Snow at last!

Our two cuties

My pregnancy diet checklist

Towards the end of my pregnancy I decided to keep a checklist so I would remember all the various foods and supplements I was trying to eat or take on a daily basis. As you can see, the list was quite long and could be difficult to keep track of. I am still more or less eating the same way, though I'm not drinking the teas anymore or taking all of the supplements.

This checklist (the food portion at least) was developed with the Weston A. Price Foundation pregnancy diet in mind, which is designed for ensuring the developing baby (and its mother!) obtain all the nutrients they need on a daily basis. Here are the other things I added, as well as a few that I tweaked to suit me better:

1) first, I don't tolerate plain raw milk very well so instead of having 1 quart daily (recommended by the Foundation) I aimed for 1 cup kefir, 1 cup yogurt, and 1-2 servings of cheese (cottage cheese, or aged raw cheeses). All raw of course. The kefir and yogurt I made myself. I felt this was actually a better way of consuming dairy since it was much more highly digestible and provided probiotic benefits. Also, raw cheeses provide highly concentrated nutrients and if they are aged they are a good source of vitamin K which plain milk is not.

2) 2 tsp. of fermented cod liver oil is recommended for pregnancy and breastfeeding to supply natural (not synthetic) vitamins A and D. It also helps to either consume high-vitamin butter oil or plenty of raw grass-fed butter alongside the cod liver oil; they work synergistically to provide the best results.

3) 4 tbsp. daily of raw grass-fed butter was difficult for me since I don't eat the butter "vehicles" that I used to before the GAPS diet (like oatmeal, potatoes, toast, etc.). I increased my consumption of raw Jersey cream in conjunction with butter; butter is 4 times more concentrated than cream, which means that 1/4 cup of cream (4 tbsp.) is equivalent to 1 tbsp. of butter. There were times earlier in my pregnancy that I was eating over a cup of raw cream a day, and it helped tremendously with cravings!

4) clay -- I took 1 tsp. of Bentonite clay (Redmond brand) daily for iron and its great digestion-regulating benefits

5) thyroid capsules -- 2-4 of these daily from Dr. Ron's line of organ and gland supplements. Consuming animals' organs and glands is a traditional practice that provides essential nutrients to our own corresponding organs and glands. I wanted a little extra insurance for my thyroid and liked using these capsules since these days it is virtually impossible to obtain actual thyroid gland from an animal -- not to mention that it probably wouldn't be very fun to eat!

6) my vitamin D level was low (27) in the summer, so I grudgingly added in a D3 supplement. I consider this a synthetic supplement since it is made by exposing lanolin from sheep's wool to ultraviolet light, but it was something I had to do since cod liver oil alone wasn't cutting it. I have since observed that many (if not most) people living in NYC are low in vitamin D, including those eating a healthy traditional-foods diet that contains foods high in vitamin D like pastured pork lard and fermented cod liver oil. The lack of exposure to quality sunlight seems to be the main issue since in summer we don't spend much time outside exposing lots of our skin, and for 6 months out of the year we have what is termed a "vitamin D winter" which means we can't synthesize vitamin D in our skin even with sun exposure, due to the latitude at which we live. Pollution contributes to dimming of the sun's rays as well, which makes things still more difficult. I still don't like taking a D3 supplement, but unless I can eventually afford to fly off to sunnier climates every few months to soak up some rays this is going to have to be it -- along with plenty of cod liver oil and lard of course!

7) I continued cooking with my iron skillet to help boost my iron levels.

