Raw, Baby, Love

Changing Course

2009-06-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

OK, this juice fast strategy is not working. I think the number one issue is that I am constantly providing and preparing food for Sebastian. Its requiring a level of will power I am just not ready for.

Trying something new. Increasing my raw food consumption coupled with some supplements to recover my energy and get into balance. Tracking what I eat. Exploring feelings and behaviors. Starting now.

AM - Coffee with teecino & almond milk
Since starting a week ago, I am now on about 1/2 and 1/2 and have cut out the majority of afternoon pick me ups.
- Smoothie: Orange juice, 1/2 cup strawberries, tsp. spirulina, tbsp. B complex, tsp. bee pollen. Feel fantastic after drinking this.
- prepared salad greens for after return from our Friday play at friend's home. Every week they provide fresh-baked (like that morning fresh-baked) spelt bread. I don't forsee abstaining from the warm fresh baked filled with love bread. Going to go for it, but will have the greens ready to easily throw together the salad when I return home.

Day 2

2009-06-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

AM

2 ounces strong green juice w/ stinging nettle, kale, apple, lemon, celery, cucumber

Coffee: 2 tbsp. organic coffee, 2 tbsp. Teecino coffee replacement

1 quart orange juice.

We're getting ready to go blueberry picking. Let's just say there is no way I am not going to eat them, but I really want to get out there while the weather is still nice, so I am not going to postpone until next week. I don't mind the cleanse going a little longer for the sake of a few blueberries. Looking at last year, I notice a little trend here. Could the patterns be any more obvious?? However, I can do nothing but celebrate a pattern of blueberry eating!

Salad Days of Summer

2009-06-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Oh the abundance of summer on the Central Coast of California. I am amazed every time the farmer's markets start over flowing. I hope I never stop being surprised!! Here is Sebastian enjoying salad of avocado and cherry tomatoes last night (our last meal together for a week!) We followed with cucumber slices topped with a pesto made of fresh, green garlic bulbs, just picked basil and locally grown pistachios - still just a tad bit soft from only being out of the shell a short while...

Day 365....

2009-06-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well looks like its been almost an entire year since my last post. And, I am back again posting because I've been inspired to do another cleanse...I can't tell you where I got off track last year or why I didn't stick with it, or how I am back at square one again, because I didn't document, well, anything really over the last year. Been working, cleaning, caring for, loving the child, supporting Enrique as he grows the ice cream biz (as well as I can until I reach my limits of human capacity for 24/7 round the clock work). Been involved in some community activities that have been great. Made some amazing friends. As I reflect, I know that I am loved and blessed. Don't always feel that way in day to day life.

I am seriously addicted to coffee! Its at the point now that its no longer a choice, its a compulsion. Not a good thing emotionally or physically. So, that's part of the inspiration to cleanse, too. Weaning off the crutch. Finding my natural energy. Losing a few pounds would be a nice bonus.

I started taking a Liquid B complex about 1 week ago. It feels like a fog has lifted from my brain. I suddenly am seeing "things" through a more clear (perhaps just less foggy) lens. A little light in the back of my consciousness flickered on and illuminated the realization: Tiffany, you need a change and a transformation....

So, logging on that I might keep track of my progress, I am happy to see that I wrote about what I was doing a year ago...I think it will be a great motivator this time around. Don't really want to turn around in another year and see that I am stuck in a rut 365 days later...

Day 1 (redux)

AM

1/2 cup of green juice courtesy of Enrique
1 cup of coffee, black

Nursed the babe

1 cup of green juice blended with spirulina, bee pollen

Afternoon

1 cup of orange juice blended with a few strawberries
finished off the quart of green juice, with liquid B complex added

Evening

A few bites of what Sebastian was eating: strawberries, pistachio pesto, sprouted garbanzo beans.

green sun tea, water

Days 2 and 3

2008-06-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

Its not officially a juice feast yet! We are still easing into things around here. Especially today when I was obliged to keep a commitment to my mom's group and go blueberry picking with the babes. If you've ever had blueberries fresh off the bushes, you understand why it was important that I wait just one more day...

