Whether you are a first time momma or a seasoned veteran, there are a lot of changes that occur during pregnancy. With these changes can come symptoms, uncertainty, or maybe just the desire for a little extra support. Naturopathic Medicine can offer gentle, safe, and effective strategies to help support you during pregnancy.
I have received additional training to become a Naturopathic Doula in order to support women from preconception, to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Why would you seek out a naturopathic doctor during pregnancy? Many reasons! But here are my top 5 ways a Naturopathic Doctor can help during pregnancy.
Ensure Adequate Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Nutrients in Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your needs for specific nutrients increases. Prenatal vitamins are often recommended for their higher content of vitamins and minerals that are needed for the healthy development of your baby. However, not all supplements are created equal! The proper dose, form and balance of vitamins and minerals is important.
Also, what is not in your supplements is important too! Personally, I don’t want to be putting compounds such as food dyes, shellac, or sodium lauryl sulfate into me while I’m pregnant. (Please read the non-medicinal ingredients on your supplements!) As a naturopathic doctor, I can help navigate the supplement world and recommend high quality supplements you might not even be aware of (which typically do not come from your local drug store).
In addition, your protein and calorie needs will increase. On average, pregnancy requires an additional 400 calories and 25g of protein compared to your pre-pregnancy needs. Not sure you’re getting enough? Keep track for a week or two on an app, such as MyFitnessPal, to get your baseline. We can take a look together to see where you might be lacking (or getting too much) and come up with ways to make sure your intake is balanced.
Order Pregnancy-Specific Blood Work
The basic blood work that pregnant women get at their doctor’s office may include hCG levels, testing for sexually transmitted infections, immunity levels to certain diseases, your blood type and Rh factor, blood sugar, iron levels, and basic thyroid levels. These are all very important tests.
However, what may not be included is a complete thyroid panel, vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, as well as monitoring these levels (and the ones above).
Why are these important?
Optimal vitamin D levels help reduce the risk of gestational diabetes. The presence of thyroid antibodies increases the risk of miscarriage. Not having an optimal iron level can leave you feeling tired and sluggish. Not having an optimal vitamin B12 levels can also leave you feeling sluggish and anxious… You get the point.
While the basic blood work is a great starting point, having a Naturopathic Doctor on your side helps with prevention and feeling your best during a time when a lot of your energy and nutrients are going towards feeding that parasite you are growing inside of you.
Manage Common Symptoms & Complications
Nausea, low back pain, heartburn, headaches – yes, these symptoms are common. Extremely common. However, believe it or not, they are not inevitable. You actually don’t have to suffer during pregnancy! (What!?)
One of my favourite strategies for treatment of common symptoms in pregnancy is acupuncture. Acupuncture can be safe during pregnancy when performed by a qualified practitioner – because there are points that are contraindicated in pregnancy, please only see someone who has been trained in the safe treatment of pregnant women!
There are numerous efficacy and safety studies on acupuncture in pregnancy. It has been shown to help decrease nausea, alleviate tension headaches, and improve low back and pelvic pain, just to name a few.
Fear of needles? Don’t fret. The needles used in acupuncture are much smaller than those used for taking blood or giving shots. (I get it, I have a fear of needles too!). Many patients report not even being able to feel them. Learn more about Acupuncture here.
In addition, herbal medicine and specific supplements can also be helpful, particularly for nausea, anxiety, digestive concerns, prevention of Group B Strep, and energy support. Each case is individually assessed to determine which strategy is best
Support Labour Preparation
If I told you that you might be able to shorten your labour time by 2-4 hours, decrease the need for pain medication, and decrease your risk of an unplanned c-section by spending only 30 minutes a week with a Naturopathic Doctor from week 35 until week 40, would you do it?
I don’t know many women who would say no.
Furthermore, if you are passed your due date but would like to reduce the need for medical induction, Naturopathic Medicine can help there too!
Preparation acupuncture is commonly used starting at 35 weeks until the time of delivery to help prepare the body for labour. Specific herbs, such as red raspberry leaf and evening primrose oil may also be used to facilitate a smooth labour.
Education!
Knowledge is power. One of my favourite things to do for patients is to educate them and answer any questions they may have about their situation or condition.
Many women go into pregnancy having no idea what to expect in regards to testing, changes in their body, labour options, etc. Naturopathic Doctors can be an excellent sounding board and can take the time with each patient to give them the answers to their questions.
I want my patients to feel empowered, feel in control of their health, and understand what is happening each step of the way.
No question is a stupid question – ever. So with that said, if you have any questions about how Naturopathic Medicine can help in pregnancy, please feel free to reach out!