The Brewer Pregnancy Diet: More Protein!

As I've referred to in past posts, Justin and I completed The Bradley Method classes for our childbirth training. One of the things I really like is the comprehensive approach that they take to pregnancy, because it seems to me that many things affect the birth experience and developing baby. Of course, one crucial element is what you eat during pregnancy. While the Brewer Pregnancy Diet is a little different than my normal routine, I've been very pleased with how I feel. But let me back up to the start of my pregnancy and work from there.

When I got pregnant in early August 2103, I was training for a half marathon. I had to eat good food, or I wouldn't feel well enough to put in the mileage I need to for training. At that point, I ran 3-4 times a week, anywhere from 4 miles on "short" runs to 8-10 miles on Saturday long runs. Here's a sample day before the Brewer Diet...

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese, orange juice
Lunch: sandwich (peanut butter/jelly) on 2 slices of whole wheat bread OR plain tuna with crackers, apple (or another fruit)
Dinner: chicken casserole (chicken, rice or noodles, sauce), green beans, brownie
Snack after run: 12 oz (ish) smoothie (banana, frozen fruit, carrots, flaxseed [sometimes kale was included])

I think a strength is that I always got my servings of fruits and veggies (though more fruits than veggies usually) but a weakness is that I pretty much always had something for dessert, and didn't have as many whole grains as I should have.

Bring in the Brewer Diet around 20 weeks, right about Christmas time, when we started classes...

I'll let you check out the link for specifics (http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id96.html), but it big idea is that I needed to up my protein from around 40-50 grams to 80-100 grams a day, and add  more greens and milk products. Now, I like meat, but getting 80 grams of protein a day is a real challenge. I'm sure that I don't get there every day, but I am really trying to! So I've tried to start adding things to my diet to up my protein that are high-count protein without wasted calories. Here are some of the protein sources I have been adding:

• Cheese - 7 grams in one slice. I love the following because it's so convenient:  http://www.landolakes.com/product/44815/-snackn-cheese-to-go-co-jack-snack-cheese
• Greek yogurt - about 20 grams in one cup, added to smoothies, soups, tuna or mashed potatoes
• Peanut butter- 7 grams in 2 tablespoons. Not the most effective source with extra sugars.
• Almonds- 7 grams in 1/4 cup
• Protein-rich granola- 10 grams per 1/2 cup. http://www.naturevalley.com/Snack-Bars/OatsHoneyGranola 
• Chicken, pork, tuna, ham-20-25 grams in 3 oz
• Potato with skin- 5 grams per medium potato
• Pinto, navy, kidney beans- 7 grams per 1/2 cup. I make chili or bean soup pretty often.
• Eggs- 6 grams per egg. I've recently made deviled eggs because I'm getting sick of scrambled!
• Oatmeal- 6 grams in 1 cup cooked. I also add oatmeal to cookies, brownies, etc. if my sweet tooth calls, though I try to limit my sweets.

To be honest, I just feel like I am eating SO MUCH. Way more than usual. And commenting on weight gain during pregnancy, I didn't gain anything for the first four months (16 week or so). Over the last three months (now I'm 28 weeks), I have gained about 20 pounds, which is right about average recommendation. The interesting thing is that I think it's all in my belly and breasts, I mean, I haven't had the legs of my pants getting tight. Hopefully I will be able to keep it at about 30-35 total to the time I give birth.

One another note with the whole diet thing, I have still kept up exercising even after the half-marathon was over at 7 weeks pregnant. I continued to run until about 24 weeks, at which point the pressure on my bladder just made running uncomfortable. So I have been walking three times a week, and doing strength training exercises at home like squats, lunges, and arm weights. I think this helps a lot with how feel overall.

