healthy pregnancy

Immune Support For Pregnancy
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Immune Support For Pregnancy

Supporting your Immune System during Pregnancy

As we head into flu season and continue to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, I wanted to share some suggestions for pregnant moms wanting to boost their immune systems. There are so many ways we can proactively support our bodies in order to provide better resistance to germs and illness, and possibly prevent severe sickness. Many women find their immune systems face greater stress during pregnancy, so it’s extra important to try to support your body as it grows a baby while exposed to germs!

Before mentioning specific supplements, it’s important to remember that there are some key factors that also play into your overall health. These factors include:

  • Sufficient, regular sleep: you need ENOUGH sleep to support your body’s needs, and these needs are often increased during pregnancy. Make a habit of going to bed early enough to get the hours of sleep you need! If you’re having trouble sleeping, let your midwife know (I have some suggestions for pregnancy-induced insomnia, so don’t hesitate to reach out!).
  • Reduce Stress Levels: stress wears your body down, and makes it harder for your immune system work properly.
  • Eat a healthful, whole-foods diet with lots of variety. If you need information on what a good pregnancy diet looks like, I highly recommend Lily Nichols’ book Real Food For Pregnancy (check out her blog for helpful info, as well: Lily Nichols, RDN)
  • Stay hydrated: this helps to keep your body flushed and supported.
  • Add fermented foods to your diet, such as raw sauerkraut, kefir, etc.
  • Get 15-20 min of direct sunshine daily whenever possible!
  • Exercise regularly, especially in the fresh air: a 30 min walk outdoors daily is excellent for ALL pregnant moms!

Consider the following supplements daily (check with your prenatal vitamin to determine your needed dosage to reach the recommended levels below):

  • High Quality Probiotic: it’s no secret that our culture’s frequent antibiotic usage and lack of cultured and fermented foods are contributing to inadequate and/or imbalanced intestinal flora and correlating issues. A good probiotic with multiple different strains can help your body to work the way it should! One that specifically targets Candida overgrowth can be especially helpful in supporting the immune system. Klair Labs and Jarrow are two brands I recommend, but there are many options out there!
  • Vitamin C (preferably with bioflavonoids) 2000mg daily: this can be split up throughout the day.
  • Vitamin D3  4,000IU daily: for best absorption take with a meal containing fat.
  • Zinc lozenges  5-10mg daily: preferably in the form of acetate.
  • Elderberry  1-2TBL daily

When needing extra support (feeling run down, extra or direct exposure to illness, etc.) you may want to add the following to your regimen for 7-10 days:

  • Gargle with Salt Water 2-3x/day for 15-30 seconds.
  • Echinacea: 300-500mg dried herb (capsule or tablet) 3x/day or 2.5-5mL of tincture up to 3x/day
  • Astralagus, Garlic, Ginger & Green Tea
  • Bone Broth (find instructions for making high-quality bone broth at Broth is Beautiful: Weston A. Price Foundation)

The following are some combination immune boosting blends that are wonderful to have on hand for extra immune support (they contain combinations of the above suggestions):

A few years ago I posted some additional tips and suggestions on preparing for cold season, and you can find that post here: Preparing for Cold Season: Pregnancy-safe Suggestions

For those wanting to learn more and get further tips, check out the following links:

Lily Nichols on Vitamin D

Mama Natural: Boosting Your Immune System

Aviva Romm: Natural Prevention for Covid 19 in Pregnancy

American Pregnancy: Boost Immunity During Pregnancy

Natural Induction Protocol: When Labor Needs to Happen
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Natural Induction Protocol: When Labor Needs to Happen

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Introduction: To begin this post, let me start by saying that for most healthy moms and babies, there is NO need to interfere and induce (“bring about or succeed in persuading something to happen”) labor. If you have done your homework, you know that induction can bring about a cascade of interventions that can ultimately result in a different outcome than you may be hoping for. I also want to make sure that you realize the importance of discussing even the possibility of “natural induction” with your care provider, as this person will have valuable information to consider in your particular situation.

