May 6, 2020

For a few weeks before my due date, I over-analyzed every movement and sensation I felt. With Connor, I just KNEW the second I went into labor that it was the real deal- the contractions just felt different than my Braxton Hicks. I kept telling myself that this time I would just know too, but I found myself paying extra attention to everything I felt. Probably because being in quarantine for 8 weeks didn’t leave me with much to distract. But sure enough, I woke up at 2am on the morning of May 6th (39 weeks pregnant exactly) when I heard Connor on the monitor, and right away I felt a small contraction and I knew it was time. I didn’t say anything to Kevin right away because I wanted us both to get some sleep, but after lying restless for about an hour, I decided to get in the shower and start double checking our bags in case things started to move along quickly. So at that point I let him know. Obviously, he couldn’t sleep either so he got up to do the same. My plan was to wait as long as possible before calling my dad to come get Connor since it was the middle of the night. By 5am, my contractions were about 7 minutes apart but not too intense. I was getting ready to call my dad, when I realized that 20 minutes had passed since my last contraction. I was confused, so I started to re-time them. 20 minutes. Then 7. Then 14. Then 6. What was going on? Was this false labor? But it felt so real. At around 7am we decided to go for a walk to see if we could get things moving along and more regular. It seemed to help, but when we got home things slowed down once again. I was so discouraged and wasn’t sure what to do. Do I call and get Connor where he needs to be? Or wait in case this isn’t real? At around 9, I decided to call my parents to come get him just to be safe, even though my labor was still super irregular. I am so glad I did because immediately after calling her my contractions ramped up- all of a sudden they were consistently 5 minutes apart and building in intensity. After Connor got picked up a half hour later, they were down to 4 minutes apart and we decided to head to the hospital.

The 20 minute car ride was brutal and I kept trying to breathe and relax my body through the contractions. I kept telling Kevin how I forgot how much labor hurts- those minute-long contractions feel like they last forever. We arrived at the hospital and went right up to triage. I was 7cm dilated and my midwife told me baby’s head was “right there.” It was such good news to me because it meant that a lot of my labor was behind me at that point. When I had Connor, I had a postpartum hemorrhage right after delivery. Because of my history, the plan was for me to have an IV port in place so that I would not be hooked up to an IV during labor and delivery, but if I did hemorrhage it was in place as a precaution. The nurses attempted to place the port three times before finally getting it on the fourth try. Not entirely their fault, I don’t have great veins. BUT, horrible when you are experiencing extremely painful contractions every 3 minutes or so and they are also digging at your arms with needles. Eventually they got it placed and we moved out of triage and into the delivery room.

Once in the delivery room, my plan was to labor in the shower. I had an unmedicated birth with Connor, and as that was my goal again this time, I fell back on what worked for me last time. I loved laboring in the shower with Connor- Kevin kept the hot water aimed at my lower back and it made each contraction (somewhat) more bearable.

This time, I was about to get in the shower when I just had this feeling that I didn’t have time. My contractions were very intense at this point and I felt like I wasn’t getting a ton of relief between them. I was “slow dancing” with my husband and breathing through them. I tried sitting on a birth ball but immediately stood back up because it was so uncomfortable. My water still had not broken. I knew from past experience though, that I could be ready to push and not have my water break. With Connor, I was 10cm dilated and fully effaced and my midwife asked if I wanted her to break my water so that I could start pushing. I just had an intuition that this was happening the same way- that I could be pushing if my water would just break. I asked my midwife if she could check my progress, and she let me know that I was “complete” and that she could break my water and baby would descend quickly. Wanting to do anything I could to stop the horrible contractions, I told her to break it. I pushed for 25 minutes and I won’t lie- it was excruciating. I had my husband next to me and I essentially wrapped my arms around his shoulders and burrowed into him as I pushed. When baby finally arrived, Kevin told me that she was a girl! We were both expecting a boy, so to hear we had a girl was such a wonderful surprise. She also had a full head of dark brown hair, which was also a surprise since Connor is blonde.

Thankfully, I did not have any issues with bleeding this time around. My midwife did give me pitocin in an IV as a precaution, and the nurses were fabulous at checking in on me throughout our 24 hour hospital stay. I did find out AFTER Margot arrived that she was “sunny side up”- which means she was facing up when delivered instead of facing down. I am VERY lucky we didn’t have any kind of complications and I’m not sure how I avoided the horrific “back labor” that I have heard comes with sunny side up babies. My midwife also was amazed that the delivery was quick. She told me that usually babies in that position take a LOT longer to push out. Thankfully, I did not have to endure pushing for an extended period of time (but my heart is totally with all the mamas who spend hours pushing- you are all amazing).

Throughout this pregnancy, I had so many fears that I wouldn’t bond with this baby like I did with Connor. So much of my heart is wrapped up in Connor, I didn’t know how there could be room to love another child the same way. But what everyone says is undeniably true- your love doesn’t divide, it multiplies. I cried as they placed our beautiful little baby girl on my chest and my heart was overflowing with love and happiness. My husband and I looked down at the baby we created together and it was every bit as magical as it was two years ago when Connor entered the world. I feel so close to Kevin in the moments immediately following delivery, too. Natural childbirth is HARD and Kevin is the biggest support for me. He listens to me, trusts me, encourages me, and does exactly what I need to help me through- even if I may change my mind about what that is 100 times throughout the process.

