fun with food: grain-free/gluten-free crepes

crepes are a hot item in our house.  every member in our family loves crepes.  my kids pretty much just inhale them.  for real. no joke.

we've been making crepes since emma was a wee baby.  before we started on our traditional/WAPF diet, we would make them with regular white flour.  then i started doing sourdough crepes (made with spelt flour), although i think aaron is still partial to the white flour variety.  the kids and i like the sourdough crepes, and they're super quick and easy to whip up, as long as you have enough sourdough starter around.  since our kids gobble them up like no other, i often have to double the recipe, which means i have to feed the starter enough flour so that i can actually double the recipe.  i'm usually pretty good at planning ahead for that, but i do have days where i'm totally not prepared (okay, i may have those days a lot more than usual).

so, these grain-free crepes are totally yummy and awesome when i don't have sourdough starter around.  seriously, we've made them three times in the past week and a half.  maybe we need a crepe intervention.  they're easy to make and actually don't taste much different than the regular white flour crepes.

why bother with grain-free crepes when you could just make it with white flour?  well, white flour isn't exactly healthy for you, since they're a pretty refined product (even though nothing beats using white flour in chocolate chip cookies or crusty french bread...cheat days keep our family sane).  and whole grains are kind of a funny thing for your tummy. they are difficult to digest, so if you do use a whole wheat type of flour then you need to either soak, sprout or ferment (sourdough) it to make it easier for your body to digest.  i'm not going to go into the details of that in this post, but if you want to know more about how and why to properly prepare grains i recommend checking out the weston a. price foundation website or the healthy home economist for more information.

okay. let's bring it back to these crepes, guys! i'm officially making this my go-to crepe recipe when i'm not making sourdough crepes (or when aaron's not making crepes, because you know he'll just use the white flour...haha).  i found the recipe here, but made some small changes. this is a very flexible recipe that can also easily be dairy-free, if you or a family member has a dairy allergy. i've tried making them using coconut oil, butter, regular milk, and yogurt (though you have to add a little extra water to thin out the batter a bit). i haven't tried using coconut milk yet, but i'm pretty sure it will taste just as good.

you should give it a try. and suddenly, everyday will be crepe day.

:: grain-free/gluten-free crepes ::

adapted from healthnutnation.com

yields: approx. 24 6 inch crepes

3/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tsp. aluminum free baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
4 eggs
2 Tbs. coconut oil (or ghee or butter) and some extra for cooking
1 tsp. honey (optional)

1. Mix ingredients together until well blended.
2. Heat your pan at medium heat, and add a small amount of oil or butter and swirl around. You may have to only do this once, but if you find that you're crepes are sticking to the pan, then you may have to add a bit of oil before each crepe is made.
3. If you're using a small, 6 inch pan (like an omelette pan), pour about 2-3 Tbs. of the batter onto the pan and gently swirl it until batter covers the bottom of the pan.
4. Once the batter is set, flip the crepe over and cook on the other side (about 2-3 seconds).
5. Take cooked crepe off the pan and put on a plate.  I usually just cook and stack them on one plate, or you can serve it directly.
6. Fill crepes with your preferred fillings...sweet, salty, what have you!

**If you double this recipe you can keep some extra in the fridge to eat for another time.  You can also make these ahead of time, although nothing beats freshly made crepes.

a taste of the farm life

last week, my sister asked me if we wanted to take a tour of a friend's farm with her and her family. how could i resist? a tour of a local farm?  heck yeah!

i get excited when we can learn more about local businesses and how we can support them.  especially when it comes to food.  whenever we can, and when our budget allows, we love supporting local farmers by sourcing as much of our produce locally through a CSA, the farmer's market or local grocery co-op.  i have learned a lot about food from participating in CSAs, and have become better aware of what foods are in season and which ones are not (i'm far from being a pro at this, but it's getting easier every year).  our whole family is also exposed to produce that may not make it on my grocery list if we hadn't joined a CSA (think fennel, fava beans and raddichio).

so, an opportunity to tour a local farm is exciting for me, because i get a chance to see where some of the fabulous local produce is coming from.  as it turns out, our farm tour was part of a bigger event put together by sno-valley tilth, an organization that connects local farmers in the snoqualmie valley to the surrounding communities and metropolitan areas.  sno-valley tilth was organizing farm tours of many of the farmers in the snoqualmie valley along with an amazing sounding farm faire and pig roast (aaah!) in the evening. coincidentally, the farm where we have our CSA share was also participating in the farm tour, so bonus for us!  this would be an opportunity to really see where some of our food actually came from.

the drive to the "country" was surprisingly short.  it took us only 45 minutes, which was only 15 minutes longer than if we were to drive to the zoo (and that's in the city). our first stop was oxbow farm, which is where we have our CSA subscription.  oxbow farm not only provides weekly veggie shares through their CSA program, but they sell their produce through a couple of farmer's markets, some area independent grocers, and supply produce to quite a few Seattle area restaurants.  they also provide educational programs for kids and put on seasonal events.

we missed the guided tour, but we were free to explore on our own.  they have a special kids' farm area where you can "guess the veg" in the children's garden, or run through a "living" tunnel made from gourd plants growing right over your head.  our kids were in heaven, and this is where we spent most of our time at oxbow.

they climbed and jumped off tree stumps, and snacked on crunchy apples and sweet strawberries they picked themselves.

there was a little picnic area placed underneath an awning of grape vines, with grapes you can pick off and eat. it felt magical to be standing right underneath it.

and there was a huge teepee like structure with some sort of bean plant growing around the poles, providing shade and made you feel as if you were really inside a tent.

there was so much imaginative play going on, and it felt good just being able to let the kids do some natural exploration on their own.

our next stop was local roots farm where we met up with my sister and family, and had the opportunity to meet the owners/farmers, siri and jason. they're a smaller farm than oxbow, but still provide amazing, quality produce through their CSA subscription, farmer's markets and to many Seattle area restaurants.
  

the kids had a blast hanging out with their cousins and new friend, siri and jason's sweet little boy, and i gained a greater appreciation for the work that these farmers do to provide food for us to eat. it was a privilege to get a small glimpse of what life is like for them, and thankful that they are willing to share what they do with us.

it was a saturday well spent.  full of learning, fun, and new discoveries.

get cultured: homemade fermented salsa

i have so many thoughts in my head that i long to post on here and share, but i haven't had much time or energy lately to just sit and commit.  do you know what i mean?

so, i'm going to write about homemade salsa.

