Episode 69
First and Second Trimesters, everything I wish I knew
This episode elucidates the multifaceted experiences of pregnancy, particularly focusing on the first and second trimesters, as shared by Savannah, a holistic health practitioner. We delve into her personal reflections and invaluable insights, emphasizing the significance of self-advocacy during a woman's journey through pregnancy. Savannah articulates the complexities of managing physical changes and emotional fluctuations, underscoring the necessity of maintaining a balanced perspective and seeking divine guidance. Furthermore, she provides practical advice on nutrition and self-care, advocating for a holistic approach to prenatal wellness. As we navigate the intricacies of this transformative phase, we aim to equip our listeners with the knowledge and understanding to embrace their unique pregnancy experiences.
Takeaways:
- In this episode, I emphasized the importance of recognizing the unique experiences of each trimester of pregnancy, which can significantly affect a woman's physical and emotional well-being.
- I shared valuable insights on the necessity of advocating for one's own healthcare needs during pregnancy, particularly regarding testing and dietary requirements.
- Throughout the discussion, I highlighted the significance of maintaining a balanced diet rich in protein and fiber, especially during the first trimester to support overall health.
- I underscored the necessity of spiritual reliance during the pregnancy journey, encouraging listeners to submit their fears and uncertainties to God for peace and guidance.
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker A:Hello everyone and welcome back to Casting Seeds.
Speaker A:I'm Savannah, your holistic health practitioner and host and you're listening to the only holistic health podcast that uses God's singular truth to give you individualized discernment.
Speaker A:I loved having Jeremiah on last week.
Speaker A:It made me miss him a lot.
Speaker A:I'm going to try to be intentional with having recording sessions with him plan in advance, especially because we have a a lot more guests that we're going to be recording with soon and there's just a lot coming up.
Speaker A:These next few months are going to be kind of crazy because it's the last month and a half of me working before I go on maternity leave.
Speaker A:We're going to be preparing for the baby coming.
Speaker A:I'm also starting my third trimester next week, which is crazy or no, the last week of my second trimester is next week and there's just a lot happening going on right now.
Speaker A:And yeah, so there's a lot of planning and preparing, I guess, these next few months.
Speaker A:And I think that's why I wanted to go over the first trimester and second trimester of pregnancy and just kind of give advice for the things that I wish I knew.
Speaker A:But right now while I remember it, cuz Lord forbid me, I Lord forbid me, I can't talk, Lord forgive me, I can't remember anything to save my life right now being pregnant.
Speaker A:And I swear if I don't talk about these things now, I'm not going to remember the struggles.
Speaker A:And honestly too, if God blesses us with another pregnant, another healthy pregnancy in the future, I would love to be able to reflect back and remind myself of these things that so that I do do better in the future just for Jeremiah's sake and for my sake, but also for our future child's sake.
Speaker A:So yeah, I wanted to just kind of give an overall like this is what I wish I knew for the first trimester.
Speaker A:This is what I wish I knew for the second trimester.
Speaker A:And who knows, I'll probably be able to do something like this more for the third trimester near the end.
Speaker A:But each one has been so different and such a shift of experience.
Speaker A:I yeah, it can just be overwhelming.
Speaker A:So here is some holistic advice from a holistic health practitioner on the first and second trimester of things that she wish she did and things that she wish she knew.
Speaker A:Let's get into it.
Speaker A:So the first thing I wanted to talk about, especially with the first trimester is understanding that every little thing that happens to you, every little weird hormonal shift or weird feeling that you feel when you're pregnant.
Speaker A:Oh man, I wish I knew not to like overthink about it.
Speaker A:I feel like it's kind of the first month, especially of pregnancy, or the first month and a half of like the first eight weeks.
Speaker A:You're trying to figure out like, oh my gosh, is the baby okay?
Speaker A:Is the baby safe?
Speaker A:And especially because Jeremiah and I lost four children by eight weeks, weeks already before.
Speaker A:It's hard to not overthink every little thing that you feel or feel differently.
Speaker A:And being in my practice, I, I already have a lot of body awareness.
Speaker A:And the one thing that can be a downfall for someone who's very hyper body aware is that one little thing can happen or shift or you can just feel more tired the next day or more hungry the next day.
Speaker A:And it's almost like you're.
Speaker A:It's easy to play into or, I don't know, almost create emotions or feelings or even.
Speaker A:Honestly, I wondered sometimes if some of the hormonal shifts I was feeling were even really my own thoughts.
Speaker A:Like if I was kind of creating it in my mind or if it was actually happening.
Speaker A:And I will say the big difference, if you guys listen to my miscarriage videos in the past, was that I, I wasn't used to not feeling a lot.
