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 Preconception and pregnancy care.
Planning to start a family?
Why it is absolutely imperative to seek advice BEFORE you embark on this important journey:
Up to 5% of human births result in abnormal babies and there is overwhelming evidence that this number could be dramatically reduced by an improved diet for the mother or the use of vitamin and mineral supplementation.
Giving soon-to-be mothers and newborns doses of "good" bacteria, probiotics, may help prevent childhood allergies, new research suggests.
There are also indications that Omega-3 fats play an important role in brain function, healthy immune system function, and general growth throughout childhood and adolescence.
Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach, orange juice, and enriched grains. Repeated studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy reduce the risk that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect (a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord) by up to 70%.
TOP FOODS FOR CONCEPTION:
Avocado (essential fatty acids)
Beef & Lamb, preferrably organic (iron, vit. B12)
Buckwheat (strengthening blood vessels)
Cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli (folic acid)
Carrots (vit. A)
Kiwis (vit. C, vit. E)
Oily fish, such as wild salmon, mackerel & sardines. Avoid tuna, swordfish & marlin (omega 3 fatty acids)
Organic free range eggs & poultry (good source of protein)
Pumpkin seeds (vit. E, zinc, fibre)
Soya beans & products (phytoestrogens)
PROBIOTICS
Expecting mothers should start supplementing their diet during the last trimester, at least, and continue while breast feeding. Specific probiotics are also suitable for newborn babies and they should be considered especially if there is an allergic tendency in the family or if the baby is formula-fed.
Lactobacillus GG (Lactobacillus rhamnosus) was especially shown to be effective in the treatment of allergic inflammation such as eczema and food allergies.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Essential Fatty acids (EFA's), omega 3 and omega 6 oils, are fats that humans cannot manufacture or synthesize. We must obtain them from our diet. Like vitamins and minerals they are essential to the body's function. EFA's provide the body with what it needs to manufacture cell membranes. They are needed for a healthy nervous system and well fuctioning immune system. EFA's play an important role in managing inflammatory processes.
Omega 6 fatty acids
Good dietary sources of omega-6 fatty acids include cereals, eggs, poultry, most vegetable oils, whole-grain breads, baked goods, and margarine.
Unfortunately, most Western diets today are heavy on omega-6's, often at the expense of omega-3s. This means that, except as an adjunct to certain health conditions, omega-6 supplements are probably not necessary.
Omega 3 fatty acids
What most people really do lack in their diets is a sufficient amount of omega-3s. In this case, by far the best source of omega-3s is simply to eat two or three servings per week of a cold-water oily fish, such as Atlantic salmon, lake trout, tuna, or Atlantic mackerel. Flaxseed oil is also a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids though it is slightly different to the omega 3 oil found in fish.
Omega 9 Fatty Acid
Omega 9 fatty acid, or Oleic acid, may sometimes be mistaken as an EFA, but it is not because humans can produce a limited amount. Oleic Acid is the primary Mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) found in olive oil.
Oleic acid is associated with reduced atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), reduced insulin resistance and, thus, improved glucose (blood sugar) maintenance, improved immune system function, and for possible protective effects from some cancers. Numerous studies point to a modest beneficial effect of olive oil consumption on breast cancer risk.
Grave concerns
Recently it has been discovered that the Omega-3 fats are necessary for the complete development of the human brain during pregnancy and the first two years of life. The Omega-3 fat and its derivative, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), is so essential to a child's development that if a mother and infant are deficient in it, the child's nervous system and immune system may never fully develop, and it can cause a lifetime of unexplained emotional, learning, and immune system disorders.
Further compounding the problem, an estimated 60-70% of all two-month-old babies are bottle-fed, and 75-80% of all four-month-old babies are bottle-fed; Very few, if any, of the powdered baby formulas contain Omega-3 fatty acids. To my knowledge, all baby formulas are made with commercially processed oils which contain high levels of poisonous trans fatty acids and other harmful compounds.
Breast is best - or is it?
Breast milk may have 30 times more DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) than formula. Compared with mother's milk, formulas are also low in selenium and biotin.
Sadly, the breast milk of many mothers on a western diet reflects the high trans fatty acid and low Omega-3 content in the average diet. American mothers produce milk that often has only one-fifth to one-tenth of the Omega-3 content of the milk that well-nourished, nut-eating Nigerian mothers provide their infants.
This discovery has far-reaching implications. A study in March, 1991 at the Mayo Clinic of 19 'normal' pregnant women consuming normal diets indicated all were deficient in the Omega-3 fats and to a lesser degree, Omega-6 fats. Another study of Inuit (Eskimo) women, compared to Canadian women, revealed the same deficiencies in the milk of Canadian nursing mothers.
Since our mental apparatus is developed in the mother's womb and during the first two years of life, one would be wise to heed the advice of the researchers from the Mayo Clinic study. They suggest that this important fat be supplemented in every pregnancy, and that refined and hydrogenated fats be avoided during this critical period.
FOLIC ACID
The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida (an incomplete closure of the spinal cord and spinal column), anencephaly (severe underdevelopment of the brain), and encephalocele (when brain tissue protrudes out to the skin from an abnormal opening in the skull). All of these defects occur during the first 28 days of pregnancy - usually before a woman even knows she's pregnant. Studies also suggest that folic acid may help prevent some other birth defects, including cleft lip and palate and birth defects involving the heart and limbs.
That's why it's so important for all women of childbearing age to get enough folic acid - not just those who are planning to become pregnant. Only 50% of pregnancies are planned, so any woman who could become pregnant should make sure she's getting enough folic acid.
PLEASE RING AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR PRECONCEPTION HEALTH.
IF YOU ARE PREGNANT THEN I CAN ASSIST IN YOUR BIRHTING PREPARATIONS AND POST BIRTH HEALTH & WELL-BEING
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