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Twin Breastfeeding and Pumping Update: Four Months

Breastfeeding, Parenting, Twin Pregnancy, Twins, Uncategorized · January 29, 2020

If you’ve been following along, you know that our breastfeeding and pumping journey has been a long one. We’ve done a lot of trial and error and we’ve done a lot to improve the output that I was able to produce for our twin boys. We’ve also worked on our nursing journey, which from the start was a little complicated because both boys had tongue ties. Now, just like the babies, our journey is changing fast and I wanted to update you on some of the stuff that’s been going on.

Tandem Feeding

One of the biggest changes that has happened since the last time I wrote is whether we’re breastfeeding or pumping. This has been a big change for us. The last time I posted, a lot of the stuff that I was talking about was the herbs that I was taking and how we were working on the boys latching and tandem feeding.

That was wonderful, and while I was on maternity leave that was working very well for me. The herbs were helping with my supply and the boys were latching better and getting along perfectly at the breast when tandem and feeding. (That is, when we are able to get them to do it while they were both awake and cooperating.)

However, as the boys got a little bit bigger, they became more fidgety and learned that there was another baby at the breast. And so they would feel around for each other and touch each other on the face and on the top of the head. Overall, tandem breastfeeding became very distracting and they would also pull off the breast a lot. A feed that usually would take 20 or 30 minutes would then take 40 minutes to an hour. And unfortunately, the boys are not patient enough to wait for one baby to nurse and then have the other baby nurse.

So while I was on maternity leave, this was all okay because we had a lot of time to work on it. Then, in November I went back to work and at the start of going back to work, I was pumping at work, feeding the boys the breast milk when possible and then breastfeeding when possible, oftentimes at night or in the middle of the night when they needed a lot of comforting or needed to go back to sleep.

Exclusive Pumping

Now that I’ve been back at work for a full two months, I have really been doing a great job with pumping on the regular, but the boys have not been breastfeeding. And that is because unfortunately tandem feeding did not really work out. As the boys got bigger, they were too heavy for me to put on the breast by myself. I needed the help of my husband every time.

And then of course, like I said, the boys would pull off of the breast or start playing and touching each other and then it just became playtime instead of feeding time and feeds would take so long. Now my husband and I both enjoy feeding the boys breast milk from a bottle. I’m able to pump enough breast milk for one baby a day. That’s such a big accomplishment from where I was in the beginning, and I’m proud of that.

I’m going to update you on the amount I pump a little bit further down, but I am able to give the boys several feeds a day of breast milk and then we supplement with formula. This has worked out really great for us. I have finally let go of a lot of the mom guilt I had around not being able to nurse them because I realized just for their sake, they’re a lot happier when they each get individual attention during our feeding times.

When my husband and I are holding both of the twins, they each get a little bit of one on one time with us to just be fed and be loved and be played with. I think this is definitely a big change from them tandem nursing where I almost felt like they were fussing because they weren’t getting exclusive attention or maybe there was just a lot going on for them. It’s easy for babies to get overstimulated and I think having another baby nursing right next to you that’s touching your face or touching the top of your head can lead to a little bit of frustration. It may just be a little too distracting to enjoy your meal. Now, I find that the babies are feeding quicker and more happily, and we are all enjoying getting a little bit of one on one time with each of them. Plus, they still get the benefits of breast milk and I think there’s a lot less stress on me.

Changes in My Pumping Routine

Now that I’m exclusively pumping, there are some major changes that I made to my pumping routine. In terms of quantity per pumping sessions, I am able to pump anywhere between one ounce on each side to one and a half ounces on each side. And if I get a little bit longer pocket of sleep at night, say the boys stay asleep for four hours instead of their usual two and a half to three, I will be able to pump almost two ounces per side.

In terms of frequency of pumping, throughout the day, I am pumping about seven to eight times, so I’m getting anywhere from 16 to 20 ounces of breast milk a day. This is great because the boys are still feeding in three ounce increments, which means that’s about three bottles a day and they’re up to about six or seven bottles now. We are actually getting a lot more breast milk than I thought I was ever going to be able to pump. The fact that I can give them three full bottles a day, and sometimes, if I’m lucky, a fourth, has been really, really great for us.

Elvie Pump

The biggest change that I’ve made into my pumping journey is that I got an Elvie pump. The Elvie pump is a wireless, hands-free pump that has no tubing from the pump itself to the pump motor. The whole thing is contained in an egg-shaped single breast pump for each breast, so there is a pump that attaches to a little reservoir and a shield that goes over your breasts that attaches the pump and reservoir to you.

You use it inside of a nursing bra and make it fit very tight so that the suction is not broken when you move around, then you just turn them on. The amazing thing about this is that you can control it from the pumps themselves or you can control it from an app so that you can pump discreetly while you do things like walk your dog, drive your car, or even sit through meetings, which is one of the biggest things that has allowed me to pump more at work in less time.

This has also helped me keep my milk supply up. When I moved from breastfeeding to exclusively pumping, I was very worried because I had heard that your breast milk supply can drop. I did not find that to be true, and I think that is due to having a pump that I don’t have to find a room, find some time, and stop everything I’m doing to use. I can just pump and go, simultaneously, and that has been amazing for me. The Elvie pump has allowed me to do more pumping.

Hand Pumping

Another thing that I believe has helped is that I bought myself a little hand pump that has a silicone shield on the flange and does a little bit of a massaging motion so that after I do a pump with the Elvie breast pump, I use the hand pump every third or fourth pump. Between two to three times a day I do about five minutes on each side of gentle hand expression, both with the hand pump and with my hand. It allows me to get anywhere between a half an ounce to 0.75 ounces more per side, two to three times a day.

I have actually been using that as my freezer milk, and here’s why: This will be hind milk, which is the milk that is pumped after the very end of your feed when your breasts are at their emptiest. It’s also the fattiest of the breast milk. By freezing it in smaller increments of two to three ounces when I’m gone or away or the boys are feeling extra hungry, we can thaw one of these frozen milk bags and add it to either a bottle of formula for extra calories or extra fat or just use it for when I’m traveling, like this upcoming work trip I have.

On top of that, I also got a Haakaa, which is just a squeeze ball that you put on the breast that helps suction out some milk. I do find this helpful when I’m pumping on the hand pump on one side to have the Haakaa on the other, but it doesn’t really extract a lot of milk and it can be uncomfortable. I think that if you have a very strong flow, this would be great, but it doesn’t work that well for me. I still use it just to catch any leaking while I’m hand pumping. But for the most part I’m just using the hand pump afterwards.