Speaker A:And a good sign of a healthy pregnancy, especially in the first trimester within the first six to eight weeks, is you don't, you can't tell a huge difference that you're pregnant.
Speaker A:Like a huge difference.
Speaker A:You can tell there's a weird, like, I knew that I was pregnant from like week two.
Speaker A:You can just.
Speaker A:I could feel that there was a life inside of me.
Speaker A:I felt that for now, all five of my pregnancies.
Speaker A:I don't know why.
Speaker A:I just can tell when I am pregnant and I've been spot on every time.
Speaker A:But it is really interesting.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, I just, I want to say that first and foremost, don't freak out.
Speaker A:Even if you've had 20 miscarriages before, it's more taking a step back and having that submission to the Lord of like, this life is yours no matter what.
Speaker A:And Even if I'm five days into my pregnancy or 40 weeks into my pregnancy, there's no guarantee that this child will ever be fully healthy or fully safe in any way, shape or form.
Speaker A:So that submission I really just want to recommend.
Speaker A:Especially if you do have a lot of vomiting within your first trimester, if you are super anxious or tired and exhausted in any way, taking that step back and understanding that your life is not yours and your child's life is not yours, your husband's life is not yours, that really, honestly was like the biggest driver, especially because at six weeks when we started bleeding and people get annoyed at me when I say we, but this child is also my husband's.
Speaker A:And when I go through things, he also goes through them.
Speaker A:So, yes, when we started bleeding, I also had this huge, I think, pressure that I didn't realize I had that was I have to do everything a hundred percent natural, no matter what, otherwise I'm not really giving my baby the healthiest version of life.
Speaker A:And that's not true at all.
Speaker A:Because at six weeks, when her life was at risk, not knowing she was a she.
Speaker A:At that time, the only option that the doctor gave me was taking progesterone oral pills.
Speaker A:And I mean, there were lots of things that I did too, that were natural.
Speaker A:Like, I hydrated a bunch because you want to hydrate.
Speaker A:I limited my movement so that I didn't bleed more.
Speaker A:I nourished my body with easy digestible proteins.
Speaker A:All those things almost treating my body like I was sick.
Speaker A:And yeah, I, that.
Speaker A:And then I took the progesterone.
Speaker A:I mean, we prayed about it as well.
Speaker A:Like, we did give it to the Lord, but it was still really hard because I didn't realize I put that internal and external pressure on myself to do everything 100% natural.
Speaker A:And for two weeks I took the progesterone.
Speaker A:And my OB was Poo Poo pants at that time.
Speaker A:And she, I asked her if, like, the next we could, we could come in and test my progesterone numbers.
Speaker A:And she said, no, as long as you're not bleeding, it's fine.
Speaker A:And I, that's the other thing I want to say.
Speaker A:If you have, like, you want to do something and you don't want to do something, you're ob, you're paying them to do what you want.
Speaker A:Like, be, don't be afraid to be your advocate, because it's not just your health you're taking care of now, it's your child's.
Speaker A:And, and I wish that I fought for that more.
Speaker A:I wish that I got to see whether or not the progesterone pills even worked, because obviously, like, I didn't have a miscarriage, but I don't know if that actually even upped my progesterone or if naturally, around six weeks, I get a drop.
Speaker A:And that's what, you know, sometimes it was lower than others, which is why I had miscarriages.
Speaker A:And things, you know, like, I don't know, my body's average or my body's normal through this process.
Speaker A:And I wish I was my own advocate more and saying, like, I want to learn more about my body and I want to understand why the progesterone dropped.
Speaker A:And she didn't care to figure out the why with me.
Speaker A:And I just kind of gave up because I was tired and it was my first trimester.
Speaker A:You know, I was sleepy and hungry, and I just turned into one giant, big baby.
Speaker A:I joked that poor Jeremiah for, you know, nine to 10 months is taking care of a giant big baby child before a baby comes.
Speaker A:And then it will be my job to help take care of her more.
Speaker A:Like, if he helps take care of me, then I can take care of her more.
Speaker A:That's what I'm hoping and praying.
Speaker A:But poor Jeremiah's already taking care of a big baby, and it's me.
Speaker A:So, yeah, that.
Speaker A:The first things that I feel like I learned the most in the first trimester was, like, really being okay with resting, really being okay with.
Speaker A:However, my body was responding to the progesterone and HCG hormone and.
Speaker A:And also just taking a step back and not overanalyzing what was happening, just kind of experiencing each day and being like, okay, today I'm a lot more tired than I was yesterday, and I'm not going down the rabbit hole of like, well, did I.
Speaker A:What did I eat yesterday?
Speaker A:What did I drink?
Speaker A:Just do what you need today.
Speaker A:Uh, I also want to say, too, I could eat so much in the first trimester, and I wish I did more.
