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Congratulations - you are pregnant!Your health during pregnancy
It is just as important to eat well during your pregnancy as it is in the months running up to conception. Optimising your diet and making the right lifestyle choices will help you have a problem free pregnancy, avoid miscarriages as well as preventing many post-natal problems, such as post-natal depression which affects at least 1 in 10 mothers and problems breastfeeding (such as insufficient milk). Below is a list of common problems suffered during pregnancy that can be avoided or helped with optimum nutrition:
- Anaemia
- Back pain
- Constipation
- Cravings (abnormal cravings)
- Faintness
- Fluid retention
- Gestational Diabetes
- Heartburn
- Headaches (including migraines)
- Infections (e.g. cystitis, thrush)
- Leg cramps
- Low birth weight or premature babies
- Weight gain (excessive)
- Migraines
- Morning sickness
- Nose bleeds, bleeding gums
- Oedema (swelling of hands, ankles, feet
- Piles
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure)
- Premature labour (premature babies)
- Stretch marks
- Thrush
- Varicose veins
- Back pain
- Allergies (e.g. to food or environmental substances, such as house dust)
- Colic (may be a result of your baby reacting to certain foods)
- Constipation
- Thrush
- Mastitis (painful breasts or nipples)
- Post-natal depression
- Insufficient production of breast milk
- Weight loss (difficulty losing weight post-pregnancy)
- Colic (may be a result of your baby reacting to certain foods)
Natural Nutrition and lifestyle progamme
Good nutrition and a balanced lifestyle is the foundation to my approach to pregnancy care. You need the right kinds of carbohydrates, proteins and fats as well as vitamins, minerals and plant nutrients for your body to work at its best and to ensure that you have a problem free pregnancy and birth as well as a healthy baby. For example, if you have pre-eclampsia changes to your diet and lifestyle may help normalise your blood pressure.
Optimising your diet now is also likely to ensure that you are able to provide sufficient, good quality breastmilk for your baby and to minimise any risks of developing painful conditions like mastitis.
Many people believe that they have a well-balanced diet. But what is right for one person may not necessarily be the best diet for another person. Consequently, the recommendations I make may be different for you compared to a friend even if you are experiencing the same pregnancy problem, such as gestational diabetes.
Furthermore, I will also look at other factors that may impact negatively on your nutritional status (and that of your baby), such as excess stress (do you still have to work late?) or are you finding it hard to completely give up smoking.
Together we will make a tailormade nutrition and lifestyle programme for you to help ensure a smoother pregnancy.
I would also be happy to write to your doctor outlining our dietary and lifestyle programme. This is especially important if you have any condition that may require medical treatment.
Remember, it is never too late to optimise your diet during your pregnancy.
I would also be happy to see you for a one off consultation if you would just like to double check you are doing all the right things.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle
Often too much stress in your life can impact on how smoothly your pregnancy progresses. Together, we can look at ways you may be able to counterbalance or reduce the amount of stress you are experiencing.
Supplement programme
I will also recommend a tailormade supplement programme for you. This is most likely to be recommended even where you are not experiencing problems as certain nutrients have been shown to reduce the likelihood of children developing allergic conditions (such as asthma) if consumed by the mother during pregnancy.
Hair mineral analysis
Hair is a reliable way to check for the status of essential minerals. An imbalance in these may affect how you feel during your pregnancy and the well-being of your baby. Consequently, it is likely that I will recommend you undertake this straightforward analysis which simply requires a sample of your hair.
How many consultations will you need?
The number of consultations you will need depends on your symptoms and how well you respond to the Natural Nutrition programme. If your condition clears up quickly, you may only need to see me two or three times.
How much will the Natural Nutrition pregnancy programme cost?
This depends on the number of consultations you require to help you address any problems you may be experiencing. Please note that we will minimise costs where possible.
Adult Questionnaire 