Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Birthing Baby Coyle
Now that I've crossed the finish line of birthing baby Coyle it seems silly to recant the difficulty of labor. But boy - was it hard.
People have been asking me up until this point, "I wonder what you think will be harder - doing an Ironman or birthing your baby." Never having doubted the answer - definitely birthing the baby.
The feelings of pain between an endurance event and labor are so different. Painful contractions feel like enduring a fresh injury that repeats every 5-10 minutes. It's like spraining your ankle and having those 30 seconds to a minute of pain - pain - pain where you need to catch your breath, gather your thoughts and wait for the sensation to recede before you can do anything else. Except, in this case that feeling is right below your gut. On bad contractions I also felt a sensation of burning fire radiating across my lower back.
In contrast to an endurance event, I would argue that at no point should you feel "pain." You can feel sore, tired, the burning sensation of lactic acid, exhaustion and the difficulty of moving forward. However, none of those sensations compare to what you can't train for - contractions.
After doing everything I could to induce the little bugger - prenatal yoga, swimming, prenatal massage, dinner at Chianti in Beverly for their legendary pumpkin ravioli inducing dish, and going for an hour and a half walk in the woods - he started making his move on a Thursday evening.
In the beginning the contractions were akin to menstrual cramping, occurring every 7-12 minutes. Over the next 24 hours they grew worse.
Generally, the hospital won't open their door to you until you're either having contractions every 5 minutes, for a minute and consistently for an hour OR until your cervix is 3-4 centimeters dilated. At 4 cm dilation they will admit you and give you an epidural, if you want one.
That second night of laying next to me in bed with contractions, Pat told me later, was horrifying for him. Every 7 to 9 minutes he'd be awoken by a moaning woman in pain. On my side of the bed, I could sleep for only a couple of minutes in between contractions before the next erupted. By early morning I had one that nearly made me puke.
33 hours.
It was 5:30 am on Saturday morning. Despite not having reached the 5-1-1 mark, we decided to head to the hospital to see what was going on.
Once we arrived, triage hooked my belly up to a monitor which showed how often the contractions were occurring. Mine were roughly 6 minutes apart. They also performed an internal exam to figure out how much my cervix was dilated.
1 cm. I would be sent home.
Frustratingly, I would watch the next 20 hours pass one contraction at a time.
...12:04 (9 min)
12:13 (9 min)
12:23 (10 min)
12:32 (9 min)
12:40 (8 min)
12:47 (7 min)
1 pm (13 min)
1:08 (8 min)
1:16 (8 min)
1:25 (14 min)
1:35 (10 min)
1:40 (5 min)
1:46 (6 min)
1:56 (10 min)...
55 hours.
My mind was shot.
It was 2 am Sunday morning and one fired off that unravelled me. I didn't care if I was not at 5-1-1. I couldn't do this anymore.
The car ride in.
Bumps on the road.
Stinging contractions.
Laying on the triage table.
The internal exam.
"You're 4 centimeters, Abigail! You did it! You've got your golden ticket to be admitted into the hospital."
A rupture of tears.
Joy.
Relief was coming.
I got the epidural almost immediately and fell into the excellent care of the MGH staff. After a few hours of being admitted and with no further dilation, I opted for the pitocin to speed up the contractions. This worked for two and a half hours until one particularly strong contraction caused the baby's heart rate to fall from the 150s to below 80.
8 staff members were in the room within seconds. A stab in the leg with some kind of concoction and a flurry of activity quickly addressed the emergency.
It was frightening to see danger to the baby. He was okay though. The good news was that those couple of hours resulted in 7 cm of dilation. However, as I would find out 7 hours later, without the pitocin I would only progress another 1 cm on my own.
67 hours.
The team, Pat and I were looking at our options -
It had taken 67 hours to reach 8 cm, 3 of which progressed to that point with pitocin, the baby didn't like pitocin, the pace between my contractions was not fast enough to dilate quicker, and probably some unknown factors too like the baby's position in my body and his size - all led us to believe that this delivery was not progressing as quickly as we wanted.
