Introduction to my new book

My brand new book is due for release in a week! It has grown with me during my pregnancy and over the first 2 years of my daughters life. I am thrilled to share the knowledge I have learned as  a mother and researcher for this book, as well as the hundreds of yummy recipes designed especially for mamas and kids. The following is an exceprt from my book - Homemade Smoothies for Mother and Baby - its the the very first page!

In July 2013, my husband and I were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Emily. Her journey into our lives was not without its dramas. Firstly, with unexplained infertility, it took over 3 years to conceive, followed by finding out she had a birth defect of her abdomen at 12 weeks with risks of associated serious medical problems, and being advised she would require around 6 months in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), at a hospital 2 hours from our home.

Knowing what was ahead of us, I worked hard at having a very healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding period, to ensure Emily had the best start in life possible. Contrary to the doom and gloom presented while I was pregnant, she was born strong and healthy, and spent just 8 weeks in the hospital, defying the odds and amazing the doctors looking after her, with no infections, no breathing assistance, no formula feeds, and no fortified feeds—her medicine was lots of love and my breast milk.

Emily’s conception was all thanks to the wonderful guidance of my natural fertility specialist naturopath, using herbal medicine and tweaking my already healthy way of eating. My excellent health, and that of Emily, had a lot to do with how much effort I put into my diet, and smoothies played a big role in this picture. I have been drinking green smoothies since 2007, and my passion for the humble green drink resulted in the publication of my first book The Green Smoothie Bible published in 2012, and Green Smoothies for Every Season published in 2013.

This publication is a smoothie handbook for all things maternal, from preconception, to pregnancy, to breastfeeding, and introducing solids to your children. The smoothies are inspired by the nutritional requirements recommended for each stage, what tastes great, the latest research and guidelines, and my personal journey, plus the journeys of the wonderful, smoothie-drinking Mamas I surveyed.

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