Health & Natural Remedies

Natural Ways to Combat Insomnia During Pregnancy

April 9, 2013

It is ironic that insomnia can be such a struggle when pregnancy leaves you feeling exhausted. This pregnancy I struggled falling asleep and woke regularly with nightmares and couldn’t go back to sleep for hours.

My midwife recommended Unisom (considered one of the safest drugs during pregnancy, plus it fights morning sickness!) and I used it regularly for about two months. Eventually though, it lost its effectiveness, though I felt dependent on it.

Finding a pregnancy-safe alternative wasn’t as easy as I thought. Melatonin and valerian, two of my favorite insomnia helps, aren’t recommended during pregnancy. The melatonin might disrupt the growing baby’s natural production of melatonin and valerian is so strong that most doctors–and my midwife— feel more studying needs to be done before it’s safe to recommend.

After lots of prayer and research, wonderful advice from friends, and a talk with my midwife, we came up with a plan that has helped me so much.

photo credit

I am not a doctor or a nurse. The only hospital I have ever worked at is a doll hospital. There, a band-aid can cure a heart attack. As always, please do you own research and talk to your health care provider.

Manage your expectations. When sleepless night follows sleepless night, it’s easy to let discouragement and fear creep in. Instead, put your expectations in Christ’s strength. Don’t dread going to bed. Trust that Jesus will give you the sleep you need and the strength to face the coming day if you don’t sleep much.

Stop taking naps: when I’m pregnant few things sound better than a nap. However, if you struggle with insomnia, taking a nap can further compound the problem by throwing off the circadian rhythm that regulates your sleep. The first few days without naps were miserable (especially since I wasn’t sleeping well at night) but after a few days it did get better.

Exercise regularly. Exercise is good for your heart. It makes you feel more cheerful. Exercise curbs weight gain, naturally increases iron in your blood, and helps combat “diseases of affluence.” Plus, regular exercise helps get your body tired so you can fall asleep at night. Do a pregnancy work-out, take a good walk, or swim. Getting regular exercise will help fight insomnia. Just make sure to exercise in the morning or early to mid-afternoon so your body has time to cool down before bed.

Establish a good sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each morning. In the evenings, establish a “going to bed” routine that helps you relax and unwind. As bedtime approaches, force yourself to yawn. Soon, it will be natural and seems to help me get sleepy.

Spend time outside in the afternoon. Getting afternoon sun can help regulate your sleep cycle. (Here’s what I do to get Vitamin D while avoiding sunburns.)

Take 1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses before bed. A friend recommended this to me and said it worked wonders for her. Blackstrap molasses is often recommended during pregnancy as a high source of usable iron and calcium.

Drink chamomile tea before going to bed. Many sleep-inducing herbs aren’t considered safe during pregnancy, but chamomile is an exception. Chamomile isn’t as strong as valerian, but it does help sooth the nerves.

Drink warm milk before going to bed. Warm milk has been recommended as a sleep aid for ages. Why it works is still up for debate (it may be mostly psychological) but the calcium in it could also help your body naturally produce melatonin. Whatever the reason, it does seem to work and if you add a dash of nutmeg it tastes quite good.

Get enough calcium and magnesium. Waking up in the middle of the night unable to fall back asleep is miserable. It could be caused by a lack of calcium or magnesium. James F. Balch, M.D. writes that “A lack of the nutrients calcium and magnesium will cause you to wake up after a few hours and not be able to return to sleep.”

Why? These minerals help calm the nerves and encourage sleep. According to William Sears, M.D, “Calcium helps the brain use the amino acid tryptophan to manufacture the sleep-inducing substance melatonin. This explains why dairy products, which contain both tryptophan and calcium, are one of the top sleep-inducing foods.”

Relax and breathe. My friend Kristy reminded me of just how important this was and it sure helped. My favorite relaxation technique is one a dear midwife friend taught me. While laying in bed, start with your head and relax each part of your body all the way down to your toes. (Then, if you want, start at your toes and work up to your head.) It’s amazing how much tension you can unconsciously build up in your forehead or shoulders.

Have a midnight plan (i.e. if you can’t sleep, get up.) Laying in bed for hours desperately wishing you could sleep isn’t very helpful. After several nights, I was almost afraid to fall asleep because I was dreading waking up at 2:30 a.m. If you don’t fall back asleep after 20 or 30 minutes, get up and do something calming (like ironing or folding laundry while listening to the Bible or a book on tape) until you’re sleepy. Having a plan makes falling asleep much easier and waking up less miserable.