Speaker A:And you guys might be like, what?
Speaker A:I looked more swollen.
Speaker A:I did not look cute in the first trimester.
Speaker A:I looked like a hag.
Speaker A:Like, I looked swollen and bloated and awful and tired all the time.
Speaker A:And you know what?
Speaker A:I think if I ate even more protein or did healthy, like, a lot more collagen and just.
Speaker A:Just ate protein more, and I'm telling you, I was already eating a lot.
Speaker A:But I wish I forced myself to eat more and a lot more high fiber, I think that I would have been a little less groggy, but also too, like, the bigger, hearty meals sustained me.
Speaker A:Like, if I ate three giant meals a day, and I don't even mean, like, three large meals.
Speaker A:Three, like, I was eating for men, significantly large meals.
Speaker A:That was the only time I felt super awake.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And obviously not everyone's the same, especially if you're vomiting a ton.
Speaker A:But normally it is known, like, if you tend to eat Higher amounts of protein.
Speaker A:It does also help with the vomiting levels.
Speaker A:Also, if your husband, the man who gives the sperm and helps create the placenta, is also eating really healthy up to a year, six months to a year before, that also makes you a lot less likely to not just have a miscarriage, but to also not vomit as much during your first trimester.
Speaker A:So healthy sperm equates to vomiting.
Speaker A:Um, yeah.
Speaker A:So I said, yeah, really weird right there.
Speaker A:But whatever, we'll keep it.
Speaker A:So that I think for the first trimester, I wish someone had told me that, like, eat more protein, eat more fiber, and eat as much as you can while you can.
Speaker A:Because during the second trimester.
Speaker A:Now let's ease into that.
Speaker A:The second trimester, everyone's like, oh, it's so beautiful.
Speaker A:You feel so much more awake.
Speaker A:Yeah, not until like two or three weeks in, like, that takes a minute, by the way.
Speaker A:Just in general.
Speaker A:And some women never fully feel normal.
Speaker A:Normal.
Speaker A:But I do want to say I was continuing the trend.
Speaker A:Like, I was like, oh, my gosh, when I eat bigger, I feel better.
Speaker A:Now that your baby is starting to pop and your organs are starting to shift, if you eat like large meals, you.
Speaker A:You'll pass out.
Speaker A:Your body can't handle that much food while your babe is growing inside of you.
Speaker A:It's like you have to eat high protein, high fiber meals consistently throughout the day.
Speaker A:Which, by the way, for me was it's pretty hard because I will work like a nine to five or I'll work sometimes five or six hours straight on body work on somebody and doing alignment work and talk to them about holistic health.
Speaker A:And thank God my clients are so chill because I sometimes will be like, if I'm not popping mints all day, I can get nauseous because if I'm not eating enough protein, I get nauseous.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:Which is probably not the healthiest thing ever.
Speaker A:But I tell them, like, okay, sorry, I just need to go take a bite of my sandwich.
Speaker A:Or I have some.
Speaker A:There was a while that I was eating, what was it?
Speaker A:Mango.
Speaker A:Like dried mangoes.
Speaker A:And I shared some with my clients.
Speaker A:They'll snack with me.
Speaker A:It's really funny.
Speaker A:But if I don't get those snacks in like, consistent high protein, high fiber snacks, I feel horrible.
Speaker A:And I'm cranky and angry by the end of the day and I'm either so tired that I can't even.
Speaker A:I'm like, I'm gonna pass out by the time I get home, or I'm so, like, razzled and annoyed and pissed off that the thought of eating almost like makes me want to gag.
Speaker A:It makes me want to vomit.
Speaker A:So I just want to say for women who are working during this time, or maybe you have multiple kids and it's hard for you to get in those proteins, just try if you can, to plan ahead with lots of high protein snacks.
Speaker A:Like, I have personally been eating deli meats this whole time during pregnancy.
Speaker A:I don't know how people don't do it.
Speaker A:But like the turkey deli, me I'll do.
Speaker A:Or like salami.
Speaker A:And that has been my saving grace.
Speaker A:And then protein shakes and just stuff like that.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So that's what I recommend trying to stay away from like the high sugar, high carb.
Speaker A:Cause it just made me even more hungry at the end of the day.
Speaker A:But that's just me.
Speaker A:Also because I struggled with Candida before.
Speaker A:Oh my gosh.
Speaker A:And that's another thing I want to talk about.
Speaker A:When you're pregnant, your body goes more alkaline and people tend to get this confused because I think people hear, oh, your body's alkaline, so it's healthier.
Speaker A:No, your gut is supposed to be acidic.
Speaker A:It can't be too acidic.
Speaker A:You don't want it to be.