Lactation Consultant

Another big change is I went back to a lactation consultant. The first girl that I went to was amazing and she helped me with the boys tongue ties and our breastfeeding journey. Now that I’m exclusively pumping, I sought out a lactation consultant who spoke a lot about exclusively pumping and had a lot of experience with this.

I’ve met with her once and that was a little bit different than before. With the first lactation consultant, we were strongly centered around the boys and breastfeeding and pumping. This new lactation consultant knows that I’m exclusively pumping, and so a lot of it that we worked on was obviously the emotional component of exclusively pumping and letting go of my breastfeeding journey, but then also all the things that we can do to continue to keep my supply up.

Some of the things that we talked about were mimicking cluster feeding when the boys are having a growth spurt and adding liquid iron to my diet instead of an iron pill so that it’s better absorbed. This can help me stay healthier, build my blood supply, and also have that reflect in my milk supply. The healthier you are, the better your milk supply is going to be, and low iron can correlate with low supply. She looked at my lab results and saw that my iron levels were at the lowest healthiest levels and because I’m breastfeeding we agreed that an iron supplement would do really well.

She also worked on the massage techniques that we use. Before I pumped, I was just kind of massaging with a lactation massager, which I still use, but now I’m using a different motion and using both hands on one breast instead of just massaging each breast with one hand. The combined both hands actually does help with the milk letdown.

Also a light finger tapping over the breath breasts, which I was like, is this really going to do anything? But I have found that it does actually relax me and help with the letdown as well. It mimics a baby’s hands on your breast, letting your body know to let milk go. So those are the things I’ve been working on with her. It’s been really wonderful and we have another appointment in a couple of weeks for me to follow up to see how everything’s going.

Blocked Ducts and How I Cleared Them

Since I’ve started using the hand pump and the iron supplement and a little bit more of an aggressive massage, I find that the average of 0.75 ounces to an ounce has gone up to a little over an ounce. And so the entire, the amount of milk that I’ve gotten per day has gone up a little bit. I think that has also led to me having a blocked milk duct twice in the same spot. I’m not super worried about it because it resolves itself within the day.

I use very, very strong massage, heat, and then the lactation massager on that side and I press on it basically until I can’t stand the pain and just hold it there for a couple minutes then let it go. And this is how I’ve been clearing the blocked duct. Both times it cleared within four to five hours. It’s just extremely painful. I think I wasn’t emptying the breast enough for how much my milk production went up.

I know it seems like half an ounce per session isn’t a lot, but over the course of the day, that’s four ounces that I should be emptying completely. So, that is another thing that has happened with the Elvie pump. I have been able to build up a little bit of stash due to pumping more in general. And that means I get to talk to you guys about what I’m doing to prepare for a trip.

Traveling and Pumping

Traveling and breast pumping is a very daunting task. And that being said, I am trying not to stress about it, but of course, mom life means you have to stress about it.

So I made the commitment back in December to just start doing the hand pump two to three times a day, taking the one ounce from there and putting it in a bag. I’m getting anywhere between two and a half to three ounces per day from the extra pumps and I’m freezing it. By the time I leave in two weeks, I will have a decent freezer stash built up and I won’t have to worry about it.

I think the biggest grace I gave myself was understanding that I didn’t want to be stressed and rush. I’m already a little bit stressed about leaving the boys. Actually, scratch that. A lot of the stress about leaving the boys for four days is not because their dad isn’t a rock star. He isn’t going to do anything like I wouldn’t approve of like feed them McDonald’s while I’m gone. But I do believe that just being apart from them is going to give me a lot of anxiety. I feel very anxious when I’m away from them, even for a couple of hours of meetings just one time a week. And so I know that for four days, I’m going to miss them dearly. I’m going to be sad that I’m not around them.

So instead of adding to the stress of needing to build up a stash really quickly in December, I told myself, you know, you have a month and a half before you leave for this work trip, start pumping now, even if it’s just a little bit per day. And by giving myself a lot more time, I’m able to just produce a little bit of extra milk here and there and still over the course of that length of time, have a decent stash built up. Will it be as good as me being there? No, probably not. They may not get as much milk because again, the stash isn’t building the quickest ever. But I will have done what I could do without going overboard and stressing myself out. And the boys still get breast milk when I’m gone.

So what am I going to do with the breast milk while I’m away? Well, I purchased a really airtight cooler that is also a soft cooler so that I could put some ice in it, and then tape it in an accordion style to itself zipped with all the bags of breast milk that I pump while I’m away on my trip. I’ll be using my Elvie breast pump while I’m in conferences, in presentations, and while I’m just walking around our hotel for four days. I’ll store the breast milk in the cooler and then I will immediately use it when we get home so that the milk that I pumped on day one will be consumed on day four because I’ll be home that night. And then the milk on day two will be drunk the second day I’m home, that way none of the milk will be over the four to five day mark.

I’ll feel good about still having pumped while gone and then anything that I pump while we’re giving them the milk from my work trip will be frozen immediately for the time being. So it’s just a little bit of planning and also a little bit of finagling on my part. I’ll ask the hotel for a medical cooler and then I will check with my airline about flying with the breast milk and the frozen ice packs when I get there. If I have to check it, that’s okay. The flight’s only 45 minutes, so the entire time the breast milk will be with the freezer packs. It’ll be perfectly fine from the time we leave to the time I get home. The total time will take us about four hours and there will be lots of ice packs.

So that’s how I’m preparing for my upcoming trip while exclusively pumping as well as a big update on our pumping journey. I’m obviously going to continue to update you if anything changes from here on out, but I’m so glad that I’ve been able to kind of run the whole gamut. I got to breastfeed, and now I get to give them breast milk and, and even though I’m just exclusively pumping, it’s still very special to me and I still feel very good about it. I’m enjoying the journey more now that I have the Elvie breast pump and a lot more freedom.

And I will be doing a full blog on reviewing how the Elvie breast pump works, what the advantages are, and some of the pros and cons and. You guys can ask questions on whether or not it might be right for you. Thank you so much for following along with my breastfeeding journey.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Mint Superfoods Donuts

Breakfast, Dessert, Lunch, Recipes, Snack, Uncategorized · January 3, 2020

This recipe is great for anyone looking for a delicious, not dry, gluten-free donut. The toppings I picked were for the holiday but they could be replaced with any fun candy of your choice.

