Isabella at 3 weeks old

It's been wonderful 3 weeks with Isabella. The first few days after her birth we took it really easy. We only had immediate family visit the day after and friends visit 5 days later. We wanted to make sure we had our baby moon-time to bond as a family. We kept the lights dim, noise to minimum, played lots of beautiful healing music and enjoyed our sweet little girl. I am so glad we did as those first few days are so precious and you will never get them back. Everyone else seemed to really understand and respect our wish to be left alone. After the first week, we were so much more rested and enjoyed having company. There were family and friends coming daily bearing gifts, and more gifts and meeting our little angel.

Isabella is still on every 3 hour feeding schedule and at this stage we are used to the routine. It was hard at first not to sleep through the night as its our first baby. Armando and I take turns to feed her so the other one can sleep and it works really well. There are nights where she sleeps 4-5hours straight and that is always a very nice treat. Armando took 2 weeks off from work so we could both take care of Isabella. We really got ourselves organized and learned a lot about her. We know that she likes to be swaddled most of the time, she loves sleeping with us and so do we, and she loves to be held and rocked to sleep after she eats. She is a good baby. She barley cries, and for most part is very content.

She is also very aware and alert when awake. There is a deep sense of knowing in her eyes. She can hold her gaze forever on us and is fascinated by lights. She follows with her eyes as we move and is able to lift her head and turn it from side to side. She smiles sometimes but at this point as everyone says its probably gas.

I have taken her to one of the yoga studios so she could meet some of my teacher friends. It was just amazing to be back in the yoga room where me and her did yoga for 9 months. It felt so good, so familiar so right. She gets a lot of attention as many students and teachers are already bonded with her. It's amazing to see that. I love that she is already a part of yoga community.

I love holding her, kissing her and cuddling with her. When I am away from her for a few hours I miss her. My husband and I had our first date since her birth this weekend and we went out to the movies. My mom and step dad were babysitting Izzie. I enjoyed our night out a lot but kept thinking of my little girl and was so happy to get back home and be with her. I also think of her as I practice yoga. This week I have been to 3 yoga classes and kept thinking of Izzie in my savasana :)

I am teaching my first class tonight. I am really looking forward to it. It's been great to get back to my yoga practice. I will write more about that in another post. I wanted to write about my diet and weight as many people have asked me if I thought raw food diet had a lot to do with healthy pregnancy and easy birth. I absolutely think so. Being able to keep my body clean and energized through raw food diet has definitely made my pregnancy and labour as easy as it was.
I also believe it had a lot to do with my fast recovery. I was able to move out and about few days later, got back to my yoga routine 2 weeks later and only had post-partum bleeding for 2.5 weeks.

Here is my weight in:

Pre-Pregnancy weight: 124 pounds
Pregnancy weight gain : 18 pounds (142 pounds)
3 weeks post partum weight: 127 pounds

My baby girl Isabella is here!!!

Born on Saturday, August 29th at 8:30pm at 40 weeks and 6 days. She was 7 pounds and 11 oz. not bad for being 6 days overdue! She is absolutely perfect and doing very well. I can't believe tomorrow she will be 2 weeks old. Every time I look at her I feel so much love and all I want to do is kiss and hold her. The past two weeks went super fast. It's been all about getting to know her, getting a new routine going and loving every minute of being a new mommy. I feel blessed, I feel happy, I feel fulfilled. Even though the adjustment to having a newborn is not a small task, making sure they are comfortable at all times, not getting all the sleep you were used to, taking so much longer to leave the house, etc. etc. it is all absolutely worth it. Before I say any more I'd like to share my birth story. So here it goes:

I ended up having a dream home birth. It was absolutely perfect. It was just like I imagined it to be down to almost every detail. I wanted a short, easy, gentle 6 hour labour and I wanted my baby to be born between 6-9pm. I did end up labouring for 6 hours, felt no pain (only fantastic pressure waves and amazing energy flowing through me) and my baby was born at 8:30pm.

My labour started with my water breaking at home. An hour later at 2:30pm I was in early labour for 45min and then went straight into active labour. It was a perfect, sunny and warm Saturday afternoon. Armando was at work and when he got home we had enough time to set things up before my contractions went to being every 5min apart. When that happened I immediately went within and started to focus on what my body was doing and my breath. I sat on my birthing ball, did some yoga poses and took a shower. All while listening to my hypnobirthing CDs. I was calm yet so happy and joyful! Finally it was happening.

My secondary midwife Diane arrived (Lucia was off for the weekend) and checked me. I was 4cm so we started filling the pool. At this point I got a little sick and Diane told me women who throw up tend to progress faster. She was right, my surges intensified so I got into the pool. It was heaven. The water felt so soothing and inviting. I relaxed and went more within. We run out of hot water so Armando had to boil water and bring it up in a pot. He later told me he was running up and down the stairs bringing a total of 10 pots of hot water.I had no idea at that time. I was so focused nothing else was really getting registered in my brain. I later realized how time ceased to exist. Maybe it was one of my hypnosis suggestions that every 20 min will seem like 5?

Soon after I started to feel different energy in my body. My body wanted to start pushing.I was surprised as it seemed to be going so fast. I was only labouring for not even 3 hours. As Diane checked me I was fully dilated and started to focus on bearing down.Wendy another midwife was called and as she arrived I was out of the pool and on a birthing stool pushing. I never met Wendy yet I connected with her immediately on a soul level. She was calm, peaceful and radiated love and kindness. Both Diane and Wendy sat on the floor and Armando was right behind me. He was absolutely amazing. He knew exactly what to say in every moment and how to support me. He used all of the hypnobirthing language telling me to go within, connect with my baby, connect with my inner wisdom, inner strength and power. He kept telling me I was doing wonderful, working together with my body and my baby and that we were going to meet our baby soon. It was the best part of my labour.He also made sure I was really relaxing in between surges. If he saw me tense my shoulders he would gently remind me to relax them and gently massage them. One thing which was funny was Diane telling me "Dominique get angry! Push the baby out!" So not in line with hypnobirthing language but fortunately I was able to ignore it. Next time I have to remember to tell my midwives to use hypnobirthing language.

I changed positions a lot at this point as the baby did not want to descend down. I went back into the pool but that just relaxed me too much. I actually did not desire water energy at this point. I needed stronger, more supportive Earth energy to bear down. So we used the stool and my bed. I also got on all fours but made most progress on the birthing stool.I pushed for 2 hours and that is when Diane told me we would have to soon think of the alternative. When she said that I suddenly snapped out of my meditative state. I told her if she meant going to the hospital there was no way I would do it. "I am not having this baby in the hospital! I am having her at home!" I exclaimed and that is when things started to change. My surges became longer and stronger and I loved it. I kept riding the waves and felt the baby descend down. She was past my pubic bone well into the birth canal ready to crown.

This is when I went from the birthing stool in one room to my bedroom. It was so hard to walk but I did. I semi sat on the bed with Armando behind me supporting me from behind.

