Natural Resources for a Vibrant, Healthy Pregnancy
At Roots Community Birth Center, we know that expecting parents want to have a healthy and vibrant pregnancy. That’s why our team of health professionals strives to give you resources to help you be at your best — physically, mentally, and emotionally — during your childbearing journey.
From vitamins and supplements, exercise and chiropractic care, acupuncture and herbal teas, there are many ways to support your body during pregnancy and help you prepare for an optimal birth experience. In this blog, we’re sharing several natural resources that will contribute to an empowered pregnancy. Let’s dive in!
Prenatal Vitamins
Eating a diet that contains adequate protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats goes a long way toward growing a baby. However, most of us do not get the appropriate amounts of certain vitamins and minerals we need for optimal nutrition during pregnancy. That’s where prenatal vitamins come in.
It’s important to discuss prenatal vitamins with your provider because they can guide on dosage of certain nutrients, especially if your blood work reveals that you have deficiencies. For example, most pregnant people have low vitamin D levels. Here are some key nutrients that your body needs during pregnancy.
Folic Acid
Folic acid is a vital nutrient for your baby’s brain and spinal development. If you can, start taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid when you’re trying to conceive — about three months before conception, if possible. This is because important brain development occurs before some folks even know they’re pregnant. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube and other defects.
Iron
Anemia, which occurs when iron levels are low, is common during pregnancy because your blood is working double time to support you and your baby. Iron-deficiency anemia can cause extreme fatigue, increase the likelihood of hemorrhage during labor, and make postpartum recovery more difficult. We offer blood work to check for anemia, and we can recommend a prenatal vitamin with adequate iron or an iron supplement if you have iron-deficiency anemia.
Some pregnant folks find that iron supplements cause nausea. Try taking your prenatal vitamin or iron supplement at night to reduce sensitivity that causes nausea or vomiting. Iron is also notorious for causing constipation, so if your supplement is slowing your system down, look for slow release iron tablets.
Vitamin D
While your body can use the sun to make vitamin D, you may need an additional supplement during your pregnancy. Vitamin D helps create healthy bones and muscles for you and your baby, and can also support your mood and mental health.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a miracle of a mineral supplement for pregnant people! Research has shown that magnesium can decrease the risk of intrauterine growth restriction, preterm labor, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes mellitus. It can also help reduce nausea and constipation and calm muscle spasms, especially if you suffer from restless leg syndrome during your pregnancy.
Other important nutrients during pregnancy are vitamin B6, iodine, choline, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to keep yourself both physically and mentally healthy during your pregnancy.
Active Lifestyle
If you had an active lifestyle before your pregnancy, you are most likely able to continue all the activities you enjoyed, including running and weightlifting. At Roots, we would love to have a conversation with you about how to maintain your active lifestyle throughout your pregnancy.
Walking
Even if you were not an active exerciser before, gentle exercise has many benefits during your pregnancy. Walking, even for 15 minutes a day, can boost your physical and mental well-being. Walking strengthens your lower back, creates pelvic flexibility, and improves circulation. As your due date approaches, walking can also help your baby descend into your pelvis, providing ideal fetal positioning for labor.
Prenatal Yoga
Prenatal yoga is often a favorite gentle exercise choice for pregnant people. Yoga can help you remain limber and calm and provide relief from aches and pains throughout your pregnancy. Check out this 20-minute prenatal yoga routine for all trimesters on YouTube!
Spinning Babies
Spinning Babies is an amazing resource for all pregnant people who wish to pursue a natural pregnancy and labor. Check out its website for “daily activities (stretches and exercises), week-by-week pregnancy updates, optimal positioning, shortened labors, successful vaginal delivery.”
Chiropractic Care
Many pregnant people find intense relief from the aches, pains, and complaints of pregnancy through chiropractic care. Starting from the first trimester, expecting parents can find relief from nausea and support for pelvic and back pain as the pregnancy progresses.
Chiropractors who are trained with the Webster Technique can help you prepare for labor by properly aligning your body, so your baby can descend into your pelvis. Not only can chiropractic care support your body through 40 weeks of growth and change, but the American Chiropractic Association reports that first-time parents who sought regular chiropractic care throughout pregnancy had 25 percent shorter labors on average.
Acupuncture and Acupressure
Both acupuncture and acupressure are natural ways to support a healthy pregnancy by using key points on the body to alleviate nausea, pain, heartburn, swelling, constipation, or anxiety. While acupuncture is performed by a trained technician who uses fine needles to painlessly stimulate your body, acupressure is a technique that can be employed by you, your partner, or a trained therapist. Instead of needles, acupressure supplies pressure or massage to certain points on the body to provide relief.
At the end of your pregnancy, studies have shown that both acupuncture and acupressure are beneficial in encouraging the body to go into labor and support your body during labor as well.
Hydration
The importance of staying hydrated during pregnancy is worth emphasizing. According to the ACOG, “[d]uring pregnancy you should drink 8 to 12 cups (64 to 96 ounces) of water every day. Water…aids digestion and helps form the amniotic fluid around the fetus. Water also helps nutrients circulate in the body and helps waste leave the body.”
Drinking plenty of water can help alleviate headaches, muscle cramps, debilitating fatigue, and even reduce preterm labor contractions.
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
A great way to stay hydrated and support your gestating body in the last trimester is by drinking red raspberry leaf tea. Not to be confused with raspberry-flavored tea, red raspberry leaf tea has traditionally been used by pregnant people to strengthen and tone the uterus before labor, ultimately resulting in smoother labors with more effective contractions.
Many midwives recommend drinking 1-3 cups of this tea daily after 32 weeks of pregnancy. Depending on the time of year and your preferences, red raspberry leaf tea can be enjoyed hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened.
Dates
Eating dates in the last month of pregnancy can be an easy, delicious, and healthy way to support your upcoming labor. Eating 1-3 of these sweet fruits a day from 37 weeks on can provide your body with fiber and essential vitamins and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and vitamin K.
Dates also have natural properties that stimulate your body in an oxytocin-like effect. Studies have shown that consuming dates in the last month of pregnancy can help your cervix thin and dilate faster, stimulate the uterus with effective contractions once you go into labor, and reduce postpartum hemorrhage.
Have a Vibrant Pregnancy with Roots Community Birth Center
From choosing proper nutrition and supplements, to staying hydrated and fit, to seeking care providers who support the body and mind, there are so many natural ways to have a safe and vibrant pregnancy.
Are you interested in learning more about ways to support your body for a natural pregnancy, labor, and birth at Roots? Set up a free consultation by calling us at 612-338-2784 or filling out our form!