Speaker A:You know, it will burn holes in your, in your system.
Speaker A:But it needs to be pretty acidic with good bacteria and good yeast for it to be able to function properly.
Speaker A:So the hormones slow down your digestive system and then also your digestive system slows down because it's all shifting and that's due to the relaxant hormone.
Speaker A:So when everything slows down, it slows down your digestive tract, it slows down your nutrients and everything goes into like, you know.
Speaker A:And when that happens, it's harder for food to be digested by your body and the acid production also slows down.
Speaker A:So having things like apple cider vinegar before every meal.
Speaker A:And I know a lot of women love papaya enzymes.
Speaker A:I love the pure digestive enzymes.
Speaker A:Personally, I know that pure was bought out by Nestle and then what was the other one?
Speaker A:Seek not seeking health.
Speaker A:I like seeking health.
Speaker A:That's a prenatal that I use.
Speaker A:What's the other one?
Speaker A:Thorn.
Speaker A:Thorn was bought out by someone too a few years ago.
Speaker A:But I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker A:The pure digestive enzyme, everything that I've seen on it is totally clean.
Speaker A:And I always feel a lot better when I do eat it or take it before meals.
Speaker A:So I don't know.
Speaker A:Things like that help boost your enzyme production so that you don't go more alkaline so that you don't build up more yeast and then kill good bacteria in your gut, which you want to have, because that passes on to your baby.
Speaker A:So if you get a buildup of bad bacteria or a buildup of yeast overgrowth, that's bad, like Candida, it can just affect your baby's health because then the nutrients that's supposed to go to him or her is not going to go to them properly, which is what happened to my babies within the first eight weeks, weeks of pregnancy and why I had miscarriages in the past.
Speaker A:So right now I have been experiencing since my second, the beginning of my second trimester on and off Candida flare ups.
Speaker A:Because I have.
Speaker A:And so I haven't been eating super clean this pregnancy, which also I gave myself a lot of grace for.
Speaker A:I couldn't believe that I was craving, like, the most horrific foods.
Speaker A:But I mean, I also.
Speaker A:It's weird because I would have things that I normally that would, like, kill me before, and I felt great eating them.
Speaker A:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker A:I literally lost.
Speaker A:Oh, that's what I was going to say.
Speaker A:The biggest thing with this, with Candida, was not understanding that I needed to have those enzymes beforehand.
Speaker A:So I went to my old OB and I told her.
Speaker A:I was like, hey, I can see my fecal matter is kind of slimy and sludgy, the same way that it was when I had a yeast infection.
Speaker A:And again, talk about being an advocate for yourself.
Speaker A:I specifically asked for a Candida stool test and she came back and only checked which stool tests are expensive, by the way.
Speaker A:She only tested for bacteria.
Speaker A:And I was pissed because I knew I didn't have a bacteria issue.
Speaker A:And she's like, well, it came up negative.
Speaker A:And that was kind of one of my final straws, besides her constantly asking if I need an abortion and things like that, because 26 weeks is the last time you can.
Speaker A:In California.
Speaker A:I wanted to wring this woman's neck.
Speaker A:But now with my new ob, I let them know that I felt a flare up because it happens to you in your gut.
Speaker A:But then it.
Speaker A:When it gets really bad, that's when you can experience it vaginally.
Speaker A:So I felt that last week and especially this past weekend, and they finally got back to me today, which was good.
Speaker A:But I need to go in by Thursday.
Speaker A:And here's what I advocated for.
Speaker A:Just to let you know, if you feel like you have a yeast infection during your pregnancy, this is what you need to advocate for.
Speaker A:One, especially if you're around the second Trimester and the timing like me, where you take the digest.
Speaker A:Digestional diabetes digit.
Speaker A:The diabetes test for pregnancy.
Speaker A:I can never say it, whatever.
Speaker A:When you're taking that test, they make you take like a really high sugar content on, you know, when you haven't eaten yet and it's horrible, it tastes awful and it has a ton of dyes in it and it's really bad for you and baby and your gut.
Speaker A:Also, when are you ever going to like drink liquid sugar and glucose that early in the morning?
Speaker A:It's just the test itself is dumb to me.
Speaker A:But then they came out with a more natural one that you can get only at LabCorp.
Speaker A:And so I was opting for that, but I realized that even taking that, if I'm having like yeast infection type of feeling, I don't, I don't want to take that and flare it up even more.
Speaker A:So personally, I called and I said, hey, like I know that this isn't even as accurate as getting glucose done if I just did it throughout the day and I just want to know what that looks like and how I can do that instead, please.
Speaker A:Because I don't want to flare up this infection even more that I know that I have.
Speaker A:So it was nice because my new ob, they called me up and they want to get me in right away to get tested and I'm not sure what that looks like or how they're going to do it.