Day Two (Monday)

Early morning: ~ 12oz. Orange Juice
(Shared with Sebastian)

Late morning: 8 oz. almond milk banana smoothie (light on the banana)
(shared with Sebastian)

Throughout the day: 3 8 oz. jars orange juice
(Sebastian: 1 banana, 1/2 avocado)

Late afternoon: enema

Late afternoon / Early evening: 1 blended soup of avocado, carrot, tomato, bell pepper, cucumber (shared with Sebastian)

Sebastian nursed approximately every three hours

Day Three (Tuesday)

Early morning: 8 oz. orange juice (Sebastian had a sip)

Late morning: 1 quart green juice (Sebastian drank ~ 4 oz.)

Later morning
Blueberries all around!!

Late afternoon: Blended soup of avocado, cucumber, carrot, tomato, bell pepper
(I enjoyed this during Sebastian's nap)

Early evening: more blueberries - oops, bad combining and I am noticing it, too.
(Sebastian - 1/2 banana, 1/2 avocado)

Sebastian nursed about every three hours.

Please make sure to read my disclaimer if you are considering a cleanse or juice feast while nursing.

Juicy!

2008-06-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Here we are the last time there was a major juice activity in the house. This photo was taken on Thanksgiving. Enrique was in the second month of his yearly juice cleanse. I did about three days around this time and was eating a high-raw diet. Before Sebastian started crawling, I was doing yoga with him at least 2 times per week, walking with him in the stroller almost daily and generally in much better health. Sometime since the beginning of the year things got hectic and I have gone way off track with my health. I think I've probably gained a good 5-7 lbs. in the last three months. At this point I think I am about 25 lbs. overweight and my energy is very erratic.

In honor of summer, Enrique and I have embarked on another juice adventure! I will be juicing and continuing to nurse Sebastian. Contrary to many rumors about the dangers of juicing while nursing, this is actually a safe practice. The breasts are not a detox channel, and the body has safeguards in place for our babies during times of hardship. As I experience my female body in all its possibilities, nature continues to amaze me.

I began yesterday with a few gentle meals and juices.

Early Morning - 8 oz. orange juice

Late Morning - 1 quart kale, apple, celery, cucumber
(shared with Sebastian)
Dry Brush, shower

Afternoon - 8 oz. smoothie
almond milk with coconut water, banana, raspberry
(Sebastian - almond milk with filtered water, banana)

Late afternoon - 1 blended salad
avocado, spinach, carrot, celery, cucumber, dulse, lemon, sea salt, olive oil

Early evening - steamed carrots
(Sebastian - one avocado)

Energy - Great! It was 108 in Ojai today. Not much physical activity besides a few crunches with the pilates ball.

Nursed approximately every three hours.

Please see my disclaimer for more info on my history and juicing while nursing.

Juicing Disclaimer

2008-06-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm adding a disclaimer here because I know there are many people out there who are concerned about toxins in the breastmilk when juicing while nursing. There is strong evidence of toxins passing into the breastmilk and being ingested by a nursing baby. Of particular concern are PCBs, dioxins and other highly toxic chemicals that are more of a reflection of your environment than levels of personal toxicity. Please read this article for more information on toxins in breastmilk and what we can all do to lower the amount of these toxins in our bodies, a benefit to our babies and ourselves.

If you are new to a raw diet or juice cleansing and you are still nursing your baby, I recommend starting out slowly with a high raw diet and moving into a raw food diet. You will notice an incredible amount of benefit from this practice. If you want to speed things up a bit after a few months being 100% raw, replace one or two meals with juice. For those who are completely new to raw foods, Alissa Cohen offers excellent advice for women (and men, too!) on the transition to raw foods and transitional foods that are both delicious and filling -- important while nursing!

For children over the age of one year: Keep feeding your baby! Don't start replacing baby's meals with juice. Sebastian has always had a morning meal of juice. He is a raw baby.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my philosophy regarding raw transition, juicing, or cleansing while nursing. I do not claim to be an expert in the raw diet or nutrition and I do not offer medical advice. I can only tell you what I have learned from talking to experts and through my own experience.