Soon after a few amazingly strong surges the baby started to crown and I touched her head. It felt so soft and I was so happy! She was almost here! Diane told me to gently push here and I did. She later told me I had amazing control but that's only because I was listening to her directions, which at this point were great. After the head was born the body just slipped out and Isabella was born. I reached and grabbed her and with the midwives' help we placed her on my chest where she stayed for a long while. We welcomed her whispering softly how much we loved her and how great she did. Her body was so soft and she looked so beautiful. She let out a cry without any help and we looked at each other...instantly falling in love. I was ecstatic and felt pure bliss and love as Armando and I embraced our new little girl. At last the three of us together on one side :)

Moments after Izzie's birth. Feeling blissful and estatic. Natural birth is the best!

Fully alert and aware to welcome my baby-another benefit of drug free birth.

Bonding with our baby girl shortly after her birth in our own bed :)

Isabella is a calm and peaceful baby.

Prenatal Yoga at 9 months

It's the final month were most of us feel so ready to hold the baby and be done with being pregnant. Yet the baby has its own schedule and there is not much we can do to control the outcome (if we are taking the natural route.) Yoga is still a wonderful tool we can use in the final month even though the practice may be entirely different by now. You may find that the word "modification" has a whole new meaning, you may discover that your range of motion is more limited and your speed is that of a turtle. But turtles are beautiful animals and we can learn so much from their grounded, calm and laid back approach to life. Now I never owned a turtle in my entire life but I feel a new found compassion for these creatures. I have regressed a little so let's go back to yoga. Modify your practice. It is so easy now to get tired and very hot half way through your session so make sure you drink lots of water and stay with your breath. Always go to a resting pose if you need to such as child's pose or any seating pose or even lay down on your side.
Listen to your body and practice "ahimsa" or non-violence towards yourself and your baby. Be realistic where you are in your practice.
You may find that your forward folds and twists are not as deep as when non pregnant. Any forward folds you do will directly impact the baby and you don't want to compress them. So give yourself more room whether you are in down dog or standing forward fold. Give your belly space and keep your spine nice and elongated. This is also a great time to use all the props available: blocks, straps, pillows, blankets and bolsters. If you are doing your own practice at home start with centering and gentle warm ups such as cat and cow, lunges, and arm stretches.
Then do a few prenatal sun salutations and standing poses. Then come down to the floor and go through some seated poses for the hips like bound angle, wide angle and open rotations for digestion such as head beyond the knee and simple seated twist pose. Always finish with 10-15min Savasana. You want to be well supported so you are not laying directly on your back. A nice option is to lay on your left side with a blanket in between the knees and a pillow under the head. Enjoy your yoga practice as it may be the last one with the baby in the belly practicing with you :)

I will upload a short prenatal yoga video as soon as I get myself organized with the camera, cables and all that stuff. Meantime I wish you and your baby a peaceful, gentle and joyful yoga practice.

Day 8 on the Raw Food Cleanse at 38 weeks/2days pregnant

I almost feel guilty for feeling this good! Again as always my 7 day Raw Food Cleanse has turned into another 7 days. It feels way too good to eat all raw to stop now. For anyone wondering if there is a difference between eating 85% raw and 100% raw there is a big one. Firstly, there are no cravings at all for cooked, sugary or junk foods. Your system is so clean that you end up craving only raw foods. Your energy is even higher and you feel even happier and better on all levels. So why stop now? My goal is to go into labour with no junk food clogging my system as it will just slow my body down and perhaps change the birthing experience. I want to go into labour with clean and energized body and mind.

Few days ago I met my mom for lunch at the Apricot Tree Cafe in Mississauga. Its one of those places that make everything from scratch and use organic ingredients. We both ordered their signature salad. It had crisp garden greens topped with dried apricots, blue cheese, shredded carrots and toasted almonds in a citrus Apricot tree dressing. It was so deliscious especially the citrus/dill dressing, which they were selling and we both ended up taking some home. I have been making similar salads at home varying the ingredients because that's what makes it more fun. I just love raspberries and apples as it makes it taste fresh and summery. It was good to see my mom and catch up. She is very encouraging especially about natural childbirth. She had me and my brother without any drugs.

This made me think about labour pain. In my hypnobirthing studies the pain is referred to as pressure waves or surges. Whatever you want to call it and no matter how much you prepare yourself mentally you still wonder...what kind of sensations are there? How can you classify the pain? Is it similar to period cramps (dull and achy?) or is it more piercing and sharp like a toothache?

I find it helpful to remember that childbirth pain is like no other pain. It serves a purpose-it is not there to injure you but to bring the baby out. For instance, toothache or a nerve pain is unproductive as it doesn't bring you anything at the end. So the more you embrace the sensations in labour, the more you stay aware, the more you breath through them and focus on them the easier it gets. We all know about fear-tension-pain cycle and that is what we want to avoid.

I find it interesting how everyone classifies childbirth pain differently. When I did my research asking around, reading different forums, etc. there is as many opinions as there is women. Nobody's experience is exactly the same but there are some common threads in all. From what I gather perception and mindset plays a big role. So do other factors such as how much you prepared for labour and birth during pregnancy, what kind of support system you have, where are you going to birth and what your intentions are.

Lately I go to these websites if I have any questions or if I want to read up on birth stories:

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childbirth
http://www.waterbirth.org/

Find it helpful and fun! I hope you do too :)

And finally here are my stats:

Week 1-8: 124 pounds
Week 8-12: 124 pounds
Week 12-16: 125 pounds
Week 16-20: 127 pounds
Week 21: 127 pounds
Week 22: 127 pounds
Week 23: 130 pounds
Week 24-25: 130 pounds
Week 26-28: 132 pounds
Week 29-30: 135 pounds
Week 31: 137 pounds
Week 32: 138 pounds
Week 33-34: 139pounds
Week 35: 140 pounds
Week 36:143 pounds
Week 37:144 pounds (started to feel a bit too heavy here)
Week 38: 142 pounds (back to this after 7 day Raw Food Cleanse and feeling great)

Total: 18 pounds gained

~*Day 6 on the Raw Food Cleanse and 38 weeks pregnant~*

I feel amazing on the Raw Food cleanse and again I can't believe I didn't go on it earlier. I feel so energized, happy, light, and in touch with my emotions and my body. It gives me so much confidence and makes me feel so empowered. I am in touch with every single emotion I feel and every single thought that I have. I can hear my intuition-that inner voice so much lauder and clearer. Today I had: smoothie, fruit cup at Ikea and another smoothie, huge green salad, hummus with veggies, fruit bowl, tons of water and a cup of green tea. I also taught a Restorative Yoga class and it was great. It's my favourite class to teach right now as it doesn't require much energy and is very meditative. I am so grateful for being able to still teach yoga at 38 weeks pregnant. I just feel great! Having said that on Friday my girlfriend Roseanne and I went to see a movie "The Ugly Truth" and we ended up getting small popcorn and water. I thought that was the healthiest option and I did not end up feeling yucky after. The movie by the way was hillarious and we both laughed so much throughout the enitre time.

