Monday, December 2, 2013

12 Steps for a Natural Healthy Pregnancy

12 Steps for a Natural Healthy Pregnancy  
         By Melissa McDow Neece

1)  Take a Whole Foods type of Prenatal.  Nature's Plus Source of Life Prenatal is the cheapest.  Juice Plus is also a helpful addition. I recommend Garden of Life Raw Prenatal.  Your prenatal Chiropractor can also recommend a good prenatal (just make sure its gluten and soy free!)   Make sure your prenatal has FOLATE ACID, NOT folic acid.  Folic acid is actually a neurotoxin.

Nature's Plus Link
Garden of Life link -
Thorne Research Link

2) Avoid gluten, soy, and dairy as much as possible.  (as well as caffeine, sodas, and all the other no-nos.)

3) Take a GOOD probiotic daily.  At least 20 billion.  This will help you avoid UTIS, Kidney, and yeast infections, as well as helping to avoid GBS.

4)  Do your research.  If you are not comfortable with birth centers or home births, check out the certified Nurse midwives at your local hospitals.
 (In Tarrant county, check out Cleburne and Grapevine hospitals.  We also have several FANTASTIC birth centers, including Gentle Beginnings, the Cleburne Birth center, the Argyle birth center and more!)
(Some birth centers will take Medicaid - and most pregnant women qualify for Medicaid).
Remember, with a midwife, your appointment will last almost an hour, with a doctor, usually 5 - 15 minutes. You form a relationship with a midwife.  Remember you can change practitioners at any time - the doctor is the client, not you!  You owe no loyalty to a doctor, if you are uncomfortable or want something different - change doctors!  He's not the high school principal - don't let him or her push you around.  Check out My OB Said What?! website.  My OB said What? Link

5)  Check out Tarrant County Birth Network providers or Dallas County Birth Network providers.  (or the nearest Birth Network provider to you.)
Tarrant County Birth Network Link
Tarrant County Birth Network Resources Link
Dallas County Birth Network Link
Birth Network National

6)  Do all your research before the birth!  Especially for life-changing events like:
Circumcision (see articles: Tons of Circ Links! Circumcision and mothers circumcision and fathers genital integrity week )  All-in-one List Links - Peaceful Parenting and Guggie Daily
Delayed Cord Clamping - Guggie Daily, NYTimes, Article, Guggie Daily
Breastfeeding  - Kellymom.com, The Leaky Boob, Best for Babes
Babywearing  - Resources
Baby-Led Feeding - Nourishing Origins, Introducing Solids, Baby Led Feeding

7)  See a good Prenatal chiropractor.  I recommend Lifetime Wellness Center and Crossroads Chiropractic.  Rachel Whaley in Burleson is a good alternative if you can't afford regular weekly care.  This will help fantastically with any sciatica or loose hip issues.  Also find a good Prenatal Yoga class.  Practice squatting every day.  Put your hands against the wall, and follow the wall down into a squat and then stand up.   Work your way up to 20 or more daily.
Some more Chiropractors: Dr. Terry Garcia in Irving and FW, Dr. Kristi Corder in Aubrey, Dr. 

Tara Connelly in Grapevine, Dr. Kyska in Keller, Dr. Chandra Chrisp in Keller, Dr. Ruth 



Durkee in Dallas, Dr. Dodge in Coppell, Dr. Harrison in Allen



8)  Get a U-shaped body pillow.  They are wonderful in the later months especially.

9)  Drink Organic Pregnancy tea every day from 20 weeks on, as well as Red Raspberry Leaf (from 30 weeks on).  Take chlorophyll and at least 3 thousand Omega 3's daily from 20 weeks on.

10)  DO NOT get a 4D ultrasound.  Those are highly controversial, and can cause neurological damage.   Even with a regular ultrasound, make sure you get someone who knows what they are doing.  An ultrasound should not last more than 10 minutes, and usually lasts about 5 minutes.  Try to only get one ultrasound, if you get one at all - preferably at about 20-21 weeks.
http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/09/doppler-dangers-ultrasound-list.html

11) If you decide to take protein powder, take a small dosage of an organic protein powder like Garden of Life Raw Protein or  Life Plus Pea/Rice/Hemp protein powder.   Never take a soy-based protein powder, it is too estrogenic and also leads to very big babies.  Preferably get your protein from food like grass-fed beef, farm-raised eggs, and organic chicken.  Vegans need to work with a professional naturopath/nutritionist in order to achieve an optimal diet.  Spirulina, Quinoa, and Chia seeds are all good sources of vegan protein.

12)  If you really want to know your stuff and not regret any decision, thoroughly Peruse the following Websites:

Peaceful Parenting - www.drmomma.org

Birth Without Fear - http://birthwithoutfearblog.com/category/bwf-topics/birth-stories/

My OB Said What!?

KellyMom.com

The Guggie Daily - http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/

The Analytical Armadillo - http://www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/

Mommypotamus - http://www.mommypotamus.com/

Sarah Buckley

And Last, but not least - Think POSITIVE THOUGHTS!  Stay Positive and pray daily!
I hope you have a wonderful birth with a beautiful healthy baby!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Bag of Baby Books

Melissa Neece's Bag of Baby Books

If you know me, and want to borrow my bag of Pregnancy/Baby materials, then just message me on Facebook. (I have a whole LOT more than these of course, but this is a good place to start).

Birth
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
The Water Birth Book by Janet Balaskas
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
Immaculate Deception II by Suzanne Arms
Pregnancy:  The Natural Way by Zita West
The Birth Book by Dr Sears
Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper with DVD
Yoga for Pregnancy book and DVD by Theresa Jamieson

Magazines
Mothering:  No More Junk Nov/Dec 2003
Mothering: Media Savvy Nov/Dec 2004
Mothering: Breastfeeding Culture July/August 2006
Mothering: Our Pregnancy Edition Sept/Oct 2007
Mothering: The Business of Being Born Jan/Feb 2008
Mothering:  Read to Me Jan/Feb 2010
Pathways: Autism Spring 2009
Pathways: Colic Summer 2009
Pathways: Prescription Drug Marketing Summer 2011
Pathways: Imagination Spring 2012

Baby
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League
The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins
The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp
How to Raise a Healthy Child in spite of your doctor by Robert Mendelsohn