and this is not just any old salsa, friends.  this is living salsa.  it's ALIVE.  full of beneficial bacteria for your little gut with each bite.

before i go on, you may wonder why i'm making such a big deal about salsa.  and what's up with this whole beneficial bacteria thing?

well, just recently (like maybe 2-3 years now) we began on an eating journey more in line with a traditional diet.  this alone deserves a separate blog post, so i'm not going to go into much detail on how we got to where we're at today in our eating adventures, but i will say i have been learning a lot.

one thing i have been learning more about is fermented foods, and i have been fascinated with the science and research cropping up about the gut health and its relation to fermented food consumption. this post has a lot of great information and provides an excellent explanation of gut health (with links to research studies if you are a geek like me and like to read them).  and now over here, at this post,  you can read more on the history and benefits of consuming fermented foods (beyond just cultured yogurt).

and thanks to those articles, i now can skip having to explain why i'm making such a fuss over this salsa and share with you my experience.

i admit the fermented salsa has not been my first adventure in fermenting food.  the very first cultured food prodcut i ever made was homemade yogurt. that was fun, but the process is a bit more complicated than lacto-fermenting veggies.  so i branched out and tried my hand at making lacto-fermented cucumbers.  those were yummy, and the kids totally ate it up.  and then there was the lacto-fermented cabbage (a.k.a. sauerkraut).  it didn't taste like what i thought it would be...it was surprisingly good, and i'm not a cabbage fan at all.

ok, back to the salsa.  it's super easy, and a great first-timer recipe, especially if you're not quite used to eating many fermented foods.  this recipe is based on a combination of two.  the first is my husbands, and the second is one from the nourishing traditions cookbook.

adapted from the Nourishing Tradtions cookbook

4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 small onions (i used 1 medium), finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (you can use less, but we LOVE garlic)
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
juice of 1 lime
4 teaspoons of coarse, unrefined sea salt
*optional spice* 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced

Mix all ingredients in a glass bowl. Spoon into a 1 quart wide-mouthed mason jar. Press down lightly with a wooden meat mallet.  I don't own a wooden meat mallet so I used a wooden cocktail muddler, kind of like this one. Keep gently pressing down the veggies until the liquid covers all the veggies.  Be sure to leave 1 inch of room from the top of the jar, you don't want to fill it up to the top. Cover tightly and let the jar sit at room temperature for 2 days before moving it into the fridge.
 

it's delicious, and hard to believe that it's been fermented.  even my husband will eat this, and he's still quite shy about eating all of my fermented veggie experiments.

oh baby :: our wee baby lani

tomorrow our youngest turns 1.  she is the last of 5, and will forever be our baby. and what better way to kick off her 1st birthday than to share the story of her birth?  it's been a year so some things are a little hazy, but i'm sure you won't mind if i skip some of the details, right?

*****

monday morning, august 6, 2012, started off like any other monday: breakfast time followed by rounding up the crew for my visit with my midwife, colleen.  i was at 38 weeks and had been seeing her on a weekly basis for the past couple of weeks because of my SUA.  

i think that visit was the official kick off to my labor.  you can read some of the details from that day here, because i was crazy and decided to post something when i should be preparing for a birth.

anyway, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. there was nothing but my water leaking.  obviously, i blogged that day, washed the car seat cover and did other usual stuff (i think...i can't remember).

at around 5:30 p.m. i was greeted by a wonderful contraction.  hello!  at that point, i had a feeling we were probably going to have a baby that night.  it was a good thing colleen had given me her mobile number (she must have known i was going to go into labor that night) so that i could get in touch with her as soon as labor started.  she knew how much i had wanted to try a water birth (i had planned for one for the both boys, but didn't get to), so she wanted to make sure she got to the hospital early enough to make sure the tub was all ready for me once i got there.  

for once i didn't wait to call until i was having contractions every 5 minutes.  i think i must have called colleen after we put the kiddos in bed probably around 8 p.m. at that time, contractions were still not painful, but i was definitely sure we would be meeting our baby that night. even though the contractions were still about 10-15 minutes apart, colleen decided to head to the hospital to get my tub ready.  i have to say that i'm very thankful to have had a very intuitive and attentive midwife.  she just knew there was no chance in labor stalling with me, and getting my room and tub ready early was pretty much the only way i was going to experience my waterbirth :).

i can't remember all the specifics between the phone call and the time we left for the hospital, but i knew we left around 10:30 p.m. because we had to wait for plan A-1 to take into effect (a.k.a. our super, awesome friend ami who has been plan A-1 since Gibson's pregnancy, but we never had to initiate it until now).  as we waited for ami to come over, i remember the contractions starting to make me grimace.  my sweet husband was very helpful in distracting me when i needed to be distracted, and provided silent support when i just needed to focus. it's funny that this time around, i didn't feel nervous at all about laboring or delivery (even with the possible risks related to the SUA).  God had really given me peace about the whole situation.

we got to the hospital at 11:00 p.m. and began the check-in process at the ER.  when one of the gals at the front-desk heard that my contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart and that this was my 4th child, she decided we didn't need to check-in and rushed us up to our room.  her words: "i'm not about to deal with a birth in the ER!"  i'm so glad, because i wouldn't want to do that either.

everything was ready to go once we arrived to the room.  all i had to do was change.  SO awesome!  i had to go through the usual hospital protocol of being hooked up to the fetal monitoring machine for 15 minutes, but after time was up it was taken off.  man, being stuck in that bed trying to go through your contractions, even if it was just for 15 minutes, was brutal.  i was very relieved when i could finally move around.

while i wasn't crying like a baby (ha!) during the contractions, they did require more from me in order to manage the pain compared to the other 3 births.  we skipped the hep-loc, because colleen is awesome that way.  just kidding.  but seriously, she told the attending nurse that i didn't need it since we wouldn't have enough time anyway.  haha. speaking of the attending nurse, she told me she was a doula before she became a nurse.  how cool is that?  last time i was in with cash, i had a nurse who gave birth naturally to all 6 of her kids.  this time around, i have a former doula??  God has perfect timing.

i was able to push on my own timing again like last time.  i pushed once on the bed.  then colleen told me that if i wanted a waterbirth i'd better get into the tub, because she had a feeling that on the next push the baby will be making her appearance.

walking to the tub felt like the longest walk ev.er. my brain was trying to tell my body to walk faster, but those dang contractions slow you down, don't they? 

