MARCH 2020 ROUNDUP
I went from barely showing to having a full bump in a flash! I’ve been keeping my stretching skin nice and hydrated with two products.
I bought this first one from Frank and Whit. I saw someone else post about it and I loved that it was made with clean ingredients so I ordered it and so far I like it. It’s hydrating but not overly greasy. I’ve been putting this one daily.
Once this runs out I plan on using this bottle to make my own concoction out of coconut oil, shea butter and 3 essential oils- lavender, gentle baby and frankincense because I’ve heard really good things about this combination!
The second thing I’ve been using is the Young Living vanilla mint body butter. I think I like this slightly better than the Frank and Whit serum. It seems to sink in more and feels more hydrating.
Both of these have coconut oil though which I’ve heard is good for the growing bump.🤰🏻 I use both of them daily- sometimes both at one time and other times I’ll just use the body butter.
I think it’s so important to make sure you’re not rubbing toxic chemicals on your skin especially right over where the baby is chillin’!
Sharing a snack idea today! I found this Avocado Hummus from Trader Joes a few weeks ago and Corey and I are hooked on it. 🥑 The ingredients are 👍🏼 and it is USDA certified organic.
One ingredient that stood out to me though was citric acid. I’ve seen this before but wasn’t really sure what it was so I did some digging.
Citric acid is a compound that originally was made from lemon juice until the early 1900’s when researchers discovered they could use a type of black mold to make it. As the mold feeds off of sugar it makes it. YUCK! 🤢 It’s used as a preservative when you see it in food items. I didn’t want to be eating from mold so I reached out to Trader Joes to see where theirs was sourced from in this product. Luckily it’s not mold! Their citric acid is sourced from non-GMO corn. Obviously I’d rather not have any preservatives in there but of course I understand why it’s in this and at least this is non-GMO corn. It’s not worth stressing over in my opinion because everything else is okay ingredient wise! You really can’t stress over every.single.thing all the time or else you’ll go crazy. 🤡 I will be inquiring about citric acid when I see it in things from now on though!
Grab some of this next time you go to Trader Joes! We love dipping our Siete tortilla chips in it.
This is a super awkward picture! Corey took it and I didn’t know what to do with my arms and I was just trying to show the Belly Armor Shield. Normally you’d wear it under clothes so your shirt won’t bunch underneath it but you get the general idea!
I heard Justine Campbell and Caroline Potter talk about Belly Armor on their podcast years ago. They were both pregnant and used their products so that’s how I first heard about them. Since then I’ve learned more about radiation from several other places but this will be a good synopsis from BA.
Per BellyArmor.com, Our bodies are exposed to natural radiation every day, such as sunshine on your face or sticking your toes in soil. Today, we are also exponentially more exposed to the man-made radiation from modern technologies like cell phones, laptops, Wi-Fi and microwave ovens.
Although these types of technologies are used around the clock, most people don't think about the EMF radiation they are continuously emitting. Most of us are now constantly surrounded by EMF radiation at levels that are unprecedented and still growing, given the exponential growth in the use of wireless technologies over the last 20 years.
Radiation, in the simplest terms, is energy traveling through space or materials and comes in two main forms: non-ionizing and ionizing.
Non-ionizing radiation: includes radio waves, microwaves (cell phones, laptops, tablets, computers, wi-fi and other wireless smart devices), infrared, visible and uv. Belly Armor products shield against this type of radiation using proprietary RadiaShield® Fabric (within the ~50dB range). Ionizing radiation: includes high-energy radiation like x-rays and gamma rays. This type of radiation is commonly known to be very dangerous even in small doses. Belly Armor products do not shield against this type of radiation.
Radiation has been linked to issues with fertility, miscarriages, behavioral issues, developmental issues and cancer. Go to their website to see the sources and studies or do a quick internet search on your own!
I love the Belly Armor products I’ve gotten so far. I bought a shirt and this belly band here in the picture.
This is something easy I can wear to minimize exposure. I wore it before pregnancy to protect my reproductive organs and now while pregnant to protect our growing babe! I actually prefer the shirt as it’s just easier to wear but I only have one so far so I switch off with this. I would like to buy the nursing cover, baby hat and a few other things as well. Go to their website- www.bellyarmor.com- to shop and see all of their products! Radiation is something that is only going to get worse as time goes on so I’m thankful for products like this.
Also swipe right to see some practical tips to help minimize exposure.
Since I’ve been sharing non-toxic stuff I’ve occasionally had people send me messages asking about specific makeup items. That rmade me realize I haven’t done a full-face makeup post where I talk about what I use specifically all in one post. All of it is non-toxic except for my Loreal eyelash primer. I have tried natural primers and I just can’t get rid of my Loreal for now. Here’s my lineup:
1.Young Living Matte face primer: I have oily skin and this has helped out so much. There is one for “normal” skin as well though if you don’t have oil issues.
