Pregnancy Support

Our specialists at Coastal Natural therapies strive to provide the best support throughout pregnancy. During pregnancy there are a few key things that are required to ensure the health and wellbeing of mother and child. Pregnancy can be a very sensitive and stressful time so it is important to accept support from those around you to guarantee a happy 9 months.

Maintain balance:

Balance can be sought through sustaining a healthy diet, incorporating regular exercise and taking any herb or vitamins that may be deficient during this time of change. Acupuncture can also help through regulating the body and allowing for an optimum environment in the uterus.

Decrease Stress and Anxiety:

As pregnancy is such a sensitive time, avoiding complications is sometimes impossible. However reducing stress can sometimes be the simple key to maintaining health throughout.  Acupuncture has been proven to regulate steroid hormones which results in reducing biochemical reactions to stress.

Develop a healthy diet and Exercise plan.

During pregnancy it’s important to develop the healthiest environment for your baby to grow. Keeping up low intensity exercise is important for maintaining oxygen flow through the body. Our naturopath Stacey Butterfield has compiled a good diet plan as follows:

Nutrition and Diet in Pregnancy Include every day:

• 5 vegetables (organic is best)
• 2 fruits
• 2 – 3 L water
• 4 – 5 serves of various sources of clean organic protein
• Salt (Celtic, Himalayan) 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon per day
• Eat every 3 hours to help maintain healthy BSL and help mitigate nausea

Avoid

• Raw meat, chicken and seafood -risk of contamination with coliform bacteria, listeria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella
• Precooked foods not heated before eating
• Precooked foods not heated before eating deli meats, smoked, salted and cured foods, seafoods and pâtés  (risk of contamination with listeria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella)
• Raw eggs and foods containing raw eggs – home made mayonnaise, icecream or custard, mousse, cheesecake, unpasteurised eggnog and hollandaise sauce (risk of salmonella)
• Soft cheeses – blue, feta, ricotta, brie, camembert
• Fish with possibly high levels of mercury
• Shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tuna
• Fish with possibly high levels of industrial pollutants – blue fish, striped bass, fresh water salmon, pike and trout from contaminated water sources
• Shellfish – risk of contamination with listeria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella
• Allergenic foods – avoid any foods which cause an allergy or sensitivity in you, the baby’s father or your other children
• Artificial sweeteners – it is best to avoid artificial food additives as much as possible during pregnancy
• Sugar and refined carbohydrates e.g. refined foods, white flour products and cakes. These can cause excessive weight gain, may reduce intake of nutritious foods and can increase the risk of gestational diabetes
• Acidic, fatty and spicy foods. These can aggravate morning sickness and heartburn
• Caffeine e.g. coffee, tea, cocoa, cola-type drinks and chocolate. Caffeine is a stimulant and tannins in tea can inhibit the absorption of some minerals including iron
• Alcohol – there is NO safe limit of recreational alcohol consumption in pregnancy. Frequent and heavy drinking is associated with impaired development and can result in foetal alcohol syndrome
• Smoking – can cause impaired growth and development Smoking – can cause impaired growth and development
• Recreational drugs – causes severe damage to embryo
• Over-the-counter or prescribed pharmaceutical medications – check with Mothersafe http://www.mothersafe.org.au
• Toxic chemicals – avoid exposure to chemicals including cleaning products and toxic products. Use safe and natural cleaning, home and personal care products

To find out more about support offered by our clinic throughout pregnancy you’re invited to our Free Information Seminar. For bookings and further information contact 55 31 64 61

References:

http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1231-test-reveals-acupuncture-controls-hormones-to-reduce-stress