A Healthy Pregnancy Includes a Healthy Mommy and a Healthy Baby.
Are you thinking about getting pregnant? Have your maternal instincts peaked yet? Are all your friends getting pregnant and filling your social media feed with baby pictures? As you start thinking about pregnancy, there’s more to it than meets the eye in today’s highly toxic environment. More women are having fertility issues now than ever before. From the food we eat to our personal care products, getting pregnant might not be so easy. Even if you are years away from planning a pregnancy, it’s never too early to start preparing your body for a healthy pregnancy and bringing another life into this world. After all, a healthy mommy equals a healthy baby. Below you will find some ways to start planning for a healthy pregnancy.
The overly prescribed birth control pill masks many things that may be occurring with your menstrual cycle. It can take a while for your hormone levels to get back on track and regulate your menstrual cycle after you ditch the pill. Address potential infertility factors like polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and autoimmune diseases. Get to know your menstrual cycle and when you are ovulating.
Additionally, check your thyroid function, balance your basal body temperature, and blood sugar levels. Thyroid disorders can contribute to problems with ovulation and pregnancy. If you are having a hard time conceiving, getting your thyroid checked out would be a good start to correcting these problems.
Chronic stress leads to adrenal fatigue and interferes with ovulation. Before conception, get your adrenal stress profile and nourish your adrenals to prepare them for pregnancy. Practice yoga, mindfulness, and meditation. Meditation will transform your pregnancy and your baby. It reduces stress hormones such as cortisol and increases the level of natural bliss chemicals like serotonin and oxytocin. Get fresh air and practice deep breathing exercises to increase oxygen flow in your body. Exercise moderately and regularly. Now is the time to strengthen your core. You’ll have to do a lot of pushing during delivery and a strong core will go a long way.
Start thinking about cleansing your body now. You won’t be able to cleanse and detox while you are pregnant because you will expose your baby to your body’s toxins as they circulate in your blood on the way out. A landmark 2005 study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that blood samples from newborns contained an average of 287 toxins. Addressing your toxic burden now will help minimize exposure to your unborn baby. Exposure to pollutants, pesticides, and industrial compounds can decrease a couple’s ability to have children up to 29% according to a 2013 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Smoking causes up to 13% of all infertility cases, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Even women who smoke moderately or who are exposed to secondhand smoke have disrupted endocrine function, can experience significant fertility issues, and face an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm delivery and having a low-birth weight baby.
Take care of dental issues prior to getting pregnant and avoid dental work requiring anesthetics while you are pregnant. A healthy pregnancy requires healthy teeth. Take up oil pulling. Switch to natural skin and hair care products- the average woman puts more than 160 chemicals on her body every single day. When in doubt check out EWG’s Skin Deep website. Green your beauty routine and opt for aluminum-free deodorant. Everything that goes on and in your body while you are pregnant affects your growing baby. Ditch nail polish that is filled with formaldehyde, DBP, and toluene, which are linked to cancer and developmental disorders.
Skip the hair dye for the nine months you are pregnant and during breast feeding. Opt for an all natural perfume that’s crafted from steam-distilled essential oils without parabens, phthalates, synthetics, propylene glycol or dyes. Take equal measures with your household products and use only those that are natural.
Everything you consume in your body influences your genetic expression and the possibility of a healthy pregnancy. Now is the time to clean up your diet, eliminate food sensitivities, and heal your gut to decrease inflammation in the body. Eat fresh organic whole foods as much as possible and monitor your caffeine intake if trying to conceive. Avoid fish high in mercury and processed meats. Eliminate heavy drinking, canned foods, and go gluten free. Studies have found people who have unexplained infertility often have better pregnancy results when gluten is removed from their diet. Drink nourishing herbal infusions and plenty natural spring water. Add fiber and probiotics to your diet and eat lots of colorful vegetables and healthy fats. Just as excess body fat can impact fertility so can not having enough of it. Check your vitamin D, B12, and folic acid levels. You can start supplementing with a quality prenatal before you get pregnant. Increase your vitamin C intake and opt for a high quality pure DHA product.
Get to a place where medication isn’t needed to manage a health condition prior to pregnancy and cleanse the liver. Pregnancy creates large rushes of hormones and your liver is the primary source of flushing them through your body. If your liver is already stressed, then it is going to be more overwhelmed during pregnancy. Dandelion, milk thistle, and lemon water are great ways to support the liver. Move your lymph fluid by dry skin brushing and removing dead skin cells so your skin can breathe better. After detoxing, do a fertility cleanse that focuses on cleansing the liver and the uterus, supporting the body in preparation for conception.
You spend an enormous amount of time planning big work projects, and how about the amount of time it takes to plan a wedding? It makes sense to take time to make your body as healthy as possible prior to conceiving. By doing so, you can influence your child’s risk for chronic disease down the road. Don’t expect to get pregnant right away when you finally start trying. Although there is a lot that goes into preparing your body for pregnancy, it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. With the right healthcare team you are in for a wonderful journey.
