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For those of you who have been following us since before the babies, you are definitely familiar with Shaklee. We’ve mentioned it so many times on Instagram. This brand has evolved my entire view on my health & I am incredibly grateful to Sara who is our contact there. I know my body now more than ever. Pregnancy helped me become way more in tune with what my body needs. Shaklee is a HUGE part of that. Here’s how I was introduced to the brand & how it’s shaped my views on my health inside & out pre baby and postpartum.
About two and a half years ago Leanna started telling me she was going on prenatal’s. If you are familiar with our pregnancy story, then you know that she was thinking about babies long before me. After doing research, she ended up connecting with Sara & discussing the potential of going on a multivitamin strip (that supports prenatal) called “Vitalizer”. Leanna ended up going on them & two months later came into Montreal for a shoot. I couldn’t believe what I saw.. After YEARS of being the ” long haired twin” due to Leanna dying her hair blonde every few months… her hair was for the first time ever, much longer & thicker than mine. Also, her nails.. they were so strong compared to mine, that felt incredible damaged & thin. Lastly was her skin….it was glowing! She looked different, better, healthier.. & I knew it was from the vitamin strip. She also had SO much energy. I could tell she was feeling good inside & out.
The next morning, I called her contact at Shaklee (Sara) & that’s where my journey began. There are many different Shaklee products, all depending on your needs & health. For me, I wanted to go on the same ‘Vitalizer” strip she was on.. but there was another area in my health that I was struggling with. I was debating even mentioning it to Sara..but felt a calling to tell her. So, I explained her my stomach condition called “Dyspepsia”. I have indigestion & nausea almost everyday. I wake up every single morning with a burning in my chest from too much stomach acid & for years would just chug milk or eat yogourt first thing in the morning to get rid of it. Until I spoke with Sara. At this time I was debating taking pills that would reduce the amount of acid in my stomach & my doc was suggesting I take one everyday for the rest of my life.. which didn’t sound okay to me. In my gut, I knew there had to be something more natural that wouldn’t stop my body from producing acid. In the end, I went on a digestive enzyme called EZ Gest & started taking calcium supplements, Within two days, the stomach acid went away FOR GOOD. Imagine if I didn’t say anything to her & would haven gone on those other pills that potentially could have given me worse issues in the long run!? Stopping my stomach from producing acid just didn’t sound right to me. The fact that two natural supplements were able to solve my problem got me thinking & made me question my doctor. This is where my whole view on health changed & I really started to follow my gut when it came to my body.
At this point, I had also started taking the same strip as Leanna. Nothing to do with getting pregnant.. as I mentioned I wanted to go on it for other reasons. On top of wanting my hair to grow, I wanted to look & feel as good as Leanna did. Within weeks, I felt such a surge in my energy, my hair was growing like weeds & overall I just felt GREAT. On top of that, within about a month Leanna & I were both pregnant. Could this strip of prenatal’s have made us more fertile? Who knows.. but I was beyond impressed with this brand.
Weeks later, I went to see my doctor for the routine checkup you have when you get pregnant. They check your blood, look at your iron levels etc. Perhaps I was bias due to the stomach situation.. but it was then that I started to take what my doctors told me with a grain of salt. I started doing research, speaking to practitioners & naturopaths so that I could get other opinions. Up until that moment, my doc was was pushing Materna on me & kept telling me it was the best prenatal brand out there. Although, once he saw my levels.,(which were excellent of course as the strip is incredible) he NEVER mentioned it again & even told me to keep doing what I am doing. Throughout my entire pregnancy, I continued taking the strip & out of all the decisions I have made over the years, this was the best one ever.
Fast forward to my delivery…. which was not an easy one and further made me realize I needed to trust my gut in delivery & postpartum. If you aren’t familiar with our birth stories, you can listen to our birth story podcast. Being that I was already on this vibe during pregnancy, I carried it into delivery with me. I pushed my OBGYN to agree to an induction.. they wanted me to wait another week to be induced.. which I knew my body could not handle. I was ready, Carter was ready & I knew if I waited another week I would 100 % have to have a C section. Not to mention, the doctor who was on call that night just didn’t have the same views as me. She was a lovely lady who I am forever grateful to as she helped me bring my son to this earth safely.. but she pushed me to have a C section.. and in the end after fighting for it.. I didn’t. I delivered a healthy & happy baby, naturally. Also, I was told after Carter came out that had I not pushed to be induced that day (one day before my actual due date) I would have 100 % had a C section. I followed my gut & so glad I did. YOU KNOW YOUR BODY BEST LADIES.
Carter was a big boy! He was 8 pounds 3 ounces.. I had an almost type 4 tear. The doctor wanted me to take iron since I had lost so much blood in delivery.. & she also wanted me to take laxatives which is completely normal. First two days postpartum at the hospital, I didn’t trust my gut and took what she said. The iron pills caused me to have the worst gas I have ever had in my life & the laxatives were SO aggressive. So without telling her.. the second I got home, I swapped them for products from Shaklee. So, instead of taking the iron supplements she gave me, I took iron plus vitamin c as well as an extra vitamin c supplement from Shaklee. Vitamin C is SO essential when healing from delivery. The doctor never even mentioned that to me, but after doing research & realizing Shaklee had a supplement with Iron & Vitamin C.. it was a no brainer. Also, I swapped the generic laxatives the doc gave me with “Herb-Lax” which cleans the colon in a different gentler way than the laxatives. It’s filled with herbs & overall was a much better choice for me.
It’s funny because people ask me all the time, how I handled recovering from a tear like that.. I healed SO well because I listened to my intuition & body. I second guessed my doctor and I did what my heart & soul felt was right. I have ZERO regrets. I could cry thinking about how grateful I am to Shaklee & to myself for having the strength to push for what feels right. I hope my story inspires you all to take your health into your own hands & follow your gut!
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