Part of the Bradley method is to eat a diet high in protein. It's called the Brewer pregnancy diet and is supposed to help me avoid complications like toxemia. I need to eat 80-100 grams of protein every day. But it's also a balanced diet, made up of the following:
Daily servings
Milk - 4
Eggs - 2
Protein/Meat - 2
Green leafy vegetables - 2
Grains - 4+
Vitamin C - 1+
Other Fruits and Vegetables - 1+
Fats/Oils - 3 Tbsp
Salt to taste
Water - 8
Weekly servings
Yellow/Orange Fruit or Vegetable - 5
Whole Baked Potato - 3
Liver - optional
I must confess that I haven't really committed to it. I do keep a daily diet journal where I record everything I eat and the amount of protein that's in it. It's definitely made me more conscious of what I'm eating. But I seem to fluctuate in and out of the target range of protein. Plus, it seems like WAY too much food to be eating on a daily basis. Really - 2 eggs every day? Three baked potatoes every week? Who eats like that? Not me. At least not normally.
I have felt a little guilty that I'm not more committed to eating a balanced diet. I do know that it's very important. And I have made improvements in cutting down on sweets and eating more fruits and vegetables. But I'm still nowhere near meeting these numbers.
Well, at my Bradley class this week, my teacher told us that if we could get the 4 servings of milk and above 80 grams of protein every day this next week (we submit our journals to her and she looks over them), she would give us a prize. She hinted that it might be zucchini bread. I LOVE zucchini bread! I am totally motivated to meet my protein numbers and get enough milk for one week.
I feel bad that I've been motivated by zucchini bread rather than my love and concern for my baby. But it's true. Although, in my defense, I have been trying to improve from week to week. And at one point I was going to challenge myself to meet the daily protein goals for an entire week, just to see if I could do it. But now I'm determined to do it.
It certainly helps that we had Thanksgiving this week, and there are almost 80 grams of protein just in the turkey I ate. Plus, we had the leftovers for dinner tonight, so that's two days down, only 5 I really need to worry about. I had over 80 grams of protein on both Friday and Saturday, so now I only have 3 more days... Wish me luck!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Primary Moments
Since I was called as Primary President several months ago, I have written down funny or touching moments that have happened in Primary. Here are a few. Enjoy!
During Junior Sharing time, the teacher held up a heart and asked what it means. After the kids shouted out "Love!", one of the 5 year olds reached over and hugged the girl that was sitting next to her.
During a sharing time activity, kids were being selected to come up to the front and participate. When Malakai, a Sunbeam, was asked to come up, he was very slow to get out of his chair. One of his fellow Sunbeams impatiently shouted out, "Get up, Malakai!" Everyone laughed.
One day the kids were feeling kind of restless, so we announced that we were going to sing a "wiggle song." One of the 7 year old boys slumped down in his chair, folded his arms across his chest, and declared, "I hate wiggle songs. They're for babies!" (Well, I guess that makes me a baby, because I got out of my chair and did the Snowman song with the rest of the kids.)
The Sunbeams were picking pieces of paper that had pictures on them of blessings we can ask for when we pray. One of them was a picture of a smiley face, and the teacher asked them what it was. They looked confused, and one boy finally ventured a guess... "An apple?"
While trying to explain the Plan of Salvation, the teacher was putting visuals on the board and asking the kids questions about them. She started with a circle that had "Premortal Life" written on it and asked them if they knew what the premortal life is. An eager Sunbeam raised her hand, and when called on proudly declared "It's a circle." At the end of the same lesson, the teacher had three circles representing the three kingdoms in heaven. On the circles were a sun, moon, and stars. Pointing to the sun, she asked "What is the celestial kingdom like?" (looking for the answer "the sun"). One kid called out, "the best!" Well, I guess that's right...
During Junior Sharing time, the teacher held up a heart and asked what it means. After the kids shouted out "Love!", one of the 5 year olds reached over and hugged the girl that was sitting next to her.