Chocolate mint just happens to be a holiday favorite so I thought why not make a gluten-free option for everyone!

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten-free flour

6 tbsp organic cane sugar

1/2 cup Detox Organics Chocolate Superfoods

1/2 tsp baking power

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup organic whole milk

1 egg at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp coconut oil

Pinch of salt

Frosting and Toppings:

Natural frosting made with coconut oil

Crushed up candy canes

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350. In a 6 donut baking pan wipe a thin coat of Palm Shortening to prevent donuts from sticking when baking.
In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients including the Detox Organics Superfoods and stir together.
Then whisk in milk, egg, vanilla, and coconut oil. Combine until batter is smooth.
Using a piping bag or a ziplock with the corner cut out to make a piping bag, fill with batter. Then slowly pipe batter into each donut mold equally.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool to room temperature and then top with frosting and crushed candy canes.

Store these for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Hot Cocoa Superfoods Spoons

Dessert, Recipes, Snack · December 27, 2019

This recipe not only warms my heart, it warms my belly. I love warm cocoa and in the winter nothing makes me feel like I’m home on the east coast like a hot cup of cocoa.

These hot cocoa spoons also have a superfood surprise in them with a little bit of Detox Organics Chocolate Superfoods for extra chocolate flavor and some sneaky greens that no one will even know are in there.

Plus, these store easily and are the perfect project for snowbound families with kids or friends who also bring the Baileys. Warm-up any type of milk and stir in 1-2 spoons with the toppings that make each cup unique.

Hot Cocoa Spoons

Ingredients:

12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 scoop Detox Organics Chocolate Superfoods

1 tsp coconut oil

12 wooden spoons

Toppings

1 candy cane (crushed)

Mini marshmallows

Sprinkles

Walnuts

Instructions:

Set up a double boiler.
Place the chocolate into the double boiler and mix until melted.
Once the chocolate is melted add in the coconut oil and Detox Organics Chocolate Superfoods.
Scoop the hot chocolate mixture onto your spoons and place onto parchment paper.
Decorate and top as desired.

To Enjoy:

In a hot cup of almond milk, swirl hot cocoa spoon until the toppings and chocolate melt and create delicious hot cocoa. Use 2 spoons for an extra chocolatey cup!

Cloth Diapering Overview – Types, Sizing, and Care

Parenting, Twin Pregnancy, Twins, Uncategorized · December 7, 2019

Many parents are intrigued by cloth diapering but are not sure where to begin. This can be overwhelming at a time when there’s already so much to learn and prepare for, so I wanted to give an overview of what I’ve learned that made me confident that we can successfully cloth diaper our twin boys.

There are basically two styles of cloth diapers – a two-piece system, which there are two types of, and an all-in-one system.

Two-Piece Cloth Diapers

A two-piece system has inserts that either just lay in the diaper or go into a pocket of the diaper.

With the first type of two-piece cloth diaper, you would start with a diaper cover made of thin water-proof material and lay your absorbent insert inside before snapping the cover together around the baby. So that the insert doesn’t move around, some people use key-like hooks that hold the insert in place.

Then when needed, you would take that insert out and wash it and be able to reuse the cover if it did not get dirty. This is also how cloth diapering services work. They bring you the inserts to put into the diaper, then pick them up when dirty and deliver clean ones, and you would provide your own covers to wash yourself.

The other type of two-piece cloth diaper looks very much like the cover and insert type, but it has a second layer of fabric creating a pocket inside of which the insert is placed. Instead of laying the insert into the cover, the inserts get placed inside the pocket of the diaper before use and taken out and washed with the cover each time. A lot of the inserts that come with cloth pocket diapers are microfiber, so you wouldn’t want them against the baby’s skin, which is why it goes in the pocket.

However, if you’re using a diaper service, you can still use the diapers with pockets by just removing the insert and using the inserts they provide to lay it on the cover the same way you would a non-pocket diaper. The majority of the diapers that I got are the pocket diapers for that versatility. I like the idea that we can use a diaper service to drop off and clean the inserts for us, or we can just separate the inserts from the diapers and toss them all together in the wash.

All-in-One Cloth Diapers

The all-in-ones are exactly what they sound like. The cover and the insert are actually permanently sewn together. So once the diaper is soiled, you wouldn’t take the insert out but rather just throw the whole thing into a dirty hamper.

The downside of the all-in-one cloth diapers is that they only get one use from them. With a cover and an insert laying on the inside, if your baby goes to the bathroom and the cover is still dry and clean, you can actually just put a new insert in and reuse the cover. With the all-in-ones, there’s no getting around a dirty diaper because it’s stuck in there.

So while it’s much easier to put together, you have to change it every single time. This is also the same for using the inserts inside of the pocket diaper instead of laying it on top. And for us, because we are going to have two boys, I passed on the all-in-one diapers because we would need so many per kid versus if we were having one baby and could probably stock up and get enough for one to two days. But babies go through a lot of diapers, and I’m multiplying that by two, so we went with the covers so that if the diaper isn’t completely soiled, we can just keep switching inserts and not have to buy as many covers.

So that’s the difference between just the shell, the shell with a pocket, and the all-in-one diaper. If you use the insert in the pocket, it becomes basically like an all-in-one diaper and you have to wash it every time. We plan on using the insert on top of the cover.

Closure Types

The second option that you have with cloth diapering once you decide whether you want just covers, covers with pockets, or actual all-in-ones is the closure. This is something we’re actually debating on. Velcro clearly sounds quicker than using snaps on wiggly infants, which I can imagine takes a little bit of time finagling and a little bit of sorcery at some points. But I have heard a lot of stories that as babies get older and they get a little more fidgety and a little bit more independent, they have the ability to just rip their diaper off very easily.

Snap Closures

Most brands offer snap closures. These have the adjustable snaps up and down on both sides, but you have to snap the baby into them every single time. These are very secure once they’re on, though. Your baby is not going to be able to just rip the snaps off because they take a lot of force.

Velcro Closures

Then there are these sweet, really quick and easy Velcro diapers. You can take them on and off in seconds and I love these for infants. I think that this is a great option before your baby learns to take off their diaper because they come on and off quickly and I think you’ll do a lot less fiddling with the sizing of it. It’s just very easy to move back and forth. With snap closures, once you snap them and you have to unsnap them and snap them again, I think that can get frustrating if you have a wiggly baby.