8) vitamin K supplement -- I used the Jarrow brand supplement that is derived from natto, a traditional fermented soybean dish and the richest known food source of vitamin K. I decided to add this supplement because I planned to skip the vitamin K shot for Weston, which is given to all babies at birth unless you opt out. Eventually we decided to give the vitamin K drops based on the anecdotes my midwife shared with me on her experience with babies who hadn't received vitamin K, or whose parents had chosen the K drops but hadn't continued with the protocol past the first few weeks (you need to give it over the baby's first 12 weeks of life!). She and all the other NYC homebirth midwives had seen babies with hemorrhagic disease (vitamin K prevents this) in their practices -- despite the international statistics that cite much lower incidences of this disease (is it 1 in 10,000? something like this -- a much lower number than Joan and the other local midwives had observed). When she told me about a baby who had needed a brain shunt I decided I really didn't care what I had read about the incidence being so low, and about the ability to boost K content in breastmilk by taking supplements, eating high-K foods, and drinking nettle tea. It seemed the natural vitamin K drops were the way to go. We ordered them along with our home birth kit from Birth With Love. At $31.00 instead of $13.00 for the pre-filled vitamin K syringe, this seems like a lot more to pay for just a little supplement, and I can see why hospitals don't bother carrying the oral drops. However, when you consider all the bad stuff that is in the vitamin K injections, the drops are definitely the way to go!!

9) teas -- nettle tea to boost vitamin K, and Final Countdown Tea from Divine Daughters Herbal, a line of pregnancy-specific herbal products that is created by Karen Rose, master herbalist of Sacred Vibes Apothecary in Flatbush (Brooklyn). [To order, you can call Sacred Vibes or visit their Etsy store]. This is what is written about the tea: "Our 'Final Countdown' Tea was formulated with the 9th month of pregnancy in mind. We included Squawvine which has been used traditionally by North East native Americans to strengthen the uterus for birth. We blended it with supreme uterine tonic red raspberry leaf tea and cramp bark along with wild yam to ease the tension that sometimes comes along with Braxton Hicks contractions in the final weeks of pregnancy to support efforts to rest. 1 cup a day from week 36 onward offers supreme herbal support for your body and its process." (P.S. I also used their Motherwort analgesic herbal tincture postpartum for cramping and loved it!! I only had to resort to Ibuprofen twice when the cramping was very bad. It was also helpful for some terrible headaches I had in the first week, probably from anemia.)

10) bitters -- an herbal tincture that promotes good digestion of fats by prompting the liver to release bile (you can read more in this great article about the role of bitters in promoting digestion). I took about a dropperful of this before each meal. [Have just ordered the Digestive Tonic from Sacred Vibes and am excited to try it! Note: when ordering, it seems the shipping costs about $4.00 less if you order through the Etsy store -- I wish I had known this.]

11) probiotics -- I continued taking my 2 daily capsules of BioKult, which I've taken since starting the GAPS diet early in 2010 (Note: when starting any probiotic, you should always begin with a very small amount of the powder, released from the capsule, and increase gradually to a therapeutic dose to avoid "die-off," which is detox symptoms from pathogenic microorganisms dying off in the digestive tract.)

12) EPO (evening primrose oil) & EPO suppository -- begun at Jessi's (my doula) suggestion towards the end of pregnancy to support the production of healthy prostaglandins. Jessi also recommended that I insert an EPO gelcap vaginally every night to help my cervix get "ready."

13) yogurt application & probiotic suppository -- will write about this in a subsequent post!

Weston at one month

My secret to successful breastfeeding--an easy tip plus delicious quinoa recipe to increase milk supply

Two weeks after Weston's birth we had a rather scary weekend -- lots and lots of crying and fussing. No matter what we did, he just wasn't happy. This was quite a shock as we were used by then to having a VERY easy baby in the house. He would sleep for nice long stretches without swaddling or any other extreme measures, in the bed, in his swing, on a lap, etc. He would wake to nurse, be changed, and have a look around, and then he would fall asleep again.

After worrying about possible constipation, abdominal pain, or other hard-to-detect phantom problems that can drive a parent nuts, I finally determined into day 2 of this that he was HUNGRY! It seemed my breastmilk supply had dropped off sharply. And of course a hungry baby is a fussy baby. I think it's entirely possible that a fair number of fussy or "difficult" babies out there are just not getting enough milk, making them very cranky and hard to soothe.

