Pregnancy truly is an amazing phenomenon and hopefully you are able to enjoy it with minimal concerns, discomfort or anxiety. If it is your first pregnancy, you have taken a long time to conceive, have had previous pregnancy problems or loss, then your excitement may tip over into anxiety so it is especially important to have good support. Whilst I offer a pregnancy support program based on trimesters, it is always still tailored to your individual needs and it can complement care provided by your midwife, GP, obstetrician and other healthcare providers.
A key aspect of pregnancy support is nutrition. Whilst you need some extra calories (primarily in the second and third trimester), more importantly you need additional nutrients to support the creation of another human – more omega 3 fatty acids to build nerve and cell membranes, more folate for the nervous system and so on. In addition to the foetus, the woman also creates a placenta, amniotic fluid and increases the size of her uterus and breast tissue. She also takes on the additional metabolic work of handling the extra kidney and liver load for the growing baby, and increases her thyroid hormone production to provide it to her baby up until about 18 weeks. This is a period of intense and exquisitely sophisticated creation!
There can be many reasons that make it challenging to meet the additional nutritional needs of pregnancy, including not knowing what is best to eat and to avoid, digestion problems, heartburn, stress, anxiety and depression, insomnia and fatigue, nausea and vomiting and still being depleted from a previous pregnancy and/or breastfeeding. Strategies will be provided to help with your diet as well as key supplementation as required.
Common conditions of pregnancy that are treated include:
- fatigue
- cramps
- blood sugar issues
- constipation
- anaemia
- nausea and vomiting
- reflux and heartburn
- high blood pressure
- anxiety and depression
Pregnancy loss support
Sadly pregnancy loss is common, with the majority occurring within the first 6-8 weeks. Pregnancy loss that in the first 20 weeks is called a miscarriage (or spontaneous abortion), and pregnancy loss after 20 weeks is a called stillbirth. Whilst the exact cause of pregnancy loss may remain unknown and cannot be found on testing, it is most commonly due to a chromosome abnormality that makes the pregnancy not viable. These pregnancy losses cannot be avoided, however it is possible to improve the health of the parents and improve their chances of a successful pregnancy in the future. Whilst we may not always know what caused an individual pregnancy loss, we do know some of the factors that increase your risk of miscarriage, and thus may be able to address some of these, especially if they were previously undiagnosed. Risks include:
- being older
- smoking, drugs
- overweight and obesity (in both the man and the woman)
- blood clotting disorders
- thyroid disorders
- hormonal imbalances
- immune disorders
- sperm abnormalities
- under-nutrition
- environmental exposures
- anatomical problems (e.g. large fibroids, septate uterus)
- infections
As part of your health team, my approach is to identify risk factors for pregnancy loss and work to resolve any issues identified; this may occur in preconception care or when already pregnant. I also provide support when recovering from pregnancy loss, herbs to support hormonal function and pain as well as emotional support.
Birth support
Birth support provides additional nutritional and herbal medicine strategies to help meet your increased needs during this time. This helps with energy, fatigue and recovery as well as the initiation of lactation and breastfeeding.
Postnatal recovery and the 4th trimester
Childbirth can take more than one form; normal vaginal delivery, assisted vaginal delivery, vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) and caesarean, and can be seemingly pretty easy to a long and arduous marathon! Likewise, recovery can be simple and quick all the way through to complicated and prolonged. Postnatal recovery support aims to enhance your recovery and healing to enable you to enjoy your time with your new baby and to facilitate breastfeeding if that is your choice.
Nutritional strategies help rebuild and replenish and address any specific issues such as anaemia or wound healing. Herbal medicine can help with healing, reducing inflammation, supporting energy and lactation.
Lactation support
Breastfeeding is ideal and additional practical and nutritional support can make all the difference. Whilst lactation is natural, breastfeeding is still a learned skill and most women take at least 6 weeks to feel confident with it so it is important to get the help you need (e.g. from a lactation consultation), eat well and stay hydrated and rest as able. Conditions that may arise and can be helped with naturopathic care include low milk supply, sore and cracked nipples and mastitis.