My history:
I went from SAD to 100% raw overnight in April of 1999. I stayed 100% raw for two years. In 2002 I began eating cooked vegan food again. I have been 100% vegan and high raw since that time. I became pregnant in September of 2006. I had a vegan pregnancy, with my last month of pregnancy being 100% raw. The first three months of my son's life I was 100% raw. After that time I began adding some cooked vegan foods to my diet. My son is now one year old and has eaten a mostly raw diet since birth. I gave him some rice during the winter and immediately he began getting colds. He has had no cooked food since that time and is now in perfect health! He has six teeth, he began walking at 12 months and is in approximately the 50% for his weight and height. He nurses about every three hours round the clock.

Happy Birthday to You!

2008-06-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

Sebastian's raw vegan birthday cake

This was the easiest cake ever! I blended bananas with blueberries poured it into a spring form pan and frozen. The stars are blended bananas that I poured into a shallow baking tray and put in the freezer then cut out with a cookie cutter. My family called it "smoothie cake."

Restoration

2008-03-03T20:16:00.001-08:00

If you're anything like me, your kneejerk reaction to this photo would probably be anger, disgust. Giant backhoe in the middle of an open field, next to a beautiful oak tree. Tearing up the ground, raping mother Earth -- this is a job for the monkeywrench gang!

Actually this photo represents something of a metaphor for what I have been experiencing lately. This field here is in the middle of a wonderful and transformative healing process. Right now looks as though its being helped through some of the crisis stage.

We live directly behind this field. We were enjoying some warm evenings last month so I opened the back door and suddenly we heard the most beautiful sound of hundreds of frogs singing out in the field. Now, I have lived in this neighborhood on and off for about four years, and that is a new sound altogether. The frogs have returned to the field because the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy is restoring this ordinary field (also known as the Ojai Meadow) back to its original state in nature, which is a wet marshland. So, that sound was like the heralding of this wonderful healing for the ecosystem that was plugged up and planted over for so long. And that is what all the heavy machinery is about. Because to just let the field lie fallow would not actually restore it to health. Which reminded me, sometimes you have to tear down what's in place in order to make things right again.

Breakfast

2008-03-01T12:17:00.001-08:00

Green Smoothie!

Thinking about what is appropriate to feed the baby has helped me take notice of my own eating habits. I want to be able to share our food with him, so the simpler we eat, the easier it is for all of us. This morning we three enjoyed a blender full of banana romaine smoothie. 2 bananas, a head of romaine, and 1/2 cup water for consistency.

Paella

2008-02-28T21:31:00.001-08:00

Look what arrived at the market, just in time to add to my paella dish.
When you visit the Ojai Sunday market, check out Frank's family's stand. I don't know the farm's name, but its right next to B.D.s (the herb and greens farmer). They always have the first of the summer beauties like these little gems. He even has a few strawberries right now.

To make this paella, I started with Freshtopia's inspired recipe and made a few very minor changes. No farmer could convince me their turnips were as mild as I would prefer (not a big turnip fan) so I used jicama in place of the turnip and I dehydrated the mixture for two hours to remove some of the moisture. I also added red bell pepper strips to the mushroom marinade and dehydrated both of those for a bit to concentrate the flavor. It was fabulous. Wouldn't it be fun to do a Spanish night with tapas, paella, sangria, almond ice cream? I'll probably find the time to accomplish that when Sebastian is thirty or so...

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-02-23T12:49:00.002-08:00

Sun Burger

E. made secret recipe sun burgers for my birthday! And I took a photo with my new camera! Yes, I am so excited!

I haven't posted in a while and I am thinking about what I would like to say about that, so I'll discuss in my next post. In the meantime, I am making raw PAELLA for the SB potluck tomorrow. That was a dish I looooved. Here is the link to freshtopia's video recipe: Enjoy.