So while we got both varieties, I got more of the Velcro ones for when our babies are in the smallest sizes. I do not want an incident where either (or both) of the babies are ripping their diapers off, especially in public. For this reason, we chose snap style closures for the older sized diapers.

I did hear that Velcro kind of starts looking shabby because everything adheres to it, but some diapers actually have an inner Velcro so when you wash them, you just put the flaps down and they don’t collect lint in the washer or dryer. That’s a great little hack they put into the diaper.

Sizing

The last option to consider on cloth diapers is sizing. I imagined there were several sizes like there are with disposable diapers, but the adjustability features of the Velcro and snaps actually allows one size to be used for longer as the babies grow. For us, we went with two sizes of diapers.

We went with these tiny, tiny infant diapers and that is because our boys will probably be on the smaller side. We hope that they get super big, but we know the average twin is born at about five and a half pounds. And so even if they were on the larger side, they probably wouldn’t be really big babies.

The best small pocket diaper that is for babies 6 to 12 pounds is by Alvababy, and I have it snapped to the smallest size. I can unsnap it so it can go a little bit longer and it can go a little bit wider, as well. I think they’ll be in this size a little bit longer than most babies, so I got two full sets of these. I found them on Amazon and these were given to me on our registry.

And then we got a second size, which are for babies 12 to 33 pounds. The ones we have are by the Bumkins brand and there are tons of other brands that make this size. Bumkins brand is sold in a baby boutique by where we live called Zoolikins in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s really an amazing store. Bumpkins is their parent brand and that’s actually who taught the cloth diapering class for free for us. It was really great, and so I got some covers from them as well in the larger size.

I also love that Bumkins makes very unique diapers like ones with a little superhero cape. When I saw this I was like, you’ve got to be kidding, this is the cutest thing I have ever seen. They also have them in other colors and other superheroes such as Wonder Woman. I think this is going to be adorable when they’re running around and their little butts have capes on them.

So that is the sizing of the cloth diapers. The best brands for the tiniest sizing I found was Alvababy and Rumpazoo. I’ve seen some brands like Bumkins have multiple sizes from really small to medium to toddler, where others just have 12 pounds and under and then 12 pounds and up. What determines how much they can stretch or how many pounds they can go to are all of these snaps. And so the more snaps, obviously, the more sizes that you can go up to.

Types of Inserts

I learned in the cloth diapering class about the different types of inserts. The type you go with is determined by your service if you use one, or the types of diapers you choose to use.

Microfiber

The inserts that come in the pocket diapers are microfiber most of the time. They should not sit against the baby’s bottom, so they would not work inside of the plain covers or on top of the lining on the pocket diaper. They need to be inside the pocket so they’re not irritating your baby’s bottom.

Cotton Pre-folds (or Non Pre-Folds)

Cotton inserts are what a diaper service is going to use and what I would consider to be the best option if you’re doing the pre-folds. With pre-fold inserts, instead of a large sheet that you have to fold to fit in the diaper, it’s already folded into two or three layers and sewn down. That’s what you’d get with a cloth diaper service, and they’re also available to buy. They’re probably the most popular option since they can lay inside the cover or inside the pocket.

All-in-One Material

With all-in-ones, you don’t have to worry about this because they have their own inserts. They will be whatever the diaper is made out of on the inside but will be safe to sit against the baby’s skin unless otherwise stated. However, some people do tell me that they double up and put an extra insert in for overnights or when the baby is sleeping more than just a couple hours.

Bamboo

Hot on the cloth diaper market, and really everywhere, is bamboo. You can get stacks of bamboo inserts in so many varieties, including organic ones and ones that have a ridge designed for fewer spills. I think you can lay these in the covers or on top of the pockets, but I would double-check with the manufacturer to make sure that it won’t irritate the baby’s skin. If they can’t be against the baby’s skin, they would have to be inside the pocket of the pocket diapers.

So there are quite a few different types of inserts. I do think the cotton pre-folds are the most popular with bamboo probably coming in second. Bamboo is more sustainable than cotton and so people are definitely going that way. If you use a cloth diaper service, you’ll obviously be using whatever they provide, but those will all be able to sit against the baby’s skin.

I hope you feel confident knowing this information and being able to decide what type of cloth diapers will work best for you. It’s really great for your baby and really great for the environment.

My Twin Birth Story – 35 Weeks Delivery with HELLP Syndrome

Parenting, Twin Pregnancy, Twins · December 7, 2019

I am so happy to even be here to share this birth story. The birth of my twins was both beautiful and very scary for me. I am forever grateful that I was able to have the best care possible and that the boys came out super healthy and big!

I will share a little bit of what happened leading up to my delivery of the boys via emergency C-section. If you want to get right to the labor story you can skip down to the week 35 update.

Week 32 – Preterm Labor Scare

During the 32nd week, I had a small preterm labor scare. I was having sharp pains in my pelvis and stronger Braxton Hicks contractions than normal. I thought I might have a UTI from the low pain.

I could not get an appointment at my OB because it was so last minute and instead went to the Urgent Care by my house. I was feeling light-headed and experiencing some vertigo. I was just feeling so off that I felt I should go in. Once there they checked for a UTI but said they couldn’t do anything else because I was pregnant and they couldn’t treat me so instead they said I should go to the hospital maternity triage instead.

Later that night I was starting to feel strange and felt like I was out of my body when I was laying down. It was just a weird feeling. In the middle of the night, I began to have cramps in my back that felt kind of like the ones when I get my period. I thought maybe it was constipation since people warned me that it was a thing that happened.

I also started having more intense Braxton Hicks contractions that were waking me out of a dead sleep. It seemed like every time I woke up it was 20 minutes on the dot later. So in notes on my phone, I started recording the time each time a contraction woke me up. This was around 2 am in the morning. Over the next two hours, the contractions went from 20 minutes down to 10 minutes apart.

I was walking around the bathroom and bedroom trying to manage the contractions. When my husband woke up to get ready for work I got back in bed not to alarm him because I was sure the contractions would just ease up since I was positive they were still just Braxton Hicks.

Week 33 – Losing My Mucus Plug

On the last day of week 33 I went to the bathroom and saw a large chunk of mucus when I wiped. I realized I lost a large piece of my mucus plug. I also had an Nonstress Test (NST) appointment at the hospital and told the nurse. They did not seem too concerned about the plug.

