Preparation Before Conception - Nutrition and HypnoBirthing.

[ytafuri]

Hello Beautiful Mama's and Mama's To Be,

My husband and I have recently decided to conceive a child within the next year or so.  We'd like to have an unassisted childbirth in the comfort of our home.  I've begun research into diet and other precautions to take before conception since it's been suggested that the health of the egg and sperm will ultimately affect the delivery and health of the child.  I wanted to know if any of you ladies have experience with HypnoBirthing?  I think it's just a fancy name for a practice our ancestors have used for thousands and thousands of years and we've slowly forgotten.  I would truly like to hear about all of your birth plans and what precautions your taking for your health?

Within the past year my husband and I have started eating farm fresh vegetables, raw grass fed butter and milk, grass fed beef, pastured chicken eggs, wild caught fish and raw homemade fermented foods and beverages (raw yogurt, sour dough breads, vegetables, kombucha, etc....).  We've completely removed all processed foods and pretty much anything that comes pre-packaged.  No white flour, sugar (or brown sugar), margarine, homogenized milk, butter or yogurt and no soy products.  I like the way Nina Planck puts it in her book: real food, they way our great grandparents used to eat.  I have only discovered Nina's book about a week ago but already feel like I'm on the right track!

I'm sure anyone who's considered unassisted childbirth has heard the following words "Are you crazy?" or "Are you sure you want to risk that?".  I say to them, "If this is wrong then I don't want to be right" - just to avoid confrontation and argument.  How is everyone else coping in dealing with others who aren't supportive of their birth plan?

Please share any other information you feel may be important to improve the health of mom and baby both physically and mentally.

Thanks for listening! ~ Y

[BaileyB]

Hey, congrats on upcoming pregnancy! I am also trying to conceive and wanting a UC. I even started a thread similar to this maybe a month ago. We get our milk and beef from my in-laws who are dairy farmers and raise our own chickens for meat and eggs a long with an extensive garden. We have been trying to eat as healthy as we can without obsessing about it. Along with eating healthy I have been taking supplements: Folic Acid, B6, B12, Vitamin C, Magnesium, and a cell salt called Calcium Fluoride. I've been trying to stretch more because I am definitely not flexible and been trying to keep active outside.

I found a great website for ordering birthing supplies and general medical supplies:

http://www.1cascade.com/

To answer your question about dealing with others doubts, I have been just not telling anyone except DH (dear husband). Most people, except maybe my best friend, are not in the same mind frame as we are and would not understand, would think I was insane, or would worry to death like my MIL (mother in law).

I don't have any experience with hypnobirthing, so I'm no help there.

Do you have any kids or will this be your first?

Oh yeah, one more helpful website:

http://www.beautifulcervix.com/

[BaileyB]

I forgot to add....

I have also been keeping a journal of things I need to get or remember, updated list of what supplements I have been taking, any unusual symptoms, my BP and temp every couple of days, and any other notes I might need to make.

I would recommend drinking raspberry leaf tea or pregnancy tea from Traditional Medicinals. They helped me regulate my cycles after breastfeeding and are suppose to help with conceiving. Also, one last website for TTC-ing: fertilityfriend.com

[ytafuri]

Thanks for all the great info Bailey!  This will be my first - we haven't conceived yet but I want to take all measures I can within reason to increase my chances of a healthy conception, pregnancy and birthing process.  Eating well wasn't terribly crazy for us.  We were challenged with health problems that our doctors said had no cure.  We didn't accept that as an answer so we did a lot of research for alternative options.  Detox and changing our diet was a huge part of that.  We are both now cured from our ailments and are ready to reproduce!

I too keep a journal in general but I also include a gratitude list.  I feel the more I remember to be grateful for the more that come into my life to be grateful about :)  

I do drink raspberry leaf tea - Not very often but I will now!  My cycles are extremely regular now but I will read about that a little further as well.  We haven't begun to try to conceive but I will certainly look into the wealth of resources you've just provided me.

What supplies would you suggest one should get before an unassisted child birth?  

Thanks again!

[BaileyB]

For the birth I got sterile cord string, bulb syringe for suctioning the mouth if I need to, neonatal resuscitation bag, a gelly squishy pad for the bottom of the tub, hibiclense (which is a soap) because I have tested positive for Gestational Diabetes in the past (you can look up how to mix it and use it in labor) and olive oil for perineal massage. I am doing my own prenatal care so I also got a digital wrist blood pressure cuff, and 1 package of urine test sticks since I tend to get bladder infections easily.

