Embodied By Rochelle

Gestational Diabetes + Testing Options in Pregnancy

GD is when your body cannot appropriately regulate the glucose levels in your blood, resulting in high blood sugar.

GD can result in acquiring type 2 diabetes post pregnancy. It can also impact the health of your baby. Being on top of your diet and exercise can help reduce chances of getting GD, or even reverse it if you do test positive.

So how do they test for it? Your standard GD test will involve a drink with 50 grams of glucose. You wait an hour after consumption and your blood is draw.

What they don’t tell you? This standard drink is highly toxic and you have OPTIONS. Instead of chugging down a bottle filled with dextrose from corn, color dyes, more corn byproducts, brominated soybean oil (which is considered a flame retardant), and more unworthy ingested ingredients, you can always opt for something else.

The fresh test. It’s organic and contains just three ingredients: organic, non-GMO dextrose, lemon oil + juice, and peppermint leaf powder. All organic.

Self monitor your blood sugar levels at home.

Ask your physician or healthcare provider about a specific breakfast you can eat before testing.

Opting out. You can always opt out of any testing during YOUR pregnancy. You always have a choice!

Herbal tinctures can be used for conceiving, pre-pregnancy health, during pregnancy, and postpartum. The return of my herbal line will be available in February. My main focus is nurturing herbal tinctures that moms in any stage of pregnancy can safely access and use for optimal vitality.

So what is an herbal tincture? They are concentrated liquid forms of an extracted herb. Tinctures are easy and convenient to use, making them great for everyone, but especially mothers. Drop them in your water, smoothie, or directly under your tongue.

The first drop of tinctures will include nutritive herbs nettle, oat straw, and red raspberry leaf - red clover and false unicorn root for pre-pregnancy - catnip for third trimester relief for constipation and insomnia.

Always consult your healthcare physician before taking ANY medication or remedy.

🤍 Debating on whether you should
breastfeed, formula feed, or both? Here are some of the amazing benefits of breastfeeding your babe. 🤍

👉🏼 Forming a nurturing bond with your baby. Breastfeeding also promotes skin to skin contact with your babe. There is no better way to bond with your baby than breastfeeding.
👉🏼 Your breast milk is designed for your baby! It will help build their immunity, develop their digestion system, and will also change to fit the nutrients your baby needs as they grow!
👉🏼 Composition of breast milk varies according to babe's needs. It automatically adjusts itself to give your baby the most nutrients possible at every stage of development!
👉🏼 It's also great for Mami! The oxytocin release can help
tremendously in the postpartum stage. It can help with potential depression and the baby blues stage.
👉🏼 Oxytocin also helps stimulate uttering contractions
postpartum to help the uterus return to pre pregnancy size,
which also helps with reducing the risk of postpartum
hemorrhage.
👉🏼 Breastfeeding reduces risk of potential breast and ovarian cancer.
👉🏼 Colostrum is the first thing your body produces and the first thing your babe will feed on. It is full of protein, antibodies, and enzymes - and also has laxative features helping your babe rid of the meconium - which helps your baby digestive system in receiving greater quantity of milk.
👉🏼 Breastfeeding is a journey. I always recommend consulting a trained lactation specialist for additional resources, to show you how to effectively and efficiently use your pump, and to check your babe’s latch.

👶🏽 Bed Sharing 👶🏽

Bed sharing with your newborn baby seems like a controversial topic. Some families love it, while others opt out. Bed sharing can actually be very beneficial to mama and babe.
👉🏼 Promotes bonding between babe and caregiver(s) and a secure attachment.
👉🏼 Helps babe get to sleep easier.
👉🏼 Night feedings are easier, therefore promoting better sleep for everyone. If breastfeeding, side feeding is excellent so mama and babe can get back to sleep easily.
👉🏼 Promotes bonding of both parents with babe, especially if one, or both caregivers, are working during the day.
‼️ Safety Tips for Bed Sharing ‼️
👉🏼 A firm mattress
👉🏼 Don’t co-sleep under the influence
👉🏼 Minimal pillows and blankets. Sleeping next to baby will create more body heat naturally. A thick comforter and many pillows are a heating and breathing hazard for babe.
👉🏼 Get bed rails like you would for a toddler bed.
👉🏼 Don’t co-sleep if you’re a deep sleeper and hard to wake.
👉🏼 Ensure there aren’t any cracks between bed and the wall so babe can’t risk falling or getting a limb stuck.

🎉 My pregnancy prep guide is now available! 🎉
Head to the link in my bio and check out my new downloadable PDF for tips, recommendations, recipes, and more to help you be your best self to help you conceive!