the tub was fantastic.  warm and soothing.  throw in the dimmed lights, and you couldn't help but feel more relaxed.  even though my contractions were painful, the warmth and the bouyancy from the water helped a lot.  and once the contraction was over, i felt even more relaxed in the tub, and didn't feel anxious about how the next one would feel.  i don't even remember how frequent they were coming, although i only had maybe a couple more contractions before i was ready to push again.

on the second push, which was in the water, i could feel lani's little head.  being in the tub by yourself, and being consciously aware that you're about to meet your baby was crazy, out-of-this-world. i vaguely heard colleen's words as she coached me through pushing her head out and how to catch her in my arms. 

i saw her come out and caught her in my arms. i think that was one of the craziest feelings ever!  our little leilani juliati was born 18 minutes after we checked into the hospital. in the water.  my little mermaid. and oh she was so tiny and precious and perfect in every way.  what an overwhelming feeling it all was...to be involved in the whole process of delivering the baby.  one moment i was watching her make her entrance, and the next moment i was holding her close to me with the warm water surrounding us. i have to say, i am glad i was able to experience the waterbirth. and seriously...catching your own baby?  that's just crazy pants!  but it was awesome!

and the best part was that the peaceful bonding moment between us and our new baby didn't end right after birth.  colleen and the nurse were very respectful of our space.  i felt i had enough time to just take in my newborn baby before we cut the cord, and we had plenty of skin-to-skin time before they took her weight and length.  thinking back on it now, it seemed like everything was kinda chill and low-key after she was born.  nothing felt rushed.  everything was just at the right time.

i'm thankful that God met this funny desire of mine to have a waterbirth.  He didn't have to, and i would have been ok with that.  but He did and i'm so grateful for the experience.  it was a great reminder of His perfect design...everything from the pregnancy to the birth was perfectly planned and engineered by Him.  every ache and discomfort in my hips as the due date drew closer and closer, every painful contraction, the instincts in my body kicking in as birth was happening...all perfectly designed by Him.

but i'm most thankful for the precious little bundle that he gave us that day, and for the opportunity to be a mommy and daddy to another sweet baby. 

growth

i had a 3rd trimester ultrasound yesterday.

it's not something most pregnant mamas get...i think most only get the one around 19 or 20 weeks.

i had my first (and i thought only) ultrasound at 22 weeks.  but they found something...different.

my umbilical cord only had 2 vessels.  umbilical cords usually have 2 arteries and 1 vein.  the vein carries oxygenated blood and nutrients from the mother's blood supply by way of the placenta to the baby.  the 2 arteries carry nutrient-less, deoxygenated blood and the baby's waste from baby back to the placenta and into the mother's bloodstream where she can dispose of it through her system.  really, the umbilical cord's basic functions are to bring nourishment and oxygen to the baby.

the technical term for my condition is called single umbilical artery (SUA).  it means that instead of having the 2 arteries that carries out all the waste and deoxygenated blood i only have 1.  it's a rare condition and only happens to 1% of pregnant women.  yes, folks...1% of all pregnant mothers and it happens to me.  huh. kind of like having the e antibody.  rare an uncommon seem to be the theme for this pregnancy.

one obvious complication from having this type of condition is that there could be a higher risk of baby not getting enough oxygen through out the remainder of the pregnancy.  labor can also be a higher risk for baby since contractions limit the amount of oxygen the baby gets (pitocin probably  makes it worse since it intensifies contractions and speeds up labor).  sometimes, SUA is associated with other structural and chromosomal abnormalities in the baby and growth restriction.  if the ultrasound finds any abnormalities including heart, brain, and bone abnormalities then the risk for chromosomal abnormalities goes up by 50%.  chromosomal abnormalities include trisomy 13, trisomy 18 and VERTA association (vertebral defects, anal atresia, tracheosophageal fistula with esophageal atresia and radial dysplasia).  however if SUA is an isolated incident with no other abnormalities found in the ultrasound then the risk for any chromosomal abnormalities is very low (0-2.6%).

the 22 week ultrasound indicated that our sweet babe was healthy with no other abnormalities aside from the SUA detected.  a fetal echocardiogram was recommended in addition to a 3rd trimester ultrasound.  the fetal echocardiogram checks to make sure there are no heart issues with the fetus.  we decided to decline based on the 22 week ultrasound results and the fact that there is really nothing you can do for the baby until he/she is born.  terminating the pregnancy because of abnormalities, genetic disorders or the like is out of the question so it would be a "waste" of money and resources for us to do the fetal echocardiogram.  the reasoning behind the 3rd trimester ultrasound was to check baby's growth, since SUA has been associated with low birthweight and a higher chance of stillbirth.  however, based on feedback from my midwife and other sources i've read if you have an isolated condition of SUA then there really isn't a problem.

i would have been fine without the 3rd trimester ultrasound.  especially since at my last visit i was measuring big (no growth problem there).  baby's movements have also been regular so as of now there is no concern for stillbirth.  but i suppose it's a nice (and expensive) treat to be able to "see" my sweet baby again.  and of course on the off-chance that a stilbirth does happen, then...well, i don't really want to think about that but, you know...

praise God, everything was fine.  baby is 3 lbs and some change, and i'm measuring right where i'm supposed to be (maybe 2 days ahead).  i almost cried seeing that sweet baby face on the screen and watching his heart beat.  i love this little one already and have yet to meet her.  it really doesn't matter whether he will be born with abnormalities or not.  we will love you just the same, little one!

we put our trust in the one who created our sweet babe.  the one who created each and everyone of us.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,  

intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none of them.

psalm 139: 13-16

there is no doubt in my mind that whatever happens with this pregnancy that the Lord has it under control. no amount of tests and monitoring will make any difference on the outcome of this pregnancy.

we put it all in God's hands and wait.  wait and see what he has planned for us.

for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

jeremiah 29:11

****

 

more on SUA (in case you happen to be among the 1% or are just interested in finding out more):

• SUA and intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and congenital anomalies
• SUA risk factors and outcomes
• pregnancy outcome with SUA diagnosis
• SUA and increased risk of anomalies
• pregnancy outcome in isolated SUA.  quote from study: we concluded that pregnancies with isolated SUA have a similar rate of SGA (small gestational age) to those with 3VC (3 vessel cord).
• there are many, many more studies done related to SUA.  the NCBI (national center for biotechnology information) website has tons of literature on SUA.

PSA for pregnant mothers

so i had a pre-natal appointment last week, and i was up for the dreaded (at least for me) glucose tolerance test.

i dread it because:

1. i do not care for orange flavored drinks, candies, treats, foods, etc.  even orange infused dressings, orange marmalade or orange juice.  [i do however like oranges.  fresh oranges.  navel oranges, mandarin oranges, clementines.  they're yummy.  as long as in fruit form.]

