protein, chia seeds, hemp seeds, frozen raspberries, fresh ginger and water
9am - amaranth porridge with cinnamon and home-made granola
11am - almonds, small apple with almond butter
12:30pm - soup, small salad, half a sandwich or quinoa salad
3pm - mary's crackers, carrots, celery with hummus
7pm - brown rice pasta with sautéed kale, olives, tomato sauce, veggies or baked salmon with baked sweet potato slices, steamed broccoli
10pm - small bowl of organic greek yogurt with granola
Supplements: I have to take 4-5mg of folic acid a day being diabetic so I ensure I get at least that amount in supplements but also consume healthy meals full of nutrients
- Pre-Natal Multivitamins (3 per day = 1mg folic acid and all other supplements required)
- Folic Acid (2 pills per day)
- Advanced B-Complex AOR brand (3 per day = 1mg folic acid and all B vitamins)
- Calcium/Magnesium Liquid (1 tbsp)
- DHA Nutrasea Oil
I'm going to continue some posts along the way mainly talking about my diabetic journey with pregnancy. There are so many things to discuss when it comes to pregnancy that every woman goes through - but the diabetic journey is different. I hope you will take what I write as valuable and helpful information as most of it will be encouragement for a happy and healthy journey!
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
#mspjourney to wellness - Day 7
Day 7 - Tuesday, June 11
7:00am - large glass of water
7:30am - Cup of hot lemon water with the juice of 1/2 lemon
9:30am - Green smoothie with spinach, kale, frozen raspberries, spirulina and maca powder
1:30pm - Bowl of homemade Broccoli Kale Spinach Soup and homemade gluten-free flatbread
(recipe: http://www.mysweetpancreas.com/2012/09/green-goodness-soup.html)
4:00pm - 2 squares of 70% cocoa coconut almond "nutbar" chocolate bar which is vegan, fair trade, organic and gluten and soy-free!
6:30pm - Store-bought fresh salmon/dill/lemon/pepper burgers topped with organic dijon mustard and on top of fresh chopped purple kale (side of sweet potato rounds baked with pepper and chilli powder)
.................
8:00pm - 1 hour Pilates class (feeling the pain now)
..................
11:30pm - went to bed after doing a few hours of freelance over a glass of red wine
7:00am - large glass of water
7:30am - Cup of hot lemon water with the juice of 1/2 lemon
9:30am - Green smoothie with spinach, kale, frozen raspberries, spirulina and maca powder
1:30pm - Bowl of homemade Broccoli Kale Spinach Soup and homemade gluten-free flatbread
(recipe: http://www.mysweetpancreas.com/2012/09/green-goodness-soup.html)
4:00pm - 2 squares of 70% cocoa coconut almond "nutbar" chocolate bar which is vegan, fair trade, organic and gluten and soy-free!
6:30pm - Store-bought fresh salmon/dill/lemon/pepper burgers topped with organic dijon mustard and on top of fresh chopped purple kale (side of sweet potato rounds baked with pepper and chilli powder)
.................
8:00pm - 1 hour Pilates class (feeling the pain now)
..................
11:30pm - went to bed after doing a few hours of freelance over a glass of red wine
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
#MSPJOURNEY to Wellness Day 6
Day 6 - Monday, June 10
This week my goal is to make liquids the main part of every meal to give my digestion a bit of a rest. Although with dinner tonight I was not able to stick to the routine. For the rest of the week I am going to stick to liquids for breakfast, lunch and dinner and snack in between with salads, proteins and veggies :)
7:00am - large glass of water
7:30am - Cup of hot lemon water with the juice of 1 lemon
9:30am - Piece of gluten-free toast with 1/2 an avocado
12:30pm - Bowl of homemade Tomato Minestrone Soup and homemade gluten-free flatbread
(recipe: http://www.mysweetpancreas.com/2013/01/healing-minestrone-soup.html)
3:30pm - Gluten-free flatbread as a snack
6:30pm - Greek salad: cucumbers, red onion, organic grape tomatoes, feta cheese, kalamata olives, greek seasoning, lemon and EVOO and a grass-fed free-range turkey sausage with whole grain mustard and tomatoes (not pictured because I was running late for yoga and had to eat quickly)
.................
8:15pm - 1 hour Power Yoga Class
..................