[rebirth]

as far as preconception planning, I did a TON before getting pregnant. I credit that with avoiding infertility thesecond time as well as very minimal morning sickness (I had hyperemesis 2x before) and with keeping me in a great place breastmilk supply wise.

We did PLENTY of fats (good ones) and lots of iron rich foods (I tend towards anemia), and plenty of calcium as well as sea veggies and fish. I did lots of super foods and in general stuck to a traditional foods diet. I had a really high calorie count. We did this for four months. My DH did many of the same changes.

I also started taking royal jelly and also acerola berry powder and vitex.

Most importantly for me was spiritual/emotional prep. I loved the book spirit babies, and also parenting begins before conception. I am using the book painless childbirth for me "birth prep" and did hypnobabies last time, may or may not use it again. I did like it, it depends if I feel I need it later on.

I also created a conception alter for meditating, which has been lovely. now it is slowly changing into a pregnancy/birth alter.

[BaileyB]

I had hyperemesis with DD1 and I definitely think it was caused by my bad eating habits. How do you guys feel about caffeine (coffee mainly) or alcohol in pregnancy? With DD1 I drank coffee and pop and no alcohol and with DD2 I really watched my caffeine intake but had really bad cravings for wine and had 2-3 glasses my entire pregnancy. I have given pop, coffee, and alcohol for conception prep but have been craving coffee lately and had some decaf and also had a pop or two in the last few weeks. I feel like with the holidays my eating habits have fallen off the wagon a little.

[Almi]

Ugh, I wish I were able to eat like that and that I had the self-discipline.  Of course my diet isn't terrible, but it could be much better.

Anyway I think one of the most important things before having a UC was being mentally prepared and unafraid.

[bibi123]

great to hear of all your planned pregnancies .. how exciting for 2012. One of the most important things is to do is to mentally prepare for conception, pregnancy and birth. Think positive and believe it will happen easily and be easy! You could listen to positive visualisation on www.hypnofertility.co.uk before you conceive and then go to www.hypnobirthingdownloads.com for a great range of mp3s for all stages of pregnancy, birth and beyond as well as a online hypnobirth mini course (instant download). And don't forget, all this healthy living and developing awareness of your body is amazing ... getting pregnant is just the icing on the cake! Enjoy enjoy:)

[prescottchels]

Birthing From Within is a great birth prep book

and I love this list that MDC mamas have helped compile of all the homebirth supplies you could ever imagine wanting and more ;-)
http://www.mothering.com/community/t/602248/not-so-basic-homebirth-supplies/220

Maca is an herb that comes in a powder and also capsules that a lot of folks take to help w/fertility & libido. It can be taken by both men and women

Good Luck and lots of sticky baby blessings to all of us! (I too would love to find myself preggers this coming year)

[PinkMomma]

As a HypnoBirthing practitioner, I would say it is exactly what you said. It takes couples back to the basics of birthing and builds confidence and trust in the mother and baby and their birthing instincts. In the class we focus on changing and reprogramming the mind as far as how it views birth and the art of hypnosis (aka relaxation and accessing the subconscious mind), there is a session on nutrition, another on birth preferences, and the rest focus on general birth education and relaxation. It gives an overall positive outlook on birthing and life in general. I have had couples tell me they are able to use the techniques they learned in everyday life situations.
Hope that gives you a little bit of info on the HypnoBirthing program :)  I have been incredibly blessed to have used the relaxation techniques in birthing and to be able to also teach them to others. It is a life changing passion for me.

[kjjoybell]

ytafuri,

Sounds like you are absolutely on the right track--preconception nutrition and lifestyle plays a HUGE part in the health of our children. Of course so does diet during pregnancy and lactation as well as what you feed your children later.

An absolutely WONDERFUL book you might want to read is Ramiel Nagel's Healing Our Children http://www.healingourchildren.org

If everyone had this information and followed even half of it--it could change the world!

Best to you on your journey!

[JaimeF]

I am looking into the hypnobirthing myself.  There are classes here where I live and my insurance pays for it.  I have also found The Natural Pregnancy Book extremely helpful.  You can save a lot of money of instead of buying tea bags that you would need to take a whole lot of ina day, you can buy it in loose leaf form on vitacost.com  I bought a pound of Red Rasberrry loose leaf and burdock root as well as nettle there for cheap and it last a long time.  It is recommended to take 1oz seeped in 1 Qt boiling water over night and drink 1qt a day.