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Pregnancy and Essential Nutrition

By Liz Barrington, Natural Body Healing

 

It’s an exciting time whenever you decide to have a baby; yet disappointingly for many 'would-be' mothers, pregnancy often doesn’t happen as easily or as quickly as you may wish, perhaps due to diet, lifestyle or hereditary factors. 

 

So, if you’re planning to have children, in order to have the greatest chance of conceiving successfully, you should make sure you have as healthy a lifestyle as possible, to prepare the body well in advance, so that it the cellular environment is right for conception.  You also need to eat a balanced, yet varied diet that contains all the nutrients needed by both a mother and her growing baby.

 

It’s also important for all women of childbearing age to get sufficient amounts of folic acid, which is essential for human health.  Anyone therefore wishing to become pregnant is advised to 400 micrograms of folic acid (Vitamin B9) a day.

 

Zinc and selenium are important in healthy sperm production and a varied diet is therefore important for men too, in order to provide adequate amounts of these key nutrients.

 

Reducing general levels of stress and also giving up or reducing alcohol intake is often recommended for those men and women who are wishing to conceive.  Here are some great suggestions for relieving stress

 

  • Yoga, pilates, tai chi, massage and meditation are all great for relieving stress.  Breathe deeply and slowly whenever you or your partner feels anxious to help calm your body.  Get some fresh air and go for good long walks in the countryside – feel closer to nature.

  • Keep positive and take an optimistic approach to the present time and to your future ahead.  Utilise positive visualisation techniques to help calm your mind.  For example, imagine you’re on a relaxing, exotic island - experience the sounds, the sights and the smells – and see how relaxed it makes you feel.  Think of this feeling of ‘calmness’ whenever you’re in a stressful situation.

  • Embrace and readily accept any unplanned changes in your life.  Don’t dwell over the past – start looking forward, be flexible and optimistically plan for your future happiness! 

  • Get at least 7-8 hours of good quality sleep each night.  Listen to relaxing music, burn a candle or incense, or even read a book to help calm the mind before you go to bed.  Avoid watching TV, using your mobile or even working on your computer just before bedtime.

  • Relax and unwind in the evenings and at weekends – listen to ‘calming’ music.  Make time for you, pamper yourself – have regular aromatherapy body and foot massages, Indian head massages, manicures, pedicures, treat yourself to a reflexology treatment.  It’s important for you to take regular time out to relax!

 

If you’re already pregnant, it’s important that you daily consume a healthy diet that contains adequate amounts of all essential nutrients, including sufficient levels of iron, calcium and folic acid; otherwise these will be depleted from your own bodily supplies. 

 

Yet despite the fact we may think we get the nourishment we need from the food we eat, these days with intensive farming and modern-day food manufacturing processes, it can in fact be difficult to obtain all the nutrients your body needs on a daily basis; not to mention the needs of your growing baby too.  You are what you eat and drink, and therefore, your foetus will also develop according to whatever you decide to consume. 

 

Research shows that during pregnancy, the health of both the mother and child are vastly improved by taking dietary supplementation designed to fill the nutritional gaps missing in the diet and to provide an increased level of nutrients that are vital during the stages of pregnancy.  These studies also show that an unborn child actually competes with the mother for nutrients.  Therefore a lack of nutrients in your diet could lead to health issues for either yourself or for your child, or both.

 

Healthy ‘prenatal’ nutrition is necessary to ensure you have a more comfortable pregnancy throughout, and with less food cravings.  You’ll also have an easier delivery, and importantly a healthier baby, with much greater success throughout nursing.

 

Formulated for pregnant and lactating women and including 800mcg of folic acid, Nature’s Prenatal provides a balanced combination of the essential vitamins and minerals to support the nutritional needs of both mother and baby during pregnancy and throughout breast-feeding.  Folic Acid is essential for the developing foetus, as it helps reduce the risk of the baby suffering from a brain or spinal cord birth defect.  A woman should take 800 mcg per day, which is already contained in this balanced formulation.  This supplement also contains ginger root to help soothe the stomach. 

 

Red Raspberry possesses astringent properties and the leaves have been used for centuries as a support to the reproductive system, especially during pregnancy.  Studies show that Red Raspberry helps relax the uterus, which is important during pregnancy and subsequent childbirth.  This herb also helps the body control morning sickness and also alleviates diarrhoea.

