Answering Your Pregnancy Questions + HF Update

Hi friends! This episode is a little different in that I’m answering some of your questions and in that, this will be my last episode for a while! As of when this podcast is airing, I’m just a few days out from my due date with our second child and getting everything ready to meet him next week! I’ll give a little more info on what you can expect from the podcast over the summer as we transition into being a family of four. We’re excited for this new chapter for our family and while you won’t be hearing much from me over the next couple of months, I do have tons of resources and previous episodes (95 to be exact) for you to go back and listen to over the summer. I also have a new resource to share with you that I’ve been working on for a while and was finally able to finish. If you’re on my email list, you already got access to it in your inbox yesterday, but I wanted to share it here too. My new guide is called Little by Little: A Beginner’s Guide to Reducing Toxins. It’s a free download that walks you through the process of transitioning into a less-toxic lifestyle in a way that doesn’t stress you out. It starts with what I feel are the most important or highest priority products and things to transition and then moves through a list, helping you with the transition over time, rather than feeling like you have to do everything at once. I know when I first started learning about toxins and environmental exposures I felt super overwhelmed and discouraged because I just didn’t have the capacity or the budget to throw away everything and start over with less-toxic options. So I created this guide with that feeling in mind and I hope that it will take away that stress/overwhelmed element for you. It even includes an actual checklist for you that you can print out and stick on your fridge so that as you work through one area, you can see what’s next and hopefully will make the whole process feel more achievable. I’m excited to get to share that with you before I take a little time away. 

Okay, so let’s get into answering your questions about this pregnancy and what you can expect from me in the next few months! 

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I asked a while back what pregnancy-related questions you guys had and I’ve just compiled a list of some of the more common questions I’ve received over the past few months and want to talk through those now. Every pregnancy experience is different, even in the same woman, so I’m sure some of what I share you will relate with and probably some that you won’t and that’s fine too. I wanted to take just a few minutes to answer some of these questions before my mind gets super hazy with even less sleep and postpartum hormones. 🙂

How am I feeling? How has this pregnancy been in comparison to the last? 

This is probably the most common question and I so appreciate that people care to ask, but it’s always funny to answer because it changes from day to day. As of now, I’m feeling pretty uncomfortable and very ready for this little guy to be out, as I’d say most women feel at 39 weeks along. 

This pregnancy has been pretty different than my first pregnancy with our daughter. Of course, that was 6 years ago, so I don’t fully remember every detail about how I felt with her but there are some definite differences. I’ve had a whole lot more heartburn with this one than with her - especially during the first trimester and then of course, here at the end again. I honestly don’t remember having heartburn one time with my first but I’ve for sure made up for it this time. I also had some nausea in the first trimester, but not a lot. More just the heartburn. It was pretty smooth sailing during the second trimester until about 20 weeks and I started to experience severe hip pain, especially at night when trying to sleep. If you haven’t heard Remi’s birth story, I had a rough delivery with her and she was way bigger of a baby than any of us imagined. I had to do months of PT after her delivery and had been pretty good as if I had restored my core for the most part before getting pregnant this time, but as soon as my belly started growing and stretching things out, I started having a lot of pain in my back and pelvis. So, it’s been a much more challenging pregnancy physically than my first. All I can say is that I’m super thankful for my chiropractor. If you guys have listened to the last episode, you got to hear from her and all the benefits of receiving chiro care during pregnancy, but I can honestly say that I’m not sure how I would have made it through these last few months without treatment. I’m super thankful for that and outside of just typical discomforts and aches/pressure at this point, I’m feeling good. Just ready. :)

Did I experience infertility again this time? How long did it take? 