2. there is a ridiculously high amount of sugar in the glucola drink and it's very hard to chug it all down in one sitting.

3. the fake flavor and fake orange coloring makes me gag.

4. i have to go the hospital to get my blood drawn at the lab which takes for.ever.

this bottle is for 100g but i've only ever had to take the 50g bottle

after 3 pregnancies where i have tested negative (and let me again emphasize NEGATIVE) for gestational diabetes (GD), i decided that there really was no reason for me to take this test for baby #4.  with the exception of emma, i have measured big towards the end of my pregnancy.  this one is no different.  i was at 30 weeks for my appointment and i measured 31 weeks.  that's right.  yet another possibility of a "big" baby.  while i understand the dangers and risks of having gestational diabetes, my track record doesn't indicate that i'll be at risk for it.  so why take it? plus, it's just going to cost us extra money to have a lab tell me something i already know.

so during my may appointment, when they informed me that i'd be taking the glucose test at my next appointment, i declined.

surprisingly, i didn't get off that easy.  i thought for sure that being surrounded by midwives, i wouldn't experience any resistance to the request.  [i have to add here, that i was discussing this with a student, who obviously was not my regular midwife.  i'm sure, because she was a student, she was still learning and navigating her way through all the political medical policies.]

"well, it's part of hospital protocol."

i was insistent that i didn't want to drink the orange stuff, and pushed to skip the test all together. can't i just sign a waiver that i understand the risks of skipping the test and promise not to sue if something happens?

"no.  you have to take it."

actually, i don't think i have to.  so i was offered "the diet."  that's right.  a diet, which must be followed precisely, containing 50 grams of carbohydrates (a substitute for the 50 grams of glucose you consume from drinking the orange stuff). why didn't i know about this before??

you want me to eat eggs, an english muffin, and buttter?  ok.  twist my arm.

now, i don't drink milk straight so i ended up mixing some of the milk in my eggs and the rest in my coffee (ended up being more milk than coffee, but that was fine with me).  it was a most enjoyable breakfast, which was made even more enjoyable knowing that i didn't have to drink any orange soda stuff.

but here was the best part.  i went to my appointment under the assumption that i would have to go to the lab to get my blood drawn for the glucose tolerance test.  but instead of sending me off, all i got was a finger prick using one of those little readers that i believe diabetics use when they have to measure their blood glucose levels.  that's it?  are you kidding me?  why didn't i do this with the other pregnancies?  why wasn't i made aware of this option before?

i was surprised and pleased.  i asked the office how long they've had this alternative option, and apparently they've always offered it.  they just don't make it public unless a patient specifically asks for an alternative or wants to refuse the test (guess that was me).  the primary reason the diet was not presented as an option was because the hospital prefers patients to take the drink and go to the lab for the test.  while there are some in the medical profession that claim the glucola drink provides the most accurate test results for glucose tolerance, there have been some other studies (though from what i've been able to find not much research has been done all together on the effectiveness of glucola for measuring GD compared to alternatives) that suggest that alternatives, like the diet i did, is just as sufficient in measuring glucose levels in pregnant mamas.

here's my (cynical) take: money.  what costs more and who stands to profit?  blood work at a lab or a finger prick test?  an orange drink supplied by your doctor's office or making your own breakfast at home?  while i think the glucola drink might possibly be a more accurate option for the test for a pregnant woman going through her first pregnancy, why does it have to be so for women who have had previous pregnancies with negative results? or why isn't information for other options presented to even first-time pregnant women so that they are able to make an informed decision, especially if there are alternatives out there?

i feel that the "protocol" claim for this test, treats women as all the same (not as individuals), and undermines the pregnant woman's ability to trust in her own instincts and intuition about the state of her body.  and apparently some women don't tolerate the drink well (maybe it's the abnormally high amount of sugar they have to ingest in a short period of time. or the food coloring. who knows.).  and for some it gives a false positive, because consuming sugars or carbs as part of their regular diet is not a daily occurrence. 

quiet honestly, i haven't done any research into the glucose tolerance test until now.  with the amount of research i've done in other areas of my current and previous pregnancies, i don't know why i've never paid much attention to this one area.  i guess i just thought that it was something all pregnant women did.  i mean really, it's just an orange drink.  what's the big deal, right?  in the grand scheme of things, it's probably not a big deal.  but i really don't like orange flavored drinks.  and this is is my 4th pregnancy, so i would like to think that i kind of have a good grasp on what's going on with my body and how it will react to things.  plus, our insurance gets more and more pricey each year so if it's not a medical necessity why should i have to shell out money and time (i have 3 little ones to tend to now) on something that will give me the same exact results as the last 3 times?  so for us, considering to opt out of a test like this had its merits.

i don't know how it's like for other OB offices, but i did feel it was important to share this new discovery.  like i said, there isn't a whole lot of information about alternate options to the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) except for the fact that it's something all pregnant women get to take during their pregnancy.  but there are options if you choose to consider them.

listed are links to more information related to the glucose tolerance test (i tried to stick with medical journals, etc.):

• study for using jelly beans instead of glucola
• alternatives to OGTT.  the file is in word format found originally from this site.  the diet i did is listed in the file.
• the finger prick test to measure blood glucose levels.  since some in the medical profession may argue the the diet may not be very accurate in measuring glucose levels, i think this is probably why the finger prick was done during my visit instead of drawing my blood.  quote from study: "it is known that glucose levels in capillary blood in the fingertip after a liquid glucose load are constantly higher when compared with venous blood measurements."
• a huge resource page on gestational diabetes including discussion on alternatives to the OGTT and home glucose monitoring during pregnancy.
• a study examining the value of OGTT to predict birth weight.

a success story about buns

we have been in the process of transitioning our food preparation and consumption into more of a traditional diet for the past year (i will have to save that for another post), and one of the things i'm learning is how to work with soaked grains for baking.

side note: i have learned that it's not enough to switch from refined carbohydrates and sugars.  if it's not prepared properly, consuming whole grains doesn't really do your body any good (don't ask about breakfast cereal).  even though whole grains have all the good for you nutrients, it also contains phytic acid (so do legumes, by the way) and other anti-nutrients.  if not neutralized, phytic acid actually blocks the absorption of those vital nutrients found in whole grains.  unprepared whole grains are also more difficult for your body to digest.  soaking will also break down the complex starches and difficult to digest protein (like gluten) so that your body can digest it better.  soaking is just one way to neutralize phytic acid in grains and make them more digestible.   you can also ferment (sourdough) or sprout but i haven't gotten that far yet.