Being on the raw food cleanse made me feel much better than the week before. I find it amazing as my belly is not as heavy, braxton hicks not as intense, pressure in the pelvis not as crazy, and the little back pain I had is gone. I felt a bit of loosening in my SI joint, hip joints and pubic bone but not to the extend of being in agony. Just enough to notice it. I keep reminding myself that all these sensations are there for a reason-getting ready for the big day! And having a clear mind I can focus on the positive so much easier.

So today I celebrate being 38 weeks and honoring my baby and my body as they know when to go into labour. All I have to do is get out of the way and be patient. It's a piece of cake :) I'm just kidding actually. It's quite challenging to observe the emotions, which can be all over the place, and not react to them. I try to remember to see positive in every situation and love that Roseanne is a constant reminder of living according to that truth.

I am so lucky that my husband, my friends and my family are all so very supportive of me. My husband rubs my belly and talks to our baby girl. He tells her to come out so he can play with her! So sweet. My parents are kind and especially my mom is so excited and can't wait to baby sit, bless her. My friends tell me that if my water breaks while I teach or something all I have to tell them is to breathe and they will get me to where I need to be (in this case my house). It's good to know people are there for you no matter what. We are all excited and all waiting for this new little being to come and join us here on this side :)

This is a picture of me trying to stay positive and smile through the waiting game. It won't be long from now!

7 day Raw Food Cleanse at 37 weeks pregnant

Ohhhh feels so good to be going on the raw food cleanse. My body has been strongly requesting a cleanse and I feel its a perfect time to do it. I have been about 85% raw for months now and I want to increase it and get rid of non raw items in my diet. This means things like popcorn, rice chips, and any other "healthy" junk food that I have been snacking on. There are tons of wonderful fruits and veggies in season now and the farmer's market is a great place to be. I have done some shopping and have gotten: cherries, watermelon, blueberries, lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, red peppers, carrots, bananas, etc. I also got "ready to eat" and raw: tomato salsa, guacamole, hummus, and mango salsa. So yummy and perfect for the hot weather. There is this store in Burlington called Sabores Latinos that does organic, raw foods as well as healthy raw food alternatives like quesadillas (made with gluten free flower) and hot tamales. Great place if you want to eat well and have no time to make food at home.

I am drinking tons of water with lemon, tons of smoothies with almond milk, and snacking on nuts. Today is Day 2 and I already feel so much better. I am looking for more energy as at this point the belly is quite heavy. I want to cleanse my system so I can be in top shape for birth and delivery.

I met my friend Nathalie for lunch and we had lovely thai papaya salad, mango salad, and raw spring rolls. Nat organized our lunch at her house so there we were, two pregnant ladies eating deliscious raw food dishes and drinking iced water. Not to mantion talking pregnancy, yoga (Nat is also a yoga teacher) and of course babies. We did some shopping at the Kushies getting lovely baby things such as crib sheets and receiving blankets all super cute and cuddly. It's great to get excited about things like blankets now. I never thought they would bring so much joy!

36 weeks pregnant

In two days I will be 37 weeks pregnant, which means I am considered full term and the baby can come at any time now. Every day I wake up I think "ok I am still pregnant and still teaching" lol. Being active feels good and I am enjoying all of my classes even though I am verbally instructing most of the class. I had my midwife appointment the other day and had my Group B strap test done and we discussed managed vs. natural 3rd stage. Gave me a lot to think about. 3rd stage of labour is when you deliver placenta and you can either do it naturally or get an injection of an oxytocin to help the uterus contract, expel placenta and control bleeding. It seems a bit weird to get drugs after a drug free, natural birth. Also it seems a bit of a shame to use it for every woman regardless of whether she bleeds heavily or not. I think its good to have on standby if you have risk factors like long labour, previous managed 3rd stage, twins, etc. There are some side effects to it too (headaches, dizziness, vomiting) not much fun when you are trying to bond and enjoy your new baby. I decided to give my body a chance first and wait for 1 hour max to deliver placenta naturally and then reassess the situation before I go for the oxy shot. I feel good about this decision.

Sleep wise I have been doing good, getting good sleep for the most part. Using a pillow in between the legs feels really good as it also supports the belly. I do have to wake up to pee 2 or 3 times a night but I am able to fall asleep right away. I do get nights where I toss and turn and can't seem to get comfortable but then usually I listen to a hypnosis session and it helps me to relax.

Diet wise for the entire week I have been eating a little more cooked/junk foods than I'd have liked. I have had cravings for french fries and ate some at least on 3 occasions. I can't even think about fries! I also had some rice chips and rice crispy squares- junk foods that are good for nothing. So fell out of a wagon for a little and definitely can notice a change in my mood/energy level. I think I may go on a raw food cleanse to get these things out of my system.

My stats so far:

Week 29-30: 135 pounds
Week 31: 137 pounds
Week 32: 138 pounds
Week 33-34: 139pounds
Week 35: 140 pounds
Week 36:141 pounds

Total weight gain: 18 pounds

Physically I have been feeling good, my body has adapted well to the baby's weight and I have been really listening to what my body needs. There are times when the baby starts moving around my pelvis. Her head presses on my bladder and now also on my cervix and pubic bones, which feels like she is going to pierce her way through-lots of pressure and intensity, which makes me stop and breath through it or at least slow down if I am walking. Again the birthing ball helps so much with this as it draws all the pressure down and out. The braxton hicks have been so intense that last week I thought I was going into labour lol. My naturopath suggested I take homeopathic remedy Caulophyllum to help me tone the uterus for labour and birth as well as to manage braxton hicks. I had to wait to my 36th week to take it and as soon as I did I felt like million bucks. Instead of getting practice contractions all over my uterus the remedy localized it more so now I feel it in one spot at a time, they are less intense so that I can actually go about my day without having to stop and breathe through them. Good practice I know but not very convenient when you are trying to enjoy your meal in the restaurant or trying to get your shopping done. This remedy is also used right in labour to make the contractions more efficient (I can see how) so I had to make sure its not going to make me go into labour! Carissa my naturopath and two other homeopaths I see gave me a green light explaining that the remedy can not override the body and when my body is ready then its ready, the remedy itself won't bring on the labour.

I also got an acupuncture treatment as a way to prepare my body and uterus for labour and birth. I loved it as its super relaxing, helps the energy to flow better, calms the nervous system, etc. It takes about 25min so when I was just laying there I decided to use self hypnosis to relax even more. Half way through the doc came in to check on me and he thought I was sleeping! He told me after how peaceful I looked and that he didn't want to disturb me. I really love how peaceful and relaxed hypnosis is and how you can use it at other times if you need extra comfort. I can't wait to use it at my birthing time.

Birthing ball for pregnancy, labour and birth.

Birthing ball is just a simple excercise ball that comes in three different sizes most common being 65cm. In pregnancy sitting on the ball feels amazing as it relieves pressure in the pelvis, lower back and the cervix. It came very handy for me as I moved into my 36th week. My baby girl went through a growth spurt and dropped even lower into my pelvis in preparation for birth. I am constantly amazed with the wisdom and intelligence of the women's body. It is marvelous to see how the body changes and adapts to accommodate the growing baby! My little girl was already head down at 30 weeks but it felt nothing comparing to her position now. She is so low I sometimes think she's going to fall out. Her descend was marked with increased pressure on my pubic bone and cervix. Also she is still pressing on my bladder! The hormone relaxin has kicked in again making my hips and pubic bone quite achy for a while. What has helped me so much was getting and sitting on the birthing ball. I have it right in front of my computer and use it instead of the chair. I can sway my hips from side to side, which feels wonderful and the gravity takes a lot of pressure away. I can really see how the ball will come handy in labour. If you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant get your birthing ball-it will make you so much more comfortable and happy.

