New Year!!! Welcome 2012

One of my New Years Resolutions is to get back on track with all my projects. I have been slacking ever since Kyla was born. Now that she is on a schedule and I am situated in the office I am ready to go!

One of the ways to organize was to write down everything I wanted to accomplish this year (wow it was a lot). Then I prioritized the accomplishments. This year I added something new into the mix, something I just was exposed to ... ACTION STEPS!

Action steps are simply "the actions you are going to take to get to the desired goal". Who would have thought these would be important??? However, when you stop and think more about it you realize that it is the most important part of goal setting.

Let's us the most common goal someone has when the new year rolls around ... loosing weight! When you start to think of goals and you think, "I want to loose weight this year. I've done it before and I went to the gym and ate better." And then you write it down on the list. Two months from now, when you go back to read those goals you see "loose weight" on there you then immediately start to evaluate yourself ... "is the weight coming off???"

If you used action steps that process would go more like this ... two months from now you look at your list and see ... "shop healthier with a list, go to the gym to lift weights 3x/wk, go for a 30min walk 3xs/wk, park the car further away, no dairy, no gluten, no sugar". Now you can evaluate yourself on a smaller scale. Such as, "Yes, I shop with a list, I do the exercise I stated, but I have been sneaking sugar and I need to get better at that."

The second route is a more mentally healthy way of living. Mental health and growth is something we ALL can strive for.

So Close

So the days of being pregnant are coming to a close. And while I am fully enjoying my time being pregnant and I am grateful for even being able to get pregnant in the first place, I am so ready to see what our little girl looks like.

So far I am have gained a total of 20lbs! Of course half of that is baby :) I have maintained a high protein diet and of course being allergic to gluten has made this a low carbohydrate pregnancy as well. I have kept a good regimen of vitamins and teas to keep a healthy home for our little one. Now nearing the end I have begun to incorporate homeopathic treatments and herbs as well. It is a way of toning my uterus (baby's home) to support in contractions and a smooth labor. One is Mother's Cordial Elixir and the other is a Homeopathic Kit of 18 Childbirth Remedies which will be used before, during, and after birth. There are numerous combination of homeopathy that will produce different effects from ripening the cervix, turning the baby, pain management, and even postpartum pain. Currently we are in the before labor stages of toning the uterus :)

I am so excited to have been exposed to all this and love passing it on to more moms out there.

We also have been blessed to be able to do some wonderful pregnancy related events. We took maternity photos with Andrea Gallagher Photography and they turned out amazing. Brian and I in our almost 9 years together have never done a "photo shoot" together. It was a great experience to gaze at each other and let our love show on camera. We also did a Belly Cast. It was so cute to actually see what everyone else sees in real life once the cast came off and was dry. I am not sure what we will do with the cast but I'm sure some more creativity will emerge.

As We Get Closer

As the due date gets closer and closer the office grows more excited to meet our little girl. We have started an office pool where everyone can guess on random baby girl facts for a chance to win a gift card. Everyone loves a healthy competition ;) It is so fun to sit down and read what everyone thinks the baby will weight or how long they believe I will be in labor for. I am enjoying every guess.

Also, last night we set up the birth pool to see how long it would take to fill up. It was a good thing we did a test run (Brian's idea) because we noticed the tile floor in the dinning room (where we set up the pool) really cooled the water down quick. Brian also has a bucket heater in a 5 gallon bucket to get water warm quicker than boiling on the stove. However, we noticed that two buckets would be more efficient than the one we had last night. All and all the pool was very relaxing with enough room for Brian and I to both be in there and he still can do therapy on me (very lucky to have a personal massage therapist on call). Now we just have to prep our "unofficial dula" Kami on the process and I believe we are ready for the relaxation of a water birth :)

As far as adjusting goes ... I am doing great. There is no problem working on patients of all sizes (just can't help all of them up form the table when treatment is complete). Paying close attention to my diet and exercise has really paid off in the work environment.

Still Amazed

So I am not sure if this happens to all my female chiropractic friends or if I am the only one with the privilege of these interactions ...

I was standing in line today at a grocery store picking up some food for lunches in the office. The lady behind me saw my name tag and it says "Dr. Dara" on it. She said "Oh, your a doctor, you're so young. What are you a doctor of?" I began to inform the lady that I was a chiropractor over on the other side of town and I was on my way to work. She came back with "I didn't know there were such a thing as female chiropractors". I was so distraught with that comment that I came back with, "Why yes they do, we are quicker, gentler, and smarter. And they also let us get pregnant" as I pointed to my belly (which would have been funnier if I was bigger and didn't just look like a fat lady right now). She smiled and said "good for you, I hope your baby is ok".