ok, back to the success story.

i made homemade buns last week using a recipe i've used many times before.  except i decided to soak the flour first.  well...it was a major FAIL.  i was so sad to have to toss it all.

that was my first attempt at soaking flour for use in bread.

yesterday we had burgers on the grill and i decided to try again at making homemade buns using soaked flour.  this time i got smart and googled for a recipe to try since i'm still quite a novice when it comes to working with soaked flour.

of course i found one within minutes!  this recipe was simple to follow and prepare...very good for beginner soakers like me.  the down side is that it still calls for white flour and uses instant yeast (i'm not sure yet how using instant yeast affects the integrity of the soaked flour/nutritional value...must do more research on it), but it served its purpose until i'm ready to experiment with something more.

homemade soaked hamburger buns from heavenly homesteading  
yields 8 hamburger buns

soaking/the day before baking

ingredients:

1 cup water
1 Tbs. of water kefir, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (i used raw apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup or 4 Tbs. of coconut oil (mine was in liquid form since i made this on a hot day, but the site says you can cut the oil into the flour before adding the water and acidic medium.)
2 cups whole wheat flour

combine the 4 ingredients until all the flour is moistened in a ceramic or glass bowl.  cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and place in a warm place and let sit 12-24 hours.

baking day

ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup unbleached white flour (preferably organic)
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. whole cane sugar (i used rapadura, but i'm sure honey would be good too)
3 tsp. SAF instant yeast (i didn't have any of that so i used the active dry yeast i had on hand)
your pre-soaked flour mixture

add the ingredients to the pre-soaked flour mixture and knead until all ingredients are incorporated and dough is smooth.  i ended up having to add a bit more than 1 cup of white flour since the dough was still quite sticky.  the dough should be smooth and elastic (tacky but not sticky) once you're done kneading.

lightly dust with flour a rectangular pizza/baking stone (if you don't have a pizza stone, i think a baking sheet covered with parchment paper should work too).  place dough on floured surface or counter top and divide into 8 equal pieces. i left the divided dough in the bowl, working with 1 half piece at a time, because i'm lazy and didn't want to clean up a flour covered counter.  roll each piece in a ball and flatten a bit.  place the pieces on the baking stone.  lightly dust top with flour and cover with a towel.  place in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 2 hours).

preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.  bake buns for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  once done, cool buns on rack.  you can brush a little melted butter on top of each bun.  slice horizontally and stick a burger in between 'em.

these buns turned out so well that i don't think i'll go back to my stand-by recipe until i've figured out how to adjust the ingredients for soaking.  they are quite soft, though more dense compared to grocery store hamburger buns.  they didn't turn out so crumbly like the buns i used to make, and they were still soft the next day (usually my homemade bread and hamburger buns get stale much faster since there's no preservatives or dough conditioners).  i am very happy with the results!

oh baby :: cash the early bird

a birth story.  

i had always planned on writing down my birth stories but never did.  why would i want to?  so i can share them with my children, and so i can remember them myself.  especially since each one was so different.

and can you believe that i'm writing cash's birth story as i'm pregnant.  again?1?  i wonder how this 4th baby's birth experience will be like, especially since all 3 have been unique in their own way...there is no routine in the childbirth process.  each one is special. 

*****

our peanut.

our 3rd born.

baby cash was due on march 10, 2011.  based on the arrival time of his older siblings, we guessed he'd be making his appearance a week before then.

with this pregnancy, i got to forgo the usual prenatal bloodwork that comes along during your 1st trimester of pregnancy.  that made me happy (did i mention my dislike for non-tattoo needles?) and our pocketbook happy.  plus, it didn't make any sense in doing those tests if nothing had changed in the 2 years since my last pregnancy. 

with my last pregnancy, i was diagnosed with GBS so we were going under the assumption that i will test positive for it again this time around.  after eating lots of yogurt and using raw garlic 2 weeks or so before the test, i tested negative. 

things were moving along, though at 35 weeks pregnant we didn't have everything fully prepared at home for receiving our new baby.  i was still teaching dance and planned to go all the way through february before taking any time off.  little did i know that i wasn't going to make it that far.

8 days before his arrival.

i had started my day on february 11, finishing up this post and went about my day with business as usual.  nothing really felt out of the ordinary.  i did manage to do a nice load of laundry full of newborn/baby clothes, which gave some sense of preparedness for the new arrival.

as evening approached, i don't recall anything out of the ordinary sticking out in my head except when we began the bedtime round-up for the kiddos.  you know those braxton hicks contractions you get during the late part of your pregnancy.  well, 7:00 p.m. rolls around and those braxton hicks no longer felt like braxton hicks.  i had to stop and actually breathe through a contraction.  how was that possible?  i was only 36 weeks pregnant.  aaron shooed me to bed and finished up with the kiddos bedtime activities.

after that little spell, i didn't have anymore contractions.  as my husband prepared to leave for a show that night, we decided it was best if i just stayed in bed for the rest of the evening.  surely with a little bed rest things will be back to normal.  after all, i have another month to go.

at 11:30 p.m. i finally decided to get some shut eye.

at 1:10 a.m. i woke up to a surprise.  water was everywhere and at first i had no idea what was happening.  as it turns out my water just broke.  this had never happened before with my other two so having my water break before labor began was a new experience for me.  at first i kind of ran around like a chicken with its head cut off, not knowing what to do first.  after getting over the shock of realizing that my water just broke (and i wasn't due for another month), i finally got things squared away.

the first thing i did was go on the internet to look up how long i was allowed to safely go after my water breaking before i had to go to the hospital since i hadn't started labor yet (you'd think that calling my midwife would be the first thing i do).

at around 1:30 a.m., i sent aaron a text telling him that my water just broke. no response.  i tried to call him a few times shortly after the text but no answer.  of course!  he was at a show. 

at this point, i was trying to think through what i should do next.  we didn't have a plan in place for this type of situation. i knew aaron was 30 minutes away and i had no clue what time he was coming back since i hadn't heard from him.  i wanted to touch base with him first before i called colleen just in case she told me to come in.  my biggest concern was the fact that i was at 36 weeks.  that's considered a premature birth.  i had done very little research on premature births since i didn't think i was at risk for that.

