Some Wednesday humour - The 'Motherhood Experience'

Pumpkin Bread

This recipe I'm sure would be good for you Paleo junkies out there...it is really easy to make.

Snack Idea: Add a little almond nut butter and honey ~ YUMMY!

Ingredients:

450g raw grated pumpkin
4 whole eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt
pinch of nutmeg
60ml of coconut oil
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
300g of almond flour
1 tablespoon of honey
OPTIONAL: Pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top


Method:


Preheat your oven to 180 C
Mix your pumpkin, eggs, salt, nutmeg and oil together in a bowl
Add the almond flour, lemon juice and baking powder and mix well
Line a loaf tin with wax wrap
Spoon your mixture into the loaf tin and then sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top
Bake for 1 and a half hours but check after 1 hour, cooking time will depend on your oven and temperature.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before removing it from the tin.
Cool and enjoy as I mentioned above - with almond nut butter and honey.

Makes approximately 16 slices

9 reasons why Pumpkin is good for you

Fine lines..

Dreaded stretch marks...


The one thing I fear more than actually giving birth but alas I need to just grow a pair and simply think of stretch marks as my pregnancy service stripes. I sure am going to have earned them.


You see the thing is they say that between 75 and 90% of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks during pregnancy and I am telling you now I will be on top of that list of ladies waiting in line for hers. I am doomed!


Having a weight problem, or should I say a yo-yo weight problem through out my life I managed to obtain service stripes for being overweight and then thin and then overweight again. Although my current stretch marks aren't that visible unless you are up close, I am sure if I do not take the necessary precautions during my pregnancy I might be sporting some extra visible lines sooner rather than later.


Currently I haven't noticed any added stretch marks since being pregnant but from the minute I found out I was "having a baby" I started applying Bio-Oil in the evenings and Georen's Pregne Crème in the mornings as prevention is better than cure.


Ok, so you want to know what stretch marks are? Basically they are fine lines or in some cases not such fine lines on your body which can be reddish or even purple in colour when they first develop and then later on have no colour.


Why do we get these dreaded things called stretch marks? In life and in pregnancy women gain weight, some at a rapid rate and in pregnancy their stomach stretches rather largely to accommodate the growing baby and these changes cause our skin to stretch in excess. Some women have the luxury of having extremely elastic skin to accommodate for this stretching while others (me) don't. Overstretching weakens the skin and skin subjected to more stretching than it can handle will tear.


What could cause stretch marks?

• Genetic Influence
• Hormonal Changes
• Excess weight gain
• Nutrition - a decent diet, helps the elasticity of your skin
• Skin condition - dryer skin is less elastic than oily skin and therefore more prone to stretch marks

So here are a few ways you could limit the appearance of stretch marks.

• Eat a healthy balanced diet to keep weight gain to a minimum
• Drink loads of water
• Regular exercise
• Apply Bio-Oil twice a day

Also, I guess you shouldn't stress so much. If you are one of those people with skin that may be prone to getting stretch marks...embrace it, after all hearing your babies heartbeat for the first time and feeling tiny little kicks ( when I eventually get to feel that) will make your stretch marks...all worth it.

Source of image

The Lil Loxton Bump ~ Week 15

Dear Baby Loxton,

Apparently in fruit world you are now the size of an orange, mom loves oranges, well any fruit since having you in her tummy! I hope that you will love fruit as much as I do!

At only 15 weeks old - you must see how many gifts your granny and great granny have bought you! They are SO excited to give them to you when you arrive.

Love you loads

Your Mom

  

Week 15

I have had a really good week so far despite my hormones being on top form this week - I sat at my desk doing the ugly cry for a good solid 10 minutes before I could see out my eyes and manage to touch up my make-up and make myself look presentable enough for work...all because I got the quote from my gynaecologist for babies delivery...they say we worry half the time about things we need not even worry about ~ silly girl!


Other than that I still feel slightly nauseous if my tummy is empty and I need to feed myself and baby, so I make sure I stick to eating every two hours. Still feel as though I could sleep for dayyyysss.