(Another optional, though highly helpful strategy, is to get a cold. Lol! I’ve never been quite so grateful to come down with a cold. It made me just sleepy enough at night to be able to fall asleep easily.)

Do you struggle with insomnia? What’s your favorite way to combat it?

Linked up at Mama Moments, Growing Home, Encourage One Another, Healthy 2Day, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways,Works for Me, Walking Redeemed, Our Simple Country Life, Proverbs 31, Natural Living, & Simple Lives

How (& Why) to Propagate Houseplants

April 4, 2013

If you’ve been impatiently waiting for the snow to leave and spring weather to stay so you can get outside and play in the dirt (like I have), propagating your houseplants is a great way to use the time.

photo credit

Houseplants are amazing. As studies by NASA scientists confirmed, common houseplants make the air in your home healthier. They remove dangerous chemicals and dramatically increase air quality. Plus, they’re beautiful.

In his book, How to Grow Fresh Air–(read my review here), Dr. Wolverton lists the very best purifying indoor plants and recommends you have at least one plant per 100 square feet. That’s a lot of plants.

One of the easiest ways to grow your collection is to propagate the plants you have (or beg cuttings from your mom.)

Not only is it fun to add a new plant to your collection and watching it grow, I consider it plant insurance. My brown thumb is bound to kill at least some of my plants. This way, if the mother plant dies hopefully the daughter will survive.

Heartleaf Philodendron–one of the easiest houseplants to grow

There are two very easy ways to propagate houseplants that have multiple trailing stems, like ivy.

Water Method: Just cut back long stems right above the leaf node (where a new leaf grows). Trim the bottom few leaves and place the stem in a glass of water.

In a few weeks new roots will emerge and you can plant the stems in a fresh pot with good drainage. Water well after transplanting.

Wandering Jew— I killed the “mother plant”. The one on the left is a four-month-old “daughter plant”. On the right is a three-week-old “granddaughter plant”

Moist Dirt Method:

Cut off stems above the node. Strip off the bottom few leaves. Place the stem in a pot and keep the soil moist. In about 3 to 6 weeks, new roots will grow and the plant will send out new shoots.

How’s that for easy?

Want to make it a really frugal project? Look for beautiful pots at garage sales (often they’re practically free!) I’ve even found some lovely healthy plants at yard sales for a dollar or two.

Linked up at Mama Moments, Growing Home, Encourage One Another, Healthy 2Day, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways,Works for Me, Wild Crafting Wednesday, Walking Redeemed, Proverbs 31, Natural Living, & Simple Lives

[Full disclosure: links to products in this post are my referral links.]

Tagged with: air purity • houseplants • thriftiness

Discover the Wonders of Your Own Backyard (& a Backyard Quiche Recipe)

April 2, 2013

Thanks so much for your prayers and kind encouragement these past weeks/months as our family battled sickness after sickness. I am so grateful for each of you and so grateful to be feeing better again! (Plus I’m so excited to have the time and energy to blog again!)

I love the first spring in a new home. It’s so fun to watch the yard and see what surprises come up: a sunny patch of daffodils, a bush that’s radiant with flowers, or a tree whose unfolding leaves are so beautiful.

This year though, I’ve determined to do more than simply enjoy the beauty. I want to learn about the trees and flowers and even the weeds in our yard. I want to learn about them, and teach my children about them.

photo credit

Why?

Learning about the incredible variety of weeds that stubbornly grow beneath our feet, makes the grandeur of Creation come alive before your fingers (or toes). Plus, while you investigate the wonders, you’re soaking up Vitamin D from the sun and breathing in the fresh spring air.

Did you know that the early American settlers brought weeds to plant in the new world? That’s right. Millions of dollars a year are spent trying to eradicate the dandelions and other weeds so prized by the early settlers. (Read why dandelions are so loved here!)

For our neighbor’s sake, I’ll try to keep the dandelions at bay in the front yard, but dandelions, onion grass, plantain, red clover, wood sorrel, and the variety of other edible and medicinal weeds are more than welcome in our fenced-in, pet and pesticide-free backyard.

The children and I have had so much fun finding the weeds native to our yard, marveling at their uniqueness, and learning about them. We’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many of them are edible and even really good for you. (Always make sure, of course, that there are no inedible or poisonous look-alikes!)

To celebrate the arrival of fresh spring dandelions, we decided to make a “Backyard Spinach Quiche.” It was delicious, though next time I plan to add quite a few more dandelion petals.