Speaker A:So I'll find out this next Thursday, so if you'll be praying for that.
Speaker A:And then also I'm going to advocate and just say, hey, like, you guys know that I have really bad flare ups and I just don't feel comfortable doing it.
Speaker A:I don't want to put my baby's life at risk.
Speaker A:I don't want to be more uncomfortable than I already am.
Speaker A:So I'm going to opt for glucose testing instead because it is much more accurate in the long run and I can get a week's worth of results and a general average rather than just one insane day, which, by the way, I'm most likely going to be told, or they're going to be told that I do have it if I have a yeast infection because the inflammation in my gut is going to skyrocket.
Speaker A:So I just don't want to be treated like if I have the diabetes, if I don't genuinely have it.
Speaker A:So yeah, there are things like that again that I just wish I knew.
Speaker A:Four weeks ago, I guess before I was given this test that I was told I had to take, I'M gonna get my other blood work done, of course.
Speaker A:But yeah, I think that was the biggest thing that I wanted to mention is like, for your blood work, for anything, if there's anything you don't want to take or you're not comfortable with and then you don't want to be fronted with the bill, don't do it.
Speaker A:Tell them that you don't want to do it and you don't want to pay for it.
Speaker A:You can get tested as much as you want and scanned as much as you want or as little as you want.
Speaker A:So I have a friend that she did a wild pregnancy where she had no scans, nothing checked, and she did great.
Speaker A:But also she's never had any issues before in the past with her first pregnancy, so she did it again with her second and now with her third.
Speaker A:And she.
Speaker A:She is also considering doing a un.
Speaker A:What is it?
Speaker A:An unsupported birth pregnancy too.
Speaker A:So it's called like a wild pregnancy and free birth where you have no support.
Speaker A:It's just you and your man.
Speaker A:Which is kind of amazing.
Speaker A:But Jeremiah and I knew, because I was on and off high risk, that it just didn't make sense to.
Speaker A:For us.
Speaker A:So again, taking into consideration, like, we couldn't afford a midwife or a doula this round.
Speaker A:But that's okay.
Speaker A:Even though I wanted to give birth at home, I'm now taking classes and doing things to be able to give myself that relaxed and great, I don't know mindset to be able to feel okay in a hospital.
Speaker A:Which is why we're gonna check out the hospital before.
Speaker A:Like this Friday, we're gonna go see their birthing clinic and their birth tubs, and I'm making an in depth list of questions to ask the doctors and practitioners.
Speaker A:And here's the other thing, too.
Speaker A:I'm going to ask the nurse on staff that's giving us the tour what she normally experiences through my questions.
Speaker A:I'm also going to ask my OB those exact same questions when I see him on Thursday.
Speaker A:And I want to see the.
Speaker A:The difference between what the OB says and what she says for what the protocols are and the standards are for X, Y and Z.
Speaker A:So if he says, hey, call an hour early if you want to give birth in the tub.
Speaker A:And she says, a half hour early.
Speaker A:I'll probably lean more towards like an hour to a half hour for like an hour rather than a half hour for it to get set up because I don't want to risk not getting a birthing tub.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So just things like that that are good to think about and prepare for when going in and preparing for birthday.
Speaker A:Um, because your doctor may decide something else and override a nurse that then that the nurse said that or would that the nurse said to you or promised you during that time.
Speaker A:So make sure during your second trimester, basically still be an advocate for yourself, but also maybe look into the general testing that you normally have to get done during that time and see what you want to opt in or opt out for.
Speaker A:Like for instance, the first trimester.
Speaker A:We opted out of the genetic testing at 10 weeks because we knew that there's nothing that could be done.
Speaker A:If we found out that our baby had down syndrome or any other birth defects, they wouldn't be able to help in any way, shape or form.
Speaker A:And we didn't want a dark, I don't know, cloud over our pregnancy.
Speaker A:We knew that we would keep her either way.
Speaker A:So we waited until the 20th week to find out the gender and not do any genetic testing.
Speaker A:And we know that we could always do that in the future after she's born if we really want to.
Speaker A:So again, these are not things that I think that you have to really worry about before you're pregnant.
Speaker A:But what's nice is if you already are pretty natural in general and know your standards of what you like and dislike about hospitals or doctors, midwives, whatever, any type of birth help.
Speaker A:I think that coming into it with that mindset of I know what my standards are, I know what my rights are as a patient, and I know that these people are working for me and it's their job to suggest things, even that make me feel uncomfortable, that I don't like.
Speaker A:I'm not going to take it personally.
Speaker A:And I know that I can always change OBs or change midwives.
Speaker A:If I disagree, I don't like them and that's okay.
