Finding Fertile Ground

It's so funny how many times I've been asked already if I was using any sort of fertility drugs because I'm pregnant with twins. :)

I'm just going to go ahead and answer that in a one simple word answer: No.

These twins happened naturally and spontaneously.

Ok, I'm glad I got that covered.

I was able to restore my hormones and my cycle naturally. Although...I didn't ever get the chance to actually have that cycle....cause clearly I got pregnant instead. :)

Over the last couple days I've been getting a lot of emails about my method for restoring this balance because many women are trying to get pregnant or are struggling with endocrine systems that are out of whack. I do not pretend at all to think I know what's best for everyone, but I do believe with all of my heart that the way I ate over the last several months had EVERYTHING to do with restoring that balance to my hormones. And I believe that no matter what your female issue may be for infertility or for hormonal imbalance that following my nutrition plan would help almost anyone restore that balance. 

SO, it's your lucky day cause I'm going to pretty much tell you exactly what I did and ate on an average day. 

And hey, if you're not trying to restore hormonal homeostasis or enhance your fertility, eating this way will help you lose weight, give you energy, fight disease, and age you gracefully. Not bad, huh?

OK. There were 5 KEY things about my nutrition and lifestyle that I believe are absolutely essential for resetting your metabolism and restoring hormonal balance and enhancing fertility. These things are based on what I know about food and its medicinal/nutritional properties. I did not read books on this matter. I just put into practice what I already knew to be true about nourishing the female body in an ideal way. I of course do research on the internet, but it was mostly of compilation of several years of learning and practicing and listening to my body. 

1. ALL TOXINS OUT

2. Keep the body Alkaline

3. Eat Healthy Fats

4. Eat regularly, Eat RAW, Eat Super

5. Rest, Sleep, Relax

Ok. SO here it is broken down. 

1. ALL TOXINS OUT!

This is number one because when it comes down to it, toxins are endocrine disruptors. Plain and simple. They act as evil impostor chemical messengers that confuse and lie to the body and cause it to act contrary to the way it should. Your body will also spend its energy and its immune system attacking these chemicals and toxins when it should spend its time fighting actual disease. It will stay inflamed and you will remain fatigued and foggy and sick.

What are common toxins:

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup

2. Hydrogenated Oils and Trans Fats

3. Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners

4. Food Dyes and Colorings

5. MSG

6. Genetically Modified Foods

7. Pesticides and Herbicides on conventional fruits and veggies

8. Soy and Corn preservatives

9. Refined Sugars

10. Animal Products that are not organic. 

Look at your labels. PLEASE don't put this stuff in your body! Move as far away from foods with a bar code as you possibly can. 

2. Keep your body Alkaline

For ONE, disease and cancer and other illnesses cannot thrive in a body that is alkaline. The common American Diet that is high in meat and processed foods leaves our bodies VERY acidic. Over the last several months, I ate almost all alkaline foods because I was on a mostly RAW and vegan diet. Now this doesn't mean that you have to go raw and vegan but it does mean for the purposes of healing, hormone balance, and fertility, you may want to cut back on the amount of animal products you have in your diet for a while. Eat fish several nights a week. Have chicken or turkey every now and then. And if you suffer from LOW estrogen like me, add in Tempeh and Soy a few days a week. However, most people are overly estrogenic, so keep soy products to a minimun. Your meat and soy sources though should be CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! Organic, grass fed, farm raised, hormone free, antibiotic free, preservative free, etc......

For the purposes of fertility, sperm survive better in an alkaline environment, so the more alkaline your "you know what" is then the more likely there will be a happy journey from one end of the tunnel to the other. :)

How G rated was THAT?! haha. 

I also had a dear friend who goes to my boot camp bring me ionized alkaline water every day. I had about a half a gallon a day. I truly believed this helped. It's called Kangen Water made my enagic. Many Cancer patients will purchase one of these water filters for their homes in hopes to bring their bodies to an alkaline state. 

here's a link on Kangen water

http://www.enagic.com/faq.php

Here is a great link that will tell you more about an alkaline diet and a whole bunch of foods that are both acidic and alkaline. 

http://rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

3. Eat Healthy Fats

The woman's body needs healthy fats. It is good for her hormones, good for her brain cells, good for her skin, and good for her metabolism. SO many women think fat is bad and try to keep a low fat diet, which often leads to a high carb diet, which keeps the blood sugar in an unstable state which only perpetuates the state of exhaustion, fatigue, and fogginess. Incorporate healthy fats at every meal. You don't need much. Sprinkle walnuts on your oatmeal. Use a tbs of evoo and balsamic on your salad. Put a tsp of coconut oil in your afternoon smoothie. Have avocado for dinner. Etc. Healthy fats are digested differently. DON'T be afraid of them! LOVE them. Cut out the sugars and high glycemic carbs...not the fats.

