I am 4 months pregnant and trying to eat better, it is hard!

Posted on Jan 05 in 2008 pregnancy, home birth advocacy, personal storiesby TalinaPrint

I know you are all probably sick and tired of reading about my desires to birth at The Farm so I just wanted to mention a few things then I am on to discuss other things.

I found a study posted here that takes an interesting look at Farm births versus hospital births, also there is quite a bit of good info available here to support home births. I thought some of you might be interested in the info.

N and I had a good weekend. We got the Christmas tree taken down, cleaned the house and ran errands. We also played the Wii and had some fun.

I am back to drinking my nutritional shakes (you know the generic version on Ensure) because I am pretty sure my body has been trying to tell me I am not getting all I need nutritionally speaking for the pregnancy.

Specifically I have been noticing strange heart pounding or heart racing at odd times throughout the day. I know this occurs for me when I exercise, get to breathing hard (taking laundry up and down the stairs) or when I get out of the hot bath at night. I am fairly certain what I am experiencing is some sort of change in blood pressure, what I am worried about is the idea that my diet could be causing it.

I’ll chat with my OBGYN on Thursday about this but I am also making a big effort to correct my diet as well. Diet is a big deal in pregnancy and I have been advised by my midwife at The Farm to eat lots of vegtables and fruits. Specifically dark leafy greens.

A fellow Farm birthing mama is on bed rest right now in preparation for her February delivery as a result of her diet and blood glucose levels. She also advised me to listen to the midwife’s suggestions on diet very carefully and I am heeding the advice. Now I just need some meal and snack ideas to keep me eating well.

Got any dark leafy green suggestions? The only leafy green I even like is spinach.

I am also loving doing yoga on the new Wii Fit. It makes me feel so good and it also provides a great stretch which I wouldn’t get otherwise. I have always been a group excerciser, meaning if I am not doing it as a group with others I never did it at all.

Now that I am not teaching I’ve been slacking in the fitness area. Pregnancy is not the best time to be a fitness slacker folks. Thankfully the Wii Fit keeps me active and wanting to excercise a bit each day. I might be loving it more than N does at this point…

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13 Comments

• Memarie Lane says:

  January 5, 2009 at 6:01 pm

  The heart pounding / racing thing is exactly what I’ve been going through. It happened while I was pregnant, and still happens. It’s pretty scary. And it actually seems to happen the most when I’m at rest and totally relaxed.

  To help me eat better I keep a drawer in the fridge full of stuff for instant healthy eating: boiled eggs, whole wheat tortillas. shredded cheese, cooked chicken, baby spinach, kidney beans, cubed cheese, etc. When I get hungry I just pull out the drawer and throw together a quick wrap. I absolutely rely on boiled eggs for a quick protein fix. Other good greens to have on hand are sugarsnap peas, edamame (the kind you just thaw rather than cooking), and swiss chard. I have a recipe where you cook swiss chard, black beans, fresh tomatoes, and feta cheese and serve it with pasta (I use the multigrain angel hair). It’s really good.

  Memarie Lanes last blog post..Pizza #1
• Talina says:

  January 5, 2009 at 6:14 pm

  Memarie Lane »

  “And it actually seems to happen the most when I’m at rest and totally relaxed”
  This is exactly what set off the red flags for me! It happens at the weirdest times when I am not overly exerted. I have even begun to monitor my eating in relation to the symptoms. I thought it was sugar that was causing it but after a turkey burger and a salad last night I had an ice cream sandwich and had no heart ponding at all. Later that night well after meal time when I began feeling hungry again I notice it and grabbed fruit roll up as a snack (probably not the best choice). So I am wondering if it is sugar related (too much sugar) or just hunger related.

  Mmm the wrap idea sounds really good! Are you scared to eat the chicken cold though? How long does it keep? I may need to try that idea tonight! Oh and if you send me your recipe I try it, sounds good!
• Krystal says:

  January 5, 2009 at 7:06 pm

  The dark leafy greens are hight in folic acid which is good at preventing spinal bifida. Butter lettus and orcanic motzarella (the kind that floats in the oil) is really good together then you dont need to use dressing. Green, and yellow bell peppers are good for you too! rolled turkey breast with a peice of carrot, wrapped in lettus. Zucni with cinnimon, heated up in the zapper.
  Just get creative. If you dont like leafy green, try mixing them with things you do like.
  I love veggies, all of them, so never had a problem eating tons of them!

  Krystals last blog post..Oh snap!
• Becky says:

  January 5, 2009 at 8:02 pm

  I drank oj by the gallon. I also did a lot of salads. I just seemed to crave them naturally. As far as exercise, I really didn’t much more than walking and stretching. I have 2 healthy kids, so somewhere I did something right:)
• Donna B. says:

  January 6, 2009 at 4:45 am

  From what you’re describing, your palpitations are coming at times when your blood sugar would or should be low. Maybe it’t too low? If that’s the case, the fruit roll-up was exactly the right choice.

