A happy update

Because a Facebook post is never enough...

We were blessed to welcome baby Raine Lee Blyth earth side on June 30th at 1pm. It was a beautiful healing home birth that lasted 16 hours of hard work. I was supported every step of the way by Eric, my sister Lozzie, our friend/photographer/client Donna, and our two amazing brilliant midwives. I never once felt like a client, I felt nothing but love in our space. Nick & River had some daddy/son time as it was abit intense for Riv & I really needed to focus on the labour. I'm writing my birth story to share at a later date. I don't feel like a super hero for doing what I believe is normal and natural. But I am so proud that we researched the best option for us to bring Raine into the world & we ROCKED it. We've even been asked to be guest speakers at a talk on vbac later in the year.

So she is a beautiful peaceful addition to our family. We haven't swaddled her once, she has fed really well without shields (I had to use them for Riv for 9weeks & had all sorts of issues afterward). I cried so hard after her birth because I could feel my legs...but I have no resentment left about Rivers birth. The issue was NOT my body, it was NOT Rivers size...it was the time frames & the system that I don't fit into. 

So big thankyou to anyone that followed this journey, that believed in me, that supported me. I am so thankful ❤ 

Here are some sneaky snaps, I will blog again soon. 

Cheers & Giggles xx

Any minute now...

The clock is ticking...haha I actually cannot believe I've made it to full term but that's ok babies come when they're ready! I'm very trusting of the whole birth process which is helping me with patience. As I lay here trying to feed River to sleep (hello practice contractions) I'm finding myself antsy...I would like to get up for a drink and I would love for my dog to stop effing barking. It's annoying having Riv squirm & fight sleep. It's also annoying that I have to lay on my left side. It's even more annoying that this baby isn't here yet!!! 

Some of you know I am reading "Buddhism for Mothers", not so I can become a Buddhist but so that I can apply the principles to my daily life. I do feel more peaceful, more patient and more compassionate. I do feel less attached to things that will make me happy...allowing myself to accept life as it is. Of course this did not apply when our psycho neighbor threw cat shit at Eric (yes it was probably our cat) & threatened to kill Raf. It also doesn't apply when people get too big for their boots, when arrogant people act like they are SO much better than you. Buddhism teaches us to view each situation with fresh eyes and compassion, for some reason despite knowing it is probably insecurity that causes people to act a certain way, I still see red (cue area to work on!).

So I thought I would let you know what I'm eating at the moment. My measurements are good & I've set some realistic goals for my post partum figure. When I wake up I make oats for River and a giant cup of raspberry leaf tea for myself. I have my B12 supplement and usually clean up the kitchen or read while Riv eats. Sometimes I eat toast with Vegemite or days like this morning I enjoy quinoa porridge. Then I usually make a juice sometime in the morning with Kale, oranges, apple & whatever else is in the fridge or fruitbowl. This is to mix my iron supplement and evening primrose oil in. Lunch is usually soup in winter I made delicious broad bean and wild rice soup this weekend. And in these last few weeks I have been baking & consuming some delicious chocolate or vanilla vegan cupcakes. Dinner is always varied at our house the standout meals over the past week have been hearty winter meals like pasta with vegetables & grilled corn, pan fried gnocchi, pizza made from scratch (thanks Loz) and quinoa/tofu bake. I then usually have magnesium with iron again, another B12 tab & raspberry tea before bed.

I am a huge believer that our babies come when they're ready which is why I am annoyed at myself for being so impatient to meet our little Be. I truly thought I would have an early bub and that is what everyone around me also assumed. It scared me that I may labor like I did with Riv but out of everything I'm very confident that Be's labor & delivery will be so very different. 

Our gym is affiliated and almost good to start advertising, I could not be more excited for Gav, Eric & myself. I'm also so proud that we didn't give up. I am looking forward to going back to work because I feel like winter has delivered us some very sooky athletes who may just need a Saresy kick-up-the-ass! It'll be good to provide some competition & hopefully inspire everyone to keep pushing hard despite the cold weather. The clients that are training with Eric or having some time off PT are keeping in touch & they are all doing SO well. This is cause for celebration & praise, my girls have worked so hard, come so far and are STILL not giving up, you know who you are.