35 weeks and celebrating my journey so far.

Again it has taken me longer than I wanted to write here. The entire July has been so busy with subbing, teaching my own classes, being away for a few days in a wellness resort, and having a beautiful Baby Blessing Ceremony. The ceremony was magical and put together by my yoga sisters with the hostess being Shanine, Jennifer and Nathalie. This ceremony is a beautiful right of passage for mothers who are expecting and gives strength and deep spiritual connection to the baby and the birthing process. I loved the bead bracelet blessing the most. Everyone invited to the ceremony was asked to bring a bead and a blessing in the form of motherly advice and wishes for mother and baby. The beads were thread together into a necklace that I could have as a focal point and symbol of my support network during birth and into motherhood. As we sat in the circle each woman gave her blessing/good wish and we chanted OM to seal it. It was truly touching and brought tears to my eyes. I felt my baby girl move and respond to the beautiful chanting and energy that was being created. I feel so luck to be a part of such loving and wise circle of women. We also had a henna artist come and do some body art. I got my belly done again as a symbol of connection with all of the other women and the baby.

So a little update on my pregnancy. It's really bizarre because I can see how easy it is to give into a negative thinking at this point. I am 35 weeks pregnant and yes sure my belly feels a lot bigger, the baby is big, she really has no room to move so whenever she is active I really feel it a lot, the jabbing and poking is crazy but I still love it anyway, the pressure in the bladder and pelvic floor is pretty intense, braxton hicks are not bad and my yoga practice is obviously modified a lot. Non of these things are getting me down though. I am working around them. I am modifying my yoga poses, mostly to accomodate my belly as my stamina is still great. I hear that I am "tiny" all the time but my belly still feels big and heavy to me lol. I am not getting impatient nor anxious about wanting the baby out. I am thinking this is my pregnancy, I should enjoy these last few weeks because I will never be pregnant with this particular baby again. So I am keeping active by teaching over 7 classes a week, doing my own yoga practice, getting the house organized, going for walks and enjoying my social life. It's so great to have so many wonderful friends and students surrounding me on daily basis. I am also practicing my hypnobirthing and meditate daily to check in with myself, my body and my baby. I set intention every day and that helps me to stay grounded. Today it was gratitude and having my heart open to more blessings. Eating wise I am still having most of my meals raw or as close to raw as I can. I have gained a total of 18 pounds so far and weighting at 141 pounds.

31 weeks pregnant!

Wow I didn't realize that so much time has passed since my last entry! I guess when I last posted I was at 27 weeks. Time has been flying by and I have been so busy with mostly teaching and enjoying my pregnancy. I am in my 3rd trimester now and feel better than ever.

I can't believe how much energy I have and how amazing I feel every day. I always thought that towards the end it gets more challenging with the weight gain and many other discomforts they mention in the books. Actually it is crazy how when you open almost any pregnancy book it starts with a long, long list of how you are going to suffer in each trimester. There are pages and pages of different discomforts you are expected to get, it is quite scary what kind of messages they put into women's heads. There needs to be more pregnancy books that should talk about how great you will feel only if you eat healthy (preferably high raw) and exercise and practice positive thinking. I do believe that as we progress on the path of consciousness evolution and our spiritual journey we will all live more healthy and happy lives. It all starts with us and our belief system. Same applies to birth. There is a lot of fear surrounding labour and birth and many mothers don't know any better but to expect total trauma from the birthing experience. It is time that we opened up to a different philosophy, that which supports the view that the birth is a natural, beautiful and a transformational event. And as women we need to get educated and empowered so that we can fully participate in the miracle of our baby's birth not give the power away to someone else.

There is a wonderful movie out there called "Orgasmic Birth", which inspired a quite interesting movement within prenatal care system. If you haven't seen it yet and you are pregnant or wanting to get pregnant it is a must to see. For a preview visit: http://www.orgasmicbirth.com/

and it will change your view on how birth can be blissful and ecstatic. I have showed this movie in my prenatal yoga class to all of the moms and will continue to support the view of gentle birth choices so that eventually the society as a whole will support this sacred and empowering process that is labour and birth. In my city there were a few screenings organized in the local libraries to educate health care providers and mothers to be on orgasmic birth. If you are a doula or a prenatal yoga teacher or a birth educator I encourage you to become a part of the orgasmic birth movement. It will change the way we bring our babies into the world, which in turn will change their experience for the years to come.

So yes I have been busy, busy, busy with teaching prenatal yoga, doing all kinds of research on gentle birth choices, and putting together a few prenatal yoga workshops. I have been also practicing hypnobirthing and in that way visualizing a natural birth. My husband and I have solidify the decision on having a home water birth. Here is a picture of us taking a walk by the lake, me at 7 months pregnant.

And another picture of me doing Dancer's Pose also at 7 months. Having done yoga every day for my entire pregnancy and eating high raw diet has given me an incredible energy, enthusiasm, and a deep bond with my body and my baby. Now at 31 weeks I am weighting 135 pounds and feel amazing.

Spinach Salad

Health benefits of spinach: loaded with calcium, folic acid, iron and vitamin C, A, K and fiber. Also spinach is loaded with flavonoid that functions as antioxidant and anti-cancer agent. Spinach contains carotenoid that help fights cancer. It is anti-aging food.

I really like raw organic baby spinach and eat it quite a lot. My favourite spinach salad includes granny smith apples, red onions, red peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. I also love spinach in my green smoothies.

Prenatal Massage

I swear I have no idea what I would do without a good prenatal massage. Massage is a big part of my health care and its especially valuable now. With all of the organs shifting in the body and my back supporting more weight in the belly I definitely feel it more than ever. My mid back and lower back just feels sore and like its really doing so much work, which it is providing all the support for my baby. Pregnancy is such a curious state-you feel every little thing changing in your body on daily basis. Yes it is quite remarkable but at the same time quite intense. So far I had three major physical sensations in this order: first I felt ligaments in the abdomen stretch making the sides of my belly sore, then I had sharp pain in the pubic bone due to pubic bone separation and finally right now I have sore back from my belly growing larger. Other than that I can't complain. I enjoy feeling my baby kick and going through all of the changes knowing that it won't last forever. I am enjoying being able to rest, eat well and exercise and I enjoy all of the wonderful support I get from my family and my husband. Bless them all :) It must be hard to put up with a pregnant woman.

Braxton Hicks Contractions.

So yesterday was meditation at Jennifer's and it was great as usual. I feel so happy to be able to meditate, chant and talk about spiritual stuff with other women. Yesterday we meditated on solar plexus chakra and when we went to lay down for guided meditation I put a beautiful citrine crystal on my navel. It felt soooo good and I think the baby liked it because she was kicking a lot and making the crystal vibrate.

