I took the birth classes, researched articles online, and read half a dozen books.... but nothing prepared me for child birth like CrossFit did.

My Story

Getting Pregnant. 
Some of you know that getting pregnant for us was not an easy task. We tried for over a year before I consulted a nutritionist and fellow CrossFitter to run some additional tests.  Unfortunately we found high levels of mercury and lead in my system that were likely the cause of our difficulty. In addition to a supplement regiment preparing me for chelation I was recommend to go on their offices version of the paleo diet.  We had been eating a modified paleo diet before, but never was strict about it as my goal was not to lose weight.  So the paleo diet and vitamin regiment began and within a month and a half I WAS PREGNANT!  Point one for CrossFit.  I would have never have known about Paleo or even been connected with a nutritionist with those ideals if it wasn't for CrossFit.

Progressing Through Pregnancy.
I personally feel one of to the most important things you can do during your pregnancy is continuing to workout.  It physically makes your feel better. Keeps your balance and flexibility while your body is expanding and your center of gravity is changing.  It keeps your weight in check and makes your more conscience of what you are eating.  CrossFit is universally scalable and modifications will change often while your body is changing.  Point 2 for CrossFit (and Chiropractic), not having the aches and pains that most pregnant women have during pregnancy. I feel that through working out and regular chiropractic care my body just felt better than what I had been told pregnant women experience.

Giving Birth.
The day our daughter was born was quite a surprise.  Six weeks before her due date I woke up at 5am with some minor "stomach" discomfort. I thought it must have been something I ate and went back to sleep.  I woke up earlier then I needed to get work and decided to take a bath and read some baby books.  I had Braxton-Hicks or warm up contractions before.  So these didn't seem out of the ordinary.  I took a shower and started getting ready for work, but unlike before, the Braxton Hicks contractions weren't going away.  In fact,  I think they are getting stronger, and also feeling a little bit of back pain with them.  That's when I decided to start timing them.  Yes, they have an app for that! At this point they were 3-5 minutes apart and 30sec - 50sec long.  (For those of you who don't know what that means when your contractions get 5 minutes apart you are supposed to already be at the hospital)  In my mind they couldn't possibly be real contractions.  They barely even hurt, however, they were definitely different than before. 
I called the doctor half expecting them to tell me that I was not even having contractions.  I was given the, "let's be safe rather then sorry" talk and was asked to have someone drive me there in case they were actual contraction.  I called my husband, who at this point had no idea what was going on. I explained to him that I was probably over reacting but needed to get checked out, so off he came to get me.  I threw some things in a bag "just in case", but then debated even taking it, because in my mind if I was in labor this would surly hurt more.  Well, I took the bag anyway.
At the doctor's office we were barely monitored 15 minutes, when we realized the contractions were regular and now had back pain with every one.  At this point, no one has told me I may even be in labor.  Time for the doctor's exam. The conversation went something like this..."We'll you're dilated, and you're going to have the baby today."  "How dilated??" "At least 5cm, they'll be waiting for you at the hospital"  "I wasn't expecting this"  "Neither was I".
At this point, the gravity of the situation had now set in for my husband who is now racing me to the hospital. It has now just set in to the both of us that I am actually in labor.
Point 3 for CrossFit.  The contractions are regular and getting painful, but much like my workouts, when it hurts you breath through it and continue on.   In my mind I'm thinking 5cm??? It takes people hours to get that far in the hospital.

This Baby is Trying to Set a PR.
We checked in at the hospital just after noon.  People were rushing in the room, a whole NICU staff is setting up since the baby will be 6 weeks early.  The doctor on call from the group comes in and let's me we are going to see if we can slow this down and get some medication/steroids in me to help the baby before birth.  "Do you want and epidural or pain meds"  "No." "Are you sure" "Yes, I'm pretty sure this baby is coming out soon" She does an exam.  "Well you're right, you're 9cm and there's no way we can slow this down or get you an epidural." I'm thinking....didn't you hear me I told you I didn't want one and I know this baby is coming out soon!
Point 4 for CrossFit.  My pain tolerance is much higher now than it ever has been.  Just like in a work out and contractions you know the pain is temporary and you can get through it.  Just breath and focus at the task at hand.  The sting of the jump rope hitting me during Annie hurt more then most of the contractions.  Breath, close your eyes, relax, work through the pain.  There was no time for any of the relaxation and birthing techniques we learned in baby class. There was no whirlpool bath, birthing balls, and massage.  It was time to have this baby!  I can imagine that the millions of squats that I had done over the last two years in CrossFit and that fact that she was small and six weeks early helped.  Total time in hospital before the baby was out and crying less then an hour and half.  I'm pretty sure that's a record.  It definitely will b e a PR that's hard to beat in the future.  Point 5 for CrossFit, you never know when squats (and muscle control) will be important!
Our six week preemie came out breathing and APGAR scores of 8 & 9! No distress, no infection, and really no reason why she came early other then she wanted to watch the Super Bowl with her dad that weekend.
Due to her size 4lb 9oz and how early she was she was taken to the NICU after a few minutes of bonding with us.  As soon as they would let me off the blood pressure cuff I was ready to visit her. "Let me get you a wheel chair" the nurse insisted.  "Why, I can walk, I feel fine"  "Are you sure????  Can I get you pain meds"  "REALLY, I'm fine I just want to visit my baby"  What I was thinking... I just pushed out a baby without pain meds and you think I need them now??
We walked into the NICU to the same reaction.  "Can we get you a wheel chair???"  I heard one nurse say to the other, is that the mom that just had that baby??  I looked at my husband  "Am I not supposed to be walking?? Am I some kind of super woman to them?"  Point 6 for CrossFit.  You're body learns to recover quickly.  In fact two days after I gave birth someone asked me how I felt and I think this sums it up.  "I feel fine.  I've hurt more after some workouts."  One week after giving birth I was already back to my pre-pregnancy weight (granted I had only gained 17lbs because I still had 6 weeks to go). A week and a half after giving birth I was already back into my pre-pregnancy jeans!  How is that for recovery, and I can't wait to get  cleared to get back into the gym!