  I stole the following from youngwomenshealth.org:

  “Examples of dark green leafy vegetables and the best way to eat them:

  Arugula has a peppery taste and is rich in vitamins A, C, and calcium. Arugula can be eaten raw in salads or added to stir-fry, soups, and pasta sauces.

  Chicory has a slightly bitter flavor and is rich in vitamins K, C, and calcium. Chicory is best eaten with other greens in salad or when added to soups and pasta sauces.

  Collard Greens have a spinach-like flavor and are rich in vitamin A and calcium. They are best if you boil them briefly and then add to a soup or stir-fry. You can also eat collard greens as a side dish. Just add your favorite seasoning and enjoy!

  Dandelion Greens have a bitter, tangy flavor and are rich in vitamin A and calcium. They are best when steamed or eaten raw in salad.

  Kale has a slightly bitter, cabbage-like flavor and is rich in vitamin A, C, calcium, folic acid, and potassium. Kale is tasty when added to soups, stir-fries, and sauces.

  Mustard Greens have a hot, spicy flavor and are rich in vitamin A, C and calcium. They are delicious eaten raw in salads or in stir-fries and soups.

  Spinach has a sweet flavor and is rich in vitamin A, C, iron and calcium. Spinach tastes great eaten raw in salads or steamed.

  Swiss Chard tastes similar to spinach and is rich in vitamins C, K, and calcium. It is beststir-fried or eaten raw in salads.”

  Of course, being a Southerner, collard and mustard greens would be my choice

  Donna B.s last blog post..Random Thoughts and Links
• tiff says:

  January 6, 2009 at 7:36 pm

  I’m putting in my two cents here. I think it’s your iron levels being too low.
  heart palpatations, shortness of breath,being tired all signs of low iron.

  Also; your birthing at the Farm? I love you!
  I have loved that place (from afar obviously) for as long as I can remember wanting to be a midwife.

  tiffs last blog post..A fairy funny breakfast.
• Talina says:

  January 6, 2009 at 7:56 pm

  Ooo, lots of good info! Thanks Donna. I like spinach so that is one step in the right direction, the rest of those are kind of new to me…
• teeni says:

  January 7, 2009 at 1:22 am

  Broccoli is a very good dark green veggie.

  I found it interesting you noticing your heart pounding after a hot bath. That makes a lot of sense. According to my Wii Fit (can you believe it?) a quick hot shower will raise your blood pressure! So I imagine a bath would too. I can’t believe I learned that from my Wii Fit. I guess you would have gotten that message eventually too at some point since I think it gives random tips every time you do a body test. Anyway I thought you’d get a kick out of hearing that.
• melissa bridge says:

  January 7, 2009 at 11:45 am

  Eat alot of salad. I ate alot of brocolli and salad. You can mix things up by adding spinach or arugula. You can make a nice citrus salad by squeezing some lemons,oranges and limes, add a little honey to the fresh juices and it make a healthy , lite dressing. Pour it over some arugula that is tossed with orange supremes. It’s really a great salad. An idea with spinach is get a berry vinagarette you like. Add cut up apples, fresh strawberry’s and some walnuts. There’s alot of ways to mix the veggies up so you don’t get tired of them.
• Debo Hobo says:

  January 8, 2009 at 12:55 pm

  You should try Kale, I luv luv luv Kale. Put in soups the last 10 minutes or so of cooking. Or just steam it with a small amount of chicken stock just to wilt it. So yummy…I could eat kale all day every day.

  Did you get your gift certificate?

  Debo Hobos last blog post..And The Winner Is……
• Talina says:

  January 8, 2009 at 2:55 pm

  Yes! I did get the gift certificate thanks!

  I have heard kale is like spinach in taste, is it? I am experimenting with greens right now we got some turnip greens and spinach because they were out of everything else. Next week I’ll pick up some kale though. Thanks a ton for the suggestions they help so much!
• Kari Jenkins says:

  January 8, 2009 at 3:11 pm

  I can’t remember if I said this or not in my other email, but it sounds like a lot of the ladies are on the “kale train” already.

  With my kale, I’ll put some olive oil in the skillet and after it’s heated up…I’ll throw some (or A LOT of) garlic in the pan for a minute. Sometimes I put onions in there too. Then, I throw the kale in the skillet. I usually try and pull it off the stems. You only have to cook it for a few minutes, so the nutrition doesn’t all cook out. Some salt and pepper, and you’re good to go!

  I change it up sometimes and squirt some Bragg’s in the pan when I’m finished. It’s a soy protein spray that you can get at a health/whole food store. It sort of has a soy sauce taste to it.

  You can also just rip up some kale and use it as some of your salad greens. Ask Pamela about growing kale if you’re into that. She’ll give you a great lesson on it. It’s a hardy plant that will last through most of the winter.

  Talk soon!!
• Kari Jenkins says:

  January 8, 2009 at 7:50 pm

  I’m not sure what grocery stores you have, but I can never find kale at Kroger, but can usually always find it fresh at Publix or organic at Whole Foods.

  Don’t give up on the kale train yet.

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