Citrine crystal's metaphysical qualities: It is one of the only stones that dissipates negative energy, and never requires cleansing or clearing. It's warm energy promotes optimism. Attracts abundance. Activates third (solar plexus) chakra. Enhances body's healing energies. Good for mental focus, endurance and self esteem.

The meditation session is a delicious 2 hour pampering that I offer to myself and my daughter. Ohhhh so good to again freely talk about chakras, health, energy, vibes, etc. It is good to offer
each other support and share experiences. This was our third session and we are going through all the chakras one each week.

I did go to Chapters later and read a book called "Trust your Vibes" by Sonia Choquette and it was nice. She talks about how we can open up to our intuition and follow it all the time to enhance our lives and growth. It talked a bit about encouraging intuition and sixth perception in children and how children are influenced by a parent or both parents who are open to trusting their intuition. This made me think how glad I am to offer my daughter a lot of knowledge that I acquired through the years through trial and error about sixth perception. The fact that she will be able to ask me or share with me her experiences and I won't dismiss them nor judge them just makes me happy. There is nothing like validating your child's feelings and intuition.

I also had lunch at Thai place (vegetarian soup and papaya salad) and then I was reading a book in Chapters when my entire belly started to tense up. It felt quite uncomfortable like there was a lot of gas trapped in my belly and it had nowhere to escape...sort of like when I didn't know I had allergy to gluten and would eat it and then get this gassy,bloated and tensed feeling. I thought maybe the thai soup had gluten in it but it was very unlikely as it was a clear vegetable broth with no spices and just pure veggies. I focused on the sensation and relaxed my back into the chair. The tension then spread to my lower belly and my lower back and it was gone soon after. It was very freaky as I haven't sensed that type of "moving" sensation ever where it would just spread all over my belly and back. Later on I read up about it and learned that I had my first braxton hicks contraction. Cool. It means that my uterus is practicing to push the baby out. This is how it will expel the baby but the contractions are not strong enough at this point to do this. It made me think about labour and gave me an idea how it would feel. It was pretty intense but maybe because I am so tuned into my body. I can only imagine how much more intense the real deal will be!!!!Holy crap but even having said that I can't wait as its going to be an amazing experience - something you will only go in life once or at the most a few times.

I ate high raw all day yesterday. My breakfast is always a smoothie. Lunch I had an egg with toast (not raw but close enough). I snacked on dried fruit. For dinner I had vegetable soup and papaya salad. For supper I had a green smoothie. It was good. I used green tea ice tea for the base and added strawberries and mango for fruit and then added a handful of spinach. It was so yummy and it made me feel great. Today is my 3rd day high raw. I had a slip up with cooked food few days ago where I ate a lot of rice with veggies, tofu, and cooked vegetables. I am motivated more than ever to stay raw as I am getting into my 3rd trimester and this is where the most weight comes in. I already weight 130 and can tell how much impact extra weight has on the body and the mind. So the better I eat and the more I focus on raw the better I will feel. I won't gain too much weight just enough to still feel good and be healthy. There is a huge difference eating raw while you are pregnant. You feel so much more vibrant, lighter, happier,
in tune with your body and your baby. Cooked food dulls all the sensations and makes you feel
so sluggish and unmotivated. At least in my experience. When I do eat cooked food I do it to
ground myself. I noticed I tend to eat it when I feel tired and ungrounded. Yes it does ground me but then I need at least one full day to recover from feeling sluggish. I love eating raw and love how it makes me feel.

Here goes my weight in:

Week 1-8: 124 pounds
Week 8-12: 124 pounds
Week 12-16: 125 pounds
Week 16-20: 127 pounds
Week 21: 127 pounds
Week 22: 127 pounds
Week 23: 130 pounds

Thai Papaya Salad

If you haven't had one try it. It's so fresh, crispy, flavourful and deliscious. I have been obsessed with papaya salad ever since I got pregnant. This is one food I crave all the time and could eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love that its sweet, sour and hot. I love how great and happy it makes me feel. I love all the enzymes and vitamins in it..you can practically feel them as you eat it. It is quite easy to prepare although I get mine from my fav Thai place. If you want to make it at home here is the recipe:

1 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar

3/4 lime

2 cups green papaya, shredded

6 green beans

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 chili peppers

5 cherry tomatos

2 tablespoons peanuts, chopped

*Makes 2 servings*

IT'S A GIRL!

I had my second ultrasound on Wednesday and we found out that we are having a little girl. I was so happy I could hardly talk and so was my husband. We were both secretly hoping for a girl and only admitted to it after we found out. I would be happy either way but this is just amazing. The ultrasound went well even though I got a technician that wasn't very friendly or talkative. It didn't change how happy we both felt. The baby looked so much bigger this time and finally it had more space to move around. I enjoyed this ultrasound so much more. I could see more of her body like the arms (we haven't seen them clearly before) and her profile. She just looked so peaceful and happy in there! It was wonderful. I loved finding out the sex of the baby. It made it so much more real. It made us both bond to the baby in a deeper way. Now we can buy girly stuff and call her "she" and we can focus on picking out baby girl names. Makes it totally so much easier. I know it was the perfect choice for us. There is no way I would be able to wait for another 4months and what would be challenging is thinking I am having a girl only to find out that its a boy or vice versa. I like it better knowing.

I got to sort through 4 boxes of baby boy clothes that we have from Armando's sister. I wanted to pick out what I could use and what I wanted to give her back. There was a lot of stuff that was unisex but also stuff that was typical for a baby boy. I also went and bought 4 girl outfits all in pink. I was getting tired of blue, green, yellow and white. We still have to set up the entire baby's room but that's in May. Right now the baby's room is a guest room and we have Armando's dad visiting from the Philippines for a week. So we'll have to wait. I can't wait though. I have a lot of ideas for her room.

Diet wise I have been staying very high raw for past two weeks. I may have had a soup or baked potatoe on two or three occasions but other than that it is all raw. What interesting happened is getting an extreme aversion to fish. When my husband and I became vegetarians 5 years ago we have kept fish in our diet. We would have it maybe 1 or 2 times a month. We ended up going to this Fish and Seafood restaurant with a friend and I ate a small portion of salmon. I felt so sick afterwards. Not physically but mentally and emotionally. I felt exactly the same as I felt when I knew I had to let go of meat. I felt incredible sadness for the lost life of this animal and eating its dead flesh was too much. I wanted to cry and felt so dirty and kept feeling the energy of the dead fish in my body. Luckily next morning I went to two yoga classes. One with my friend Jennifer and the other with my best friend Shanine. They both helped me to work through my emotions and reactions to the fish. I decided I am ready to let it go and made that fish my last fish ever. Ever since I made that decision something shifted in me and I started to feel right and happy again. I will keep my diet exclusively vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. I understand that fish was the hardest for me to let go. I associated fish with nourishment (Omega 3 essential oils, vitamins, etc.) and it didn't help that it was a huge part of my childhood. We didn't eat a lot of meat when I was growing up but we ate a lot of fish. Fish was considered a healthier and more nutritious choice and something my mom and my relatives used to show us how much they cared. I realize that for different families it is different foods that symbolize love and care. It may be cakes or cookies, a hearty soup or meat and potatoes. It's important to really look at the food for what it is and to strip away the emotional aspect of it.