How far along: 15 weeks

Baby fun facts: Baby measures about 11cm this week and only weighs around 56grams. Hold an orange in your hand - that is how big Baby Loxton is right about now! Cuuuttee, still so tiny!

Pregnancy weight gain: My work skirt is tighter and I refuse to step on that scale.The scale is the devil.

Sleep: Much better than before but this getting up three times a night to wee is the pits! YAWN and these crazy dreams...wow!

Food cravings: Nope....nothing

Food aversions: Still Chicken and anything salad!

Gender: Almost there...

Highlight of the week: Birthday parties, limos and loads of laughs with great friends.

Movement: Not yet...patiently waiting

What am I looking forward to: This bump actually looking like a bump and not a fat boep.

What I miss the most: My mind lol - preggy brain is creeping in fast!

Worried about: Letting my faith be bigger than my fears or should I say worries.

Most excited about: SO much to be excited about..where do I even begin!


Making use of: Bio-Oil, PregoMega Plus, Vitamin C, Supashape Diet Whey, USN Pure Protein, BCAA's, Pegasus Sleep and my PREGGY PILLOW.

 

Lil Loxton "Bump" (picture update)

The dreaded “C” word

Source of image

Yes that is correct ladies I am referring to CELLULITE…being a rather “big” girl my entire life and suffering with a weight problem for most of it, cellulite is something I have suffered with too.

"Oh, I SO enjoy that orange peel ripple effect down the back of my leg"…Said NO female ever!

No offence to anyone but even some of the thinnest woman I have seen have cellulite and ladies please do not be fooled by the pictures you see in Magazines…even Kim Kardashian sports that ripple effect! It is amazing what photoshop can do!

Every person is different but it seems though that my cellulite has doubled since that GP told me "Surprise you're pregnant" and it got me thinking WTfffffffff....


SO,after some research I have come across the following:

What is cellulite?
It is fat that collects in "pockets" under your skin. Collagen fibres that connect your fat to your skin can stretch, break down or pull tight,allowing the fat cells to bulge out - this then gives you cellulite or should we say that dimpled orange peel effect.

Aaaahhh - women are more likely to have cellulite than men, due to having more body fat that men - AWESOME!

Where is cellulite located?

It tends to be on the hips, thighs and your ass mostly but it can pretty much appear anywhere on your body, like on your arms, your stomach and even your knees.

What causes Cellulite?

There are too many factors to mention but some of them are genetics, diet and hormones...

SIGH...so I guess due to weight gain and hormones during pregnancy you may appear as if you have loads more cellulite than normal ( that totally explains it). They say after you have recovered from labour and birth you need to sort out your diet and exercise, drink loads of water and lose weight at a steady rate, yo-yo dieting may just make your cellulite worse.

I have found in the past though, eating clean and exercising definitely decreased my cellulite. So there you have it ladies, suck it up for now while you pregnant and tackle it in the postpartum period. ( That is of course if you are not part of the fortunate ladies who do not get such things as cellulite or stretch marks etc. there are a handful of you and I really envy you.)

 

Our own take of the Peanut Butter Bomb ~ Peanut Butter Pleasure

Peanut Butter Pleasure

So while Wayne was lazing by the pool over the weekend catching some sun, I decided to whip up a smoothie for each of us.

I used the following ingredients:

1 Serving of Chocolate Supashape Diet Whey
1/2 a Banana
100ml Fat Free Milk
100ml Cold Water
1/2 a Tablespoon of Peanut Butter (no sugar, no sodium brand)
Crushed Ice

Needless to say Wayne was licking his lips...yes, yes I know - Next Master Chef in the making lol ;)

Nutritional Value: (Per Individual Serving as per above recipe)
kCal - 285
Protein - 29.5g
Carbs - 27g
Fat - 6.9g

Exercise during pregnancy

This is something that I have been researching from the day I found out I was expecting. There are so many debates around this topic and so many different beliefs, so what do you do...carry on as normal?

The way I see it, please note I am saying "I" as I do not expect you to agree with me or attack me if your beliefs are different on this topic but like I said the way I see it is why should you change your exercise routine if you are not a high risk pregnancy and all is OK with the baby and with you?