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of my website and subscribe to my mailing list to stay up to date on all things birth, support, nutrition, yoga, and more!

xoxo

Squatting during labor has amazing benefits.
☑️ During second stage labor, squatting with each contraction has helped increase the area of the pelvic outlet by 28%
☑️ Can reduce length of labor
☑️ Reduce injury risk to the perineum
☑️ Creates more room in the vaginal canal for baby to enter the world

Squats are a great thing to practice while pregnant to tone and strengthen the lower body, as well as assist in range of motion for the hips and pelvic floor, for labor and delivery.

🤰🏼 Laboring Positions 🤰🏽

There are so many different ways to labor and to help baby along their way. Different laboring positions can help the uterus contract more strongly and efficiently and help baby get into birthing position. Positions that help take weight off of the sacrum and coccyx help the pelvis to expand. Here are some positions to try.
🕊 Reverse sitting / reverse toilet sitting.
🕊 Lunges with or without chair
🕊 Hands and knees / supported child’s pose
🕊 Squatting with support
🕊 Birth ball - standing and leaning with support / sitting on the birth ball with wide legs, moving in a circular motion (with support)

Minerals are vital in the formation of you growing babe. Calcium is essential for the formation of bones and teeth while maintaining yours, as well as connective tissue. Calcium maintains healthy nerves, regular heartbeat, and normal metabolism. Magnesium is essential for your body to function normally. It helps make energy and regulate metabolism and blood sugar. Iron helps oxygenate fetal tissue. Iodine is crucial for supporting the thyroid, and low levels are linked to mental issues. Phosphorus, zinc, and sodium are also important in pregnancy to have a healthy baby and keep you healthy as well.
All of these minerals can be obtained in a healthy diet, and in herbs. Some sources include:
👉🏼 nettle
👉🏼 alfalfa
👉🏼 red clover
👉🏼 red raspberry leaves
👉🏼 dandelion
👉🏼 fruits
👉🏼 vegetables
👉🏼 sea salt
👉🏼 sea moss
👉🏼 kelp
👉🏼 beans
👉🏼 organic meats
👉🏼 nuts and seeds

Fats in pregnancy are so important and shouldn’t be dismissed. Fats surround and hold in place and protect major organs. Fats help aid in digestion of cholesterol and are necessary for healthy blood, arteries, nerves, and tissues. They are essential for your baby’s development, especially the eyes and brain! Some healthy fats include:
👉🏼 avocado
👉🏼 nuts and seeds
👉🏼 salmon
👉🏼 eggs
👉🏼 olive oil
👉🏼 yogurt
👉🏼 edamame

Being the main source of energy, carbohydrates are especially important while pregnant. Carbs help bodily functions such as digestion and assimilation, and muscular activity. If you don’t have enough carbs, the body resorts to using proteins and fats as energy, leaving a high amount of ketones in the body. This can be dangerous not just for you, but for baby as well. Healthy carb foods include:
👉🏼 whole grains
👉🏼 seeds
👉🏼 starchy vegetables
👉🏼 oats
👉🏼 beans

It’s important to get enough protein in pregnancy as it provides the structural framework for healthy tissue growth. Everything from muscle, blood, organs, bones, connective tissue, hormones, metabolism, and growing are dependent on protein. It also contributes to antibodies to fight infections and helps maintain pH balance. Protein in vital for baby and placenta development. Foods high in protein include:
👉🏼 Organic, grass fed meat
👉🏼 Free range, pasture raise poultry and eggs
👉🏼 legumes
👉🏼 beans
👉🏼 seeds and nuts

🥗 NUTRITION + PREGNANCY 🥗
There are so many benefits to switching to a whole food diet, especially while pregnant. Research, and our bodies, tell us that what we eat during pregnancy is what nourishes our growing babe. It not only ensures our babies health, intelligence, and resistance to infections, but your health during pregnancy and birth. Choosing what foods to eat during pregnancy can be difficult if you aren’t already accustomed to a healthier lifestyle. These days chemicals and toxins are overloading our bodies, and hidden in many of our foods. Hormones, antibiotics, BPAs, PFOAs, and more are just some of the things we’re exposed to if not intentionally choosing our foods. Avoiding things such as non-organic foods, foods wrapped in plastics, and processed foods can help eliminate many toxins you ingest. Opt for organic meats, dairy, and produce. Avoid drinks with added sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and vegetable/canola/seed oils (in many dairy milk alternatives), as these are high inflammatory oils. In the next posts, we’ll break down each nutrition category and where to get the best sources of each nutrient.

🧠 B.R.A.I.N 🧠
When interventions and procedures are introduced to your clients, a tool to use in labor and delivery is the BRAIN acronym to help your client make informed decisions.
B: Benefits - What are the benefits of this procedure, intervention, or technique?
R: Risks - What are the risks involved?
A: Alternatives - Are there any alternatives to this intervention? What are they?
I: Intuition - What are the clients instincts and internal feelings telling them? Does this intervention make sense with them? Or are they having a hard “no” intuitive response?
N: Nothing - What would happen if we did nothing, or waited for a while?
👉🏼 This acronym is crucial to informed consent. Remember, there is NO consent unless it is INFORMED consent. Doulas are a major help in making sure true informed consent is taking place with their clients.

