Preparing for
Pregnancy
By Dr. Susan Lovelle, MD, MACM
Transcript:
I’m so excited that you’re going to be preparing to have a pregnancy. But even more, so I’m excited that you’re preparing to take a functional medicine approach or holistic approach to having that baby. And I just want to talk about some of the things that you can do starting right now, to get prepared.
So number one, the first thing is it’s going to be very simple. Reduce your stress levels. And why do I say that? You know, if you think about it, there are so many studies that are out there that are talking about how what happens in the external world of the mom as the baby is in the womb, can really affect how the baby develops. And so that’s so important; conversations that happen, issues that happen, things that affect your mental status, and your psyche will actually affect your baby. And I know a lot of you know that. But it’s important to start now, even before you conceive to start preparing for that. So do things like meditation and journaling and visualizing things that are going to keep your sympathetic system low that that fight or flight going to keep that low, and your parasympathetic, the rest and digest going to let that take over, your baby will be so much better for that. They prefer calm.
The second thing we want to do is make sure your gut health is good. So what do you do? The easiest thing to do is to start looking at whole foods. Turn away from the processed stuff, all of the junk and all that center aisle stuff, and start buying things that are organic, if you can do it, that are whole foods, things that you actually recognize what they are when you eat them. And one of the things that you can look at is the Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org. They have a list that comes out every single year called the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. The Dirty Dozen, as it sounds, are the top 12 produce that are most heavily laden with pesticides. And that’s something we’re going to be talking about as well, reducing our toxin levels. On the other hand, we have the Clean 15. So if you can’t buy everything organic, choose those too by non organic. And please try and do as much as you can of the Dirty Dozen to make those organic so that you can reduce the amount of pesticides you’re having. And then other toxins, the products that you’re using every single day; women tend to put hundreds of different chemicals on their bodies every single day. So the more clean the products you have, the things that don’t have sulfates and phthalates, and all those, again, all of those chemicals you don’t even recognize. You want to learn how to let those go and take on the things that have more. That are more organic, more simple, and that you actually recognize what the things are.
Sleep is where we detoxify. As we sleep during the night, we get rid of not only the mental stress and worry, but we get rid of the physical stress and worry as our bodies rest.
We want to make sure that we’re sleeping well. And that’s because that’s where we detoxify. As we sleep during the night, we get rid of not only the mental stress and worry, but we get rid of the physical stress and worry as our bodies rest. And so if you’re not resting now, start to change your sleep routine. We call it sleep hygiene, where you’re going to bed at a reasonable hour, 10, 10:30, maybe 11 at the latest, and then getting up maybe a little bit earlier, six, seven o’clock, things like that, with that sort of routine. That’s within the natural circadian rhythm. That’s that natural ebb and flow that we have every single day. When you do that, your body learns and starts to relax again, and then you tend to heal a little bit better.
And then the last thing that I wanted to talk about were vitamins and minerals. So we know there are the prenatals that everyone will take, but you want to start those even earlier. So while you’re now just thinking about conceiving, you want to start taking those and one of the things I want you to be very careful about is the vitamin folate, which is actually B9. A lot of times you’ll look on the back and you’ll see something that says folic acid as opposed to folate. You want to get a vitamin that has folate in it instead of folic acid. Folic acid is not absorbed as well by the body and it’s not as healthy. So look for folate. Other vitamins you want to do of course are vitamin D, C’s, zinc, vitamin A. These are vitamins that you want to have on board and of course iron, as you’re starting to prepare for your baby. Start looking at those right now and then make sure that they stay at great levels all throughout.
So once again, this is Dr. Susan, “The Thrive Architect,” and I really wanted to say congratulations on your choice to prepare proactively for your baby. Have a wonderful day. Bye.
Having been a professional ballet dancer for 17 years and then an award-winning plastic surgeon for over two decades, Dr. Susan knows what it’s like to beat your body and your mind into submission to achieve a certain look or vision. In fact, the physical, mental, and emotional abuse she heaped on her own body during those years led to the life-threatening health issues she later developed and it was only through a personalized, holistic approach that she healed herself.
Now, Dr. Susan uses that expertise to help smart, over-extended women who are frustrated with ineffective, cookie-cutter health advice discover their own unique path to the energy, power, and balance they want in their lives. She’s the creator of Premiere Wellness, a comprehensive holistic health company based in Raleigh, NC, serving clients globally with customized wellness solutions for weight, energy, hormones, and more.
Spread the word
Medical Disclaimer: All content found on the HER Health Collective Website was created for informational purposes only and are the opinions of the HER Health Collective experts and professional contributors. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately.