as 2:00 a.m. approached i heard aaron pull in the driveway.  relieved, i decided to start packing the hospital bag while i waited for him to come up to the room.  it was almost 2:30 by the time he made it upstairs...he sure was taking his sweet time!  i discovered that he hadn't checked his phone at all, and when he realized what had happened i think panic mode kind of set in for him (like i said, we weren't prepared for this type of situation).

i finally called colleen at 2:30 a.m.  i felt bad having to wake her up (with gibson i had her up at 3:30 a.m.), but as it turns out she was getting ready to go to the hospital for a delivery anyway.  i still hadn't started labor, and i hoped in my heart that i didn't have to come in.  i didn't want to be induced, because i knew the increased risks of all the other medical interventions that would come along with that.

i was SO relieved when colleen told me to go back to sleep!  i had 24 hours before i had to actually check-in to the hospital, so there was no need to do anything at this point except wait for labor to start on its own.  she suspected that since this wasn't my first rodeo, i would most likely start labor within the 24 hour period.  she told me to call her at noon if i hadn't started labor yet, so that we could discuss some natural ways to start the laboring process.  silly me for even thinking that she would want me in the hospital so soon!  i am so glad that we are on the same page.

after aaron and i finished up our packing and decompressing, we headed to our bed for some shut-eye.  it was 3:00 a.m. when my head touched the pillow.

4:00 a.m. and i was abruptly awoken to pains in my abdomen that were oh so familiar.  so much for rest.  here. we. go.

aaron was still fast asleep.  the contractions weren't painful (more wave-like if anything) and still about 10-15 minutes apart but they were enough of a presence to keep me from going back to sleep.  this went on for 2 hours...spaced out the same amount of time, but as if the "wave" was growing more intense with each hour that passed by.

by 6:00 a.m. the contractions had increased in frequency (5-6 minutes apart) and intensity.  i remember it still feeling like waves (but think more along the lines of tidal waves), except they weren't spaced very far apart anymore.  this time around, it felt as if the baby was moving lower and lower with each contraction.

i don't remember when i finally woke aaron up, i think it must have been when my contractions were 5 minutes apart.  corrie came to the rescue to watch the kiddos as we prepared for our journey to the hospital (and the oh so fun experience of laboring in the car...please note sarcasm).

7:30 a.m. and we were out the door, in our car and zipping along the freeway to the hospital.  i called colleen to let her know we were on our way there.  poor lady!  she was on her way home from the hospital after doing a delivery.  oops!  i guess i should have called her a little sooner.

once we arrived, i stopped paying attention to the time as much and tried to get "settled" into our room.  unfortunately, i was unable to use the birthing center because it was taken by someone else.  it wouldn't have mattered anyway since you have to be at least 37 weeks to use the space.  there was also no waterbirth experience for me (again) since i was technically delivering a premature baby.

the attending nurse did the usual check-in routine.  colleen was there shortly after we checked in, and so was her student, ashley (she was awesome too).  much like emma's experience, i had no pokes with a needle in my arm (or anywhere else for that matter), and the EFM didn't stick around my belly for too long.  it was nice not feeling "tied down."  being the funny man he is, aaron thought the baby's heartbeat sounded like the tune of bonanza.  ha.  he's good at keeping me distracted. 

ashley set up the aromatherapy in the room while colleen dimmed the lights and brought in her oils.  the sweet nurse brought in the iPod player and we attempted to select some nice background music to labor to.  after a short laugh, we decided to nix the rave/aerobic-like musical option on there and settled on good ol' frank sinatra.

side note that i have to add in: the attending nurse during this labor was SO awesome.  i wish i had remembered her name.  she has 10 kids and 4 out of those ten were birthed naturally at home.  she totally understood our birth philosophy, and was so supportive and low-key about everything.  she really stood out to me compared to the other nurses that have attended my birth (not saying that the other nurses were horrible or anything).  how amazing is it that i had her with me for my labor and delivery?  i am hoping that with this baby she will be the one attending my birth.

okay, back to pushing the baby out.  things were going smoothly.  my beloved birth ball was brought in for me to labor on for a while until i was ready to push.  we laughed, joked and chatted between contractions while frankie crooned in the background.  the nurse checked the baby's heart rate with a good old fashioned stethoscope, and i can honestly say that i can't recall anything unpleasant about the experience.  i really felt like all parties present honored our birth plan to a T.  i didn't have to re-iterate anything which enabled me to focus my full attention and energy to meeting our sweet boy for the first time.

it was a bit after 10:00 a.m. and i was feeling ready to push.  i had my cervix checked, but i was only 6 cm dilated.  usually, you have to wait until the cervix is 10 cm dilated before you start pushing the baby out, since that is when the opening will be at the widest point (this had been the case for my past 2 deliveries).  but the desire to push was happening already.  colleen, being the super midwife she is, said to go ahead and start pushing if my body was telling me to push.  so i did.  we later found out from our sweet nurse that there has been evidence that it did no harm to the cervix if a woman pushed based on when her body tells her to push rather than wait until the 10 cm indicator, especially if the cervix is very stretchy.  interesting. i wonder if she had any personal experience with that since she did birth 10 kids.

i felt like i was at the pushing stage forever (later our nurse said it was really only about 15 minutes or so) and thinking that this was the longest pushing stage i've had to endure.  pushing is probably the most physically and mentally demanding part of the childbirth process, at least for me.  on the one hand, i was excited to meet our sweet babe, but on the other hand i was frustrated that my body wasn't doing what it was supposed to do to get to that point (this last part is an untrue assumption of course, because your body is doing what it needs to do...sometimes it just takes more time).  i could feel my endurance wavering.  i wanted to stop.  take a coffee break.  take a nap.  resume later.  my body was tired.  my brain was tired. but there was no stopping the process now.  we. were. so. close.

at 10:29 a.m. our baby boy finally made his appearance.  he was born with his left arm over his face, much like his ultrasound picture. no wonder it was taking forever to push him out.  they immediately placed him on my chest, skin to skin and it was glorious.  beautiful baby smell.  beautiful baby skin.  amazing.

they suctioned him and cleaned him up while he was still resting peacefully on me.  nothing else was done for what seemed like an eternity.  they waited until the cord stopped pulsing before it was clamped and cut (i had read up on this, but had forgotten to put it in the birth plan...glad colleen read my mind).  he wasn't even weighed until an hour after birth...after mom and baby had their time together.

