Nutrition and Activity in Pregnancy and Beyond

As midwives who love food, love growing it, love preparing it, and especially love eating it, we tend to place a high value on food in pregnancy. The Internet is rife with do’s and don'ts about what to eat when you are pregnant. The variety of diets available is staggering, and changing all the time, from vegan to paleo and everything in between. When you work with Midwifery Care, we always respect your diet and lifestyle choices. Because we don't subscribe to specific diets ourselves, we find ease in helping women make healthy nutrition choices for their growing babies that don't infringe on philosophical or religious beliefs. We also bring a great understanding of food allergies and sensitivities to our practice and look forward to working with women who are challenged by these — knowing that recognizing and managing food sensitivities can be essential to a healthy outcome.

In October 2014, Colleen successfully completed certification as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) through the Nutritional Therapy Association. Throughout this educational year, she gleaned a wealth of knowledge that is very beneficial to midwifery work. As a client of Midwifery Care, you will receive thorough and on-going nutritional support and counseling to optimize the health of your pregnancy, baby, and beyond.

Your Pregnancy Diet

A whole foods diet is highly valued above a diet of processed and fast food. We encourage women to eat minimally processed foods, whole grains, fresh fruits, veggies, and proteins. A well-balanced diet complete with vitamins, minerals, and proteins — the building blocks of life — will nourish the soil in which your baby is growing. Just as with plants, babies need rich, healthy "soil" to thrive in, and they need to be adequately nourished and watered. We work with women to choose the most nutrient-dense foods for their bodies, helping to create menus and recipes, and strategize ways to nourish themselves and their babies while on the go.

At Midwifery Care, we believe that many common complaints of pregnancy can be addressed through nutrition, from morning sickness to insomnia, fatigue, and mild depression. In many cases, improving the timing and/or frequency of meals and snacks will improve symptoms. At other times we are looking more closely at the specific foods consumed, possible food sensitivities, and satisfying alternatives. 

While nutrient dense foods provide the foundation of a healthy diet and support a healthy pregnancy, there are times when herbal and vitamin supplements must play a role in rounding out overall well-being. We believe prenatal vitamins are an important element in each woman's healthy diet as they provide necessary support on a daily basis, filling the gaps in our diets. We encourage whole food, vitamins, and supplements, viewing herbal supplements as food for your body. For example, a pregnancy tea blend of nettle, raspberry leaf, oat straw, and alfalfa can provide a boost of minerals and vitamins while being both refreshing and tasty.

While most OB/GYNs have little to no experience with nutrition in pregnancy, midwives emphasize nourishment of the body and mind through food. Because each prenatal visit lasts for about one hour, we have ample time to discuss symptoms and seek solutions. These extended visits ensure that we can explore food choices, supplements, herbal alternatives, and lifestyle as tools for easing some of your symptoms of pregnancy.

Staying Active

We encourage all women to find an enjoyable way to move their bodies each day. Some women are inherently athletic and need support to consume enough calories to support their activity level. Other women benefit from regular contact with a supportive midwife to maintain the motivation necessary to walk regularly. We believe that staying active, using your body in a variety of ways, helps prepare you for the rigors of labor, elevates your mood, prevents many complications of pregnancy, and creates a positive environment for your baby to grow.

We work with each woman to recognize challenges to exercise and create a satisfying and sustainable plan.

Supportive Therapies

Because midwives believe strongly in preventative care and approach your pregnancy holistically, we are very comfortable making referrals for supportive therapies when indicated. We believe strongly in preventative care and will often make referrals to physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and massage therapists for a variety of reasons, including round ligament pain, low back pain, and symphysis pubis dysfunction. Symptoms are often relieved and underlying structural imbalances are corrected, possibly allowing for optimal positioning of baby at birth. Through diet, exercise, and the complementary practices of acupuncture and massage, we are often able to maintain blood pressures in a safe range, lower blood sugar levels, and address mild depression and anxiety. We recommend craniosacral therapy for many newborns to relieve colic symptoms, help with breastfeeding, and improve sleep.

From Pregnancy to Parenting

As women progress through pregnancy, becoming increasingly confident in their nutrition and lifestyle choices, we find that this knowledge and confidence are then brought to parenting. Many women report having more tools for keeping children healthy thanks to what they learned about nutrition in pregnancy. Other women come to pregnancy with a strong foundation of eating optimally but enjoy the feelings of support that come from a care provider who understands the importance of nutrition. Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, we look forward to talking with you about food and swapping favorite ideas.