A Little Story about Healthy Babies...
When I was practicing acupuncture more, I saw a lot of ladies at the end of their pregnancy, who wanted support in preparing for labor. These ladies were brand new to me, and I'd always ask what supplements they were taking, and what foods they were eating.
I would often cringe to hear that they weren't consuming probiotics, and recommend that these moms-to-be consume probiotics foods and supplements. We know now that baby is exposed to bacteria from the birth canal/anus or the bacteria floating around in the surgery room, if C section delivery (link).
But also the bacterial environment of the mother affects baby's health in utero (link). Taking it a step further, your microbiome health will affect your ability to conceive and carry to term.
Even if you never plan to have kids, our microbiome supports so much of hormone regulation, it's important to every woman.
So what can you do to honor your microbiome, and your baby's microbiome?
You can consume kombucha, raw sauerkraut or kimchi, or coconut yogurt. You can eat a wide variety of vegetables to provide pre-biotic food to your microbiome. You can avoid foods that can irritate your gut such as processed grain, caffeine and sugar. You can take a high-quality, broad-spectrum probiotic. (Tip: the shelf stable ones are sometimes better than the dairy-based refridgerated ones.)
You can also attend this week's free Microbiome Summit, with over 30 free, expert interviews about our microbiome.
I don't attend every summit out there, but I'm very curious about this area that we are just starting to grasp. Very exciting stuff!
I want women to really get the importance of this area, and how we can nourish it, for our sake, and the sake of our healthy babies. Join the free Microbiome Summit here.
Hugs and Health, Bridgit