Five Reasons to See a Naturopathic Doctor for Prenatal Care

A few weeks ago, Dr Carley reached out to me to see if I would be interested in “talking shop” over Zoom. Would I? Would I ever! For a few reasons. One, a Zoom call is a great excuse to close the office doors, effectively muting the noisy children - my noisy children - behind them. Two, it meant I would get to talk to another adult. One who, like me, is mom to three young kids while simultaneously stoking (juggling?) her passion for helping women achieve their wellness goals as they relate to pregnancy, birth and postpartum. And three, I’m a big believer in naturopathic care, myself having used a naturopath during pregnancy, postpartum and for infant ailments. My experience with naturopathic care has been overwhelmingly positive - in other words, I’m a huge fan! There’s a use of creativity and a real desire to problem solve, in order to find a lasting solution to your issue, that I just haven’t experienced in the same vein with a GP. One of the things Dr Carley and I kept circling back to was our feeling that many women just didn’t know that naturopathic care could help them during this phase in their life. So, I asked her if she would be willing to put down, in writing, some of the top reasons a pregnant person might turn to a naturopath for prenatal care. I’m so thankful that, despite her extremely busy schedule, she said yes!

Dr. Carley Akehurst, Naturopathic Physician, pictured, with one of her three children

Top Five Reasons to See an ND for Pregnancy Care by Dr. Carley Akehurst, ND

So you just found out you are pregnant – congratulations! You likely want to do everything you can to make sure that you and your baby are on the right track. These days, it’s not uncommon to receive unsolicited pregnancy advice at almost every turn. But how do you find reliable and trustworthy information? Adding an ND on your pregnancy health care team can help you sort through those details and create a solid approach. Here’s how:

To Manage Early Pregnancy Symptoms

Early pregnancy can be a challenging time. You may feel nauseous or tired, have headaches, feel bloated or constipated, and have varying degrees of interest in eating. As a Naturopathic Doctor, I have multiple options to help with those early pregnancy symptoms. Acupuncture can be a nice way to address nausea and calm the nervous system. We have several options available to manage digestive symptoms such as constipation or loose stools, bloating, heartburn, or lack of appetite. A dietary plan can help ensure you get the nutrients you need without worsening your symptoms.

To Know What Health Products are Safe to Take While Pregnant

You might have heard that it’s good to take folic acid while you are pregnant, but what about other nutrient needs? What is the best form of folic acid and do I need a whole prenatal vitamin? How long do I need to take it? These are some of the most common questions I get regarding supplements in pregnancy. As well, many people want to avoid pharmaceutical medications in pregnancy and try something ‘natural’ instead. Unfortunately, ‘natural’ doesn’t always mean safe. A Naturopathic Doctor who is familiar with pregnancy can help you decipher what products are best for you.

To Get Answers To Your Questions

Feeling informed and empowered is incredibly important in pregnancy (and in parenting!) This is a time in your life where you will be faced with many different choices, and ensuring that you have solid, evidence-based answers to your questions is one of my favourite parts of being an ND. What does genetic testing look for? How do I protect my microbiome if I need antibiotics in pregnancy? What will it look like if I require a caesarean? While NDs don’t actually catch babies, an experienced ND can help you decipher common pregnancy concerns and prepare for your delivery in an educated way.

To Prepare for Post-Partum

Our culture in North America doesn’t do a great job of supporting women after having a baby. Typically, a perinatal care provider will see a patient until six weeks post-partum. Six weeks is still very early post-partum! Many patients can feel a little bit lost after this time. As an ND, I help families navigate these early weeks by providing well baby checks, helping with breast or bottle feeding concerns, providing nutritional support, checking on birth recovery and referring to other professionals when needed, running lab work to assess post-partum recovery, and more.

To Optimize Your Baseline Health

Your midwife or OB/GYN will often run screening bloodwork in pregnancy, but NDs usually interpret them differently. We want to make sure that nutrient levels are optimal – not just sufficient. This not only helps prevent pregnancy complications (such as ensuring you have enough iron to deliver vaginally), but it also protects against post-partum complications as well (optimizing vitamin d can protect against post-partum mood disorders).

