Tips for Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Lactation

Getting ready for a home birth? Even if you are going the hospital route, these guidelines will help prepare you for the momentous event and afterwards. If you are just thinking about getting pregnant, now is the time to start implementing tactics for an easy and healthy delivery.

First off, exercise. Most people know, at this point, how beneficial daily exercise is, especially for the expectant mother. Exercise helps improve muscle strength, flexibility, and emotional well-being. Try yoga, walking outdoors, swimming, and weight training. There is no need to meet specific goals in strength, and definitely not weight loss, but doing various exercises, daily, will help prepare the body and mind for an easy delivery.

Next, dietary concerns. Getting adequate protein is necessary, yet it is a macronutrient that many women tend to be deficient in, especially if you are vegan or vegetarian. Protein, including a good amount of red meat, will help boost muscle repair and increase muscle tone and strength. Minerals and electrolytes should be consumed daily in absorbable food forms, such as blackstrap molasses, dolomite powder, nuts and seeds, fruit, vegetables, fresh-squeezed juices, celtic grey sea salt, eggs (with yolks), chicken and bone broth (in soups, sauces, or just sipped), and lacto-fermented condiments and beverages (see article on lacto-fermentation).

In addition, fatty acids are critical for an infant's neural, visual and nervous systems. Even a mild deficiency in essential fatty acids (EFAs) may limit fetal growth, whether the baby is inside the womb or out! Good sources are found in unprocessed flax seed oil, fatty fish (like ocean-caught salmon and tuna), cod liver oil, coconut oil, and high-vitamin butter from pastured cows.

One thing I cannot stress enough is on the matter of fasting prior to delivery. I have never understood this suggestion by convential practices. We would never think of doing a major event, like a triathalon, while in a fasted state, yet we recommend that mothers do just that! Does this make any sense? Of course not. The body will be incredibly depleted and have a difficult time, if not properly fed ahead of time and during the vigors of labor. Guidelines include having a proper meal and keeping fresh orange juice by the bedside with 2 to 5 grams of l-glutamine added (for energy and recovery), as well as a few drops of a good quality liquid electrolyte supplement (like Trace Mineral Research). Avoid at all costs: caffeine, junk food, white and refined foods, and alcohol (yes, even wine).

My Unique Upbringing

Many people have commented on the uniqueness of my family and the way my parents raised their ten children. I am always proud to tell stories of the past. We were brought up without a lot of store-bought devices, toys, and technology. We ate home cooked food that was prepared lovingly, from scratch, and the majority of it, home grown! We were healthy, active, and happy. Saturdays, during school, and weeks, here and there during the summer, consisted of backpacking trips to a variety of canyons, hikes, and our favorite haunts, all over the Western United States. Instead of watching TV, we played games like Capture-the-Flag, Snake-in-the-Grass, Football, Soccer, Basketball...you name it.

I remember being proud to invite friends over because the food was always great and the house was always clean and comfortable (even though we did not have the money for the nicest and newest things). Those kind of things, like the latest clothes and gadgets, simply did not matter to us. This was my beginning and I have come full-circle as I have grown. I want, more than anything else, to give my own children the unique experiences that I had growing up. I want them to look back on these times, with a fond smile, and be proud of their upbringing.

Courtney's Birth

The following is the story of my birth, written by my mom: Marie Holley Meshkin:

About 2am, Sunday May 22, 1977, I couldn't ignore the labor pains anymore. Finally, I got up, showered, and checked again to make sure everything was prepared for this home birth. The spacious master bedroom with its hardwood floors, gas fireplace and beautiful upstairs view was the perfect place to have our ninth child. Most days, a pair of Red Cardinals' could be seen from the large window of our Lumberport, West Virginia home.

I shook Jim awake and had him shower while I prepared the bed for the birth and placed the plywood at a forty-five degree angle at the head of the bed. After this, I called the doctor who lived 45 minutes away. I hesitated calling her because it was the middle of the night and I knew she had given birth to her own baby just a little over a month earlier. There weren't any midwives in the area and no other doctor would do a home birth. My doctor was an intern who had agreed to come to deliver our baby.

I had waited too long to call the doctor and was a bit uneasy, but Jim helped me breathe. A few more pushes and our baby was born with intact water, or "born in the caul", at 4 am.

Between my contractions, Jim had called our neighbor, who was a doctor from France. He and his wife, my doctor, her husband and new baby, all showed up soon after the birth. Our other children were awakened and filed in to see their new little sister. After they all went back to bed, we noticed Matt, over in the corner, watching the new baby with furrowed brows. After a short while, he left to join his other siblings, and I forgot about it...until the following day.

It was Monday morning, May 23^rd. Matt was sitting on the corner of the secretary's desk where a crowd had gathered to listen. Four year old Matt was describing the events of the previous morning, "The doctor brought two babies to our house. One was dressed in pink pajamas and the other one wasn't wearing any clothes and had a night crawler coming out of her tummy. Mom must have felt sorry for the one without any clothes, because she picked that one to keep."

Coconut Oil

I could have added coconut oil in the list of my recommended super foods, but I thought it deserved a category of its own. Modern health literature describe saturated fats, including palm oils like that of the coconut, as major contributors of heart disease and recommend that they be avoided. I am here to refute these claims.

A recent study, published in Clinical Biochemistry(2004), found that *virgin, unrefined coconut oil lowered total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipid, and LDLs. At the same time, HDLs were increased. It appears that coconut oil is actually beneficial for heart health and, with its multitude of other benefits, is key component in a healthy eating plan. *As opposed to extra virgin, which is processed.

Besides a healthy heart, what else does coconut oil provide? Well...because of the lauric acid and monolaurin derived from coconut oil, it can inhibit the spread of viruses and bacteria (or even kill them). This includes those strains that are antibiotic resistant, such as staphylococcus aureus. It can be used daily to keep candida in check and yeast infections at bay.

Additionally, coconut oil is high in Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), which speed up a sluggish thyroid gland and ultimately, the body's metabolism. Supplementing with it can help increase energy levels and promote weight loss, as a result of boosting the output of the thyroid gland.

So...how do you take it? I take one tablespoon with every meal, straight and then I chase it with raw milk. However, it can be melted in herbal tea and sipped, if prefered. Also, it can be used in cooking (it's especially good in Thai dishes). My family and I use it topically as well. As a moisturizer, it can heal conditions such as eczema, body acne, dry skin, or rashes.