I have went through so many shifts and changes in this pregnancy. I became so much more intuitive and sensitive to energies and I know its partly because my baby's energy is quite high. It's vibrating very high and makes me think that we are having a Crystal Child (or simply a sensitive child). A few of my most intuitive healer friends have also felt that. Oh it will be so lovely to see what other major changes and shifts this little one will give us :)

Other health related matters are: I feel great for the most part. My only complaint for the past week is that I feel tightness and pulling in my abdomen from my ligaments stretching. At 18 weeks the uterus is at the belly button as the baby is moving higher up. I can definitely feel it. It's not too uncomfortable but a new sensation I haven't felt before. I also have days that I feel totally exhausted but when I do I rest. My skin is clearer than it was up to this point. I think with the raw food diet most major negative side effects just don't happen. I hear girls in my prenatal yoga class tell me all the time that they have hip pain, back pain, heart burn, swollen ankles and feet, nausea, etc. I know that a healthy diet filled with fresh raw vegetables and fruits gives optimum health to the mother and the baby. I think its the best gift you can give to yourself and the baby along with proper amount of exercise.

My weight in:

Week 1-8: 124 pounds
Week 8-12: 124 pounds
Week 12-16: 125 pounds
Week 16-20: 127 pounds

Good bye hot yoga, Hello prenatal.

Yes the time has come to let go of teaching hot yoga. I gave myself till the end of March but had to end two weeks earlier. My baby defintiely started to complain and so did my body. While teaching the baby just kept moving and kicking more than any other time. Afterwards, I didn't feel my usual sense of lightness and increased energy but instead I felt drained. I didn't have to think about this long and hard. It was a natural shift. My body and my baby are not liking the heat anymore it is very clear so its time to let go. I got Shanine to sub my favourite Saturday morning hot class and I know that she will do a great job. I left my students in very good hands. I let go of two more hot classes and I am sure other subs will do great too. So what does this mean? Teaching more prenatal classes. I already have one regular and I am starting two more in April. They will serve my baby much more than any other classes at this point. You get very humbled with your yoga practice when you are pregnant. You have to listen to the body and have to adjust your practice so that it can serve you and the baby in the best possible way. Yet I am loving yoga and feel so great after taking a class. In addition to teaching I am now taking Shannon's prental class once a week. It gives me a chance to be a student and enjoy the practice fully. Shannon is also pregnant so its great to be in a presence of another pregnant prenatal teacher.

So my baby is growing, my tummy is growing and I am changing in some new ways. Like for instance my center of gravity is totally shifted into my belly. I walk differently. I usually have a quick, brisk walk but now I walk more slowly, really being connected to the Earth energy. My baby is higher up now and I feel more pressure or heaviness in the lower abdomen. I can feel it kick and every time I do I smile and send loving energy to the baby.

I feel hungry more often. When I have a smoothie in the morning a bit later I want another one. It's good that I am use to eating more frequently and smaller portions because its easier to adjust to wanting to eat even more often. It's also great that I am a celiac because I have to always stop and think what I can have before I grab something unconsciously. So I am snacking on Lara Bars (raw and organic energy bars), nuts, fruits, veggies and have an occasional bowl of soup and some toasted corn bread. I have no desire for junk food (except occasional popcorn) and no desire for anything cooked. For my entire pregnancy I have been craving papaya and now I am craving fresh fruit from the farmer's market. That I will have to wait for.

I have re-decorated my yoga room and it feels amazing. I just added a beautiful window covering in shimmering purple, glass shelf, meditation pillows, candles, etc. I feel very creative these days and have plans to re-decorate the living room as well. I already know how the baby's room will look. I find it easy as I just feel and listen to what the baby wants. I have been to Ikea twice in one week. In the kid's section I looked at things and then tuned into the baby to see if he or she is guiding me towards something. Well, it doesn't seem to like Ikea. I do, not everything but most stuff I like but the baby doesn't. Sometimes when I am in a random store the baby just guides me to something and I know it resonates with whatever it may be there. This is how I picked up framed art work of Peter Rabbit and one art work of Anne Geddens. I have had these intense attraction to Peter Rabbit and I never even known of it before I got pregnant. I grew up in Europe so as a child I never knew the story. It will be interesting to see if my baby shows a lot of interest in Peter Rabbit.

Day 3 of 100% raw

I had a week of eating 85% raw meaning I ate all raw for the entire day except for one meal. This one meal would be something like rice pasta with tomato sauce, baked potato, baked veggies, beans, and on one occasion I ordered rice with tofu and vegetables. Let me tell you, even though I somewhat enjoyed eating these I didn't feel as great as I wanted to or hoped to. My stomach felt 3 times heavier than how it feels on raw foods, it looked bloated and my energy was way down. I had a feeling of being numb to some of the feelings that I am used to feeling while eating raw. I had a sense of my intuition not being as sharp and my perception not being as clear. So why did I decide to throw in all these cooked meals? Well, I was going through a major cleanse. Some raw foodists call it a detox, others a healing crises. Its when your body releases deeply stored emotions, thoughts and other stuff and this is usually accompanied with physical symptoms. In my case severe headaches and migraines. In others it may be flu like symptoms. The nice thing is when its over you feel so cleansed and almost uplifted to a whole new level of being. You have a clearer understanding on some important issues and you end up making pretty significant life changes. What gets me through a healing crises is writing in my private journal, lots of meditation, contemplation, crying, talking to my best friend, talking to my husband, talking to my dog, and of course getting either a massage, acupuncture or in my case massage combined with Reiki. Why? Because I need to understand things on a spiritual level. Stuff like what's going on with my energy body, chakras, meridians, etc. Only then my cleanse is complete. It is my hope that in the future I can go through it and stay completely raw. Maybe even do a healing fast. I always wanted to do a fast.
Anyway, my cleanse is done and I am back to eating 100% raw. In fact this is my third day and my energy is soaring. I am very connected to every thought and emotion that comes up, I see and think with so much clarity and I have a great sense of confidence in life and in what I do. I connect with my students, with my baby and with my yoga practice on a deeper level. Sometimes I think its good to eat cooked stuff so that you can be reminded of what it is that you are missing. In my case I keep it very vegan and very simple but it still works the same. So happy I am back to 100% raw. Here is my weight in:

Week 1-8: 124 pounds
Week 8-12: 124 pounds
Week 12-16: 125 pounds

My baby at 16 weeks

This is my baby at 16 weeks. Yes its only one. No twins but I am further along than we thought I was. Good news. Means baby will be here sooner than later. I thought I was 3 and 1/2 months but I am 4 months. My new due date is August 23rd. I keep on having a feeling the baby will come before that. My guess is August 20th or 21st.
The ultrasound was a lot of fun. Just seeing the baby move around was cool. It looks so squished in there but so cute and perfect. It was another special moment for me and my husband. We were both smiling and feeling so proud. Its amazing to be pregnant with this little soul. I absolutely love being pregnant. My second trimester is great. I have so much more energy and feel happy all the time. I am on cloud 9 just feeling very feminine and sexy. This is what feminine really feels like. I could do this another two or three times but I haven't been thorough it all yet so perhaps I should wait another year to say that! My husband and I both agreed that hearing the baby's heart beat was more real, special and moving to us. Seeing the baby on the monitor is weird because you are looking outside of you on the screen. When you hear the heart beat you look at the belly and you know that the baby is right there inside.

