Baby Lily's Homemade Mac'N'Cheese

Food.  It's been a major issue during my pregnancy. From trying to find a few things my stomach would let me eat and trying not to use the microwave at work, to having little back up at home in regards to making sure that I got food I could eat, the times when Baby Daddy ate the food I had specially prepared for me, and then moving mid-pregnancy to a non-organic household, it has been a little bit of a struggle.  There were weeks in there that I was pounding down grass-fed cheeseburgers and milkshakes just trying to get down something I could eat that resembled proper nutrition for pregnant ladies.  That would be lots of protein, fat, calcium, and many other nutrients to build a healthy baby.  So, that is why macaroni and cheese is a good addition to any meal.

I'm living with good friend, Kali, and we decided to google how to make mac and cheese while at the store one day.  We found this recipe and adjusted it to suit our needs.  My needs include organic, grass-fed, whole wheat ingredients.  Kali's needs are lots of yummy cheeses that make her swoon.  The calories, fat, and protein this this sidedish are enough to make any growing baby happy.  Last night, we paired it with grass-fed rib eye steaks and salad.


1 pound whole grain, organic elbow pasta
1/2 cup pasture raised, organic butter
1/2 cup whole wheat, organic flour
4 cups grass-fed, organic, whole milk
8 ounces organic sharp cheddar
8 ounces gouda
8 ounces gruyere
1/2 t. sea salt (to taste)
Whole wheat breadcrumbs

The finished product is so good, one of Kali's coworker commented, "That's not just mac and cheese.  You have to give it its own name."  So, Kali donned it Baby Lily's Homemade Mac'N'Cheese.  It's is certainly Baby Approved.

Prenatal Chiropractic Care

For the past few months, I've been seeing a prenatal chiropractor.  It started when I slipped down the stairs in January and landed on my butt pretty hard, which eventually caused pain in my upper left shoulder.  Chiropractic care, like massage and acupuncture, are wonderful natural healing tools that people would benefit from making them a part of their regular routine.  I also discovered that chiropractic care is especially beneficial to pregnant women.

My chiropractor explained the practice as the process of aligning the spine in order to allow the nerves to transmit signals from the brain to various muscles and parts of the body more effectively.  I translated that to basically mean that chiropractic care deals with energy flow.  A misaligned spine does not allow for optimal energy flow from the brain to other parts of the body.  I was surprised that her office also specializes in chiropractic care for babies and children.  She explained that the process of birth and the first few years of life can have a great impact on the spine, and that if not corrected by a certain age, some things are not as adjustable as an adult.  I do remember learning in school about a point in someone's life where their bone structure solidifies or sets in.  I am paraphrasing all of this from our first conversation months ago, but this is the gist of it.

According to AmericanPregnancy.org:

When the pelvis is misaligned it may reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby. This restriction is called intrauterine constraint. A misaligned pelvis may also make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible position for delivery. This can affect the mother's ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth. Breech and posterior positions can interfere with the natural ease of labor and lead to interventions such as c-sections.

Keeping the spine aligned helps the systems of the body to operate more effectively, and this is especially important during pregnancy.   It can help lessen back pain during pregnancy as the baby grows in size. It can help with nausea.  It can make the birth quicker and easier and help prevent a c-section.   My chiropractor also mentioned that an aligned spine allows the ligaments on both sides of the belly stretch to the same size, so that the belly is not lopsided.  She even mentioned that she has been called to make adjustments during birth times to help a labor that has stopped progress.

I had made an appointment to prevent a fall from turning into chronic pain.  What I didn't know was that I was embarking on a journey that would help my body have a better pregnancy and me have a better birth time. And, knowledge that helps me bring Lily into the chiropractor from birth, so that she has a healthier life, too.

Swimming with Baby

Today, I took the advice of my Bradley instructor, my midwife, and just every general book on pregnancy, to resume exercising, if even for a little bit.  I mentioned previously that complications allowed me to stray from a regular routine.  Even just a little walking or a little exercise is very good for the pregnant body.  Just a little work each day can help the body prepare for labor and give mama an easier birth.  So, when I had the opportunity to swim in a pool today, I made a point to make ten to a dozen laps around it.  I can certainly feel the difference swimming with Lily hanging out of my tummy, as various abdominal muscles were getting a workout where I wouldn't have felt any resistence before.

This is me pre-swim, as well as doing the Bradley-recommended homework of relaxation.  It may or may not have been in relation to a preggers food coma after destroying some grilled chicken, salad, and pasta salad.  My birth partner and doula, Cortney, made certain that I got enough water.  She also set my roommate up to remind me to do my Bradley homework exercises every night at 8pm.  Darn it, I thought I could sneak out of the homework.  But, I found out the hard way last night that Cortney even showed her the knee-resistance exercise that requires two people!