To the night crew at Crossy I've been hearing great things. It makes me excited to watch all of your PB & smash your goals when I come back.

Anyway things are good, send me all your hurry-up-baby vibes and I will keep you all posted. Thankyou for coming on this journey with me :)

Cheers & Giggles xxx

My birth circle

We had a meeting today with everyone who will be in attendance for the birth of Be. My little sister was obviously not there, too busy enjoying the sunshine up north! But we had both gorgeous midwives & our birth photographer over for a chat (and some cheeky choc chip cookies!). One of the things I adore about independent midwives is that our appointments aren't rushed. We spent HOURS discussing our birth plan, all possible outcomes, everyone's roles on the day, all the things we need, what to do with the placenta, how we all have visualized the birth...I felt so looked after and surprisingly enough I felt so loved. 

This is a quite overwhelming & intense feeling for me...to place my trust in my birth team when I will be so vulnerable but I really honestly just feel love & empowerment. It's not just that our little team believe in birth, they believe in me.

Now we are really ramping up preparing my body, everything else is good to go.

Just thought I would check you all in :)

Cheers & Giggles xx

Rant Alert

Disclaimer *please do not read this if you support any pyramid schemes or don't want to hear me lose my s&!t

Let me tell you a story. I trained someone on & off over about 4years...during that time said person received discounted sessions, sometimes wouldn't pay me for weeks, refused to put in any effort outside of our half hour training slot each week & while I tried to be my enthusiastic best I somehow failed to inspire this person. This sucked big time for me...it's really hard when a client just doesn't put in the effort needed to achieve...well, anything!
Now this person has a partner & this couple both left the gym because someone was trying to bully them into buying into a freaking "health" company. The couple didn't have squillions to spend on false advertising the arse end manufactured toxic pills that are meant to replace their meals, or funnily enough on their training.
So it came as a HUGE shock to me when I discovered my client was leaving me so that the couple could GO BACK to the gym & commence TRAINING with the aforementioned BULLY!!!!
Despite all of my QUALIFIED nutrition advice this duo now SELL the flipping (really want to use stronger words here...) "product". The thing that actually upsets me the most is that they have been BULLiED and blind sighted into signing on to a company that will give them nothing. I am disgusted that somebody can push this onto people who have limited finances, and who are actually really struggling with their health. It makes me sick. Funnily enough it will most likely make them sick too.
Please hear my advice. You don't need to take ridiculous amounts of supplements. You especially do not need to take advice from anybody that is out of shape, sickly or who is slowly poisoning a company from the inside out. Please do NOT take nutrition advice from somebody who is in NO WAY shape or form qualified to comment or give advice to you.
To anyone who has been burned by any such companies or persons please know that there are compassionate, qualified people out there who are not interested in taking your money (or your soul) but who are willing to work with and for you to achieve amazing things.

