I 1st wrote this article for The Holistic Event Network. Make sure to head over there and see all the great things they are doing.
Spring, Fall, New Years, there is a detox for all seasons, but one of the best times to do a detox is before trying to conceive . A detoxification program helps to rid the body of any toxins from the environment, foods or general bad habits that people may have. It’s not only good for mom but for baby-to-be too.
When my husband and I were ready to start trying for our son, I went ahead and charted my cycle for several months to make sure I was ovulating “normally”. I did all my blood work and had an Electro-Dermal test performed for my hormones. Sounds a little “eager beaver” since I had no indication of having any problems conceiving and had a normal cycle. But, I had listened to person after person discuss with me their issues conceiving, and at my age of 32, I did not want to wait a year to find out if anything was wrong. So I stopped drinking alcohol months before, did a mild cleanse, and started trying to get my hormonal cycle in line with the lunar cycle. I also upped my cardio workouts and cleaned up my diet where I felt it needed improving. The next month our son was conceived. Although I do not know if all that was totally necessary for me to do to get pregnant and have a healthy full term pregnancy, I’m sure it helped.
There are cases of seemly healthy women and men sometimes having issues conceiving. Even their doctor cannot find anything medically wrong with them. Sometimes it can be as “simple” as cleaning up your diet, environment and lifestyle, along with a good cleanse. Don’t forget to take your husband (male partner) a long for the ride, as their sperm needs to be in tiptop shape as well.
Stay natural – and stay positive!
There are some general tips to help gear-up your baby making bodies but the most important one is to never forget why you are having a baby and why you want to have a baby with your partner. Stress can be the number one factor as to why couples do not conceive. So don’t make the bedroom a laboratory, try to make it your honeymoon resort. With that said, here we go:
- Reduce your toxic load. Have you lived and/or worked near or in a chemical-laden environment? Are you or have you taken medications, eaten a highly processed diet with a lot of non-organic foods, smoked or drank large quantities of alcohol regularly? If you have answered yes (which you will because our environment with all the cars etc are toxic) then you should consider a cleansing program well in advance of trying to conceive; up to a year if possible, but at least a few months before. As you do this, your ability to absorb important nutrients like zinc could help increase your fertility.
- Change your beauty routine. This is the 2nd part of reducing your toxic load. The average woman is exposed to more then 200 chemicals before she leaves for work in the morning. Try natural shampoos, soaps, hair products, creams and even toothpaste. The more you can reduce the chemical soup in your bathroom (and in and on your body!), the better your baby making body will be. You want to grow a baby in a clean environment.
- Get your weight down. Being a skinny mini doesn’t necessarily mean you are any healthier, but getting your weight down to a healthy size by way of exercise and diet will lower your stress levels and get your blood and lymph systems flowing and further helping to reduce your toxic load.
- Cleanse the toxins away. Do a juice cleanse for at least 3 days followed by a raw food cleanse for much longer. The goal is you want to pull out the toxins from your body while making sure you consume lots of fiber so the toxins are eliminated. Losing weight does this as well, as the fat releases toxins. Having reduced your toxic load, your body will be better equipped to absorb vitamins and minerals and your hormones will be more balanced.
- Eat your veggies, greens and sea vegetables. Not only will this make you healthy and set your body up to grow a healthy baby, but what you eat in pregnancy will influence your child’s taste buds and if you keep it up, it reduces the chances of having a picky eater. Other benefits are that you have increased nutrients for brain development and to lower risks for spina bifida etc.
- Prenatal vitamins. It is best to take a non-synthetic form of vitamins and minerals geared for prenatal. Do not forget your probiotics as it is very important to get your friendly and unfriendly bacteria in your stomach & intestines in-check. You want to make sure you have enough folic acid and trace minerals, as well as DHA/EFA for healthy brain development. Additionally it helps mom’s brain and helps balance her hormones.
- Ditch gluten. Say what? Even if you do not think you have an issue with gluten, give it a try if you are having issues conceiving and/or you are detoxing. If you are doing all the steps above you are going to have healthy insides including your intestinal tract, but you do not want to risk having ‘leaky gut’ (“If the small intestine becomes more permeable than it is supposed to be (i.e., “leaky”), it allows abnormally large food molecules to enter the bloodstream”). Give your body a break, let it heal and nourish it, so you can nourish a baby in the near future.
- Don’t forget about dad. Dad-to-be should ideally be at a healthy weight and taking a non-synthetic multi-vitamin as well. A good antioxidant formula like AOR antioxidant synergy is good to take for a short periods. Antioxidants help kill any free radicals and let the sperm swim freely. Nevertheless like mom, Dads should drink and eat their greens, veggies, sea vegetables and fruit to get in tip-top shape. Ditch the beer and cigarettes for a bit as well, if possible.
Now, this might seem like a lot of work. Especially when we all know ‘someone in their early 20’s who had sex once and had a baby’. Why make a natural thing so difficult?” To that I say: ‘A younger person has had a lot less years of being exposed to toxins in any form, their bodies are going to be more fertile.” (Isn’t it always the way?) Regardless of your fertility level, setting your body up onto a healthy path will hopefully result in a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. There is a lot we cannot control but we can control what we eat, drink and put on our bodies. So why not give it a chance… happy conceiving.
If you have been following me, you have seen that I now carry Baby Brezza the all in one baby food maker. The timing couldn't be more perfect , because of the fact I received it just as Sawyer started solids. Since I started using it, I now use it almost everyday, its a baby slow cooker....meaning you can set it and go on your way. Since Henry my eldest started preschool I now throw in some fruit or vegges into the Brezza, set it to steam and blend and when I get home with the kids, Sawyers food is done and warm. Oh how I love thee :)
