Postpartum Weight loss - Halfway there!

About a month ago I laid down a gauntlet for myself to lose 15 lbs in 2 months by eating better and exercising more.  Well, I'm halfway through my personal challenge and am 6 pounds down!  Not halfway, but not too shabby, either.  I can actually fit in some of my pre-preggo pants - my booty's pippin' in them, but at least I can button them!

I didn't work out 3x/week like I had committed to doing, so I will be focusing on that from now until August 15.  However, I still need to figure out my schedule.  I was going to head to a 7am workout before work two days a week, but I found out that my gym doesn't have a 7am…so that means 6am…  Yikes, I just don't know if I can do that after being up 2-3 times per night to nurse Gideon! So, 2 days per week I will either:

go for a run
get my sleep-deprived butt outta bed at 5:15 to make a 6am Crossfit class
do a "travel WOD" at home

Eating healthy is surprisingly easier now that I am back to work.  I only stock the fridge and pantry with healthy foods and eat less since I'm not hanging out near the kitchen with the kiddos all day.  I will admit that I wander down there at about 2pm everyday searching for something delicious and leaving with….a superfood drink because that's the most delicious thing I can find.  Where are all the cookies?!?

The timing is actually perfect for me to focus on eating clean.  Gideon's stools have been really strange lately - they've been mucousy for a couple of weeks and this week he's had some dark green and black stools.  The pediatrician told me that it's probably just due to a change in diet, but could also be from a dairy intolerance. So, I'll definitely be cutting out diary to see if that resolves the issue.  It makes me feel so guilty to think that the food I am consuming is potentially harmfully affecting his little GI tract :(  I'll keep you posted on whether the dairy elimination helps this!

Alright, that's it - one month and 9 more pounds. Wish me luck!

Weight Loss after Second Baby

Well, here I am again - the once every 6 months blogger ;)

We had a healthy baby boy, Gideon Daniel, in March.  He was a big boy at 9 lbs. 15 oz. and is quite the eater.  I have been nursing exclusively for about 2.5 months and it is going SO much better than with Lilah.  His latch is better, he nurses every 3 hours instead of every 1 hour, and pulls off when he has finished.  Ahhhh..  So. Much. B
etter.  For you Mamas out there that are hesitant to nurse baby #2 after having a less-than stellar experience with baby #1, Do It!  At least give it a try, I can't tell you what a difference there has been between my two babies.

As for Paleo, I've totally gone off the bandwagon.  I just re-read some of my posts from when I did a VLC challenge and it motivated me to get back on track.  Not only was I healthier, I was happier.  I also just saw a picture of me from just after that challenge, and Dang!  I was looking good ;)  But seriously, I was really lean and in shape and looked confident.  I want to get back to that place.

Two and a half months postpartum and I still have 15-20 lbs of baby weight to lose.  With Lilah they seemed to fall off with nursing.  Not so much this time.  I'm really not eating terribly, but I am eating some gluten a couple of times a week, and have been drinking a glass of wine or or a beer a few nights a week.  I want to drink all the time.  I don't know what this is! Has anyone else experienced craving drinks after baby?  I'm guessing this is two things: 1. I was deprived of wine and beer for 9 months and my body is making up for it 2. It's summer in Texas and nothing sounds better than a refreshing drink after a long day at home with the babies.  Anyway, they taste pretty delicious, but are doing nothing for my weight loss.
Maternity leave has been great for working out - I've been able to get to the gym a few times a week, a frequency that is unthinkable when I return to work.  So, I've been taking full advantage of this and have been loving getting in some WODs.

So, here's the gauntlet I'm throwing down for myself.  Lose 15 lbs between now and August 15 (2 months.)  Get to the gym 3 times/week, even after I go back to work in July.  Eat Paleo 90% of the time for month 1 and 100% of the time for month 2.  That's it.  Wish me luck!  If you want to join me on a postpartum weightless challenge, message me!  We can motivate each other :)

Benefits of Breastfeeding?

Benefits of Breastfeeding

It's round 2 for me - I am 20 weeks pregnant with my second child!  And we just found out it's a little boy!  We are so excited to add a boy to our little family.  I am excited for a playmate for my daughter, a mama's boy for me, and a little buddy for my husband.  And because of this little bundle on the way, I am once again preparing my body for one of the more difficult challenges of my adult life - breastfeeding.

I'm not going to put it lightly - this was very difficult with my first.  Although my supply was good, her latch was not and therefore I dealt with sore, cracked, and bleeding nipples for months.  Not to mention the round-the-clock nursings, multiple times/day pumping, etc.  It was difficult, but was it worth it?  In my opinion, absolutely and I will be doing it again with #2.

