Here's an update on what's been happening since my last post when I was just starting my first trimester:
1. Anemia: Shortly after my last post I found out I was low on my iron levels. I was borderline low, as in, my numbers weren't so low that I was at risk to miss out on my home birth, but low enough that I needed to get busy getting them back up again.
Now, for someone who eats plant-based, this took me a bit by surprise at first. Then I thought back over this pregnancy, evaluating how I've done with eating and taking my vitamins and it was a no-brainer that I would have this come up. The fact that I've struggled so much just to eat the foods that are iron rich and eat enough of them. My appetite has been very poor this pregnancy. Add in that I've been horribly forgetful about taking my prenatal vitamins and you have a recipe for low iron right there.
This diagnoses also explained why I was feeling so awful mid-pregnancy. I was extremely fatigued and dealt with dizziness and feeling faint anytime I was standing in one place for more than15-20 minutes. It was a real struggle and I was glad to find out there was a real cause other than I was just an old grand-multipara.
I started asking questions of my midwife and other moms and began my research on what was my best strategy to get those levels up fast. Even though they weren't terribly low, I wanted to feel better sooner than later and I wanted the issue dealt with well before labor so as not to create complications. First, I evaluated my diet and looked at what foods I needed to work harder at getting down to increase my natural iron intake. Many of the foods I would normally eat are very high in iron, I just needed a better plan to get them in on a daily basis. I looked at some charts like this one and this one and made this plan:
Iron Rich Foods menu:
Breakfast: Prenatal vitamins, Kale
Breakfast salad with added hemp seeds, pumpkin seedsMorning snack: Dried apricots or raisins with brazil nuts, piece of baked good
Lunch: Lentils with added greens (collards or chard); half potato; spinach salad with oranges and raw pumpkin seeds
Snack: Crackers with hummus (chickpeas), cut veggies
Dinner: Add roasted beet with dinner, be sure to get beans in at dinner
Evening snack: Smoothie made with Ojay, kale, fruit, hemp seed
Okay, so that was my plan. However, it didn't take long for me to see that I couldn't rely on my body to stick to the plan. It's just too hard for me to get that much food and those sorts of foods down every day. My taste meter is just too off right now.
That's when I started to look at supplements for increasing my iron levels. I looked at using floradix, but read some conflicting thoughts regarding how effective it really is. (I wish I had book marked my sources while doing that research as I can't find the links now that pertain to the discussion. Sorry!) I decided to simply go with an iron supplement and get what I needed in me directly.
My usual prenatal vitamins, Dr. Furhman's Gentle Prenatal, has plenty of iron in it, but I wanted an extra boost to recover faster. I hunted around and chose to go with a product called Hemaplex. I liked that the ingredients didn't include yeast or dairy of any kind. I'm already struggling with yeast and the calcium in the dairy is a natural inhibitor of iron absorption so it doesn't make sense to me to add that in. The Hemaplex is loaded with a variety of other vitamins as well, though, so I decreased my prenatals by half while I used it. I stayed on the Hemaplex for approximately 3-4 weeks and then went back to using my regular prenatal vitamin dose. During this time I kept working on eating as close to the menu plan I had made as I could. My biggest tool was adding in at least one green smoothie made with iron rich foods every day.
My recent blood draw showed my iron levels back in the normal range. I need to keep working at getting in those vitamins regularly and getting down the right foods, but I'm glad to see that I found the right track and was able to remedy that issue. I knew before the test that I was doing better as my energy definitely increased and my dizzy while standing issues lessened. I still struggle with that but I can go a lot longer than 15 minutes before it takes effect. Whew!
2. Yeast: I struggle with this every pregnancy, even though I was hopeful it wouldn't come up this time as I had been free of any yeasty symptoms for months prior to my pregnancy. Sadly, because I am eating a lot more grains and breads this go round, I ended up back where I have been in the past. Knowing that this struggle always leads to more trouble after baby arrives by way of thrush and mastitis/clogged ducts, I was desperate to deal with it quickly.
I began a course of probiotics and worked to take out the yeast breads from my diet. The probiotics are easy, removing the bread...not so much. Currently, I'm on my third probiotic. I've used three different kinds over the last several weeks in large doses. I saw some change but more in the way of the symptoms shifting to new areas of irritation. I also developed varicose veins in some unfortunate places which made me wonder if those were creating the discomfort more than the yeast. My mw gave an herbal spray for me to use to deal with those and to bring some relief to the yeast symptoms while my body continued to heal.
Okay, here's where my lack of patience set in again. (notice how I keep wanting to deal with these issues FAST and get them out of the way QUICKLY?) After a week of still struggling I decided to use an OTC three day yeast treatment. I remembered one of my midwives telling me in a previous pregnancy how important it was to be free of that prior to deliver so as to be sure there wasn't a weakening of the tissues necessary for a good birth. I was getting closer and really felt I needed to deal with this once and for all.
I'm happy to report that the OTC treatment has taken care of the discomforting symptoms. The herbal spray is helping with the variscosities as well and helping with any other slight itching that emerges. The most recent probiotic I started is a strong one that should finally wipe out the yeast before baby arrives.
3. GBS (Group B Strep): This is a controversial issue out there. I'll just explain how I handle this when I'm planning a homebirth and let you decide for yourself how you plan to deal with it for your birth.