More on Nursing

2008-02-19T13:34:00.000-08:00

www.thegardendiet.com

Check out Jinjee's new ebook on the yoga of nursing. Sounds like she knows exactly what I am talking about regarding nourishment, comfort and our relationship to food. Her littlest, Yarrow, is two days younger than Sebastian. And if you come check out the Santa Barbara raw meetup (link) you can meet raw baby Theo. He is two days older than Sebastian. We raw mamas were having some fun in August 2006. Sorry if that was crude, but hey! That's nature.

Baby Love

2008-02-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

Changes

2008-02-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

Sebastian teething on celery - his favorite!

If the hints are any indication - I am getting a new digital camera (with video!) for my birthday. So needed, as you can tell by the quality of the photos on this blog. My birthday is the 17th of February. I will have done the solar loop 31 times. I have some pretty strong intentions for the next thirty years. Truthfully I hope most of them are radically different from the first thirty. There were some pretty rough years in there. Some good ones, but overall the bad outweighed the good. I know that will be different when I look back at age 6o.

Sebastian is changing so rapidly. He's now crawling. He has two teeth and a full head of hair. He has a very strong personality. He has a mesmerizing smile and an infectious laugh.

I received a wonderful email from a woman on our raw meetup group asking what I was doing regarding Sebastian's diet. She was impressed at how healthy he looks. That was gratifying. He is super healthy and I try to keep him as looking as normal as possible. Most of the other moms in my mother's groups have no idea what I am up to, I don't even advertise the fact that he has never been sick. All the other babes have at one time or another come down with myriad different types of illness. He did get a stuffy nose once, but that was due to some extenuating circumstances. Flooding in the house during a storm. I think it stirred up some nasty mold in here, the house is pretty old. We had it all cleaned up and dried out and since then - nothing! Amazing.

What I've been doing lately is breastfeeding him. He has had no solid food in over a month, with the exception of a few little tastes. When he was 6 months, we started a routine of pureed soft fruits and veggies at about noon. I had begun feeding him because he was so interested in what I was eating. But, he quickly grew tired of that. So, I just kept nursing. And he stopped showing interest in my food. And he keeps gaining weight, his coloring is good, and he is right on target for all the developmental milestones. So, that has been working well.

Then, his digestion changed this week (in regards to the amount and timing of output) so I decided that he may need to try again. I picked up some bananas and the wonderful avos that have appeared at the market -- at last. So, today he had a couple of bites. He's not all that interested, but I am going to keep offering and see where that goes.

Be Comforted

2008-02-01T13:05:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food. Using food as comfort. If these phrases conjure up some negative associations in your mind, you are not alone, especially in the many health food and dieting circles and the raw foods movement. I've often read that food should not be used as a comfort, should not be eating to soothe the pain, that we should not eat for emotional reasons. That it is unhealthy and we need to do whatever we can to rid ourselves of the crutch of food and start eating for purely nutritional reasons. Once we can do that, we will be free of that ball and chain of FOOD and on the path to purity and paradise.

I've read that I need to wean my baby from nursing himself to sleep and from waking in the night to eat mother's milk. Because he is only doing it for comfort. For emotional reasons. He is using it as a crutch. Other moms tell tales of listening to their babes cry through the night as these mothers cover their own ears and cry themselves to sleep all in the name of yanking away that crutch of food, teaching their babes to get through the night without their comfort food.

Here I tried to find a picture that wasn't too severe in order to illustrate some thoughts that are going through my head. I hesitate to say "illustrate my point" because I don't think I hae one, just a feeling, an impression. That there is something not right about being so afraid to be comforted by food.

(This isn't Sebastian. This is an image I took from the web. )

Those of you who have ever nursed a hungry baby, you know what it means to comfort someone. It is a primal and intense feeling, and if my imprints serve me I can only imagine the depth of the comfort that the babe is feeling each time they come to the breast to eat. When I am breastfeeding my baby, I can't imagine anything more natural and normal than he fill his belly and be comforted. So then, how does this feeling get convuluted as we grow, to turn into a neurosis that we must cure ourselves from through discipline? Why are we projecting this onto our tiny little ones, those who have not even been out of the womb as long as they were in?

