by Clarissa Caouette
The ability to bring life into the world is a beautiful thing. Women’s bodies are uniquely designed to do just that. From the external body parts to the internal body parts, the body and shape of a woman is the way it is for reproduction purposes. Now, that’s not to say that every woman has to have children but the anatomical and biological makeup of a woman’s body is designed for it.
When it comes to having children, the ideal way would be to properly plan for it. You have to think of planning for pregnancy as you would think of plants. You want to prepare your dirt to be the healthiest soil for healthy plants to grow in, right? Of course, so you have to think of your body in that same token. You want to make your body the healthiest place to produce a healthy baby.
Planning for a baby is the ideal route, of course, but everyone knows that it doesn’t always work out that way. Some women unexpectedly get pregnant while some women have a hard time getting pregnant and seek to learn about alternative pregnancy methods. Whichever way you conceive, it’s never too late to make your body a healthy environment to give birth to a happy and healthy baby.
You First Need to Prepare Your Body
As mentioned earlier, you want to make prepare your body for childbirth, whether it’s planned or unexpected, and the first step in doing that is making lifestyle and diet changes. Yes, people used to say that because you’re “eating for two” that gives you an excuse to overeat but that’s not how it works. If you truly want to give your baby a healthy environment to grow in, you have to make the necessary changes. Those changes might include:
- Detoxing
- Exercising
- Giving up caffeine
- Experiment with plant-based proteins
- Drink LOTS of water
You may not like the changes you need to make for your baby to grow in a healthy environment but it will all be worth it once you give birth to a happy and healthy baby.
The Holistic Approach
When it comes to taking on your pregnancy the holistic way, your pregnancy will be benefited in these ways:
The Holistic Approach: Factors in Your Mind, Body, and Spirit
A holistic pregnancy has a focus and a clear understanding of how the mind and spirit play a crucial role in your physical body. Your body may be experiencing pains of pregnancy like nausea, back pain, and fatigue… you could focus on the negative aspects of that but when you truly get your body in tune with your pregnancy, your focus will shift. It will no longer be about the pain you’re enduring, it will be about being able to experience nausea and back pain from carrying a child because not all women have the ability to carry a baby.
The holistic approach focuses on the overall bigger picture. How you experience pregnancy will greatly influence your mind, body and spirit just as your mind, body and spirit will influence how your pregnancy goes. You may have it in your mind that you are going to have a natural vaginal birth, meaning no medications, no cesarean… but what if the pain hits you while you’re in labour and you decide that the pain is too intense and that you need the pain medications; what if the baby is not positioned properly for a natural birth?
As a mother solely focused on delivering naturally, not being able to do that can take a huge toll on her mindset, being upset with herself for relying on medication. The holistic approach helps mothers understand that there are possibilities that things may not go as you want and it helps those mothers be at peace with using medicine instead of beating themselves up over it if the pain becomes too much for them, or if the only chance for the baby to survive is through a C-section.
This approach helps moms and dads figure out and understand their fears and expectations about the pregnancy and how to cope with them before the baby comes to put their mind, body, and spirit at peace.
The Holistic Approach: Allows the Body to Naturally Progress the Pregnancy
As mentioned earlier, a woman’s body is designed specifically for reproduction. It’s equipped with the necessary organs to conceive the sperm, nourish the baby in the womb, and give birth. A holistic pregnancy solely lets the body take charge and do what it was designed to do.
Women have been delivering babies for centuries before modern medicine came about. Today’s healthcare systems have “medicalized” childbirth so much as if the natural process of giving birth isn’t sufficient or adequate enough. Sure, assistance from modern medicine is very necessary depending on the circumstances of the pregnancy but to turn to modern medicine as the first option isn’t really necessary when the body is equipped with all the tools to do it without modern medicine.
The Holistic Approach: Incorporates Technology and Integrative Therapies in a Holistic Manner
Now don’t get things confused, a holistic approach to pregnancy doesn’t mean that there is no room for technological assistance. Every pregnancy is different with its own set of challenges and complications. There are non-invasive approaches as well as low-intervention approaches to certain situations that are very appropriate, depending on the pregnancy circumstances. It’s still a holistic approach to utilize necessary technologies while still allowing the body to naturally progress the pregnancy.
To go along with the technologies, there are also integrative therapies that assist in the discomfort associated with pregnancy. According to the Cleveland Clinic, integrative therapies are designed to help you have a healthy pregnancy, allowing you to better nourish and nurture your baby.
Integrative therapies in conjunction with a mind, body, and spirit focus, you’ll be able to handle those discomforts knowing what enduring them will bring you.
Happy Pregnancy!
Hopefully, this article provided you with clarity and understanding of the benefits of holistic pregnancies. The whole message is to state that with pregnancy, there is the possibility of complications that may force you to rely on modern medicine to get you through birth; and that a holistic approach helps you mentally prepare for such.
Author bio:
Clarissa is a family and lifestyle enthusiast. By day, she is the proud owner of an eco-friendly residential cleaning company. Clarissa enjoys sharing, as well as continually learning about, ways to stay mentally and physically fit, and is passionate about keeping her family happy and healthy. When not working, Clarissa can be found with her family in their home just outside of Nashville, TN.