Breast Milk for Baby.
So next to holding your baby skin to skin (yes that is why there are so many shirtless pictures of my husband and the baby) the next most important thing you can do is pump breast milk.   The first two days you are expected to get only a small amount of drops to 15 ml at most.  The first day I doubled that the second day I had ten times that amount.  By the time I left  I was way over producing for a "normal" mom.  Every time I brought in more milk the nurses would ask if this was from all day and be shocked when I told them it was one session.  When talking to the lactation consultant she said she was talking about me with one of her co-workers and they said they usually only see this with their athletic moms.  They seemed perplexed by why this happened.  I said without a doubt those that take care of their bodies through exercise also tend to also eat healthier and take care of them selves better.  Seems really simple to me.  They just couldn't understand that concept.  Point 8 for CrossFit, if you take care of your body you're body will take care of you (and in this case my baby).

My Baby's Health.
They always give you worst case scenario so that this way you're not disappointed or something happens unexpectedly.  The day our daughter was born they told us because of how early she was and her size, that she would likely be in the NICU for 4-6 weeks!!!  Wow...that was shocking.  As the days progressed and she had no set backs (No feeding tubes, no oxygen, no medicine) only improvements the nurses started nicknaming her the "Over Achiever".    A name we thought appropriate considering her parents.  Everyday they were shocked by her progress and on day 9 our little girl came home!  Even though she came early, she was still a healthy baby. Point 9 for CrossFit, Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby!

CrossFit has not just been a means to work out for me, but a lifestyle that has taught me how to mentally take on challenges and pain.  It has prepared my body physically for one of the most amazing miracles in life.  Most of all it taught me way more about how to have a baby then any baby class or book would.  It just taught it in a different way.

Our baby happy to be home!

We talk to our patients and crossfitters about the paleo diet often.  Often we focus on what to eat and how to prepare good healthy food.  One of the hardest parts of the paleo diet is simply willpower, which we all struggle with.   I found that the following article will be particularly helpful for those struggling with their willpower to eat paleo, or any other healthy diet choice. 

From www.beingprimal.com:

I have been thinking about this question for some time now. Why are some people thriving with the Paleo diet and experiencing all the wonderful effects like...

• fat loss
• improved health
• clearer thinking
• sounder sleep
• enhanced fitness

and others are struggling to attain any noticeable results in any of the areas above.

There are lots of reasons why this is, but none that can be easily explained as I eluded to in last week's post, Making Paleo Work: A more complete model for fat loss and body transformation.

If you haven't read that one yet I encourage you to give it a read. Click the link above to check it out. It has over 1100+ Facebook shares to lend a little credibility to it's popularity.

But that said, my own personal research (self-experiments, interviews, and the articles and studies I have read) has helped me uncover distinct behaviors that separate those who thrive with Paleo from those who struggle.

To Read the Entire Article Click Here.

Have you been skipping eggs because you fear the cholesterol?  Then you've been skipping out on an extremely healthy, tasty, and inexpensive food.

From  NaturalNewss.com January 3rd, 2012:   Perhaps you've skipped this breakfast gem for fear of raising your cholesterol. Free yourself from that misconception and indulge in the treasure that a good ol' egg has to offer. Three eggs per day over a 12-week period for obese participants on a carbohydrate restricted diet actually lowered the bad LDL cholesterol and raised the good HDL(1). Another study showed that two eggs per day for six weeks did not affect cholesterol levels or brachial artery endothelial function (2). Yet another study demonstrated that people eating equal to or more than 4 eggs per week had lower cholesterol levels than those eating less than or one egg per week (3).