 

Zambroza is a ‘super-charged’ antioxidant-rich juice drink that protects the body’s tissues against oxidative stress (free radical damage) and inflammation.  It also helps the body fight the effects of ageing, maintains healthy cell growth, promotes energy and greatly enhances the immune system.  Zambroza is of huge benefit during pregnancy to help protect both mother and unborn child; because it greatly strengthens the immune system, Zambroza dramatically reduces the risk of environmental and food allergies, including conditions such as eczema and nappy rash

 

The above products are available across UK and Europe.  For more information on these 100% natural supplements and more, please visit essential nutrition for women.

 

To further assist you, we've also provided some tips for taking herbal supplements and provided answers to some FAQs.

 

 

Important Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations

There are however, certain foods and lifestyle factors that pregnant women should avoid for the sake of their growing baby.  Although vitamin A is essential for good health, for those women who are pregnant, or who might become pregnant, they should not take vitamin A supplements unless advised to do so by a health professional.  Large doses of vitamin A during early pregnancy has been linked to birth defects.  Liver and liver products (e.g. paté) can contain large amounts of vitamin A, so these should also be avoided.

 

Expectant mothers should also avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin and should eat no more than 2 portions of oily fish such as tuna, mackerel, salmon and kipper per week because of the levels of potential contaminants in these fish.  The mercury present in these fish can potentially harm an unborn child’s nervous system.  However, Omega 3 supplements from Nature’s Sunshine contain the essential fatty acids needed for healthy cell growth, and are guaranteed to be pure and totally FREE from dangerous contaminants.

 

Sea vegetables are excellent foods for pregnancy.  Lack of iodine can cause stunted growth, mental deficiency, puffy facial features and a lack of muscular development.  Sea vegetables can help increase haemoglobin levels and also reduce constipation and stretch marks in pregnant mothers.

 

Alcohol and caffeine should also be removed from your diet, as it can damage an unborn child.  High levels of caffeine can often result in babies having a low birth weight, or can even lead to pregnant mothers miscarrying.  Caffeine is added to some soft drinks and energy drinks, as well as occurring naturally in foods such as coffee, tea and chocolate, so try to avoid these if you can.  Smoking is definitely not recommended during pregnancy.

 

Did you realise that every second of the day, we’re being bombarded with electromagnetic waves/frequencies (EMFs) such as those emitted from WiFi, routers, overhead cables, mobile telephone masts, mobile phones, wireless devices (DECT), computers, microwaves, electrical currents within our homes and offices, x-rays and also ultraviolet radiation that are all harmful due to the damage they can cause to our bodies at a cellular level?

 

Our exposure to EMFs has been shown to actually affect the way our body’s cells communicate with one another and therefore this affects our own ability to function properly.  These pulsating frequencies actively destroy our body’s healthy cells and cause blockages in the flow of our body’s vital energy which can lead to chronic disease. 

 

More and more conclusive research from within the worldwide medical community confirms that these frequencies not only seriously affect our cell’s communication levels and its cell contents, but rather worryingly, this actually includes damaging our DNA and the production of abnormal cells.  These abnormalities explain why the body seems to have an increasing risk of getting cancer and has lowered fertility rates over the last couple of decades.  

 

Pregnant women greatly expose their growing foetuses to the dangers of developing neurological disorders.  So, PLEASE DO NOT USE BABY MONITORS - they are so damaging to small babies.  Babies and children are at even greater risk because their developing brains absorb higher levels of radiation due to their poorly-protected nerve cells which are still developing, and the fact that their immune system isn’t as strong as that of adults. 

 

The best advice we can give you is to protect yourself and your family from electromagnetic frequencies, or even better still try to avoid them completely and also switch off your electricity at the fuse/mains box at night!

 

And don’t forget and importantly, please always make sure you drink 2-3 litres of water every day to ensure both you and your baby’s body are fully hydrated.  Water also helps remove the extra toxins from your body and from your baby’s body.

 

 

The nutritional supplement product links stated in this article can only be purchased from this website in UK and in Europe; however all other health products stated are available worldwide from Natural Body Healing. 

 

The above information should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional.

 

 


 

 

 

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