I could sit there all night. The next day and the day after. No one put pressure on us to make our decision one way or another.
Looking at where we were in the process and what was happening - we were ready to have this baby. We opted for the caesarean section.
67.5 hours.
I was prepped and in the operating room. Numbed up. Nervous. Teeth chattering. Heart tight.
Pat was escorted in and sat very close to me. His face to my forehead, I asked him to press his hands down over my shoulders. He spoke to me gently. At first about how he let my parents know what was going on and that they were on their way in to the hospital, about conversations that he had with his brothers and anything else light in topic that he could share.
He kept close as the surgery went on - telling me I was doing a great job, to breathe slowly, giving me relief by touch.
We heard his little cry.
My body was responding to the surgery and at the same time the knowledge that my baby was alive in this world.
My teeth clanked together, my chest bounced from the hard table, my breath quickened. I tried to breath slowly. In, and out. In, and out.
Hyperventilation.
He cried a little more. Looking backwards I could see Pat crying too. Now close to hysteria, I asked Pat to stay with me. My hands shook violently. My heart hurt. He held my crossed arms down on my chest to keep them from leaping straight up from the table.
In the background the surgery was going perfectly but I was a wreck. Seeing that I was loosing it, I was offered something to calm me down. Two shots later and I deflated to a more controlled state.
My head rolled to the side - and there he was. Our baby was laying in a bassinet looking straight at us.
I was looking at a whole new beautiful world.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
a racing mind in late pregnancy
My mind and body are very much awake.
I feel wild with the energy to do something and at the same time sit still.
My appetite has subsided.
I'm very much aware of the feelings inside of me.
I twist my eyebrows.
I feel the push on my cervix grow stronger.
I sit straight up in bed.
I'm anxiously awaiting for the contractions to come.
I Google, "what do contractions feel like."
I walked for an hour and a half in the woods today. Toward the end of the walk I started seeing spots and became light headed. But at the same time, I felt so able, awake and alive.
The crisp tapping on the keyboard feels good on my fingers.
I wonder how I can calm down.
I wonder when he will come.
I feel wild with the energy to do something and at the same time sit still.
My appetite has subsided.
I'm very much aware of the feelings inside of me.
I twist my eyebrows.
I feel the push on my cervix grow stronger.
I sit straight up in bed.
I'm anxiously awaiting for the contractions to come.
I Google, "what do contractions feel like."
I walked for an hour and a half in the woods today. Toward the end of the walk I started seeing spots and became light headed. But at the same time, I felt so able, awake and alive.
The crisp tapping on the keyboard feels good on my fingers.
I wonder how I can calm down.
I wonder when he will come.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Contractions and Hiccups
Jack is officially full term, or 37 weeks.
Despite being in my third trimester, when things are supposed to be most uncomfortable, this might be the easiest part of the process. Something changed after 31 weeks. Somehow I accepted what was going on. I accepted the changes in my body, the weight gain, the part about slowing down and having fewer expectations for myself.
Now with only 3 weeks to go I'm both enjoying relaxing yet very aware of every new change in my body that may indicate arrival. I can feel everything. The pushing, the pressure, the feeling of getting a period. Last night I had three contractions - each of which made me clench and hold my breath. So much for lamaze.
In the meantime, some of the things that I didn't quite understand before are now making sense. The doc says that his head is down and he is laying sideways so that his back is against the right side of my belly and his arms and feet are pushing against my left side. Understanding how he is positioned accounts for the different type of pressure I've been feeling all along. The mystery of his rhythmic movements on my right side have been discovered too - hiccups!
It's been what feels like a long journey. One that has been full of ups and downs... curiosities, surprises, learnings, changes. Throughout the process my brain has been working out the changes taking place within my own body - trying to make sense of it all. As we round the corner my focus is sliding away from my own body to him.
