Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen

Monday, December 23, 2013

Busy Being Mommy

The last couple of days have been something to say the least! I didn't drink enough water after my long run on Saturday and on Sunday I was dehydrated. I had a hard time eating and drinking and if it got worse I might have had to go in to see the ER. But I worked through it and I am much better now. I have learned my lesson. MORE WATER!

Also the kid has been sick too. That kind of took precedent over my sickness too. He slept in bed with me and was my little minion with a fart gun in my face all night! (see Despicable Me 2 if you don't know what I am talking about!) Went to the doctor today and he is on an inhaler until the cough clears and another medication for his cough/mucus. No ear infections though! THAT IS GOOD NEWS! Thankfully he has his appetite back, he just put 2 handfuls of Chic-fil-a fries on my lap for me to hold him. YUMMO! Anyhew today I have been just busy being a mommy. Taking care of my sick body and my sick son! I will get back to posting tomorrow though for your reading pleasure! Thanks for sticking around!

Saturday, December 21, 2013

How Much Recovery?

(Mason decided not to nap in his room during Mommy quiet time and later passed out on the dog.)
Are you in the mood for a nice healthy meal after you run? Or do you like to just rest while stretching. Or how about a nice nap to help get your body feeling like it is back to normal. Ever since I got pregnant I have felt that I NEEDED a mid day nap just to be able to function during the later end of the day. Add in exercise on top of pregnancy, I will literally crash at about 5 if I don't get a rest/nap. The big key is to listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs. 

This week on Tuesday, I did my first run since Thanksgiving. Like actual, pushing myself run. Mace didn't want to nap later in the afternoon. I went straight during the day without a single rest. Then I had to teach, make dinner, family time, and put the kid down. At 8pm my body just crashed, and crashed HARD! I could hardly stand up. Matt had to help me up to bed and once my head hit the pillow I was out, until my dad called about an hour later. I learned my lesson. I know that I need to rest, I have to rest. I am pregnant. I am also putting my body through rigorous exercise while pregnant which means I require more recovery time. It is what it is. 

So now I know. I know that on long runs, like today, I have to nap. Even if that means for my nap to be during Sesame Street, then in my bed with my 2 year old next to me cause I don't have enough energy to deal with him not wanting to sleep in his own bed. (At least he slept for 2 hours, which is exactly what I needed.) 

I am planning ahead now. I know that the day of the 1/2 marathon we will be go back to our hotel, request late checkout and go back to sleep for as long as possible, then go play! (That is the plan at this point.)

Listen to your body. Do what it needs and it will thank you and work with you in the end! 

QOTD: How do you recover after a long run, or any workout in general?

Friday, December 20, 2013

HypnoBirthing

I am so excited to share this post with you. I have had a lot of women asking me about hypnoBirthing since they know I did mine with it and drug free. 

What is Hypnobirthing? Per hypnobirthing.com it is a simple, straightforward program, thoughtfully developed over the years to remind mothers of the simplicity of birth itself. Just as the majority of birthing women do not need interventions and procedures for safe and healthy birth, they do not need a complex set of exercises and scripts to prepare themselves for peaceful, calm and comfortable birthing. 

Here is a 9 min video on hypnoBirthing:
 

When I was 14 years old my nephew was born. I remember hearing about the epidural process and it freaked me out. Why would you put a needle in your spine? It didn't make any sense to me. I told my mom that day that I was never going to get an epidural when I have a baby. She just looked at me and said, "We will see." Ever since I got married I looked forward to getting pregnant and showing all the naysayers that yes I could do it without pain relievers. (I had told countless other people by this point my plan on a drug free labor. Common response was "yeah right".) 

When I finally got pregnant after 8 years of trying, I called my sister in law who had 5 kids all drug free. She was induced with all her labors because she wouldn't go into labor naturally. So yes, while on pitocin she did not get any pain medication. Did she want it, heck yeah. Until her 5th birth. She used hypnobirthing. I talked to her a ton about it. She sent me the CD's to listen to and told me the book to get. (HypnoBirthing the Mongan Method) I was about 24 weeks when I started listening to the CD's. I would listen to them when I walked on the treadmill. (Use your own judgement.)

I would listen to them about 3 days a week at the gym and then maybe 1-2 days at home just to relax. I loved listening to the positive affirmations CD the most. It just made me feel better. 

