Healthy Pregnancy

Healthy Pregnancy & Postpartum

Pregnancy is often thought of as a beautiful time for nurturing your growing baby and experience that “glow of pregnancy”. While this is true, it can also be a time of morning sickness, extreme fatigue and anxiety – especially for those who have experienced pregnancy loss (miscarriage, recurrent miscarriages, stillbirth) and infant loss.

Fortunately, there are natural ways that can help you feel as good physically and mental-emotionally as possible during pregnancy. While there is definitely a time and place for medication to be safely used during pregnancy, many people who seek naturopathic care are interested in nutritional support, high-quality nutritional supplements and taking advantage of the stress relief & balance that acupuncture can help provide.

Dr. Odette has experience supporting people through single and multiple pregnancies from the first to the third trimester, during the labour and delivery process, and during the equally important post-partum period, which is also called the fourth trimester.

Here are some helpful ways that Dr. Odette can support you throughout pregnancy & post-partum:

 

Early Pregnancy Loss, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Stillbirth

In my experience, working with people who have experienced these painful losses for at least 3 months prior to attempting to conceive again can help support a healthy pregnancy and birth of a healthy full-term baby.

I often tell my patients: our hope is not just for you to get pregnant, but to support optimal reproductive & overall health so that you can get pregnant, carry to full term and have a healthy labour & delivery of a healthy baby. Here are some ways we can work together to do this:

  • When someone experiences any of these devastating losses, they understandably can experience more anxiety, worry, and fear while trying to conceive and during the entire pregnancy. I provide acupuncture, teach breathing exercises, affirmations, and various mind-body techniques to help you reduce these common feelings and help you deal with them when they do arise (which is totally normal and understandable).
  • By doing a thorough diagnostic assessment of possible factors affecting your reproductive health and egg quality, I recommend nutritional changes, supplements, acupuncture, and herbs, which all can play an important role in helping you have a healthy full-term pregnancy.

 

 

First Trimester Support

  • Help reduce morning sickness (nausea & vomiting)
    • Basic nutritional changes can improve this common symptom a great deal. Acupuncture points can be safely chosen to help reduce nausea and vomiting frequency and if necessary, additional herb and supplements can be recommended.
  • Support energy as fatigue increases
    • Improvements in food choices and timing can help keep you fueled as your body adjusts to providing nutrition for you and your growing fetus
    • Identifying and correcting nutritional deficiencies like iron and B12 can improve energy levels
  • Individualize prenatal nutrition and supplementation
    • Food is always the foundation for healthy fetal development and maternal health, but there are also some supplements that can help reduce complaints of pregnancy. After a thorough assessment, I can recommend the nutrition & supplement to support your pregnancy from first to fourth trimester

 

 

Second Trimester

  • Leg cramps
    • Supporting mineral balance and improving circulation with specific food choices and supplements where necessary can help reduce leg cramps
  • Iron deficiency anemia
    • Increasing food sources of iron, as well as recommending well-absorbed iron supplements to minimize digestive side effects like constipation, can be helpful
    • Optimizing digestion is equally important to ensure iron absorption
  • Constipation & hemorrhoids
    • By making food changes and ensuring proper hydration, regularity can be improved
    • Working with safe acupuncture points and lifestyle changes to improve digestion and circulation can further help improve bowel movements and reduce hemorrhoid formation and irritation

 

 

Third Trimester

Providing optimal nutrition is vital during this trimester to help prepare the body for the labour process:

  • Labour preparation: physical and mental-emotional support
    • Help you understand the labour process and signs of labour
    • Provide nutritional support and acupuncture to help prepare your body for labour
  • Breech presentation
    • Chinese medicine approach to help turn baby (if safe, possible and agreed by your midwife/OBGYN)
  • Overdue pregnancy
    • Acupuncture can help induce labour naturally
  • Naturopathic labour preparation support
    • Learn about natural pain management options
    • Support physical & mental-emotional stamina for labour

 

 

Fourth trimester – The Postpartum Period

  • Post-birth recovery
    • Good nutrition, hydrotherapy, and herbs can be used to help with natural pain management, vaginal and perineal healing, and C-section scar healing and recovery.
  • Breastfeeding support
    • Many people think that once the baby is born, nutritional changes can revert back to pre-pregnancy nutrition, but nourishing your body is even more important now, as your body requires optimal amounts of various nutrients to produce breast milk and provide you with energy to recover as well as possible so you can take care of your baby
  • Post-partum depression & baby blues
    • Focusing on optimal nutrition & individualized supplementation prior to and during pregnancy can be helpful in reducing postpartum depression and baby blues
    • Acupuncture, supplements, and herbs may be safely used during pregnancy on an individual basis.
    • Providing resources for food preparation, counseling and support network can be helpful before and after pregnancy.

While a naturopathic doctor cannot be your primary health care provider for your pregnancy and labour, Dr. Odette can provide naturopathic therapies that safely support your health and optimal fetal development through your changing needs of each trimester. Often, she finds that the best way to have a healthy pregnancy and delivery is to prepare well in advance for pregnancy, optimizing your health during fertility and preconception period.

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