Category Archives: Sacred Mama

Healthy Mama Tips

As I was looking through old posts, I found this one hanging out in drafts. Who knows why I never published it. Maybe I was going to add more to it or I got distracted by something. I decided to share it now because the advice is solid and maybe it’s just what you’re looking for today.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind. They are applicable to everyone at any point in time, but especially relevant to those of you who are on the journey to mamahood.

Preconception: Keep it slow and simple. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed like I did by all the changes you want to make before you get pregnant. Start making some shifts in the way you think and approach food and wellness and let things happen at a natural pace. If you know you need to be drinking more water, start there because it is so easy to do but it will have an amazing impact on your energy and overall health very quickly. Set a few simple goals and get yourself comfortable with the mindset that change is a process, not an overnight event.

Pregnancy: Relax. With the anticipation of the responsibility of parenthood and the fears that inevitably come with that, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and anxious during pregnancy. Remind yourself that you are doing the best you can for your baby, and that is perfect. Take control of the things that you can (such as eating habits, what products you use, etc) and start to let go of the rest. We can’t protect our children from everything in the world, and we’ll drive ourselves crazy if we try. Knowing that staying calm will help you best care for your baby is great motivation to relax.

Postpartum: Accept help. This time of year often finds us surrounded by family and friends. This can sometimes be overwhelming, especially if you are exhausted but you can use it to your advantage. Let others take care of the baby so you can get a plate of food, catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while, or even sneak away for a quick nap. Let friends and family support you with these moments for yourself, and try to release control and worry for these pockets of time, however brief they may be.

Birth Story – a documentary

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I wanted to share this trailer with you because it is up to us to help get the word out there about what a birth experience can be.

I strongly believe in the right for women to be empowered and knowledgeable when making decisions about their bodies and their babies. A big part of that is making sure that they have access to information that is, for some, harder to find.

This is not a statement of the “right way” to birth a baby – every way is the right way if the mama feels supported and empowered.

I hope you enjoy the trailer and support the project if you feel so moved.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Need to Feed Your Kids Some Greens?

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I recently had a friend ask for ideas for creative ways to get her 8-year-old son to eat more greens. I responded to the Facebook post with an idea and I hit send. Then another idea popped into my head and I hit send. Then another, and another, and I started to think, wow, I’m really on a roll here. I thought maybe there are some other mamas out there who are looking to get creative in the kitchen with their kids too, so here are some of our favorite ways to eat greens around here.

Make it fun and get your kids involved – when they can play an active role in putting the food together, from picking the ingredients to mixing, ripping, and pushing the buttons on the blender or juicer, they’re much more likely to want to try what they’ve created!

Green smoothies – I’ve talked about them a lot, but they are really such a great way to get the greens in and you can keep it really simple like one of Chloe’s first smoothies.

Perhaps the most addictive snack in my arsenal these days – kale chips! They can be made with any greens, seasoned with whatever you like best, and they make a great snack on the go. I can eat a whole bunch of kale this way in no time!

Collard wraps – this is a great one to get them involved in too. You can put out a few different spreads and a nice variety of fruits and veggies and let them pick what they want to include. Roll them like a burrito and you’ve got a delicious and nutritious meal!

Blend some greens into pasta sauce or make pesto and you’ve got a happy kid chowing down on their greens.

Enjoy your greens!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Pick-Me-Up Smoothie

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Despite the beautiful weather today, Chloe and I have been feeding off of each other’s funky energy and it’s been a rocky day. Watching Ponyo, eating whole wheat cous cous, a banana and some smoothie finally got her to a happier place, so I decided to take care of myself in similar fashion.

I took what I had in my kitchen and put together a satisfying and yummy smoothie!

Here’s what’s in today’s creation:

Approx. 1/2 cup of filtered water

Approx. 1/2 cup of whole fat yogurt

1 small banana

1 apple

1/2 peach

5 frozen strawberries

2 tbs chia seeds

1 tbs coconut cream

2 scoops of Tera’s Whey chocolate protein powder

What’s your favorite healthy way to pull yourself out of a funk?

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Finding the Flow

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We’re trying a new sleep routine with Chloe. Well, I should say we’re trying a sleep routine with Chloe. We never really had one, and it seemed to work pretty well for everyone involved. Most of the time. Except for those days when I’d spend hours trying to get her to nap, and I was the one left feeling exhausted.