I say rethink comfort. Rather than try to divorce that feeling from the act of eating, which--if it is so ingrained in our very cells through all human history, as I do suspect it is--embrace it! Use food as a comfort. How can we not? How can we feel that hunger and that need and then upon satisfying it say that there is no comfort in that act? How can our core not quiver with the memory of hunger and being comforted by the mother's milk (for those of us who were so blessed)? -- crucial, life-sustaining, comforting food. Like trying to fix your relationship with water through purposeful dehydration. Impossible.

I am a fan of juice cleansing and fasting. In fact, I can't wait to do one once the babe is weaned. I mean, I am so excited I am planning it now -- years out. But, the next time, I am looking forward to approaching the experience as a mother, as a nourisher and as a comforter. In the meantime, when I do eat, I intend to give thanks to my own mother Gaia for sustaining me with her bounty of food, comfort and love.

New and Fresh

2008-01-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

The obligatory new year post! Had to do it since I haven't posted since November. All are well. Enrique is on his almost third month of a juice cleanse, which he usually does once a year. Baby is inspiring and incredible, as he has more than doubled his birth weight while eating only mother's milk, with the exception of some pureed solid food every three or four days since his first bite on Thanksgiving. And more than growing, he is thriving. He has totally avoided all the colds, fevers, and infections that come with the season and that afflict all the other babes we know. I'm sure it helps that E. and I are never or rarely sick.

Ice cream is a blast! I am so happy we decided to make the jump to selling the ice cream, rather than just enjoying it ourselves as we have done for the last two years. It is just so much darn fun to share the yumminess with others and has introduced us to new and wonderful people. The buzz right now is for the "premium pints" made with macadamia cream. At $15 a pint, I did not think they would sell, but listed them to make the $12 pints seem more reasonable by comparison. I soon learned that when the cost truly reflects the quality and love that go into the product, it is not necessarily going to be an issue.

On a personal note for mama, 2008 is the year for fierce dedication to raw bliss, yoga body and deep, aerobic breathing in the open mountain air. I feel inspired, full of love, and ready to make it the best year ever!

2007-11-08T00:13:00.000-08:00

HAPPY FALL!

The Food

2007-08-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

So much of what I've been doing lately with the raw lifestyle is centered on the recipes. I know this will change soon because one of us is going to hit recipe overload. (Actually, Enrique will hit it first, but then I will keep pushing the envelope.) But, right now I am not juice feasting, not fasting, not setting any food goals, and honestly, it's hard to tell how I really feel since my entire life has been revolutionized. I'm just satisfying the hunger and then turning around and letting the little one suck half of the nourishment right out, and going right back to the kitchen again.

In addition to being so hungry, its difficult to go outside right now. Besides being almost 100 degrees in Ojai, we have to contend with the Zaca fire. Here is a picture a friend of mine took from her backyard in nearby Montecito:

So, yeah the air quality is disgusting right now. Might as well stay holed up inside with my recipe books and trusty dehydrator.

As for baby?

He just grows and grows. Right now, he is in the 50% for his height and weight. I don't have exact measurements today, but I'll do a post on his specifics in the future.

Because I'm spending so much time preparing yummy foods, I decided not to separate the recipe blog from the main blog. I'll leave the link to past recipes, but from now on, I'll just post what I'm doing here.

Last night I made a huge batch of Russell James' Mediterranean Almond Bread. I turned half the recipe into pizza bread by topping it with Juliano's Exquisite Marinara recipe and dehydrated that overnight. Here it is in it's first incarnation:

Its actually really yummy alone as a snack, but just for fun I'm going to throw some toppings on there and see where that takes me.

How Many Boyz are Raw?

2007-08-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

New anthem for the raw ladies:

Link

Can We Be Successful on a 100% Raw Vegan Diet?

2007-08-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

I've just spent a couple of days in conversation with a sweet friend about the possibility of having long-term (I mean decades) of success, being full of energy and in healthy bliss on a 100% raw vegan diet. No raw animal products, no steamed veggies. But, that holy grail of the raw movement: all raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

There are myriad books saying it is so, and all the speakers and constultants and gurus will counsel you that it is the way to paradise health. But, the truth of the matter is, many of the experts are not always following these guidelines. Everyone seems to be incorporating this or that into their diets, while still holding Raw Food up as the ultimate in perfection.