During a sharing time activity, kids were being selected to come up to the front and participate. When Malakai, a Sunbeam, was asked to come up, he was very slow to get out of his chair. One of his fellow Sunbeams impatiently shouted out, "Get up, Malakai!" Everyone laughed.
One day the kids were feeling kind of restless, so we announced that we were going to sing a "wiggle song." One of the 7 year old boys slumped down in his chair, folded his arms across his chest, and declared, "I hate wiggle songs. They're for babies!" (Well, I guess that makes me a baby, because I got out of my chair and did the Snowman song with the rest of the kids.)
The Sunbeams were picking pieces of paper that had pictures on them of blessings we can ask for when we pray. One of them was a picture of a smiley face, and the teacher asked them what it was. They looked confused, and one boy finally ventured a guess... "An apple?"
While trying to explain the Plan of Salvation, the teacher was putting visuals on the board and asking the kids questions about them. She started with a circle that had "Premortal Life" written on it and asked them if they knew what the premortal life is. An eager Sunbeam raised her hand, and when called on proudly declared "It's a circle." At the end of the same lesson, the teacher had three circles representing the three kingdoms in heaven. On the circles were a sun, moon, and stars. Pointing to the sun, she asked "What is the celestial kingdom like?" (looking for the answer "the sun"). One kid called out, "the best!" Well, I guess that's right...
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Family Pictures
As part of our Bradley class, we had to take a family photo. Well, we never got around to doing it, so our teacher took a picture on her iPhone and sent it to us. I happened to be wearing my shirt from Halloween (which I kept meaning to take a picture of and post on the blog), so now we killed two birds with one stone! Isn't the shirt great? I couldn't pass it up when I saw it online. It even glows in the dark!
Here are some of the pictures from our 20 week ultrasound (which was about a month ago - we're having a girl!). We didn't get any cute profile shots. The only head shot we got looked like this (I think it's kind of scary looking; sorry it's upside down - not that it really makes a difference):
I really liked the pictures with her hand in them. I think both of these show her right arm. The second picture is my favorite - she was resting her neck on her arm. It really annoyed our technician, because she needed to get a shot of the whole arm (to check the bones), and she just wouldn't cooperate.
Well, there are our family pictures!
Here are some of the pictures from our 20 week ultrasound (which was about a month ago - we're having a girl!). We didn't get any cute profile shots. The only head shot we got looked like this (I think it's kind of scary looking; sorry it's upside down - not that it really makes a difference):I really liked the pictures with her hand in them. I think both of these show her right arm. The second picture is my favorite - she was resting her neck on her arm. It really annoyed our technician, because she needed to get a shot of the whole arm (to check the bones), and she just wouldn't cooperate. 
Well, there are our family pictures!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Natural Childbirth
Overall, I like things to be natural. I rarely wear make-up or spend time fixing my hair. And as the years pass and I get more and more gray hairs, I'm determined not to dye it (I have NEVER dyed my hair). We'll see if I follow through on that... but I think my silver hairs are really pretty. They're the shiny kind, not the dull grey.
Anyway, I also try to avoid taking medicine whenever possible. Fortunately, I don't have any serious illnesses or conditions that require me to take medicine regularly (for which I'm grateful). But when I get a headache, I try things like laying down for a nap, drinking water, eating, etc. before I take an Aleve.
Now, these are just my personal opinions and preferences. I don't look down on those who wear make-up, dye their hair, take medication, etc. I just don't like to do these things myself.
That being said, I've always leaned towards natural childbirth. I was pretty sure I didn't want an epidural, but I didn't know much past that. After becoming pregnant, I've done more research into the methods that are out there. Jeff and I have decided on the Bradley method, also known as husband-coached childbirth.
The overall idea is that childbirth is natural and our bodies are made to handle it. However, we need to learn how to give birth. This is aided by good nutrition, exercising and strengthening specific muscles as well as learning what to expect during labor and what you can/should do during each phase. And it's referred to as husband-coached because your husband learns along with you and coaches you through the labor.
Jeff and I started reading the book about the Bradley method together. I don't agree with everything they say, but I do like the overall philosophy. But some of the exercise descriptions in the book were confusing and difficult to follow. And since this is our first child, we decided that we wanted more instruction than the book alone could provide. So we signed up to take a class.