I'm appreciating our last days together as a single unit. He feels so much more real to me now. We do things together - like swimming and walking. When he moves I find myself saying hi to him or rubbing his back.
We made it this far. We've just got a little further to go and I'm praying all goes well. There's no question that we're ready.
37 weeks
37 weeks
28 weeks
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Crossing The Finish Line
"It's time to start scaling back on your expectations for what you can achieve each day."
That's what my doc told me yesterday at my 31 week appointment. With only 9 weeks left, I can see her point.
It's the little things that are having the greatest effect on me now that I'm in the third trimester. Every day I'm more uncomfortable, more emotional and I become overwhelmed by things that never bothered me before.
Symptomatically, my back is doing the brunt of the work. When I lean over to pick something up, my muscles seize and it's very hard to stand up. When the baby kicks, it's no longer a flutter - it actually hurts. It sometimes even causes my uterus to contract. And yesterday when I was walking Zion, I felt dizzy from walking up a slight hill.
As I creep further and further into the third trimester, I can't help but fear what new surprise the next day will bring.
Back in the doc's office a girl who I recognized from my last appointment checked in ahead of me. In contrast to her overly styled appearance last time she was wearing super baggy sweats, Crocs, no makeup and a trench coat. At first I thought, that's cool - we're on the same schedule. I wondered how far along she was, who her doctor was and in my head I commended her for wearing comfy sweatpants, a go-to of mine as well.
Continuing to watch her as she checked in at the counter, I noticed that she was wearing a plastic wristband. Wait a second - are we not on the same schedule? I looked at her stomach and I could see for myself. She had her baby.
At once our connection was broken. She had crossed the finish line and I hadn't.
I was happy for her. Jealous. But happy for her.
She was done. She was going about her affairs as if she had never been pregnant. Except of course, now she has a baby!
I'm still stunned by this realization. But, it will happen for me as well. 9 more weeks and life will go on. Except now there will be 4 of us, including Zion.
More to come.
Home
Previous: Must-have maternity clothes
That's what my doc told me yesterday at my 31 week appointment. With only 9 weeks left, I can see her point.
It's the little things that are having the greatest effect on me now that I'm in the third trimester. Every day I'm more uncomfortable, more emotional and I become overwhelmed by things that never bothered me before.
Symptomatically, my back is doing the brunt of the work. When I lean over to pick something up, my muscles seize and it's very hard to stand up. When the baby kicks, it's no longer a flutter - it actually hurts. It sometimes even causes my uterus to contract. And yesterday when I was walking Zion, I felt dizzy from walking up a slight hill.
As I creep further and further into the third trimester, I can't help but fear what new surprise the next day will bring.
Back in the doc's office a girl who I recognized from my last appointment checked in ahead of me. In contrast to her overly styled appearance last time she was wearing super baggy sweats, Crocs, no makeup and a trench coat. At first I thought, that's cool - we're on the same schedule. I wondered how far along she was, who her doctor was and in my head I commended her for wearing comfy sweatpants, a go-to of mine as well.
Continuing to watch her as she checked in at the counter, I noticed that she was wearing a plastic wristband. Wait a second - are we not on the same schedule? I looked at her stomach and I could see for myself. She had her baby.
At once our connection was broken. She had crossed the finish line and I hadn't.
I was happy for her. Jealous. But happy for her.
She was done. She was going about her affairs as if she had never been pregnant. Except of course, now she has a baby!
I'm still stunned by this realization. But, it will happen for me as well. 9 more weeks and life will go on. Except now there will be 4 of us, including Zion.
More to come.
