Inspire Women Fall 2019

B Y D R . AY E S H A
P E E T S -TA L B O T
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Prepare Your Body For
PREGNANCY:
id you know that 1 in 7 couples will experience
difficulties getting pregnant? In the
U.K., that equates to over 3.5 million
people of childbearing age. If a couple is
fortunate enough to conceive, they could
also be faced with pregnancy complications.
Sometimes, the pregnancy complications
are a result of health problems that can arise during
a pregnancy while other times difficulties are related
to health challenges that exist prior to pregnancy. These
complications, which can range from mild to severe,
could involve the mother’s health, baby’s health, or both.
Per the Center for Disease Control (CDC), severe maternal
complications are steadily increasing and in the U.S.
affect more than 50,000 women every year. As a medical
physician, it’s not uncommon for a woman to share her
struggles with infertility as well as the emotions associated
with a successful pregnancy. Once finally pregnant,
mothers often spend most of their pregnancy being
closely monitored in the hospital or at home, and later,
perhaps deliver a baby who’s health is either directly or
indirectly affected by complications associated with the
mother’s health problems. The CDC attributes the rise
in pregnancy complications to several factors including
increases in maternal age, pre-pregnancy obesity, pre-existing
chronic medical conditions, and cesarean delivery.
I, too experienced infertility and noted that the lifestyle
changes that I implemented helped me immensely in
completing healthy pregnancies with healthy babies (I
have 3 now!). I hope you find these tips helpful….
• Tip #1
Decrease Your Sugar Intake - Too much sugar can cause
an imbalance in your hormones. For women, this often
means a decrease in estrogen and an increase in testosterone.
Too much sugar can also increase inflammatory
markers in the body, which can also interfere with getting
pregnant or maintaining pregnancy. Sometimes, even if you
are eating a ‘healthy’ diet, you might still consume too many
carbohydrates. It may be helpful to take the time to learn
what carbohydrate are and track what you’re eating accordingly.
A nutritionist can help you with understanding your
diet and how much carbohydrates you’re getting, adjusting
your diet as necessary.
This may be all you need to
avoid infertility and have a
healthy pregnancy
• Tip #2
Increase your consumption of vegetables and fruits – This
advice has been thrown around a lot for many good reasons. I
am going to give you my favorite reason to love your Veggies
if you are planning on conceiving. Having 10-12 servings of
vegetables and about 1-2 servings of fruits per day helps with
your hormone balance! Vegetables increase the hormones
that benefit your body and get rid of the hormones that don’t.
To overcome my infertility issues, I started to have vegetables
at every meal. I would usually start my day with a Smoothie
packed with green veggies and then incorporate them into my
lunch and dinner, perhaps having fruit as a snack.
• Tip #3
Do a Medical Detoxification - Listen, this is a must do particularly
if you are over 30 and thinking about having a baby.
Over the years, toxins will build up in your body. Your body
is capable of detoxing daily, with some people being able to
do this more efficiently than others. However, when you are
ready to grow a baby in your womb, it’s a good idea to have
your body as clean as possible. Consider doing a medical detoxification
program with a Functional Medicine Practitioner.
They can help make sure that your body is being supported
through the detox process so that you avoid making yourself
sick. You also want to make sure you do a detox well before
you get pregnant, so that you are not affecting the baby and/
or the pregnancy.
• Tip #4
Increase Water Intake – Water is essential for all cells in your
body. Water dramatically improves your health by promoting
detoxification. Without ample water, the body has to work
harder to complete the same functions, therefore, taxing and
aging your system. The amount of water you need depends
on your weight, activity level, and where you live. A good rule
of thumb is to drink ½oz to 1oz of water for each pound you
weigh. For example, if you weigh 150lbs then you should drink
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