I recently read that studies on benefits of breastfeeding are conflicted.  All that work and studies are conflicted?  No significant benefits to breastfeeding (other than it's free, of course!)?

Well, this saddens me - not because I truly feel there may be no benefits to breastfeeding but because:

1. Mothers who read this may give up on breastfeeding before they start
2. Our diets have become so nutrient poor that our breastmilk is no better than formula

#2 really gets me.  There is nothing in my mind that can tell me that if you compare a Paleo mother's milk to a SAD mother's milk that there will not be significant differences.  I'd love to take samples of Paleo milk and compare them to both SAD milk and formula to see the differences in nutrient content.  I'd also love to compare the babies fed those diets to look for differences in allergens, IQ, and other common child illnesses.  Wouldn't that be interesting?  Who can help me with this?

There are a few key factors to why I believe a Paleo diet is ideal for breastfeeding as compared to a standard american diet.  And the biggest factor is that people on the Paleo diet are (typically) not afraid to consume large amounts of fat.  In addition, Paleo eaters do not consume processed foods whose ingredients can actually block nutrient absorption.  Fats are such a controversial issue right now and it is amazing that despite all of the recent research, people are still afraid to consume fat.  Read below to see why consuming high levels of fat are such an important part of breastfeeding.

Cholesterol is so important that mother's milk has enzyme to ensure the baby absorbs 100% of it.  Cholesterol is critical to formation of brain, digestive tract, and nervous system.  Cholesterol is not the nasty-gram that Dr.'s once warned you about.  You need it and your baby needs it.  Eat your (high quality - grass fed - organic) EGGS!   Eat the fat on your meat!  You need this and your baby will thank you for it!

Long chain PUFAs are required for babies nervous system development.  Lack of these can cause developmental delays, learning disabilities, and lack of visual acuity.  Long-chain PUFA deficiency is also being linked to ADHD.  So what does this mean for you?  Take your Omega-3 supplements.  Eat fatty fish at least 2x/week.  And that old myth about not eating fish because of high level mercury levels - throw it in the trash.  While the mercury levels are rising in our sealife (something which does need to be addressed), they are not to a level that is harful for you - especially since when ingested, mercury attaches itself to Selenium (also very high in fish) and becomes indigestible.  The benefits of eating fish GREATLY outweigh the risks.

Euricic Acid - long cain MUFA are harmful. These are found in industrial seed oils, soy and vegetable oil and actually coat the inside of the intestines, blocking nutrient absorption.  Avoid these at all costs during both pregnancy and breastfeeding for proper nutrient absorption.

A low-carb, high-fat diet means that mothers will be eating less calories from carbs, and needing to replace those with calories from fat - some experts say pregnant and nursing mothers should be getting 50-60% of their calories from high quality fat sources, 20% from protein, and 20% from carbs.  Don't get me wrong, your body and your baby do need carbs, so ensure you are eating some each day (fruit, starchy vegetables, etc.)

 So are there benefits to breasfeeding?  Who am I to say?  I haven't done the research myself - I don't have access to a lab where I can test these things, but I don't disagree with most studies that say "no" if they are comparing formula to Standard American Diet breastmilk.  However, how does milk stack up against formula if it's being created from high-fat, high-quality, nutrient dense foods?  you can't tell me there aren't any benefits there.  So I will be nursing baby #2.  I will deal with the cracked, sore, and bleeding nipples, the late night feedings, the pumping sessions in a closet at work - because it's worth it.

Cultural Norms vs. Paleo Lifestyle Part 1::Prenatal Care

I’m changing topics slightly – this post will be more closely related to the Paleo lifestyle, in general.  Because of my knowledge and understanding of the Paleo way-of-life, I often question cultural norms – why do these practices exist?  Why is “x” or “y” considered “normal?”

Throughout my pregnancy and now in early parenting, I continue to question these cultural norms.  During my pregnancy it was “why do women need drugs to have a baby?”  We are the only animal that “needs” this. We are the only animal that “needs” to be monitored monthly (and in my case weekly) by physicians to ensure our pregnancies are humming along smoothly.  

My husband and I had a honeymoon baby – so, we were surprised by the pregnancy, but pleasantly so!  I’ve always had a fear of not being able to conceive or miscarrying because of my thyroid disease and gluten-intolerance, which are both closely related to infertility.  So, getting pregnant before “trying” was very welcome by my husband and me. 