I’ve shared a lot about our infertility journey before our first pregnancy and having endometriosis/multiple surgeries, etc. but I guess I haven’t shared a whole lot about how things were this time around. Secondary infertility is less talked about and I think sometimes harder to define/diagnose because there are so many factors at play. So to answer the question, I would say yes - we did experience secondary infertility but it was quite different than the first time around. I did have to have another excision surgery for endometriosis, but it had been about 6 years since my last one and thankfully there were minimal lesions found and not near the amount of adhesions or scar tissue that was found before. We didn’t do any conventional fertility treatments this time around - just tried on our own. Right before I got pregnant, I was going to go in to have my tubes flushed, as this was one of the things that my fertility doc suggested since he said it wasn’t fully opened after surgery, but I got a positive test before doing that. From what I can tell, it seems like maybe because of that tube situation, I was likely having a successful release of an egg during ovulation every other month, so that likely contributed to the time it took us to conceive this time around. All in all, it was probably two-ish years of trying. As I said, it was very different this time around because we had a toddler, at the time who took a long time to sleep through the night and wean. Plus I had surgery in the middle of all of that, so I didn’t keep track of the time quite as rigidly as I did the first time around. Also, from an emotional perspective, I just knew what I was willing to put myself through, and not this time around. As I said, we didn’t do any treatments (outside of surgery and acupuncture) and I didn’t obsessively track things like I did the first time. I would do ovulation tests for a few months and be really on top of things and then when I felt myself burning out, we’d take some time off from being as intentional about it. So because of that, it’s hard to define “how long it took” but it did take some time and there were really hard moments along the way. Especially when Remi would ask for a sibling or why she didn’t have one. But as we’ve learned time and time again, the Lord was faithful during all of it and brought peace to just rest in Him when we needed it and strength to try again when we needed it. I heard someone say one time that God gives you the strength and grace that you need for today - not for tomorrow, or next week, or next year - but for today, so don’t waste your time worrying about something that may happen down the road that you haven’t been given grace for yet. It’s sufficient for today - so rest in that and know that whatever comes in the future, His grace will be sufficient for that day too. I can say that I didn’t perfectly model that this time around but many days were easier because I’ve learned that God will give me what I need and that I can trust Him with our family.  

What prenatal vitamins am I taking? 

This entire pregnancy and even for probably about a year before I got pregnant, I’ve been taking Needed’s prenatal vitamins. First, I was taking their multi-capsules, which is their full-strength supplement, and then during the first and second trimesters, I just took their essentials, which is a paired-down option that is only a couple of capsules because that’s about all I could handle. Then once I finished those, I’ve gone back to their full-strength version for the third tri and added in their probiotic, as well. I’ve also tried to take an omega-3 supplement throughout my pregnancy, but haven’t been super consistent with that. If you’re looking for a prenatal supplement - I highly recommend Needed. I interviewed one of their founders earlier in the year. You can go back and learn more about why their products are different than the industry standard but I’ve really appreciated working with them and just truly believe that they have one of the best options available for perinatal health - preconception - postpartum. You can save 20% off any order with them by using the code HEALTHFORWARD.

What are some of my favorite pregnancy support products, supplements, etc?

I just put together a guide sharing some of my favorite products and things that I’ve used during this pregnancy and what I feel has helped me feel as good as I could. I’ll share that below, but I’ll mention just a few things here as well:

• Genexa Antacids - I told yall about the heartburn. These things have saved me on multiple occasions, especially during the middle of the night. I love that they have the same active ingredient as TUMS but without all of the other flavoring, colorings, and other junk that you get with that. 

• Electrolytes are another big one that I feel has made a big difference. I especially noticed the difference early on when I was dealing with some nausea and just sheer exhaustion, I would feel so much better when I would incorporate minerals and electrolytes. I started using the Pickleball brand several months ago because they are one of the brands highest in potassium, and I feel like it makes a huge difference. I will also sometimes use coconut water or aloe leaf in my drinks as well, but I love the pickleball packets, it has a lot of minerals that I need already put together and I don’t have to measure, etc. I also plan to keep incorporating this throughout postpartum and breastfeeding to keep myself hydrated. 

• I’ve already talked about how much I’ve relied on chiropractic treatment - so that’s been a big one but also taking magnesium soaks/baths. You guys listen, I don’t know how any woman makes it through pregnancy without a bathtub. I know some of you aren’t bath people, but I just cannot understand. That is the only place where I feel comfortable these days and truly cannot imagine life without it 😀The magnesium also helps with relaxing my muscles as I’ve dealt with some Restless Leg Syndrome this last trimester and helping me get better sleep. Not to mention, it’s just good support for my body and especially for my liver as everything is working extra hard these days. 

How long am I taking off? What will work look like when I’m back? 

Well, the short answer is - at least the summer. This will be the last podcast episode and I won’t be producing any regular content or working with clients at all this summer. I’m sure I’ll be on social here and there and sharing some things there, especially after the haze of the first few weeks wears off, but I won’t be “working” per se. I’m not exactly sure when the podcast will be back when regular content will start to flow again or exactly what it will look like. As of now, I’m thinking likely in the beginning of September but I’m not holding myself to that. I’ve never had two kids before and honestly just don't know what life will look like being home with them and trying to run a business. So, we’ll just see. 

The good news is that all of my previous episodes will stay right here and you have 95 episodes worth of my voice to go back and listen to if you start missing me ;) 

My Foundations of Health course - Move Forward, Feel Better will also still be available, so if you’re looking for some health coaching between now and when I’m back, that is a great resource for you that you can access at any time.

