Prenatal Health
Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash
Having a baby is a happy and yet stressful time. Below is a list of helpful reminders for women going through this amazing time.
Eating right
Eating right is very important when you are pregnant. How anyone can think that eating poorly will not affect a child should have their head examined. In fact, there was an article in Discover Magazine in May of 2004, called The Good Egg (You can access this article on the web at http://discovermagazine.com/2004/may/cover that explains that what we eat up to 3 months before we even get pregnant can affect the baby.
This isn’t rocket science; it is common sense. Eating correctly can make the mother and the baby stronger, help with the natural stress that happens during pregnancy, and prevent complications.
There was also an article in Newsweek, 9/17/2007, stressing the same issue. If you eat correctly when pregnant, you and your baby will be healthier. Also, a study was done by Doug Odom, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist in Jackson, Mississippi, on 350 pregnancies within his group practice over a 3-year period. He documented the use of a product called Juice Plus that contains 17 fruits and vegetables, and the results were amazing. They documented fewer premature deliveries, fewer C-sections, and fewer incidences of preeclampsia. They also noticed the newborns had higher birth weights, fewer admissions to neonatal intensive care units, and a lower incidence of respiratory distress syndrome. Eating right can also help your moods, energy, sleep patterns, and prevent other pregnancy side effects.
Avoiding toxins
Many homes are toxic; cleaning products, candles, perfume, and air fresheners, to name a few, all contain toxins that people are exposed to daily. When you are pregnant, this can cause damage to babies and bring about annoying side effects. When I was pregnant, the guy across the street kept spraying his yard with weed killer. Every time he did it, my hands and feet broke out with rashes. I used bentonite clay internally and topically (soaked my hands and feet in it) to naturally absorb the toxins. It is imperative NOT to go on cleanses when you are pregnant – but taking something that absorbs toxins is fine and can help make you much more comfortable. Pay attention to what you are putting in, on, and around yourself. Your baby will be healthier because of it.
Drinking Quality Water
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see new pregnant moms make. They don’t drink enough water. This can lead to bladder, kidney infections, toxic levels in the body, and rashes. Think of your body like a river. Then think about what it is like when the river dries up. You are left with residues, toxins on the side and create an environment for organisms that live off of a dying river. If you keep your river flowing with fresh water, then that prevents it from happening. Think about how high the toxic conditions can be in your body if you don’t drink enough water.
Picking a good prenatal
Here is an article on choosing a good multi-vitamin. How to Choose a Quality Multi-Vitamin | by TruHealth by Kasara | Life Done Well | Medium. The same issues apply to a prenatal. You want to make sure the multiple has folic acid and that the multi-vitamin won’t make you sick. The Nature’s Sunshine prenatal is very easy for the body to digest, and you only need to take one per day.
Helpful supplements
Here are a few supplements recommended for pregnancy. Please check with your health professional before taking.
Red Raspberry – this has been called “The Female Herb.” It helps strengthen and support the uterus, strengthens the heart, is high in manganese and magnesium, and helps with morning sickness and delivery pain. If you can only take one herb, this would be it. It is often available in teas, tinctures, and capsules. It can help keep the bowels moving, which is important as many women get constipated when pregnant.
Iodine – iodine has helped many women prevent post-partum depression. It also helps with insomnia, provides energy, and restores iodine deficiencies that prevent the body from naturally detoxing on its own. I have seen this help many pregnant women get through their pregnancy much easier. Check with your health professional to find the best source of iodine for your body. Also, it has been proven that many women have trouble getting pregnant because they are deficient in iodine. You can read more about that in Iodine: Why you need it, why you can’t live without it by Dr. David Brownstein.
Progesterone cream
There are all kinds of progesterone creams available. These creams are typically very helpful in balancing hormones that can affect your moods, prevent stretch marks, and help some skin issues women get when pregnant. Some of these creams are wild yam based, some contain USP progesterone, and some contain preservatives (try to avoid those). They also come in many different strengths. Each person may react differently based on their body chemistry. See if you can get a sample to try or ensure you can return something to the store if it doesn’t work for you.
Yarrow
Yarrow is a wonderful herb for delivery. It typically isn’t recommended for use during pregnancy as it can stimulate the uterus. It is great, however, to help stimulate the uterus for delivery. It also boosts the immune system, stops internal bleeding, kills infection, and flushes the lymph system. All things that are beneficial for delivering a baby. Yarrow, made into a tea, is very effective to help stop vomiting and calm the stomach. When I was delivering my son, I started throwing up, and it worked great for me.
Doula’s
If you don’t have a doula, I would highly recommend you get one. It can make this amazing time in your life much more special. A doula is there to help do any and everything you need to make the birth mother more comfortable. It isn’t that the other people present (daddy, grandma, aunty, etc.) don’t want to help or can’t, but typically they are busy in those roles and aren’t getting paid to make sure everything is perfect for you. Check with your midwife or health professional to help find a doula that is perfect for you.
There are so many things to think about when having a baby. Keeping yourself healthy and your baby healthy should definitely top the list.
