This week my husband and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. We went to a local restaurant, 18 Seaboard without the boys for a lovely little dinner. They serve locally sourced foods, including grassfed beef and pastured chicken. They also were very accommodating with substituting vegetable oil for butter or olive oil. My husband particularly enjoyed their gluten free offerings in the form of chocolate cake and homemade vanilla ice cream. If you live in or near Raleigh, NC check out 18 Seaboard.
23 weeks baby A and baby B
We had another ultrasound this week. It is so exciting to see their growth. I am still amazed at the remarkable human body, I am growing two human beings! How awesome is that? You can see and feel their movements with a hand on my belly now. That is so awesome for my husband. As of the ultrasound on Monday, they are each just over one pound and about the size of a banana.
My appetite is not as robust as it was a couple weeks ago. I am eating three meals and meeting my nutrient targets, including:
Organ meat three times per week
Salmon, sardines, or oysters four times per week
Grass fed beef 2-3 times per week
2 pastured eggs every other day
Raw whole milk 1cup per day or raw whole yogurt 4-8 oz per day
Raw milk cheddar or cottage cheese 1-2 oz or 4-8 oz per day
4+ cups leafy greens daily
2+ cups colorful veggies daily
2 cups starchy veggies (sweet potato or winter squash)
2-3 pieces of fruit (berries, banana, orange, apple)
2-3 Tbsp coconut butter or oil
olive oil and/or butter on veggies and salads
saurkraut, kavass, and kombucha daily
drink 1+ gallon of reverse osmosis water per day
Do I measure and weigh my food….um, no! I have an idea of what the above amounts look like on a plate. I also pay attention to how I feel, if I need or want more than the above amounts I first go to the nutrient dense choices. I don’t believe in the mantra of, it’s ok to indulge your cravings because you are pregnant. Like I said above, I am growing to human beings, can you imagine to raw materials needed for that job?
My ankles and lower legs are my main source of irritation. I wear, Happy Feet Alignment Socks to bed at night to separate, stretch and align my toes. I stand most of the day, so it feels great to have a nice stretch to my feet at night. I also stretch my lower legs using the Tri Stretch daily. I am lucky enough to have a True Stretch in my garage, so I can mobilize my whole body every morning and evening. I am currently using the FitSplint to support my growing belly. I did not use a splint in my first twin pregnancy. I wish I had because, for me, it allows me to move around much easier. I am getting ready to switch to the Baby Belly Belt, designed by Diane Lee one of the forerunners in women’s pelvic health. I will be discussing some of Diane’s research about diastasis recti in an upcoming post. I am particularly interested in Diane’s work because Sheri and I will be serving women and addressing women’s health issues in our business. I am also personally invested as I am trying to maintain core and pelvic floor integrity during this pregnancy.
Please feel free to share your comments and experiences. Sheri and I welcome all suggestions for content.
Best,
Amy