To Read the Entire Article Click Here.

Just one more reason to take your Omega 3 Fatty Acids!

From Mercola.com December 29th, 2011:

About one in five adults, or nearly 50 million Americans, have been diagnosed with arthritis, the most common form of which is osteoarthritis.

If you have osteoarthritis, the cartilage within your joints is progressively being damaged, and the synovial fluid that keeps your joints lubricated and cushioned is typically reduced as well.

The pain and joint stiffness that you feel is a result of your bones starting to come into contact with each other as cartilage and synovial fluid is reduced, and if you don't take action it can become progressively worse until you are unable to carry out your normal daily activities.

More than 21 million Americans have trouble climbing stairs, getting dressed and staying active due to arthritis, a number that has jumped from 19 million just a few years back.

If you are one of the millions struggling with osteoarthritis, or want to avoid becoming one of them, one of the simplest and most powerful steps you can take is adding animal-based omega-3 fats to your diet. The research continues to pour in that these healthy fats have exciting potential to prevent and treat arthritis.

To Read the Entire Article Click Here.

There are many conveniences and benefits to eating seasonal vegetables.  Here is the Whole 9's top 5 reasons.
From the Whole9life.com January 4th, 2012:

1. Seasonal = Less Expensive

2. Seasonal = More Nutritious

3. Seasonal = Yummy

4. Seasonal = Variety = Good

5. Seasonal = Natural

To read the Entire Article Click Here.

Just one more reason why the paleo diet works so well!

From www.naturalnews.com January 9th, 2012:

(NaturalNews) A study published in the November issue of the science journal Neuron subverts the commonly held belief that consuming sugar can make you feel more energetic. Researchers at the University of Cambridge reveal that protein is responsible for activating cells that keep us awake and help us burn more calories, not glucose.

To Read the Entire Article Click Here.

_We know that the food industry does some pretty shady things to our food.  It's a shame that they even have to alter things that could easily be left natural.

From FoodRenegade.com:
Do you buy orange juice at the store? If you do, I’m sure you’re careful to buy the kind that’s 100% juice and not made from concentrate. After all, that’s the healthier kind, right? The more natural kind? The kind without any additives? The kind that’s sold in the refrigerator section so it must be almost as good as fresh-squeezed orange juice?

If I’m describing you, then you’re either going to hate me or love me by the time you’re done reading this post. The truth is, that orange juice you feel so good about buying is probably none of those things. You’ve been making assumptions based on logic. The food industry follows its own logic because of the economies of scale. What works for you in your kitchen when making a glass or two of juice simply won’t work when trying to process thousands upon thousands of gallons of the stuff.

Haven’t you ever wondered why every glass of Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice tastes the same, no matter where in the world you buy it or what time of year you’re drinking it in? Or maybe your brand of choice is Minute Maid or Simply Orange or Florida’s Natural. Either way, I can ask the same question. Why is the taste and flavor so consistent? Why is it that the Minute Maid never tastes like the Tropicana, but always tastes like its own unique beverage?

Generally speaking, beverages that taste consistently the same follow recipes. They’re things like Coca Cola or Pepsi or a Starbucks Frappuccino. When you make orange juice at home, each batch tastes a little different depending on the oranges you made it from. I hope you’re hearing warning bells in your head right about now.

The reason your store bought orange juice is so consistently flavorful has more to do with chemistry than nature.

To Read the Entire Article Click Here.

I loved this post from Practice CrossFit.  To sum it up here are the 8 things you should know:
1.  Trust your trainers
2.  Get good before fast
3.  Exhaustion does not equal success
4.  Mobility will always trumps strength
5. You cannot out work a bad diet
6. There are those genetically gifted, chances are, your not one of them
7. Genetics are not your goat
8. To look better, perform better

To Read the Entire Article Click Here.

Think about this the next time you want to drink a soda!

From www.naturalnews.com January 9th, 2012:
(NaturalNews) While drinking Mountain Dew, have you ever seen (or perhaps felt on your tongue) a thick, jelly-like substance? Maybe you assumed the ingredients in the soda had gelled. According to Mountain Dew manufacturer Pepsi, you may have been ingesting some extra protein with your beverage in the form of a liquified rodent.

Lawsuit results in unusual defense

An Illinois man is suing Pepsi, claiming he found a mouse in his can of Mountain Dew. Ronald Bell of Edwardsville, a small town near St. Louis, alleges there was a mouse in a can of soda he purchased and drank in 2009. Bell says he spit out the mouse and called the company to complain. At the soda manufacturer's request, he sent them the mouse corpse. Pepsi had a veterinary pathologist examine the body. Their scientific expert found the rodent could not have been in the can since the soda case was sealed in August 2008, and its body would have dissolved as a result of the acid in the soda.

To Read the Entire Article Click Here.

Simplistic, but gets the point across.