Cheers & Giggles xx

My life as a rollercoaster

Just going to put it out there, you know you have some serious moodswings when your partner has to take your toddler out to do food shopping at 3pm in the afternoon & this makes you mad & relieved at the same time...
Getting closer with 8ish weeks to go although I keep getting confused about the days so I really wish people would stop asking me our due date-sometime in June ok?!
I honestly cannot imagine being this damn exhausted & emotional & SORE for another 8weeks!!!! My back is screaming at me each evening & making it super hard to want to train. Not being able to drive is a blessing but getting super annoying with Eric & my work schedules, I am truly looking forward to finishing up at GoodLife in 4weeks... I'm not sure my bank account will enjoy it :s
It's getting to that wonderful stage where EVERYone is commenting on my shape, NOone is enjoying my sarcastic responses and I just want to punch people. Wow perhaps I am a little aggressive today.
My latest bloodtest results revealed low B12 & low iron stores (Fe) so I have upped my dosage of Gundersons red iron & found a good vegan B12 tab that dissolves under the tongue. Although I'd prefer to be on less supps, my body needs them & who knows why? It's still uncertain why some people need supps at different life stages, but I am not so proud as to damage my body when it's indicating an imbalance that I obviously can't control with food alone.
Last week we met our second midwife, my birth team has to be the most perfect match for us, I could not imagine trying a VBAC in a hospital setting without the support of an independent midwife. These women are absolute superstars who I am so extremely confident in their ability to support me. We also got our homeopathic birthing kit which is exciting for both Eric & I as he now has a specific birth "job"!
We have even more focus on optimal foetal positioning as bubs head is down while movable and we want it to engage in a few weeks time. So no more hand/headstands daily (a shame as I find this helpful in decreasing my anxiety), much shorter down dog pose & when I sit, my knees need to be below my hips with my pelvis tilted forwards. I have been reading some great stories on the Birth Without Fear webpage & will now be aiming to walk for 4km twice a day plus cat/cow sequence before every meal, seeing my amazing chiro weekly should help too.
My poor best friend has been copping messages like this:
Monday-having the WORST day, everything is awful :(
Tuesday- oh my goodness things are amazing, received an important package in the mail*, was given some awesome birthing crystals hope you're studying hard!
Wednesday- seriously f@$k this s!#t
...and so on. Eric has been copping the whole "I love you so much" one minute & "why can't you understand me?!" the next. I'm aware that sometimes I'm irrationally emotional but with an intense toddler, two highly demanding businesses, a new puppy & a house to run I'd like to think that throwing a tantrum or two is acceptable behavior...River agrees! I'm also aware that I may be overly sensitive but people being ungrateful has got to be top of my absolute pet hates currently.
So tonight I'm signing out after a pretty shit day, coaching tonight was awesome then we had a delicious dinner inspired by my girlfriend May (vegan shepherds pie, recipe below) & now Eric is reading me some wicked birth stories (very cute).

Cheers & Giggles xx
*hint hint everyone make me happy by sending me things in the post!!

Vegan Shepherds Pie
•two sweet potatoes
•one can lentils
•one carrot
•one celery stalk
•garlic & other spices
•sunflower seeds
•one cup peas
•one cup water

Steam, then mash sweet potato.
Pan fry the lentils with garlic for abit, add carrot, celery, peas & seeds. When everything heated through add cup of water & spices, bring to boil (in pan).
Pour lentil mix into pan, cover with mash, bake on 180 for 10-15min. We added gluten free corn crispy crumbs & chia seeds on top Mmm Mmm :)

The 10week Countdown

We made it through 30weeks gestation, what a hell of a ride. There is so much preparation to do now for our hbac & our financial situation!
In terms of my exercise it's been quite sporadic but I'm trying to at least walk everyday, finding the time to train between River & running two businesses & appointments & cleaning like a possessed woman has been tough. I've also just started needing more sleep...mornings are impossible without a good meal & coffee!
My beauty routine has changed too I'm needing to feel pampered & scrubbed clean so I've gone & bought really creamy body wash for after dry brushing, have switched from coconut oil to jojoba oil for my expanding areas & plain vanilla creme for my limbs.
Because of the size of my belly I get uncomfortable if I eat too much although I feel like I'm always hungry and my diet has been including a tad more chocolate. I've been craving Milo but the choc powder I bought is too sweet & not the same at all! So I also invested in a juicer & I LOVE it...green smoothie everyday, my happy :) On the weekend I ran my first nutrition seminar & it was amazing. I was able to give knowledge without telling anyone what to do, and all my food tasted delicious!

