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Pregnancy update, I am now 29 weeks pregnant(Hello Third Trimester!!!) and this precious little boy is moving alot! I treasure each movement.
I have talked quite abit about my emotional journey processing through this pregnancy. Now I want to discuss some of what I am doing to support myself physically during this pregnancy.
This is my 7th pregnancy and I have learned alot through previous pregnancies and via research what I should and should not do. Along with wanting to be cautious and not push my body too far because of my miscarriage, I also know that there are many things I can do to support myself.
Learning to read your body is very important even outside of pregnancy. During pregnancy, protein is very important. For me when I am pregnant protein is highly important first thing in the morning. If I don't have it with breakfast, it can knock my entire day off. Protein gives me a nice solid start to my day with good nutrition. Finding clean sources of protein can be difficult. For me chicken, eggs, plant based protein drinks/shakes, clean protein bars, peanut butter, tuna fish sandwiches, black bean burgers, lentil soup, etc. are good sources of protein. Note that I do eat beef, but it is not my go to.
Hydration is very important especially during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I have found, that having a gallon of water in the fridge ready for me to drink every day is helpful for keeping me hydrated. I refill my glass all day from that gallon and do not have to calculate water all day. I know how much I drink based on how much of the gallon is empty. I work to drink the entire gallon every day. I like this water bottle and have been using is regularly, find it HERE. Keeping my gut balanced is also something that is very key to keep heart burn in check and digestion flowing properly. Things I do for this, fibrous foods (i.e. salad greens, broccoli and other green veggies, heavy grain bread, etc.). Enzymes, such as Allerzyme (find it HERE), Papaya Enzymes (find it HERE), Stomach Comfort (find it HERE). Probiotics that I have found to work really well, Life 9 (find it HERE), Probiotic prunes (find it HERE), and Keifer which you can find at most grocery stores. Fermented foods such as, Saurkraut, Kombucha, Kevita, etc, can be found at grocery stores and made at home. I like to use baking soda on my toothbrush(over my toothpaste) to balance the pH of my mouth and stomach and support my teeth. I have found drinking drinking lemon water every morning to support digestion and liver function is very helpful to balancing gut pH (or I take lemon vitality essential oil in a capsule, find it HERE).
I will discuss what I use for supplements in my next update!
-Lysette
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hopefulconfidentmamas
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sisterpowerps
Find out how to start supporting your family and get your free PDF about Probiotics and Prebiotics: https://lysetteyohanna.com/landing/freedom-life-style-1st-page
Get your copy of our emotional booklet designed to support communication and understanding between parents and their children:
Some thoughts this morning as I process where I am in my pregnancy and where I have been in the past year and a half since my miscarriage......
Life is not easily explained in clear lines or emotions. I have been sharing about my journey through this pregnancy and what I have experienced emotionally along with my processing. It is hard to put a finger on one emotion during this process. I have felt so overjoyed, excited, nervous, fearful, thankful, worried, confidents, unsure..... all at the same time?
This little boy that I carry inside of me is now about 25 weeks old. I have passed so many of the goals I had set for myself and I am now almost at the end of my second trimester. I treasure each movement I feel and I he moves quite abit. My husband has felt him move already. This little guy has a strong kick. ( I am crying as I right this....)
I am so amazingly blessed and feel so overwhelmed at this little miracle that God picked my womb to grow and my husband and I to raise.
Life is such a gift, it is not guaranteed, it is not a right, it is a gift. It is a gift that we should be daily grateful for. It is a gift that God grants us because he loves us. And because he has a special purpose for each one of us.
A year and a half ago when I miscarried, the last thing I wanted to think about was having another baby. I was actually scared to get pregnant at that point. Then in the year following, I thought about it and my children asked if we were going to have another one, and I told them it was in God's hands. I started to feel the desire for another one but had a deep understanding that maybe there would not be one. I told God that, I was leaving that desire in his hands. The desire came in waves and I would release it. I actually was quite content where we were, knowing that maybe we were done having children. I had peace. And then we found out we were expecting this precious litttle boy.....
God is amazing in his timing. He has given me the opportunity to finish working through the healing he started in me and to grow the trust I have in him. He knows when and if there should be another life and I am so blessed that he chose us for this new little life. I love the term 'Rainbow Baby'. This little boy is our Rainbow Baby, a promise of life from God, that he is the giver of life. That no matter what we go through, he is there and walks with us through every situation we experience in life.
-Lysette
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hopefulconfidentmamas
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sisterpowerps
Find out how to start supporting your family and get your free PDF about Probiotics and Prebiotics: https://lysetteyohanna.com/landing/freedom-life-style-1st-page
Get your copy of our emotional booklet designed to support communication and understanding between parents and their children:
My first midwife appointment was wonderful! We got to hear his heart beat again and that is one of the most precious sounds when you are pregnant and you cannot feel the baby move yet. This appointment was a step toward my next goal of the 18-20 week ultrasound.
At this point in my pregnancy the midwife appointments are about a month apart with blood work, ultrasounds, and other tests in between. I had blood work and my 18-20 week ultra sound appointments to setup and complete before my next midwife appointment.
The next week was bloodwork and it went well and everything looked great. Prayers answered. Everything was looking good! Quick side note here..... Have you ever noticed how we quickly we pray for something and then how quickly we forget to thank the Lord for answering it when it happens? With this experience, I am working to be thankful and and find joy throughout the process. This is not something that just happens. Intentionality is required for this. Making note of each goal met, of each positive appointment, and tests with wonderful results, requires thankfulness and appreciation to God for what he is walking us through and the miracle of life that he is growing inside of me.
