Pregnancy 
This is such a joyous and special time for you and your family!
Similar to preconception, pregnancy requires specific dietary, nutritional and lifestyle guidelines which we will support and guide you through. Your diet and lifestyle during pregnancy has the ability to benefit or affect your growing baby, so it is of the utmost importance to ensure optimum nutrition during this critical time of development to give your baby the best start in life.
A quality pregnancy multivitamin and mineral formula which includes not only folate but also the correct levels of iodine, zinc, selenium, calcium, magnesium and activated B vitamins is essential to provide mother and baby with all the nutrients that they both require for healthy development.
Another important nutritional component is omega 3 fatty acids, particularly Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which is one of the major building structures of the brain and central nervous system, and directly assists the development of the brain and nervous system in your baby. Continuing mum’s DHA omega 3 supplementation during pregnancy has been shown to support neurological, visual, and immune development, and decrease allergy in children.
During pregnancy a woman’s daily requirement for iron increases as iron plays a major role in forming haemoglobin which carries oxygen around the body and to the placenta, and enables both mother and baby to form new red blood cells. Even when a woman’s iron and ferritin levels are ideal prior to pregnancy, they can still quickly diminish during pregnancy and leave poor mum feeling fatigued, pale and low.
We regularly monitor iron and ferritin levels throughout pregnancy. If iron is required, we utilise an iron bisglycinate formula which is highly bioavailable to support iron and ferritin levels, and also much better tolerated than inorganic forms of iron, protecting against constipation and other digestive upsets.
Morning sickness is the most common discomfort experienced during pregnancy, affecting approximately eight out of ten women. There are specific dietary and lifestyle guidelines to help minimise morning sickness, which we provide to all of our mums-to-be in a written handout, as well as discussing in person. Some of these guidelines include commonsense suggestions such as eating small, regular meals to stabilise blood sugar levels, keeping balanced, healthy snacks with you at all times and drinking ginger tea. Thankfully there are also herbal and nutritional medicine options which can help alleviate morning sickness if required.
It has been known for some time now that certain strains of probiotics taken during pregnancy, particularly through the third trimester, effectively decrease the risk of common childhood conditions such as eczema and food allergies. Recent research has shown an effective decrease in atopic skin conditions and food allergies in infants and children. Probiotics are able to support bub by ensuring a balanced Th1/Th2 immunity, assisting digestive health and ensuring your baby has an optimal start to life.
There are many other pregnancy-related conditions that we are able to assist our patients with, including:
Exercise, stretching and yoga are all helpful in preparing the body for birth. There are also a number of herbal and nutritional medicine approaches aimed to strengthen the uterus, shorten labour and improve labour outcomes. Raspberry leaf is a herbal medicine traditionally prescribed by midwives for labour preparation. Modern research has concluded that taking raspberry leaf in correct dosages during third trimester reduces the need for medical intervention at birth, such as caesarean section, and forceps delivery. Evening primrose oil (EPO) is another labour preparation option, containing gamma linoleic acid which functions as a precursor for prostaglandin synthesis. Evening primrose oil is believed to encourage cervical ripening in an effort to shorten labour
We would love to be able to assist you and your partner with pregnancy care, contact us today for more information or to make an appointment.
Our Location