Eight Simple Ways to Prepare for Pregnancy with Chiropractic Care

 Many couples are planning for a family and preparing your body for the journey of conception, pregnancy and delivery is important for both the parents and the baby. There are many ways that people can prepare physically and emotionally for pregnancy, but the following are some tips that can help with the process.

 

1.     Vitamins/Supplements- Moms, start by taking a high quality prenatal vitamin, Omega 3’s and a B-complex to reduce stress. The father should be supplementing as well, focusing on a B-complex, Vitamin C and Zinc.

2.     Eat Real Food- Eat real, whole food. Stay in the outer perimeter of the grocery store. And remember, if your grandmother wouldn’t recognize what you are eating as food, you probably shouldn’t be eating it.  

3.     Cut Out Processed Food- Refined sugar, white flour, prepackaged food, and trans fats/hydrogenated oils should all be avoided in general. These foods have been proving to be extremely unhealthy and should be actively avoided.

4.     Increase Water Intake- People don’t drink enough water. Nowadays, everyone tends to be dehydrated without even realizing it. Water consumption has decreased, while caffeine, sugary drinks, energy drinks and alcohol use is increasing. These trends need to be reversed for expectant parents. Water consumption needs to be increased, while all of these other drinks should be eliminated.

5.     Analyze Medication Use- Look at your medication use and work with your healthcare provider to reduce if possible. If you are using over the counter pain medications, see if there is an alternative for pain management. Perhaps conservative management or manual therapies, such as chiropractic, massage therapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture, physical therapy, or osteopathy can help to reduce pain.

6.     Reduce stress for both future parents- It’s important to identify your stressors, whether it’s from work, home, relationships, or family and determine where you can make changes to reduce these stressors. It’s important to reduce stress for both mom AND dad, as this can affect fertility. 

7.     Chiropractic Care- Support a healthy nervous system through routine chiropractic care for both of the parents.

8.     Detoxify and support your body- Discuss this with your chiropractor, naturopath or healthcare provider. This can include digestion, elimination, hormonal and immune system support.