Well, that answers all the questions that I have and pretty much wraps things up for today. Everything is linked in today’s show notes and always over in my Instagram bio as well. I’ll miss sharing with you guys this summer but I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me again soon! As always keep moving forward, go love your people well, and I’ll talk to you next time! 

Pregnancy Faves

Amazon Black Romper // Genexa Antacids // LTGL Magnesium Soak (HF10 to save 10%) // Primally Pure Baby Balm (yourhealthforward10 to save 10%) // Needed Prenatal Vitamins (healthforward to save 20%) // Reduce Insulated Tumber // Pickleball Electrolyte Powder // Amazon Maternity Leggings // Amazon Pregnancy Pillow

Why Liver Health Matters

Hi friends! In today’s episode, we are talking about our livers and why it’s so important that we take good care of them! The health of our livers is probably not something that often crosses our minds, but it is one of the most important organs in our bodies both for everyday function and long-term health. So let’s get into talking about the liver…

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The liver is the unsung hero of our bodies. It performs over 500 essential functions and unless something is going wrong, it rarely ever gets noticed. Most people I know don’t go around thinking about their livers throughout the day, yet it’s functions are vital to all other body systems’ ability to function. 

For example, here are a few of the essential functions the liver is responsible for:

Digestion and absorption

Our livers help turn our food into energy. It stores and distributes both fat and glucose, as well as metabolizes both cholesterol and protein.  It produces bile which is vital for digestion and absorption of key vitamins and nutrients and then distributes those nutrients out to the body. It also produces key enzymes that are needed for other chemical reactions all over the body. In addition to distribution, it also stores vitamins and minerals that will be needed in the future. So just by listing these few things, this shows that our livers help regulate our blood sugar, cholesterol, and hormone levels. 

Immune Function

Our livers produce of certain proteins and components of the immune system such as cytokines as well as various other immune cells. Our livers maintain a certain amount of controlled inflammation which assists the body in detoxification, but when this becomes uncontrolled or dysregulated, it can lead to systemic inflammation which damages the immune system and can even lead to auto-immunity or cancer. 

Hormone Function

The liver is hugely important for hormone health. Our livers create proteins and cholesterol that carry hormones all over the body. In addition, it also helps deactivate hormones and assist with ridding our bodies of excess hormones, or ones that we no longer need. This process is vitally important. For example, with the hormone estrogen, our livers actually regulate which kind of estrogens our bodies produce, as well as help with the processes that remove excess estrogen from the body. Without this essential function, an excess of estrogens can build in the body leading to estrogen-dominant diseases and cancer.  

Detox 

The function that our livers are best know for is detoxification. The liver is responsible for the movement of the blood in our bodies. As a matter of fact, almost 1½ liters of blood pass through our liver every single minute in order to be filtered. Through this process it extracts toxins and stores nutrients for later use (which we discussed when talking about digestion and absorption). The liver detoxifies in three phases that must stay in sync with each other. 

Phase One is bioidentification. This is when your body sends out enzymes that put a red flag on all toxins. Phase two is conjugation. This is when the body attaches molecules to those flagged toxins to make them either water soluble or fat soluble. Phase three is elimination. This is when the body actually flushes the toxins from our bodies when we use the bathroom (and sometimes through sweat). If one of these phases isn’t working correctly, it can damage our body’s cells and allow the toxins to continue to circulate in our bodies, further taxing our livers and creating a loop of inflammation. Every single substance we breathe, ingest, or absorb through our skin will pass through our liver, which creates a huge workload for it every single day. 

The point here is that every other system in the body is dependent on the function of the liver and when our livers are healthy, and functioning well, this works great! However, the truth is that the majority of Americans are walking around with less-than-healthy livers. 

What happens when our livers aren’t healthy

It’s estimated that up to 90 million Americans (that’s almost ⅓ of the American population) has Fatty Liver Disease, which is basically inflammation of the liver that occurs when apprx. 5% of cells in the liver are replaced with fat cells. This causes the liver to be unable to keep up with it’s 500+ essential functions and add to systemic inflammation in the rest of the body, which can lead to other chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, even Alzheimers and Dementia. 

If Fatty Liver Disease is left untreated, it can progress into Fibrosis, and even Cirrhosis of the liver, which leads to liver failure (fatal). Liver Disease doesn’t just occur because of alcohol or drug use or Hepatitis. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common form of liver disease and is caused by a combination of lifestyle and genetics - most commonly high-starch/high-sugar diets, insufficient protein intake, intake of trans fats and artificial chemicals, unresolved emotions and trauma, lack of movement in the lymphatic system, and overexposure to environmental toxins. It’s not usually only too much fat, as the name would suggest.

