To give your body the best environment for a healthy pregnancy, you can start to prepare it ahead of time 3-6 month beforehand. Sometimes even longer depending on your current lifestyle.
If you are already pregnant and need 1st trimester support click here.
It’s best to think about detoxing your body, address any imbalances and really focus on a holistic lifestyle not only for your baby but also for yourself as a mom to be.
One of my favorite Saints, St. Porphyrios talks about the importance of a mothers health by stating “If the mother doesn’t want the child, if she doesn’t love it, then the embryo senses this and traumas are created in its little soul that accompany it all its life. The opposite occurs through the mother’s holy emotions. When she is filled with joy, peace and love for the embryo, she transmits these things to it mystically, just as happens to children that have been born.”
While this article will talk about the practical natural remedies for you to consider, do take into consideration the effects of your mental state while prepping for pregnancy.
Is your mindset balanced? Do you need to think about a spiritual book you can read to get your mind in the right place spiritually to prep for pregnancy? Do you need to talk to your spiritual father to see what sort of prayer rule you can implement or a rule you can start?
All of this matters for a pre pregnancy prep that really focuses on a holistic approach.
This phase is all about giving your future baby the opportunity for a clean start while making sure that you are feeling your best during this life changing part of the journey.
Lifestyle
Liver support
With all the exposure to toxins these days with the products that we use to the food that we eat, something to consider is a liver support tea to help your body detox toxins from the body. A great door to help with the liver is dandelion root. It’s not the best tasting as it is a bitter herb, but that is for a good reason as it stimulates bile production and gets things moving out.
Another thing to consider is to swap the food you eat for a balanced organic diet. The liver itself naturally detoxes everyday but it will work less harder if you are eating non processed foods. Along with supporting your liver and its natural detox you can support your body’s detox pathways through exercise or saunas and Epsom salt baths.
Products
The products that we use everyday that include chemicals can really build up in our systems. Skin care products, laundry detergents, makeup, cleaning products are just to name a few that can be loaded with chemicals.
If you still have procure that you use which have very chemicals in them, consider looking into more natural brands. This is a good time to swap things out to see which shampoo you might want to swap or which cleanser works better than the chemical one.
Simplify
If you are having a hectic schedule and lifestyle, then stress hormones might be high in your body. Sometimes that means that the body will not support a pregnancy because of constant cortisol and stress on the nervous system. Take an inventory to see where you can cut things out and what areas you can start to simplify. Looking at activities that may be draining you and start to maybe delegate tasks or work out new routines.
Prayer is a big priority in a life of a mother, as stated above and research coming out more and more how this is true, the baby is very much affected by the state of the mother. Making room for a simpler life that brings God into the center with regular time away from the phone and training to be more Christ centered can involve maybe speaking with your spiritual father and making necessary adjustments.
Blood Work
Typically when you have your first doctors appointment when you have a positive pregnancy test, they will run the labs but you can also ask your doctor or naturopathic doctor to run labs for you. There is a way to run labs yourself through a company called Ultralabs.
Besides the basic blood work, you can also look into more advanced blood work that measures your progesterone, testosterone and other specific results if you are dealing with any other issues such as:
- Stool testing
- Mycotoxin testing
- Environmental toxins
- Comprehensive hormone testing
Natural Remedies
There are different types of herbs which can help to support your body pre conception. It would really depend on what your body needs and if there are imbalances with hormones that need to be addressed. Some herbs that are good to look at are:
- Chaste berry
- Maca root
- Ashwagandha
- Red Clover
- Stinging nettles
- Raspberry leaf
Along with herbs you might need for certain imbalances, a prenatal which is high in antioxidants and nutrients is a good idea to either find or start taking. If you are over 35 it is even that much more important. There are also other supplements such as CoQ10, a probiotic, vitamin D/k2 and Omega 3s which can be of tremendous support to the body.
Another supplement worth considering is something called Phosphatidylcholine “Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid that’s contained in eggs, sunflower and other foods. It serves as a source of choline in the body.” It is a good one to look into especially if the mom is not getting enough foods rich in PC or for women that feel like they need extra support. Some supplements have Choline included in them, so if it feels like adding one more thing is too much then you can look into a prenatal which already has it inside it already such as this one.
Read more about Phosphatidylcholine in this article from Dr. Axe as well as precautions.
Final thoughts
Preparing your body for pregnancy means looking beyond the supplements and addressing your lifestyle as well. Your lifestyle can contribute tremendously to the welfare of your body and your main goal should be to enter the pregnancy as healthy as you can to support yourself and your baby.
Habits such as regular prayer times, partaking of the sacraments of the Orthodox Church, and simplifying your life to make room for baby are some things to implement.
Other more practical things are prenatal supplements that are good quality, blood work and any other detox methods you might need to get rid of any toxins to start supporting the body for the demand of pregnancy.
If you need support during your pregnancy or need a customized herbal blend, do not hesitate to reach out for a consultation!
I hope you get some good ideas from this to help support you on the journey.