Backyard Spinach Quiche

adapted from Better Homes & Garden

Ingredients

9 inch single pie crust (I replace the shortening with real butter and love it!)
8 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream or milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed (or 3 cups fresh spinach or fresh backyard greens!)
petals from 2+ dandelions, thoroughly washed
10-20 pieces onion grass, thoroughly washed & finely chopped (or 1/2 cup onion)
1/2 to 1 cup crumbled bacon or diced ham, optional
2/3 cup cheddar or mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Bake un-pricked pie shell at 450F for 10 minutes, or until dry and set. Reduce oven to 325F.
Stir together remaining ingredients
Pour egg mixture into baked pastry shell. Cover edges with foil, if desired.
Bake at 325F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted near the middle comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

[Full disclosure: Links to products in this post are my referral links.]

Tagged with: dinner • healthy living • herbs • recipes • weeds

8 Ways to Deal with Morning Sickness

February 26, 2013

Does anyone else think that morning sickness is ill-named? I usually feel my best in the morning and get worse as the day wears on.

Before I share things that have helped with my evening sickness, I want to be up front and say that mine ranges from mild to moderate. I have never been unable to eat for days on end or had to get an IV to keep fluids down. For those of you who deal with this kind of morning sickness, my heart goes out to you and I am so proud of you. (If I got that sick, it’d take a whole lot of grace for us to not be a one child family.)

I’m not sure if these “remedies” would help in serious cases, but they have staved of an impending trip to throw up for me. Though I’ve not heard of any problems with these remedies, you should always check with your own health care professional before trying something new, of course!

“The fruit of the womb is his reward!” (Photo credit)

Ginger: When I feel like throwing up, the last thing I’m really hungry for is a piece of ginger. Ick. But, if I can just force myself to take it, it’s amazing how quickly the ginger helps calm my stomach! Ginger gum, “candied” ginger (homemade or from the health food store), or a sniff of ginger essential oil have all helped settle my stomach and keep food down. Ginger ale or ginger cookies would make nice milder alternatives (though I’m not sure they’d work quite as well!)
Sea Bands: My sister-in-law recommended sea bands to me, saying they’d really helped her during her morning sickness. It sounds odd, doesn’t it? Can bands around your wrist really help with morning sickness? Yep, they can. The bands “put pressure on the P-6 point between the two central tendons near the wrist.” Somehow that pressure relieves the morning sickness, without any side effects (except for slight indents on the wrists!)
Protein in the evening: “It’s easier to keep a fire going, than to start a new fire from scratch,” my midwife told me. “Your metabolism is similar. It’s much easier to keep it going with a protein-rich snack in the evening that to start fresh in the morning.” It’s true! Eating a snack rich in protein before I go to bed helps me feel much better in the morning.
Figure out your blood sugar: With my first pregnancy, I was determined to be a good, healthy Mama. But every time I woke up and fixed myself a nice plate of eggs, I lost them. On the mornings I sneaked a bite or two of a healthy-ish dessert (like these Mrs. Thompson Bars) first, I was able to keep the eggs down. I finally learned that when my blood sugar gets too low, I simply can’t eat protein first, but a bit of carbs will help build up the blood sugar so I can handle the protein. Try to figure out what keeps your blood sugar happy.
Exercise: Exercise releases toxins and builds new blood cells. It increases energy and stamina. Something about it also seems to helps with morning sickness. I entered this pregnancy exercising regularly (though I’ve dropped the jumping jacks) and have continued mostly regularly. Not only was my iron count good at my first check-up, I think it’s helped the morning sickness not be as bad this time.
Take vitamins strategically: the calcium and/or iron in many pre-natals can be real tummy upsetters. Taking prenatal vitamins right before going to bed at night helps me be able to keep them down. Or, you could ask your heath care provider if you could take a child’s multivitamin and supplement with extra folic acid.
Add ice: Staying hydrated is so important. Sometimes regular water just won’t go down, when sips of ice water will. (If you carry around a super cute glass water bottle, it’s easier to remember to drink!)
Smile: “A cheerful heart does good like medicine,” Proverbs says. When I’m feeling icky, it’s easy to focus on just making it to bedtime. Smiling helps. It’s almost impossible to force your face into a smile without remembering the many ways you’ve been blessed… and the incredible privilege it is to carry a new little life into the world.

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or nurse. The only hospital I’ve ever worked in is a doll hospital. There a band-aid heals a heart attack. Please talk to your health care professional and do your own research before treating serious health problems!