With those disclaimers, I want to also mention that there are situations that arise where it is in the best interest of mom and/or baby to get labor started sooner rather than later. These factors can include increasing blood pressure, presence of concerning signs of liver stress, prodromal labor (mom getting exhausted from nights of contractions), nearing 42 weeks of pregnancy, PROM without labor, and more. There are also moms who, due to being high risk or under an OBGYN who has strict protocols, want a more “natural” alternative to encouraging baby’s eviction over the traditional route of Pitocin or other medical induction methods, and the higher risk of interventions that accompanies these inductions. For moms who fall under these categories, I want to share with you a protocol that I have been following that has had great success with those needing an option of induction at home or without medication.

One of the biggest keys to making a “natural induction” successful is preparation. You can’t decide today that you need to have a baby and have it work nearly as well as preparing ahead of time as signs arise. For more information on general preparation (which can help make a needed induction that much more successful), check out my post HERE. For this post, I’m going to detail specific suggestions for induction. Each of the things I’ll mention below can help your body prepare for labor, and may even encourage things to happen without needing to get more aggressive. I use these methods in this way: if there are reasons to encourage labor (such as knowing you have a hospital induction date scheduled, or are post-dates and need to deliver by a certain date), we start this protocol about 4-5 days before we absolutely need to get baby out. Also keep in mind that the more ready your body is, the more likely natural resources will work. To me, that is a reassuring aspect of using natural methods to encourage labor, as if your body is not ready, it will NOT work. And if it doesn’t work, you’ll need to be patient for awhile longer, which is so very different that using Pitocin, for instance, where it is turned up in increasing increments forcing the body into labor, and creating contractions that are much stronger than what the body can naturally produce on it’s own. Experiencing contractions here and there and having a higher Bishop’s score definitely increase your chances of these suggestions working.

Now on to the method (and remember throughout these days that frequent sex and vaginal insertion of evening primrose oil gel caps at night can also help!):

The “Midwives Brew” is a vast improvement over the old method I used in my early days as a midwife. Up until recently, when faced with the need to induce, we used the castor oil recipe that was basically 2 oz. of castor oil mixed with EmergenC (or some drink/shake) which was repeated 2-3 times with a dose every 1-1 ½ hours, for a total of 6oz of castor oil consumption. Do you know how nasty that is?!? And it causes massive diarrhea, which is a miserable way to start labor! But the midwives brew doesn’t work the same way. You can research it further online, but it includes just enough castor oil to cause contractions, but the theory is that the oil binds with the almost butter to keep it from making you miserable. I also feel like the minimal amount of castor oil in this recipe also makes it safer from any concerns of causing the baby to pass meconium in utero, which is another positive aspect. The crazy thing is that this recipe really does work if your body is ready for labor, and it actually has an 85% success rate (see the link above for more info).

  • Day 1: MasterGland by Nature’s Sunshine taken in the following dosage: 2 capsules every half hour for 3 hours followed by 2 capsules every hour for 3-4 hours. Discontinue if you get a headache. This is an induction preparation method mentioned in Shonda Parker’s book “Naturally Healthy Pregnancy” with a quote from the book here.
  • Day 2: Labor-Prep Capsules (such as these by Traditional Midwife @ Sunstone Formulas, though there are other similar brands available online) taken 2-4 capsules every hour for 6 hours.
  • Day 3: Sip on Mama Natural’s Labor Day Tea throughout the day, and consider having a membrane sweep (sometimes referred to as stripping membranes) from your care provider.
  • Day 4: Either repeat the previous cycle beginning with Day 1, or proceed with the Midwife’s Brew (recipe and information below).

Midwives Brew:

  • 10 oz Apricot juice (Goya brand Apricot Nectar found in the Mexican section of the grocery store works well)
  • 8 oz. Lemon Verbena Tea (hard to find, but you can use 4 bags of Bigelow “I Love Lemon” tea steeped in 8 oz of hot water for 10-15 min. Alternatively, some midwives use 3-4 drops of Lemon Verbena essential oil such as this one.)
  • 2 Tbl. Almond butter
  • 2-3 Tbl. Castor oil

Blend ingredients together in blender until well combined. Some prefer this over ice, but I’ll be honest that when I tried it, it was easier for me to get it down at room temperature.