My labor story with Mason: 

Mason was induced with cytotec, not pitocin, since my hubby was leaving for Iraq 3 days after Mason was born. During the induction, waiting for things to happen, I listened to the positive affirmations to get them clear in my head especially for during the "hard part" and after. At 4:30 I had a failed induction. I was only a 4 and 100% and -1 station. Doc said I could go home or break my water. We broke my water and got the party started. (I didn't want my water broken prior to 7cm by the way because I was concerned about other things happening than can happen. But I needed my hubby there. Personal choice I made.) Water broke, doula was called and got there in 30 min (which felt like FOREVER by the way) I got in the tub to labor and that is when I found my relaxation spot. I imagined my white chair at the end of a long hallway. I had ever-changing walls around me and when I had a surge (contraction) I would see waves lapping on the beach all around me. In between surges I laid back in the tub and went to my quiet place. My husband said it looked like I was asleep. The only pain at this point that I complained about was my feet were hurting because I was kneeling in the tub and the top of my feet hurt in the tub. At about 8ish, I started feeling the urge to push in the tub so I had to get out. Couldn't relax in-between the contractions as much as I had to make my way back to the bed and contract in the middle of the room with my hubs as support.

Got checked in the bed and it was go time. Doc and nurses said I was an awesome pusher and baby could have been born in 3 pushes but they needed me to "stretch" So the doc kept the head crowning so I could stretch around it. I never once felt the "ring of fire." I felt pressure. I didn't scream. I grunted like a gorilla, because that is what my body needed to do. Mace was born at 8:52pm. I did have a 1 degree tear, not from the head by from the force and speed at which I birthed his shoulders. I also felt the stitch when the doc stitched me up. I said, "ouch!" when he stuck me with the needle, I guess he didn't numb me. He remarked, "You are complaining about a stitch after you just pushed a baby out!" He was dumbfounded by it. I told him it was a different pain. But it quickly went away as my endorphins covered up that pain too. It was just the first stick that was different. 20 minutes after I had Mason, I remember saying, "I want to do that again!" The nurses thought I was crazy! The adrenaline rush afterwards was AMAZING! Not even the scariest roller coaster has given me that much of a rush, but it was easier than I thought it would be. Then nurses also told me that I was born to birth with how well I did. (FYI I don't remember most of my labor experience. I was that relaxed and focused. My doula and hubby had to fill in the blanks for me about what happened.)

Ever since I had Mason I have been excited to get pregnant and bring another life into this world but also to go through birthing again. It was not like it was in the movies, or the 2 ladies around me in the hospital before they got their epidurals. They were screaming, like I'm going to die screaming. We knew when they got their epidural because it got very quiet. I made noise, I grunted a lot. I did a lot of breathing. I did it drug free. I was also open to the fact that if I needed an epidural I would get one, but I never got to that point. Now it is time for me to start listening to the CD's again and I am so excited. I am going to try this again. My concern, will I get into that super relaxed state if my labor is less than 4 hours. Mason was 4 hours, this one should technically be faster. We shall see. 20 more weeks and we will know for sure.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

New Tab

I added a new tab! RECIPES!  Quick find for all the recipes that I have posted on the blog! Check it out!

Seriously the Spinach Salad is still the most viewed recipe I have posted! Anyone try it for Thanksgiving? Are you planning on trying it for Christmas too?

Food OVERLOAD!

Not only did I make 8 dozen cookies this past weekend, I also signed up to take some cookies to a church function tonight, which means more baking. Then I got a call from the hubs yesterday that he is supposed to bring something to a potluck today. I got the call yesterday afternoon. He has known about this party for over a week and I get the call the day before!

I told him, I bet this is what it feels like when a 10 year old comes up to his mom and says, "mom I have a project due tomorrow. Can you help me make it?" A mom would internally scream, takes a deep breath and calmly asks her kid, " how long have you known about this project?" "3 weeks." ARGH! I know this will happen to us at some point, and more than once. But it just goes to show that my hubby is a big kid! Anyhew, I am making my grandma's marshmallow fruit cocktail (see below for recipe if you want to try it, but my Grandma made it and it is really yummy!) for him to take to work and the cookies for tonight, I am making this easy fudge.

Tuesday while on the on the treadmill running the Pioneer Women came on the food network and she made Quick and Easy Peppermint Fudge. It looked totally too easy! Just chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and peppermint candies for the topping. That's it! Not sure how it will turn out but 3 ingredients and 2 of them I already have on hand, can't beat that! (Also, I am going to add some chopped walnuts to it. YUMMY!)

Now, time to plan our Christmas meal. What should we do? Oh and yesterday I found out that my mom reads my blog! HI MOM!!! She was asking me questions about the hidden gifts in the house growing up.

Marshmallow Fruit Cocktail: 

2 cans Fruit Cocktail
1 can pineapple triangles
1 can mandarine oranges
1 can maraschino cherries
1 cup shredded coconut
1 c of "tiny" marshmallows
16 oz sour cream
12 tablespoons sugar

Mix together and let set in fridge for a couple hours before serving.

QOTD: Do you do too much cooking/baking around the holiday?
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