Pregnancy and breastfeeding are a time of great emotional and physical change. It's not just the body that has to adapt, but also the mind and spirit.

It can be challenging to support your wellbeing while pregnant and breastfeeding, with the increased requirements and demands on your body. Eating plenty of vegetables during this time can provide important nutrients to both mum and the growing baby, aiding in regular bowel movements, and playing an important role in supporting long-term health, providing essential vitamins and minerals for energy and immune health.

Regular exercise then encourages serotonin and endorphins for mental wellness while supporting circulation, lymphatic movement, and heart health.

Pregnancy

There are plenty of ways you can support your health during pregnancy:

• Focus on wholefoods and limit highly processed foods to ensure you have a balanced intake .
• Following a largely plant-based diet with moderate amounts of animal-based foods and quality meats. If you are vegan or vegetarian, it is important to monitor vitamin B12, iron and calcium levels. If you need more help making sure your intake is balanced, talk to your health practitioner.
• Drink enough water, aiming for 2.3 litres or 9 cups of fluid. If you are struggling with water intake consider a herbal tea like chamomile, or choose high water foods like cucumber, lettuce, tomato, celery, apple, watermelon. It all counts! The fibre and hydration will also aid in keeping your bowels regular.
• Peppermint tea may help to reduce intensity of nausea, along with ginger. Slice a one-inch piece of fresh, clean ginger into thin pieces and let it brew in hot water. Vitamin B6, ideally with other B vitamins, may also aid in reducing nausea.
• Limit caffeine to below 200 mg per day. This supports baby, hormone regulation, and avoid peaks and troughs in energy.
• Focus on physical activity and break up long periods of sitting to help your circulation and lymphatic movement. Aim for 2.5 hours of low to moderate-intensity exercise across the week. Choose exercises you did before pregnant and discuss changes with your health practitioner.
• Fatigue is inevitable to some degree, so make sure there is still plenty of rest and adjust the level of activity as you need to, especially in the last trimester.
• There are benefits from doing stretching and pelvic floor muscle training daily as guided by health practitioner.
• Calendula is a beautiful herb that is great topically for stretching skin, also helping to reduce the visibility of stretch marks. Raspberry seed oil and hemp seed oil are also great for a growing tummy and are a nice omega source which is great for skin health.
• As baby gets bigger and begins to compress the stomach, reflux can occur. Eating small but regular portions may help, and avoid drinking liquids with meals to aid digestion. Stay upright after eating to let gravity do its job in keeping your food down. 
• A nice bath soak for mum can help to ease the pressure on the muscles and aid in relaxation, especially as baby grows bigger and discomfort starts to occur. Magnesium salts/flakes, Calendula infused oil, Kawakawa and Chamomile infused oils make a beautiful bath time blend. Choose a high-quality lavender essential oil as a safe option for physical and mental calm. This must be added to a carrier oil at a low dilution (0.5-1%).                                
• Raspberry tea leaf only in the last trimester to aid in delivery. Other herbal medicines may be recommended by a medical herbalist in conjunction with the primary health care provider.
• Remember that food safety is very important, so ensure food is cooked thoroughly to a piping hot temperature, avoid foods that have passed the ‘best before’ date and try not to foods with damaged packaging, as this can impact the safety of the food. 

Breastfeeding

We know there are many benefits to breastfeeding, for both mum and baby, but it can have its own set of challenges. The most important thing to remember is that a happy, relaxed mum has a huge influence over baby, and if you experience difficulty or overwhelm during breastfeeding, you are not alone.

Starting your breastfeeding journey:

• If you can and choose to breastfeed for any amount of time, this has great benefits for both mum and baby. It is recommended to breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months and up to 2 years if possible, depending on your child’s needs and your own wellbeing. 
• Ensure you are eating well-balanced, nutrient dense foods to cover the additional energy requirements.
• Breastmilk is largely composed of water, so hydration is crucial. It is recommended to have 2.6L a day while breastfeeding, which is 10 cups of fluids.
• Herbs that aid in lactation include Fennel, Fenugreek, Shatavari, and Goat’s Rue, among others. Talk with your health practitioner to see what would work best for you, particularly if you take medications. Lactation cookies are another delicious option that can help your milk to come in.
• If you find you are over producing milk, a breast pump or hand expressing may be an option that allows you to store some of your additional milk for a later date.
• Breast pads stop milk seeping through your top as your milk requirements adjust and help to protect the nipple between feedings.
• Nipple cream is an essential to prevent dryness or cracking (feedback from one of our mums is that the organic baby balm works well as nipple cream too). This can be applied directly after a feed to protect the nipple.
• Be aware of the symptoms of mastitis, an infection of the breast tissue that can occur with breastfeeding. This can be the result of bacterial infection, engorgement, blocked ducts, and nipple infection. Some methods to avoid this include regular feeds for baby, pumping if a feed is missed, and supporting the immune system. Cabbage leaves can aid in reducing engorgement and heat packs can be helpful for pain or pressure. Seek advice from your health care provider if you are unsure of any symptoms you experience.
• Make sure you are as comfortable as you can be, whether that’s a nursing pillow or cover for baby for shade and privacy. Your baby will follow your lead.

It's important to take care of yourself during this time, and to remember that mother and baby are really one and the same energetically—so what benefits mum will directly benefit baby, especially during that fourth trimester but also throughout infancy.