I have to say: I'm feeling good. Looking back so far, the biggest issues have been the mood swings during the first trimester, a few headaches during second trimester around 15-20 weeks, and trying to get comfortable to sleep throughout. I haven't had any morning sickness though or many other issues. As for the headaches, I think those might have been caused somewhat from stress at work, the holiday business, or perhaps just fluctuating hormones. Whatever it was, they are gone now, and I think that it might be due in part to the diet changes. I also think it's interesting that I haven't had any crazy cravings. I wonder if it's because I am getting the nutrients I need? Who knows... Since this is my first pregnancy, I'm learning as I go, and I thought I would share here in case it could help anyone. I'm not a doctor though, so please consult yours before trying anything! :)

A Pregnancy Reading List

1) Wanting to be as prepared as possible, 2) being a reader anyways, I've been reading several books on pregnancy and birth. Now, I do realize that as much as I read and prepare, I can't possibly be ready for everything. I can't eliminate complications just by being educated and prepared. But I still think that "knowledge is power," so I've been reading. Especially as Justin and I want to do everything as natural as possible, since that is how we feel God intended and is right for us, we are trying to prepare towards that end.

(Let me have a little side note: I firmly believe that everyone needs to do what they feel is best for them and their baby. For us, that's avoiding inducing labor, interventions, epidurals, etc. I realize that each mom has to make individual decisions on this. Heck, I might even change my mind when I am in the middle of the situation. Certainly when I write about trying to have a natural birth, I'm not dogging anyone who wants pain relief, or I would be in sore trouble with my sister, who has had two beautiful children and did use pain relief. Her kids are healthy, precious, and thriving. So, again, realize I will be writing from the perspective of wanting a natural birth, but that I think each woman has to make her own decisions about this.)

Starting off, I borrowed a few books that give good overviews of pregnancy and birth.

• What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff - a classic, easy-to-read, question and answer format that allows you to find the info you need quickly; mainstream in terms of medical interventions during labor.
• Your Pregnancy and Childbirth: Month-to-Month from the American College of OBGYN's- I was given this by my doctor at my first prenatal checkup, and it goes into detail with illustrations for each month. Doesn't advocate for natural childbirth, but isn't necessarily against it.
• The Complete Illustrated Pregnancy Companion by Robin Weiss - This book isn't as comprehensive, but gives perhaps more of the emotional side of things, social preparation. Don't buy it, borrow it. I saw multiple typos.

As a runner, I really appreciated the following:

• Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by James Clapp- The idea is to keep up whatever you did before you were pregnant, but not start something new or uncomfortably challenging. Exercise is good for you during pregnancy, unless some health concern is addressed by your doctor. Lots of research and evidence behind this book.

On birth, I read the following:

• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin- This book has some great natural birth stories in the first half of the book, and the last half goes into the birth process itself. It is probably the best book I read because it respects the fact that God designed the woman's body to give birth. Birth is empowering and does not have to be feared. Much of medical society today tries to instill fear into birth, and then interventions are overused. A must-buy, must-read book.
• Husband-Coached Childbirth by Robert Bradley- Oh, please, read this book! I loved how it really is written to husbands, giving them knowledge to be able to coach their wives through natural birth. I want my husband by my side the whole time, and this book gives not just the birth process, but what to do before birth the make labor better. We actually did The Bradley Method childbirth classes after reading this book because we loved the philosophy of the husband being so involved.
• Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper (DVD with 6 births included)- If you are thinking about a water birth, home birth, or natural birth in a hospital, this is a great book. The DVD with video of births is somewhat dated in the styles, but who cares? The birth process hasn't changed. My husband and I watched the video together and it was great. Borrow from the library.

Also good choices, though the three mentioned above would be my recommendation if you don't have much time:

• Orgasmic Birth by Elizabeth Davis -All about enjoying childbirth instead of focusing on pain; good birth stories are included. Again, this book empowers women instead of instilling fear in the process.
• Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein This book is written by the same people that produced The Business of Being Born. Investigates current medical practice surrounding birth and choosing a birth that is right for you.  
• Labor of Love: A Midwife's Memoir by Cara Muhlhahn - Has some very interesting stories of her midwife experiences especially towards to end of the book; you could skim most of the first half. She was one of the midwives featured in the aforementioned The Business of Being Born.  
• The Doula Guide to Birth by Amanda Lowe- It has helpful charts/reference pages; might convince you to get a doula.
• The Official Lamaze Guide by Judith Lothian- Another birthing method, similar to Bradley in some ways. It's not just about breathing anymore; they have expanded their philosophy.
• The Dad's Playbook to Labor and Birth by Theresa Halvorsen- An easy read for the fathers who are busy and want the basics to be able to help their wives.

