Moms 4 Health August 15, 2014
I am Amy Slater. I live in Holly Springs, NC with my husband Kevin and twin boys Cameron and William. I work as a personal trainer at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC. I am currently 15 weeks pregnant with a second set of twins. My family follows a Paleo/Primal way of eating. We eat real food and cook from scratch. My goal for this blog is to reach out to all prenatal, pregnant, and postnatal moms. I also hope to be a resource for all moms who are looking for ways to provide a healthy household for themselves and their families. I will share the challenges and lessons I have learned through my journey so far as a mother of two, and soon to be four children. My journey to motherhood began five years ago when my husband and I decided we wanted to start a family. We tried to conceive naturally but were unable to because I have hypothalamic amenorrhea. Which means my body does not produce what it needs to in order to conceive. We sought help from a UNC Fertility clinic. After taking three months of shots to stimulate ovulation we conceived our boys. The pregnancy went well and I carried them for 38 weeks. I ate a real food diet during my pregnancy and for most the first six months post partum. When the boys were six months my health began to decline. I had joint pain, extreme fatigue and anxiety. I began searching for answers. Through my studies and with direction offered by one of my mentors, Lenny Parracino, I found the Paleo/Primal way of eating. I learned about the importance of nourishment instead of calorie counting. I removed all grains and switched to full fat organic dairy. And, my health began to slowly improve. The last three and one half years has been a journey. I realized that my health declined so rapidly because I was not giving my body what it needed to heal and replenish stores from the stresses of nursing two babies. I got tangled up in body image and the rush to lose the pregnancy weight. I lost the weight very quickly but I also lost my health in the process. So, for the last 3 1/2 years I have not missed a day of bone broth or gelatin. I and my family eat a nutrient dense diet including organ meats, sardines, oysters, fermented foods and raw dairy. We don’t eat grains and chose the fattier cuts of grass fed meats. I also enjoy Kombucha Jello. Basically, we eat real food and cook from scratch. Now, I am pregnant with a second set of twins. Thanks to the miracle of medicine that allowed my body to produce what it needs to make babies. My exercise is very different this pregnancy and the focus is on loading my connective tissue to maintain balance and optimal elasticity. My favorite tools are a ViPR and Pelvicore ball. Over the next 23 weeks I will share my movement progressions as well as nutrition tips and tricks. Please feel free to comment and share thoughts freely. Kindly yours, Amy
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