Week 34 – Something Doesn’t Feel Right

During my week 34 NST appointments at the hospital the boys looked great and my Braxton Hicks contractions were still random even if they were frequent. We did have a cervix check and they said it was about all the way effaced but the cervix was still closed.

I continued to lose smaller pieces of my mucus plug. I felt my body start to slow down. My nausea was in full swing again and I was having severe dizzy spells. I also started struggling to sleep, focus, and even walk around. I didn’t worry since the doctor said not to.

Week 35 – Our Twin Birth Story

The start of week 35 was Saturday, August 31st. We had my highschool friends in town visiting and helping us get ready for the babies’ arrivals. I was still sure nothing was going to happen right away since I had lost my mucus plug just over a week ago and nothing seemed to be moving.

This week was probably the hardest of all. I was starting to get nausea again, dizziness, and horrible fatigue and pains throughout my abdomen. I was still regularly having contractions but they never became close together or longer. I however sometimes could not walk through them yet my cervix remained closed.

On Saturday we went to the pool to relax for a few hours. When I got home I was so sick I threw soda water up for almost two hours straight. My energy level had tanked and I started to just feel weird. On Monday my friends helped us meal prep to have some freezer meals for when we got back from the hospital. I knew something was probably really off when I was sitting in a chair and could not stop from feeling like I was going to fall over. I was incredibly dizzy and just felt off.

Taking my Blood Pressure

After we dropped our friends off at the airport I came home and was seeing bright light streaks around the edges of my vision. I decided to take my blood pressure with a home cuff. I had been recommended by my doctor to get one mid-pregnancy.

Each of the readings was higher than I had ever seen. The top number was usually around 120 or so and this time they were reading anywhere from 135-155. I had asked my friend here if she thought I should be worried and she seemed very concerned. So after much prodding from her and my husband I called the after-hours nurses care that my OB office uses and told them about my blood pressure.

Their recommendation was to go to the maternity triage at the hospital to be safe since the number were very abnormal for me.

Going to the Hospital

Matt jumped on driving me to the hospital and I was sure that we were going to go in, be told it was back to normal already and then be sent home. I had readings in the past that went lower almost immediately. This time was different since they were not going down so I knew that it would be good to just see what was happening.

We checked in and I reminded Matt not to get too excited about having the babies because I wasn’t in labor and we would be going home since I had a meeting at work the next day.

Once we were checked in and hooked to the monitors I was able to see that I was actually contracting pretty regularly. Up until this point, I hadn’t even noticed because I was so off feeling I mostly just felt like my body was falling apart and failing me. When the nurse checked me I was dilated to 1.5 cm and my cervix was bloody. She informed me that we were probably going to have the babies that night.

After seeing my blood pressure number from earlier even though my blood pressure wasn’t significantly high at this point she decided to draw some blood and test us for pre-eclampsia.

Shocked to Find out I Had Eclampsia

The next person to stop in was the doctor with the nurse and the results of the blood test. I had eclampsia. I was shocked that I had eclampsia, but all of a sudden all of the symptoms that were plaguing me made more sense. The only way to fix it would be to deliver the babies. The doctor checked me again and I was 2 cm dilated so they decided that since I was in active labor, it was best to get me to a birthing suite to get prepped for delivery. Because both babies were head down I still was able to have a vaginal birth.

Prepping for our Vaginal Birth

Once we were in the birth suite they called in the anesthesiologist to put in the line. With multiples, my doctor always delivers in the operating room and suggests to have an epidural line in so that if there is an emergency in a high-risk twin delivery they can go right into c-section. If it’s not in and that situation occurs you go under general anesthesia and would miss out on the birth of your babies. Because of the new risks, I decided to do the epidural so that we could be on the safe side.

The epidural was not as bad as I thought it would be. Many people said it was awful. It felt like a bee sting and then a weird pressure along my spine. Then they put in a catheter which I grew to love over the stay in my hospital. Many people hate that as well but it wasn’t too bad.

My blood pressure was still being monitored and was starting to climb up. At one point they had started Pitocin to help my labor progress faster. Because my blood pressure was going up they started magnesium into my IV to help keep it under control.

Unfortunately, it also slowed down my labor progression. I was told to relax and they would come back and check me periodically. They drew more blood and left. In that time Matt and I tried to relax and rest.

Bad News Bloodwork

It wasn’t too long after that when a nurse and our delivering doctor were back in the room but this time they didn’t look as calm as they did before. I woke up feeling groggy and not very well even though I had just gotten a quick nap.

The blood work showed that my kidney and liver function was declining rapidly and my blood pressure was not being controlled well by the meds. They didn’t believe that I could dilate quick enough to safely deliver the boys vaginally anymore. Instead, they told us at this rate of decline the safest thing for me and the babies would be to go into an immediate c-section to get the boys out as soon as possible.

As we are discussing this I begin to shake and vomit. I knew that my health was declining because I was feeling worse by the minute. We told the doctor that we were ready to meet our babies and the prep for the surgery began.

Emergency C-Section

I was almost immediately wheeled to the operating room and Matt was given head to toe scrubs to put on so he could come in and be with me.

I was placed on the operating table and they began to numb my whole abdomen. I was starting to feel super sick and shake even harder. I had a hard time keeping my arms flat out due to shaking.

Matt came into the operating room and I kept mixing him and my doctor up! They were both covered head to toe and the same height. My vision was super blurry and I kept asking why the doctor wasn’t behind the curtain. Matt kept informing me that it was him by my head and not our doc!

By the time I asked if they had started, they said they were already in and ready to deliver the babies. I heard the nurses tell Matt to stand up and take photos because the babies were coming out.

The Twins are Born!

All of a sudden I hear a baby scream and the nurses cheering for us. They kept saying here’s your first baby! Then I heard everyone cheering as the second baby came out. Matt was standing up taking photos and encouraging me.

The boys were born at 3:01 am and 3:02 am in the morning.

The babies were whisked into the side room to get cleaned, go under the lights and into the incubator. I was terrified they would be brought right to the NICU and I wouldn’t be able to see them. But by some miracle just minutes later they were brought in and placed by my face because they did not need to go to the NICU even though they were premies!

They weighed 4lbs 14oz and 5lbs 2oz.

I was so happy I couldn’t help crying because I was so happy the boys were so healthy. Then that’s when I don’t remember much. I felt like I faded in and out. I was so sick and shaking I remember asking if everything was okay. But from what I could overhear, I was not.