8 lbs. for a preemie was quite a surprise for everyone.  can you imagine what he would have weighed if he was full-term?  probably bigger than gibson!  our nurse (the same one from the beginning) said that he did seem premature by the amount of vernix he still had on his skin.  but aside from that, there were no other complications that came attached to birthing a premature babe (praise God!).  

oh how sweet it was to be able to hold our little cash in my arms.  and even sweeter that we got to meet him earlier than expected.

***** 

with each birth, it seems that i know more and more what my body is capable of.  and with each birth, i feel as if God has a handle on the whole situation (which of course he does) and that all i need to do is give it over to him and trust my instincts.  the ease with being able to do that has been easier with each childbirth experience, and it's sometimes indescribable when i realize how he has used those times to mold and shape me and to strengthen my faith in him.

tis so sweet to trust in jesus. and to take him at his word.  and to rest upon his promise and to know thus says the lord.

*****

More baby stories:

Emma's birth story.

Gibson's birth story.

More birth-related babble:

why i choose natural birth

reflecting on the not so ordinary

a baby belly and a lesson in biochemistry and molecular genetics

i'm the type of person that likes to do research.  i like finding out facts and being well-informed before i make a decision...to understand the why and the how.  that's just my natural tendency.

so naturally, when i first became pregnant i began doing my research.  not only was i searching for birth stories and experiences, but i wanted to know more about the scientific aspects of pregnancy...specifically labor and birth.  who knew you could learn so much amazing science just from being pregnant? thanks to pregnancy i've learned of the intricate, and well-timed scientific process your body goes through when you're in labor and why the "pain" during childbirth is actually normal.  a lesson in human anatomy and physiology, you might say, right?

or how about a nice little lesson on microbiology when i tested positive for group B strep? and then there were the natural preventative measures i looked up in order to prevent the same thing happening while pregnant with cash.  you could consider that a quick study on naturopathic medicine.  right?  okay, maybe i'm stretching it a bit, but there is so much amazing natural science just within the scope of pregnancy and childbirth. 

why bother with learning all this stuff?  like i said, i'm a girl that likes to make a well-informed decision.  it helps me find peace that the decision i'm going to make is the best one for me and/or my family.  and helps me get an idea of how my decision will impact the future.  that doesn't mean that i don't trust my healthcare provider, but i also don't see her as the ultimate decision maker in regards to the health and well-being of my body (this would apply to my children's pediatrician too).  i am ultimately responsible for my own health, including the decisions i make about the health and well-being of my body.  i suppose you could compare it to smoking.  smokers know the risk they're taking by smoking (it kills your lungs, there's an increased chance of lung cancer, etc., etc.), but does that stop them from smoking?  no.  does that mean that smoking is good for your health?  no.  most smokers are well-informed of the risks, but ultimately the choice to continue or stop is up to them.

so now, baby number 4 is growing in my belly nearing the half-way point in my pregnancy.  what's new this time around?

nothing much except that now i have developed the E antibody (or anti-E) in my blood.  what the heck is anti-E?  good question.  of course it's not one of those fairly common things that pregnant women get, so there's not much lay people information on it except what's found in forums (they have been quite helpful, though sometimes it's hard to tell what's fact and what's not).  what's left is a handful of medical journals i get to sift through to get a better understanding of what this means for me and the baby during the rest of my pregnancy.

i did get a general explanation from my midwife and some very helpful friends (who's information i trust).  but did you think i would be satisfied with that?  ha!  of course not.  let me tell you i have been learning a lot about hematology, biochemistry and genetics.  not anything crazy in-depth like some kind of med student, but enough for me to take notes and draw pictures.

so back to the big E. 

what is it?

you have to first get back to the basics of blood.  from my understanding, blood is made up of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.  within the red blood cells you have proteins and plasma.  then there are these molecules that hang out on the surface of your red blood cells.  they're called agglutinogens and there are 2 types: type A and type B.  that's what makes up your blood type.  if your blood doesn't have A or B then you have type O (or "zero" or the absence of A and B).  so that's where people have either these 4 blood types: A, B, AB or O.

then there's the Rh protein (or the Rh factor) that hangs out on the surface of your red blood cells too.  you either have it or you don't.  that's where the + or - comes in with your blood type.  so for example, if you're blood type is AB+ then you have type A and B agglutinogens and have the Rh protein.  and all this blood stuff is genetic...and can affect whether or not you have a high-risk pregnancy.

not to make things more complicated but the Rh protein is made up of these antigens: D, Cc, Ee (there are also the kell, duffy and kidd genes possible, but they're very rare).  and you can have a number of different combinations within the D, C and Es when you factor in the dominant and recessive genes.  if there are 8 possible combinations (CDE, CDe, CdE, Cde, cDE, cDe, cdE and cde) for each parent then you've got a nice little mix of possibilities for each child.  and when that child is grown and has his/her own babies there is another fun set mixing, and so on and so on (this site has a neat little table if you're a visual person)

if you've ever been pregnant you've probably heard about the Rh factor in pregnancy, and what happens if you're a mom who is Rh-.  apparently, this Rh factor that's most commonly talked about during pregnancy only addresses the D antigen (RhD). so if you've ever gotten a rhogam treatment it was for the D antigen.  why only the D antigen?  because the others are uncommon and occur only in a small percentage of RhD cases.  of course it is (please add sarcastic tone to that statement).  the more i read, the more i understand that genetics is very, very complicated...even if it's only looking into the blood factor. 

here's the interesting thing about blood types: your blood is picky.  if you receive a transfusion you can't just get any old blood type.  it has to be compatible with yours.  if you get an incompatible blood it's going to attack that "foreigner" by killing off the red blood cells and produce antibodies (similar idea to when you get sick).  the same thing applies to having babies.  blood type is a factor in your pregnancy experience.  if your blood type is incompatible with your baby's blood type (hemolytic disease of the fetus or newborn) then you could have issues.   

now, i have never received a blood transfusion so the only other possibility of me developing the E antibody is through the exchange of blood types between me and one of my babies during childbirth.  it also means that my dear husband carries the (capital/dominant) E protein...which means that one (or some) of our 3 kids is carrying that same gene.  i, however, do not carry the capital E protein so when i was exposed to it, i developed the (capital) E antibody.  clear as mud?  of course.

what's the next course of action?

not much but pray :).