4. Eat Regular, Eat RAW, Eat Super!

Your metabolism needs a regular feeding in order to function well. Most overweight women who are infertile or hormonally imbalanced share a common habit. They don't eat until late in the day. Their bodies hate them. They don't trust them. They are confused. And they rebel. If you want to reset your metabolism and balance your hormones, you absolutely must eat regularly....starting with a healthy breakfast. 

You need to pack your diet full of RAW foods rich in enzymes and Superfoods rich in nutrition. These are both medicinal to your body and nourish every cell of your body. 

RAW foods basically means uncooked foods, fresh, and from it's natural state. Cooking can destroy a lot of enzymes thereby reducing the nutritional value of food. Great ways to get RAW foods into your diet are to juice in the morning, have a super green smoothie in the afternoon, a freshly blended soup for lunch, and a huge salad for dinner. 

Superfoods are basically foods that are high in nutrition for their calorie content. Examples are chia and flax seed, salmon, avocados, green vegetables, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt, you know.....stuff like that. 

Do NOT eat empty calories like candies and cakes. They are high in calories and low in nutrition.

Disease loves sugar so the higher your blood sugar and the more acidic your body, the harder it will be for you to heal. 

Now I will give you a snap shot of how I ate in a day. I post tons of recipes on my fit list page and amounts of the following things including pictures. This is a general snap shot. I create detailed meal plans for clients, but this will give you an idea

6:00 am: Wake up and have warm lemon water with maple syrup and cayenne pepper to stimulate the liver

7:00 am: Make 12 oz of fresh juice from your juicer for a quick natural energy boost: 

1 apple, 3 carrots, 1/2 sweet potato, 1 lemon, 2 celery, 1" ginger.

8:00 am: Breakfast: 

Superfood Oats: Gluten free oats with chia seed, flax seed, walnuts, stevia, and cinnamon

10:30 am: Post exercise plant protein shake and a brown rice cake with a tbs of homemade hummus

1:00 pm: Lunch. Huge Salads with lots of cut veggies and a homemade dressing. A big bowl of homemade soup. Pesto Stuffed mushrooms

3:30 pm: Afternoon Snack. Either a Rockin Wellness Shake with almond milk and a banana or a superfood Smoothie. My Super smoothies were always different, but one of my favorites was pear, spinach, banana, and green grapes.

Rockin Wellness is AMAZING!!!!!!!

here's the link if you want some.

http://rockinwellness.com/

6:30 pm: Dinner: Tempeh stir fry with coconut oil, braggs liquid aminos, mixed bell peppers over a bed of spinach

9:00 pm: Bedtime snack. A small cacao snack which is packed with antioxidants and more healthy fats. I'd make these homemade. I have recipes on my fit list page.

BAM! My nutrition in a day. I always meal prepped on Sunday. I'd make sure my fridge was stocked full so I never had an excuse to slack off. 

5. SLEEP, REST, RELAX!

I know one of the BIGGEST reasons that I didn't ovulate was because I overtrained, slept too little, and never had any down time. This year I committed to that. I let my adrenal glands relax a little. I backed off the training. I still exercised fully and regularly just not too much. I also aimed for 8 hrs of sleep a night, and I learned to say NO. I learned my limits and I knew I wanted to spend more time doing things I enjoyed. I could rarely get around to that if I was overloading myself with work. 

_____________________________________________________

So, There ya go! If you can keep toxins out, fill your body with superfoods, keep your body alkaline, sleep more, and have less stress then you are WELL on your way to healing. People say "everything in moderation" but I say that's BS! If you are sick, your primary focus should be total and complete commitment to being clean...totally and completely. :)

For example, just a 2% increase in daily hydrogenated oils and trans fats can increase your risk of cancer and heart disease by up to 60%. That's only 20-40 calories coming from hydrogenation a day!!! If you think your coffee creamer is the only bad thing you do a day so you think you'll be fine, you need to think about cutting it out because disease doesn't happen in a day. It is a cumulative effect from years of bad habits. Why do you think people don't start coming down with immune issues til their 30's, cancer til their 40's, Alzheimer's til their 50's?...cause yes....it's happening that early these days. 

If you are someone who is desperate for change and are perpetually frustrated because you are doing "MOSTLY" right but getting nowhere, try doing "ALL" right. Sometimes you just gotta put your nose to the grindstone and stop making excuses that are socially acceptable like "everything in moderation." You don't give your kid one cigarette a day. Why do you need one cookie a day? 