Dr Carley Akehurst, ND is an evidence based Naturopathic Doctor living and practicing in Vancouver, BC. She has a primary practice focus on women’s and children’s health – including pregnancy, birth, and post-partum care. With over a decade of clinical experience as a Naturopathic Doctor and doula, Dr Akehurst brings a common-sense approach to healthcare. When not in practice, she can be found enjoying time with her husband and three young children. She practices at both Mint Integrative Health and Crossroads Naturopathic Clinic in Vancouver. You can find more information on her website here.

5 Reasons Why You Should Exercise During Your Pregnancy

Exercise. For most of us, it’s the last thing you want to be doing in the midst of pregnancy (am I right?!). Your body is noticeably heavier, sore in places you didn’t know could be sore and that baby is sucking the life out of you - you’re tired. So tired. And despite all that, I’m going to tell you to keep up with an exercise program? You betcha . And with good reason. So before you trade this post for Netflix and chill (in the literal form), hear me out. Because I’ve got 5 good reasons why exercising during your pregnancy is worth your while.

#1: Helps Manage Weight

I’ll preface this by saying you are absolutely supposed to gain weight during your pregnancy. Duh. It would be concerning if you didn’t. With that said, getting your sweat on several times a week will prevent excess weight gain while helping you maintain your overall shape and muscle tone.

#2: Positive Body Image

As the old saying goes when you look better, you feel better. There are two types of women. The women who love their new pregnant bodies and the women who - well - just don’t. Exercise has been proven to foster positive body image and while both groups of women can benefit from positive body image, what better remedy for the latter group than to combat the pregnant body blues?

#3: (Mega) Labour Benefits

Studies have found that pregnant women who maintained a prenatal fitness program experienced shorter labours and fewer medical interventions. I don’t know about you but, to me, those selling features are worth their weight in gold. Exploring this point in a little more detail, there are added benefits such as improved mental stamina and physical endurance which, again, pay off big time during birth.

Mental Stamina

Out of all the benefits of exercising during your pregnancy this, to me, is numero uno . The biggie. Exercising during your pregnancy with push you out of your comfort zone. It will tire you. You’ll want to give up and call it a day. Drawing any parallels here? You guessed it. Birth will push all of these same buttons. Consistently pushing and challenging yourself physically during your pregnancy strengthens your mental stamina - paving the way for when it comes time to birth. You’ll see the wall. You’ll hit the wall. And drawing on your training, you’ll know how to dig deep and push through.

Physical Endurance

Birth is a long, physical process. I really believe that being in decent shape when you head into your birth prevents you from tiring early. It’s a marathon, ladies! And you wouldn’t show up to a marathon without having done any training beforehand, would ya?

#4: Release the Endorphins

Prenatal mood disorders are alive and well, my friends. Preliminary research shows that 1 in 7 women will experience some sort of prenatal mood disorder during their pregnancies. For some of these women, exercise will play a huge part in their ability to manage their mood. Exercise boosts endorphins (which promote that feeling of general happiness) for 2 to 3 hours after about 20 minutes of heart pumping action. A pretty good return on investment.

(For others of you who are experiencing pre/perinatal mood disorders, please reach out to your doctor or midwife. And if you aren’t sure where to start, send me a message and I can walk you through the steps).

#5: Keeps the Aches + Pains Away

Keeping your body moving helps to keep it limber. I’m not talking about ballerina limber, I’m talking about being able to sit criss-cross-apple-sauce or bend over to pick up the Timbit that dropped on the floor. Basics. Keeping your body limber prevents it from seizing and tightening up (good-bye aches and pains). It has been associated with fewer backaches - a common foe of the pregnant woman.

Have I warmed you up a little bit to the thought of continuing (or even starting) an exercise program during your pregnancy? Remember: short term pain equals long term gain - for your body and your birth. Shoot me a message if you’re looking for recommendations for specific prenatal fitness programs or if you’d to hear my recommendations on local prenatal fitness classes.

Disclaimer: all pregnant women should get clearance from their doctor or care provider before starting a new exercise program.