i can't do a rhogam injection because that's only used to treat RhD.  i'll probably get titers done to make sure my big E levels don't get too high.  when it gets high, that's when it can cause fetal anemia (if the blood types cross paths) or super, worse (and very, very, very rare) case scenario of miscarriage, stillborn or hydrops fetalis.  however, it is possible to do an intrauterine blood transfusion if the fetus develops anemia.  after birth, the newborn baby will most likely develop jaundice because mama's blood has been trying to attack and break down all the baby's "foreign" red blood cells (most likely explanation as to why gibson and cash had jaundice, but emma did not). a lot of the information on how to handle anti-E requires medical intervention, which i am not a huge fan of.  obviously, when it's a medical necessity then i understand intervention is necessary. but i suppose it's important to first define what qualifies as medical necessity.  for example, there is a method via ultrasound that allows the baby to be monitored and checked for fetal anemia, which i think is a far better choice than the intrusive (and more high risk) amniocentesis.  but as we approach the birth of this baby, there will probably be other factors to consider, and we may have to consent to certain medical interventions that were not the norm during my other births for the health and safety of mother and baby.

there's a 50/50 chance that the baby will carry the big E protein so it's hard to tell if there will be any "issues" at all.  most cases i've read, the worse and most common complication the babe experiences is jaundice.

my only question, even after all this research, is why i can be Rh positive but still develop the E antibody.  is it because i don't carry the big E and just the little e, but maybe i carry a big D or C?  like i said before, genetics is very, very complicated.  any geneticists out there?  anyone?

so...there you go.

i know there hasn't been much updates with this pregnancy, but here's one "for the books."  ha!  quite frankly, i'm not worried, because i know the good Lord has it handled.  i feel like the information i've gathered has provided me with enough knowledge about the issue so that i'm not confused about it (especially when discussing this with my midwife).  i do want to put this information out there for any other mamas experiencing something similar since it's not something common experienced in pregnancy.

ultimately, the outcome of all this is in the Lord's hands and i trust that he will work all things for good and for his glory.

*****

my search for anti-E led me to these places:

• management of pregnancies complicated by anti-E alloimmunization
• hemolytic disease of the newborn due to isoimmunization with anti-E antibodies: a case report
• isoimmunization and fetal anemia 
• anti-E in pregnancy
• the rhesus antibody anti-E in pregnancy and blood transfusions (you can download full text on the site)
• defining the Rh blood group antigens 
• genes and blood type 
• blood types, blood compatibility and Rh inheritance 

get up, stand up...

...stand up for your right.  get up, stand up.  don't give up the fight (if you didn't get the reference check out this link).

yesterday, my sister-in-law and a friend of mine took part in a movement.  a movement to educate.  a movement to change public perception.  a movement to normalize nursing (especially nursing in public).

this is not the first time i've written about breastfeeding in public.  the last time was a short little post 5 years ago about a magazine cover showing a babe nursing.  my views about breastfeeding since then haven't changed.

if you haven't already heard about it in the media, there was a national nurse-in yesterday at hundreds of targets across the nation (and canada too).  the nurse-in was in response to one woman's experience while at a target breastfeeding her baby about a month ago (details found here).  based on what i've read, it was not the first time target employees had given nursing mothers a hard time at their store (2006 incident here and 2009 incident here).  while target policy apparently supports breastfeeding mothers, i think the consistency in training their employees about this policy is obviously lacking.

so why the big hub-bub about a national nurse-in?  why not just have a nurse-in at that one particular target where the mother was harassed?  honestly, i don't think a local nurse-in would be as effective.  i think the purpose of the national nurse-in is really to change public perception on public nursing.  to make it normal.  not sexual or offensive or disgusting.  how is it disgusting and sexual to provide your baby with nourishment?  i think that part of the problem, when people view breastfeeding as offensive or disgusting, is attributed to the oversexualization of the female body.  i loathe going by the victoria's secret where you see blown up models clothed in merely a bra and panties.  or how about a mall?  or some of the men's magazines we have around (maxim, sports illustrated swimsuit edition to name a few).  i have an impressionable 14 year old son for pete's sake!  how is he supposed to respect a woman's body, when the majority of imagery of women that he sees is about sex, sex and more sex??  i also have a beautiful, sensitive little girl.  when she is exposed to a lot of the same imagery, what does that tell her about herself and her body?  i was that girl.  i remember feeling insecure about my self-image and seeing those magazines and catalogs only fueled my insecurities.  thankfully, i have my sweet jesus who gives me security in who i am and how i look like (and also my husband...who pursues me daily like i'm one hot potato!).

but i digress.  the national nurse-in...important?  yes.

why?  we want mothers to breastfeed their babies, because it's the perfect food for them.  according to the world health organization, breastfeeding is recommended up to 2 years of age and beyond.  we want mothers to be encouraged when nursing their babes, especially first time mothers.  but when things like this target incident (or how about the victoria's secret one and the whole foods one) happen, it provides a barrier to breastfeeding mamas everywhere.  if you are made to feel unwelcome each time you try to feed your hungry baby, then how much more will you continue to nurse your child?  it isn't always convenient to pump (and for me personally, i had difficulty pumping for all my kids so if i had given up nursing i would have turned to formula early on).  it takes time, and if you have more than 1 child finding time to sit and pump becomes even more difficult.  so the national nurse-in is more about re-educating the public about breastfeeding and normalizing nursing. 

our own personal nurse-in experience yesterday went quite well.  we were a small group of 3 mamas (and 1 supportive friend), but it was great to be able to hang out and support one another.  choosing to breastfeed in public is not always easy.  as a first time mom, i was quite gun-shy about it at first.  and if i hadn't had positive experiences and supportive family during those first few months i probably would have given up nursing after the "recommended" 6 months.

there was no negativity experienced by us in our target store.  the employees were friendly, and though they were made aware (like all the other target stores nationwide) about the nurse-in i'm not sure if they knew that the 3 of us were the "protestors."  and that's totally fine.  the point of the nurse-in is to normalize breastfeeding.  so if no one noticed or thought it was a big deal, then that's fantastic.  because it shouldn't be a big deal.  we had a couple of customers who chatted with us, but made no reference about the nurse-in.  most of their comments were about our kids and how cute they were.  but i know that this experience was not the same at all the targets.  there were some who endured some negative comments, and even reading the comments on some of the media websites after the nurse-in coverage can be disheartening and hurtful.  but again, that was the whole reason for the nurse-in.  there's definitely so much more i can add to this post, but then it would turn into a post too long for anyone to want to read.  plus, my children are calling me.  

i don't know if we'll make the history books, per se, but it was an awesome experience to be a part of.  i am thankful that where we are at, i can be a part of a supportive community that doesn't bash on women who choose to nurse their babes (privately or publicly). 

it isn't about us.  it's about our babies and their right to eat.