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34 Essential Whole30 Staples to Make Life Easier
What Is Whole30? Welcome to this list of my favorite Whole30 staples! You might be wondering what exactly is Whole30. Whole30 is a 30-day reset that focuses on eating delicious whole foods. Several types of foods are eliminated during the reset, but they are reintroduced after 30 days. The purpose of Whole30 is to reset sugar cravings and unhelpful food habits, and learn what foods might be causing issues for you. You can find everything you need to know about the Whole30 here – from the rules to shopping lists, recipes, to a calendar. Are you joining the September Whole30? Let me know in the comments! What Do I Need…
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22 Helpful Miscarriage Support Items
Although approximately 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in loss, going through a miscarriage is not something that anyone really expects to do. It’s beyond time that miscarriage care is normalized. These are just a few miscarriage support items that are good to have in case of, during, and after a miscarriage. Depending on the type of miscarriage (missed miscarriage or spontaneous), you may or may not have time to gather what you need, so it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. If you’re finding this page because you’re currently going through a miscarriage, I’m so sorry. It’s an incredibly unfair and difficult thing to go through. My hope is this list…
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Miscarriage and Abortion: How a Devastating Miscarriage Made Me Pro-Choice
As someone who struggled to get and stay pregnant, you might think I'd be angry at the thought of someone terminating a pregnancy. But my experiences have only made me more compassionate to women who find themselves faced with a difficult choice.
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A letter to myself, in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
A letter to myself. To the version of myself going through recurrent miscarriages: Let me just cut to the ending, because I know you can’t stand the suspense (if this were a movie, you’d be googling the plot by now): you have a son! He’s healthy, he’s alive… He’s here. Now that you know how this ends, let’s go back to where you are now. I see you, sitting on the floor of the porch. It’s nearly spring, but it’s cold. A mix of snow and rain coat every surface. You feel anything but cold, as hot tears fall. They won’t stop, and you don’t know if they ever will.…
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Day 31. (whole30 update)
It’s day 31! I have so much I want to share about my second round of whole30, but I don’t think it will all fit in one post. There have been non-scale victories, scale victories, habits transformed, and so much less stress when it comes to food. Honestly, though, all of the “results” are still in progress. I finished the 30 days, and have begun the reintroduction process (which will take another 2 weeks). Beyond that is a lifelong process of intuitive eating and food freedom. I guess I’m not sure how to update and share results, because honestly there’s not really a conclusion. At least not now. But for…
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34 Essential Whole30 Staples to Make Life Easier
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Even Now
Hey, everyone! Just a quick update to say I have added a new design to Bonfire. This one will be available for 2 weeks and will also arrive in time for Mother’s Day. Click here or on the pictures to check it out! Here’s why I created this shirt: When I was going through my first miscarriage, I found great comfort in the story of Lazarus. Facing the death of her brother, Martha’s faith shone through as she told Jesus, “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” (John 11:22 ESV). Even Now. Those words were what stood out to me. I prayed…
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Every Mother Honored
I never really thought much about Mother’s Day until we started trying to conceive. It was always a big deal, especially having grown up in church. Sermons were given on the importance of motherhood. Women who were easily identified as mothers were asked to stand. On the way out, flowers and candy were distributed to the worthy. It always seemed like a sweet, simple way to honor the mothers who do much thankless work, and it is. But as I struggled to conceive and carry a baby to term, it became apparent that Mother’s Day is anything but simple. Bitterness, shame, grief, regret, anger, disappointment, annoyance…these are the emotions that…
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Thoughts on Whole 30 and Preparing for another round
So back in September 2017, Carl and I did a whole30 challenge. You can read my posts about that here. We learned so much from it and had really great results. At the time, I wanted to continue beyond the 30 days, but it never happened. I got pregnant as a result of that whole30, but miscarried soon after. Since then, I have: been pregnant three more times, miscarried twice, gave birth to our son, dealt with postpartum, hormones, anxiety, a pandemic, learning to parent, balancing work and motherhood and aforementioned pandemic, and finally have become a stay at home mom. And now, more than a year postpartum, I feel…
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34 Essential Whole30 Staples to Make Life Easier
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Anxiety After Loss
This post was written when I was about 4 months postpartum. I have since been in therapy and consulted with doctors regarding the anxiety and resulting physical symptoms. I still wanted to share for anyone who has dealt with pregnancy-, postpartum-, and/or loss-related anxiety. You’re not crazy, even if you feel like you are most of the time. You’re not alone. Help is available. Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor, partner, friend, or family member. I had my first anxiety attack a few days after finding out I was pregnant for the fifth time. I was sitting on the couch with my husband, listening to music, waiting to…
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Birth Story
It’s Vincent’s first birthday, so I figured it was time to share his birth story. I’m still amazed at the timing of it all. The experience was very full-circle and restorative for me. January 9th. Oh, that date had had many painful emotions associated with it. It was the day we physically lost our third baby. We had found out nearly three weeks prior that the heartbeat had stopped, and on January 9th, 2018, the miscarriage ended with an unexpected surgery. (You can read that story in my D&C posts). So, to say it was surreal to walk into the same hospital on the exact same day two years later…
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Now I Know: Getting Diagnosed With PCOS
