WEEK 22 – NERVOUS SYSTEM AGAIN & OUR EUMUNDI GETAWAY
Weekly Baby News
Baby Size: approx. 24cm head to toe, can weigh half a kg.
The next 2 weeks the nervous system completely connects due to the baby requiring more B vitamins to complete this process, it is essential to support yourself emotionally while this is happening. Also a good time to be mindful of your emotions and if you are feeling low, sensitive or any emotion, speak to a good friend or professional that can support you through this time. Acknowledgement of feelings that come up is important however identifying the role the biochemical aspect of your body is having upon these thoughts and emotions, and reminding yourself not to get lost with them. With a bit of correct vitamin support and talking it out should see you through and be completely fine the following week. It is important not to beat yourself up through the emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy and learn what works for you to shift the funk of emotions. Speak to your naturopath about extra nutrient support suited to your biochemical makeup.
For myself I have the MTHFR mutation as well as urinary Kryptopyroles therefore I need to ensure I use activated B vitamins and a lot of zinc, I take these on top of my natal-multi. Plus ensuring my digestive system stays healthy so I can absorb nutrients. I also find locking in exercise helps anything simple like beach walks, afternoon walks with Meeka, Yoga, climb Mt Coolum or a National Park walk at Noosa, being outside and shifting energy physically always helps emotionally. Also being mindful of putting the right foods in my body or baking some healthy seed cookies to feel indulgent in a healthy way.
Naturopath Advice
Pregnancy can be a time when food choices become a lot harder than usual. While you would think we would have more motivation to eat healthy all the time, due to growing a baby, it certainly doesn’t work that way because of different cravings and having the time or energy to prepare something healthy. With all the growing that’s going on sweet cravings are common. And while we need to combat these as much as possible by increasing protein and good fats for our body to burn as energy instead, sometimes our mind just wants to indulge with the ups and downs of hormones. Even being a naturopath/nutritionist and understanding why I don’t want to be eating sugar foods during pregnancy it is still difficult to turn off that mind in wanting something delicious.
So the next best thing is to dig deep and find some energy and inspiration to bake something healthy while still feeling indulgent. Today there are bucket-loads of healthy treats, thanks to the Paleo and Sarah Wilson movement of ‘I Quit Sugar’. It is still important to recognise foods that have a high GI index (as spoken about in week 10), and also natural sweeteners that aren’t that beneficial, for example opting for maple syrup over honey or agave syrup for your sweetener.
So for these moments of pregnancy where we feel the need to indulge here is a recipe my friend, Gretchen, gave me. She made me a batch of these cookies one day and once hearing what was in them I needed the recipe. Gretch is studying naturopathy and it is so refreshing to hear all the new knowledge coming through, nutrition has certainly become a big focus of sustaining our health (thankfully) and Gretch creates some beauties in her kitchen and inspires a lot of my Vitamix creations.
Seed Cookies
1 cup Pepitas
1 cup Sunflower seeds
¾ cup Almonds
¼ cup Coconut
1 egg or egg replacement with Chia seeds
½ cup coconut oil
Up to ¼ cup Maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp cinnamon
2 pinches of salt
1/3 cup of currents, or choc drops, or goji berries (be creative to what your needs are)
Add all dry ingredients (minus the goji, or choc) in a food processor and process until it makes a chunky seed/nut meal.
Place meal in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients to combine.
Roll into balls and slightly press to flatten. Bake in 180 degrees oven for 15 to 18mins depending on oven and your preference for soft of crunchy cookies.
My Journey
This week I’ve certainly started to notice changes that are happening to me. I’ve started to experience mild heartburn with more foods repeating on me than just my EFAs capsules. My belly is now quite hard with a ever expanding belly button. Turns out I have a little freckle in my belly button which I can now clearly see. I have even caught myself resting cups of tea on the top of my belly when I’m sitting down. My body is expanding in more places than just my belly, proving wardrobe decisions to be quite challenging, (more so than usual). This is quite frustrating, as I know I’m only going to get bigger, so I’m trying to make do with what I have, to save buying new clothes and then needing to buy bigger clothes again. Clothes are uncomfortable, tight, hot and I’m thoroughly looking forward to winter kicking in so I can wear comfy tights, cardigans and scarves. However Queensland’s weather seems to have a different idea to when it wants to reduce the temperature this year.
My appetite is certainly back, pre-pregnancy I have always been a bottomless pit, being able to eat just as much as my husband, and needing to eat every few hours to keep up with my food needs. It has been very foreign to me in the last few months to be ‘off’ food, thankfully my appetite is back which has also reengaged my creativity in the kitchen. Back to the farmers markets and buying more than I can carry and over loading the fridge with beautiful produce, only for it to be empty by the end of the week. Joys of eating everything fresh!
This weekend we were lucky to be offered to stay at a gorgeous house in Eumundi for a quite little weekend away. Where I could get lost in the kitchen using as many fresh foods as possible in one sitting. I cannot explain how beautiful it was to drive the short 25mins and be clear of beach traffic noise and busyness. The serenity was stunning and gave us the space to completely rest without being able to see all the work we should be doing if we were at home. We were able to take Meeka and she loved having the room to run around freely and made friends with the resident horses. While we are beach lovers, I could see myself living out there somewhere one day to have the extra space and peacefulness, plus is only 15min drive to the nearest beach so isn’t too bad. Unless my baby wants to be a pro-surfer (like her/his father is hoping) then it may become a mission driving to the beach 2-3+ times a day.
Adequate rest is certainly helping my energy levels. The weekend away to read, cook and just ‘be’ was certainly what this pregnant body required. From having two quiet weekends it has become clear how important these quiet weekends are. I am a little concerned with some busy weekends coming up and how I will manage, however I will just need to take it easier through the week than what I have been. I am blown away how much this baby growing takes it out of you. I always had this belief that it was a beautiful, blissful, fun time of life, while it can be all of these things it certainly isn’t these on a daily basis. Perhaps if I didn’t do anything else but be pregnant it would be a different story, however that isn’t reality for me as it is for some others. Some days when I’m scrolling through Instagram I think to myself how cool it would be to be a ‘Insta-mum’, doing baby stuff all day and taking photos. Then I give myself a reality check and remember how much I love what I do as a naturopath and the reward I get from helping others on their journeys, plus how addictive it is to work in mental health also, as funny as it is to be ‘addicted’, it truly is for me. To see people step up and out of their comfort zones to turn their life around is very inspiring, yes I’m apart of the team that helps them collect the tools to do this. However I feel I learn and gain as much from them as they do from me. I am so grateful to work in healthcare and recommend to anyone searching for a new career, as the reward is priceless.
This week overview = Embracing Change & Gratitude of the Present
Yours in Health
Talita Sheedy
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