Whole Health

I'm doing everything I can to get my nutritional needs and overall health in check in preparation for our second baby. Pre-eclampsia has a whole lot to do with malnutrition and stress, so those are two of the areas that I can focus on and see change in. I knew that I needed help though, so after speaking with my midwife, we decided that I would go see a new doctor that was a proponent of holistic healing and health through nutrition. He ordered a bunch of labs last week and I finally got blood drawn on Monday.

Why does this make me feel old? 

He put me on new prenatal vitamins and a fish oil supplement. He did some reflex testing and my liver didn't perform well so he suggested a supplement to help my liver function. (If you are looking for a fish oil supplement, I've been really pleased with this one. I haven't had any fishy burps which is a WIN in my book!) About a week and a half in I broke down and bought a pill box. I had to. I was carrying around three bottles in my purse and it was killing my back! I just got it Monday at CVS. It was less than $6 and it has a safety feature in case my boy gets a hold of it. I filled each day with an entire days rations of vitamins and I've been doing really well with remembering to take them! 

The new doc is a proponent of ZERO fast food from low-end places like Taco Bell, McDonalds, etc. More home-cooking with natural, non-GMO veggies and fruits. When he asked me what I usually eat, I said I typically have a small bowl of cereal in the morning and he said he'd rather I not start my day out with cereal, but maybe steak and eggs instead. (!!!) Aside from cowboys, who eats steak and eggs for breakfast?! Do cowboys even eat steak and eggs for breakfast? It sounded right in my head. Anyways, That is going to be tough. Every meal I should have one protein, two veggies and one fruit. Last week we didn't eat townfood once until we were out of town and even then, we made good choices. Monday for lunch I ended up having In-N-Out, but I would say their burgers are on the higher end of "fast food". Not healthy by any means, but better than a Big Mac... you get what I'm layin down?

Random Picture: Bryan fell asleep with his phone up like he was reading it. I was on my phone watching makeup tutorials and he started snoring. He's even in 'phone mode' when he sleeps!

Also, he wants me to incorporate less "new" wheat into my diet and more "old" wheat, which I can find on Amazon. "Old" wheat is the wheat of our ancestors, from 5000+ years ago. Anything within the past 5000 years is considered "new" and our bodies don't tolerate it as well. Of course, this means that "old" wheat is more expensive. It's so hard to eat naturally when you are poor. Seriously. I'm building a wishlist on Amazon so I can easily keep track of what I buy and if I like it so I don't waste money. 

I told him I was ready for a change and that I'll do what needs to be done for me and the baby. He asked me what my overall goal was and I didn't even hesitate when I said I wanted balance in my health and in my life. While I definitely don't want pre-eclampsia or a cesarean again, I also want to be healthy long term. I'm not just trying to skate away from pre-eclampsia, my goal is much bigger than that. I want to feel better, physically, spiritually, mentally. 

Getting to the doctor and getting some professional help as to how to tackle my physical health has been really freeing. It's hard to overhaul your life all by yourself and finding a doctor that doesn't want to just stuff pharmaceutical drugs down your throat was a game changer for me. It was honestly the most important step I had to take for this pregnancy, for this baby and myself.

I've also been getting incorporating other changes in my lifestyle to help with the stress. Once I figure out what works and what doesn't I'll be writing about those! I'm still in the trial phase so I'll keep you updated on how it goes!