I was "raised raw" in a time and place where my raw friends were wearing the "Cooked Food is Poison" T-shirts espousing a "Raw is Law" philosophy. These days, moderation seems to be the buzz word and everyone is throwing around their percentages.

Yet, still I run into so many people that seem to be struggling. And I guess since I've been doing this for a little while and my partner is so darn successful on the diet, people ask me questions that I don't know how to answer.

So, I keep seeking. I know the success stories are real. I like to believe it is possible. And that is why I am so grateful baby has come into our lives at this moment. Because I don't know that we will see the truth in this generation. We're so wounded and clogged and confused that the journey becomes long and hard. We get lost. We give up. But, the information is spreading so exponentially and as we pass it along, we'll see individuals like Sebastian who have the opportunity to try and make it work from step one with a clear road map and clarity of vision.

So, I guess my advice is: Keep trying. Pass the information along to your children, or children you know. Don't let the heart of the message get lost in the confusion and the chaos. Hold the flame. Allow yourself flexibility and compassion, but don't give up the faith.

My Chubs, My Lovely Baby Chubs

2007-07-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

I wonder if he's getting enough nourishment?

Hungry Mommy

2007-07-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

I've never been so hungry in my life. I've always been a big eater, but I have never eaten so much, so often. Now, I know this is totally normal for a nursing mother, but it has come as a surprise just how much food I need to keep me going through the night. Even as a cooked vegan, I usually didn't need more than a juice or a smoothie before noon. And I guess since I had so many digestive challenges during my pregnancy that kept me from really being able to eat large amounts of food, I just wasn't prepared for the hunger that followed.

So, my daily (food) regimen now looks something like this:

7am - glass of Thai coconut water
10am- glass of green juice (if Enrique has been so sweet as to prepare some) or fruit and coconut water smoothie with green powder
11am - bowl of fruit (cherries, strawberries, durian) or
1/2 pint Enrique's ice cream (coconut-based)
12 noon - small salad (with avocado or nut-based dressing)
2or3 pm - couple handfuls macadamia or brazil nuts, or a small dish of olives
6pm - large salad or a recipe, if I've prepared one

The best part is, I get to flex those recipe muscles. I absolutley love to uncook, but in the past, I've settled for fruit or a salad. Now, I'm getting creative because with all this food I'm consuming its easy to get bored. So, in the past two months I've had a lot of fun. Here's just a few of the recipes I've been entertaining my palate with.

Fettucine Alfredo
Zucchini & Bell Pepper Noodles w/ Olives and
Mac Cream Recipe from Juliano's Raw

Caesar Salad
Dressing Recipe from Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food

Healing and a Happy Baby

2007-07-10T18:15:00.001-07:00

Baby will be six weeks old on Thursday and he is thriving. I, on the other hand, am only just now feeling like a human being again. After healing from the birth, battling what might have been thrush, and winning over mastitis including two days of over 101 degree fevers, I am finally back to my pre-birth energy levels. I can't really say I notice a huge difference in my energy due to the raw food, but I have made it through the various healing crises with relative ease.

As far as my month-long healing process, I mentioned before the coconut water cure for the stinging pee. Vaginal healing also included ice packs for my perineum and bed rest for at least a week.

After about week two I began to experience extremely sore, cracked and bleeding nipples with incredible pain associated with nursing. I would compare this pain to glass being sucked through the nipple with each let down. The catalog of symptoms all pointed to candida more commonly known as thrush. I treated this with grapeseed extract swabs for both myself and baby, along with Motherlove nipple salve, and ridiculously frequent laundering in vinegar of everything that would come in contact with my or baby's skin. And, I basically went topless for two weeks and got my nipples in the sun as much as I could. Thought about cutting out sugar, but there was just no way I could go without the calories. I am absolutely ravenous. Finally, that abated and I began to feel less discomfort.

