How can nutrition beyond the basics really help in your motherhood journey?
Photo by Siobhan Calder
Fertility
It’s common to be told what foods to avoid once you find out you’re pregnant. However, thinking about your diet and making changes prior to conception can have a huge impact. A poor diet, or even that below optimal for your circumstances, can end up playing havoc on your hormones, which can lead to ovulatory disorders - an issue responsible for 18-30% of couples experiencing infertility.
In fact, a large study of 17,544 women found those that followed 5 or more fertility diet and lifestyle habits reduced their risk of ovulatory infertility by 84% (1).
A considered pre-conception diet isn’t just one for the ladies, studies have also found that a healthy diet consisting of key nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E, vitamin C, β-carotene, selenium, zinc, cryptoxanthin and lycopene), vitamin D, folate and low in saturated fatty acids and trans-fatty acids, was associated with measures of semen quality, including morphology (their shape), motility (swimming the right way), and concentration (count) (2).
The benefits of focusing on food and diet aren’t limited to natural conception. With increasing numbers of couples going through assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), food plays just as an important role in the preparation. Evidence has shown a higher adherence to a pre-treatment pro-fertility diet was associated with an increased probability of live birth among women undergoing ARTs (3).
Even if you’re lucky enough to fall pregnant naturally, a strategic diet pre-conception can help set you up for not only a healthy pregnancy, but the marathon of pregnancy, childbirth and post-partum ahead; all a hugely nutrient-hungry time. This can help to prevent you from being left depleted, as the body prioritises the rapidly growing bub.
Pregnancy
Good nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood plays a foundational role in a child’s ability to grow, learn and thrive. You may, or may not have heard the term ‘the first 1000 days’. New research in the fields of neuroscience and early childhood development is shedding light into how our brains develop. There is a huge spotlight on how nutrition (alongside stable, responsive caregivers and nurturing environments) during a child’s first 1,000 days builds the foundation for a child’s development. Sadly, research has found that when one or more of these supports is absent, a child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development can suffer. During these first 1,000 days, starting in pregnancy, the brain grows more quickly than at any other time in a person’s life. The neural tube forms just 16-30 days after conception. So, a child needs the right nutrients at the right time to feed this rapid brain development.
During pregnancy, a mother’s diet and her nutrient stores are the only source of nutrition for the developing baby. Here you can also see how pre-conception nutrition is vital to build stores and ensure not only the baby but the mama is nourished.
This can also help to ensure the mama doesn’t become depleted through pregnancy as the body prioritises the rapidly growing baby. This is so important for her, as
if left unaddressed (which let’s face it, we can be lucky to get a thorough 6-week check, let alone have certain bloods taken to assess nutrient levels), can lead to unexplained symptoms, longer-term health consequences for mama and certain nutrient deficiencies are also associated with postpartum depression risk.
Motherhood
You have just made a beautiful new human being, fuelled & built from your own nutrient stores. Crazy! Yet, have you been asked once about what you are eating? In my experience, the only mention of food during pregnancy and post-partum was checking I wasn’t tucking into shark or tuna.
Pregnancy and birth really is like an endurance sport! Childbirth, even without complications, is exhausting and the body needs time to repair, rebuild and replenish. Yet, we have a little bundle to take home and nurture 24/7, a hormonal plummet to face and we may be breastfeeding which brings health benefits to the mama & little, but does also place further demands on the body. Decreased nutrient stores can have a significant impact on a new mama’s quality of life, and heighten the risk for post-partum depression (4,5). Research has shown that inflammation may also play a central role to depression, including that experienced by new mothers; with an anti-inflammatory dietary approach to diet potentially helping to prevent depression or reduce its severity (6). A good (achievable) plan for postpartum recovery and optimal nutrition is therefore vital for mama’s physical and mental health.
It is not only the precious ‘fourth trimester’ that is important for nutrition, its role continues into motherhood. As a mother, we can often put ourselves at the bottom of the pile and be left feeling exhausted, stressed low, and depleted – this struggle can go on for years, leaving us feeling truly overwhelmed and struggling to be the mama we really want to be. I work with mothers at all stages, often using state of the art testing to pin point the root cause of your symptoms enabling me to personalise dietary, lifestyle and supplement advice. This finally enables you to get to effective results fast, to feel healthy and happy in your motherhood journey.
Overall, by supporting your health and happiness through all stages of your motherhood journey, not only will you thrive, but so too will the next generation.
1. Chavarro JE, Rich-Edwards JW, Rosner BA, Willett WC. Diet and Lifestyle in the Prevention of Ovulatory Disorder Infertility. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Nov;110(5):1050–8.
2. Salas-Huetos A, Bulló M, Salas-Salvadó J. Dietary patterns, foods and nutrients in male fertility parameters and fecundability: a systematic review of observational studies. Hum Reprod Update. 2017 Jul 1;23(4):371–89.
3. Gaskins AJ, Nassan FL, Chiu Y-H, Arvizu M, Williams PL, Keller MG, et al. Dietary patterns and outcomes of assisted reproduction. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2019 Jun;220(6):567.e1-567.e18.
4. Azami M, Badfar G, Khalighi Z, Qasemi P, Shohani M, Soleymani A, et al. The association between anemia and postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Casp J Intern Med. 2019;10(2):115–24.
5. Etebary S, Nikseresht S, Sadeghipour HR, Zarrindast MR. Postpartum Depression and Role of Serum Trace Elements. Iran J Psychiatry. 2010;5(2):40–6.
6. Kendall-Tackett K. A new paradigm for depression in new mothers: the central role of inflammation and how breastfeeding and anti-inflammatory treatments protect maternal mental health. Int Breastfeed J. 2007 Mar 30;2:6.