6 Hours Recovery

Fast forward 6 hours later and I wake up looking at the clock reading 8:30 am. I am still in a recovery suite and my husband is sitting next to me and the babies are in warming beds next to him.

I asked him if everything was okay because I remember being told that the recovery room was only about an hour. When I started looking around I realized I was hooked up to tons of wires attached to my chest. I realized I had on a heart monitor. I was also told I received a blood plasma transfusion.

I had a nurse administering something via a face mask over my nose and mouth. I was feeling panicked because I just didn’t know why all of this was happening.

My doctor came in a started to talk to me about the damage that had been done to my body. He was with another doctor I had never seen before. He introduced himself as an internal medicine doctor who would be working with me during my recovery.

I was then given a lot of information, much of which I didn’t understand at the time. I had HELLP syndrome. HELLP syndrome had caused my liver and kidneys to fail as well as my blood pressure to go so high it burst my blood cells and made it so I had to have a blood transfusion.

I would be recovering at the hospital and they would be working to monitor it along the way.

HELLP Syndrome

This is a pregnancy-related issue that is very rare, but very dangerous. I had never heard of it before, but the sum of my symptoms added up to this issue. I feel that I should have talked to my doctor more candidly about how sick I was feeling but felt a lot of times I was just being a baby and that it was probably just normal pregnancy stuff.

Some of the Symptoms of HELLP that I had:

Nausea/Vomiting (thought it was from the horrible heartburn)
Severe headache that I couldn’t get to go away (I suffered from migraines and thought it was from sleeping sitting up)
Pain under right rib (one baby was under my rib so I thought it was just that)
Visual disturbances
Extreme fatigue (I attributed this to how big and far along I was in the pregnancy)

I don’t know if they could have caught it earlier but who knows. I encourage you to talk to your OB about how bad you’re feeling and all of your symptoms even if you think they are normal.

Healing From HELLP

We were eventually moved to a maternity suite and I was able to spend 4 days recovering with the twins and my husband by my side.

Each day I had anywhere between 6-10 blood draws, vital checks every two hours and multiple visits from many different doctors. My recovery was up and down. Day 2 I felt better and day 3 my blood pressure shot up so high they cleared the room and worked to stop me from seizing. During this time I was unable to walk around on my own due to the shaking and dizziness but I was sure I was on the mend.

On day 5 the doctors made the decision to send my husband home with our twins. The boys were doing so good and passed all of their tests so they were cleared to leave. At this point, my digestive tract had shut down from the trauma of the birth and I was at risk for infection. They believed that for the best recovery for me and the safety of the boys they should be at home while I finished recovering at the hospital.

To be honest, of all the stuff that happened to me in the hospital, the boys and my husband being sent home was by far the hardest and most painful. I spent the first night crying and the following day begging the doctors to send me home too. But I was not able to leave for another 3 days so I instead spent my time trying to get as healthy as possible.

When they cleared me to walk, I walked as much as I could. When I was allowed solid foods again I ate as healthy as I could. I wanted to get home as soon as possible. And being away from the boys and my husband motivated me to push myself as much as it was healthy to get back home.

When I was finally cleared to go home I could not have been happier. I was able to go home to my babies and Matt on day 8 and continue to heal from there!

If you want to know how I healed at home, you can check out my postpartum journey and healing from HELLP Syndrome.

I hope this birth story helps you on your twin journey! I might have not gotten the birth plan I planned for but I ended up with the best more precious gift of two healthy boys for me and my husband to hold and to love. And I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

CBD for Depression and Anxiety

Lifestyle, Uncategorized · December 7, 2019

In the past few years, CBD has been making a big splash on the holistic health scene. Medical marijuana has been controversial because of the THC but CBD products do not have to contain THC to be therapeutic and therefore can be beneficial to a larger market.

Emerging research and studies have shown promising results when using CBD to treat depression, anxiety, and anxiety disorders. I want to cover some of the newest research that could show promise on how to use CBD to treat anxiety and depression in individuals who are looking for alternatives to regularly prescribed pharmaceuticals.

CBD in Treating Depression

In studies, CBD works as an anxiolytic agent (anti-anxiety) and potentially an antidepressant. The findings came from an animal study and explored the prohedonic effect CBD had on rats. The study involved giving CBD to a rat that is genetically “depressed” and saw improvement in their motivation when orally administered CBD and suggests that CBD might be beneficial in the treatment of depression in humans, as well (1).

This wasn’t the first study exploring the treatment of depression with CBD in animals. Several other studies on mice also confirmed that CBD works as an anti-depressant due to the quick release of serotonin and glutamate (a neurotransmitter) when administered to the subjects.

Another huge benefit of these studies comes from the side effects, or rather, lack thereof. When administered for depression, unlike pharmaceuticals that can have many negative side effects, there were no noticed side effects on the subjects who took the CBD (2). Many people who fear the side effects of regularly prescribed meds for depression may find CBD a good alternative.

Something else to consider is that the CBD in medical marijuana could help with depression seen in people with chronic pain. People living with chronic pain tend to have higher levels of depression in general. In studies that compared the treatment of chronic pain with opioids and medical marijuana (containing CBD) the levels of depression in the medical marijuana group were lower (3). This proves promising for showing how CBD could even contribute to lower depression rates in a higher risk group.

CBD in Treating Phobias and PTSD

Phobias and PTSD are anxiety and trauma-related disorders that are characterized by persistent fear-based thoughts or memories. Common treatments are exposure therapy, which has been shown to be more of a temporary fix, and medications that can have negative health side effects (4). In a study of CBD on fear-related anxiety, it showed potential as a long-term solution by leading to longer-lasting reductions in learned fear expression in subjects. Plus no negative side effects make it more favorable than medications with known side effects (5).

Further exploration of a large case study in 2019 showed that “cannabidiol may hold benefit for anxiety-related disorders” (6). This study was focused on CBD and its effect on anxiety and sleep-related problems. Another significant finding from the study was that CBD was “well-tolerated” in 72 out of 75 adults that were in the study.

Treatment of Insomnia with CBD

Insomnia is often linked to other underlying disorders like pain, chronic inflammation, neurodegeneration, mood disorders, and diabetes. Because there seems to be a positive impact on mood and mental states when taking CBD, this could lead to its use when trying to treat the underlying causes of insomnia.