Looking back, this style seems to be more than a parenting style, but a lifestyle for me. Even when I knew that I wanted to prepare myself for healthy conception and pregnancy, I didn’t go to extremes. I didn’t diet. I didn’t cut out foods cold turkey (which feels funny to write, vegetarian that I am). I didn’t let myself go mad thinking of all the things I needed to do. Well, maybe that last one a little.

Here’s the point – slow and steady wins the race. I started where it made the most sense to me, which happened to be in my bathroom. Then I let the changes evolve from there. Piece by piece, my habits shifted to where I needed them to be.

Did I have it all down before I got pregnant? Well, no. Our home was free of toxic products, both self-care and cleaning. I was going to yoga regularly (this was huge for me!). I was no longer relying on the vending machine at work for snacks – I was feeding myself (and my baby) bananas and nut butter, red peppers and hummus, and yes, some healthier versions of frozen meals (those are largely gone from my life now).

Do I have it all down now? Well, no. Chloe and I regularly drink green smoothies. I’m finally tackling the clutter in our home. I’m finding more calm and ease with myself and those around me.

I’m getting there. I’m also learning more, everyday. It’s not about reaching this place of having it all figured out, it’s about enjoying the process, the journey, and going with the flow.

Are you looking for some guidance as you figure out your journey?

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

“You’re So Not Almost Ready For A Baby, Even If You Think You Are”

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“You’re So Not Almost Ready For A Baby, Even If You Think You Are”

This was the title of a recent article written by Tracy Moore on Jezebel.com

It’s an entertaining piece that raises the question, are you ever ready? Can you ever prepare for the life shift of becoming a parent?

She goes on to share a comedic list of how to prepare yourself over the course of a year prior to conception. And here’s where I light up and totally agree with her (though in a completely different vain). Here, she speaks to an idea that very few people seem to be talking about – what to do before you conceive.

A friend recently said to me, “Yeah, because I have no idea what sorts of things you’re supposed to do before you get pregnant…I know about folate, but that’s it.”

You could certainly sit down and write a list of a million things that you think you need to do before you conceive to have a healthy and joyful pregnancy. That could include, as Tracy mentions, a “Baby Bucket List,” of all the things you want to do before baby arrives. You could start to notice, as I did, that you are so not where you want to be with your health, lifestyle, finances, location…. This list can go on and on, and you can start to tackle these things.

But here’s what happens – we get stuck. Really stuck. And often when we get stuck mentally, our bodies do the same.

So now you’re here:

Ready to have a baby, you can feel it in your bones

Terrifed of having a baby because you’ve convinced yourself that you’re not prepared

Uncertain and untrusting of your body and it’s ability

Then you make your body stuck, you convince it that it’s not ready, and then conception does not feel quick and easy.

Here’s a secret I’ve got to share with you that I learned along the way – it can be so much simpler.

And do you want to know another secret? What you need to do before you conceive, just a few shifts and not a mile-long list, is what will get you through conception, pregnancy, childbirth, motherhood, and even that next round of “I want one.”

I am so excited to share with you the building blocks for creating a strong foundation for an awakened mama spirit that will guide you through pregnancy, into motherhood, and along your journey wherever it takes you.

So, are you ready? Let’s chat.

If you want to check out Tracy Moore’s article, you can read it here.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

What Are You Passionate About?

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We had the chance to spend a few days down the shore, and I have to say, being near the ocean air is certainly something that I’m passionate about in my life.

Passion. When we fill our lives with passion and set ourselves on the path to doing what fulfills us, the world becomes a better place.

What makes me passionate about supporting women as they awaken their mama spirits and prepare for the incredible journey of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood?

Connecting with wonderful mama spirits in joy, love, and wellness.

Watching dreams become bellies, then babies.

Seeing mamas grow into who they know they are at their core.

Living my life with an awakened mama spirit, always connected to the power that I birthed when I birthed Chloe.

Are you ready to discover the passion and joy of an awakened mama spirit?

Let’s chat.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Xandra

Are you mom enough? Yes.

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Are you mom enough? Yes.

It really is that simple.

