Truth be told, I put a lot of effort into my pre-natal care for baby J; not just personally but for my hubby as well. I wanted to feel like I did everything I could in anticipation of starting a family. As someone with anxious tendencies, it was as much an exercise in self-soothing as anything else. Fortunately, I had the luxury of taking a pretty disciplined approach; I wasn’t pulled in multiple directions by additional children and my work duties were such that I could anticipate upcoming projects and stressors.
About a year and a half prior to conceiving baby J, I identified a fair amount of work that needed to be done to restore my body to a healthy happy place. My hormones were shot from over-training and under-recovery, my adrenal glands were more than taxed, I was borderline Hashimoto thyroiditis (low thyroid), and I had a gnarly case of SIBO. I knew that I wanted to start a family in the not too distant future and I knew that going into pregnancy as healthy as possible was not only going to benefit my future baby greatly, but that it would help me take on pregnancy with as much grace as one could hope.
The treatment plan was layered and long – this was not going to be a 30 day reset and a round of antibiotics. But I knew it was necessary and I would feel much better – mentally and physically -at the end. It all started with having the right practitioners on my side.
Care Team: My Naturopath Doctor (ND) and I had devised a plan to get my body thriving in 3 main categories in preparation for baby; hormones, adrenals and gut. In addition to my ND, I had regular visits with my chiropractor.
Testing: In addition to a CBC panel (complete blood count) which is fairly routine, I also tested my hormones, thyroid, and cortisol every 3 months. Also, I tested for SIBO after a round of antibiotics to see if the pathogens were still present.
Movement: I down-regulated my training sessions. Training less frequently, but still with great effort, allowed my hormones to stay in balance, attain good sleep and gave my body a chance to recover. I aimed to lift weights 3 times per week with 2 shorts runs (~3 miles) or hikes per week.
Nutrition: While my nutrition game has been pretty focused for some time, I took extra care to ensure I was bolstering my system as much as possible for baby and myself.
My top 5:
Healthy Fats: Healthy fats (not trans fats or seed crop vegetable oils such as canola, soy, corn, cottonseed) support proper hormone and thyroid function, both of which are vital for a healthy pregnancy! Butter/Ghee and Coconut oil are two of my all-time favorites. I made sure that I had at least 1 tablespoon of each per day (I can typically knock this out with breakfast alone 😉
Enough Carbohydrates: While it’s important to minimize added sugars and refined carbs, it’s equally important to ensure you get enough carbs in your diet. For some women, too few carbohydrates can negatively impact thyroid and hormones. To guarantee that you’re getting enough carbs, aim for 100 grams/day of whole food sources, including starchy carbohydrates such as potatoes and fruit.
Fermented Foods: Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and pickles are amazing at providing the gut with good bacteria – an important factor in gut and immune health. Too many people overlook fermented foods’ importance. As Hippocrates once said, “all disease begins in the gut.” What’s more, the foundation for our gut health begins in the womb! NOTE: If you’re dealing with something like SIBO, you may need to wait until you’ve rid your system of the bad bugs before you can introduce the good ones 😉
Water: In addition to being great for general cellular health and flushing out toxins, water can aid in fertility. Adequate water consumption is critical to general health. For women looking to get pregnant, it’s especially integral to hormone delivery, the production of healthy cervical mucus which makes it easier for the sperm to find an egg, and increased egg health.
Liver: It’s not the most visually appealing, but liver is one of the most nutrient dense foods, particularly rich in iron and folate – two superstar nutrients for mom and baby!
Supplements: In a highly saturated supplement market it’s hard to know what to take, which brands are reputable, etc. First, check with YOUR care team on WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU! Below is a list of what I took based on my personal health factors. Once I became pregnant, I added other supplements, several of which I ultimately chucked out the window after deciding there simply wasn’t enough research relating to pregnant women for my liking.
My top 5:
Prenatal: A good quality prenatal can be a nice addition to any gal’s routine, whether she wants to conceive or not. I always look for a prenatal with folate vs. folic acid; this ensures woman’s body can utilize the nutrient regardless of if she has an MTHFR mutation or not.
Vitamin D: Roughly 70% of people in the United States are deficient in vitamin D. Yowza, that’s a lot, especially, when we know how beneficial Vitamin D is. Touted as the ‘pro-hormone,’ vitamin D promotes (you guessed it) hormone production, as well as provides a boost to our immune system. You can see why I put this one on the list. Check with your care team to get your Vitamin D levels assessed.
Maca: Maca is an adaptogen herb that supports hormone production as well as the adrenal glands. While maca has been used by the Inca for hundreds of years, there isn’t a ton of research on it with pregnant women so it’s one that you may want to take out of rotation once you are pregnant.
Probiotic: As with the fermented foods listed above, a probiotic supplement can be a great boost to the gut and immune health.
Green Complex: A green complex will provide you with loads of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that you wouldn’t get comparably via food. In addition to building up your own nutrient stores for when baby is growing and in need, you’ll give your liver a boost for any necessary detoxification pre-baby.
Other:
Sleep: By maintaining a regular bedtime, your body can align with it’s natural circadian rhythm, thereby assisting with hormone production.
Clean Food Sourcing: Opt for non-GMO (genetically modified), organic, whole foods whenever possible to avoid any exogenous hormones, antibiotics and chemicals. Refer to the Dirty 12, Clean 15.
Clean Body Products: Minimize toxic body products that contain hormone disruptors. Refer to the Environmental Working Group to check your products’ rankings and comparisons (www.ewg.org)
Cooking with Iron: Cast iron cookware is a great way to help build up iron stores prior to conception!
Oil pulling: Oil pulling is an amazing way to detox the body and help rid yourself of ‘bad bugs.’ However, it’s always recommended to cease any form of detoxing at least 6 months prior to conception.
Obviously you might not be able to do all of these things for one reason or another. I’m quite certain that if I were to get pregnant with baby #2 – he/she will not be getting the same treatment. Now, there are different considerations, like trying to remember to put the dog’s water bowl up before it’s dumped all over the floor by my toddler! That being said, choosing realistic action items to better improve one’s health for pregnancy comes with one heck of a reward.