✨ Doulas in a hospital setting ✨
There are so many benefits to having a doula, especially in a hospital setting.
👉🏼 reduced the need for unnecessary medical intervention
👉🏼 reduces the rate of medication
👉🏼 reduced the rate of cesarean
👉🏼 more support and advocacy for your birth plan
👉🏼 higher rate of having a positive birth experience
👉🏼 more postpartum support
👉🏼 a dedicated support person to you and only you/your partner

🤱🏽 Deciding where to brith? 🤱🏽
Debating where to birth your baby is something a lot of families are now considering. The lack of support and increasing unnecessary medical interventions are leaving mamas to turn to birthing centers and home birth - some are even choosing free births with no assistance from anyone except maybe their partner or friend or family member. Here are some pros and cons to hospital, birth center, and home births. Where do you plan to bring your baby Earth side? Or what was your experience? There is no right or wrong when choosing what’s best for YOU and your experience!

👩‍👧 Postpartum 👩‍👧
Or, the fourth trimester. Postpartum is a huge part of pregnancy and birth. Having the support and care for postpartum prepared before baby’s arrival can be key in determining how well mama can heal and care for herself and baby after birth.
👉🏼 Have a support system in place - have friends or family members cook, clean, and do other house hold chores so you can focus on bonding with your new babe
👉🏼 Have nutritious freezer made meals prepared beforehand, and have people cook meals for you. Nutrition is important while healing from birth, and especially if you’re breastfeeding your baby
👉🏼 Have emotional and mental support. This can look like family, friends, or even a therapist. A lot of moms and families aren’t prepared for the emotional toll hormones, and caring for a new baby, take on postpartum mothers. They need your emotional support as well
👉🏼 Have a section in your room or bathroom for necessities such as disposable underwear, pads, perineum balm or spray, perineum squeeze bottle for after using the bathroom, and other things you will find useful for care down there
👉🏼 Keep snacks and water bottles nearby at all times. You don’t want to get stuck in a feeding session and realize you’re hungry or thirsty and can’t move!
👉🏼 Rest as much as possible. Have other people tend to the home and YOUR needs. Most times people think offering to hold the baby so you can fold laundry is helpful. Have others fold the laundry while you and baby rest
👉🏼 Say NO. You can set boundaries on when you allow visitors to see the baby. This isn’t a pony show. You just went through the marathon of your life and having too many people over can not only overwhelm you, but the new life you just birthed. Babies need time to acclimate to their new environment
👉🏼 Reach out to a postpartum doula if you need the help. You can ask for help without feeling guilty or ashamed. It takes a village! Postpartum doulas will do housework, cook, clean, laundry, and sit with the baby while you shower. Interview doulas before you give birth to find one you are comfortable with. Many birth doulas also offer postpartum care

Embodied By Rochelle updated their business hours.