11:00pm - went to bed and said my mantra 5x in my head: I am grateful for everything in my life
This week my goal is to make liquids the main part of every meal to give my digestion a bit of a rest. Although with dinner tonight I was not able to stick to the routine. For the rest of the week I am going to stick to liquids for breakfast, lunch and dinner and snack in between with salads, proteins and veggies :)
7:00am - large glass of water
7:30am - Cup of hot lemon water with the juice of 1 lemon
9:30am - Piece of gluten-free toast with 1/2 an avocado
12:30pm - Bowl of homemade Tomato Minestrone Soup and homemade gluten-free flatbread
(recipe: http://www.mysweetpancreas.com/2013/01/healing-minestrone-soup.html)
3:30pm - Gluten-free flatbread as a snack
6:30pm - Greek salad: cucumbers, red onion, organic grape tomatoes, feta cheese, kalamata olives, greek seasoning, lemon and EVOO and a grass-fed free-range turkey sausage with whole grain mustard and tomatoes (not pictured because I was running late for yoga and had to eat quickly)
.................
8:15pm - 1 hour Power Yoga Class
..................
11:00pm - went to bed and said my mantra 5x in my head: I am grateful for everything in my life
Monday, 10 June 2013
June Journey to Wellness Day 5
TGIF Day 5 - Friday, June 7
7:25am - slept in a little bit so had a large glass of water and started getting ready!
7:30am - cup of hot lemon water
9:30am - smoothie: greens powder, frozen strawberries, 1/2 banana and water
12:30pm - Salad: raw kale, yellow beets baked the night before, organic edamame, cucumber, avocado and pumpkin seeds with EVOO, apple cider vinegar and lemon!
3pm - Mary's crackers with some hummus
8:30pm - Leftover chicken burger on a bed of organic spinach with tomato and then on the side we had organic roasted red pepper hummus with Mary's Sticks & Twigs gluten-free pretzels - yum! I also found this Cider at the LCBO called William that is gluten-free, organic, Canadian and only 8g of sugar per can - pretty good!
9pm - SWEET TREAT - So Delicious (brand name) Coconut Milk Chocolate Almond Bar - they are actually quite small, dairy-free and have 8g of sugar per bar so not so bad - and it was Friday, I wanted a treat :)
We watched a movie and went to bed fairly early because Will had a work softball tournament in the morning and I had to work at the PYC (Power Yoga Canada) studio! zzzzzzzzzz
7:25am - slept in a little bit so had a large glass of water and started getting ready!
7:30am - cup of hot lemon water
9:30am - smoothie: greens powder, frozen strawberries, 1/2 banana and water
12:30pm - Salad: raw kale, yellow beets baked the night before, organic edamame, cucumber, avocado and pumpkin seeds with EVOO, apple cider vinegar and lemon!
3pm - Mary's crackers with some hummus
8:30pm - Leftover chicken burger on a bed of organic spinach with tomato and then on the side we had organic roasted red pepper hummus with Mary's Sticks & Twigs gluten-free pretzels - yum! I also found this Cider at the LCBO called William that is gluten-free, organic, Canadian and only 8g of sugar per can - pretty good!
9pm - SWEET TREAT - So Delicious (brand name) Coconut Milk Chocolate Almond Bar - they are actually quite small, dairy-free and have 8g of sugar per bar so not so bad - and it was Friday, I wanted a treat :)
We watched a movie and went to bed fairly early because Will had a work softball tournament in the morning and I had to work at the PYC (Power Yoga Canada) studio! zzzzzzzzzz
Friday, 7 June 2013
June Journey to Wellness - Day 4
Day 4 - Thursday, June 6
7am - wake up and listed everything I was grateful for about my life in my head, had a glass of water
7:30am - cup of hot lemon water
8:00am - smoothie: hemp powder, almond butter, cacao, cinnamon, 1/2 banana, water and spirulina
10am - omelette with mushrooms
12:30pm - Salad: raw kale, swiss chard, spinach, shredded carrots and beets, some red quinoa, napa cabbage, an avocado, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts and lemon dijon dressing!
3pm - Mary's crackers with some hummus
7:30pm - Chicken burgers on a bed of organic spinach with tomato and avocado and baked sweet potato rounds: ground chicken, green onions, juice of 1 lemon, lemon zest, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, garlic, pepper
9pm - 2 small glasses of red wine
........................
6pm - 30min walk, 50 squats and power grocery shopping!
.......................
*I didn't get to meditate tonight as I was doing freelance design, cleaning the kitchen and buzzing my husband's hair haha, but I did sit for about 3 minutes to clear my mind before going to sleep!