In the past I've tested positive for GBS. Research shows that even if you test negative, a week or even a day later you could test positive for GBS. It's that finicky and the tests are that unreliable. This is the primary reason the doctors won't accept a GBS test done *too early* as reliable for treatment or no treatment. Because of this, I've chosen over the last few pregnancies, when I have the choice, to forgo the actual GBS test and assume I am positive to some degree. (after all, I've been positive before, so it's likely I still carry the bacteria).
In a homebirth, I have some assurance that the birth methods and techniques will keep my baby at a lesser risk for exposure during birth. (fewer cervical checks, no artificial rupture of membranes, more gentle delivery practices) Along with these measures my midwife recommends a vaginal wash using hibiclense during labor to keep the birth canal clean. Recently, she and her colleagues have seen great results in using a probiotic called Fem-Dophilus to reverse or eliminate the presence of GBS in patients that tested positive in the weeks leading up to birth.
So, with these tools in my pocket I choose to not use antibiotics during my labor to treat any potential GBS infection. Once baby is born, I use my midwife's instructions for monitoring baby's heart rate and temperature at semi-hourly intervals in the first week to be on the watch for signs of infection. This protocol, in my experience, has been much more thorough than what I've seen the hospital staff offer in my hospital births.
4. Positioning: At about 34-35 weeks baby was presenting in a breech oblique position.
Most of my pregnancies I've struggled to get baby to position properly. I've never dealt with a breech baby, but generally have babies that like to lie posterior. The breech scared me a bit and gave me the final push I needed to schedule my prenatal appointments with a chiropractor to prep for delivery as well as help this baby turn the right way.
After about three visits with the chiropractor baby was back to head down position, though still posterior. This made me so happy. I was also happy that my visits also helped me with increased energy, a decrease of nausea that has, sadly, returned during these last few weeks, and a decrease in the dizzy spells I deal with. I will continue to see the chiropractor at least once a week leading up to delivery and the weeks following to ensure that I and baby are adjusted well.
5. Labor Prep: I started my labor prep regimen this week! I use Red Raspberry Leaf tablets and Evening Primrose Oil in the final weeks.
The Red Raspberry Leaf helps to tone the uterus, helping it work more efficiently during and after labor. I continue using the RRL tablets for at least a month following birth to help my uterus continue toning and return to normal state. I've found that my post partum recovery and bleeding have always been short and minimal. I am confident the RRL is a big help with this. I could have started using the RRL as early as 32 weeks, but I didn't have it on hand at that time. That just means I can start with higher doses now as I go. I am currently taking two 950mg tablets per day. I may increase as I approach my due date.
Evening Primrose Oil helps to soften and ripen the cervix. My body needs all the help it can get with this! I am currently taking one 1300mg orally once per day and one 1300mg inserted *privately* each night.
I've also recently read that eating 6 raw dates per day can shorten your labor. I'm not sure I can get that many in, but it sure will be yummy trying! :D
6. Family Prep: Freezer meals!
We've been working to fill the freezer by doubling meals and baked goods during the week. On top of this, my two oldest girls are hosting a Freezer Meal Shower for me later this month. We're inviting the ladies from church to come and help us prep meals with our recipes and ingredients for one final big stock up before baby arrives. We are excited about this! It will give a chance to invite friends over, give me a lot of help where I need it most right now (standing for long periods of time working in the kitchen is really tough right now) and takes away the challenge of getting meals to us after baby arrives since we live an hour from the church we attend and generally wait several weeks after baby arrives to go out in public again.
Here's my list of foods I hope to prep in the coming weeks and at the party:
Soup Starter Bags: Quart sized bags of chopped onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and leafy greens
Bean Bags: Quart sized bags with chopped onion, mushrooms, and leafy greens to add to cooked beans
Main Dish Meals: (these are all plant-based, non-dairy meals following our nutritarian goals)
Veggie Lasagna
Stuffed Shells
Pasta Broccoli Alfredo
Upside Down Not Roast (similar to shepherd's pie)
Bean Burgers and Nuggets
Bean Balls for spaghetti
Breakfast Patties
Chickpea Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping
Scalloped Potatoes
Breakfast Burritos
Pasty Hotdish and/or pasties
Creamy Mac
Baked Goods:
Spiced Coffee with Date Caramel Sauce
Pancakes
Apple Crisp
Rhubarb Crisp
Blueberry Muffins
Banana Bread
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Irish Soda Bread
Applesauce Cornbread
Zucchini Bread
Banana Blueberry Bars
Granola
Chocolate Cake (for labor day!) with fudgy frosting
Extras:
Salad dressings
Chickpea dip
Hummus
BBQ sauce
Alfredo sauce
So, that's the plan. I've got a few things already done. It would be great to get even half of these done before baby arrives. :)
7. Gestational Diabetes: Testing again this week and all my numbers are in perfect range. YIPPEEE!!!
In the meantime, I'm moving pretty slow. I'm dealing with nausea off and one and am pretty sore and achy. This belly of mine is heavy and my energy is low. I've moved in to my normal Hibernation Mode and would loooove to just hide out alone, like a cat, until this baby arrives. Still, there's that freezer list and nesting list that needs attention along with schooling and the children's activities that will make the coming weeks move very quickly, I'm sure.
Please pray I can keep a smile on my face and see the blessings in the tasks while I work to keep up with all that needs done.
Side note: In these photos I'm wearing the gown my oldest daughter made for me. She designed and created it for me to wear to the Medieval Feast she is hosting this weekend. Isn't she talented?? :D
