Are you Pregnant! Now What?

At one point or another in our lives, most women have found themselves wandering through the aisles of a local pharmacy, pouring over brands of pregnancy tests, wondering which one will give us the news we are seeking. And with bated breath, soaring pulse rate, and sweaty palms, we dash home to pee on the infamous stick. It is no question the longest three minutes of our lives as we wait for the lines or symbols to appear and determine our fate. The results bearing little proof to us, we often leave immediately after, go back to the pharmacy, and buy five more tests to validate our findings.

And so it is, a positive (or in some cases, several positives) test result. What does this all mean???

For some, it means shock, even if the pregnancy was planned and thought out far in advance. It seems with most of the women we talk to, no matter how long or short a time they have been considering having a child, it takes quite some time for the realization to occur that egg and sperm have met and decided “game on.” For others, it might bring up some fear. Sometimes, if there has been a recent or recurrent string of miscarriages, there is a distrust that this conception will stick. The idea of celebrating seems premature. And then for others, there is an open space for celebration and the news of family expansion cannot wait to be shared with family and friends! No matter what happens next, there is this mysterious little magical secret brewing life inside of us, and from positive test forward, life for us will never be the same.

So, what comes next and in what order of importance? We always recommend to friends and potential clients to really sit with this newfound information. There is no end to the questions about how it will all unfold, what areas of life will be impacted, and how we are going to deal with it all. But, first things first.

Allow yourself the space to really let the information sink in, and let any emotions be released. We all come into the idea of parenting with some sort of baggage left over from childhood or some fears about our own abilities to make it through this journey. But the whole point about it being a journey is that at this stage, we are really at the beginning. And like any journey, the information we need arrives at the time in which we need it the most. The beginning is the perfect time to sit with the fact that the greatest miracle we experience here on this planet is happening inside of you. Quite a lot to process all at once!

O.K., I am pregnant, what’s the best way to thrive in the first trimester?

The next steps for setting yourself up to having the most successful pregnancy really have to do with taking care of yourself to the best of your ability. If you haven’t already done so, it is a great time to really pay attention to what is going into your body, because it is also feeding the body growing inside of you as well.

For starters, it is important to minimize any exposure to toxins and chemicals. As the neural tube is developing (up until 6 weeks gestation) you are most vulnerable to toxins entering the bloodstream and crossing the placenta and affecting the development of the neural tube. This includes exposure to toxic cleaning products, skin care products, and hair dyes containing chemicals, (see the book The Encyclopedia of Cosmetic Ingredients) paints, and any fumes, exhausts, and odorous incense. The good news is that you are highly sensitive to odors of any kind. Mother Nature has a built-in protective mechanism in place for this very thing.

It is also recommended that you quit smoking, drinking, and using recreational drugs several months before conception. However, since we don’t always get to plan conception, as soon as you find out you are pregnant is a good time to start relieving the stress of these substances on your body so that all your body’s extra resources can go to baby making!

Also on the “to do” list is taking a prenatal vitamin as soon as the baby-making conversation has begun. We prefer food-based prenatal vitamins such as the New Chapter brand. It has sufficient folic acid and the nutrients are in a form bioavailable to the cells in your body. The absorption is high compared to a synthetic vitamin and you will most likely not get digestive upset or nausea from it. Something to think about as the six-week mark nears, the time in which most women who get morning sickness remark that it starts.

Make sure you are getting plenty of good quality hydration. The ideal quantity of fluid ounces for each pregnant woman to consume is at least 50-75 percent of their body weight in ounces of good quality water and herbal teas. So, if a woman is 150 pounds before pregnancy, she should be drinking a minimum of 75-100 ounces of fluid a day. We recommend staying away from a lot of pasteurized juices (too much sugar) and to stick with quality organic fresh squeezed fruit and veggie juices, teas, and filtered or spring water. It is also a good time to avoid processed and refined foods as much as possible and to stick with fresh, local organic produce, animal products without hormones, artificial ingredients, and colorings whenever possible. The prenatal period is a sensitive state and not the best time to cut out or suppress food cravings. However, replacing cravings for sugar or white flour with desserts or sweeteners made with agave nectar, raw honey or whole grains will maximize your enjoyment and minimize the guilt.

One of the best ways to avoid morning sickness is to make sure you are eating every few hours. During the first trimester, the caloric needs are not any greater than at any other time in our lives. But due to the hormonal shifts our body is undergoing, our blood sugar can drop spontaneously, causing the experience of nausea. One of things that really helps is making sure to continuously graze, always keeping some food in the gut. Never getting too full or too hungry seems to keep blood sugar levels at a constant. This includes eating something that has protein upon waking in the middle of the night. We would recommend hemp protein shakes to get a really healthy serving of protein, and packed with amino acids and healthy fats.

Speaking of fats, we also recommend our clients consume a high quality brand of fish or krill oil. Fish oil tends to keep inflammation down and feed the brain of the developing fetus. Lastly, we highly recommend drinking Himalayan Goji juice to aid in balancing blood sugar and relieving nausea while adding antioxidants to the diet. Drinking 4-6 ounces a day diluted in water can be a lifesaver.

The first trimester of pregnancy is undoubtedly one of the most surreal times in a woman’s life. Hormones begin to escalate at an astounding rate and often women feel quite unlike whom they’ve know themselves to be. Our best advice is to take your time and pace yourself. Create plenty of space for yourself in order to process the often dramatic changes that are occurring in your body, your relationship to your partner and the world. Do things for yourself such as walking in nature, hiking, or biking by the beach. Not only is exercise during pregnancy important, but also doing it in nature can help you process some of the changes you are undergoing in a peaceful way.

Finally, as your first trimester comes to an end and you are starting to feel better, it is a good time to start considering who you want your caregivers to be and where you would like to give birth. There are many safe options available to pregnant women today and due to the sensitive nature of this time in your life, making sure you feel safe, heard, and nurtured by your caregivers is essential. This is the most important experience of your life. You and your baby deserve the best.

Source:Healthnews.com
 

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