The ingredients I have used for this recipe.

My suggestion is that you try to get some rest, eat a good breakfast, and then drink this mix around lunch time when your stomach is somewhat empty. A completely empty stomach can make it hard to handle, but if you’re too full you won’t be able to get it down either. It honestly isn’t as bad as it sounds, though it is a strange combination of flavors! After you’ve drank it, then eat whatever sounds good, and consider taking a good walk (avoid laying down for a bit until it’s settled).

Once you’ve taken this concoction, though, please be prepared! When this stuff works, it works much more gently than Pitocin, but it can cause efficient contractions…when I took it, my midwife missed my birth, and I almost didn’t make it home (a story for another day!). So learn from my experience, and don’t wait too long to get to the hospital or get your midwife on the way once contractions are consistent. Many of the moms I’ve seen take it end up with about 3-5 hour labors, though I’m not making any promises. Just wanting to not have anyone caught off guard!

So there you go! If you’ve used this method and it worked for you, I’d love to hear about it! Be sure to share this post with someone who might want to know that there are other (and much safer!) options out there than a medical induction, as this may help prevent them from heading down the cascade of interventions with their delivery!

Caring For Varicose Veins and Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy & Beyond
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Caring For Varicose Veins and Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy & Beyond

            One very uncomfortable (although very common!) challenge during pregnancy is varicose veins. “Varicose” actually means “distended”, this term describes exactly what is occurring. Due to a variety of factors (such as the increased blood volume, hormonal changes, weight of baby restricting blood flow, etc.) a mom’s veins will distend, which can cause considerable discomfort if not actual pain. Did you know that hemorrhoids are another form of varicose veins, just that these are located in the rectum?

If you notice the presence of hemorrhoids and/or extended veins (typically on your calves, but they can pop out in other places as well), it’s very important to start doing something about it right away, in order to have the best chance of keeping them from becoming a greater problem as the pregnancy continues.

Here are some practical ways to care for your varicose veins, and help to keep those veins strong and discourage further distention:

  • Exercise regularly (daily walks are great!) to keep your blood flow circulating.
  • Make sure your bowels are moving well, in order to prevent straining from constipation (this makes hemorrhoids worse). Take some extra fiber and magnesium if needed, and make sure your daily diet includes high-fiber foods such as flax meal, oatmeal, etc.
  • Take time to elevate your legs higher than your heart 2-3x a day for 20 min.
  • Whenever you need to sit, keep your feet elevated slightly and avoid crossing your ankles or knees.
  • Try not to stand or sit for long periods of time: keep your position changing!
  • Sleep on your side to encourage good blood flow.
  • Consider extra support: good quality support hose for varicose veins or a “V2 Prenatal Cradle” support for vulvar varicosities. Support should be put on first thing in the morning before gravity causes pressure on the veins.
  • Hot, moist compresses for pain relief.
  • Take care not to massage the veins, as this can dislodge clots.

Supplements are another way to build up the vein wall strength and encourage good blood flow:

And finally, if you’re looking for some topical ways to get some relief from the burning, itching and heavy sensations that varicose veins bring with them, you may find some of these options helpful:

I hope these ideas and suggestions can be a help to you, and provide you with some relief from this pregnancy discomfort! If you have a recommendation of something that really worked for you, I’d love to hear about it!

Understanding Gestational Diabetes (and your testing options)
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Understanding Gestational Diabetes (and your testing options)

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I recently worked on updating the information I give to clients on Gestational Diabetese screening during pregnancy. Compared to 12 years ago when I was first delving into midwifery studies, there is so much more helpful information out there about this subject! For this month’s blog post, I decided to share my updated “informed consent” handout (this is something that each client recieives in order to help them make a truly informed choice regarding their screening options), as well as some links that may be helpful for those who are wanting to research this topic further.