Speaker A:Jeremiah and I did it, you know, like, was it kind of stressful looking for another ob?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But I mean, we also had a plan B backup and that's who we went to.
Speaker A:So we kind of prepared for that in case we didn't like our obvious.
Speaker A:So to sum it up in general, I, of course be your first healthcare advocate always.
Speaker A:Secondly, when you're going into a first trimester, second trimester, third, I think, and what I wish I did and I didn't do, I think it's good for you to prepare, like what's going to happen in testing or what is the doctor going to do for this whole trimester?
Speaker A:Or ask your doctor or your midlife, like Midwife.
Speaker A:What are the things, what are the goals that we need to hit during this trimester?
Speaker A:How many times do you want to see me?
Speaker A:How, how much should you see me?
Speaker A:What's the smallest amount?
Speaker A:Ask those questions because sometimes they'll just see you for like 10, 15 minutes and then skadoodle when it comes to the obs.
Speaker A:So just be sure to, you know, ask them what's going to happen at what week and why.
Speaker A:Because you can opt out for any testing or all testing, and some doctors may say, well, then I'm not going to work with you if you opt out of X, Y and Z.
Speaker A:And then, you know, you got to find another OB or midwife.
Speaker A:So that's.
Speaker A:Those are things that you need to consider.
Speaker A:But, yeah, I wish, and I wish I knew that more.
Speaker A:Like, I wish I understood what was happening more for the glucose 10, like glucose testing, for instance, because I've known for a few months that my Candida has been flaring up and acting up a lot.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Going into the third trimester.
Speaker A:Things that I'm excited about, like, I'm really excited about and I've been preparing for, but I'm a little overwhelmed with one.
Speaker A:It's getting so clear that she is like huge.
Speaker A:She's the size of a cantaloupe this week.
Speaker A:And birth scares me, not labor.
Speaker A:I'm not so scared with labor.
Speaker A:It's literally the actual birth, like her coming out of me that kind of freaks me out.
Speaker A:And I'm, I'm saying that as a woman who loves everything all natural, and I don't want to do an epidural.
Speaker A:I don't want to have any, anything that I don't want to have.
Speaker A:Anything that could make her, like, not respond the correct way or affect her in any way, which, by the way, it can.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, and there's no shame on people who get them.
Speaker A:I have no problem with that.
Speaker A:I just know that I don't want it.
Speaker A:But I, I will say again, I had to question myself the other day, like, is this just because I want to have an all natural birth experience or does it have to do with what's best for her?
Speaker A:And this, I think primarily is what is best for her and her to be able to have visceral and healthy responses and reactions when she's born?
Speaker A:So to me, it's actually like putting back my comfort to make her life a little bit easier when she comes into the world.
Speaker A:So I'm following right now because a lot of people have also asked what birth classes Am I taking?
Speaker A:If I'm taking any?
Speaker A:I paid for the Mighty Mama movement, and it wasn't super expensive.
Speaker A:I loved that it came with a lactation information afterwards.
Speaker A:It came with how to find a doctor, which obviously, I watched that way too late because I only have been watching it the past three weeks with Jeremiah.
Speaker A:But we're now getting into the part where it's like laboring positions.
Speaker A:Also, how to be able to set your mind into understanding that labor is only at most through your contractions gonna last anywhere between a minute, 30 to 2 minutes.
Speaker A:So that constant, like, you know, pain and intensity, that can happen.
Speaker A:You can get through a minute, 30 to 2 minutes.
Speaker A:And there are ways to do that.
Speaker A:So it was really cool learning those tips and tricks on how to be able to put your mind somewhere else to not focus on the pain.
Speaker A:And what's cool is like doing my alignment work in Rolfing.
Speaker A:I help people with that every day.
Speaker A:How to breathe and kind of submit into it in a way that it's not painful, but it's actually welcomed and inviting because you know that your body's releasing something.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I am excited for that.
Speaker A:I think the next part that's overwhelming me is maybe, like, my nesting urge.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:We need to redo our garage so badly and get a bunch of crap out of there, and I just want to purge.
Speaker A:It's like I'm trying to get rid of everything just to prepare for her, because I just feel like there's so much stuff that comes with a baby, so.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And then speaking of stuff, I do want to say preparing for the registry can feel like a lot, but I really dedicated, like, four or five days of.
Speaker A:And I mean, like four or five days, like, just genuinely, like, sat down for half a day and made it fun.
Speaker A:So I called, like, different friends and asked them to show me their registry.
Speaker A:I asked friends to come over.
Speaker A:I asked people that were way older than me that had babies, like, 20 years ago and versus people who had babies last week to kind of figure out what's tried and true.