Obviously keeping in mind to perhaps not overdo it in your first trimester, hell I could hardly lift my head on certain days never mind get my ass to the gym to try and train in my first trimester up until now really. Research says that you should now only exercise at 70% of your capacity but try to exercise AT LEAST 3 times per week

I am still lacking energy but I am now pushing myself to "do something" even if it is just cardio for 30min because...I am carrying a baby, I am not dieing. Also please note that I am listening to my body and if I feel that there is no ways I am going to get even 30min cardio out of myself then I will rest instead but I don't feel there is any excuse if you have confirmed with your gynae as to why you cannot

1. Eat Healthy 
2. Train like you used to but just keeping an eye on your heart rate of course

Exercising will increase the flow of blood and oxygen throughout your body, and improve your stamina, flexibility and muscle tone. All of these will be needed in the months ahead when you will be carrying the extra weight around your middle, and later juggling a baby, diaper bag and other essentials (aka Super Mom)

MY routine to help ME stay fit during MY pregnancy:

• Cardio - three times a week (for approximately 30 minutes) - For now I have been cycling but I am not sure if I will be able to do this in the months to come when I finally have a belly but it works for now.

• Core - twice a week

• Upper and Lower Body Strength Training - twice a week 

 

The Lil Loxton Bump ~ Week 14

Dear Baby Loxton,

The weeks just seem to go by way too fast!

Every day since finding out we are having you just feels like a lot of hurry up, we better get everything in order before the big day when you arrive and then a lot of wait, wait to feel you move, wait to find out if you are a boy or a girl...but hey, we have gotten this far which is just another blessing to add to the list of our blessings which YOU are top of!

This week you're apparently the size of a lemon! Besides mom's bleeding gums, sleepless nights and weight gain, everything is just golden! We can't wait for you to make your appearance but you can't blame us we are SO excited! I still haven't felt you move yet but hopefully I will soon.


I am so anxious to find out if you are a boy or a girl but that we have to wait a few more weeks for that.

PS: Hope Dad didn't wake you with his off key singing this weekend, he hasn't got the best singing voice he he he but he sure loves to talk and sing to you.

Love you already.

Your Mom

14 Weeks

 How far along: 14 weeks

Baby fun facts: Baby Loxton is stretching out from head to bottom he/she measures close on 9cm this week, weighs roughly 42 grams...about the size of a lemon. He/she is starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over his/her body called lanugo.

Pregnancy weight gain: Haven't weighed myself this week. To be honest I am too afraid to get on the scale. GROWING by the day!

Sleep: Sleeping, yes man...two great nights sleep out of a seven day week...we are getting somewhere and I swear it is because of this pregnancy pillow Wayne bought me!

Food cravings: Nope, unless you count my routine cheese and crackers for my morning snack and Iced water...it has to be crushed ice or water frozen slightly in the freezer.

Food aversions: Same same as last week

Gender: Stay tuned

Highlight of the week: Getting my pregnancy pillow. This is the BEST invention since sliced bread! Ladies do yourself a favour and invest in one of these pregnant or not pregnant who cares.

Movement: Nope nothing....I am so anxious to feel Baby move. Sometimes when I lay still I think I may be feeling something but I am sure this is simply my imagination because I want to experience that so badly. I am dieing to feel what it feels like!

What am I looking forward to: Some more energy.

What I miss the most: I guess I miss training like I used to, this lack of energy is kind of getting to me.

Worried about: My list is too long but I am just trying not to let "the list" bother me...Happy mom = Happy Baby

Most excited about: Feeling good again and finding out the sex of Baby Loxton at our next scan...can that day just hurry up already.

Making use of: Bio-Oil, PregoMega Plus, Vitamin C, Supashape Diet Whey, USN Pure Protein, BCAA's, Pegasus Sleep.

Our Veggie Patch

Watering our veggie patch and herb garden this morning made me feel proud and I thought I would share how great it is coming along.

We have bite size tomatoes until it is coming out of our ears, we have already shared them with the family as we don't want them to go to waste.

Some of the other fruits, herbs and veggies that you will find in our garden are Jalapeno chilli's( for dad to make me his special chilli sauce - YUM),peppadews,celery,rosemary,rocket,strawberries, green peppers and asparagus.