Informed Consent Regarding Glucose Testing and Screening for

Gestational Diabetes

What is Gestational Diabetes?

John Hopkins Medicine describes Gestational Diabetes as follows: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)  is a condition in which a hormone made by the placenta prevents the body from using insulin effectively. Glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes is not caused by a lack of insulin, but by other hormones produced during pregnancy that can make insulin less effective, a condition referred to as insulin resistance. Gestational diabetic symptoms disappear following delivery. Approximately 3 to 8 percent of all pregnant women in the United States are diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Although the cause of GDM is not known, there are some theories as to why the condition occurs: The placenta supplies a growing fetus with nutrients and water, and also produces a variety of hormones to maintain the pregnancy. Some of these hormones (estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen) can have a blocking effect on insulin. This is called contra-insulin effect, which usually begins about 20 to 24 weeks into the pregnancy.

As the placenta grows, more of these hormones are produced, and the risk of insulin resistance becomes greater. Normally, the pancreas is able to make additional insulin to overcome insulin resistance, but when the production of insulin is not enough to overcome the effect of the placental hormones, gestational diabetes results.

For more information on understanding Gestational Diabetes and Insulin Resistance during pregnancy, I highly recommend checking into these websites: EvidenceBasedBirth.com and LilyNicholsRDN.com, and by reading Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols (available through my office lending library).

Risks Associated with GDM for mother and baby:

Ÿ Increased risk of developing Pre-eclampsia

Ÿ Increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes

Ÿ Maternal injury

Ÿ Increased risk of Cesarean section

Ÿ Shoulder dystocia

Ÿ Macrosomia (infant weight over 8lb 13 oz)

Ÿ Neonatal hypoglycemia

Ÿ Neonatal jaundice

Ÿ Stillbirth

Ÿ NICU stay

Ÿ Birth injury

Predisposing Risk Factors can include:

Ÿ Pre-pregnancy BMI >25

Ÿ Family history of diabetes

Ÿ GDM in previous pregnancy

Ÿ Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Ÿ Chronic hypertension

Ÿ Maternal age over 25

Ÿ Ethnicity (African-American, Native American, Hispanic, South & East Asian, Pacific Islander)

ŸPrevious macrosomic infant

Ÿ History of Cardiovascular disease

ŸPoor nutrition

Potential Signs and Symptoms of GDM:

Not all mothers will have any symptoms, but these are indicators of the possible presence of GDM:

Ÿ Polyuria (excessive urinary output)

Ÿ Polydipsia (extreme thirst)

Ÿ Weakness

Ÿ Poor healing/susceptibility to infections

Ÿ Size large for dates

Ÿ Recurrent glucose in urine

Ÿ Recurrent yeast infections

Ÿ Ketones in urine

Ÿ Excessive weight gain

Ÿ Polyhydramnios (excessive amniotic fluid)

Ÿ Polyphagia (excessive hunger)

What are my testing options?

The American College of Obstetricians (ACOG) recommends universal screening for every mom between 24-28 weeks for pregnancy. Women with a history of GDM or have high-risk factors are encouraged to screen as early as possible in pregnancy, and typically Glucola is used as the glucose load. Due to the preservatives, dyes and other ingredients found in Glucola, other glucose options are offered, such as a dye-free glucose drink, or the option of consuming 28 jelly beans per the article published by American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. If opting for either of these tests, it is recommended to eat an average of 150 grams of carbohydrates daily for three days before testing. The standard testing procedure is as follows:

  • 1 hour Oral Glucose Challenge test: This involves drawing blood for blood sugar testing one hour after consuming a 50g glucose load (non fasting). Blood sugar levels should be under 140mg/dl. If the blood sugar levels are higher than this, then a 3 hour test is recommended to confirm or rule out a diagnosis of GDM.
  • 3 hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT): This four-step test is performed after fasting for at least 12 hours, and includes drinking a 100g glucose drink. Blood is drawn fasting, and then again at 1, 2 and 3 hours after drinking the glucola. If two or more levels are out of range, the mother is diagnosed with GDM. Consultation with a physician is recommended, and transfer of care may become necessary should diet changes be insufficient to keep sugar levels within target ranges.