We got to our first Dr. appt, got the bloodwork done and we were in fact pregnant.  She had me come back a couple of days later to test my hCG and make sure it was rising appropriately.  It wasn’t – while this hormone should increase by 100% every 2 days, mine increased by about 30%.  My doctor basically told me that I should expect to miscarry.  (She didn’t use these words, but that’s what I heard.)  We had a follow-up ultrasound scheduled for the following week, which meant I spent a week crying because my biggest fears were becoming a reality.  Well, we got to the ultrasound and I was a mess emotionally – I expected to hear/see nothing when she put the sonogram to my belly.  But, that did not happen.  It was magical – I could hear my baby’s heartbeat loud and clear. 

But, I was a nervous wreck until week 14 (which was the “danger zone” in my mind.)   And then around week 20, I was at a bachelorette party, when an OBGYN who happened to attend the party had the nerve to say to me “You’re 20 weeks? Are you sure your baby’s alive in there?  You’re looking really small…” Thanks for that.

So, nervous wreck Aubrey came back in full-force.  “Is she growing in there?”

At 28 weeks, my Doctor told me that my baby had Intrauterine Growth Restriction – fears: validated.  I was starving my baby.  The Doc told me that her brain was developing normally, but the rest of her body was not.  This is a “good thing” because the baby’s body was working correctly and sending all of the nutrients to the most important part – the brain.  All I could hear was “OMG, I’m starving my baby.”  Was this due to my “paleo” diet?  Was I really starving my baby?  Did I need grains in order to conceive a child? 

I also became borderline hypertensive in my last 8 weeks of pregnancy.  Me and Lilah were put on strict watch.

We monitored that baby – I went in for 30 minute heartbeat tests twice/week for the remainder of my pregnancy, all the while, in the back of my head thinking “these tests cannot be good for my baby.”  Lilah would kick and kick while these tests were taking place.  I read somewhere that heart monitors sound to babies like a freight train is in the room with them.  But, I did it – heartbeat tests to make sure my baby was alive and my high blood pressure wasn’t restricting blood flow to the placenta.

Anyway, the point of this entire rant is that this all felt so unnatural to me.  Guess what…Lilah came out perfect.  She was not growth restricted; she came out a healthy 7lbs 11 oz the day after her due date.  Her head wasn't huge with a tiny little body like my Doctor had warned us we might see - she was perfectly proportionate.  My blood pressure was perfect during my labor.  I had a healthy, happy baby girl.  And after all of that worry, nervousness, and doubt over my ability to carry a child.

Why do we put ourselves through this?  Although I believe in the power of medicine and medical intervention in the event of an emergency, is it necessary to perform weekly/monthly tests on pregnant women?  I’m sure many would argue yes, but I’d lean more towards a no.  We need to eat healthy, be active, and trust that our bodies can produce a child, like our ancestors did, and like all other species of animal does without medical help.  Looking back, the stress/worry that I was put through during pregnancy could not have been good for me or Lilah.  

As an aside, my husband and I did do the Bradley Method for our childbirth education.  I’d recommend this to any Paleo mama and will dedicate my next post to this.

Thanks for hearing out my rant.  For those pregnant mamas out there – TRUST your body.  TRUST your diet.  THINK positive thoughts.  Your baby will be perfect.

Back on Track!

So, life caught up with me and I slacked on the blog posting.  But, then something really incredible happened….I got a comment!  Sweet Emily from NC commented on my last post and reminded me that there are women out there who could use a little guidance in the Paleo Breastfeeding department.

So, here I go again…blogging away, in hopes that I can help some women who are interested in, but nervous to try to breastfeed on a Paleo Diet.

As an update, I finished the Strength and Beauty Challenge.  I lost 4 lbs, 4.3% body fat, and 9.5 inches!  I felt great, my milk supply remained at a homeostatic level throughout the challenge, and my attitude and energy were at an all-time high.

I also felt more confident in myself, as a mother, and a wife.  And!!!  And!!! I decided to start studying to be a Certified Sports Nutritionist.  I already have a degree in Exercise Science, so I really just need read a (pretty complex) textbook and take an exam for this certification.  I’m trying to get this complete by the end of December. 

Anyway, my before and after pictures are posted below – check out my posture – you can just tell I’m more confident.

But, then, as I feared, once the challenge was over and I left my weekly accountability group, my diet lagged.  My little family took a trip to El Paso and ate like kings, then came Halloween, and then my parents and grandma came for a visit – although I’m still eating 90% paleo, there were definitely more cheats than necessary in October. (And when I say cheats, I mean pizza parties.)

And the weird thing – along with an increase in sugar and carbs came a decrease in self-esteem, a weight gain back to where I was before the challenge, and a general lack of energy. (But, there was one good thing about increasing my sugar intake – my ketosis rash has disappeared!)

