I have to say that I am pretty excited here as I get closer to my due date. I am due in 5 days, and she could certainly come sooner. I feel great! This pregnancy has been such a journey and I’ve learned so much. I am most encouraged by my Doctor’s response to my pregnancy. At my appointment last week, she stared at me and my file, and flat out told me she couldn’t believe how great I looked, and how impressed she was at my “perfect pregnancy.” I am not telling you this to toot my own horn, but simply as a testimony to what I believe pregnancy should be for every woman. My Doctor jokingly asked if I’d be her “spokesperson for pregnancy” and go talk to the dozen or miserably pregnant women in the waiting room and at home who had gained tons of weight, were miserably bloated, lethargic, sleepless, achy with pinched nerves and worse. I laughed and just told her, “superfoods, alkaline smoothies/foods, and exercise, exercise, exercise.”At this point, she said, “OK, tell me about these superfoods and smoothies, and will you write it down for me?” So as briefly as I could manage I dove into the top 10 superfoods discussed in depth in David Wolfe’s book, and then told her the ingredients of the basic alkaline smoothies I make. She couldn’t believe that 5 days before delivery I am still doing my 90 minute Bikram yoga sessions daily, and my 100/100/100, walking my dog and deep cleaning my house. I told her I simply couldn’t help it, I had so much energy!
She commented on how white and clear my eyes were, how radiant, clear and “perfect” my complexion was, and how she couldn’t believe that without eating all kinds of meat and dairy I had perfect blood work, and had only gained a “perfect” 24 pounds my entire pregnancy. I am not even slightly bloated, and honestly feel like I’ve never been in better shape in my life. My core is strong, especially my oblique’s, my legs are rock solid and my rear has never been so hard and small, even before pregnancy! My arms are strong, my triceps more defined than ever, and I have never been so flexible and stretched out in all my 9+ years of Bikram yoga (I am sure this has a LOT to do with all the relaxin hormone in my system!)
I wrote down for my Doctor the basic smoothie recipe, the top ten superfoods and the name of David Wolfe’s book, Superfoods. I didn’t really know how serious she was in her inquiry until two days later I was at Whole Foods with my sister purchasing ingredients to make a boat load of superfood together, and all of a sudden I hear a “Hey!” and there was my Doctor, with a shopping cart ½ full of the ingredients I’d written down for her, and holding the piece of paper I’d given her with all the information. I was thrilled that she was earnest, and saw the value and change this could mean not only for her own health but the health of countless other pregnant women she could directly affect and/or influence through her practice. She told me she’d ordered the book, and was really excited. I told her I was thrilled, and to let me know if she had any questions at all.
As much as I’ve loved having her as my Doctor, I love it even more now knowing that a medical professional like her is truly open and sincerely interested in the truth out there about food and diet, and how it directly affects every aspects of our lives and health, whether or not we choose to believe so.
So again ladies, I’m not sharing any of this to pat myself on the back, or blow my own horn, but to STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU to challenge yourself through your pregnancy and beyond to make changes that will positively affect your entire life. Pregnancy isn’t a time to sit back and apathetically let the days go by with junk food snacking, lethargy and all the other temptations that go along with being pregnant, like doing nothing. This is the time to take control of your own health, the way you feel and look at yourself, and most importantly the health of your unborn child.
Kick your butt into high gear, get moving, and get some good superfoods into your system… you will feel amazing immediately, I promise!!!
I bookmarked this to print whenever I have a friend that is pregnant!!! Wow, I so wish I read this before I had my 3 pregnancies. Bravo to you! Your baby is very lucky to have such a healthy Mom! I'm sure staying alkaline played a big part. My last pregnancy I craved water with lots of lime squeezed in it every morning. That was my best pregnancy and healthiest baby. (limes are very alkaline)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, did you eat fat-free completely or was the term fat-free referring to yourself and not necessarily your diet?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous! :) I certainly did not eat fat-free during my pregnancy, and do not recommend that any pregnant woman or woman trying to become pregnant eat "fat-free." What I did however, was only eat healthy fats, such as grapeseed oil, coconut oil (my go-to fat and butter replacement) as well as occasional olive oil (but not for cooking/baking, only raw). I took a krill oil supplement, along with marine phytoplankton, and ate loads and loads of chia seeds! It's all about the kind of fat you eat that matters, and I was about only putting on healthy pounds that my body needed to create a spectacular little baby, not excess weight that I was going to have to work hard to shed later. Shedding baby weight is so easy when you eat right and exercise during pregnancy, and eat the right kinds of food (and fat!). Breastfeeding helps a lot too, causing your body to burn an extra 400-600 kcals per day! My doctor told me to gain "x" amount of pounds, and I gained exactly that, not a pound more. I worked out daily throughout my pregnancy, consumed massive amounts of green smoothies, juices, lean proteins and healthy fats.
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