Other positive effects on sleep like lengthened total sleep time and significantly increased REM sleep in animal studies can help improve sleep in those taking CBD. It can also be used during the day to help wakefulness and can counteract the negative toll that not getting enough sleep can take on the body. The increased REM sleep can help treat disorders that contribute to insomnia which might be caused by or aggravated by lack of restorative sleep (7).

While more research is needed to find out the long-term treatment options of CBD for depression and anxiety disorders, the current research shows that it can be promising for those looking for natural relief of these mood disorders. Never switch medications or stop medications for anything prescribed to you without the help of your doctor.

Choosing the Right CBD Product for Treatment

Those looking to try CBD as a natural way to relieve acute anxiety can seem to benefit from using it at the onset of anxiety or daily usage for mood management. There are two options when choosing CBD that prove helpful. Full-spectrum CBD has .03% THC which falls below the threshold for psychiatric effects for most people but provides the best absorption and most potent health benefits of CBD. Those who do not wish to ingest any amount of THC can choose a THC free version of CBD.

Ways to Ingest CBD

After picking the type of CBD you wish to use, you’ll also want to explore the different ways to take it. Although there are several types, we will cover the top three that you can ingest as that is the way people in the studies took CBD. There are several options that can help you find out which way is right for you.

Tinctures

Tinctures are referred to as the purest way to take CBD because the oil does not have to be altered to create this product. The dosage can be anywhere from just 100mg all the way up to 1000mg per dose and it’s important to understand what strength is best for you. Tinctures are taken by dropping a few drops below the tongue. For the best results, hold the drops under your tongue for a few seconds so that the CBD can absorb sublingually.

Pros:

Tinctures last a long time as you only use a few drops at a time. You can also find these flavored and it can make it more enjoyable to consume.

Cons:

These can get messy when putting under the tongue until you get used to it.
Holding it under your tongue can feel weird until you are used to it.

Capsules

Capsules are CBD in the form of pills. These tend to have a concentration of 10-30mg per capsule and it’s easier to measure out how much you want per dose.

Pros:

These are easy to add to your daily routine if you are already taking vitamins each day. It’s also the least messy option.
Easy to change and measure dose when experimenting with how much to take.

Cons:

Not great for people who have trouble swallowing pills.

Sprays

Sprays with CBD in them are consumed by spritzing the concentrate directly into your mouth. You measure by pumps of the spray. This tends to be the weakest of the concentration of CBD at only 1-3 mg per spray.

Pros:

Easy to measure and slowly ramp up dose.
Great way to travel with CBD.
Low dosage for beginners.

Cons:

Low concentration means using more of it if you want a strong dose.

References:

Shoval, Gal, et al. “Prohedonic Effect of Cannabidiol in a Rat Model of Depression.” Neuropsychobiology, Karger Publishers, 25 Mar. 2016, www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/443890#.
“Treating Depression with CBD Oil.” CBD Psychiatrist, CBD Psychiatrist, http://cbdpsychiatrist.com/treating-depression-with-cbd-oil/.
Feingold, Daniel, et al. “Depression and Anxiety among Chronic Pain Patients Receiving Prescription Opioids and Medical Marijuana.” Journal of Affective Disorders, Elsevier, 21 Apr. 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032716320018.
Jurkus, Regimantas, et al. “Cannabidiol Regulation of Learned Fear: Implications for Treating Anxiety-Related Disorders.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 11 Nov. 2016, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2016.00454/full.
Lee, Jonathan L C, et al. “BPS Publications.” British Pharmacological Society | Journals, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 9 Mar. 2017, bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bph.13724.
TMCC Admin Team. “CBD, Natures Anxiolytic: Exploring How Hemp Can Treat Anxiety (Instead Of Causing It).” The Medical Cannabis Community, 1 Oct. 2019, themedicalcannabiscommunity.org/articles/blog/cbd-natures-anxiolytic-exploring-how-hemp-can-treat-anxiety-instead-of-causing-it-2/.
“Treating Sleep Disorders with CBD products. Helping you combat Insomnia when everything else has failed.” CBD Psychiatrist, CBD Psychiatrist, https://cbdpsychiatrist.com/treating-sleep-disorders-with-cbd-products-helping-you-combat-insomnia-when-everything-else-has-failed/.

5 Things that Make You More Likely to Have Twins!

Parenting, Twin Pregnancy, Twins, Uncategorized · December 7, 2019

Twin pregnancies don’t occur completely by chance. There are quite a few factors research has shown that make it more likely to have a twin pregnancy. I want to share five of the most prominent ones that I’ve come across that increase the possibility of having twins.

I never thought I was at risk for having twins. Saying “risk” makes it sounds like it’s a disease. I’m just saying I never thought that I would be sitting here making a twin pregnancy series. Twins weren’t something that I even knew existed in our family, so it really never crossed my mind until we actually found out. If you’ve ever worried (or been hopeful) that you would have twins in your pregnancy, see if any of these apply to you.

Maternal Age

The first thing to make you more likely to have twins is being over 35. Research has shown that having multiples happens more often when you are of a more mature age. I love that word. “Mature” age – I think they’re calling me old. I’m not 35 yet, but I am over 30. I really didn’t think that this even applied to me, but the chance of having twins increases with the age of the mother.

Race

Your heritage also plays a part in making you more likely to have twins. The highest number of twins are occurring in people of African American descent. I’m half African-American and so I didn’t really think that was going to be a huge factor for me. People of Caucasian descent have the next highest incidence of multiples. So while African-American was the highest, since I am only half, I thought this wouldn’t affect my chances of having twins.

Dairy Consumption

The third factor I read was a study that showed women who ate more dairy were more likely to have twins. There might be a correlation with the hormones given to animals who produced the milk for dairy or the naturally occurring hormones in dairy. This is not causation, just correlation that could be tied together with women who eat a lot of dairy.

I am a cheese fanatic. If you were to ask what I’d like for dessert and you offered me block of cheese, I would definitely take that over anything else. Cheese is just my jam. I love authentic cheesecake. I like cheese dip. I like cheese in every form. Shamefully enough, as a child, I would use my allowance money to buy Cheez Whiz.

When I found out that women who consume more dairy are statistically more likely to have twins, I was surprised. That’s one factor for me that I thought could affect my chances due to the amount of cheese I eat. I use meat in my diet as a side, not as the main dish of my meals. That leads me to eat a bit more dairy, such as Greek yogurt, for protein. I don’t drink milk because it does not agree with me, but the increased chance of having twins with dairy consumption doesn’t just apply to milk.

