*I know this is a nutrition blog…so stick around til the end and I will share some of my nutrition tips during and after pregnancy - plus a few extra!*

I didn’t take enough pictures while I was pregnant! Luckily I had my sister snap this one earlier on Saturday :)

You asked for it, so here it is! Giving birth is a beautiful thing. It’s incredible what our bodies are capable of and I’m still amazed that I grew a little human in me and pushed her out of my body….like HOW?! It’s truly a miracle. It’s amazing that are bodies are made to make this miracle happen.

I strongly believe that it’s important to have birth PREFERENCES rather than a set birth PLAN. I didn’t realize that things can change quickly in labour….and I think it’s important to be flexible with the way things could go. Sounds funny coming from me because I thrive off having a set plan and schedule…. but I learned it’s more important for the baby to come out healthy and for you to listen to your body in the moment then be so determined to follow your set birth plan and be disappointed in the end. I was planning on having a water birth and was SO excited for it….but in the end….things didn’t go as I had planned. With that being said I am still so happy with how things went. It’s hard to express all of the feeling but I loved the process and obviously the outcome….our sweet little baby Ruby!

We were running around all day on Saturday getting groceries and last minute things for the baby. One of those being antibiotics as I had group b strep and the midwife was planning on giving me my first dose while labouring at home. Turns out like no pharmacies in the city carry the antibiotics I was prescribed and we would have to order it to get by Monday or go to a specific pharmacy that would carry it, again not open until Monday. For some reason (now I know why ;)) I didn’t feel good about ordering the antibiotics and decided I would look for it myself on Monday. Throughout the day I thought I was having a few little contractions….but I didn’t really know if they were just Braxton hicks or what. That night we decided to have a date night in…popcorn + a movie trying to spend as much time together before our little girl joined our family. (of course a got a picture of the popcorn because we tried a new nacho seasoning that was amazing!) I was pretty uncomfortable during the movie + was trying to cuddle with Scott ….but it just wasn’t working with my tummy in the way and I just couldn’t get comfy. On top of that my back was getting really sore so we brought the laptop in the into the bathroom so I could have a bath while we finished the movie. (I have the best husband for being willing to sit on the toilet and watch a movie….not a very comfy spot) I took tons of baths during my pregnancy…like an average of 3 a week to help ease some of the discomfort but it didn’t seem to be helping as much this time. I started having some contractions again that seemed a bit closer together..but again I didn’t know if I was just getting my hopes up so I didn’t think too much of it. The bath was getting cold so I got out and as soon as I got out I noticed this sharp shooting pain in my lower right abdomen…it kind felt like I was getting stabbed. It was constant so I knew it wasn’t another contraction. I wondered if it was possibly my appendix…but after we googled it, it looked like when you are pregnant it is pushed higher up. So my next thought was just gas pains….I had had similar pain to this years ago and turns out I just needed to fart haha. SO I was trying to massage my stomach, rubbed peppermint oil on and do everything to relieve what I thought was just gas. At this point I was on the floor in so much pain and didn’t want to move. I was hesitant to call my midwife if all I had to do was just fart….but decided I should let her know. She said we could go to the hospital to do a non stress test on the baby to see if everything was okay, but I decided I would wait a bit longer to see if things would settle.

It was a long night…. I slept for 20 minutes here and there but was up most of the night pacing the apartment as it felt a bit better when I was walking around. When I would sit, the pressure on that lower right was brutal and didn’t subside. At one point I thought maybe it’s tight muscles so I was using a lacrosse ball to try to release some tension and stretching. Not much changed.

I got an email early Sunday morning from the midwife following up on the pain and wanting to send me to the lab to get tested for a UTI… but when I told her the lower right was still tender to the touch, the pain wasn’t any better, and I was starting to get the chills + a fever we decided we should meet at the hospital for an assessment.