Want a cookie? GREAT! Google is your best friend. In the google search, write Raw, Vegan, Healthy, Organic, Superfood, etc....cookies. Find a recipe. Make it in bulk and have one a day! 

That's how you get healthy. You find alternatives. And getting healthy doesn't happen overnight. It is a process. Stick to the safe and in the meantime, try expanding your wings every week to find a new recipe or a new food that you love and can incorporate to create variety. Crowd out the bad with the good. Take your time. Healing is right around the corner!

XOXO, 

Cheers to health!!!!

Our Double Blessing!

It truly is amazing how your whole life can change over night. Just a month ago, I was expanding my wings. I was flying to new heights and my plans for the future were clearer than ever. My life was perfect. I felt like I'd done so much hard work for years and was finally ready to make it fruitful. Both of my children as far as I am concerned are nothing short of perfect. They are healthy and adorable and mostly obedient and life is predictable. They would both be in school in the fall. The baby days were finally over and freedom was right at my finger tips. Golden. Why would I do anything to mess with a perfectly flawless situation?!

Bryan and I had always imagined 3 little children, but the timing was never exactly right for that 3rd child and after a pretty devastating miscarriage 2 years ago, I emotionally decided to be done. 

Now don't get me wrong....in an ideal world, I would already have 5 kids. I would live close to home or in a commune on some land with my best friends and all their kids and live the hard core mom life because as you can tell from my relationship with Catie and Lily, I am obsessed with being a mother. I am so in love with my children and I think being a mom is so rewarding. I love babies. I love children. I love big families. Unfortunately, being military....I just decided Oh well! That life is not for me. Catie, Lily, and baby #3 who is in heaven were all surprises. If I were to have planned any of them, none of them would have been here. haha.

How in the world does someone get pregnant 4 times by accident? Well, let's just say that my husband and I are EXTREMELY careful and few times we haven't been.....well.....BAM, babies were conceived....even if it was nowhere near time for me to conceive on the calendar. Apparently the two of us are very compatible for the making of babies. :)

This most recent pregnancy is the MOST shocking though. As you can read from a blog post earlier this year, my female hormones have been off. My last period was last summer so it had been about 6 months. I had something called hypothalamic amenorrhea which many athletes and fit women get because of overtraining and low body fat. In essence you stop ovulating even though your ovaries are perfectly fine and you stop menstruating. If you don't ovulate, you can't get pregnant. Here's the story on that.
http://nostrainnogain.blogspot.com/2013/01/hormonal-homeostasis.html

Several months ago, I felt convicted about bringing myself to this imbalance and decided to commit to restoring hormonal balance. It meant for me to train a bit less hard, eat to heal and nourish, and find time to relax. And I did EXACTLY that. Many of you who follow me on Facebook or who are friends with me have witnessed this first hand. It has been a truly amazing experience. For 3 months, I ate healing wholesome, REAL, raw foods. I ate a completely alkaline diet. I quit counting calories. I made all my food fresh. I stayed away from everything toxic even down to getting rid of the gum. I also felt truly relaxed. No pressure. Now, I had always felt pretty awesome, but eating THIS way made me feel like I could FLY. 

I had an intuition that things were getting back in balance, and JUST out of curiosity...when I went home for Christmas, I decided to get one of those ovulation kits. It was NOT to see when I was fertile. I just wanted to follow my cycle for a whole month to see if I would ever ovulate because if I did this would mean that things were working again. I did this for 3 weeks straight (missed a day here and there) but NOTHING. No ovulation. So one day my husband and I were careless in the middle of January. 3 days later I decided to take one of those tests again and lo and behold I was ovulating. 

I was elated!!!! I was a woman again!!!!! I felt like my body was a health experiment and I had found the formula. What I was doing was working!!! But I ran to my husband and said...."Stay away from me because I could get pregnant right now." And we did JUST that. Those tests say you can get pregnant within 2 days after seeing those lines. We messed up 3 days prior, so surely we were fine! Over the next week or 2 I twiddled my thumbs and waited to have another period. I know. Weird. I was excited to have one.

I started to feel like I was PMSing....you know, I had all those symptoms. But the period never came. The panic set in. It was about time for me to get my hormones tested from the dr again anyway so I scheduled an appointment, got my blood work done, and they called back and said, "Well, Mrs. Strain....it looks like your hormones are working GREAT now cause you're pregnant!"

WHHHAAAAATTTTT?????????? 

I had this overwhelming mixture of awe, confusion, shock, fear, and excitement. I was NOT ready for this. This changed everything!