Haha Being pregnant is not a handicap. Not taking care of yourself during pregnancy is. The physical activity of my job is possible because I take care of myself and my baby inside. I pay close attention and take breaks as needed. I have to say that adjusting people all day is far less strenuous than the physical 30-60 minute workout I do 3-6 days a week.

I love my job and I love that women are such a great part of chiropractic.

(Picture to the left is me adjusting a young man in Brazil who said his pain was so bad he "didn't want to live anymore" ... no pressure!)

Healthy Pregnancy

So many people have asked me how my pregnancy is going and when I state really well they think I am lying. I have taken great care and focus into this pregnancy. I have not taken it as a license to just "eat or do whatever" like mothers sometimes do. I took this as an opportunity to grow the best life I can. It hasn't been easy, but I believe in the end it will be completely worth it.

A Couple Things I Keep in Mind Every Day:
Protein - I can't begin to say how important it is to keep the amount of protein I eat above 80 grams. It is hard to consume that much. In the beginning of the pregnancy I was full so easily and all it felt like i was eating was protein. I have discovered pure protein isolate mixed with goat milk yogurt or with powdered greens has provided a great way to get it all in there.
Sugars - Keeping the amount of refined sugars minimal to none. I save my sweets for moments when they are REALLY wanted. Which is my normal when I wasn't pregnant. I love sweets! I turn to coconut milk ice cream, fruit, and every once and a while some gluten free baked goods.
Vitamin D - The importance of this vitamin is so high. It changes everything from preterm birth to gestational diabetes to infection. The recommended does is from 4,000-6,000 IUs/day.
DHA - You are not only growing a human, but growing a brain! That new brain needs DHA. These are found in fish oils, but adding some specific DHA by itself it also a good idea. There are also companies that make flavored ones (strawberry and orange) to help with the indigestion.

All of this put together has brought me to where I am today. Healthy at 22 weeks with no sickness and no excess weight gain!

As The Belly Grows ...

As the belly grows things get interesting ...

Patients start asking "are you pregnant?" They get all upset when you say yes and they respond with "why didn't you tell me?" Well, for one thing, while most of the female patients are excited and smiley there are some patients who have a decrease in confidence in you as a doctor. Being pregnant is the highest of the female tasks and while female chiropractors are gaining more headway as great doctors it brings us right back to the beginning when patients associate the doctor with pregnancy. Most of patient's concerns deal with the physical side of adjusting. Let me address that right now ... while it will become more difficult to adjust with 1-2 feet of belly sticking out in front of me, you would never say anything to that 350lb male chiropractor down the street! I'm sure his belly is just as big (or larger) than mine will be. From large amounts of research I have found that most pregnant chiropractors are fine adjusting all the way up until they give birth. The only thing that may hold them back is energy level. I am looking forward to working right until I pop! Being at the office adjusting patients is like a great workout that lasts all day. I am expecting it to prepare me for labor.

Another interesting side is the amount of movement you can feel. It hits you at the strangest time, like when you are taking notes on a new patient, or when you are doing some myofascial (muscle) work, or when you are on the phone and boom! that internal belly poke. While I love the constant reminder the baby is in there it's hard not to act distracted when it catches you off guard. Kinda funny actually when I have to explain to my NEW patient what's really going on. Oh the joys!

Oh How Things Change

Haven't posted in a while so there are numerous things to update on ...

In the past months ... found out we were expecting, packed up everything and moved to Arizona for an amazing job, moved into a great house, and settled into our new life.

I am very excited to say that with a baby on the way the Blog will have all sorts of new things to talk about (as well as funny stories and situations).

The Job ... I have accepted a position as an associate in an Applied Kinesiology office that also does Nutrition. The office has a great flow and the staff is extremely pleasant to be around. It makes for a peaceful healing environment. I am sure patients appreciate this. Most patients have been with the other doctor for over 10 years (some as long as 18). It is nice to see patients realize and carry out the benefits of wellness care. I feel as though this will be home for a while. I am slowing but surely building up my side of the practice and am ready for the future.

The Baby ... This week has been full of milestones! We heard the heartbeat at our home on a fetoscope (like a stethoscope but made specifically for pregnancy) and we were able to feel the baby kicking and moving around from the outside. So far there has been no impedance in working or adjusting patients. The belly is not big enough for people to realize I'm expecting let alone get in the way of an adjustment. I am sure the day will come when I have to think about "how am I going to get that bone right there to move with this belly!" Everyone in the office is excited to be able to have an office mascot come early May. I am sure with all the women we have here the baby will be loved all day long (even if it isn't by me all day).

Keep posted for updates :)