Lilah’s also been sleeping terribly lately.  Is this coincidence, or is she actually reacting to the increased sugar in my diet?

There’s only one way to find out – get back on track.

Strict Paleo it is, once again.  And I will re-commit to blogging.  If you’re reading, please post comments!  It really encourages me to keep going :)

 

Days 16-18 - Ketosis or VLC Rash?

A few days after I began this challenge, I noticed a rash which started on my chest and spread to my clavicle and back.   It looks similar to acne.  Could it be from working out and sweating more? From my new sports bras?  New lotion?  Something I ate?  I tried everything to get rid of it - washing all my clothes in really hot water, washing my sheets, showering immediately after exercise, but nothing worked.  I was at a loss.

I didn't really think it was something I ate, since I have only eliminated foods since beginning the challenge.  So, I turned to Google... and found that when some people enter ketosis, they can get a rash on their chest, clavicle, and back.  Interesting.... 

After doing some research, here's what I've found the rash could be caused by:
1. Excess Ketone bodies in the blood, causing a rash
2. When your body begins to burn fat instead of carbs, it breaks down stored triglycerides.  Since toxins are typically fat soluble, when these triglycerides break down, they release large amounts of toxins into the bloodstream, causing a rash
3. Excess Omega 6's are also stored in the fat cells -when the triglycerides break down, excess Omega 6's get into the bloodstream, causing a rash
4. When you begin a VLC diet, your protein intake typically increases, thus increasing digestive enzymes and histamine.  The rash could be due to a histamine sensitivity.

So, here's my order in trying to eliminate the rash:
1. increase Omega 3 intake significantly (taking 1t/day liquid right now - will increase to 1T/day)
2. increase carbs in my diet - currently between 80g & 100g/day - will increase to 100-150g/day

Hopefully this works!  On a positive note - this tells me that I am definitely in fat-burning mode, which was the whole point to this challenge!

Both me and baby are doing wonderfully.  For the first time in a long time, when someone asks "how are you doing?," I say "fantastic."  Seriously, fantastic.

My husband and I walk a 3-mile trail a couple of times/week with Lilah.  Today was the first time in over a year that I actually felt like breaking into a jog while on this trail.  I didn't, but I wanted to :)

Milk supply is still hanging in there.  I haven't noticed any substantial increase or decrease since beginning the challenge outside of the supply dip fiasco about a week ago.

I also haven't noticed any temperament changes in Lilah.  She's a healthy, happy little girl!

Here she is gnawing on her favorite food - bacon!

Days 12-15 Goats Milk Formula

Good news!  My supply is back where it needs to be!  However, this little dip in supply got me really motivated to find a formula that would work for Lilah in case something happened to my supply again.  I literally have 0 stored bags of breastmilk at this point.  I've seen a lot of good things about the Weston A Price and Nourishing Traditions homemade breastmilk, (http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/recipes-for-homemade-baby-formula) so decided I'd give it a whirl.  Now, these recipes are pretty complex and require a lot of non-traditional ingredients, including homemade whey, infant probiotics, butter oil, etc.  So, here's I made this formula, but with a minimalist approach :)

If you're interested in creating your own formula, I'd recommend goats milk, as babies can more easily digest the protein in goat's milk as opposed to cow's milk.  However, goat's milk does lack B12, as compared to cows milk.

So, here's my rationale - since Lilah is still consuming primarily breastmilk (and good quality breastmilk!), I didn't feel that I had to follow the recipe exactly.  Here's what I did:

6 oz goats milk

2 oz water

1/2 t coconut oil

1/4 t olive oil

1 T homemade bone broth (for extra nutrients, including B12)

Since the bone broth coagulates when cold, you'll need to warm this formula before using and shake well.

Guess what?!?  Lilah loved it!!!!  Our nanny's been giving her 1 bottle/day of this so that she can store some breastmilk for emergencies (like if I forget my milk at work one night..)    And the goats milk doesn't seem to have any effect on her digestion.  She seems to be tolerating it just fine.

Now, if you're going to be supplementing more than 1 bottle/day, I would recommend adding in some or all of the additional ingredients from the original recipe.

I feel Soooo much better knowing that there is a "formula" that we can fall back on in case something happens to me or my supply.  

This is such a great feeling - my energy is so great, my baby is full, and I am a happy mama :)

Here's a delicious and simple recipe I made the other day:

Cook 3 pieces bacon

Add to the bacon grease:

1 c kale

1/2 apple, sliced

3 T scallions

4 oz leftover meat (I used smoked pork)

1/2 red pepper

handful cherry tomatoes

spice with herbs and S & B

I used basil and parsley

Delicious, quick, and easy lunch!