During recent years, more physicians are becoming comfortable with an alternative to the above traditional protocol as described here by Rebecca Dekker at Evidence Based Birth (near the end of the article):

Home blood sugar monitoring: “Another alternative could be for people to monitor their blood sugar levels at home and discuss the results with their care provider. This is another controversial way to screen for GDM. We didn’t find any studies on GDM screening that compared home blood sugar monitoring versus a standard oral glucose drink.

However, we hear of some people using this method. Basically, they are following a similar path that people do when they’ve been actually diagnosed with GDM. Usually, after a GDM diagnosis, mothers monitor their blood sugar levels four times a day, once after fasting (first thing in the morning) and again after each meal (AGOG, 2018).

The ADA and ACOG recommend that fasting blood sugar levels should be <95 mg/dL, and post-meal blood sugar levels should be <140 mg/dL at 1-hour. Other recommendations for healthy blood sugar level targets during pregnancy are even lower. For example, the California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program (CDAPP) Sweet Success recommends fasting/premeal levels at <90 mg/dL and post-meal levels at <130 (Shields and Tsay, 2015).

Monitoring your blood sugar levels at home might be an option for someone who cannot take a glucose test because of the side effects, or prefers not to drink the glucose solution. However, home blood sugar monitoring is demanding and has some drawbacks. Mothers may have to purchase their own testing kits, and they have to remember to set alarms and carry their testing supplies with them throughout the day. Some people would consider it a major downside that blood sugar monitoring requires constant finger sticks, although others may not mind. Since home blood sugar monitoring is usually done after GDM diagnosis, there is no clear-cut standard for screening/diagnosing gestational diabetes based on home blood sugar checks. It’s important to discuss any results with a care provider to determine if testing can be stopped, if home monitoring should be continued, or if consistent high values mean that treatment for GDM is needed. Also, with this method, it is important that mothers follow their normal diet while testing, to get a “real-life” picture of their blood sugar results over time.”

While this testing method has gained acceptance in some medical communities, it is important to note that it has not been officially documented as a standard for diagnosing GDM. However, research is ongoing, and this method does provide you with an accurate day-by-day picture of how your body is responding to your normal diet. For clients who choose to do home glucose testing (whether in addition to or in place of the Glucose Challenge Test), I am happy to provide you with a glucometer, supplies and a chart that you can use to track your glucose readings for two weeks.

What if I have Gestational Diabetes?

Many women are able to control GDM through regular exercise and dietary changes. For clients who test positive for GMD, I will ask you to read Lily Nichol’s books Real Food for Gestational Diabetes and Real Food for Pregnancy, and we will discuss a plan for your care, including necessary diet changes and logging, home glucose monitoring, and exercise routines. If additional insulin is needed to control sugar levels, this will result in a transfer of care, as insulin-dependence significantly raises risk factors making a homebirth not a safe option for mother and baby.

Conclusion: Informed Consent

I highly recommend checking out these websites for more information on Gestational Diabetes Screening:

I also would encourage you, regardless of your choice to screen for GDM, to spend time reading Lily’s Nichol’s books (mentioned above) and implementing her dietary suggestions for pregnancy. Excellent information is available at her website: LilyNicholsRDM.com

As an expectant mom, it is your responsibility to choose first whether to screen for Gestational Diabetes, and if so, which method of screening to utilize. This document is intended to begin the conversation and aid you in researching what is best for your health and the health of your baby, and I welcome your further discussion and questions at any time.

In your Client Information Folder you will find a document entitled “Consent & Waivers for Common Procedures”, on which is listed screening for Gestational Diabetes. Please indicate your choice on this form, after you have spent time reading the risks and benefits of screening and the type of screening.

