Morning sickness is common among pregnant women, but I don’t think it’s talked about enough!I just read this article about it and thought it was really interesting! I didn't have too much morning sickness, but I know a lot of women do!
One possible explanation for pregnancy nausea is lack of bile. The body makes bile (which is needed to digest fats) and sex hormones out of cholesterol. If not enough cholesterol is available to handle the excess requirements of pregnancy, as most available cholesterol is focused on the production of estrogen and progesterone, this might mean that there is not enough available for the production of bile. When there is not enough bile, eating fatty foods can sometimes cause that nausea.
Now it's not that this is 100% the cause of all morning sickness for all women, but it is a possibility!
So what do you do?
Well what you can do is make sure you are consuming cholesterol. (the old me would be really confused by this sentence but believe it or not my masters held a lot of excellent knowledge about this!).
The 'problem' with cholesterol is not so much the actual cholesterol, but the oxidation of the cholesterol cells which comes from the sourcing of animal products and stress.
👉foods to avoid with cholesterol:
🍖fried foods
🍔fast food
🌭processed meats
🍰sometimes desserts
Research has linked high added sugar intake to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, mental decline, and certain cancers. Plus, these foods often lack nutrients your body needs to thrive, such as vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fats.
It’s important to consume foods with good cholesterol, even if though the foods above sound appetizing!
Click here to join my waitlist to get my pregnancy guide when it launches! Packed with tips, resources and food support for a healthy pregnancy.
Hey pregnant ladies, I see you over there juggling a million thoughts at once all while growing your human and getting ready for them to come Earthside. It can get overwhelming at first! You’re trying to make all the “right” decisions and do the best things for you and your baby, but Google can lead you down a spiraling path.
I actually used to think about all the crazy things I’d eat when I was pregnant because I didn’t have to worry about gaining weight or being skinny. Obviously I was going to gain weight anyway so let's live it up! While this is a nice thought, those “garbage” foods aren’t going to provide much nourishment to your or baby. Often times they leave you feeling worse! This was just an initial thought haha, I truly wanted to do what would serve my body and baby.
When I was pregnant I definitely thought a ton about the different things i was eating! Growing a baby is important work! I did a lot of research and really upped my game a bit too (gotta keep a growing baby healthy!) It’s funny how these things change over the years and through different parts of motherhood.
There are many different view points on what a pregnant woman should eat but some of the important ones are (THIS is in NO WAY an exhaustive list but keeping it short!):
✨Choline
✨Vitamin A
✨B12
✨Folate (don’t confuse with folic acid!)
✨Glycine
All of these nutrients are important for a pregnant mom and provide a lot of nourishment to baby as well! They can help in so many aspects of development including potentially preventing birth defects. When it comes to being pregnant, your body is doing so much already that it’s important to eat good foods to give your body the energy it needs. Growing a baby is a full time job!
Join the waitlist here to grab my Pregnancy Nutrition Guide when it debuts!
I want to preface this post by saying that everyone’s pregnancy is different! Our bodies all handle pregnancy in their own way. With that being said though, I loved being pregnant.
I’m not saying it wasn’t hard at times, of course there were those moments where I didn’t quite look pregnant, but definitely didn’t fit into any of my clothes anymore (apparently I liked to wear tight things) or couldn’t fly anymore because it was kind of past the ‘safe’ point.
A lot of women I had met over the years were less than thrilled with being pregnant, either they were mad they couldn’t have sushi (spoiler alert you can), or drink alcohol (this one is a little more dicey) or do all the things they used to do while not being pregnant. Some women just felt so achy and overwhelmed plus there was the feeling of just being SO BIG!
But again for me, I felt pretty damn good right up until the last few days before going into labor. I definitely attribute that to my workouts, water intake, meditations, supplements and largely, my food. (When I was writing this it autocorrected to god so let’s throw that in there too). I’m not saying it was perfect all the time (nope), but I put a lot of work into making sure I got a lot of high quality nutrient dense food.