There ain't nothing like fresh veggies straight from your very own garden!

Pregnancy Eating Plan

From now on I will be trying my utmost best to stick to the following way of eating. I have tried to stick to this routine as much as possible thus far but then there have been those days where the only thing I could eat were carbs.TERRIBLE.

I find I need to eat every two hours to avoid the nausea.

Full tummy = Happy mommy and Happy baby.SIMPLE.

I no longer drink coffee, says the coffee addict, so I drink Rooibos Tea most of the time. I try to drink 2-3L of water per day(it has to be iced water from the freezer - another "craving"), I already pee about 1000 times a day so I don't need more than 3L to assist me with this matter.

I have eaten a few more "junk" meals than I should have, as I explained, carbs and oily food were my best buddies but I will now limit my intake of a "cheat meal" to once a week.

Nothing much should change as long as I eat 300 extra calories per day and if I find myself hungry have a healthy snack. :)

The main thing is - I need to listen to my body (and the baby) and feed it accordingly.

Dieting during pregnancy

Some of you have probably been wondering when I would be writing a blog about this topic. Due to my nausea and food aversions, dieting or healthy eating as I would like to refer to it has not been something I have been able to stick to. Most of the foods I used to eat I all of a sudden have wanted to avoid like the plague.

Due to both of my parents now being Diabetic, I have been told I need to watch what I eat as there is a high chance I could become diabetic if I don't stick to healthy eating habits and keep my weight at a constant gain and not gain weight,lose weight and gain weight like I have done almost my entire life.

It is inevitable that you will gain some weight during your pregnancy, this is normal but healthy eating during your pregnancy is one sure way to prevent unnecessary weight gain which you will struggle to lose after baby has been born and it can also lower the risk of diabetes.YAY for me!

Some points to follow to ensure healthy weight gain during pregnancy:

1. Eat a variety of foods, incorprate all the food groups into your "diet"
2. I know how hard it can be when you having cravings, try healthier treat options - limit your intake of junk food.
3. You are not eating for two.I repeat, you are not eating for two.Doctors agree that you should be eating about 300 more calories per day(so one extra meal) than you did before you became pregnant, that is all!
4. Eat loads of calcium rich foods. Calcium is very important when it comes to proper development of your baby. Aim for 1,000mg of calcium a day.
5. Your baby will take what they need from your body so it is important to supplement with the correct nutrients and vitamins during your pregnancy. This will keep you and the baby healthy.
6. Don't be too hard on yourself and allow yourself to gain weight! Pregnant women should gain somewhere between 11-16kg while pregnant, unless of course you were overweight before becoming pregnant, like I had gained weight before finding out I was pregnant so I therefore should watch my weight gain.

Please note that I don't claim to be qualified in giving advice I am writing from what I am researching and the stuff I am learning from word of mouth.

Second Trimester here we come! ~ Week 13

The weeks just seem to be going by really fast. Well, January went by really fast! Wasn't it just New Years day like the other day? Before I know it Baby Loxton has arrived! Gosh!

I feel like I am having this major internal battle right now between wanting these next few months to fly by and then wanting them to slow the hell down as I have SO much I feel like I need to do before baby arrives....STRESS! Right now I feel as though there is so much to do and so little time to do it in.

BABY = LIFE-CHANGING!

I must just say I have been feeling loads better this week. When I look back at the first trimester I want to cry because of how sick I felt and i feel like it is time wasted to really enjoy my pregnancy but that seems to be a thing of the past and now I can smile and try and enjoy every minute of this journey that I have left. YAY!

How far along: 13 weeks

Baby fun facts: Baby is the size of a peach! Is about 7cm long, weighs roughly 23grams. Can you believe that something so tiny is already forming vocal chords and teeth! Blows my mind!

Pregnancy weight gain: Nothing to report back this week, although I feel rather large but I will keep reminding myself  that it is not fat, it is merely my maternal storage system...I won't lie and say this makes me feel loads better but it will do for now...lol

Sleep: Sleeping, So so, minus the 3am bathroom breaks,  thanks to Wayne buying me some Pegasus Sleep

Food cravings: Everyone keeps asking me "So what are you craving"...sorry to disappoint guys and girls but nothing really.

Food aversions: Anything that moo's or clucks and salad.

Gender: Soon to be revealed...

Highlight of the week: Seeing our little Baby Loxton and hearing that heartbeat!!!

13 Week Scan of Baby Loxton

Movement: Still nothing. They say you can start to feel movement from week 16, sometimes later - everyone is different.

What am I looking forward to: The weekend. Work has been crazy busy and I cannot wait to relax and sleep. I am SO tired these days.

What I miss the most: Nothing really besides my flat stomach hahaha, it has been a good week so far, tiring but good :)

Worried about: Changing Gynae's, mine has decided to retire...great timing. Finances, this baby sure is costing us an arm and a leg but I need to let go of my worries and trust God on this one.

Most excited about: Officially being in the second trimester and feeling SO much better.

Making use of: Bio-Oil,Georen's Pregne Creme, PregoMega Plus, Vitamin C, Supashape Diet Whey, USN Pure Protein, BCAA's, Pegasus Sleep and Pegasus Morning Sickness Tabs

'The Lil Loxton Bump' ~ Week 8 to 12

It was so awesome to hear how much you all enjoyed reading or relating to my 'Unexpectedly expecting' post, some found it rather amusing and well I am just glad you all enjoyed reading about how we found out!

Since 2011 I have written mostly about fitness related items, my weight loss and my competition prep or the actual Bikini competitions I competed in. Some of my posts will still be fitness related but I have now decided to start posting about pregnancy related items, pregnancy updates and health, diet and exercise while pregnant.

We decided to start documenting 'The Lil Loxton Bump' and keep you up to date with the pregnancy. I will try keep you updated on a weekly basis and supply you with pictures every two weeks as this is what we have decided to do, only take pictures every two weeks up until week 20, then we will start taking weekly pictures.

As ALL of you reading this blog post know...I have struggled with my weight most of my life and after last comp, I gained a few kg's and well then PREGNANT happened! I always said I wanted to be super lean and fit before I fell pregnant but life clearly had other plans. I have since gotten over the fact that I am not thin in these photo's or Bikini comp lean and this is an important moment in my life and I want to be able to look back on it later and share it with baby when he/she is old enough. I think it would be pretty cool!

Anyways, here goes...

8 Weeks

10 Weeks

12 Weeks

How far along: 12 weeks

Baby fun facts:  Baby is about 5.5cm long, weighs roughly 14g. Baby is the size of a plum and can

                            close his/her fingers, curl his/her toes and clench his/her eye muscles.

Pregnancy weight gain: 2.6kg - I know at 12 weeks I should not have gained much but due to the carboloading during my nausea period, I managed to gain a whopping 2.6kg...shock horror!

Sleep: Sorry?! What is that? My sleeping patterns are terrible...YAWN! I miss my sleep.

Food cravings: Fruits, veggies (starchy veg) and granadilla lollies, but if I don't have those items I won't die so I wouldn't call them cravings as such, just what I am able to stomach. Oh yes and omelette's.

Food aversions: Anything CHICKEN or salad(lettuce and cucumber mostly)....Vomit!

Gender: We will find out soon ;) but I am convinced it is a boy and Wayne would like a girl. I think he is worried a boy might be "mommies boy" lol

Highlight of the week: Not feeling so nauseous anymore and the morning gagging while getting dressed for work has subsided! Praise the Lord! And of course all my foot massages from Wayne - can't take those for granted!

Movement: Nope, but I can't wait to feel baby move though!

What I am looking forward to: Our next appointment! Just want to make sure everything is ok :)

What I miss the most: Sushi and my flat stomach

Worried about: Everything! Now that I am not feeling as ill, I worry that something might be wrong. I worry if I will be a good mother. Little Miss Worry Pants

Most excited about: Moving into the second trimester and finally being able to enjoy this pregnancy. of course also finding out if Lil Loxton is a he or a she

Making use of: Bio-Oil, Georen's Pregne Creme, PregoMega Plus and Vitamin C, Supashape Diet Whey, USN Pure Protein and BCAA's