Home
Previous: Must-have maternity clothes
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Must-Have Maternity Clothing: 27 weeks pregnant
Despite the relatively short time of pregnancy, buying maternity clothes is necessary. Up until about 20 weeks I could get away with just a few changes, including buying a larger shirt size, roomier workout shorts and a couple maternity bottoms. Now at week 27 my one-size-up shirts don't cover the belly and I didn't have any casual pants to wear. Below is a small selection of my favorite maternity clothing pics for week 27. Because the sizing can be hard to figure out without trying it on, I included mine for reference.
Basic tees
Motherhood Short Sleeve Scoop Neck Maternity T Shirt $10-$16
I bought at least 10 of these tops. They're comfortable, cover up both the top and the belly and function as my first layer for everyday wear. At 27 weeks I'm in a size medium, but I can see that having a bigger size would work too. Don't dry these!
Supersoft cotton long-sleeve tee
Gap Supersoft wide-stripe crew $22.95
I love this supersoft long sleeve T. I picked up a couple at the Gap outlet. At 27 weeks I'm a size large.
Soft non-itchy sweater
LL Bean Textured Tweed Sweater, Turtleneck $39.95
LL Bean tends to produce more boxy cuts - which is great for the growing belly. I picked this up in a size medium and it still fits perfectly and has plenty of length.
Corduroy pants
Gap 1969 demi panel skinny boot cords $50-$65
I found that maternity jeans just aren't comfortable. Corduroys offer a softer and casual feel. I picked these up in a size 10 maternity. Don't forget about your local maternity consignment store though! I found my favorite pair of Gap maternity corduroys there for $14.
Yoga Pants
Lululemon Astro Pant $98
The V cut in the front of the yoga pants allows your stomach to continue to grow without feeling squeezed from the top elastic. Amazingly, my original size pants (pre-maternity) still fit fine.
Workout shorts
Maternity swimsuit
SwimOutlet.com EQ Swimwear Harmony Maternity Splice One Piece $59
My only complaint about this maternity bathing suit is that it doesn't have any additional padding in the chest - so your bustling busts have no where to hide. But, I do like how this fits. I found that my non-maternity suit no longer covered up my chest. This suit covers my chest and my butt and leaves plenty of room for my belly.
A few more items that you'll definitely need: extra large underwear (leave your ego at the door and get the largest pair of underwear you can find!), a larger sports bra, sweat pants, large soft comfy sleep shirt.
If anyone happens to live near Salem, MA - I found a great outdoor gear shop called Avalanche which carries cute pull-overs and fleece jackets for cheap. I found a pull-over for $40 and I love it.
Basic tees
Motherhood Short Sleeve Scoop Neck Maternity T Shirt $10-$16
I bought at least 10 of these tops. They're comfortable, cover up both the top and the belly and function as my first layer for everyday wear. At 27 weeks I'm in a size medium, but I can see that having a bigger size would work too. Don't dry these!
Supersoft cotton long-sleeve tee
Gap Supersoft wide-stripe crew $22.95
I love this supersoft long sleeve T. I picked up a couple at the Gap outlet. At 27 weeks I'm a size large.
Soft non-itchy sweater
LL Bean Textured Tweed Sweater, Turtleneck $39.95
LL Bean tends to produce more boxy cuts - which is great for the growing belly. I picked this up in a size medium and it still fits perfectly and has plenty of length.
Corduroy pants
Gap 1969 demi panel skinny boot cords $50-$65
I found that maternity jeans just aren't comfortable. Corduroys offer a softer and casual feel. I picked these up in a size 10 maternity. Don't forget about your local maternity consignment store though! I found my favorite pair of Gap maternity corduroys there for $14.
Yoga Pants
Lululemon Astro Pant $98
The V cut in the front of the yoga pants allows your stomach to continue to grow without feeling squeezed from the top elastic. Amazingly, my original size pants (pre-maternity) still fit fine.
Workout shorts
Brooks Glycerin 2-in-1 Run Short - Women's $23-$46
The top band of these pants offers flexibility and a comfortable feel on the belly. I picked up a size large and they still feel good now. The inner liner of these shorts has an elastic band similar to what you'd find in a biking short... I don't love this feature but the rest of the short looks good and fits well.
