SEPTEMBER 2020 ROUNDUP
Some of my September posts got mixed into last month's recap so I only have a few this month for ya!
The first time I heard of someone eating their placenta was many years ago and it was some celebrity- Gwyneth Paltrow maybe? I was completely horrified and thought it was some gross Hollywood voodoo type situation. A few years later I had a friend tell me her daughter-in-law had hers encapsulated after her second baby and it helped her tremendously with postpartum depression which she suffered from after her first. I still thought it was a bit gross/weird but it sounded more reasonable.
Fast forward— As I started to become more crunchy and joined various online groups I learned that this isn’t so strange after all and it doesn’t have to be gross. There are some people who eat theirs raw in a smoothie or something after birth & that’s not my jam but the capsules are not gross at all.
When I got pregnant with Payson I knew I wanted to have my placenta encapsulated and I was happy to find out this was a service my doula provided. There is still a lot of research to be done on this but the placenta contains hormones and nutrients that could be beneficial. Possible benefits include: reduced postpartum bleeding time, assistance with milk production, replenishment of iron lost at birth, balance hormones, natural pain relief from birth and labor process, help with uterus to return to pre-pregnancy size more quickly, replenish vitamins and protein amongst others.
There is no guarantee of any benefits and each woman is different and will respond differently. I personally have had a good experience and I’ve only ever read of a few women having a negative experience. Since this is my first birth I don’t have anything to compare it to but I would say my postpartum experience so far has been great so I would definitely say it isn’t hurting. A lot of women have great things to say about it after they’ve had multiple babies and can compare it to prior births where they didn’t do it.
I took pictures and documented the process of mine being encapsulated. I’ll spare you the actual placenta pictures 🤪 but if you want to see them I’ll show you! I don’t have all the steps but I took some pictures so you could see the transition.
In a nutshell, I think it was cleaned then dehydrated then crushed and put into pills.
How many pills you get will depend on the size of your placenta. I think I got around 100 or so. My doula also made me a salve and a tincture. The salve came in handy because at first Payson had some little spots on his legs where his diapers were rubbing that were a little tender so I actually rubbed that on there. I haven’t used the tincture yet but it’s supposed to be helpful with anxiety but luckily I haven’t experienced any of that yet.
My doula also used the umbilical cord to write out “love” and I love that I have this little keepsake!
I’m done with my pills now but I took them consistently starting around 4 days after birth. I’m sure you might be wondering if they taste bad— they don’t! I took them with orange juice to help absorption & it’s just like taking any other pill. I had a very positive experience with it!
I saw this electrolyte powder on Just.Ingredients page a while ago and I’ve been drinking it for probably 6 months or so now. While pregnant my midwife recommended I make sure to get some good electrolytes in so I bought this. When most people think of an electrolyte drink I’m sure they think of Gatorade but unfortunately that is mostly just glorified sugar water with other yucky additives.
I love Redmond’s salt so I was happy to try this instead because this is much better alternative. It contains sodium, potassium, coconut water powder, chloride, calcium, magnesium and +60 trace minerals & it is so tasty! There are two flavors but I’ve always gotten the lemon-lime 🍋 and it is delicious.
I definitely grew up drinking sugary drinks but now I cannot handle anything sweet like that anymore and this is the perfect amount of sweetness. It is sweetened with a small amount of stevia and it’s not overpowering. You’re supposed to put it in a shaker bottle but I just dump it in a cup and use a straw to stir it. It takes a minute for it to settle but I find that works just fine.
I actually drank this while in labor as well! Before we left the house frantically I had my mom quickly make me a mix in my Yeti cup and I am SO glad I did! I ended up sipping on this the whole time I was pushing. My sweet doula made sure I was staying hydrated and put the straw up to my mouth. I 100% recommend this during labor when you’re sweating like crazy but even if you’re not pregnant this is a good drink for everyone!
It has been one year since I started going to the chiropractor regularly. Prior to last September I had never been to a chiropractor before. I didn’t know anything about them really & just assumed people went there to get their backs cracked after an injury or something. It took us a bit longer to get pregnant with Payson and through my research I learned that chiropractic care can be beneficial with fertility issues so I decided to look into in further and try it out.