I've been trolling (think this is the right way to say it?!) the Internet for some different ways in which I can spiritually prepare for the birth of baby Be. There isn't too much out there although reading successful VBAC stories has been empowering & encouraging-I can do this! So I thought I would share how I've been preparing. Eric and I 'smudged' the house a few weeks ago, we smoked sage in an abalone shell whilst driving out negative energy & asking the universe to bless our home. I've been visualizing the birth, some different scenarios, but most importantly how it will feel to birth this baby. The other week I had some reflexology done and then I have my second Bowen therapy appointment tomorrow. I've been trying to see my amazing chiropractor at least every second week. Surrounding myself with people that believe in me 100% and just trusting my birth team so much. I've also tried to distance myself from negativity & drama. I'm so lucky to have a beautiful ex-hubby that does everything for our son and we have such a great friendship despite everything we've been through. I'm so lucky to have a partner who has taken on so much in the last six months and still puts me, Riv & Be first. I'm so lucky to have people tell me they love me. And I'm lucky to have friends & even acquaintances who say they draw strength & inspiration from me. It takes so much work to change your mindset, so much effort to be kind to yourself when you've been self depreciating your whole life. It takes work to FORGIVE people for the hurt they have caused you and to forgive YOURSELF for all the things you have done wrong too. I do not want these things to come up during labor, I don't want to feel alone or unworthy, I don't want to feel the pressure of anyone else's expectations, I don't want to feel like I have to prove myself to anyone. What I want is to birth this baby the way I know my body is designed to, to allow myself to let go, to free myself from the pressure to be perfect all the time. This baby is a gift.

Yesterday, while Riv was trying to brush his hair with the comb he stole off the basin, I looked at him frustrated yet smiling and thought 'nothing in a billion years could have prepared me for having a toddler'. It is the most intense, difficult, magical time where one second I want to sell him on the black market and the next I just need to smother him with kisses. We're pretty lucky with River, he has always communicated clearly and while he's like the energizer bunny he's not violent or dominant or aggressive. It's interesting watching him learn about sharing, I don't believe in forcing children to share so I generally don't say anything unless he takes something off someone else. We explain that the object of his desire belongs to someone else/will be there when that someone leaves and that if we are patient we can have a play soon. This is not always effective (at all) but I think consistency is the key. It's also interesting that River hasnt developed a particular attachment to any object, no toy or blanket or Teddy. I have absolutely no clue why this is or what it means, it's just an observation I made this week.
I've also been very protective of him and don't want to be away from him lately, perhaps because I know this special time we have just us is going to change? And he's been an absolute boob machine the last two weeks, I think perhaps my milk supply is increasing? Again it's a lovely yet slightly annoying situation!

Thought I'd leave you with a little image from my photoshoot. My photographer is also a client & now dear friend who really inspires me with her passion for her job. I've never had a photoshoot that was just so much fun & such little pressure <3

Food, fitness & functioning

Hello lovely readers! Today I am dividing my post into sections; pregnancy, food/nutrition, fitness & finally the usual update on my life with a 21month old. Firstly, I'd like to mention that in Melbourne right now it is STINKING hot...normally I love the heat, if you know me you know that summer & I are the best of friends. However it is difficult to sunbathe with a toddler, and carrying a thermos in my uterus makes the sticky days rather uncomfortable! So I am niether as tanned as I normally am nor as excited by the heat wave...its just nice to get the washing done & dry.