Prenatal Yoga

Started to teach one prenatal class per week. I have 20 beautiful pregnant ladies in my class. It is my favourite class by far right now. It is so much fun to connect with other mothers and share the love of yoga with them and their babies. Its time totally devoted to feeling your body, emotions, breath, any inner sensations and of course the baby. I place a lot of emphasis on feeling the baby and using visualization to send it love, healing light, peace, and any special messages. I always feel uplifted and connected to my baby. I really feel my baby being happy after prenatal yoga.

The most beautiful sound in the world

This morning me and Armando listened to our baby's heart beat for the first time. It was a magical and one of the most amazing moments. I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling and laughing. I kept saying "see babe its really there! I wasn't lying! It's really there!!!" Our midwife Rea kept smiling and Armando was just amazed. He said it made it more real to him and he was very moved and teary eyed. We kept looking at each other and smiling and just feeling all this love. When I first heard the heart beat I thought that it seemed pretty fast so I asked if it was suppose to be that way. Rea said that yes and that it was a perfectly healthy heart beat. Ohhh I could have listened to that sound for the whole day! In fact I kept "hearing" it over and over again for the rest of the day and kept smiling whenever I thought about it.

When she first got me to lay down she rolled her fingers across my belly to feel where the baby was. I got so excited that she could feel it and I used the same technique to find the baby. It was awesome. Then she used the stathoscope to hear the baby's heart beat. When we were done Rea gave us a referral for an ultrasound. She told us it was to make sure how far along I am and that I am not carrying twins! She explained that my uterus was a little higher than it should be for 13 weeks. So next week we are going to "see" our peanut! By the way I don't think we are having twins and if I am wrong than I am going to be happy either way. So this was definitely one of the most awesome days ever.

Yesterday was another great day. I went to Lululemon in Oakville and then I stumbled into this beautiful little store called Akasha's Den. It was filled with:

Tibetan and Crystal singing bowls
Feng Shui chimes and water fountains
Himalayan salt lamps
Indonesian pottery and carvings
Drums and masks
Native Canadian dream catchers
Healing wands, stones and crystals
Pendulums and gemstone jewelry

It was so calming and energizing to walk around the shelves and look at all the beautiful pieces. Every single thing was filled with high vibration energy and it just felt uplifting. I knew I wanted to buy something for the baby there. I want the baby to grow up with healing, beautiful objects to inspire inner growth and creativity. I know I won't be filling its room with plastic or other low quality materials and I will pay attention to Feng Shui so that it can feel really good there. Few things drew my attention especially these pretty blue lace agate crystals. The owner told me that many kids who come to the store are drawn to it. She said that she just ordered agate crystal wind chimes to come in and I absolutely fell in love with them. I will have to go back and get them. I also liked the himalayan salt lamp that cleanses and ionizes the air improving its quality and enhances peace and quiet. The lamp also looks so pretty! I think the baby will enjoy gazing at its gently glowing light.

Simply Salad

My daily staple. Salads are great as you can create a different one each day depending on what you feel like. I use spices like cayenne and chili pepper to add some heat. I make my salad dressing with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. This one is my favourite. I add sprouts, nuts and seeds to add protein and avocado for healthy oils. For desserts lately I have been eating lots of fruit like banana, asian pear and apples dipped in almond butter. I still have some date nut torte in the fridge. I started to drink some green tea but no more than once every few weeks. I prefer ginger tea as it gently stimulates digestion and cleanses digestive organs.

Haven't done my weigh in lately so here it is:

Week 1-4: 124 pounds
Week 4-8: 124 pounds
Week 8-12: 124 pounds

Not much has changed but a baby bump is definitely there!

I met my friend Tamsin yesterday at Starbucks for tea. She is a beautiful soul, yoga teacher and an artist. We got very close after our Teacher Training. Tamsin created prayer beads for each one of us when we were studying yoga. They were all different depending on what you needed. The beads are all precious stones and crystals. My necklace was made of lapis lazuli and aventurine. Its beautiful. When I first visited Tamsin at her apartment I was welcomed by colorful, artist's space, lovely paintings everywhere, lots of antique furniture, plants, beads, and her cat Jimmy. I immediately felt that I wanted Tamsin to create a painting for my yoga room. And so she did. It was totally custom made and I was a part of every stage of the work. We did it together (of course I wasn't painting anything but asking for things and giving feedback lol) and I love it. Here it is:

So now Tamsin is creating another 3 smaller paintings also for my yoga room. They go together and have an ocean/tropical theme. I look at the progress of these 3 and love it. Needless to say Tamsin will create a painting for my baby's room as well :) That way the baby can have a painting to grow up with, something reflecting its energy and something they can take with them when they grow up.

Shanine is away for a week in Dominican Republic! Lucky her. I miss her already but I know she is just soaking in the sun, the ocean, the beach and recharging her batteries. She will come back and teach her classes from that space of tropical beauty and gentle wisdom.

Nesta my main yoga teacher, the owner of Yoga Center of Burlington, facilitator of Teacher Training and a wonderful friend is back from her vacations and teaching classes again. I took her morning class yesterday and wow was it ever intense. We did back bends, which means opening the heart space, moving energy up the spine to the heart and opening the thoracic spine. It also means releasing lots of emotions from the heart. Back bends create a unique state of being, openness, cleansing, increased energy and vitality. I felt so energized after the class, took Ronin to a doggy park and then I was teaching two classes. I needed that class as lots of that anxiety that I have been feeling has been released. Today morning I did my personal practice at home and I balanced yesterday's class with restorative, pranayama and supported forward bends. I just wanted the energy to settle in the heart. The energy was just bouncing around so it was good to calm it down a bit. Now this is only because I am pregnant. Before I could go for days with this energy moving and energizing me. Now I need to settle the energy and synchronize it with the baby, which means finding my center and peace. Pregnancy is all about feeling peace and quiet by creating calm energy inside.

Valentine's Day

These are beautiful dozen of roses Armando got for me for Valentine's Day. I am so lucky to be married to such sweet and caring man. We celebrated by going out to Thai Coconut for a meal. It was yummy like always. I had the papaya salad and soup and ginger tea. Armando loved the restaurant, the food and the service as it was his first time going there. Thai Coconut is one of these hidden gems with great food, lovely ambiance and super nice service. It is definitely the best Thai restaurant I have been to. Sharing a meal with someone who is not only my husband but also best friend is always heaven. I fell in love with Armando from the first sight and I continue to fall in love with him every day. He has all these qualities that I need, he is patient,always cool and collected, grounded, and analytical. Most of all he holds loving space for me whenever I am going through something. He doesn't try to help out too soon but gives me time to process and figure it out and then I feel this incredible sense of accomplishment. I am always thankful for his loving and supportive energy.