I went in for my evaluation and learned my body was way out of whack actually! My tailbone and neck were especially messed up— likely due to a car accident I had when I was younger & being a cheerleader growing up and repeatedly being caught (I was a flyer).
We actually got pregnant with Payson one month after I started getting adjusted. I am NOT saying going to the chiropractor will get you pregnant. We were able to get pregnant twice before without chiropractic care, but I do find it interesting that I got pregnant one month after starting & I also went throughout my whole pregnancy. I really think by getting my body aligned it helped my reproductive system work optimally.
Now that I have Payson, we both get adjusted regularly. I took Payson for the first time when he was around 6 weeks old. Chiropractors do not crack babies like they do adults. You want to go to a Webster Certified Chiropractor for pregnancy & with your kiddos. This is a special technique that’s safe for both moms- to- be and little ones.
Why go to the Chiropractor at all?
The purpose of chiropractic care is not to treat conditions or disease but rather to restore normal body function. It all has to do with the function of your nervous system. All of the systems in your body depend on your nervous system functioning optimally.
A subluxation occurs when there is interference within your nervous system. By removing the subluxations via adjustments, the interference is removed and your nervous system can function optimally- which means all of those system function optimally. Everything from your muscles, respiratory system, reproductive system, digestive tract etc…
Everyone can benefit from chiropractic care because everyone’s nervous system can be messed up due to every day life. Getting adjusted restores your body’s nervous system function thereby helping everything else work. In essence, getting adjusted doesn’t treat issues specifically, but it allows your body to be in a position to heal and function optimally.
If you go to a chiropractor and they are only concerned with cracking your body & they don’t mention anything about your nervous system- find a different Chiro!
I’ll do a Part 2 later to cover adjustments specifically for babies and kids.
Source: courtneykahla.com
I read through this book so quickly because I couldn’t put it down. It is PACKED full of awesome information. I will do separate posts on several of the topics covered because they were so interesting but I’ll post some tidbits here. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a parent or going to be someday.
Many conditions children have today are so new that new parents can’t count on moms or grandmothers to address them. The “3C’s” are Chronic Childhood Conditions that are prevalent today including, but not limited to: autism spectrum disorders, allergies, eczema, asthma, attention disorders, learning disabilities, recurrent pain disorders, mood disorders, digestive issues, autoimmune conditions, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay and cancer.
Many of these conditions are directly caused by our modern world— toxins & poor foods. Undernourishment from poor foods makes you more vulnerable to infection, more susceptible to toxins and cancer and more likely to develop other problems.
Optimal nutrition, reduction of toxins and low stress during pregnancy, infancy and childhood are key to your child’s immediate health and long-term health but also to the health of your grandchildren and their children.
Allies of children’s health: anti-inflammatory foods, proper digestion and digestive aids, healthy gut ecosystem and intestinal wall, clean water, vitamins and minerals, detoxification, healing foods, real foods, supplements, antioxidants, probiotics, strong immune system, sunshine, fresh air, physical activity
Enemies of children’s health: toxins, sugar, refined grains, antibiotics, vaccines, other drugs, processed foods, wrong macronutrient ratios at meals
In January 2018, the AAP stated the nutrition, particularly in the first 1,000 days, is critical to proper optimal brain development.
When you feed your baby breastmilk, they eat what you eat. Things that should be avoided: smoking, drugs, drinking too much alcohol, highly polluted fish, trans fat oils, all artificial sweeteners, soy, sugar, GMOS and non-organic foods.
Breastfeeding has so many amazing benefits- not going to list here but the book goes into detail.
Skin to skin contact has been shown to promote newborn emotional connection, energy consumption, glucose levels, respiration and brain development.
First foods should be high in fat from animals. Fat is essential for development but make sure animals are high quality— grass fed/organic, etc…
Health benefits of animal foods as first foods: contains essential amino acids, has unique nutrients not found elsewhere, bioavailable form of nutrients, antioxidants, better digested, lower calories to meet nutrient needs.
Skip the rice cereals altogether.
If your baby gets sick there are good tips in here for healing.
Sugar is a drug and a toxin! The book dives deep into this.
When dental health deteriorates, so does your overall health.