The 18-20 wk ultrasound was next. This is the ultrasound that they take all the measurements and make sure the development is on track. They also check for anything from the family history in the baby's development. I was excited to see our precious little guy and see how beautifully he was growing and developing. With each next step I have to be intentional of quieting the fear that tries to sneak in and give it to God.Our precious little boy is healthy and growing on track! No issues in his development. He did give the ultrasound tech a hard time by not cooperating for all the pictures she wanted, he moved around a lot. But, the activity and positive words from the doctor calmed my heart even more, knowing that God was in control.
Another thing I have learned and God continues to remind me of is that, God is always in control. This is not something that we readily acknowledge. We want him to explain why things happen and why we get hurt and miscarry, etc. My thoughts on this are that, his ways are far above our ways and his thoughts are far above our thoughts. If we understood everything he did and why, then he wouldn't be God. He is outside out time and space. And sometimes all we are suppose to do is trust him and allow him to guide us through what ever is happening. I do not know why he took our last little one home, but he carried us through. And I have faith that he is in control with this little one as well and will carry us through the journey we are on, until we are holding him in our arms.
-Lysette
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hopefulconfidentmamas
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natural_sister_power/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sisterpowerps
Find out how to start supporting your family and get your free PDF about Probiotics and Prebiotics: https://lysetteyohanna.com/landing/freedom-life-style-1st-page
Get your copy of our emotional booklet designed to support communication and understanding between parents and their children:
We had our ultra sound during week 15 of my pregnancy and found out our baby is a boy! There were many tears and much excitement. My son is super excited to have a brother and someone to share his room with!
The emotion that comes with seeing your baby, hearing the heart beat is amazing! Seeing him was comforting and though is was just an ultrasound to find out what gender the baby was, there were no concerns and he looked perfect. This put my heart at ease.
This comfort and ease did not last like I had hoped. It is frustrating how quickly fear can sneak in and cause concern and worry if you do not keep your guard up and pray over yourself.
I realized in the week following that with my nausea subsiding and exhaustion letting up, that I felt less pregnant and that it made me start to worry again.
I also started to realize that I had these dates in my head that I wanted to reach. I had subconsciously, and having been through pregnancy before, noted what dates are important to reach for different developmental phases of the baby.
First Goal: 10 weeks - the time we had miscarried our last little one
Second Goal: 14 weeks - first trimester completed
Third Goal: 18-20 weeks - ultrasound to see if everything is developing and measuring well
Fourth Goal: 21 -22 weeks - viability
Fifth Goal: 27-28 weeks - end of second trimester
Final Goal: 38 weeks - baby is fully developed
I was in between my second and third goals and I had my first midwife appointment to go to. Because of the holidays during the first trimester my first appointment had been set for the first week of the year. I was actually happy about that, because knowing I was going to get to hear our little guy's heart beat again was something to look forward on the way to my third goal.
-Lysette
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hopefulconfidentmamas
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natural_sister_power/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sisterpowerps
Find out how to start supporting your family and get your free PDF about Probiotics and Prebiotics: https://lysetteyohanna.com/landing/freedom-life-style-1st-page
Get your copy of our emotional booklet designed to support communication and understanding between parents and their children:
At this point in my pregnancy(7 weeks), I had shared with quite a few people that I was pregnant. I had also been experiencing a lot of nausea, I needed protein at every meal, and nothing sounded appetizing. I had never been that nauseous, or off put by food during a pregnancy.
One of my sweet friends commented, "At least when you feel so bad during pregnancy, you know that it is going okay." And though that may not sound comforting, it was something that I hung on to for the next few weeks. Because when I thought about it, when I was feeling nauseous and disgusted by food, I felt pregnant. And feeling pregnant was comforting to me, even if I felt awful.
I had to take it one day at a time. We prayed over the baby, and the pregnancy every day. I also started to speak life over my body and the baby.
- " This baby is strong, healthy, fearfully an wonderfully made just as God created him to be"
- " This pregnancy is going well."
- " My body is strong and healthy, my body can carry this baby perfectly because that is what it was created and designed to do by God."
Prayers and these proclamations have helped me to go day by day.
Week 10 was Thanksgiving Dinner and I had a lot to do that week, while still trying to be cautious not to push myself too hard. This was the week that I had been anticipating and extra cautious of at the same time. I had researched everything that happens during the pregnancy during that week, and it is between the 10th and 11th week that is key for the placenta. The baby has not been relying on the placenta until this point.
Needless to say I made it through week 10 and then very carefully breathed, trying not to have negative expectations, not allowing any lies, spoken in my ears about miscarriages happening after 10 weeks, take root and lead to fear and lack of trust in God. This is an active process, you cannot let your guard down. Otherwise fear takes hold so quickly and you can loose your peace. I think it was particularly interesting and in no way coincidental, that my most triggering week during my pregnancy was Thanksgiving week and the one where you think of everything you have to be grateful for..... it gave me good things to think about. My pregnancy is something I am very thankful for.
leading up to the 14th week I could feel the concern abating. It is interesting as I get further from the 10th week the better I feel. I still know that something could happen, but at this point leaving my pregnancy in God's hands, which is where is has always been anyway, is getting easier.
Week 14 finished on Christmas weekend....(inhale and release)....And the first trimester is done. I am starting to feel better. My energy is coming up, my nausea is abating, I am feeling more like myself, and we are planning on getting an ultrasound during week 15. I am excited about this! This will be the first time I see the new life inside me and hear the heart beat! Life is such a Beautiful Miracle!
-Lysette
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hopefulconfidentmamas
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natural_sister_power/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sisterpowerps
Find out how to start supporting your family and get your free PDF about Probiotics and Prebiotics: https://lysetteyohanna.com/landing/freedom-life-style-1st-page
Get your copy of our emotional booklet designed to support communication and understanding between parents and their children:
