I am excited to share James’ birth story with all of you, in hopes that my experiences will help other mamas feel confident and happy with their birth preferences, birth experiences, and any unexpected events that go along with the arrival of a baby. Unexpected has been a theme for me, for all three of my pregnancies. While, I had great and healthy pregnancies for all three of my children, towards the end of each one there was a little surprise we weren’t expecting. I will elaborate more on my first two deliveries in another post, but I wanted to focus on James’ story, as the experience is fresh.

As I was nearing week 34, I started to notice the familiar itching in the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet. This feeling has been something I had experienced when I was pregnant with both Charlotte and Lucas. It was the onset of Cholestasis of pregnancy, which is a liver condition. Not much is knows about the condition, but hormones changes that occur in pregnancy may slow down the flow of bile in the liver leading to a build up of bile in the liver and, eventually, the bile salts enter the blood stream causing itching. The first symptom of Cholestasis is intense itching and blood work will show elevated liver enzymes and bile acids. If you experience this, you should speak to your Midwife or OB right away, as there can be complications for the baby. There is no known cause of Cholestasis, there may be a genetic link and it is thought that hormonal fluctuations that occur during pregnancy may also lead to this condition. Good thing is that the minute your little one is born, the itching goes away and the liver enzymes should return to normal. I supported by liver between pregnancies in hopes of delaying the onset to later in the pregnancy or not having it at all. Each time, I was diagnosed around 35 weeks, which is great as research shows, the onset may occur sooner in subsequent pregnancies.

The itching wasn’t new for me so we stated protocols of monitoring the baby more consistently through NST and ultrasounds. Everything was going well, the itching wasn’t too bad, and we were waiting on blood test results for bile salts. This test can take 1-2 weeks to come back.

Week 35 rolls around, I am still continuing monitoring and doing well, feeling nothing out of the ordinary. On one of my visits to the midwife for an NST in their office, I noticed back pain when I got off of the examination table that almost felt like an ice cream headache in my lower back. It was intense! Only lasted about 5 minutes, so I thought it was just my back tightening due to pregnancy, and I was used to it living most of my life with back tension due to scoliosis as a child.

This pain continued in the night but was much milder; again, I just assumed it was normal pregnancy back pain (something I hasn’t experienced much in my previous two pregnancies). Friday morning (September 18, 2020) comes and I am 35 weeks, 5 days, as I get out of bed to start getting the kids ready for school, I felt a gush; it was a lot of bright red blood. So many things swirling through my mind, I couldn’t even think straight. We called the midwives and they told his to make our way down to the OTMH right away and they would meet us there. Longest car ride ever! I could feel James moving which was calming my nerves. We got to the hospital and were greeted immediately by nurses and the OB on call. They examined me, as the bleeding continued and decided I would have to be rushed into the OR for a caesarian birth, as it was a placental eruption. Again, not much time to think! We just did what we had to do so that James entered this world safely. Within thirty minutes of arriving at the hospital, James Anthony Handscomb was born at 9:56am. It was my second cesarean birth so I did know what to expect, but again, not the birth I had “planned.” It was ok; nothing mattered, as James was ok. We know how very lucky we are that he is healthy and that the bleeding was visible to know there was an issue. After James was born, he was placed on Chris’ chest for some skin to skin and then they placed him on me. After being on me for less than one minute he started to have trouble breathing. He was taken to the NICU to be put on a ventilator. After about 18 hours on the ventilator, he was ready to come off. Visiting the NICU was a challenge due to COVID as well as a challenge for breastfeeding. I was so thankful that I was able to express colostrum (with the help of my very supportive and loving husband) and we delivered syringes of the liquid gold to the NICU. I would make many trips through the day and night for feedings. After three days in the NICU, James’ breathing was stable, he was gaining weight and we were able to take him home!

None of my births were as I had planned or envisioned but I am thankful that all of my babies are healthy. I am happy to share my experiences in hopes that other mama’s out there may find it helpful as they walk their journey.

“Then suddenly my world was in my arms.

And it frightened me and calmed me all at once.

I had changed in an instant.

The day he was born, I was too.”

~ Jessica Urlichs

Am I Sick or is it Allergies?

While April showers (and apparently snow these days), bring May flowers, they also bring sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes. While we of course have had other things on our mind, allergy season has snuck up on us. With the concerns surrounding COVID-19 right now, any sneeze or cough can be concerning and cause a lot of anxiety. Therefore, it’s important for allergy sufferers to be proactive this season in getting their symptoms under control before the dandelions come out in force.

Is it allergies?

Common symptoms of seasonal allergies include runny or stuffy nose, itchy, red, water or swollen eyes and sneezing. You may also experience decreased energy, coughing or asthma flares, and headaches (especially in the sinuses). Overall it’s important to note that seasonal allergies will not cause body aches, diarrhea, fever or vomiting.

FullScript created a great comparison chart of when it may be allergies vs. a cold or flu:

*Please note that the symptoms for COVID-19 can vary and this information does not reflect symptoms of COVID-19 (the flu column reflects the annual influenza flu) and does not supersede any information you have received from Health Canada or any other government sources regarding COVID-19 symptoms and when to self-isolate.

What are allergies?

In spring, the biggest allergy trigger is pollen. Tree, grass and weeds release pollen into the air. Your body, when exposed to this pollen, then mistakenly identifies it as harmful to the body and mounts an immune response. This mounted immune response results in the symptoms we see as allergies.

What can be done for allergies?

With self-isolation, many individuals are spending a lot more time outdoors going for walks and other activities than they may have in the past. We want to ensure that you are able to enjoy this with minimal allergy symptoms!

Keep your windows closed. While I normally recommend opening the windows as much as possible to get fresh air into the home. For allergy sufferers, now may be the time to keep those windows closed for the next couple weeks. Allergies have a dose-response, meaning the more you are exposed the more symptoms you have – therefore, keeping windows closed will reduce your exposure to pollen within the home, allowing you less symptoms out of the home.

Avoid your food sensitivities. If you have foods that you know you are sensitive to, avoid these during allergy season (ideally we recommend to avoid your food sensitivities whenever possible, however, we realize that is not always feasible!) as they can exacerbate your environmental allergies.

Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain flavonoids, which are beneficial in reducing the amount of histamine released (histamine is a chemical produced by the body in response to allergy exposure – it increases inflammation and mucous production). Try to eat colourful fruits and vegetables. Set a goal of trying out a new vegetable each week during quarantine. Some of my favourites are sautéed bok choy, baked brussel sprouts and carrots or parsnips cut into fries.

Use a sinus rinse. Sinus rinses like the neti-pot can help reduce sinus congestion and the associated discomfort or headaches that can arise from this. *Please ensure to talk to your healthcare provider before starting this treatment as it is not for everyone. Also ensure to use sterile water (boil your water and allow it to cool before use – I recommend using the inner wrist to test that the temperature will be comfortable for your sinuses similar to how you test a baby’s bottle).

Nutrients and Botanicals. There are many nutrient and botanical options for assisting with allergies. Two of my favourite are vitamin C and quercetin. In conjunction these two nutrients have an antihistamine effect, reducing allergy symptoms.

*Always ensure to speak with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplementation to ensure it will be safe and effective for you.

Don’t want to be stared at when you sneeze in the grocery store? Need assistance beyond the items above? Book an appointment with your Naturopathic Doctor to get started on your allergy protocol.

Wishing you a sneeze free Spring,

Dr. Stephanie

Naturopathic Doctor

Who else is Quarantine Baking? I know I have been baking a lot more than I usually would be! I wanted to offer up a classic but healthified recipe. I love taking our faves from childhood and swapping in healthier ingredients, but of course, it still has to DELICIOUS!

I am using buckwheat flour and oat flour in this recipe. You can easily make both of these flours! And the best part, you don’t have to hit up five different grocery stores looking for flour!

The reasons I love these flours are that they are full of flavour, fiber, and still contain essential nutrients as they are not overly processed and stripped all their goodness.

Buckwheat can be purchased ready to use. Bob’s Red Mills has one. It is a darker flour in color. It is gluten-free, high in fiber, and has a deliciously rich, nutty, slightly earthy flavour, giving your baking more complexity and taste.

The oat flour balances very nicely with buckwheat, as it is lighter in taste. Benefits include, gluten-free (be sure to purchase oats made in a gluten-free facility if celiac), high fiber as well, rich in vitamins and minerals, and is excellent for lowering cholesterol and balancing blood sugar.

To make both of these flours, all you need is a good blender or food processor. Add the appropriate amount of each (separately) and blend till fine. When using in a recipe, be sure to measure the finished ground flour.

Here is my favourite banana bread recipe; it is:

-dairy-free

-sugar-free

-gluten-free

This recipe can be made into muffins as well!

(TIP- if using store-bought buckwheat flour, use 1 and 1/4 cup of the store-bought flour. If making your flour, use 1 and 1/2 cups of homemade flour)

Dreamy Banana Bread (or muffins)

1 to 1 1/4 cups – buckwheat flour
1 1/4 cups – oat flour
2.5 tsp – baking powder
1.5 tsp – baking soda
3 tsp – cinnamon
1/8 tsp – cloves (can skip)
3 large bananas mashed
1/2 cup nut or seed or oat milk
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2-3/4 cup-chocolate chips (optional)
Other mix-ins if you want- walnuts, pecans, seeds, etc
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix all the dry.
Then mix all wet, add to dry ingredients.
Stir in chocolate chips and other mix-ins if using.
Mix well, pour in a loaf pan (or a muffin tin)
Bake for approximately 45-50 mins, for a loaf. For muffins, 23-25 mins. Until toothpick comes out clean when tested.
Enjoy!
Follow me on Instagram @find_wellness for more healthy recipes and tips!

Michelle Vysohlid – Holistic Nutritionist

We are going through not only a hard time, but also a time like no other. We haven’t experienced this ever before. This means, there are no guidelines, no rules, no policies set in place to guide us through and advise us what to do. We are all in this together; each business, family and organization is trying to navigate the best way through this for them and their community. It seems like this came at a time when we needed it most. We are being forced to stay home, be with our immediate families and just be. Isn’t this what we have all be longing and asking for? With this big change, yes, comes the negatives, negatives that are felt by everyone, for me, as a small business owner I definitely feel the pressures of today’s circumstances but there is a silver lining to all of this. There are good experiences and lessons that are shining through the fog. I wanted to share some of those good experiences and revelations with you in hopes of shining some light on your current situation.

Firstly, as a working mom, during quarantine, I have been able to feed my children breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday and tuck them into bed every night, something I never was able to do when the clinic was open. I see this a gift, one that won’t last forever, but one that I will cherish and be grateful for.

Our environment has been getting a rest and a bit of a cleanse with less people using all forms of transportation, many factories and businesses being closed resulting in less pollution and improved air quality. Mother Earth is thankful.

Getting creative, I have seen so many people taking up painting, practicing a new skill such as crocheting, putting together a 1000 piece puzzle and trying out new sourdough recipes. Expanding our creative brains leads to many positive benefits. When we develop new ideas we are learning more about ourselves and how to trust and ourselves, learning new ways to solve problems and relieving stress. Being creative is fun and brings joy and having fun helps to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.

Mealtime as a family is something that is hard to accomplish during a busy workweek but is doable during quarantine. Studies have found that families that eat together are twice as likely to eat their daily-recommended intake of fruit and vegetables compared to family that don’t eat together. Not only is eating together more nutritious, but it also keeps the lines of communication open in the family unit, which is extremely important for growing children.

Fresh air, we have been getting more of it during the daytime hours since being at home. Right now, we have the luxury of going outside when our body tells us it is time for some air. This isn’t possible during a regular workweek. Cherish this! The weather is getting warmer and the sun is starting to spend more time with us, take advantage of this and just be outside.

These are just some of the small gifts that we have been given during this hard time. Now, not to say this is easy! It is definitely not for anyone. Everyone’s circumstances are different and we all handle change differently, but remember, we are all in this together and we will get through this together. Eventually this will end, but the lessons and experiences we learned and lived during COVID-19 will last forever. I have to tell you! I will never forget the time spent with my Quaran-Team.

“We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. But that is no true. Our time is first of all for us to be. To be what? To be alive, to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving. And that is what the world needs most.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Dr. Denise Handscomb, ND