7am - wake up and listed everything I was grateful for about my life in my head, had a glass of water
7:30am - cup of hot lemon water
8:00am - smoothie: hemp powder, almond butter, cacao, cinnamon, 1/2 banana, water and spirulina
10am - omelette with mushrooms
12:30pm - Salad: raw kale, swiss chard, spinach, shredded carrots and beets, some red quinoa, napa cabbage, an avocado, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts and lemon dijon dressing!
3pm - Mary's crackers with some hummus
7:30pm - Chicken burgers on a bed of organic spinach with tomato and avocado and baked sweet potato rounds: ground chicken, green onions, juice of 1 lemon, lemon zest, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, garlic, pepper
9pm - 2 small glasses of red wine
........................
6pm - 30min walk, 50 squats and power grocery shopping!
.......................
*I didn't get to meditate tonight as I was doing freelance design, cleaning the kitchen and buzzing my husband's hair haha, but I did sit for about 3 minutes to clear my mind before going to sleep!
Thursday, 6 June 2013
June Journey to Wellness - Day 3
Day #3 - Wednesday, June 5
My affirmation for today was: I now listen to my inner guidance. I notice my thoughts, feelings, visions, and words. I now have the strength and courage to follow them and take the steps given to me.
7am - wake up and listed everything I was grateful for about my life in my head, had a glass of water
7:30am - cup of hot lemon water
8:00am - chocolate chai smoothie: hemp powder, spirulina, cacoa, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, almond milk, almond butter, maca powder, water, 1/2 banana
10:00am - had some of my amaranth heated up with flax seeds and cinnamon
12:30pm - mixed greens (chard, kale and spinach) with red cabbage and carrot slaw, with my summer chickpea salad I made last night on top - so delicious the next day!
3:00pm - we had a treat to celebrate a bride-to-be that I work with so I had a piece of this raw vegan frozen bar made of almond butter, coconut oil, cashews and agave - yum!
6:30pm - minced turkey cooked with garlic, onions, tamari sauce (gluten-free), chile flakes and put that on top of a cabbage slaw in collard green leaves to make wraps!
............
8pm - 1 hour Power Yoga Class
............
*I did some design work after my yoga class and shower and repeated my affirmation before heading to bed around 11pm.
My affirmation for today was: I now listen to my inner guidance. I notice my thoughts, feelings, visions, and words. I now have the strength and courage to follow them and take the steps given to me.
7am - wake up and listed everything I was grateful for about my life in my head, had a glass of water
7:30am - cup of hot lemon water
8:00am - chocolate chai smoothie: hemp powder, spirulina, cacoa, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, almond milk, almond butter, maca powder, water, 1/2 banana
10:00am - had some of my amaranth heated up with flax seeds and cinnamon
12:30pm - mixed greens (chard, kale and spinach) with red cabbage and carrot slaw, with my summer chickpea salad I made last night on top - so delicious the next day!
3:00pm - we had a treat to celebrate a bride-to-be that I work with so I had a piece of this raw vegan frozen bar made of almond butter, coconut oil, cashews and agave - yum!
6:30pm - minced turkey cooked with garlic, onions, tamari sauce (gluten-free), chile flakes and put that on top of a cabbage slaw in collard green leaves to make wraps!
............
8pm - 1 hour Power Yoga Class
............
*I did some design work after my yoga class and shower and repeated my affirmation before heading to bed around 11pm.
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
June Journey to Wellness - Day Two
Day #2 - Tuesday, June 4
Goals this week: cut out coffee, finish the book I'm reading, finish my 3 freelance projects, let go of everything that isn't needed in my life!
7am - wake up and listed everything I was grateful for about my life in my head, had a glass of water
7:30am - cup of hot lemon water
8:00am - chocolate chai smoothie: spirulina, cacoa, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, almond milk, almond butter, water, 1/2 banana, greens powder
10:00am - piece of gluten-free toast with almond butter and an organic apple/ginger tea
1:30pm - mixed greens (chard, kale and spinach) with red cabbage and carrot slaw, pumpkin seeds, sprouts and a piece of salmon with dill and a lemon, dijon, EVOO and pepper dressing
3:00pm - other favourite rishi tea: organic cinnamon plum mmmmmm
6:30pm - grilled chicken with summer chickpea salad: organic chickpeas, tomatoes, yellow pepper, green onion, lots of dill, olive oil, sea salt and pepper and fresh lemon juice over arugula
............
7:30 - 9pm - 4km walk with my friend
............
*After my walk I cleaned the kitchen, meditated and did some deep breathing for 15 min and then read 2 chapters of the book I want to finish this week!
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