Pregnancy is...in a word...weird.

Sorry my dear (8) blog followers for my long and shameful silence. I am turning that around now! Here's the deal....I got pregnant on New Year's Eve and was in bed for the better part of 4 months with horrible baby sickness. Now at 5.5 months preggo and feeling much better I am going to start blogging about my personal experience as well as share information that I have picked up along the way. I am still on the fence as to whether of not I should start an entirely new blog or just funnel it through here and have a daily blog mix. What do you guys think?
I don't want to bore/alienate people who are not interested in getting or being pregnant. But I also want to share my life, nutrition practice, lifestyle views, etc. in order to bolster up and help other women. And as of now, its all part of me.
My goal is to shed some REAL light on this crazy ride of pregnancy and not just be the happy Polly Anna or the negative Nancy. For women that want to have their own baby, pregnancy is generally part of the process. And I have found it alienating when women only discuss how amazing it is and how they felt sexy beyond belief and happy everyday. Cause guess what? I felt fucking sick as hell for 4 months and had days when I really didn't know how I'd push through. But I did. And we as women do and you will too. I had times of fainting spells, crying in public at the airport because I couldn't walk without fear of fainting (cringe), the worst nausea I could ever have imagined, vomiting, acne, severe constipation...and the list goes on. Pregnancy is A LOT of different things all mashed into one strange and new experience. When my friends ask how it's going, the one thing I can honestly say in a short answer is WEIRD. It is fucking weird. My body as I have known it for most of my life is changing on a daily basis. Its like a science experiment. Even starting from week 1 of being pregnant my body began shifting and reshaping itself. My husband and I nightly look at my naked body to see what has changed. Its trippy as hell! And pretty cool. Somedays I am scared and feel out of control, but most days I am excited to see and feel this little girl growing inside of me. It has been a real learning curve for little miss controlling (moi) to not be able to dictate to my body what my mind wants. My dream of juicing and eating raw vegan throughout my pregnancy fell to the wayside at week 5 when the sickness set in. For 4 months I could not look at a fruit of vegetable much less eat one. And this is coming from someone who normally juices 1-2 liters of veggie juice a day. My ego took a second seat and I realized through the ups and downs that pregnancy is a finite time and that to get through it as calmly and safely as possible I would have to ease up and let my body and new baby guide me. Again its about finding my middle path. Why is it so hard?!!! So I am taking it day by day. Feeling out what my body wants and needs, literally on a day to day basis. What I was able to eat yesterday I cannot eat today. It does not define who I am as person. So for all of you pregnant mamas out there, please be kind to yourself. It is an important time to be as healthy as you can be but try not to create more anxiety by judging yourself too harshly. Because afterall it is a 9.5-10 month period which yes is huge. but also is just the beginning.
To Love, Health & the Middle Path!

- Please email me at mcleanmcgown@gmail.com if yu have questions that you'd like answered ;)

xoxxMcLean

Green Tea Chai = Happy Mornings

Hello my dear blog readers. I have been meaning to tell you about my somewhat new favorite tea discovery. It is made by Yogi Teas and it is a green tea chai. I love the flavor of chai in the morning with high grade raw honey and a dash of coconut creamer or almond milk, delish! It is low in caffeine but you  get a bit of pep plus the antioxidant benefits of green tea. I lost my taste for coffee immediately upon becoming pregnant and most green or black teas make me vomit if I drink them first thing in the morning. But this tea is the best of all worlds. It is flavorful, decadent, good for you and not so strong that it turns your tummy. I actually just ran out of my stash today and am not looking forward to my morning without it. This is a really great tea if you are transitioning to a lower caffeinated tea or trying to quit coffee. For you pregnant ladies out there, listen first to your doctor, but most scientific research shows that 150-200 mg per day of caffeine is fine, just stay mindful. If you can do without it, great. But if you need to hold onto a little morning happiness with a touch of caffeine, I say do what makes you happy. Remember it's all about happiness in the mind, body, soul and finding your own way.
To Love, Health & the Middle Path!!!

ps- Starting a pre-pregnancy/ pregnancy/ baby blog....so if you have any questions that you want answering please email me at mcleanmcgown@gmail.com.

xoxMcLean