I’m headed to the chiropractor this morning.  Hopefully it will be the last time for a while.  Anyway, this appointment reminds me that carrying children (inside or outside) puts a certain amount of stress on a woman’s body.  And that makes me think about other parts of pregnancy and birth that can put stress on our bodies and that makes me think of things to do to prevent said stress.  So in the spirit of prevention, this Thursday Birth Day is about exercise and nutrition. (I can hear you groaning from here but stick with me.  This stuff is important.)

Good nutrition doesn’t mean you have to ditch all your favorite things.  It just means have them in moderation.  Some pregnancy books advocate giving up sodas and chocolate and caffiene and… and… and…    And if you want to do this and have the will power to follow through then a big High Five to you.  On the other hand if your’e like me - and almost every other woman on the planet - you realize that your emotional health is as important as your physical health and that giving up your comfort foods could potentially send you into a deep dive towards depression.  (As if having a baby isn’t enough of an emotional roller coaster.)  I found during my pregnancies that it was easier to focus on what I should eat instead of what I couldn’t.  And I didn’t beat myself up over lapses in nutritional sanity.  Sometimes you just need a plate full of tapioca pudding and fried wontons.  I don’t know why.  You just do.

Dr. Tom Brewer has an excellent diet listed on his website.  He was a bit of a nutrition radical but science supports the benefits of his ideas so I recommend you at least take a look.  Here are the highlights:

• Drink water to thirst.
• Salt your food to taste.
• Eat one to two servings of green leafy veggies daily.
• Strive to consume 80 to 100 grams of protien daily.

This is the checklist I used to hand out in my classes and which I used myself.  Perhaps it will help you as well.

Of course if you have severe morning sickness, then all bets are off because a candy bar that you can keep down is more nutritious than a carrot that you can’t. (At least that’s my very non-medical opinion.) Just be sure to change your habits once the morning sickness has subsided.

We all agree exercise is important but if you don’t already have a regular exercise routine it is unlikely that you will suddenly start going to the gym now.  Still, being in shape can dramatically affect the path of your labor so my motto is “at least do something.”  And “something” is a lot easier if you have a partner.  For me, it meant that Will & I started going for evening walks.  We would walk and talk and before I knew it the exercise was done.  Signing up for a Yoga or Pilates class could also be a great solution as both of these programs help you tune in to your body while working out key muscle areas.  Or what about belly dancing which besides being sexy has numerous practical benefits.   But if you do nothing else, you should do kegels because incontinence is most definitely NOT sexy.

Okay, so that’s my spiel and I suppose I should say something like “always consult your doctor” and “I’m not a licensed physician”.  Come back next week for more of my high-falutin’ opinions pearls of wisdom.