The moment one claims, with certainty, a devotion to parenthood—which is distinct from a yearning to have children—is the moment that conscious conception begins.
Pre-conception and Fertility Nutrition
I offer support and guidance to couples and individuals who are wanting to bring their bodies—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—into balance prior to conception. This includes those who are allegedly “infertile.” Functional nutrition serves as the foundation upon which the body, soul, and spirit may begin to harmonize. This harmony will serve a child’s transition onto the Earth and through a lifetime.
“The process of becoming parents reshapes us. It challenges our old beliefs and misconceptions. It provides us with conditions that expand our patience and compassion. The parenting initiation encourages us to go within. We meet new parts of ourselves. We heal old divides and past hurts. We open to new gifts and abilities, and we explore new ideas, values, and emotions. Our sense of personal purpose, work, and vocation evolves.”
Anna Cariad-Barrett, Shamanic Wisdom for Pregnancy and Parenthood
Photo by Nathan Dumlao
Strive to Thrive
prior to conception
It is often said that most women are healthy and will therefore go on to have normal, physiological births. I agree, but not completely.
If healthy is a word that can be used to describe the general state embodied by most women today, then it would behoove us to more seriously prioritize states of vitality and thriving in the contexts of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Parenthood does not culminate in normal, physiological births and healthy babies. It is a process that is on-going; and a woman who is healthy and, by virtue of it, likely to have good birth outcomes, is not necessarily a woman who is thriving at any point along the childbearing and rearing path. We must begin to broaden our perspective and to take into consideration the entire continuum of life.
As Rachelle Garcia Seliga says, “we have been surviving for a long time as women, but we have not been thriving. And quite honestly, if we are going to survive on our planet as humans, we need to up the ante and we need to start thriving, because otherwise we will just be eliminated.” It is time to take responsibility for ourselves and our lives.
Can you imagine what the world would be like if families were to enter into pregnancy slowly, intentionally, and with vitality?
Signs that indicate you are healthy, but perhaps not thriving:
Flatulence
Bloating
Constipation
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Acid reflux/GERD
Food sensitivities
Standard American Diet
Diabetes
Brain fog
Inflammation
Headaches
Fatigue
Disturbed sleep/insomnia
Anxiety
Depression
Muscle aches
Joint pain
Lack of exercise
Autoimmunity
Often sick
Chronic infection
Thyroid imbalance
Weight loss resistance
Weight gain
Cold hands and feet
Hair loss
Tinnitus
Hormonal imbalance
PMS
Irregular periods
PCOS
Endometriosis
Acne
Mood instability
“Infertility”
Lack of libido
Andropause (male menopause)
Discover the root cause(s) of your imbalance with functional nutrition
“A root-cause inquiry leads us to consider at least three major categories that need to be examined for potentially reversible and resolvable contributors to [dis-ease]. These are 1. physiologic imbalances, 2. psycho-emotional toxicity, and 3. spiritual crisis/emergence…Dietary change is step one, because we can change the microbiota dominance within seventy-two hours of simple changes to eliminate potential triggers to the immune system and rebalance the gut flora.”
Kelly Brogan, M.D., Own Yourself and Mind of Your Own
What to expect
Extensive intake and nutritional assessment questionnaire
Food journal
Sophisticated testing
Supplemental support
Fertility and pelvic health awareness
Embodied, intuitive, and natural movement
Emotional & psycho-spiritual exploration and guidance
Take time to prepare your body, your heart, and your mind for the sacred task of parenthood.
banner photo by Bryan Coppede