Nutrition and Pregnancy Rant.
I have so many rants about nutrition. It has been a "hobby" of mine the last few years, the focus changing on a whim from month to month, often based on what Moon was experiencing or decisions that needed to be made in our lives around diet. Since Landon has been born, I have been really considering how serious pregnant women should be taking nutrition. And not just pregnant women, actually, but each and every person who is dispensing information to pregnant women. You see, with Moon I had such a terrible pregnancy (horrible morning sickness through the entire pregnancy, anxiety, insomnia, and finally pre-eclampsia). I had followed a lot of mainstream medical advice, even though I would not have labeled myself a "mainstreamer". 50 grams of protein a day (plenty of that was soy protein), moderate exercise, lots of ridiculous appointments with blood testing, etc all made to make the mama feel like she is taking appropriate care of herself and the baby. Endless morning sickness was just treated a part and parcel of the pregnancy experience. I was even told that losing 25 lbs was GOOD because I was overweight to start with. Needless to say, I was so unhappy being pregnant and the resulting unplanned hospital delivery of Moon was the icing on the proverbial cake.
When I found out I was pregnant with Landon, I was determined to have a completely different experience. I swore off western medicine for 90% of my care and went with a naturopathic midwife who was willing to let me chose what tests and interventions I wanted. I totally loved her and felt so at ease with her. I also never saw nurses or a "team" of care providers for my prenatal care. Just her. Immediately we talked about how to avoid a horrible pregnancy and came up with a pretty intense diet that included 100g of protein a day. Later when I was having heart palpitations, we created an awesome care plan of daily herbs and supplements to MAKE SURE that my body was functioning at its best and that Landon was getting all the nutrition he needed. I received chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy for anxiety and processing. Acupuncture for digestion and anxiety (and later to prep my body for childbirth). It felt so good to take action and feel somewhat in control of my pregnancy. I still wasn't loving being pregnant, but I didn't feel disempowered. To cut to the chase, I had a totally healthy pregnancy with Landon, a perfect birth experience and Landon was born big and healthy. Post-partum has been so much gentler to me this time around also. No coincidence, I believe.
I feel so sad that Moon has bore the brunt of poor nutrition choices from me. She struggles with food allergies and eye and teeth issues. All of which can be mama-nutrition related. I am totally thankful that she breast-fed for 3 years, but feel like that first year of milkies could have been so much more...that hindsight is a killer.
I have so many rants about nutrition. It has been a "hobby" of mine the last few years, the focus changing on a whim from month to month, often based on what Moon was experiencing or decisions that needed to be made in our lives around diet. Since Landon has been born, I have been really considering how serious pregnant women should be taking nutrition. And not just pregnant women, actually, but each and every person who is dispensing information to pregnant women. You see, with Moon I had such a terrible pregnancy (horrible morning sickness through the entire pregnancy, anxiety, insomnia, and finally pre-eclampsia). I had followed a lot of mainstream medical advice, even though I would not have labeled myself a "mainstreamer". 50 grams of protein a day (plenty of that was soy protein), moderate exercise, lots of ridiculous appointments with blood testing, etc all made to make the mama feel like she is taking appropriate care of herself and the baby. Endless morning sickness was just treated a part and parcel of the pregnancy experience. I was even told that losing 25 lbs was GOOD because I was overweight to start with. Needless to say, I was so unhappy being pregnant and the resulting unplanned hospital delivery of Moon was the icing on the proverbial cake.
When I found out I was pregnant with Landon, I was determined to have a completely different experience. I swore off western medicine for 90% of my care and went with a naturopathic midwife who was willing to let me chose what tests and interventions I wanted. I totally loved her and felt so at ease with her. I also never saw nurses or a "team" of care providers for my prenatal care. Just her. Immediately we talked about how to avoid a horrible pregnancy and came up with a pretty intense diet that included 100g of protein a day. Later when I was having heart palpitations, we created an awesome care plan of daily herbs and supplements to MAKE SURE that my body was functioning at its best and that Landon was getting all the nutrition he needed. I received chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy for anxiety and processing. Acupuncture for digestion and anxiety (and later to prep my body for childbirth). It felt so good to take action and feel somewhat in control of my pregnancy. I still wasn't loving being pregnant, but I didn't feel disempowered. To cut to the chase, I had a totally healthy pregnancy with Landon, a perfect birth experience and Landon was born big and healthy. Post-partum has been so much gentler to me this time around also. No coincidence, I believe.
I feel so sad that Moon has bore the brunt of poor nutrition choices from me. She struggles with food allergies and eye and teeth issues. All of which can be mama-nutrition related. I am totally thankful that she breast-fed for 3 years, but feel like that first year of milkies could have been so much more...that hindsight is a killer.
2 comments:
I am looking forward to your book on this subject, jessica! and looking forward to your help next time around :)
xo, korin
Interesting post! I totally agree that nutrition is critical in pregnancy. Have you visited www.preeclampsia.org for information? Great links, latest research, etc, and a VERY interesting discussion about Brewer.
That said, I think we can ALL benefit from nutritional counseling during pregnancy- I think it's obvious that midwives have impacted the health of their clients directly by offering advice and supporting alternatives to mainstream care (accupuncture, chiropractic care, etc.). Hmmm. Healthier Moms= Healthier babies.
The maternal and infant mortality rates of our hospitals speak for themselves. We are a country that hasn't gotten angry enough about these dismal numbers. /end rant...
Great post!
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