Scott + I didn’t know what would happen so we packed the birthing pool + our hospital bags in the car just in case! It was crazy to think there was a chance we could come home from the hospital with a baby…but we thought it was more likely they would just send us home with a prescription. Scott dropped me off at the front door so he could go park and I met the midwife up in the assessment room. When she pressed on the area that was bothering me it was very tender and had a rebounding pain when she let go. I was feeling like garbage! She hooked me up to monitor the baby and her heart rate apparently was hanging around 200 bpm (normal is 160 bpm) - yikes! She didn’t tell me (or maybe I was too out of it to know) and remained very calm but told us that there was a chance that they would need to do a transfer of care to the OB depending on what happened but in the mean time she was going to consult with her and see what would be best. They put an IV in me to see if that would help baby and took my blood to send to the lab to rule out if I had a UTI. Scott had ran down to the car to get some snacks and in the meantime my midwife decided to check how dilated I was. (I had a sweep on Friday and I was 2cm that day.) Turns out I was 6 cm!! That is typically when you go to the hospital when working with a midwife….so it was meant to be that I was already there! The OB came in the room and said “okay you are having this baby! We are going to break your water to get things going then we will do an ultrasound of your appendix as it will be easier to see and find without the baby in there.” I started to tear up….I can’t even explain the emotions I felt. I was going to be able to hold my baby so soon! It was really happening, I was going to be a mom! They moved my over to a room in labour and delivery - it was 2pm at this time. The cool thing was, my sister who works on labour and delivery at the Royal Alex was starting her shift in an hour! We had planned on her being there for the birth initially. She just got lucky and was paid to help deliver my baby :)

The midwife broke my water and turns out there was meconium. I asked if I could still have a water birth but there were a few reasons I wasn’t able to - the infection, constant monitoring, and the meconium. I was sad, but not as disappointed as I thought I would have been. Maybe because things seemed to be going so fast. The contractions got REAL at this point. There were so much pressure in my hips so I had Scott squeeze them each time a contraction came. I changed positions often to try to easy the pressure. I started on the exercise ball, then on my hands and knees on the bed. I was getting tired after a while so she had me try my side with a peanut ball but when the contractions started to intensify I switched back to my hands and knees so Scott could rub across my stomach each time a contraction came. The counter pressure was very helpful. I would have loved to have diffused some oils but I forgot to pack them since it was a last minute trip to the hospital. I did have my hypnobirthing tracks and that was wonderful. I am SO glad that I used it as a tool to prepare for labour. It helped block out any noise, focus and reminded me of the peaceful and relaxing times when I would practice it at home (usually in the bath.) I could barely hear anything anyone was saying, and I guess when someone would talk to me I would yell “WHAT?” When I changed positions back onto my hands and knees I started using laughing gas. I wouldn’t say it really helped with the pain and pressure but took the edge off and really helped me focus on breathing. It was a strange feeling though because it made me light headed so I had to take breaks every once in a while.

My sister had reminded me multiple times that first babies usually take a while to come and labour can be long. I was getting to a point where the contractions were getting more and more intense and it was really wearing me out. Because I didn’t know how much longer it would be, I wanted an epidural. The plan all along was to try giving birth naturally, but if I needed I would get an epidural. There was a part of me though that felt like if I got an epidural it would mean I was “weak.” The one thing I didn’t like about hypnobabies (the book I read to learn the hypnobirthing technique) is that it kind of makes you feel like you would be a failure if you got an epidural. But, in the moment when I asked for one I was totally at peace with it. It didn’t make me less of a person because I wanted the epidural and I had NOTHING to prove! I was glad I wasn’t beating myself up about it for wanting one. Apparently the anesthesiologist was down in the OR finishing up and he would come up right after. Turns out…. as soon as I asked for the epidural I felt this strong urge to push, like I couldn’t control it. They checked me and I was 10 cm….luckily because I just naturally started pushing. It was the strangest feeling. Like this tight pressure that was kinda painful yet satisfying at the same time. Like when ever I took a break I felt fine, then soon after the urge to push came again. Scott was the BEST cheerleader and support I could have asked for. He reminded me to breathe, drink water between contractions, rub my back and belly and encouraged me to keep going as I was getting so close! It made me SO excited that I would be able to hold my baby so soon. I could feel her squishing out and it was the most satisfying pain I’ve ever experienced. After about 30 minutes of pushing ( LUCKY ME! It was so short!) Little Ruby slipped into this world. They passed her up to me between my legs and I got to hold my precious little girl. I felt completely out of it at first. There were people ALL around me as NICU had to be there because of the meconium, but she was doing good so they left quickly. I couldn’t believe I was holding this perfect little girl straight from Heaven. She was so wide eyed and didn’t cry once! Those big eyes + lips were the most adorable things I had ever seen.

