39 Weeks

September 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Baby Bumps and Blessings

The Making of A Mindful Maternity

 

39 weeks!  So close!  I feel like a I do when I am all ready for Christmas morning and I can’t wait to open the presents and enjoy all the excitement.

I’ve got all my baby stuff ready!  We’ve made major organizational moves in the house, even putting up shelves in our garage and making things more organized and accessible.  The baby clothes are washed and put away, I have a trash can for my cloth diapers, I have food for after the birth, I’ve cleaned up my breast pump accessories, I’ve almost finished my belly cast, and lots more.  All the tasks are done!

Mentally there are times when I feel ready, confident and excited about giving birth and other times when I feel nervous and scared.  My doula encouraged me not to try and squash out those times of nervousness, but to consider that most negative thoughts last about 90 seconds, so just to say to myself, “Right now I am nervous about labor and I am going to take a few deep breaths and in about 90 seconds this feeling will pass.”

I’ve been walking daily, doing some stretches, practicing my deep breathing, visualizing a positive experience and saying calming affirmations.  I’ve felt kind of lazy, enjoyed naps, reading, and television (I’ve watched the entire first season of Friday Night Lights on Netflix) and I haven’t done much work on Mindful Makeover in my free time like I normally do.  My energy levels have been lower than normal, perhaps storing up for the busy time ahead.

We’re all anxious to meet the baby and at the same time trying to keep our normal routine.  I hope you have a great labor day and who knows maybe it will be an actual labor day for me!

Live Well,

Laura

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32 Weeks Pregnant

July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

32 weeks pregnant, the home stretch!  At my appointment with the midwife this week everything looked good.  The baby has grown (watching my protein paid off), my blood pressure was good, and I didn’t have any swelling.  She said to continue eating 80 grams of protein a day, drinking the chlorophyll to ensure good iron levels, and making sure I get enough calcium (1500 mg daily) for the babies bone formation.  This week  I’ve felt really overwhelmed with everything I want to get done before the baby comes, tired, and emotional.  Here are some of the challenges I”ve been addressing.

Trouble Sleeping  Usually I am an excellent sleeper, but this week my mind is busy with all I want to do and my body is getting a bit uncomfortable.  On Tuesday I bought a body pillow at Target and that was a huge help!  I’m not sure why I waited so long to get one.  I’ve also been trying to do about 20 minutes of gentle yoga and deep breathing in the evening and that is helping me to relax and calm down.

Big Sister’s Transition  We had a great week last week at Lutheridge, but my usually well behaved daughter was periodically replaced by a short tempered version of herself who would not do what I asked and brought me to tears on two occasions.  This week, I’ve been reading about getting a 4 year old ready for a new baby and it seems like her behavior is in line with what to expect, she is testing her limits.  This week has been much better as I’ve tried to be firm on our expectations of behavior at home and I”ve made an extra effort to give her some one on one attention.   She is so excited about being a big sister in September.  She loves to pat my belly and say hello to her sister, but I am sure there are fears about this change, as there are for all of us.

Help!  I’m not ready!  I have a big to do list in different areas such as:  a list of improvements for the website based on the TypeA Parent Conference last month, getting the baby’s clothes ready, organizing our closets, cleaning the house, getting a car seat and pack n play, deciding on name, need I go on….All of the sudden 8 more weeks seems like it will be here before I know it and my mindset of there is enough time to get ready is rattled.  On top of that, I want to spend as much time as possible with my husband and daughter.  I love our family of 3 and know that soon we will be adjusting to a new dynamic that will also be great, but it will be different.  I’m trying to remain mindful by journaling, practicing deep breathing, walking, prioritizing my to do lists, and letting go of less important tasks.  Easier said than done, but I am trying to favor relationships and enjoying the journey instead of freaking out over everything there is to do.

I’m off to enjoy a great weekend and I hope you are too!

Live Well,

Laura

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25 Weeks Pregnant

May 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Baby Bumps and Blessings

The Making of a Mindful Maternity

Here I am, 25 weeks pregnant, right now it seems like it is going by fast and there is still much to decide, like what will the baby’s name be?  Baby #2 probably isn’t going to work!  As well as, the need to clean out the house and make some room in for another person.  But I’m working on both of those a little each week, so as I like to say small changes equals big results, so I’m sure we’ll be ready!

