No amount of preparation can truly prepare you for the maiden to mother journey that unfolds in the sacred postpartum time. 

One moment, you’re a single entity, a human being with a life story of your own, who just happens to be ripe with child. And the next - you’re a mother, a parent embodied, and half of your heart is now living outside of your body. 

Food as the medicine takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to supporting fertility and reproductive health.

Once an overlooked and underestimated factor in fertility and pregnancy outcomes, the importance of nutrition to preconception preparation is only just being realised.

Esteemed medical journal The Lancet is one of many peer-reviewed publications to publish studies in recent years promoting the evidence-based benefits of optimal nutrition in the months, or even years, leading up to pregnancy.

With one in six Australian couples experiencing fertility troubles, it is more important than ever to highlight the significance of nutrition and its ability to influence fertility, pregnancy outcomes and foetal gene expression.

When I mention this to clients, they rush to ask me what they should be eating. And while no single food can guarantee a healthy pregnancy, a combination of nutrient-rich wholefoods, nutritional supplements, gut health support and lifestyle changes may go a long way to improve both maternal and paternal fertility, creating a harmonious environment for a growing baby.

I find women are generally more open to making dietary changes in preparation for pregnancy, with men often thinking they’re off the hook. But studies have found children may have a higher risk of metabolic disease and Type 2 diabetes if their father ate a poor diet prior to conception, while paternal exposure to certain chemicals like paint and pesticides is associated with a higher risk of cancer and genital malformations.

Anyone who has experienced nausea and vomiting in pregnancy can attest to the misleading nature of the title ‘morning sickness’.

For many, morning sickness can last all day, often for most of the first trimester, and sometimes beyond.

For some, it doesn’t end until the baby and placenta are born.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum affects one to two per cent of pregnant people, causing debilitating nausea and vomiting for most if not all of pregnancy.

It is diagnosed when nausea and vomiting of pregnancy are extremely severe (up to 50 times a day in some cases), persists past the first trimester, or results in a weight loss of at least five percent of pre-pregnancy weight.

The condition is serious and can lead to dehydration and malnutrition of both mother and baby, as well as increased risk of weight loss and preeclampsia. Half of all mothers with Hyperemesis Gravidarum may also develop depression or anxiety.

Although all prenatal testing and screening is optional, a large majority of pregnant people in Australia will undergo the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy.

Are you planning a new addition to your family and currently breastfeeding?

Then you might have some questions.

As a naturopath, I support people with conscious conception, including parents with growing families, so breastfeeding during pregnancy has become a common topic in my clinic.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding in our society about fertility and breastfeeding.

To help, I have collated some of the latest data on breastfeeding during conception and pregnancy to answer all those commonly asked questions.

How do I know if I have a food allergy? 

Australia has been labelled the food allergy capital of the world.

Recent statistics have revealed up to 10 per cent of Australian infants have a proven egg allergy and up to four million Australians have some form of food allergy or intolerance.

The jury is out on why food allergies are increasing, but theories range from delayed introduction of allergenic foods and Vitamin D deficiency to the overexposure of certain medications and diets high in processed foods. 

The robustness of the immune system and gut health may also have an influential role on the development of food allergies. 

But how do you know if you have a food allergy? And what’s the difference between a true allergy and an intolerance? And what foods could you be allergic to?

Let’s get right to it because time is a) important and b) in high demand. Realistically being a mum is different for everyone. I got given lots of advice (some unsolicited) and what I took from it and made my own is the following:

1. Remember to breathe. Take one day at a time. Feel what you are feeling and process it, get it out by writing, or talking about it; and breathe Mumma! 

It’s no secret that fertility is my passion as a naturopath. So I thought I’d share some of the basics about reproductive health, and what factors can help and hinder the baby-making process.

What is PCOS, and what can we do about it? Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) describes a constellation of symptoms, although two out of three criteria must be met: impaired or no ovulation; excessive levels of “male” hormones and multiple (poly-) cysts on the ovaries. Symptoms commonly include menstrual difficulties; male-pattern hair loss or facial hair; acne; infertility and worst of all, miscarriages.

Becoming a mum is exhausting. All of a sudden, you have another human 100% reliant on you. That’s a lot of stress to be under! So it’s no surprise that many of us experience the dreaded ‘mum fatigue’. Sometimes, it lasts for a few months, sometimes, it lasts decades!