Height

Another factor is women who are taller are more likely to have twins. Maybe this is just because your body has more torso space? I have a really, really, really short torso, so carrying the twins was not the most comfortable as they grew. I am not super tall. I’m actually just under the average height for women, so this factor didn’t seem to apply to me.

Heredity

But the fifth factor that makes you more likely to have twins is if you have fraternal twins that run on either side of your family. It wasn’t until after we found out we were having twins that we learned both of our grandparents had twin siblings in their family or had siblings who had twins. My grandmother’s brothers were twins and there was another set of twins on my side. My husband’s side has two sets of twins. They were all twin boys, which is what we are having.

Some people ask, “How can it run on your dad’s side and your mom’s side?” It makes sense on your mom’s side because they’re passing down the fertility genetics to you, but there is also something called hyperovulation. This is when you produce or drop more than one egg per ovulation cycle. It’s a gene that you can carry. If a male has a mother with this gene, they can actually carry this gene and pass it on to their daughters, which is why sometimes people say that twins can skip a generation.

Even if the male has passed down that hyperovulation gene to their daughter, you still wouldn’t know if the twins were fraternal or identical, as it could also be a spontaneous occurrence of identical twins.

There are actually no factors that really increase the likelihood of identical twins, although there is one possibility that I happened upon on a fertility site. I read an article that said with the use of fertility drugs, there is something about what the embryos are growing in that can make them more likely to split and be identical twins. I don’t know how true that is, but it was interesting.

However, with fraternal twins there is actually a gene you can pass down. My guess is that my family has the hyperovulation gene and it was passed down to me and I was able to be blessed with twin boys. We now know that our boys are fraternal twins, but there was a slight chance they could have been identical.

My husband has blonde hair and green eyes. I have brown hair and brown eyes. One of my parents looks like me and the other parent has green eyes and blonde hair. Both of my husband’s parents have green eyes and blond hair. Using the ol’ biology table of genetics, there was a 50/50 chance that the twins could have had brown or blonde hair and a 50/50 chance of them having green or brown eyes.

It was really exciting wondering if they would come out and look nothing alike, or if they’d both look alike and look more like one parent than the other. They came out with completely different hair color, so we knew immediately they were fraternal. If they had come out looking even a little bit similar, we would have had a little cheek swab done to know if their DNA is a 100% match or not just to make sure. We definitely don’t want to mix up babies!

Basic Bean Fall Brownies

Dessert, Recipes, Snack · November 1, 2019

Where are all my basic witches at? Yes, I have had a few pumpkin spice lattes and I love it. And whenever I have a chance I try and add a little pumpkin in other places too.

This recipe is delicious with the pumpkin providing nice moisture to the brownies that I think most gluten and grain-free recipes lack.

It’s simple and uses chickpea flour which is also higher in protein than normal flour. Add in the chocolate superfoods, Detox Organics, and this little snack packs a little punch of nutrition in there too. Of course, I’m not calling this a health food, but isn’t chocolate good for your health?

All ingredients are best organic but of course, do what you can!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temp

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup coconut sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup Detox Organics (cocoa powder)

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup Chocolate chips

Pinch of Himalayan salt

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 F. In an 8×8 baking dish lay out parchment paper to cover the bottom and up the side of the dish.
In a large mixing bowl combine coconut oil, pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, and the eggs.
One at a time whisk in the chickpea flour, Detox Organics, baking soda, and salt until completely combined.
Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of the lined baking dish.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 25 minutes, checking at 20 minutes with a toothpick. The brownies are ready when the toothpick comes out clean with no wet batter.
Cool for at least 30 minutes. Gently lift out the brownies using the parchment paper and place on the counter.
Cut brownies and enjoy.

Double Chocolate Chip Vegan Cookie Dough

Dessert, Recipes, Snack · November 1, 2019

These cookie dough balls are also gluten-free!

I have been enjoying store-bought EDIBLE cookie dough seeing that real cookie dough is not safe to eat.

It’s expensive. And just all sugar. I’m going to eat it anyways so I figured I’d try my own and add at least something redeeming about it. <— besides the serotonin in my brain factor.

This recipe incorporates my favorite chocolate superfood so it worked perfectly as the chocolate flavor of the dough.

And then add more chocolate with the chips and it was a serious sweet tooth cure!

As always I use everything organic if possible but you can use what you have. I don’t write organic by everything because it’s not necessary and gets repetitive.

Ingredients:

Dough Bites

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

3 tbsp coconut sugar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour

1/3 vegan chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark)

1/4 cup Detox Organics (cocoa powder)

Pinch of Himalayan salt

Chocolate Drizzle

1 tbsp vegan chocolate chips

1/4 tsp coconut oil

Instructions:

On baking sheet place parchment paper to put cookie dough bites on.
In a large bowl mix together applesauce, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
In a second bowl, combine oat flour, Detox Organics, and salt.
Fold the dry mixture into the wet mix until completely combined.
Gently fold in 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips.
Use a spoon to scoop and roll out 10-12 evenly sized balls.
Set on baking sheet and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
While the dough is freezing, microwave the 1tbsp chocolate chips and coconut oil for 10 seconds at a time until you can stir them and the mixture is smooth.
Take out dough balls and using a small spoon, drizzle over each bite.
Freeze bites again for 10 minutes and then store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Mojito Mocktail – Raspberry Refresher

Drinks, Recipes · November 1, 2019

With the holidays coming up there will be lots of get-togethers and lots of drinking. But what if you’re not up for cocktails.

The old bartender in me loves to create fun mock-tails for people who do not want an alcoholic drink but want to join in with fun drinks.

This one is a twist on a classic mojito and is also hydrating.

Ingredients:

2L Soda water

1 Lemon juiced

1 pack of fresh Mint leaves (or 1 small bundle)

1/4 cup frozen Raspberries

1 scoop HIIT Max BCAAs

1 tbsp Honey

Instructions:

In the bottom of 2 rocks glass muddle 10 mint leaves, the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 tbsp of honey in each.
Split the frozen raspberries between both glasses and then fill to the top with ice.
In a shaker, put one scoop HIIT Max BCAA’s and 1/2 cup of soda water together. Swirl, do not shake, until the BCAAs are totally dissolved.
Split the BCAAs between the two glasses, top with more soda water to fill up glass.
Garnish with a mint sprig.
Enjoy!

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