Maternity swimsuit
SwimOutlet.com EQ Swimwear Harmony Maternity Splice One Piece $59
My only complaint about this maternity bathing suit is that it doesn't have any additional padding in the chest - so your bustling busts have no where to hide. But, I do like how this fits. I found that my non-maternity suit no longer covered up my chest. This suit covers my chest and my butt and leaves plenty of room for my belly.
A few more items that you'll definitely need: extra large underwear (leave your ego at the door and get the largest pair of underwear you can find!), a larger sports bra, sweat pants, large soft comfy sleep shirt.
If anyone happens to live near Salem, MA - I found a great outdoor gear shop called Avalanche which carries cute pull-overs and fleece jackets for cheap. I found a pull-over for $40 and I love it.
Previous Post: Positivity
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
What's Weighing on Me
People kindly ask all the time "how are you feeling!?" I've come to realize that unless this person has been pregnant or is pregnant, they're really not ready for my response. I'm inclined to simply answer "good!" But the reality is a little touch and go.
The way I'm feeling now that I'm almost 26 weeks pregnant versus how I felt in the first trimester is vastly different.
In the first trimester, I was worried all the time. I read every pregnancy book I could find and was only concerned that the pregnancy would progress. I also had different symptoms then - queasiness, smelling abilities like a hound dog, soreness, insomnia... and other wonderful little things of which I'll spare you.
Somewhere in between then and now, my mind has grown to accept that I am pregnant. I've lost track of what week I am in the pregnancy, I haven't been thinking about the process as much and generally getting more used to this phenomenon.
What's weighing on me now is a little different. I've found that I'm now more emotional, more uncomfortable, and gaining weight like crazy. In the grand scheme of things, these complaints really aren't too bad. But - if you're ready to know "how I'm feeling" ... read on.
Craughing
As a friend so aptly referred to it - I've developed an anomaly called craughing - which is a combination of crying and laughing at the same time. I'll start laughing at something, then start crying, then laugh at myself for crying... and the whole thing turns into this strange howl that I can't control. I've also found myself crying in random places, like the middle of a Walgreens parking lot when I broke down for no other reason than feeling uncomfortable.
Pillow Talk
And then there is the pillow talk, or needing a pillow to wedge under my belly when I side sleep at night. Luckily there has been a break in my nightly routine from waking up at 2:30am every morning to one that allows me to sleep through the night. And as for the other kind of pillow talk - that's a whole other story.
Exercise
I'm convinced that anyone who says they "loved being pregnant" is either on some amazing endorphins or was not an athlete beforehand (sorry peeps). The essence of "going slow" is at a whole new level with a 25 pound belly (and yes, I realize my belly does not weigh that much... it's in my a$$ and my face and everywhere else... but I'm going with it - okay!?)
Let's start with running. To warm up I move just faster than a walk which gets the stomach muscles bobbled around and loosened up. The first 15 minutes of that feels like a mild bladder infection. After about 1 mile I generally have to stop to pee. Then I get a nice little kick in performance for a few minutes until I reach my max threshold at about 20-30 minutes of movement, and then I'm done.
As for swimming, forget the rotation and pulling action. It's more akin to a bobbing walrus wafting through the water. If I pull too hard, it tightens the stomach muscles in a strange way which is pretty uncomfortable. Again, 20 minutes is about my maximum output.
I tried prenatal yoga, and loved it. It would make a non-preggie fall asleep, but the subtle movements and stretching feel great.
Thank god for walking. It's my new form of fitness. Otherwise, exercise has become an act of going slow, breathing, and getting the blood to circulate.