Food has always been a huge focus for me to help with my autoimmune. I really wanted to focus on food during my pregnancy because I know how well the right foods serve my body. What we put into our body helps give us the energy we need (which we really need during pregnancy!), but knowing what food serves your body is key.
I know that a lot of women don’t always know the ins and outs of food and what can really help you and your baby. I’ve decided that I’m putting together a pregnancy guide that outlines a whole boatload of information!
Join the waitlist here to receive in your inbox when it debuts!
There are different thoughts around whether or not you should exercise when you're breastfeeding, but I think it’s important to have the knowledge and make an informed decision for yourself! I truly believe that every mom is different and it’s important to do what serves you and your body.
A study caught my eye this morning, it was the "Effect of energy restriction and exercise on vitamin B-6 status of women during lactation"
After birth we're often nutrient depleted, working hard at feeding our little ones often on very little sleep, not to mention the actual experience of birthing your baby!
So some say that initiating a weight loss and exercise program could put women at further risk for these nutrient deficiencies. Which if you've seen anything I've shared in the last many months, it is an important thing to pay attention to for not only yourself but for your growing baby.
This particular study focused on vitamin B6, as many lactating women were below the recommended daily allowance of 2.0mg. B6 is needed for linear growth as well as behavior development and other brain related activity. Bonus points: vitamin B-6 also helps to make antibodies (these help stave off infections and disease) AND helps with the production of serotonin and norepinephrine, the chemicals which help with nerve function and the transmission of signals within your brain.
B6 is found in:
✨ Wild Salmon: has higher concentrations of B6 (and most of the nutrients)
✨Eggs also have B6, but same thing, go for local/pasture raised eggs to have the most nutrients available.
✨Spinach is high in B-6, as well as in vitamins A and C, plus iron.
✨Sweet Potato: About 18% of the Daily Value
✨Chickpeas: 1 cup has 65% of the DV
✨Bananas: One medium-sized banana can provide up to 33% of the DV
Bottom line, taking a B vitamin supplement can be really helpful, whether you're breastfeeding or not! I take Super B from Young Living for more of the bioavailable Bs and focus on getting a variety of foods too!
Becoming a mom has truly been one of the most amazing experiences, but it had a few surprises that I wasn't prepared for. I think there's so much value sharing your experience and things you've learned, so I wanted to share this with you today! I don't want you to view any of these as negative, but rather just changes you might not know!
🎈The way you used to do things will change.
I had heard this before but didn't really want to put much stock into it, as I thought I could control the majority of post baby life - and some of that is still true. However, things really do change. Sometimes it's things like the fact that you can't really get in the same amount of working out that you used to or that you can't just hop on a plane without really thinking about it.
🎈Motherhood might not always be easy to describe.
It's not that you can't find some words to describe how it is to have a baby or care for a baby, but often none of them really do it justice. You all of a sudden would do anything for this other human and you literally can't stop staring at how cute they are 😜yet you do still want to do things for yourself too - sometimes it’s hard to find the balance.
🎈There is a death and rebirth that not everyone talks about.
Some look at it like the death of the maiden self into the matron. And maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But regardless your life is different, you’re not the same woman you were before you gave birth, you’re just not - and that’s okay (in fact it’s more than okay)❤️
🎈You might not need some of the baby gear your friends got for their kiddos.
Take the time to look a little deeper and be open to the fact that this may change as your baby comes earthside and grows. Do you need that fancy x,y,x that so and so got, that costs $$$ and isn’t actually all that great for your baby? Nahhh I’ll go simple over here❤️
🎈Your body will change.
Seriously it will. I kind of thought that although my body would be different I could go about working out (after appropriate healing time for my body) and eating the same way as before pregnancy and be able to get back to my pre-baby body. Nope. Not the case for me, hormones do funny things to the body and are differently set up for each person.
If you're a new mom, it's going to experience all the emotions and things that come along with it! Becoming a mom is a HUGE transition, but truly in the best way!