This past week we started our 12-week course of Bradley classes. They are held in the home of our instructor Alyssa (pronounced Alysha) on Thursday nights. There were originally going to be four couples, but everyone else either backed out or forgot, so right now we get private instruction!
In addition to the 12 classes, we have daily and weekly homework assignments. I have to fill out a daily pregnancy nutrition journal documenting everything I eat. This is actually good for me, knowing that someone else will be looking over it each week. I know I should eat better than I do... I also have daily exercises, some of which Jeff helps me with. And we have weekly reading assignments to complete as well. It will take a little while for me to work them into my daily routine and remember to do everything, but I'm committed to making it work.
It's been interesting to hear the different reactions I get when I tell people that I want an unmedicated, natural childbirth. I'm surprised by all of the fear and negativity that seems to surround giving birth. Some experienced mothers tell me that I think that now, but I'll probably change my mind during delivery. Others think I'm crazy, or vow "I could never do that." A few are supportive or have done it themselves.
The way I see it, I'm not going into this blindly. I'm preparing myself physically and mentally for a natural childbirth. I know that a complication could arise and I may need medication or an emergency C-section - this is why I'm giving birth in a hospital - but I hope it doesn't come to that.
I hope I haven't offended anyone. I firmly believe that each woman should research and find out what is best for her. As for me, I'm going to give natural childbirth a try.
Anyway, I also try to avoid taking medicine whenever possible. Fortunately, I don't have any serious illnesses or conditions that require me to take medicine regularly (for which I'm grateful). But when I get a headache, I try things like laying down for a nap, drinking water, eating, etc. before I take an Aleve.
Now, these are just my personal opinions and preferences. I don't look down on those who wear make-up, dye their hair, take medication, etc. I just don't like to do these things myself.
That being said, I've always leaned towards natural childbirth. I was pretty sure I didn't want an epidural, but I didn't know much past that. After becoming pregnant, I've done more research into the methods that are out there. Jeff and I have decided on the Bradley method, also known as husband-coached childbirth.
The overall idea is that childbirth is natural and our bodies are made to handle it. However, we need to learn how to give birth. This is aided by good nutrition, exercising and strengthening specific muscles as well as learning what to expect during labor and what you can/should do during each phase. And it's referred to as husband-coached because your husband learns along with you and coaches you through the labor.
Jeff and I started reading the book about the Bradley method together. I don't agree with everything they say, but I do like the overall philosophy. But some of the exercise descriptions in the book were confusing and difficult to follow. And since this is our first child, we decided that we wanted more instruction than the book alone could provide. So we signed up to take a class.
This past week we started our 12-week course of Bradley classes. They are held in the home of our instructor Alyssa (pronounced Alysha) on Thursday nights. There were originally going to be four couples, but everyone else either backed out or forgot, so right now we get private instruction!
In addition to the 12 classes, we have daily and weekly homework assignments. I have to fill out a daily pregnancy nutrition journal documenting everything I eat. This is actually good for me, knowing that someone else will be looking over it each week. I know I should eat better than I do... I also have daily exercises, some of which Jeff helps me with. And we have weekly reading assignments to complete as well. It will take a little while for me to work them into my daily routine and remember to do everything, but I'm committed to making it work.
It's been interesting to hear the different reactions I get when I tell people that I want an unmedicated, natural childbirth. I'm surprised by all of the fear and negativity that seems to surround giving birth. Some experienced mothers tell me that I think that now, but I'll probably change my mind during delivery. Others think I'm crazy, or vow "I could never do that." A few are supportive or have done it themselves.
The way I see it, I'm not going into this blindly. I'm preparing myself physically and mentally for a natural childbirth. I know that a complication could arise and I may need medication or an emergency C-section - this is why I'm giving birth in a hospital - but I hope it doesn't come to that.
I hope I haven't offended anyone. I firmly believe that each woman should research and find out what is best for her. As for me, I'm going to give natural childbirth a try.
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