At 25 weeks the baby is about 13.5 inches and 1.5 pounds.  This week I went to the doctor and did the glucose screening test and listened to the baby’s heart beat.  My blood pressure was pretty low which I was thinking maybe relates to my relaxation exercises.  I’ve been taking 10-20 minutes every day to do either deep breathing or a progressive relaxation exercise.  I also focus on positive thoughts like this healthy baby comes out easily and quickly.   These short practices have made me feel much more calm and relaxed.   I’ve walked daily, done yoga 3 times, and even played a little badminton (though I have to be careful of jumping around too much).  I”ve also started drinking chlorophyll to help increase my red blood cells to prepare for birth, it is green, but it just tastes like water.

I’m still reading my birthing books and craving quiet time.  It has been a good week and my parents are in town so I’m looking forward to a nice family weekend.

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Live Well,

Laura

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Relaxation Techniques for Pregnancy and Labor

May 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Baby Bumps and Blessings

The Making of a Mindful Maternity

This past weekend I’ve been reading about relaxation techniques to use during pregnancy and to help cope with labor pain.  As a pregnant mama  I’ve  found a million things to worry about such as:

How will labor go?

Will the baby be healthy?

How will the family adjust?

I could go on, but you get the idea.  As I’ve looked through my pregnancy books I”ve been reading about different relaxation techniques that include deep abdominal breathing, progressive relaxation, visualization, and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.   Hmmm, well if you’ve read Mindful Makeover for Moms, you know these are topics that I”ve written about in my book!  To my surprise I am already quite familiar with some great techniques to help me relax during pregnancy and labor.

However, being pregnant, being sick, being busy, being caught up in my head, I’ve let my relaxation practice slide lately!  Shame on me!  Especially during this time when it is so important to take care of myself and when I know how much better I feel when I take time for a Mindful Moment.  So, this week I am committing to setting aside 10-20 minutes each day for relaxation practice to help me deal with the worry and anxiety of this upcoming change. If your interested you can find some audio recordings of Mindful Moments (deep breathing, visualization and progressive relaxation) on our website.

I’ll let you know how it goes!  And remember sometimes the best solutions are right under your nose you just need to be paying attention.

Live Well,

Laura

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Heart Health

February 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

Show Your Heart Some Love

According to the American Heart Association Website, Heart disease is the #1 cause of death among women 20 years and older, killing about one woman every minute.

Its February so our thoughts turn to matters of the heart, but how well are you taking care of your heart?    What can you do to love your heart today?  As women we need to be paying attention to our heart!

Quit Smoking

Smoking increases risks for heart disease and stroke.

Heart Healthy Nutrition

Eat more fruits and vegetables (4.5 cups per day)

Decrease sodium (less than 1,500mg per day)

Decrease saturated fat in the diet (less than 7% of calories)

Eat unsaturated fat

Increase fiber

Heart Healthy Exercise

Walk, job, bike, swim, whatever you like, but get your heart pumping for at least 30 minutes every day!  Too busy to do 30 minutes all at once?  Split your workout into 10-15 minute segments!

Find healthy ways to deal with stress

Exercise

Journal

Deep Breathing

Meditate

Sleep

Knit

For more ideas on heart health visit the American Heart Association and their campaign Go Red for Women.

How well are you taking care of your heart?

Live Well,

Laura

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Mindful Eating

January 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

      This time of year many of us are working on improving our health and one way to do that is to practice mindful eating.

       Now you can be mindful by deciding to eat something like a ton of holiday fudge and really enjoy it, which I have found myself doing a lot over the holidays!  But I’m talking more about listening to our bodies’ signals, controlling portions and choosing healthy foods. 

     Our mind is amazing and really good at talking us into things and helping us rationalize poor food choices.  The other night I had to stay late at work so it was around 7 PM before I was on my way home.  My mind began to tell me that I needed a cheeseburger and fries and I was close to talking myself into this.  My thoughts were something like this, “well it is late, I didn’t have dinner, there won’t be much food at home, I hardly every eat fast food, so its ok this time.”  It was a very convincing argument.  My mind had this argument for about 5 minutes before I finally just said NO, kept driving got something to eat at home.

      Most of us know what foods are good and bad and how it feels bad to overeat, but we don’t always listen to our bodies.  This New Year I am trying to be more mindful of putting healthy food into my body and eating slowly so I don’t overeat. 

        Deep breathing can be helpful when you are trying to focus and make good choices, listen to this clip for reminders on how to do deep breathing. 

     Find more tips and ideas in our book, Mindful Makeover for Moms and remember the code newyear for 50% off a workbook when you buy a book!

Live Well,

Laura

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