Weight Gain
In my head I never wanted to be that girl who gained a ton of weight during pregnancy. But - here I am... gaining more and more every day. I think my problem is that I had this expectation that I would be fit during pregnancy, and I really just need to let it go and embrace that I don't have control over my body right now. Having gained 10 pounds on back-to-back doctor visits had me shocked. Luckily, the doctors are really cool and they just try to talk you off a ledge rather than telling you you're doing something wrong - or worse - to improve your diet. I love my Doc!
Food, food and more food
What does a pregnant woman crave? The answer is, simply - food! :-) If I get even a tinge of hunger and I don't have food in front of me, I'll either start to cry or claw my way to get some. Lately, I've been leaning towards heartier offerings, including bran muffins with molasses and heavy yogurts with oatmeal. I generally lean towards cheeses, heavy carb meals and anything delicious.
Here are a couple of concoctions that I've tried and enjoyed lately:
Farmgirl Susan's Bran Muffin Recipe
2 cups (5¾oz / 164g) organic wheat bran
1 cup (5oz / 141g) organic oat bran
1 cup (6oz / 170g) organic whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons (12g) baking soda1 teaspoon (6g) baking powder1/2 teaspoon (4g) salt2 large eggs
2/3 cup (5oz by weight / 156g) milk
2/3 cup (5½oz / 156g) yogurt
1/3 cup (2¼oz / 65g) safflower oil (or other neutral oil or melted organic butter)
1/3 cup (3¾oz / 108g) honey
1 teaspoon (6g) pure vanilla extract (optional)
1/3 cup (3¾oz / 108g) sweet molasses (not blackstrap) or cane syrup
Instructions:
Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375°. Grease a standard size muffin pan or line the cups with unbleached baking cups.
Combine the wheat bran, oat bran, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the eggs, milk, yogurt, canola oil, molasses, and honey in a small bowl and mix well. (Note: you can use all honey or all molasses instead if desired.)
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.
Generously fill the muffin cups with batter. I use a large stainless steel scoop, which is also great for portioning out cookie dough.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove them and serve warm, or let them cool on a wire rack.
Y-Oatmeal Bomb (my own concoction)
1 serving size container of strawberry Chobani yogurt
1/2 cup oatmeal
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 banana (or other fruit)
1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon flax seed
Instructions:
Mix it up and enjoy.
I'd give you the recipe for smarties and other little goodies I eat... but I think you may already know how to find those :-)
So - to answer the question "how am I feeling?" ... the answer is pretty good! However, there are unmistakable ups and downs. Of course, I wouldn't change the scenario for anything, but it is fun to banter about it now and again.
Previous Post: We've been waiting for you
30s Something Girl home page
The way I'm feeling now that I'm almost 26 weeks pregnant versus how I felt in the first trimester is vastly different.
In the first trimester, I was worried all the time. I read every pregnancy book I could find and was only concerned that the pregnancy would progress. I also had different symptoms then - queasiness, smelling abilities like a hound dog, soreness, insomnia... and other wonderful little things of which I'll spare you.
Somewhere in between then and now, my mind has grown to accept that I am pregnant. I've lost track of what week I am in the pregnancy, I haven't been thinking about the process as much and generally getting more used to this phenomenon.
What's weighing on me now is a little different. I've found that I'm now more emotional, more uncomfortable, and gaining weight like crazy. In the grand scheme of things, these complaints really aren't too bad. But - if you're ready to know "how I'm feeling" ... read on.
Craughing
As a friend so aptly referred to it - I've developed an anomaly called craughing - which is a combination of crying and laughing at the same time. I'll start laughing at something, then start crying, then laugh at myself for crying... and the whole thing turns into this strange howl that I can't control. I've also found myself crying in random places, like the middle of a Walgreens parking lot when I broke down for no other reason than feeling uncomfortable.
Pillow Talk
And then there is the pillow talk, or needing a pillow to wedge under my belly when I side sleep at night. Luckily there has been a break in my nightly routine from waking up at 2:30am every morning to one that allows me to sleep through the night. And as for the other kind of pillow talk - that's a whole other story.