We are almost two weeks into life with our girl, and while we are super tired, we are also extremely grateful and enjoying being a family of four!

If you’re interested in more- check out Connor’s birth story!

As promised, here is my second healthy recipe that is perfect for Super Bowl Sunday (Go Eagles!!): Mini Whole-Wheat Burritos! These are ridiculously easy, fast, and use just a handful of ingredients. I was really pleasantly surprised with how well they turned out. They are also really easy to customize to your taste. If you’re vegan, use vegan “cheese” shreds. If you’re not vegetarian and want to add a little seasoned ground beef, go for it. The only thing I would suggest if you are adding beef is NOT to omit the beans. The refried beans have a creamy texture that helps told the burritos closed. I think without them you would have a hard time wrapping up them up.

Serve these with whatever toppings you desire! I like homemade guacamole, salsa, or plain Greek yogurt for dipping. Feel free to double the recipe if you’re serving a crowd! As written, this recipe makes 20 mini (appetizer-sized) burritos- which is a good amount for up to 10 people. Any more than that and I would definitely suggest doubling.

If you make these Mini Whole-Wheat Burritos, let me know what you think by leaving a comment! And be on the lookout for more healthy Super Bowl recipes next week!

Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 10 servings (2 “mini” burritos per serving)

Ingredients:
5 whole wheat tortillas
1 can vegetarian refried beans
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (store bought or homemade)
1/3 cup salsa
3/4 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese (or Mexican blend; can use dairy-free for vegan)
For serving: guacamole, plain Greek yogurt, salsa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
Using a pizza cutter, slice whole wheat tortillas into quarters so that you have 20 triangle-shaped pieces. Set aside.
In a medium pot, heat refried beans and taco seasoning over medium heat until warm and creamy. Off the heat and stir in the salsa.
To assemble the burritos, place about 1 tablespoon of bean mixture onto the long, rounded end of the triangle. Sprinkle a little cheese over the beans. Be careful not to over-fill or you will have a hard time getting them to roll up. Fold in both sides and roll towards the point. Place each burrito, folded-size down, on the foil-lined baking sheet. Continue with all 20 burritos.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until burritos start to brown slightly and they hold together when you pick them up.
Serve Mini Whole-Wheat Burritos with guacamole, plain Greek yogurt, and/or salsa.

Nutrition Information per serving (2 “mini” burritos):
Calories: 163      Fat: 5g       Carbs: 23g         Protein: 6g     Sodium: 500mg            Sugar: 1g

*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.

How is it the week of Thanksgiving already?! I feel like this month is flying by, but I’m not complaining. I love the holidays and Thanksgiving is definitely the kick-off of the winter holiday season. I’m continuing my Thanksgiving recipe series with today’s recipe: Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes. Tomorrow I am posting a recipe for vegan and gluten free Easy Mushroom Gravy—so make sure to cook up both recipes together!

Let’s talk more about these Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, though! Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite foods on the Thanksgiving table, but the calories and carbohydrates in potatoes can add up quickly. Subbing out some of the potatoes for cauliflower reduces the calories and carbs while also increasing vitamins and minerals. Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that has great nutritional value. It’s known to fight cancer, boost heart and brain health, help support detoxification and reduce inflammation. It also has a very creamy, potato-like consistency when boiled and mashed.

For this recipe, I used mostly cauliflower, but added a few regular potatoes to keep the dish more authentic. It is a holiday, after all! Potatoes do have health benefits on their own (high in potassium, rich in Vitamin C to name a few), so I definitely did not want to forgo them completely. I kept the flavor really basic because I made them to be served with gravy. If you’re not using gravy, you can add garlic or chives to amp up the flavor a little.

Give these Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes a shot this year! I know you will love them as much as I do.

NOTE: I do not peel my potatoes. It saves me time and I also truly do enjoy the taste and texture of mashed potatoes with the skin. If you like smoother, skin-less potatoes, simply peel before boiling.

NOTE 2: You can use regular milk and butter if you’re not vegan

Active Time: 20 minutes        Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 small head cauliflower
3-4 medium Yukon gold potatoes
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
optional ingredients: garlic, chives, etc.

Directions:
Fill a large pot with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, cut the florets off of the cauliflower, discarding the large pieces of stem. Roughly chop into 1-inch pieces. Wash the potatoes well and cut into 1-inch pieces. Carefully add the potatoes and cauliflower to the pot of boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces a potato.

Drain in a colander and add the potatoes and cauliflower back to the pot. Add the almond milk, butter, salt and pepper, and mash with a potato masher or mix with a hand-mixer (if using a hand-mixer, mix until creamy but be careful not to over-mix). Add an additional tablespoon or two of almond milk as you mix in order to achieve your desired consistency.

Transfer the potatoes into a serving tray and serve hot.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 105  Fat: 4g       Carbs: 15g           Protein: 2g      Sodium: 452mg          Sugar: 1g

*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.