So I have been overly emotional since week 9. I just felt snappy and short tempered. Week 10 was worse and week 11 better. I am at the beginning of week 12 now. I began to understand today that I have not given myself time to enjoy being and feeling pregnant. I was super busy with subbing this month and having no day off. It got to me so much and my entire being and body just protested. Enough! Enough! It seemed to scream. I felt like I was beating myself up, pushing myself hard.I normally can push myself pretty far but this time around not an inch of me liked it. I only did it because it was too late to change anything, cancel classes or get subs. So I worked so hard. I just went 20 days without a day off. Yes insane I know. I used to do this all the time just out of excitement for the adventure. But when you are pregnant its really different. You feel everything so much more and if you don't rest enough your body will tell you.

On day 12 I got an anxiety attack. I just felt overwhelmed. I am not used to feeling this way. I normally love to be busy and not doing anything or sitting around drives me crazy. I always think that I could be working rather than sitting. I told Shanine over lunch about this. Its hard to admit that you are doing something to cause yourself to react this way. She is non judgmental like Jason my homeopath so I feel safe in opening up and sharing. I felt so terrible and guilty but Shanine was so loving and supportive that I worked through these emotions and came to some great conclusions.

I felt all the pressure leave today, mentally I just relaxed and started to breathe. So the lesson is that being pregnant is no time to be crazy, pushing yourself, focusing on everything else but relaxation. The lesson is that this is a very precious time between me and my baby. Time to go within, feel, dream and think about the future. Definitely slow down.

I am excited for March. In March I will let go of two classes and instead I will teach prenatal. I will have two hot classes a week. I will see how I can handle those. So far the heat has been getting to me. I mean I never felt bothered by teaching in the heat but now its like I get tired half way through and I feel anxious. Maybe because I am working 20 days straight...I don't know but heat is something I am going to keep my eye on. Also, for the entire month of March I will be going to Maureen's prenatal at YCOB. Its definitely time to start enjoying my pregnancy!!!!!I really had no time until now!!Crazy. I am 3 months and its time. At the moment I am barley taking any of my own classes...and I feel I really need it. I need a good and supportive yoga teacher to guide me on my path right now.

I am so much more sensitive to other's emotions. Its crazy. I had never had any problems with manual adjustments . Now, if I feel negative or "unclean" energy from others I will not want to touch them. Its so weird. I would approach them or walk by them and then I back off instead of I choose to verbally adjust. It is really surprising me. Same with people who just emanate negative energy in class, even if they look good, their alignment is fine, they smile, etc. I can still tell and feel if they are sending negative energy out. Its bizarre. At the other hand I love being around good energy people especially Shanine. I go religiously to her Restorative classes on Sundays. She is not only my best friend but my soul sister. She knows how I feel just by looking at me and she knows what to say or do to make me feel better.

The other day I finished teaching my hot class and as always I planned on staying for Shanine's class. This time though the heat was making me feel anxious so I decided to go home and rest. It turned out that Maureen put together a Partner Yoga class instead of Shanine's hot class. Shanine was happy she didn't have to teach and could just enjoy a class and asked me to stay. I contemplated and decided to stay since the class would be at the reg. temp studio. I never done partner yoga so I was happy to do it with my best friend. It ended up being super fun. There were many couples there, some married, some dating, some friends and two strangers paired up together. Working with Shanine and supporting each other in poses was so amazing. I kept feeling love from Shanine and also kept laughing from joy and amusement. We did sun salutations facing each other and looking into each other's eyes and that connection with someone who is your best friend is delightful. All of my anxiety left and I left the class feeling recharged like I usually do when I share my practice with Shanine.

Hello week 11 :)

The baby at this time is a size of a large lime. It weights about 8 grams and measures from 1.75 to 2.4 inches. The baby is kicking but the mother cannot feel it yet. All vital organs are formed and, for the most part, function normally. From now on, they will grow in size and efficiency.



I find myself dreaming in colour every night. I dream of water all the time (I usually do anyway but now there is more colour!) Last night I was dreaming of a beautiful turquoise lagoon, warm waters, lots of sunshine and feeling great. The night before I went horseback riding through he mountains up to a beautiful cabin where I stayed and admired nature. The horses were quite amazing, there were lots of them, I was riding one but the others were just keeping us company. They were so powerful, strong, brown and black, carrying me through the forest and the hills. I had wind in my hair and a feeling of freedom and adventure.


I find myself wanting to spend time meditating, contemplating life, listening to beautiful music and reading inspiring books. I am drawn to go within and that is where I find peace. I am drawn to peace. I am normally very busy planning what my next goal would be and then I am busy reaching for it. Its different now. I want to slow down, breathe, feel, surrender to love and dream.

Raw Bruschetta

My husband Armando made this today. It is simple and delicious. Here is his recipe:

Bruschetta

3 or 4 tomatoes, diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

6 or more black olives, pitted and sliced

1 garlic clove

Basil (4 or more leaves or dried)

1 Tblsp olive oil

sea salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve over dehydrated onion bread, flax crackers or enjoy on its own.

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I love it when men can make raw food dishes. Armando has been so great in the kitchen creating new recipes that we haven't done before. We both love simplicity. Fresh hummus and seasonal veggies go a long way or a plate of seasonal fruit and some tea. Armando has made an amazing guacamole this week and we both loved it so much he made another batch one after the other. We also bought a lot of fruit including Asian pears. They are a cross between a pear and an apple, and are very crispy and fresh.

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I am still drawn to all of the raw food dishes and I am happy that I don't have any aversions to any of my favourite things. Yes that happens to a lot of ladies so I hear. Many can't look salad in the eye but I love all of my fruit, veggies, nuts, grains and spices. I am 100% raw for most of the week with an occasional dish of cooked organic rice pasta or sauteed vegetables. I feel amazing after eating living foods and that is probably why I crave them. I feel my body is cleansed from doing the master raw food cleanse back in November so its easier to eat high vibrational foods. When our bodies are filled with junk and low vibrational foods that is what we end up craving. Like attracts like. I have been craving papaya salad from my favourite Thai restaurant and ordered it to go on a couple of occasions. I figured I must have been craving not only papaya, which is filled with enzymes but also garlic that is in the salad. In fact I have been making a lot of green salads with olive oil, lemon and garlic dressing. I have been drinking lots of smoothies too but not any green ones recently. Next week I am back to green smoothies and I am going to start juicing too.

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I am still feeling very sleeeeepy especially around 1pm and 6pm. I find it interesting how the sleeping patterns change so early on in pregnancy. Almost immediately you start waking up 2 or 3 times during the night to go to the bathroom. So you are not getting a full night sleep. This prepares you to be awake for the feedings at night when the baby comes. I guess better start now then last minute-that would be so much harder! I take a lot of naps...sometimes two a day. Its funny too because I am out cold for 30min which seems like forever..but then the middle of the night I am wide awake. Oh the joys of being pregnant! This is week 11 for me and my baby is a size of a lime. All of the major organs are completed and the last touch ups like fingernails and toenails are being created! Isn't that great?