Symptoms of an unhealthy liver or fatty liver disease

There aren’t always immediate symptoms, which can make it tricky. When symptoms do occur, some common ones are:

• Abdominal pain, fullness in the upper right side

• Nausea, loss of appetite (especially in the AM)

• Swelling in legs/abdomen

• Fatigue

• Brain Fog/confusion

• Waking up at night in the 2-3 am range regularly

You can ask your provider to run labs to check enzyme levels most commonly found in the liver ALT and AST. If either level is over 30, especially ALT, this can be indicative of a damaged liver. It’s important to note that by the time these levels are above normal, damage to the liver is already happening. So we don’t want to wait until then to care for and support the health of our liver. 

The good news is that livers regenerate and that our body has an amazing ability to heal. It will need some support from us, but an unhealthy liver, even most diseased livers, with the exception of cirrhosis, can be become healthy and well-functioning again. 

In the next episode, I am going to share ways that you can support your liver health to prevent an unhealthy, sluggish, or diseased liver, as well as ways that you can help your liver to heal if you are already experiencing liver dysfunction or disease. Make sure you stay tuned for that episode! 

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A Few of My Favorite Less-Toxic Swaps

Hi friends! In today’s episode, I want to share a few of my favorite less-toxic swaps that I feel have made the biggest impact on me and my family. 

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When it comes to learning about toxins and how they can affect the body, it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed. Where do you start, how do you know what to swap, etc. I remember feeling so overwhelmed when I first started learning about all this stuff and kind of like I needed to just chuck everything I owned and start over. Obviously, that’s not realistic or even smart. The goal is never to bring more stress or fear/anxiety into your life bc those things are just as, if not more, toxic than all the chemicals. I have an entire episode dedicated to how to start the process of reducing toxin exposure in your life, so if you find yourself feeling that way, go back and give that one a listen. Today I just want to highlight three of my favorite swaps that we made and why I feel like they’ve had a big impact on my health and our home. 

Berkey Water Filter System

First, I want to start with the one we use the most often - the Berkey water filtration system. We use our Berkey every single day, multiple times a day - it even travels with us when we can take it. It is by far one of my favorite less-toxic investments that we have made. 

Let me back up and explain what it is: The Berkey Filtration system is a counter-top water purifying system that removes unhealthy contaminants and impurities from your tap water.  

We chose the Berkey because I wanted a filtered water option for our family and I wanted an option that was sustainable and affordable. Even though there is some government regulation on what is allowed in our tap water, I knew that it wasn’t really a safe option for drinking due to some testing we had done previously, but then I also looked up a contaminant report (from Berkey) for water coming from our water company and it found that 11 contaminants that exceeded the EWG’s guidelines and each of them were believed to be carcinogenic (increases risk for cancer). 

This wasn’t an overnight switch for us. We started by switching to bottled water, then a water cooler in the house, then finally the Berkey. For us, the final deciding factor was the amount of money we were spending each month just on water! The amount that we drink and use for cooking, etc. it saved us money, in the long run, to go ahead and invest in the Berkey system. 

Some of the things I love about it is that it doesn’t filter out minerals, which can lead to dehydration; it doesn’t require power,  so can be used in emergencies, and if there are unsafe water conditions in our area; it can be easily disassembled/reassembled so it can travel with us as well. 

I highly recommend switching to the Berkey! As of recording this a few of the sizes were sold out, so if you’re interested in getting one, I suggest you don’t wait! We have the Big Berkey which holds a little over 2 gallons at a time. 

Essential Oil Diffusers and Safe Candles 

The next less-toxic swap that I wanted to highlight today is essential oil diffusers - specifically switching them out for scented candles. I know… it’s about to be Fall, and candles are so cozy, especially those cute pumpkin ones that Target just put on the shelves. I hear you! But did you know that most regular candles actually pollute the air of your home? Most are made from paraffin when burned emits chemicals like benzene (which scores an F from the EWG with high concern for increased risk of cancer, genetic defects, reproductive issues in males, asthma, and much more), toluene (which scores a 10 also with reproductive and developmental concerns). Unfortunately, some of the soy candles aren’t much better because they are full of synthetic fragrances, which are often also made of petro-chemicals (petroleum-based just like paraffin - therefore having all the same carcinogenic and reproductive dangers) as well as phthalates, which are known endocrine disruptors. Not to mention, the allergy/respiratory irritant factor associated with synthetic fragrances. 

I’ve always been extremely sensitive to fragrances and even when I used to buy conventional candles, there were only a couple of scents that I could tolerate without having a reaction.  So what do we do instead? 