2. Dermablend foundation: I’ve used this for years and I just love it. Foundation is so tricky because everyone’s skin is SO different. I tried several other ones and none of them worked for my skin.
3.Young Living lavender lip balm as eyeshadow primer: It sounds weird but it works! My eyeshadow stays on longer & goes on better.
4.Young Living eyeshadow: I have been using the natural quartz palette and I absolutely love it.
5.Beauty Counter black pencil eyeliner. Super easy to use and lasts a while.
6.Young Living matte finishing powder: I think this has helped my makeup really set in and last throughout the day- even with working out.
7. Loreal Lash Primer and Honest Beauty Mascara: I don’t like the primer that comes with the mascara but I do like the mascara itself.
8.Mineral Fusion Bronzer: I love that this is talc free which is why I switched over to it from my other one.
9. Young Living blush: One of my favorites! A little goes a LONG way so you only need a tiny amount.
10. Beauty Counter eyebrow pencil.
11. Young Living grapefruit chapstick on my lips.
That’s it! That’s what I wear every day. If I’m being fancier I will use Beauty Counter concealer & Young Living lipsticks but I typically don’t wear those daily. I’m super low maintenance with makeup and it only takes me like 10 minutes to put all of this on in the morning.
I shared pictures of what I use but there are different shades for each item so I didn’t specifically share shades here as that will vary person to person. If you’re still using toxic makeup and want to switch, switch one thing at a time if you want to do it slowly.
Today I have a super easy sweet treat for ya. These would be really good to have on hand as a little snack while we’re all at home for the foreseeable future. If you’re prone to snacking while you’re at home like I am then these are perfect.
These are a good source of protein, fiber and healthy fats with a little sweetness making them the perfect snack bite. I think I’ll make them routinely because they are perfect for when you just need a little bite of something.
This recipe is from @blessthismessblog. I modified it a little by omitting coconut because I don’t keep that on hand but if you’ve got coconut you can use it!
I used my sprouted, organic, GF oats that I love so much, local honey, organic dark chocolate chips, organic vanilla, organic flaxseed and a mix of Justin’s peanut butter and organic HEB peanut butter. You could probably modify this several ways so use whatever you have on hand!
All you do is mix everything together then put it in the fridge for 30 mins. After that just take it out and form your little balls. Super easy!
Since becoming pregnant my workouts have changed drastically. By no means was I any type of Olympic athlete before pregnancy 🤪 but I definitely was working out harder than I am now.
I found out I was pregnant when I was on week 11 of BBG. I loved doing BBG! In the future I definitely want to do it again because I noticed positive changes in my body and I felt super strong. I’m glad the timing worked out to where I did that right before pregnancy because I feel like I started in a really healthy place. Obviously I didn’t plan that but it worked out. In the months leading up to getting pregnant this time I also started jogging/running, which I also loved! I was still new at it but that also made me feel super strong & I loved getting a good sweat session in from it.
As soon as I found out I was pregnant I slowed my roll with workouts. I honestly think I have some PTSD from my previous pregnancies and working out. For my prior two pregnancies I continued my normal workouts at those times, which included spin classes, elliptical and body pump. I didn’t want people to know I was pregnant so I worked out as usual and I think I’m just a little scarred from my past so this time I didn’t do that.
One of the first questions I asked my fertility doctor was about working out. They suggested I stop running so I did. Once I was released to my midwife I asked again and their advice to me was to also not run. I know there are tons of people who continue to run throughout their pregnancies and that is so great for them BUT I always like to reiterate that everyone is different so based on my personal history it was recommended not to do a bunch of jostling moves so I am A-okay with stopping running.
SO now what I actually want to get to – telling you what has worked for me so far! I downloaded the Expecting and Empowered workout program and I love it! They have it broken up by week and each trimester. It’s 3 days a week and you’re supposed to incorporate your own cardio the other 2 days. Day 1 is lower body, day 2 is upper body and day 3 is whole body. They are all pregnancy safe workouts which I really appreciate.
If I can recommend one book to existing parents or parents-to-be like myself that I’ve read so far - this is it. This book was recommended to me by several people and I’ve seen it recommended in various groups I’m in as well. Don’t discount this if you already have kids that are older. This book covers from birth to the teen years so it’s beneficial for all parents!
To be honest I thought it was going to be a book all about vaccines with research...& it does have that but this is WAY more comprehensive than that. I didn’t know what to expect because this was recommended by people who I know vaccinate as well as people who don’t so I truly didn’t know what to expect because those are opposite stances. I think there is a lot of good information in here to help you add to your research to make an informed decision when it comes to vaccines for your family. I also want to point out that the title is a bit confusing. The title makes it seem as if it’s an all pro-vaccine book but that’s actually not the case so whatever your initial thoughts are on the title- don’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I’m not going to do my normal book review because there is WAY too much to share and I highly recommend you just get the book. Topics covered are: toxins, pregnancy, otc medicines like Tylenol, first hours of life, two weeks of life, vaccines at every stage, keeping a healthy baby, one year old health, toddler and preschool years, common childhood illnesses, common complaints, teen years, cheat sheets, best way to support your child’s immune systems and more… it’s A LOT of information and broken down in a very logical way.