While many of these books overlap ideas, I always find something new or interesting in each. I think the point in reading is preparation, because preparation eases fear. I tell you right away that reading all of these books have helped me not to fear. Certainly I still worry about complications, but from reading so many birth stories, natural birth stories, I am much more confident. God made my body to give birth. There will be pain, but I don't have to fear it. In my mind, I keep likening it to training for my half-marathon. I didn't like the 10-mile long runs....my body hurt, I wanted to stop. But I accomplished something big in the long run. That's what I'm telling myself about birth. It will be worth it!

Now, won't it be interesting after birth to hear what happened? I can only prepare so much, and I humbly admit that!

My Hubby's Awesome: VDay 2014

Justin surprised me with flowers early this year! Instead of doing the traditional dozen, he had the florist mix in blue flowers to commemorate our little boy growing in my belly. How thoughtful is that? He's the best!!

Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Since my hubby's been feeling under the weather (he didn't go to work or night classes for two days!) I decided to make homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. I already had a chicken breast that I had boiled from earlier this week, so that part was taken care of. Just a few other ingredients that I usually have on hand, and shazam! it was tasty. So much healthier than the sodium-packed canned chicken noodle soup! Whole wheat noodles and lots of carrots step up the nutrition factor.



Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (serves 2-3)
3 cups water + 2 chicken bullion cubes (or 3 cups chicken broth)
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 to 3/4 cup dry whole wheat spaghetti noodles, broken to 2 inch pieces
1 chopped or shredded, cooked chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring water, celery salt, parsley, and chicken bullion to a boil. Add chopped carrots and boil for 5 minutes with the lid on.
2. Add chopped chicken breast and noodles. Bring to boil and simmer until noodles are done, about 8 minutes. Keep the lid on to avoid losing all the broth as steam. If the liquid seems low, just add more water.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

*I should note that measurements are approximate. You can add more or less of ingredients to suit your taste and the thickness of the soup.

Less than 100 days till I meet my baby boy!

I have this wonderful app on my phone that reminded me Thursday that I will meet my baby boy in 100 days... wow.. just about in my third trimester now. Time has gone fast, but also slow. Our last birth class is this Sunday. The other couples in the class are all like-minded about wanted as natural a birth as possible, and it's great just have others to share idea with during this time. Last week, we all brought our birth plans and compared and commented on them. That was very valuable. Our instructor, Julie Harless, is incredible, and I hope she continues to teach these classes because she does an awesome job.

We have been looking at baby names, but no, I'm not posting the possibilities. There are just so many opinions out there, and we want to make the decision without being influence by others. My big thing with names is that I don't want the name to be common, but I do want it to be easy to pronounce, recognize, and spell. I ordered a couple of books in the mail, and one already came this week, Off-The-Grid Baby Names  from Nameberry. Basically, this book lists 1,000's of names that have NEVER been in the top 1,000, since the government started keeping track in the late 1800's. So it has some good ideas.

I've been working out with my cousin Monday and Thursday, and Saturday with my husband. I kept up with running until this week, and I think I am going to have to let it go. With my belly growing, I just feel so much pressure on my bladder (like, eek! can't make it around this lap without running to the restroom). Which is really annoying, because I like running. But walking is less pressure, and I just try to keep my pace up. I still do squats, lunges, and some other pregnancy-specific exercises to keep me in shape for birth too.

I would say my biggest pregnancy symptom now is not being able to sleep well, which leads to me being tired during the day. Not fun. But with all the issues I've heard from others, I am grateful that this is pretty minor compared to that. Hopefully, as third trimester rolls around, the hormone changes again won't bring on other symptoms. It's so fascinating to feel him kicking around inside me. It's like this wonderful special connection that he is telling me he's doing well. It makes me smile. I just wish Justin was able to feel him more. But I know that will be coming very soon. I notice him kicking at school too, and it's a little bit distracting, but just because it makes me focus on my baby and not on class. Still, I love it.

Coming soon, I will post about some of the pregnancy books I've been reading. It's an extensive list that warrants its own post. :)