Speaker A:And then I found, like, people on the Internet who, you know, they felt like they had to buy every single little thing versus talking to some friends who had, like, the most minimalistic baby list ever, or they're on their third baby, and they're like, this is what I actually used, you know?
Speaker A:So for me, because I love research, that's super fun.
Speaker A:I know a lot of people are not like that, but I wanted to have.
Speaker A:I don't know when you're pregnant, Even if you're not like that in general, it's kind of hard to not get into the groove of, like, what am I actually to use?
Speaker A:What am I going to need?
Speaker A:And in order to get rid of that nervous energy, you start doing research.
Speaker A:So I know I've mentioned before that I've posted my registry, and I.
Speaker A:A lot of people have already looked at it, and again, it's on my stories.
Speaker A:If anyone wants to look at it, it's under pregnancy.
Speaker A:I has also been, like, slender down a little bit, too, which is a huge blessing because I realized what I do and don't want more and more.
Speaker A:So it does change consistently.
Speaker A:But I will say, in my opinion, holistically and because we have a small house, I don't think a lot of stuff is necessary, especially for a newborn.
Speaker A:I think that there's a lot of stuff that you could ask for on your registry instead of just for your newborn.
Speaker A:That's more important for, like, postpartum and healing so that you and your husband can be doing better, so that baby can do better.
Speaker A:Because if you two, as a team are sleeping better, healing well, you know, not exhausted from just, like, the craziness of labor and birth, you're gonna be able to then welcome in that new life into your lifestyle a lot easier.
Speaker A:And that's the other thing, too.
Speaker A:I think a lot of parents start preparing, like, okay, my whole lifestyle is about to change.
Speaker A:I have to wrap my whole schedule around feeding and blah, blah, no when.
Speaker A:And I think that's the biggest thing that makes me feel the most calm, because I used to nanny.
Speaker A:I understand that I didn't give birth to the children, and it's very different.
Speaker A:But when I had one kid and then a second one popped up, you know, out of nowhere, Everett and I, the little boy that I used to nanny, like, when he was, like, two and a half, and his sister came.
Speaker A:Like, we continued our same schedule and had fun and did all the things, and she just came along for the ride.
Speaker A:You know, same thing.
Speaker A:Like, I.
Speaker A:I'm gonna still walk the dogs as much as I can.
Speaker A:Penelope's gonna come along for the ride.
Speaker A:We're gonna go on hikes.
Speaker A:My lifestyle isn't gonna completely change, and my identity is not gonna change with who God created just because a little new life has joined into our family.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I think that's really important.
Speaker A:Jeremiah's looking at me.
Speaker A:I think that's really important going into, you know, preparing for, I guess, a life after a new life.
Speaker A:And, yeah, I.
Speaker A:There's Only so much, I guess I can try to prepare for.
Speaker A:For each trimester and each new stage.
Speaker A:But the thing is, ultimately, I.
Speaker A:I know at the end of the day that a lot of stress would have been taken off if I just kind of had an overall guideline of what each trimester would have actually looked like.
Speaker A:And people.
Speaker A:I feel like people are like, oh, you're just gonna be exhausted the first 12 weeks, and then after that you're feeling great, and then you're gonna get exhausted again and you're like, third trimester.
Speaker A:And that's kind of it.
Speaker A:That's all I've kind of gotten from advice, even from friends who are in my field.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:Because then everyone gives the caveat of while everyone's also so different, which doesn't help you at all.
Speaker A:And there are still overall scientific facts of what's going to happen, what's good to check in on if you're nervous about something, what you can ask about.
Speaker A:And that's what I mean.
Speaker A:Like, whatever you're overwhelmed about, just write it down.
Speaker A:And have no qualms with calling your doctor's office or your midwife.
Speaker A:That's what they're there for.
Speaker A:They're supposed to answer these questions.
Speaker A:And if they brush you off, then find a new doctor or midwife, because that's going to happen to you during your labor process.
Speaker A:And that's not okay.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I just wish that someone told me confidently at the beginning of my pregnancy, savannah, you and Jeremiah are going to know what's best for your family and your baby.
Speaker A:And at the end of the day, even though there are general standards and great things to look at and stand by, be your own advocates.
Speaker A:Stand up for what you think is best.
Speaker A:Stand up for what you think is healthiest.
Speaker A:Stand up for Christ, of course.
Speaker A:And then also just take a step back and then rest in that.
Speaker A:Rest that God knows what's best for you and your lives and your baby's life and be okay just sitting in that overall.
Speaker A:In general, I really wish somebody told me that.
Speaker A:And they just said, like, you're doing a great job.
Speaker A:This is your first time going through this, but you're doing an awesome, awesome job.
Speaker A:And I do think Jeremiah and I have killed it.