Did you struggle with morning sickness? What helped you most?

Linked up at Mama Moments, Growing Home, Encourage One Another, Healthy 2Day, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways,Works for Me, Wild Crafting Wednesday, Walking Redeemed, My Joy-Filled Days, Our Simple Country Life, Proverbs 31, Natural Living, & Simple Lives

Tagged with: baby belly • exercise • herbs • morning sickness • natural remedies

Use the “Dirty Dozen” & “Clean Fifteen” to Eat Better and Save $

February 6, 2013

According to the EPA, who regulates pesticide use, “approximately 5.1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the United States.”

That’s a whole lot of pesticides!

Many of the pesticides are removed from the time our food is harvested to the time it reaches our tables, but many fresh fruits and vegetables, even after being washed, still contain residues of pesticides. That we end up eating.

Peas, one of the Clean Fifteen (photo credit)

Most of us don’t have the ability to grow all our own food or purchase it organically. Eating fresh foods with pesticides on them is still much better than not eating fresh foods at all.

But, the EWG’s (Environmental Watch Group) handy Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists make it easier for us busy moms to decrease the amounts of pesticide residue we and our munchkins consume, while still getting our daily dose of fresh fruits and vegetables.

If you don’t already use their lists, here is how I use them to keep my grocery budget low and our pesticide intake low.

Focus on the Clean Fifteen

It can be discouraging to see that 98% of apples (a favorite with most families!) test positive for pesticide residue and that one sample of grapes had 15 different pesticides on it, even after being washed.

Don’t focus on that. Focus on foods that are low in pesticides. Onions, cabbage, sweet potatoes, avocados, and peas are delicious, packed with nutrition, and low in pesticides. Do your best to incorporate them and the rest of the Clean Fifteen into your diet.

Here’s a sample day’s menu using just fruits and veggies from the Clean Fifteen:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with grapefruit on the side

Snack: Homemade yogurt shake sweetened with frozen pineapple

Lunch: Bean dip with guacamole, cheese, and sautéed onions and mushrooms

Snack: Cantaloup or watermelon slices

Dinner: Grilled chicken with baked sweet potato (or sweet potato fries!) and frozen peas or fresh asparagus

There are so many possibilities using just those fifteen fruits and vegetables. (I’d wager a guess that most women in history haven’t had even fifteen fruits and vegetables to work with at any given time!) Even if you can’t just use those fifteen, replacing even one or two vegetable servings from the Dirty Dozen list with ones from the Clean Fifteen is a good start!

Grow Your Favorites from the Dirty Dozen List

Homegrown peppers, no longer a Dirty Dozen vegetable (photo credit)

Many garden favorites, like lettuce, bell peppers, and cucumbers, make it onto the dirty dozen list. Thankfully, many of them are fairly easy to grow yourself, even with limited space. If you are planning a garden, focus on growing your family favorites from the dirty dozen list. (I’m really tempted to try planting an apple tree!)

Look for Bulk & Organic Deals on Dirty Dozen Foods

Places like Azure Standard and Country Life Natural Foods offer many good deals on organic and bulk purchases.

For example, grapes are on the dirty dozen list so naturally raisins have been tested positive for quite a few pesticide residues. However, you can get organic raisins from Country Life for just 10¢ more a pound (when you buy them in bulk ) than you can purchase regular raisins at Aldi.

Given how many raisins my kids eat, I’m quite happy to be able to find organic raisins for just a few cents more than regular!

We used to eat apples all the time, but since they’re number #1 on the Dirty Dozen list I’ve cut way back on the amount of regular apples I buy. However, the local health food store frequently runs sales on organic apples. Check to see if yours does too! (Someday I really hope to have our own!)

Choose Gratitude and Don’t Stress

People have been looking for the elixer of life, that will grant them long life, for ages. They’ve yet to find it.

Sin and death are part of this world. No amount of organic food is going to give you or your children eternal life. The fact that we have food to put on the table is a huge blessing that many women throughout history have not had. Choose to be grateful, even if your apples aren’t organic!

After all, “a cheerful heart does good like a medicine!”

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Linked up at Mama Moments, Growing Home, Encourage One Another, Healthy 2Day, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways,Works for Me, Wild Crafting Wednesday, Walking Redeemed, Our Simple Country Life, Proverbs 31, Natural Living, & Simple Lives

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Natural Ways to Combat Insomnia During Pregnancy

How (& Why) to Propagate Houseplants