Small Adjustments for a Healthy Pregnancy
While I do not expect my clients to drastically change their lifestyle for pregnancy, here are a few small steps you can take to a healthier you during your pregnancy.
See your midwife early in pregnancy
Keep your appointments
Get treatment for all infections
Reduce stress
Meditation, Mindfulness techniques,
Be active
Yoga, exercise, walking
Get plenty of rest
Think twice about medications, ask your Midwife for recommended alternatives.
Stay away from harmful substances
Quit smoking
Eliminate caffeine and alcohol
Avid fish with high amounts of mercury
Assign the chore of cleaning the litterbox to someone else if you have cats
Think safety first
Eat a balanced diet (pregnancy is not a time to try to minimize calories.) Keeping a food journal for a few days is a great way to keep yourself accountable. You may be doing even better than you think! Aviva Romm MD, CPM, suggests “The best place to start to plan your diet is to list what you eat presently. From there, you can add foods that may provide you with the extra nutrients that pregnancy requires, and perhaps you’ll be open to acquiring a few new tastes.” Pregnancy is the perfect time for you to make friends with food. You will want your child’s relationship to be healthy from the start. Providing a good example is a great incentive for you to reshape your own relationship with food.
Omnivores
Have fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, and trout) once a week or take fish oil daily
Eat grass-fed, grass finished beef
Use butter, preferably from grass fed cows. Most Trader Joes, Aldi and even Walmart carry KerryGold butter at an affordable price.
Consider organ meats. Liver is a nutritive powerhouse!
Everything on the Vegetarian / Vegan list too!
Vegetarians / Vegans
Consume plenty of nuts, seeds, beans and legumes
Include superfoods like blackstrap molasses, fermented foods, spirulina, liquid chlorophyll and nutritional yeast
Coconut oil is a plant based source of high quality fat
Everyone
Vegetables, ripe fruits in season, and greens; even better if they are organically grown and minimally processed
Supplements if your diet is lacking
Nutritive teas (see recipe below)
Superfoods
Prenatal muti-vitamins, Vitamins D & K, B Complex, Magnesium, iron, other minerals as needed.
Nutritive Tea: 2 parts red raspberry leaf 2 parts nettle 1 part oatstraw ½ part alfalfa ½ part rose hips ¼ part red clover ¼ part spearmint leaf Mix all of the dried herbs together and store in an airtight container away from heat and light. To prepare your infusion, place a heaping ¼ cup of the mixture in a quart-sized jar. Add boiling water to fill the jar, cover, and let steep for a minimum of 30 minutes, a maximum of 2 hours. Strain, sweeten, and drink 1 to 4 cups daily. (Romm, 2011)
Fluids: Aim for half your body weight in ounces. (160 lbs? you need 80 oz per day)
References:
Romm, Aviva Jill (2011). The Natural Pregnancy Book: Herbs, Nutrition, and Other Holistic Choices
Disclaimer: This Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website.