Did you find this information helpful? I’d love to hear about your experience with GDM and your testing/treatment options! If you’re wanting to research this topic further, here’s some links to other helpful posts, many written by moms sharing how they made a decision regarding GDM screening for their pregnancies (note, many of these posts are personal opinons shared for your consideration, though they may not include documented studies or be supported by general medical literature):

If you have more to add, or resources to share, feel free to comment below! 

Pregnancy Health: Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
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Pregnancy Health: Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

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For a bit of a different post this month, I’m passing on one of my favorite ways to drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. Perhaps you’ve heard of this “women’s health” herb-there are seriously so many reasons why you should be consuming Red Raspberry Leaf on a regular basis, even when you’re not pregnant! It’s high in minerals and vitamins that your body needs, and has the added benefit during pregnancy of helping to tone and prepare your uterus in preparation for labor. In light of this fact, it’s wise to avoid this herb during the first trimester, as that is one season in which your uterus needs no extra stimulation. But once you reach the second trimester, I highly recommend making this supplement part of your daily routine. You can receive benefits by taking this herb in capsule or tincture form, but tea form is a great way to get the maximum benefit out of this particular herb.

If you’re wanting to learn more about the benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf, here are some great resources to check out:

One of the downsides to this tea, though, is that it doesn’t remotely taste like raspberry! And if yours does, the you’re drinking the wrong thing! If I drink red raspberry leaf tea straight, it doesn’t take long to be turned off-which is why today I’m sharing with you my favorite way to make it. If you have a favorite method, share it in the comments below so we can benefit from it, too!

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First, gather your ingredients:

  • Organic Cut & Sifted Red Raspberry Leaves (I use Frontier Co-op brand that I purchased through Amazon)
  • Raspberry Zinger Herbal Tea Bags from Celestial Seasonings
  • Lemon
  • Stevia or your choice of sweetener (honey also works)-pictured above is the NuNaturals Pure Extract Stevia that I use.
  • Purified Water

Fill a small pot with about 4 c. of purified water, bring to a boil. Turn off and add your tea: I like to use several re-usable tea strainers, that I fill with Red Raspberry leaves. For one batch, I use about 1/3c. total of loose leaves. Then I add four bags of Raspberry Zinger tea, to help improve the flavor. Stir this around, then cover and let steep for about 20-30 min.

Pour your concentrated tea into a glass pitcher (about a half gallon), and add the juice of half a lemon. Next, add a few dashes of stevia or other sweetener to taste. Fill the rest of your pitcher with purified water, and let sit until cool. Pour over ice, and enjoy! I store this in the fridge, and drink it cold, and I can consume so much more tea this way. Even my children love it!

New Resources to Help You Achieve a Healthy Pregnancy, Lovely Birth & Successful Postpartum Recovery!
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New Resources to Help You Achieve a Healthy Pregnancy, Lovely Birth & Successful Postpartum Recovery!

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Some of the resources featured in this post

Hoping for a Healthy Pregnancy, Lovely Birth & Successful Postpartum Recovery? Here’s some resources to get started!

**Note, I am NOT affiliated with ANY of these resources, and I do not receive any financial gain or otherwise for promoting these products!**

As you might know, I love trying to stay up-to-date on current research and information about having a healthy pregnancy and postpartum recovery. I really want to be able to give clients good, solid information, and help them to achieve their desires for a low-risk pregnancy, beautiful birth, and end up with a supported, successful period of postpartum recovery. None of these things just happen, though. It takes concerted effort on the part of mom and her support team, and having some quality resources available to you can make all the difference in the world to achieving these goals!

These days, there are so many resources available, that it’s often hard to know where to start. And so many places have conflicting information, which only adds to the confusion about who to believe, and what is actual fact. Between blogs, articles, mommy boards, books and free advice, you might be wondering just where to concentrate your efforts in getting some basic information.

I have been so delighted to be made aware of some great resources that are available, and the purpose of this post is to introduce you to a few of these. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so if you have more resources to suggest, please add them in the comments so we can all learn from each other!