When the inevitable happens how do you want to be remembered? When life happens how do you bounce back? When the bomb implodes do you take the world with you?
Life happens to everyone. There is not a single Soul walking Earth side that experiences life without traumas, woes, and struggles - because isn’t that the point? Isn’t the point in all of this human experience how we handle it? Can you get a grip on yourself to get a handle on the world?
If it hasn’t happened to you yet, there will be a moment in your life that absolutely defines you. And you get to choose how. Will you allow it to hinder how your Spirit once moved through you? Or will you allow Grace to take over and continue to be a Light?
We walk through life judging others - people we don’t know, mostly people we do know - saying what we would do if we were in their shoes, but the truth of the matter is you don’t know what you would do unless you lived that person’s life, experienced their hardships, lived through their trauma.
Can you start to walk through this life with more compassion for others, for less judgement of their decisions, to continue to be a Light when the bomb implodes?
Life isn’t about being seamless and easy, it’s about being messy and hard - the Grace comes when you put in the Effort to continue to be Light.
From now on I choose to practice compassion over judgement, Light over despair, and Faith over fear.
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When we refuse to experience all of our emotions and feelings, we don’t stop them from happening. We don’t stop the negative experience from occurring. We instead trap our fears and anxieties inside of our bodies and minds. So start to make the unconscious, conscious. Invite and open a dialogue with what is really going on inside your body.
Bring your mind with you. We can start that dialogue.
This week at
Tuesday 6 pm fuego flow
Wednesday 6:30 pm fuego flow
Thursday 9:30 am fuego flow
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The yoga asanas are more than just a way to move and build strength. It’s a way to move energy. And as you move that energy around and start to release it, we take with it all the feelings and emotions stored deeply within us - which is why this physical practice can be such an emotional release, even if we’re unsure of the why in that moment. Speaking of release, we’re in the season of fall now. Chinese medicine teaches us so much - teaching us that with each season comes an element. And the element relating to fall is metal. And the main organ relating to metal are the lungs. And the emotion attached to the lungs are grief and sorrow. And the action that comes with that, is release. And just like the leaves falling from their branches we too must release from that comfort and security, and let go. Let go of all things out of our control, holding us back, and diminishing our growth. The nature of nature is change, and we are the utmost of nature.
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Cleveland thank you so much for allowing me to lead you through practice. To hold space. To be myself through teaching. What an honor to lead my last class in such a beautiful space hosted by - to every student I’ve encountered, I have so much gratitude and appreciation for each and every one of you. Goodbye for now Cleveland - I’ll be back soon 🤍🕊
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Find your fits, you find your angles. Find your angles, you get around yourself. Get around yourself, you find your vision. Find your vision, you can check your blind spots. Check your blind spots and you can gain insight. Gain insight and find a new perspective.
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🍁 Four times a year our body naturally detoxes. Our bodies naturally and intuitively know to prepare for another season. As we move from the heightened yang of summer to the beginning yin of fall, if you aren’t in optimal health and wellness you may be experiencing symptoms like respiratory and digestive issues. The lungs are the major organ associated with fall, so opening and airing out the windows to your body are key. Pranayama is clutch when it comes to alchemising the lungs. For more on the transition, visit my website for the blog, and IGTV + my YouTube for pranayama. Also remember, cover your neck and kidneys from the wind and cooling weather to avoid illness. And If you are having a hard fall transition, I highly recommend some therapeutic private sessions and some traditional Chinese medicine from 🍂

We talk a lot about the handling of the heart in private sessions. We venture to the kitchen so you can experience if you’re stuck or just flat out avoiding. It’s important to know: have your feelings because they’re valid, but they’re not everything. Our feelings aren’t a reliable tool for measure because they’re always changing. Often times we have to keep showing up to the work to have that revelation, that light bulb moment. Remember this next time the world has you caught up in your feelings. Take a moment and find yourself an appropriate tool for measure.
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I have just three weeks left in north east Ohio until I head to the East coast. I won’t be back until end or November, so if you’ve been wanting to book a private, now is your time. Send me a message. Step into your healing.
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My last in-person class will take place THIS Sunday at at 4:30. There are only a few spots left and I’d love to see you there.
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Also, I want to take a moment to spotlight this wonderful Soul. By giving me her trust, and most importantly trusting herself, she has made strides in every aspect of her life. She consistently shows up and puts in the work, the self care, and gains insight into her life every single time we end our time together. She is a walking testimony of what investing in yourself looks like. This isn’t just a physical practice, as my mentor and teacher Josie said, it’s a feel good practice.
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What do your mornings look like? Rushed and forced? Hitting that snooze button then chugging some coffee to start your day? No judgement. But here are a few tips to slowly implement into a morning routine. My number one game changer has been setting my phone on airplane mode before bed and not turning it on when I wake up. Avoiding texts and social media first thing in the morning has given me a clearer mind, less anxiety and stress, and a deeper appreciation for my mornings and what I am able to do with them.
What are some of your favorite things you do in the morning to get yourself right for your day?
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You have to know where you’ve been to know where you’re going. We have to be able to reflect on the past to plan for our future. You can’t mediate without being willing to revisit what’s behind you. Coming back to my childhood home has been therapeutic. I remember when I first left, thinking “I’ll never come back here”. And thinking how embarrassing it would be to come back to your home town. With many years past, and new eyes to reflect with, coming home to my roots has been the most therapeutic thing I could have done for myself before I venture into new beginnings this fall. We can never change the past, but we can always change how we feel about it.
Four more weeks to book your private sessions with me. Come hang in this natures oasis or I’ll come to you 🤍
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🤍LAST CHANCE🤍
Join us for Katonah Yoga followed by a sound bath by .b.i.r.d.w.o.r.d
-Sunday, September 26th @ 4:30 pm
-Root down, find a fit, set a goal, get higher vision
-Enjoy a 20 minute savasana in a restorative pose as you take in the healing crystal bowls
-Spots are limited and filling, so head to to sign up!
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Join Jessica Bird and I for a rejuvenating and relaxing flow + sound bath.
-We will utilize props as scaffolding, find fits and folds, leading to embodiment.
-Jess will lead us into a cozy savasana where she’ll take you to another realm with the crystal singing bowls.
-Space is limited to 8 students, so sign up while there are still spots. This will fill up fast!
-Head to river yoga studio to sign up!