ellness approach in prenatal care

W

Our vision and mission is to ensure that body, mind, and emotions are in balance to achieve maximum wellness.

Specifically, wellness is the state of soundness of physical, mental and social well-being of a person.

Without going too far, it’s seeing ourselves as a whole; both mentally and physically. One part can’t work properly if the other one is not working correctly.

When raising our children it is vital to focus not only on the physical aspect, but also on the Emotional,

Spiritual, Intellectual and Social aspects of the child. Because all these parts are intertwined, all of them must be nurtured, reinforced, and integrated.

With a total wellness approach, children can learn to have control of what is best for their own bodies, to make the right choices and improve and reach what is best for them.

Prenatal period it is a critical stage when Stress, Depression and Anxiety affect the unborn baby.

According to the National Institutes of Health (7 of link below) “…the impact of women’s anxiety (and/or depression) during pregnancy has been found to extend into childhood and adolescence, as well as to affect the hypothalamic-pituitary –adrenal (HPA) Axis, predicting attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in 8-9 year old children as well as alterations in HPA Axis activation in 4 months old.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3710585/ - Impact of Maternal Stress, Depression & Anxiety on Fetal Neurobehavioral.

Life comes with its ups and downs and there are a bunch of causes that can be out of your control such as: financial problems, work, home issues, and more perhaps. All or any of these issues can make your pregnancy more challenging.

The following ten steps can help you to be more relaxed, happier, more focused on your well-being. The baby will receive the positive emotions from you and obtain the optimal health through the childhood and adult years.

Take five minutes for you and your baby.

Place your hand on your baby bump. Close your eyes. Concentrate only on you and your baby. Add colors, sounds and scenes if you like. Breathe in slowly through your nose, hold it for one second. Pucker or purse your lips as if you were going to whistle and breathe out slow. Repeat it three to five times.

2. Sleep

Not only helps you to relax, but sleep helps to wash away toxic proteins such as beta-amyloid in your brain and prevents them from building up and from potentially destroying brain cells. The lack of sleep spikes irritability, memory problems, inability to perform, depression, and increase cancer risk.

5-dicas-para-evitar-as-estrias-na-gravid

3. Baby needs a massage too

Rub your belly like you are giving your baby a massage. As soon as you begin to feel your baby’s movements, you’ll notice that the baby responds to your touch. This is a great way to relax and connect to your baby.

4. Listen to music, read aloud, sing and talk to your baby

Babies hear sounds from the outside world at 16 weeks gestation. Around the 7th and 8th month the baby’s heart slows down indicating the calming effect to your voice. By the time the baby is born, your baby can actually recognize your voice. These exercises provide the sense of wellness from an early stage thereby maintaining and developing a healthy mind and body.

5. Eat the best foods for you and your baby

Nutrition can be challenging when working out of your home. Always make sure to include 3 servings of fruits and fresh/steamed vegetables a day. Also include seeds, grains, legumes, and plenty of water.

When eating out ask for healthier foods substitutes that are low in sodium, saturated fat, and sugar. If your body is happy, your mind is happy and your baby will not only benefit from it, but will thank you for every healthy choice you make.

6. Get a professional massage

This is an excellent choice to reduce stress and promote overall wellness. It’s a great way to reduce back pain, leg cramps, and edema.

7. Exercise

The philosophy of taking a walk

Walking is probably the best inexpensive exercise. This type of walking doesn’t refer when going shopping or cleaning the house. Taking a walk is when walking around your neighborhood, or walking to the park. Your mind and body is focused only on relaxing. Furthermore, you are strengthening your bones and muscles and helping to maintain a healthy weight. Thus, helping to prevent or manage gestational diabetes

10. Preparing yourself for giving birth

When you have been practicing all the steps recommended before giving birth, you are almost ready to walk the last three steps you need to feel strong and enlightened for this exceptional and big moment:

Find out what your doctor’s philosophy is about cesarean sections

The doctor’s opinion is super important, but yours is super important as well on this surgical procedure. There are times than this is the only choice. Make sure to talk to your doctor thoroughly. Are you happy with it? Doing your own research is not a bad idea. Also, the use of epidurals versus, alternative ways to managing pain.

8. Express your feelings and emotions

Do not be afraid to express your feelings by letting others know how you feel. Do it with a calm manner. Look for a friend, your doctor, or put it on paper. Knowing that someone truly hears you out and understands your feelings is soothing to you and to your baby.

It is healthy to express your pain and sadness by letting your tears flow, expressing what your heart is holding. By doing so your mind and body relaxes, giving yourself the right to bring new positive thoughts and feelings. You will feel better about yourself. Being in touch with your feelings will make you a better person, as well as a better parent.

9. Smile, it doesn’t cost you a penny

How is laughter therapeutic? Laughter is known for helping to lower stress hormones and increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies Laughter triggers the release of endorphins which promote an overall sense of well-being.

Child birth course

Taking a child birth course is super important, but in the case you can’t do it, find yourself a good book. One with excellent reviews is called: Everything you Need to Know to Help a Woman through Childbirth, Penny Simkin, P.T. Paperback $3.79-$3.99. Practice with a friend, or whoever makes you feel comfortable.

Learn about different stages of labor

Learning the three phases of labor helps you to know what to expect. The better prepared you are, the more confident you are thus giving you an inner peace of mind.

Early Labor Phase – The time of the onset of labor until the cervix is dilated to 3cm.
Active Labor Phase – Continues from 3 cm. until the cervix is dilated to 7 cm.
Transition Phase – Continues from 7 cm. until the cervix is fully dilated to 10 cm.

Spiritual wellness

Pregnancy is a miraculous phenomenon of procreation. It is the beginning of a new life. It is also a time to believe in yourself and in a purpose in your life. One that is guided through faith. You can find it in everything that brings joy, peace, happiness, and discipline. Just looking at your baby bump is the beginning of true spiritual consciousness. Without spiritual wellness there is no purpose or meaning in life. .

We hope all these recommendations can help you to reach wellness through a healthy mind and body.