Nutrition:

This is a MUST READ for all pregnant women, and anyone even thinking about having a baby. Optimal nutrition starts now, and builds a foundation for a healthy mom and healthy baby. Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science & Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition by Lily Nichols is the BEST book on nutrition that I’ve read in a long time. She will help you to understand how lacking our standard American diet is in real nutrients, and why so many moms end up with gestational diabetes, high blood pressure & pre-ecclampsia. For all the incredible information, it’s written in a very easy-to-understand style. She will help you understand why you need quality vitamins that utilize activated forms of B vitamins and folate, how much protein and good fats you need, what type of salt your body actually needs, how to reduce your carbohydrate intake, what type of exercise you need, and so much more. There is seriously so much more in this book than JUST nutrition, and your body will reap benefits from applying the information it contains! There is another book by the same author entitled Real Food for Gestational Diabetes that is especially geared towards helping moms to balance their blood sugars and manage gestational diabetes through quality diet changes.

Pregnancy Guide:

Have you seen the old “What to Expect” series for expectant moms? Well, you can think of The MamaNatural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth by Genevieve Howland as a new, up-to-date version from a natural, holistic perspective. It’s great, and I think it should be a standard baby shower gift for every expectant mom (though they should probably have it well before the baby shower, honestly!). With input from a CNM and a doula, this guide goes through all the typical questions you face week-by-week, and gives advice on nutrition, tests to consider (and why you’d do them or why you might opt out), what you should be thinking about and preparing for, and how to go about choosing the right caregiver, birth location and options that are right for you. I love the fact that the book gives great info on home, birth center and hospital options, helping moms to achieve a great birth no matter where their location, but helping them to do so as healthily and naturally as possible.

Exercise:

So, while the other two books I mention touch on exercise, there are also some resources available that FOCUS on exercise. As I’m sure you know, exercise is important during pregnancy especially as you prepare for birth (you wouldn’t expect to run a marathon without training for it, right? We should think the same way about training for birth…), but did you also know that exercise is important for your body AFTER pregnancy? Our bodies go through some pretty amazing transitions as they grow a tiny human from smaller than a speck to 7-9lbs, which pushes our stomach up, our bladder down, and challenges our circulation. And then the baby has to come out…and our internal organs all must shift and readjust, and the muscles are stretched and then must get smaller…which means that there is A LOT of changes and stress for the body to recover from!

You’ve probably read or seen articles that talk about healing from diastasis after pregnancy, and/or about incontinence issues, pelvic pain, etc. that can occur postpartum, which can increase in possibility as you have more children, or have babies fairly close together without a lot of time for needed healing. But did you know there are actually things you can do about these issues? And that there are answers out there which can help you recover from pregnancy, and help you go into and through another pregnancy in even better physical condition than before?

One of the resources that can help is to take a prenatal or postpartum class through BirthFit. I love their motto: Giving birth might be the most athletic event of your life. Train for it. Isn’t that true?? In our area, classes are taught by Julie Kulig, a local chiropractor who uses her extensive knowledge to help moms develop a program that works for them. Her prenatal classes focus more on exercise, diet and birth options, and her postpartum classes focus specifically on helping the body to heal and recover from birth. She helps moms to strengthen their core in the correct way to heal any disastasis recti,  guides you in exercises to tone and strengthen the pelvic floor, and teaches you how to move (picking up fat, chunky babies off the floor, anyone??) correctly so as to prevent injury. I personally took her BirthFit Postpartum class, and have been very excited with the benefits I received…and it was really good for me to realize I was capable of doing more than what I realized I could do when it came to good workouts. You can check online to see if there is an instructor near you, and you can also access a lot of the BirthFit information on their website-they offer online classes, as well.