Pregnancy

Baby "be" is now 24weeks cooked. Throughout the day I experience quite alot of movement and actually quite a few braxton hicks which started at around 20weeks. It's amazing to watch the movement under my skin, to feel the powerful kicks & flailing arms, I am very ready to welcome this little babe into my life. River is now more interested in my belly and will often hug & kiss the baby.
I'm not sure about my size but I havent had to get any new clothes yet, all my clothes are either loose and flowy or stretchy gym wear! My boobs are definitely not growing though...I'm going to chalk that down to still breastfeeding although as of last week I cannot even see if I have any milk at all. River seems unbothered though and is happy to feed about 3/4 times each day, mostly before naps/bed. I still have never experienced cravings for certain foods!
My blood test results came back with the all clear, I was over the moon at this. The only thing I have to watch is macrocytosis (enlarged red blood cells) which can happen as a cause of low B12 or folate or just in response to pregnancy. Both B12 & folate levels were fine.
The most important lesson I have learnt from this is that just because someone claims to know more than you, your instincts are often far more accurate than anyones advice about your life. I am glad I have stuck to my guns & plan my diet in a way that serves myself & the environment. My kids are healthy and strong...and that in itself is proof I am doing the right thing for us.
Some of you know that I am planning a home birth VBAC. River's labor was long and ended in a cascade of intervention folled by an emergency c section. I do not want the same experiences this time around. In this day & age I feel many people are terrified of home birth and must think I am absolutely bonkers for trying to give birth naturally after a cesearean. But my midwives are very experienced and we are all doing plenty of research and preparation for this birth. Eric has been a fantastic support and while there are some things I'm working on overcoming, I am looking forward to the actual birth. I am definitely not scared of any pain, or any complications occuring because of my scar. The only things that worry me are really quite trivial...I dont want to completely destroy the asthetics down there, nor, dare I say, do I want to crap myself!!! But I'm sure in the moment these things will not worry me at all.
Anyway...moving on...haha :)

Food

Recipe of the day is for Chia seed Pancakes:

• 3 cups raw organic buckwheat
• 1 cup chia seeds
• 600ml raw coconut milk
• 1 tbs sea salt

Soak buckwheat for 24-36hrs, changing the water every 6hrs. Wash & drain thouroughly. Soak chia seeds in two cups of water for about 6hrs, until most of the water is absorbed. Mix both together in a large bowl, add the other ingredients & mix in a food processor until ingredients are coarsely blended then whisk until batter is similar to pancake consitancy.
Cook using coconut oil and add your favourite sweet/savory fillings. YUM.

The biggest issue I am currently facing in regard to food, is the quantity that we eat at home!! River easily smashes out three breakfasts and two dinners...its the first thing he wants upon wakening! It will definitely be interesting once I have two hungry toddlers to feed!

Many of my clients have started their 12 week Challenge and this involves LOTS of preparation and eating well. My biggest tip to all of you is to find your hunger cues, LISTEN to your bodies. Once you cut out the crap you will feel BETTER! This is just the truth, and it is simple but it takes a long time to learn. Perhaps one day I will write about my journey with food and learning to respect myself, just for now please understand that it takes time to undo damage, it takes time to heal, and the best way forward is nourishing your body from the inside out.

Fitness

In this heat it is hard to want to be active. Increasing my work hours makes it difficult too. But I have had a big cry & a big discussion and I have worked out a plan that suits me. I will do WODs three days a week and yoga in between. I am going to keep the weekends free. This is not overwhelming and I think I can stay in great shape mentally and physically following this scheme. I think I keep forgetting about myself in persuit of achieving everything I feel I need to, then getting cranky and anxious because I dont feel cared for. Well, its time to start caring for myself!! And actually allowing others to help me.

Its been a really proud week as a trainer when most of my clients goals are based on health rather than specific numbers on the scales. That is what I aim to instill in everyone I teach, that health is the goal, weightloss and a hot body are pleasant side effects of healthy living. I could never have dreamed of doing the things I can do now if all I ever focused on was my goal weight. Just get off your ass. Stop playing on your phone, stop watching tv, stop making excuses because as we all know even the slowest person is lapping everyone on the couch!

This is a sample workout that anyone can do, anywhere, anytime:
15mins As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP)

• 10 Pushups
• 20 Squats
• 400m run

My life

So I was planning on a big spiel however its almost dinner time & I feel as though I am melting. Three of my lovely girlfriends had their babies over the last few weeks. Such beautiful creatures and I was blessed to meet and snuggle two of them! I cannot wait to have my own infant to hold... River is growing up too fast!

Well that is about all I have time for today, thankyou as always for reading my blog, every one of you who supports me is a blessing.

Cheers & Giggles
xx