Baby Days
I'm happy to announce that little Baby Palmer has made it's way into the world and we are both home and healthy! I was lucky to have a great pregnancy and a smooth delivery. I thought I would share with you a few of the products I used that helped out along the way.
Food Based Prenatal
As hard as we may try, a great diet during pregnancy can sometimes be tricky, especially in the first trimester. A good multi vitamin is essential to getting in extra nutrients when your daily breakfast consists of crackers of tonic water!
I took the Baby & Me Prenatal by Megafoods, but there are a lot of other awesome products available as well.
Folate
Folate is also known as B9 and is essential for healthy baby development. A lot of vitamins contain folic acid, which is the synthetic form of the vitamin and is not as absorbable as actual folate. Folic acid has to be converted into folate by the body in order for it to be accepted into our cells, however some women have a genetic variation that does not allow this conversion process. My multi vitamin contained some folate, but I actually took an additional 400mg/ day.
Omega 3
A lot of us know that Omega 3's are an essential fatty acid that help with baby's brain development, but there is another awesome bonus to this supplement. A few times during my pregnancy I would notice a bit of anxiety or occasional prenatal baby blues. During these times it was recommended that I increase my dosage of Omega 3's, and it worked wonders! Omega 3's are called essential fatty acids, because they are not something our body makes on it's own. We have to get Omega's from food or supplement sources. I choose to take the vitamins because the smell of fish did not agree with my pregnant stomach, haha.
Minerals
Minerals have many great functions during pregnancy. The are very calming, and I don't know many women who do not deal with a little bit of added stress once and awhile while preparing for a new family member.
Later in pregnancy I noticed leg cramps at night. During this time I used mineral drops in my water, as well as an additional magnesium spray that I put directly on my legs in the evenings.
Lastly, minerals can support the digestive system and promote regular bowel movements.
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods are full of healthy bacteria. Consuming them during pregnancy can give your baby's immune system a head start. To learn more about the benefits of probiotics for babies, check out the book "Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Your Child from an Oversanitized World" by Brett Finlay, and Marie-Claire Arrieta. I started off most mornings with a bowl of keifer or added some sauerkraut to one of my meals during the day. You can get the same benefits from taking a daily probiotic, but fermented foods are inexpensive and fairly easy to make. Culturedfoodlife.com has a lot of great recipes.
Raspberry Leaf Tea & Dates
The products I used to help support a healthy delivery were raspberry leaf tea and dates. Raspberry leaves can help to strengthen the uterine walls, bring on contractions, and decrease labor time. (For these reason, it is not suggested to consume the tea during early pregnancy.) Dates can help to reduce the need for for medical labor induction and increase cervical ripening. About 4-6 dates are recommended starting at week 36. Check out Aviva Romm MD's website for more info on herbs during pregnancy. The tea and dates quickly became a much anticipated part of my nightly wind down routine.
What's Happening This Month...
As mentioned in previous newsletters I am currently out on maternity leave and will be back to work starting in March. I appreciate your understanding as well as all the support and encouragement I have received from you all.
There are still a few blood analysis appointments available for March and you can schedule ahead of time for yourself or loved one here.
If you are looking forward to completing the hormone testing, feel free to go ahead and order your test kit and sign up here. It can take 3 weeks for the lab to return your test results to me, so if you would like to start the process now I will have your results in March when I return and will contact you at that time.