Then suddenly one morning I developed a high fever, terrible aches and pains and a rock solid lump in my right breast. Mastitis. I was terrified I would end up on antibiotics. But, with google to the rescue I was able to treat the infection with bed rest, hot and cold compresses and frequent nursing. The infection was gone in about 36 hours, but the incredible aches and tension in my neck and shoulders persisted even through Enrique's most fierce massages and pressure points. I got really angry at this pain. I couldn't stop myself from railing into Enrique and taking all my suffering out on him for any little thing I could think of. Everything he did hurt my feelings, and even though I knew it was just this month of constant pain talking, I was angry and resentful at him. I was really becoming dark and depressed. I begged him to buy me some ibuprofen. That did not make him happy, but it was the most therapuetic thing I could have done. He bought me a bottle, but it only took one pill to make all the difference.

Imagine, I made it through birthing a child with not one drop of painkiller, and what finally broke me was knots in my shoulders. I realized however, it was the debilitating nature of chronic pain, one thing after another for a month straight. If I was not breastfeeding, I would have fasted and let my body heal the pain away. But, this was not really an option for me while I am sustaining this rapidly growing baby in addition to myself. So, I was able to turn to allopathic medicine. In a tiny dose, coupled with my continuing dedication to the raw food diet, it really saved my sanity. For that I am grateful, and it brings me compassion and understanding for those that suffer on a daily basis. It is an incredible challenge, and sometimes we have to remember that our "ideal" way of doing things might not be the solution for the moment. I took compassion on myself and I am so glad I did, because finally, one morning soon after that one little pill, I woke up feeling perfectly, amazingly, blissfully...normal. Hallelujah.

Baby took it all in stride, and as you can see, couldn't be happier. And, despite all the challenges, how could I be anything but happy? I mean just look at that laughing face. Too bad we couldn't bottle that and sell it as a painkiller!

Mother's Milk

2007-07-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

I went back to 100% the day Sebastian was born. It just sort of happened in a way that felt incredibly right for both of us. I had been craving cherries and peaches and wanted them available to eat the day of his birth, I even included it in my birth plan. I'd been waiting for them to appear at the farmer's markets and I knew they would be there by the time he arrived in early summer. So, I started nourishing both of us with the most luscious of cherries.

Having lived in Maui, I've had a thing for coconuts for a while now. But, I was pretty spoiled by that experience (that is, eating fresh, green, just off the palm coconuts that I open with my own machete every morning) and I haven't been able to stomach the shaved, white imported Thai cocos that most of us are so familiar with. Nonetheless, in my ecstasy/delirium, I started asking for coconut water at some point that first week postpartum.

A few days after drinking coconut water (and inexplicably loving it - again, didn't used to be able to stand the Thai coconut water straight) I discovered something totally amazing. In the morning, after my first glass of coco water, it doesn't sting when I peed. I'd had a small tear that my midwife said was not neccesary to stitch - so it had been stinging pretty bad whenever I'd have to pee, and I was doing so with the aid of a removable shower head to dilute it and ease the pain. I sort of experimented with this and realized that, yes, the coconut water did affect the pain associated with urinating. Enrique says it is the alkalizing nature of the coconut. I'm sure there is a scientific explanation, but I think of it as the pure magic of the coco. So, needless to say, we've been buying ALOT of coconuts. Now, I am healed of that particular challenge, but I haven't stopped drinking coconut water every single day.

I'd always known about the connection between the coconut and mother's milk, but never really paid much attention. I just loooooved coconuts. Now, as I watch my son thrive on the milk that is powered by this miraculous fruit; I am so in awe of the perfection of nature. He's only one month old, but after doing my google research on the benefits of eating coconuts while breastfeeding, I know that he is going to be able to fight off dis-ease and be supremely healthy. This has been an amazing gift and I am so grateful to my body for intuiting it.

Next on the plan is getting down to Mexico to find some fruiting coconut palms and a good machete.

Baby Boy

2007-06-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

The Cole-Candioti Family
Enrique, Tiffany and baby Sebastian

born at home in Ojai
May 31, 2007. 10:04 am.
7lbs. 13 ounces.