Ruby June Lamb

February 23rd, 2020

7Lbs 14oz

21 inches

Initially I had wanted to encapsulate my placenta but it was a good thing I didn’t go through with it because of my infection…probably wouldn’t have been the best thing to ingest. Baby was completely healthy but it ended up we had to stay in the hospital 2 nights to get everything figured out with me. They sent me for an ultrasound the next morning to check out my appendix…turns out there was a miscommunication and they thought they were just checking my uterus for left over placenta and membranes. I wasn’t aware that was an issue but it was a blessing they checked because turns out there was some left in me. My appendix looked fine so they think I had a UTI. Leftover placenta was the next concern. They were deciding whether to do a D/C or give me a medication to help try to pass the placenta naturally and ended up going that route. My nurses came into the room to explain the side effects of this medication and they didn’t sound pleasant…basically there was a chance I would have flu like symptoms for the next 6 hours. I took the medication while eating my lunch and I’m not even kidding within minutes my hand started shaking uncontrollably like I had Parkinson’s …which then turned into my whole body. It was the worst chills I’ve ever experienced! Literally every muscle in my body was contracted and I couldn’t relax them. I had 5 blankets on, a heating pad and Scott was in my little hospital bed hugging me to keep me warm. I couldn’t imagine if this went on for 6 hours!!!!! Luckily it only lasted 20 minutes and I was able to have a nice nap after. I didn’t pass any clots until about a week after so I guess there was something left in me after all.

My story was completely different than I had in mind….but it couldn’t have been more perfect and I know that everything happened for a reason. My midwife and her back up were wonderful and so calm the whole time. It made my experience so great. I couldn’t have asked for a better support than Scott - he should be a doula haha. And my sister was an amazing nurse. She was very helpful to my midwife and was so on top of everything.

I know everyones pregnancy is different and can include different limitations - but if you are able to, I believe regular exercise plays a HUGE role in a smooth and faster labour. The days when I didn’t exercise during pregnancy I was a lot more tired and my back hurt more. Even if it’s a short walk or stretching, moving your body makes a difference! In the first trimester when I was quite nauseous I didn’t do much for exercise but tried to move my body in some way each day. There were often very SLOW walks… but the fresh air helped. I would also sometimes do exercises on the mat.

Nutrition is also extremely important. Mine wasn’t always great….but I tried my best and more importantly really tried to listen to what my body wanted! In the first trimester I almost felt guilty because I had SO many food aversions and the only things that sounded good to me were ice cream, fries, Chinese food, pizza…. it changed daily and usually wasn’t anything healthy. I felt bad because I wanted to eat healthy for my baby girl! Growing up I would hear stories of people who were pregnant who were like “I just ate carbs all day, or just wanted Wendy’s all of the time!” and I thought to myself I will NEVER be like that…. turns out I was more like that than I thought haha. Sometimes you just can’t help it. When I was feeling good, I would try to make the best choices and later on in my pregnancy I did a lot better. When I was fuelling my body with more nutrient dense foods I had more energy and felt better overall.

When I was nauseous food was the last thing I wanted but I knew it would help balance my blood sugar and settle the nausea. (I know this might not be the case for everyone.) I found that snacks that included a protein were helpful. Some that I liked were:

cottage cheese + hot sauce
cheese, crackers (sometimes added sausage)
fruit and nut butter
protein powder blended with dairy free milk + ice (the cold helped)
green apples (I know this isn’t a source of protein but they helped with my nausea)
protein cookies

Tricks I tried to go into labour (not sure if these were actually what worked but Ruby came 3 days early)

breast pumping at 38 weeks (my midwife also said anyone she knows that has tried this hasn’t had a problem with producing milk)
eating at least 6 dates a day
drinking at least 4 cups of red raspberry leaf tea a day (supposed to support a toned uterus)
sex
eating papaya
evening primrose oil (prick the capsule with a needle so it dissolves better and put it up your v***** starting at week 38) supposed to help soften the cervix.

I’m NO pro… still trying to figure breastfeeding out but my best tips are:

use nipple cream then saran wrap over your nipples to keep them from getting cracked (my favourite is medela tender care)
when your milk comes in (or when you feel engorged) use the end of your electric toothbrush to help with the spots that feel like rocks to prevent getting mastitis - seriously works so well!

Some of my pregnancy favourites:

zahler prenatals or doTERRA LLV supplements (I alternated between the 2 throughout my pregnancy)
Blanqui leggings (worth every penny! I pretty much wore them every day.)
Leachco back n’ belly chic contoured body pillow (Scott hated it because it took up half the bed haha…but it helped me sleep well my whole pregnancy)

POST PARTUM TIPS:

taking your first poop after pregnancy is a terrifying thought…. I mean it’s not comfy down there and the thought of pushing again! Drink water with chia seeds and add flax seed to your diet for extra fiber. Make sure to drink a LOT of water along with it!
add calendula to your peri bottle to help with faster healing

I would love to read your birth story - leave the link below! Also any tips are welcome, leave those in the comments too:)

xo erin

Birth Story of Ruby June Lamb