THE NATURAL REMEDIES I USED IN LABOUR

I knew I wanted a natural and drug-free labour before I was even pregnant with our baby boy. Sure the picture of labour I had in my mind wasn't the prettiest thanks to Hollywood movies and medical TV shows making it look like the most painful thing a woman could go through (and it may be for some women), but as I'm a bit of a health nut, I wanted to do it without drugs in my system. However... I knew there could be other things I could do to help with what pain I may experience. So I went researching, reading, asking, listening and came up with quite a few things I decided to take into the birth suite with me. 

So if you're anything like me, pregnant for the first time, and wanting alternative's to morphine and epidurals, I've done the hard work for you. Just copy and print ;)

CAN EATING DATES HELP LABOUR? (+ A RECIPE FOR PREGNANCY)

The inspiration for this recipe came from my mum - who is a yoga teacher and a doula - as she told me that eating 6 dates a day in the end of your pregnancy helps prepare you for labour, and research showed that women who ate dates versus those that didn't were less likely to need medication to keep things progressing. So I thought I'd do some research and it turns out, there's quite a bit out there on dates in the third trimester!

SUNDAY :: PETE EVANS INTERVIEW

If you missed the Pete Evans interview on Channel Seven's Sunday program you can watch the replay by clicking on that turquoise text just there.
And I highly recommend you do if you're a regular reader of my blog.

I would LOVE to hear others thoughts on this...

In an exclusive interview with Sunday Night, the My Kitchen Rules judge defended his paleo lifestyle and clarified his controversial claims about sunscreen, dairy and breast milk, which he says have been taken out of context.

NOURISH :: CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MUFFINS

The inspiration for these came this morning as I pondered what my weekend has in store - I'm headed to the Gold Coast with my sisters and my mum for Belinda Davidson's 3-day Shadow Workshop and was thinking about eating out all weekend, or pre-paring a few things and taking a lot of food with me... This is how my brain works. Always thinking about food.

And not just main meals but snacks as well - this pregnant girl needs her snacks. So what could I make that would last, be satisfying, and of course delicious? MUFFINS! I love a good muffin and haven't made any in ages! An almond meal base, eggs, banana, and whatever else added in is a sure fire way to keep your tummy from rumbling and your tastebuds singing.

I was going to whip up my almond blueberry muffins, but when the idea of chocolate entered my thoughts, well, let's say most people have a hard time denying chocolate thoughts... 

PREGNANCY :: REMEDIES FOR COMMON PAIN-IN-THE-BUM NUANCES

Pregnancy is a wonderful thing to experience. I'm making and creating and growing a baby! Holy shit! How incredible is that? And I am so grateful for the opportunity as I know not every woman has the chance to experience it. However... there are some things about being pregnant that, until you fall pregnant, you might not know about. Little niggly things that you're not used too and the usual remedies are not always safe in pregnancy, making it all the trickier to treat.

Now "common nuances" are common, but not a given. I never got nausea or morning sickness for example. Neverthless, here we go. A few of the common pain-in-the-bum-but-not-life-threatening-niggly-issues of being pregnant.

PREGNANCY : MY FIRST TRIMESTER TIPS

Being pregnant for the first time can sometimes feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole - you don't know what to expect, you don't know who to talk too about it (at least initially when it's usually kept under wraps), you're not sure what happens now that the box test says 'positive', what testing needs to be done (if any), or how to navigate so many emotions and physical sensations all at once.

And then when you do decide to tell people the exciting news, it doesn't necessarily make all this unchartered territory seem any easier to navigate. So I wanted to share a few things I learnt along the way early on that may help and support you as well, if you happen to be pregnant (or feel free to share this with anyone who is). 👶

2016 LOVE LIST + HEADING INTO 2017

I really wanted to do a post giving thanks and sharing heart felt gratitude for all the amazing things that happened in my life during 2016. For my own recollection and selfish feel-good-vibes that curse through my veins when I do so, but also to send a ripple effect to everyone who had a rough year, to show that there still is magic in the world when we feel as though it may have gone.

SURPRISE :: I'M PREGNANT

If you hadn't noticed, I've been MIA from the blog since leaving Italy in the middle of August - you could be forgiven for thinking I have been in hibernation and depression at having left one of my favourite countries on the globe, no longer getting the best pizza known to man kind, sipping espressos on street corners, or trying my best to wax lyrical and immerse my senses into all things language, food and culture... but no, I have another excuse. A big whopper valid reason.