Parenting Archives - Michelle Pitt Co

9 Things you need to do BEFORE pregnancy

So, it has happened. You have decided to have baby. Congratulations!

Schedule a checkup. It is always good to visit your gynae for a checkup before trying to conceive. They may want to run some blood tests or discuss certain things with you, like medications you might be taking.
Start taking folic acid supplement. This is suggested for 1 month before you conceive as well as in your first Trimester to cut down your chances of having a baby with a neural-tube defect. Also, check that you are not taking too much vitamin A as this can cause complications too.
Cut the habit. Quit smoking! The sooner the better. Not only does it cause damage to the woman’s eggs it can also cause the ovaries to age pre-maturely.
BMI check? Are you a healthy weight? Making the right food choices are so important. Choose whole foods, vegetables and fruits in a variety of colours. Make sure you are getting enough vitamin C, zinc and iron, calcium in your diet too. Proteins like chicken, beans and legumes are a great part of a healthy diet too.
Cut down drinking alcohol as much as possible. Try sick to the one a day rule or less if possible. Alcohol alters estrogen levels, which may interfere with egg implantation.
Exercise. Get busy 30 mins a day, 5 days a week. Try to include fun activities that you enjoy. Stretching exercises like yoga and Pilates can be very beneficial too.
Manage your stress levels. Using mindful techniques like meditation or yoga are fantastic. It would be a great time to book a massage as this adds to the de-stress focus.
Visit a dentist, if you have not for the last 6 months. The hormonal changes can affect your gums.
Remove or stop taking birth control. This one is a given, stop taking the pill, remove the UTD or stop using whatever contraception you were using. Give yourself some time for your body to regulate and your period to return consistently. Avoid lubricants going forward; rather use something natural like olive oil.
Establish a support system: It is a great idea to hire some help and get them trained up before baby even arrives. You will have so much on your plate that just knowing the washing is handled can be a huge relief. If some paid help does not fit into the budget, then try chatting to family and assessing how and when they are available to help?

Try not to stress too much about it. Most couples are pregnant within a year of trying. Enjoy your last moments of peace. Go see movies and go out to dinner too. Those nights out are going to be few and far between when baby arrives.

Parenting

Healthy relationship with food?

How do we teach our kids how to have a healthy realtionship with food?

We need to eat to live. It is not something we can just remove from our lives if it stresses us out. We should be putting a lot more focus into learning and specifically teaching our children how to eat in a healthy way. This does not mean no junk or “yummy” food ever. Quite the opposite. We need to teach our kids moderation. We need to give them the control to make the right decisions. This will empower them to live healthy, happy lives.

This starts with us, with the parents and specifically the moms. We form the backbone of the family. We also control most of what our families eat. So, moms, in a world where the dieting /health industries make up Billions of $$$$ “s, we need to ask ourselves what is our relationship with food like? Do we eat regular meals? Do we sit down to eat? Are we eating in your car? On the run? Do we emotionally eat?

This is important, our children watch and mimic everything we do. They learn what is ‘normal” from us. We have a responsibility to take this seriously.

It is time to get our habits right and be good role models for our children.

How much to eat?

It is vital that we and our children learn portion control. An easy way of doing this is looking at our hands. The palm area for protein. A closed fist for starch. An open fist for vegetables and a thumb for fats.

As they are a bit older and wanting to make their own decisions about their meals, they must understand the calories in versus calories out concept.

It is also great to teach them how to read food labels. This allows them to make better decisions.

When to eat?

This has been over complicated over the last couple of years. We need to learn what hunger feels like and that it is a cue to eat. If we are not hungry first thing in the morning, that is ok. We can break our fast (breakfast) later in the day. The timing is based on what works for us and our bodies, as well as our schedules.

What to eat?

Oh man, I could talk about this for hours. The important thing to teach our kids is : you cannot be on a diet/lifestyle plan 100% for ever. Then it is not the right diet/eating plan for you. Yes, some people swear by keto and others are vegan. The key thing is that you are not restricting to the point that, at some point you will binge. The binge-restrict cycle can be incredibly damaging to your body and self -esteem..

A focus on eating 80% whole, natural foods (they do not have more than 3 ingredients on the box) or ideally are fresh produce and 20 % less healthy foods allows for flexibility and moderation.

It is important to mention knowing the difference between a food intolerance and allergy at this point. Just because a friend cannot eat Gluten, does not make it bad for us. It makes it bad for that person. Remember moderation is key.

Where to eat?

In an age of fast everything, we have made food and eating an inconvenience. We no longer sit down as a family to enjoy a meal. We eat on the run; we eat pre-packed foods and do not give ourselves time to enjoy how wonderful eating can be as an experience. Slow down and enjoy your meals with loved ones as often as possible.

When not to eat?

When you are not hungry – simple right, but think about the last time we forced our kids into eating a meal that they may not have necessarily been hungry for. When this happens we lose the ability to eat when we are hungry. Another is to eat for comfort, when we are sad, when we are stressed. We should rather teach our children how to manage stress. How to express their feelings and use other coping mechanisms. We should choose better words to describe people. Rather use healthy and unhealthy instead of fat or skinny. We can use those for foods too. That delicious ice-cream is not as healthy as your supper. So, we have it every now and then.

Want to create better healthy habits for you and your children?

Join my Fb group here or pop me an email for a free 20 min discovery session where we chat about if my wellness coaching for moms’ package is the right fit for you?

Michelle