They scheduled me for an ultrasound right away when I told them that my last period was in July of 2012. They were like, "GO NOW!" They wanted to date me even though I knew how far along I was. I delayed going to get an ultrasound actually. I had the number. I could schedule the appointment, but I wanted to wait. I didn't want to go in until I knew they could see a baby and a heartbeat. I've been to an ultrasound where they didn't find the heartbeat because I'd lost the baby. I didn't want to experience that again. I wanted to know for sure that I had a real live baby in there before I started telling people too. 

In the meantime, I started showing really early. And I was getting SICK!!!!!! I was breaking out like a 13 year old, I was having raging headaches, and my breasts went from a D to a G!!! I was reeling with pregnancy symptoms. I was feeling pretty miserable. I had to start telling a few people because I was showing and it was getting pretty obvious. They were all like YOU're having a BOY because I didnt get sick with my girls. I felt awesome with them. It did come up a few times in a very "funny" way that it could be twins, but as far as I was concerned that was the WORST thing that could happen to me and I didn't have to worry about that because it doesn't run on my mothers side of the family and I am the LAST person that God would give two babies at once to.

This was me at just 5 weeks before I even knew I was having twins. haha

Well, I finally went in for an ultrasound on February 13. I had my sweet little Lily with me holding my hand. As I lay there on the table and the tech started doing her thing, I proceeded to say these EXACT words, "Ok. Please just tell me you see a heart beat. But whatever you do, do NOT tell me you see more than one." And then I laughed. 

She says, "Do twins run in the family?" 

I said, "No."

She then turns the screen toward me and says, "Well, now they do!" 

Twins at 7 weeks

And there they were.....2 babies. 2 heartbeats. 

I fell apart. I saw my whole life flash before my eyes. And when Lily said, "Mom, that's a lot of babies!" I wept. I told the tech I wasn't ready. This couldn't be happening! I then went into shock and laughed...A LOT! When I told Bryan, his response were 2 small but powerful words, "Holy ______!"

After we let it sink in and realized that this was now our situation, we fell in love with the idea. We saw the beautiful but scary and exhilarating reality of it. This wasn't our plan, but it was God's plan. He has saved these babies for us. And I almost feel like I'm getting back the 3rd one I lost 2 years ago as weird as that sounds. Bryan and I get 2 more children. THIS is AWESOME! When I look at the two girls I have now, why in the world would I not want more kids?! When all the logic and the fear of having 2 babies at once leaves, I am left with the simple and beautiful truth that there are 2 lives growing inside of me. These are my children. They are alive. They growing. I am their mother. Their well being depends on me and I have given myself over to that reality. My priorities are now to ensure their health and livelihood to the best of my ability. 

That leads me to my next fear. I am terrified of having an unhealthy child. I am doing all the right things and taking very good care of my body, but I know that at some level there is nothing I can do but trust God. I know SO many healthy women who lost babies or had babies with health issues. We can only do the best we can to ensure the health of our children, but for the most part, the health and condition of our children is in the hands of God and I have to be prepared for any scenario. 

From what they can see from my ultrasound, the babies are sharing a sac which most likely means that my egg split and they will be identical. Its crazy that one egg can become two babies and those two babies can develop perfectly. It is WILD.
The Dr's say my babies are not genetic twins, they are miracle twins. :) I like that.

The other possible issue is the lack of a membrane between the two babies. They didn't see one at the first 2 ultrasounds so I will be seeing a perinatologist in the next few weeks for a high resolution ultrasound. What does it mean for there to be no membrane? Well, it means that they could be sharing the same amniotic fluid. They will not be separated from each other so they can swim around each other and their cords can get tangled. There is only a 50% survival rate for these kinds of twins and they only happen in 1 and 65,000 twin pregnancies. It is very rare. 

The good news is....they saw 2 yolk sacs which is almost ALWAYS indicative of a membrane, so I am trusting that they will find one and that my babies will be fine. With that said, please keep my babies in your prayers. Because they are not fraternal, there is a higher risk for them anyway. When twins share a sac, they also share a placenta. SO my goal is to eat and nourish my body so they can receive maximum nutrition from my one placenta. 

Nonetheless, what we know RIGHT now is that these babies are healthy today. They have strong heart beats and they are swimming around like happy little nuggets. I am about 9 weeks pregnant, so anything can unfold at this point. I know I'm not in the clear, but i do know that God is good. And when I think of the worst possible case scenario, I'm STILL ok, because there is STILL heaven. I have no reason to fear or lose hope. 

I am excited for this journey and I can't wait to share it with you all!!!!