“So, when do you want to start a family?” Straight from the lips of my wonderful husband last week. I have to be honest; his seriousness scared me. It’s not the first time we’ve discussed conception in our household, but it’s the first time it felt so real. For those of you who have been around the blog for a while may remember my post on getting baby ready about 2 years ago. Seems crazy, right? Not. At. All.
Nowadays, couples are taking conception very lightly. It is important to remember that bringing a child into the world is something that should be intentional with months, even years of preparation to ensure {to the best of our ability} that our offspring will have the best possible environment and nourishment to grow and mature into a strong, disease free human being.
When I say months, even years of “preparation” I am addressing both lifestyle and diet. The health of the mother AND father should be assessed and supported 6 months or more prior to attempting to conceive. It is a 50/50 split {believe it or not}, so optimizing the diet of both mother and father with nutrient dense, whole foods, eliminating environmental toxins and addressing stress management are imperative in preparing the body to create and nourish an embryo.
If you are thinking about taking the leap, I encourage you to take a look at these areas in you and your partner’s life. Here are some tips to consider and begin to implement into your routine…
Eat plenty of nutrient dense, whole foods. Grass-fed beef, liver, cod-liver oil, animal fats such as butter from grass-fed cows, tallow, duck fat, raw milk and cream, coconut oil, egg yolks, bone broth, lacto-fermented condiments and beverages and plenty of vegetables and fruits {preferably organic} are all-powerful, nutrient packed foods that support healthy sperm, womb and growth. Taking a high quality, whole food prenatal vitamin/mineral supplement is beneficial and can be purchased in my office.
Avoid processed junk foods, white flour, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated {trans} fats, sugar and corn syrups, soy, soda, alcohol, drug and cigarettes. End of story.
Become aware of the toxins in your environment including cosmetics {lotions, shampoos and conditioners, toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant and antiperspirants, perfume and cologne, etc.}, water, food, radiation, plastics, cans, bedding, etc. and begin to “detox” ASAP. It can be overwhelming at first, but it is important to realize we are being bombarded with toxins constantly and it’s our burden to bear {unfortunately, the industries aren’t protecting us}. Small changes add up in a big way so take an inventory of your possible toxic exposure and begin to make adjustments today. Most Americans {both children and adults} have 200-300 known toxins floating around in their bodies and your baby could be at risk of exposure.
Take charge of the stress in your life. Yoga, meditation, prayer, affirmations, exercise and even diet changes can significantly decrease your mental and physical stress and give you a means to help deal with it in a healthy way. What areas are causing you unwanted or unneeded stress? Can you eliminate these areas or figure out a way to work through them, to change your perspective? Make it a goal to “de-stress” in some way on a daily basis. Stress management is imperative to healthy conception.
Conceiving a child is one of the most beautiful things in the whole wide world and I encourage you, if you are considering conception of your first or tenth child, to be mindful of your power in bringing a strong, beautiful and disease free child into this world.
If you are interested in learning more about how nutrition can optimize your ability to conceive and work one-on-one with me to help get those bods packed full of baby makin' power, please contact me via email or phone my office. I would love to help support you on your journey.
May your wombs {and baby makin’ parts} be blessed.
Justine Campbell + Alo Wellness
*I hope to not offend anyone with this information if you jumped into baby making like a bat-out-of-hell. I am only hoping to create awareness and encourage couples to be mindful of the power they have on their child’s future and health. It is going to take a paradigm shift, which will need some serious force, support and movement. Plus, it is never too late to make healthy changes at any point in a baby or child’s life. Begin to practice the above recommendations today or contact me so we can create a plan to rock out nutrition in your household!