Motherhood is one of the toughest jobs out there, and we all do it in conjunction with other responsibilities.

We make different choices about how we want to raise our children, from the food they eat to the way they sleep.

We all do the best that we can, and we have good days and bad; happy days and frustrating ones.

We all know the joy and struggle that comes with being a mama.

As we raise our children, however that looks for our family, we do so from a place of love and compassion.

Let’s treat each other with love and compassion as well.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Flavorful Foods from Womb to World

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Did you know that eating a variety of foods and flavors during pregnancy and nursing can have an impact on what your child will enjoy eating? Even before you are feeding her solid foods, you can set the foundation for an interest in a healthy and varied diet. What this can mean is that as mothers, even while our babies are still in the womb, we can start to shape their food habits. This is another reason that focusing attention on your eating habits before and during pregnancy is so crucial to the health and development of your baby.

I recently read an article called Food, Folklore and Flavor Preference Development by Catherine A. Forestell and Julie A. Mennella in which they say that, “emerging evidence reveals that…food choices can be detected by the fetus and young infant because of flavor changes in amniotic fluid and mother’s milk.” I don’t know about you, but I think that this is fascinating.

Here are a few ways to nurture your baby and increase the chance of an interest in healthy and varied foods and spices:

Eat a wide variety of foods – Your health will benefit from a variety of foods because you will get a wider variety of nutrients. By incorporating many different types of fruits, veggies, grains, and protein sources, you will introduce your baby to many different flavors, and prepare her to recognize and enjoy them when you introduce food to her. She will be more likely to have well balanced eating habits when she has been conditioned to recognize these flavors even before infancy.

Try something new – This is perfect time to try new foods, because the introduction of them to your baby (either through amniotic fluid or breast milk) will increase the chance that they will express interest in them when you start them on solid foods. Remember that just because you didn’t like a food in the past doesn’t mean that’s still the case. This is also a great opportunity for you to discover new ways to get the nutrients that you need most for a healthy pregnancy.

Spice it up! – Experiment with different spices so that your child will develop a flavorful palette. Especially great to include are spices that have health benefits like cinnamon, garlic, ginger, and turmeric to name a few. When your child is ready for solids, don’t be scared away from flavorful choices – you may be surprised by what he enjoys and it allows for the opportunity to keep his favorites fresh and exciting.

If you’re planning to conceive, what new foods are you going to experiment with and add to your diet? If you’re pregnant or nursing, how are you going to amp up the flavors you are sharing with your baby? If you’re already a mama, does this resonate with the experience you’ve had? I’d love to know your thoughts! Please share here in the comments or on Facebook.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Shh…I’m pregnant

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No, I’m not pregnant again, but I want to talk to you about what I went through and a lot of other expectant moms go through in early pregnancy, when we are bursting with joy but are not yet sharing the news.

So you’ve found out that you’re pregnant, and you and your partner are sharing that joy! A feeling so amazing that you want to shout it from the rooftops – but wait. You may be waiting to tell people because of superstition or because you know that miscarriage is most common in the first trimester.

The first trimester brings a lot of changes – both physically and emotionally. It is a huge life event and on top of that may leave you feeling exhausted, nauseous, and unsure. Those first 13 weeks can be scary as you hope that the pregnancy will last and as you start to contemplate how having a baby will change your life. This is a time when support is crucial, which becomes tricky when you don’t want to share the news with everyone just yet.

It can be difficult to rely on books and your ob/gyn or midwife alone for support during this time about how to best take care of yourself, how to alleviate symptoms naturally, and how to prepare for what’s to come. There is so much information to sift through and it can feel overwhelming, and your healthcare practitioners only have a limited amount of time that they can devote to you.

When you feel like you don’t have the support you need, you can feel very alone and isolated. These feelings can increase your stress level and actually aggravate the symptoms that you are experiencing such as morning sickness. On top of that, you may waste a lot of time looking for answers and solutions amidst a seemingly endless amount of information – and all you really want to spend your time doing is napping!

I am here to support you as you start on this amazing journey, so you can keep your stress level down and your energy up (as much as possible) as you nurture yourself and your baby.

I promise you can find the joy in pregnancy, and I want to help you feel your best!

If you’re looking for support during this incredible journey, let’s chat.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,