Fortunately I remembered an important lesson from when Oliver was a wee one: you have to drink lots of fluids to make lots of breastmilk! [Now of course this is a very simplistic solution to a problem of low milk supply; there can be a myriad of reasons why a new mother would have difficulty breastfeeding or low milk supply, and in some cases this really can't be remedied (this would be a good time to try making a nutrient-dense formula at home). However, the first thing to look at is always diet (more on this coming later), and the second thing is fluid intake.]

I read recently that an average baby might consume 32 oz. of milk in a day! This would vary based on the baby's age, but it's safe to say that a nursing woman is putting out quite a lot of fluid on a daily basis, and in order to make that quantity of breastmilk it is imperative that she be drinking lots and LOTS!

I upped my intake of fluids dramatically by consuming about 14 oz. per hour on Sunday, and by that evening everything was A-OK. My beverages of choice: a 50/50 blend of coconut water and filtered water, chicken bone broth (homemade of course), raw kefir (also homemade), plain water, and herbal tea.

I also ate an extra serving of my special sprouted quinoa pilaf which has the effect of increasing breastmilk supply. Here's how to make it:

1) sprout quinoa (awesome instructions and photos here) -- I use 1 cup of organic whole grain quinoa from Bob's Red Mill, a quart-size glass Mason jar, and a special fine-mesh sprouting lid from Sprout People. (Actually, I do this in triplicate, with 3 jars and 3 cups of quinoa, which yields about 3.5 quarts of finished quinoa pilaf! I eat this every night before bed, so I go through a lot, and it does last very well in the fridge, but you may want to cut the recipe down to 1/3.)

After about 2 days you will have lots and lots of lovely little sprouts -- aren't they cute?

Not only are they fun to look at as they grow, they also are really really good for you! Quinoa sprouts contain all nine essential amino acids which makes them very special in the plant world. Quinoa was considered to be exceptionally nutritious to traditional Incas in Peru (where quinoa comes from), and was deemed especially important for nursing mothers. Quinoa is gluten-free and high in iron, and is actually a seed, not a grain, which is probably why it works great for me health-wise whereas actual grains do not. I also love how sprouting takes away that odd characteristic quinoa flavor that always made me steer clear of quinoa in the past.

2) melt lots of lard (about 1/2 cup if making the full recipe) in the bottom of a large pot.

If you're new to lard you may find the smell off-putting at first, but let me assure you the finished pilaf will be delicious. The lard will only lend a neutral succulence, not a porky taste.

3) saute 2 minced onions, several chopped carrots, and several chopped stalks of celery until they begin to soften. Dump in lots of curry powder, and a few pinches of sea salt.

4) add the quinoa sprouts and stir them around until they are just mixed with the veggies and melted fat. 

5) Pour in 6 cups of homemade chicken broth (2 cups for each cup of dry quinoa you originally sprouted) and mix well. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat, allowing the quinoa to absorb the liquid and become fluffy. If you want your pilaf drier and fluffier, use a little less than 2 cups of liquid per cup of dry quinoa, and be sure to let it sit for a couple of hours undisturbed so it can absorb all the liquid. I don't mind my pilaf a little mushy, personally. Once it's finished to your liking you can add sea salt to taste.

Be sure that you let it cool completely before storing in glass jars in the refrigerator.

My preferred serving method is in a bowl of hot chicken broth, but this pilaf is also delicious warmed in the toaster oven (please, no microwaves!) and topped with either lots of raw butter, or plenty of grated raw cheese (or both!).

It's also wonderful as a filling for stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage, with crumbled cooked ground beef or sausage added. You may want to experiment with other vegetables as well, such as tomatoes, bell peppers, or winter squash. (And of course, if you do not happen to be a nursing mother you should still feel free to indulge in as much quinoa pilaf as you like -- it's not going to have any undesirable lactation-producing effects. :)