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Cambridge Midwives |
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Complete Pregnancy and Birth Care |
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Prenatal |
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Prenatal Care Nutrition and exercise play vital roles in the health of your baby and can greatly reduce any pain or complications at birth. Below are some guidelines, tips, recipes and helpful preparation lists.
Nutrition It is vital to pay special attention to your diet during pregnancy so that you are eating well each meal, each day. It is better to eat small, frequent meals, avoiding refined foods such as sugar, white flour, etc. You and your baby need high quality food nutrients and refined foods spoil the appetite for whole foods. Proteins are the most important way you can ensue the health of your baby and yourself. High quality protein is found in meat, fish, yogurt, cheese, soybeans, eggs and combinations of other foods (peanut butter, beans, nuts). Iron is a particularly vital nutrient in pregnancy because of the increase in your own blood and growth of a whole blood system for your baby. The best sources are brewers yeast, wheat germ, blackstrap molasses, eggs, soybeans, dark, green leafy vegetables, and dried fruit. Iron is best derived from food sources since it is then balanced with other nutrients found in natural, whole foods. Remember that taking a supplement is not a substitute for good food. A woman should not need routine prenatal vitamins and minerals. A product called Floradix is an excellent natural supplement that we sometimes use in special situations to raise hemoglobin levels in women who have had poor iron and other nutrient intake. It assimilates quickly and remedies a crisis situation within the short limits of pregnancy.
Herbals If you are a person who likes to use herbs in your life, then we recommend a book entitled "The Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year", by Susan Weed.
Weight Gain Please do not try to lose weight during pregnancy. Don't worry about the amount you are gaining unless it is excess stored fat from eating non-nutritious foods. If you are overweight at the beginning of pregnancy, by changing your eating habits you may actually lose weight while still building a strong, healthy baby. You can choose not to be weighed during your visits but keep in mind that the reason for doing so is to make sure that weight gain is taking place. During the last weeks of your pregnancy your baby lays down a lot of fat under the skin, gains 8oz. per week and undergoes rapid brain development. Excellent protein at this time is vital. Weight gained on good food melts off quickly during lactation. The benefits for the whole family of good food preparation and eating habits that you can develop during the motivational time of pregnancy last a lifetime.
Smoking Babies of smoking mothers tend to have growth restrictions and sometimes are premature. Please struggle with your habit. Fortunately, many women find cigarettes distasteful during pregnancy and nature takes care of it anyway. Any reduction is good. Apart from discussing the risks with you and supporting you to cut down or preferably stop smoking altogether, we are fully aware that this is truly a personal struggle and best motivated from within. However, should you choose to continue to smoke while pregnant, please talk to your midwife, as we can make dietary and herbal supplement recommendations to help reduce the harmful effects.
Exercise It is important to promote the well being of your cardiovascular system, and to nourish your cells with both nutrients and oxygen. Being in good physical shape will help you meet the demands of pregnancy and labour, not to mention the day-to-day care of a little child. Exercise is also an excellent way of reducing stress. However, special classes and aerobics are not necessary. Swimming, walking and bicycling are good exercise. Use your legs, not the car.
Preparation Lists Being prepared is important and we have prepared lists that may help you. Take a look or print out Preparation List for Home Birth and/or Preparation List for Hospital Birth.
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To contact us: Phone: 519-624-9708 Fax: 519-624-1493 E-mail: cmidwives@bellnet.ca |