Now, maybe you don’t have access to a BirthFit class, or have lots of little people around, and wonder how you could ever fit something like this into your life. I get it! I’ve been on the lookout for years for a good, tailored-for-moms exercise program that could be done in 20 min. or less each day. Honestly, there are times in my life where I just don’t have more time than that, and if an exercise program is going to take longer, it just won’t get done. So I was really excited to get ahold of the Trim Healthy Mama “Workins” DVD series. What has been fun is to see so much of what I learned at BirthFit being re-affirmed by Serene & Pearl, only this program is one that I can do at home, and working along with the DVD helps to provide me with more motivation than going at it alone.  Each exercise routine can be completed in 19-20 min, using mostly items you have at home, and they are geared specifically towards moms in the childbearing stage. This means they are specifically targeting pelvic floor strength & core stability, and they include modifications to use during pregnancy, or if you’re just getting started postpartum or in exercising regularly in general. I love their down-to-earth style-it makes you feel like you’re working out with your girlfriends. You can find out more and watch an intro video about the program here.

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I hope you can find some of these resources helpful in your own journey to better health, especially in relation to pregnancy & postpartum! I’d love to hear what you would recommend, so please feel free to share!

Preparing for Cold Season: Pregnancy-safe Remedies to Stock in Your Medicine Cabinet
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Preparing for Cold Season: Pregnancy-safe Remedies to Stock in Your Medicine Cabinet

img_4329As we head into the fall and winter months, I thought it might be a good time to mention a few of my favorite pregnancy-safe cold and flu remedies. During pregnancy, the extra demands on  your body combined with a suppressed immune system make for a greater chance of picking up an unwanted virus. But there are things you can do to help boost your body’s immune system, and to be ready to battle off a cold at the first sign or symptom!

One question I get asked often is whether or not there are medicines you can take safely during pregnancy, especially to help with fever or cold symptoms. As a general rule, you want to avoid ibuprofen (found in Advil or Motrin), but acetaminophen (Tylenol) is okay for occasional use, as long as you stay away from the cold combinations marked as “multi-symptom” (these are too strong for pregnancy). But I would strongly suggest that you really do reserve any type of medications as only an emergency remedy (like needing relief so you can be at the family wedding, for instance!), as there are still conflicting results in the medical literature, and you certainly want to be extremely careful about what you putting into your system during such a crucial time in your baby’s growth and development.

But did you know there are some really good natural ways to fight off a cold? Here are some great remedies…and let me note here that I am in no way affiliated with any of these particular brands or companies-in other words, I’m not being paid to pass this information on to you!

  • Extra Vitamin C: I like to keep a high-potency Vitamin C (such as the Ester C picture) in the cabinet for the times when I feel a cold coming on. Taking several thousand miligrams a day for a couple of days will help give your immune system a needed boost!
  • Emergen-C: these little packets that you mix into water to create a fizzy drink can really give you some extra energy during those days you feel tired and down from being sick. Full of extra B vitamins, other vitamins and needed minerals, these are great to keep around for emergencies.
  • Infant Immune Booster from Mountain Meadow Herbs is a combination of Elderberry and Echineacea in a glycerin base, and is safe for use during pregnancy, as well as being safe to give your little ones.
  • Immune Boost for Pregnancy by Wishgarden Herbs is a gentle combination of specific herbs that help to boost your immune system while still being pregnancy-safe.
  • Garlic-lots and lots of garlic! Garlic is a great way to fight off a cold, and you can take it by capsule, or eat it straight. This is one remedy, though, where everyone will know what you’re doing. 🙂
  • Elderberry Syrup: you can purchase this on Vitacost.com (my favorite place to purchase supplements that are reasonably priced!), and take it regularly whenever you feel the need.
  • And finally, when you (or your little one!) are struggling with a cough, here is my favorite natural cough syrup: Olba Natural Cough Syrup. I was delighted to find this one, and I can tell you that it really does work! Sweetened with honey and full of herbs, it is a great addition to your medicine cabinet.

So, here’s wishing you a healthy fall…and hoping these suggestions can be a help if you find yourself down with a cold or needing an extra immune boost. What are your favorite natural and/or pregnancy safe remedies for illness? I’d love to hear about it! Thanks for taking a minute to share this post with your friends!