I got my Butcher Box yesterday so I figured it was a good time for this post! One thing I don’t skimp on is the quality of our meat. I don’t want to feed my family conventionally raised meats. Butcher Box animals are never given hormones or antibiotics and they are humanely raised.
Their beef is grass fed and grass finished. The cows are free to roam their entire lives and not crammed into small feed lots with grotesque conditions. They are never fed grains and they can graze year round. Their chickens are free range and fed only certified organic all vegetarian feed. Their pigs are raised with open bedding and a nutritious diet as well.
Grass-fed and pasture-raise animals are exposed to fewer antibiotics (or in this case, none), pesticides and toxins with ultimately lowers your exposure (Real Food for Pregnancy). Grass fed beef is evidenced to be higher in antioxidants, zinc, iron, glutathione, B-vitamins and carotenoids. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and grass fed/grass finished beef has 3-4 times the Omega 3 content compared to grain-fed. CLA is an antioxidant that has a protective effect against cancer, heart disease and other diseases. Grass fed beef can have twice as much CLA as grain fed beef. (Wellness Mama). The benefits of eating grass fed/free range/organic meats over conventionally raised meats are well worth it. I don’t want to expose my body to antibiotics and added hormones in our meats as that can be detrimental to me.
I love getting our box every month! I do the create your own box and typically do chicken & ground beef. There are a few boxes to choose from and you can customize it however you would like to!
If you want to sign up I can send you a referral code for $30 off your first box or you can go to the link in my profile to get the code.
It’s been over a year since I did a little “about me” so I thought I should do one because I’ve met so many new people in the last year! I’m Bayley and as evidenced by the name- I live in the great state of Texas! I’m a Texas girl through and through. I’ve lived here my whole life except for 4 years in college (Boomer Sooner!) I’ve been married to Corey since August of 2017 and we’re expecting our double rainbow baby boy 💙 in July. I talk a lot about miscarriage awareness on here because we’ve had a rough road to get to where we are now and we have two angel babies. I started this page to share what I’ve learned on my journey. About 5 years ago I started to suffer from intense hormone issues. I had acne, migraines, brain fog and more. I just always felt sick and I was miserable. At the time my obgyn just kept switching my birth control and all that did was make things worse. I went to doctor after doctor and got zero help so I took my health into my own hands! I started researching how toxins in our home and personal care products and food wreak havoc on our bodies and contribute to a lot of modern issues we have today. I also learned the dangers of birth control so I got off that and over the past few years I’ve been able to get my hormones back on track by cutting toxins and healing my gut! Part of that journey involved using Young Living products which I also share about here. I also met with a functional doctor and learned I have the MTHFR mutation which has also impacted my journey. I love to share everything I’ve learned here so I hope you are able to benefit from this knowledge! Cutting toxins seems overwhelming at first but when you do things one at a time it’s very feasible and makes a huge difference.
Please reach out if you ever have any questions! You can also read my full story on the “My Story” highlight or by going to the link in my profile and clicking “read my story here”!
I have talked about MTHFR and pregnancy before but I wanted to make a dedicated post for it. I am by no means an MTHR expert because there is A LOT that goes into it with different variations and such but this is just a little overview based on my research thus far. A lot of people don’t understand why I avoid folic acid during pregnancy and actually people seem confused because they say that every pregnant woman SHOULD take folic acid. That’s not the case and I hope this helps explain why. I think a lot of people don’t realize that folic acid is in SO many food items including my beloved Chick Fil A nuggets. Do I miss eating those? UM DUH! Who doesn’t like CFA?! But of course I am willing to do anything for the health of my baby like any other mother would so I have made sacrifices when it comes to food while being pregnant.
Folic acid is basically in anything that says “enriched” on the label. MTHFR affects me even while not pregnant but after pregnancy I will let myself enjoy some foods with folic acid in them every now and then but I am very strict while pregnant. I wasn’t as educated as I am now for my first two pregnancies and I was still eating lots of folic acid filled foods like CFA and saltine crackers/breads for instance when I was having morning sickness my first pregnancy. I will never know for sure and I don’t dwell on it but I do think this played a role in our first two losses now that I know how detrimental it can be.
To start, MTHFR is something everyone has – more like a process in our body- but some people’s bodies are mutated so it doesn’t work properly as is the case with me. I found out I had this in 2018 while seeing a functional medicine doctor. At the time I didn’t know much about it but of course after two losses I started researching more. It’s actually a pretty common gene mutation (estimated 45% of people have it) so if you have a history of recurrent pregnancy loss it might be good to get tested. It can cause issues in non-pregnant women as well too- even guys. This isn’t just a pregnancy complication or something.
There are two main points I have focused on with the mutation: toxins & blood clotting. Swipe over for the rest!