Pregnancy is a natural process, and for the most part, unfolds very well.
However, growing a new human is an immense load on the female metabolism, and deserves special care and attention.
In many ways, pregnancy is similar to body-building or training for an endurance sport. You want to nourish your body, your baby, keep active, and get good rest.
The energy expenditure of pregnancy has been compared to climbing Mt. Everest, so prepare yourself with love and self-respect.
NUTRITION
100-150 g of protein (from meat and dairy) per day. Non-fat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese can be really helpful. Don't forget maple syrup or jam on your cottage cheese!
1/2 cup of beans with each meal daily. This will provide all the folate you need and also give you amazing elimination during your pregnancy. If you're not used to eating beans, you may have flatulence for the first 3 days while your gut adjusts. For almost everyone, that will stabilize after 3 days.
Get lots of vitamin C. Favorite sources are oranges, orange juice, berries, cooked broccoli, well-cooked leafy greens, and other seasonal fruits. This helps provide energy and elasticity to the tissues for birth and postpartum recovery.
Potatoes are a wonderful source of carbs and potassium.
Tracking your food with a free app like Chronometer or Myfitnesspal can help.
Eat a healthy, enjoyable whole-foods diet. Cooked vegetables. 4-5 ounces of meat or fish with each meal. Eat 3 healthy meals a day. Do not skip meals! If you don't feel hungry for breakfast, eat a small breakfast anyway. You can have a "Hobbit's Breakfast," followed by Elevensies. Your body will reward you with more energy in the afternoon.
If you have been skipping breakfast for years, it may take a few days to 2 weeks to re-ignite your morning appetite, but I promise it will come back. Its important to get used to eating breakfast again. Soon you'll be nursing a newborn, and then feeding a toddler their breakfast. It'll be helpful to already be in that routine.
SUPPLEMENTS & SPECIAL HEALING FOODS
liver pills (6 day)
cod liver oil (1/2 tsp while pregnant, 1 tsp while nursing)
grass fed butter (just a normal amount with food)
raw milk (you can take sips of it throughout the day to help with morning sickness)
bone broth
herbal tea for deep hydration (any gentle blend you like - don't overdo it on nettles, they can be dehydrating.)
Juice and coconut water can help a lot.
I'm not a fan of prenatals. Synthetic vitamins are never well-tolerated by the body, and the folic acid is implicated in lip and tongue ties. All your nutritional needs can be covered by whole foods, liver and cod liver oil. Whole foods prenatals are OK, but be very wary of any prenatals that are not 100% food-source.
MORNING SICKNESS
Keep pickles with you and take a nibble every time you feel nausea. Add apple cider vinegar to your water. (Morning sickness is all about low stomach acid, anything to gently boost the Ph of the stomach helps.) Ginger capsules or ginger tea with meals can do wonders for digestion. Have a small snack at your bedside and eat immediately upon waking.
Do not eat salads or raw fruit. Raw veggies are hard on our stomach acid. Steam your veggies and stew your fruit if your digestion is suffering.
If you have severe morning sickness and you are vomiting frequently, make sure you are medically monitored. You many need a saline IV and/or medication. These guidelines are suitable for mild to moderate pregnancy nausea, not hyperemesis.
EATING FOR TWO
You do NOT need to "eat for two." This is a recipe for gaining too much body fat, which makes birth and postpartum hard. You DO NEED to focus on protein and whole foods. Avoid cake, cookies, chocolate and ice-cream, except for occasional treats. Make sure you're eating sufficient calories and protein.
If you find yourself overeating sweets (especially after dinner), you probably need to eat a bigger breakfast and lunch. Splitting meals into 4 or 5, rather than 3, can help.
If you feel hungry, by all means eat more, but eat whole foods, not hyper-palatable sweet/fatty and processed foods. You can certainly have some treats, but they should be small addition to your diet, not a mainstay.
EXERCISE
Walk daily - ideally about 7.5k-10k steps, depending on your pre-pregnancy activity level.
If you are sedentary, build up to this slowly. This will help immensely with labor. You can experiment with incorporating more exercise such as bodyweight movements, yoga, pilates, etc. Do not exhaust yourself, but build up slowly with short sessions.
If you were already highly active and exercising before pregnancy, continue with modifications up to delivery.
Dancing, swimming and weight training are amazing for the pregnant body.
Get chiropractic, massage, acupuncture or any other form of healing bodywork. If you can't afford it, ask a friend for a foot or shoulder rub.
Loving intimacy with your child's father is so beautiful, and high progesterone levels make most women eager partners. Its a great way to bond during pregnancy.
SLEEP
Rise and fall with the sun. DO NOT GO ON YOUR PHONE AFTER DARK (even with the screen red-light shifted). Its terrible for your hormones and eyes. Use a lot of pillows to get comfy at night and take the strain off your lower back. A pillow to hug and one between the knees helps a lot.
Speaking of phones, for the love of all things good, do not go on your phone while you're nursing your newborn. If you're bored, get a stack of books from the library next to your nursing chair. Fidget toys in a little basket could be fun too!
EMOTIONAL/SPIRITUAL
Avoid negativity in the news and media. Delete social media apps from your phone. Connect with real humans, animals and nature, not screens.
Take a nap or rest daily. Prop a pillow under your belly, between your knees, and under your low back. Body pillows are ideal.
Listen to positive affirmations. The Hypnobabies affirmations are amazing, as well as anything by Louise Hay.
Get help with childcare of older kids - even an hour with a neighbor can make a world of difference.
Warmly, Dr. Suuzi Hazen
All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.