Exercise
I'm convinced that anyone who says they "loved being pregnant" is either on some amazing endorphins or was not an athlete beforehand (sorry peeps). The essence of "going slow" is at a whole new level with a 25 pound belly (and yes, I realize my belly does not weigh that much... it's in my a$$ and my face and everywhere else... but I'm going with it - okay!?)
Let's start with running. To warm up I move just faster than a walk which gets the stomach muscles bobbled around and loosened up. The first 15 minutes of that feels like a mild bladder infection. After about 1 mile I generally have to stop to pee. Then I get a nice little kick in performance for a few minutes until I reach my max threshold at about 20-30 minutes of movement, and then I'm done.
As for swimming, forget the rotation and pulling action. It's more akin to a bobbing walrus wafting through the water. If I pull too hard, it tightens the stomach muscles in a strange way which is pretty uncomfortable. Again, 20 minutes is about my maximum output.
I tried prenatal yoga, and loved it. It would make a non-preggie fall asleep, but the subtle movements and stretching feel great.
Thank god for walking. It's my new form of fitness. Otherwise, exercise has become an act of going slow, breathing, and getting the blood to circulate.
Weight Gain
In my head I never wanted to be that girl who gained a ton of weight during pregnancy. But - here I am... gaining more and more every day. I think my problem is that I had this expectation that I would be fit during pregnancy, and I really just need to let it go and embrace that I don't have control over my body right now. Having gained 10 pounds on back-to-back doctor visits had me shocked. Luckily, the doctors are really cool and they just try to talk you off a ledge rather than telling you you're doing something wrong - or worse - to improve your diet. I love my Doc!
Food, food and more food
What does a pregnant woman crave? The answer is, simply - food! :-) If I get even a tinge of hunger and I don't have food in front of me, I'll either start to cry or claw my way to get some. Lately, I've been leaning towards heartier offerings, including bran muffins with molasses and heavy yogurts with oatmeal. I generally lean towards cheeses, heavy carb meals and anything delicious.
Here are a couple of concoctions that I've tried and enjoyed lately:
Farmgirl Susan's Bran Muffin Recipe
2 cups (5¾oz / 164g) organic wheat bran
1 cup (5oz / 141g) organic oat bran
1 cup (6oz / 170g) organic whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons (12g) baking soda1 teaspoon (6g) baking powder1/2 teaspoon (4g) salt2 large eggs
2/3 cup (5oz by weight / 156g) milk
2/3 cup (5½oz / 156g) yogurt
1/3 cup (2¼oz / 65g) safflower oil (or other neutral oil or melted organic butter)
1/3 cup (3¾oz / 108g) honey
1 teaspoon (6g) pure vanilla extract (optional)
1/3 cup (3¾oz / 108g) sweet molasses (not blackstrap) or cane syrup
Instructions:
Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375°. Grease a standard size muffin pan or line the cups with unbleached baking cups.
Combine the wheat bran, oat bran, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the eggs, milk, yogurt, canola oil, molasses, and honey in a small bowl and mix well. (Note: you can use all honey or all molasses instead if desired.)
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.
Generously fill the muffin cups with batter. I use a large stainless steel scoop, which is also great for portioning out cookie dough.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove them and serve warm, or let them cool on a wire rack.
Y-Oatmeal Bomb (my own concoction)
1 serving size container of strawberry Chobani yogurt
1/2 cup oatmeal
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 banana (or other fruit)
1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon flax seed
Instructions:
Mix it up and enjoy.
I'd give you the recipe for smarties and other little goodies I eat... but I think you may already know how to find those :-)
So - to answer the question "how am I feeling?" ... the answer is pretty good! However, there are unmistakable ups and downs. Of course, I wouldn't change the scenario for anything, but it is fun to banter about it now and again.
Previous Post: We've been waiting for you
30s Something Girl home page
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)