Speaker A:You know, at 16 weeks, we had another really big, scary bleed.
Speaker A:And we were really calm.
Speaker A:When everyone else at my grandma's birthday weekend was freaking out for us, we were like, you know what?
Speaker A:We're gonna go for a little drive and we're gonna go through a.
Speaker A:We didn't Go to the national park.
Speaker A:We didn't go to Zion, but we did a state park.
Speaker A:And people were like, no, just stay home.
Speaker A:And I was like, no, we need to.
Speaker A:We need to get out.
Speaker A:Like, we need.
Speaker A:I want to get out.
Speaker A:And I walked around a little bit.
Speaker A:It felt really good just being with Jeremiah and with the Lord's creation.
Speaker A:And guess what?
Speaker A:I stopped bleeding, like, while we were there.
Speaker A:So sometimes you really do know what's best for you.
Speaker A:And when God's prompting that with the Holy Spirit, just listen and obey that and be okay with it.
Speaker A:And you don't have to explain it to other people.
Speaker A:It doesn't matter.
Speaker A:As long as you and your husband are on the same, like, conviction and feeling good about it, that's great.
Speaker A:I also had issues with just some, you know, individuals at church that hurt me.
Speaker A:And I literally told them.
Speaker A:I was like, you guys have to wait.
Speaker A:Dealing with this is not my priority right now.
Speaker A:I'm bleeding on and off with my baby.
Speaker A:I'm figuring out things and switching over obs.
Speaker A:Like, I don't need to explain any of this to you.
Speaker A:And you guys, we can heal this in another time because I gotta take care of my baby's life, and that's the most important.
Speaker A:So that's what I mean.
Speaker A:Like, it's when things happen, they're gonna happen in life.
Speaker A:And it's okay to take a step back and just assess.
Speaker A:Like, where does God want you to focus right now?
Speaker A:And whatever it is, focus on that.
Speaker A:And even if it doesn't make sense to other people, but you and your husband have good conviction on it.
Speaker A:That's all that matters.
Speaker A:So, anyway, I hope that this is encouraging because I wish again, I wish I had something like this when I first was pregnant.
Speaker A:I wish someone just kind of shook me and said, just take each day at a time.
Speaker A:Everything's okay.
Speaker A:Acknowledge what your body needs right now in the moment.
Speaker A:And if you need to, you know, check in with the Lord, pray about it.
Speaker A:If it's something that's not, doesn't feel like common sense, talk to your husband about it and then make a choice.
Speaker A:So, yeah, man, I feel like talking about this already makes me feel better.
Speaker A:But just know I'm learning every day I don't have all the answers.
Speaker A:The same way that you guys feel like you don't have all the answers.
Speaker A:But I certainly don't have more wisdom or more knowledge just because I'm a holistic health practitioner.
Speaker A:I learn new things about my body, about where God wants me, every single day and I'm humbled every single day.
Speaker A:And I love that.
Speaker A:And I think that's the main thing that as women we need to be more focused on.
Speaker A:And men of course, but women especially, I think we need to really ask the Lord, like, how can you humble me today?
Speaker A:How can I be humbled in your presence and just be guided by you and what in what my body needs and what this baby needs in whatever you want me to do to glorify you today?
Speaker A:How can I be humbled in that?
Speaker A:So overall, I feel like that's the message of what's needed today.
Speaker A:But I love you guys.
Speaker A:I'm super thankful that I get to share the wisdom of what I learn and also the wiz ultra dumb moments that I learned from.
Speaker A:And yeah, let's get ready for the next big chapter that's having Penelope and I hope and pray.
Speaker A:What I'm really excited about is being able to give birth to her and then have a podcast episode where you guys can hear her cooing and making baby sounds in the background.
Speaker A:That would be so fun.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But thank you for going on this journey with you guys, with us, you guys.
Speaker A:And I'm just excited for next week.
Speaker A:There's a lot of new stuff coming, so until then, keep casting seeds.
Speaker A:We hope you enjoyed learning how to cultivate God's creation from a biblical perspective.
Speaker A:Holistic health is to prioritize whole person wellness through Christ like and comment on what topics we're casting seeds or casting pearls.
Speaker B:If you found this information provided useful, subscribe to our podcast for future updates.
Speaker B:Leave a review to help us improve and share this episode.
Speaker B:We would like to remind you before we leave that perfect health cannot be attained in this world.
Speaker A:Only spiritual salvation through sanctification and repentance to God and turning away from sin will give you a perfect body in the kingdom come.
Speaker A:Nourish yourself in the Word, in prayer, and in biblical fellowship daily.
Speaker B:Thank you for joining us today and a special thank you to our listeners for making this podcast possible.
Speaker A:Always praying.
Speaker B:Keep casting seeds.