The good news is that there are options that not only are good for our health but also can actually help clean the air in our homes. I love using essential oil diffusers in my home and personally, I feel like they are also cozy and inviting. I love that I can actually support the health of my family while making my home smell good! There are so many fun diffusers on the market, some with flickering effects, just like a candle. Some of my favorite scents to use are lavender, orange, and frankincense together, or just using Germ Fighter (or Thieves) which smells like a holiday candle to me! In my bedroom, I love using lavender, of course, but also Clary Sage - both smell amazing and help to induce deep, restful sleep. 

I’ve also recently learned about a few candle companies that are making safe candles from 100% beeswax (which actually cleans the air in your home by emitting negative ions) or another clean vegetable oil source, and scented purely with essential oils. I haven’t personally tried any of these yet, but I have my eye on a couple made by Fontana Candle Company that I want to try for the fall/holiday season. 

Laundry Detergent and Cleaning Products 

The last less-toxic swap I want to talk about today is laundry detergent and cleaning products. Laundry detergent is one of the first swaps I recommend to my clients because #1 - it’s a super easy switch and #2 - your clothes/sheets/towels are touching your body all day/every day. Most regular laundry detergents are full of chemicals like SLS, dioxane, ethoxylates, formaldehyde, and of course - synthetic fragrances. As we just talked about, these chemicals cause very serious concerns for things like endocrine disruption, reproductive issues, respiratory/skin irritation, and even cancer. Our skin is our biggest organ and our clothes sit on our skin all day long. So while many of us may love the lasting scents that may come from our favorite detergents, fragrance softeners, or scent boosters, we have to remember that all of those chemicals are sinking into our skin and into our bloodstream. It’s not worth it! 

Especially when there are so many less-toxic ingredients on the market. My favorite laundry detergent is currently the Thrive Market brand unscented powder (all ingredients score an A or B on EWG). I’ve been using it for probably close to a year and have zero complaints about it. It’s affordable, easy to use, and I just add a couple of drops of essential oils to the bag if I want it to be scented. I’ve also heard great things about the Molly Suds Laundry Powders (also scores an A on EWG) though I haven’t tried it myself. 

The same concerns are true for household cleaners as well. Though those usually don’t touch our skin regularly, we breathe them in while using them and the chemicals emitted from them pollute the air in our homes. Did you know that it’s estimated that the air in our homes is at least 2-5 times more toxic than the air outside? Think about that - with all the air quality issues we worry about polluting the environment outside, inside of our homes is typically worse! 

Branch Basics is a wonderful brand of cleaners (they also have laundry products) and they are an amazing resource for education about toxins in our products and the effects they can have on our health. Again, the Thrive brand has safe options, and personally, I’m a big fan of making my own cleaners. Mainly because it’s the most affordable option for us, and right now I’m in a season where I have the time to do it - not that it takes much time at all. I actually use @alittlelesstoxic’s recipe to make most of my cleaning products. I will link to those in the notes but they are very easy to find on her Instagram feed as well. There are many other clean, safe brands of cleaners out there as well but just be careful about actually looking at the ingredients. Just because something is marketed as being “all-natural” or “green” doesn’t mean it’s actually made with safe ingredients - a lot of that is just marketing. The EWG is my favorite resource for looking up ingredients - simply type in the name of the ingredient and then the word “EWG” into the google search and it should come right - usually the first or second search results listing. 

So those are a few of my favorite less-toxic swaps that I feel have made a huge impact on the health of our family and the air quality of our home. I hope this has been helpful for you and maybe gave you some things to think about. Again, remember the point here isn’t to freak you out or make you panic, but I do want you to be informed about the concerns associated with these toxic ingredients as well as the better, safer choices on the market.

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Living Life 'A Little Less Toxic" with Shawna Holman

In this episode, Shawna Holman of A Little Less Toxic shares how making simple changes over time drastically improved her health and why the ingredients that we put on, in, and around our bodies matter so much. She also shares practical ways to start reducing the toxic burden on our bodies without feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.

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Questions answered in this episode…

How did you first learn about the impact of toxins on your health?

Is reducing one’s toxin exposure/burden actually important or just something trendy to market “clean” products? Does using less toxic ingredients really impact our health?

How did you start reducing your toxic-burden? How do you recommend others get started in their own journey?

Learning about toxins can feel overwhelming, what is your encouragement for those who are afraid they can’t live a perfectly “clean” lifestyle?

Resources mentioned in this episode: EWG, Think Dirty - Live Clean App

Follow Shawna in all the places: Instagram, Youtube, alittlelesstoxic.com

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