8 Practices for a Safe and Healthy Birth and Postpartum
Do you feel overwhelmed by all the things you hear about what you should do to stay healthy during pregnancy? Let me be the one to help you weed through it all by providing simple steps you can take every day to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth.
8 practices for a safe and healthy birth and postpartum:
Drink half your body weight in ounces everyday (i.e., you weigh 100lbs, drink 50 oz)
Eat 5 servings of fruits and 5 servings of veggies everyday (raw if possible)
Walk 30 min/day 3 times/week (bonus if it is outside)
Get sunshine (direct on arms and legs for 20 min/day)
Eat ⅓ cup of ground flax seeds
Do prenatal yoga 3 times/week
Eat plenty of naturally occurring folate
Eat a variety of healthy fats
Additional notes:
Fruits and Veggies - Getting the adequate amount of fruits and veggies into our body can be difficult. Did you know there is a scientifically researched and proven way to bridge the gap between what you are eating and what you should be eating? These whole food plant powders that come in a capsule have been proven to provide exponential benefits before, during, and after pregnancy. Dr. Mitra Ray and Dr. Doug Odom are leading professional practitioners who firmly believe and share about these amazing health benefits. Both of my boys are healthy, thriving Juice Plus kiddos! Additionally, Juice Plus has an omega blend that is not from fish but instead plants and seeds and offers 5 healthy omegas!
Ground flax seeds - a great way to get these into your body is through a blended smoothie in the morning (see below for a simple recipe).
My favorite go-to smoothie recipe for pregnancy and postpartm:
Coconut milk
Water
1T ground flax/chia seeds
1T of healthy fat (nut butter, coconut oil, avocado)
¼ cup frozen berries
¼ frozen banana
1 cup of spinach/kale
Things to consider:
Naturally occurring folate: a water soluble B vitamin (found in leafy greens and the skins of citrus fruits). Folate is critical for fetal development and aids in neural tube development and can prevent severe defects of the spinal cord and brain.
Folic Acid: a synthetic form of folate found in many fortified foods, and in multivitamins and prenatal vitamins, is an entirely different beast. It is not a good idea to supplement with folic acid as there has been a link to increased cancer and childhood asthma.
Exercisw: Did you know that the new guidelines for exercise during pregnancy have recently been updated? It is now recommended that you start exercising as soon as you know you are pregnant. Before, the information given was that you should only proceed with exercises that you were doing before you were pregnant. This is great news!
What to do next:
To help guide you during this time, there are many benefits to hiring a birth doula and taking a childbirth education class. Doing this can help to ensure you have the tools and knowledge needed to navigate your unique, non-linear, and unpredictable path to giving birth with more ease and confidence. Take the next step to owning your birth…Learn more about our birth doula services, postpartum doula services, and childbirth education. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or to set-up your free consultation!