Fertility Signals While Breastfeeding
Guest Post by Kate from Modern Alternative Mama
Getting pregnant can be a challenge all by itself. But when you’re still breastfeeding your last baby, you may face some unique challenges in getting pregnant that you never expected. Clearly if you’re breastfeeding you’ve successfully gotten (and stayed) pregnant at least once. However, it may not be quite that easy the second time if breastfeeding is in the mix.
The reason is that your hormones are different while breastfeeding. You’ve probably heard that exclusive breastfeeding is pretty good birth control, right? Well, for some women, ANY breastfeeding is birth control and can make getting pregnant difficult. Even if that’s not the case, there are some unique signs and symptoms that can occur while breastfeeding.
While breastfeeding, the hormone in control is prolactin, which produces milk. This can interfere with the estrogen and progesterone that are needed to get pregnant. Prolactin suppresses estrogen, which can make it difficult to ovulate. And if you don’t ovulate, you can’t conceive. It also appears that progesterone levels can be too low in the second half of your cycle, meaning that your luteal phase (the time between when you ovulate and when you would expect your period) may be too short for your embryo (if one was actually created) to implant.
It’s kind of a “bad” cycle, if you’re trying to conceive anyway! Your prolactin levels interfere with your estrogen, so fewer follicles mature and you have less chance of ovulating. And if you do ovulate, the smaller number of matured follicles produce less progesterone, leading to low levels (progesterone is very important in sustaining a pregnancy and is responsible for a lot of the morning sickness and fatigue you feel during pregnancy) and possibly a short luteal phase (shorter than 10 days and the embryo doesn’t have time to implant before your period starts). It’s why exclusive breastfeeding really can be VERY effective birth control!
There’s also the chance that even if your cycles have returned that they are still not normal and regular (for the above reasons!), which means it can be difficult to predict when you are fertile. Unless you want to have sex every other day ALL MONTH LONG (and maybe you do!), you could miss it.
But what is a woman who is trying to conceive to do?
First, take a deep breath. It may not be as “bad” as it seems. As your baby gets older and begins to nurse a bit less often, especially once your baby sleeps through the night (at least mostly), your body will begin to get fertile again. Many women are able to get pregnant once they are only breastfeeding 2 – 4 times per day instead of 10 – 12 times.
The best thing to do now is to start charting. That means, you need to track your basal body temperature (BBT), cervical position, cervical texture, and cervical mucus. All of these, along with any other signs/symptoms (nausea, cramping, etc.) can give you some hints as to what your body is doing. Once you KNOW, then you can do something about it.
As a quick refresher, you are looking for your cervix to be high, soft, and open at ovulation, and for your cervical mucus to be either clear and watery (kind of slimy) or like raw egg whites and copious. You may also have headaches, feel tired, or feel a bit nauseous, and you may notice cramping. It’s a good idea to start having sex a few days before your ovulation if you know when it will occur. If you don’t, chart for a few months to figure out about when it’s occurring, as well as to get familiar with your body and your signs. If you are charting BBT, you will notice a sustained thermal shift (3 days or longer of higher temps) of .2 or .3 degrees AFTER your ovulation. This isn’t helpful in conceiving when you first notice it, as it’s “too late” at that point, but it does confirm that you ARE ovulating. Which means you get to try next month!
If you’re not ovulating, you may need to make a choice. You could simply wait a few months longer to see if your cycle normalizes (chances are, it will, in time). You could try to reduce breastfeeding sessions to see if that helps you start ovulating again. Others have sworn by grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, or fertility tea blends. Increasing your general nutrition (plenty of good fats and no refined sugar or flour!) can help. Also, there is a supplement called Vitex which will normalize your cycles, promote ovulation, AND fix luteal phase defects (more on that in a minute). If these don’t help, acupuncture may be able to help.
Once you ARE ovulating, then you have the issue of what’s happening AFTER. How long is it from the time you ovulate until your period starts? If it is less than 10 days (and ideally at least 12 days), your baby can’t implant. Most women end up taking Vitex (also known as chasteberry), a natural herbal supplement that will help your hormones to normalize and will increase your luteal phase. (PLEASE NOTE: I am not a doctor. There may be some women who are not helped by this, and a few may experience depression due to increased progesterone levels. It is not for everyone. But it is a common option and something you may consider.) (pssst – note from Donielle here: Vitex is also good for lowering the amount of prolactin in the body, hence another reason why it may be successful in helping you ovulate.)
Fun story: I know a handful of women for whom Vitex worked in only one cycle. One used it because of a luteal phase defect while breastfeeding (i.e. her LP was too short). The other, I’m not sure why she used it. But I do know in her first pregnancy (no Vitex) she was on bedrest for months and her baby was born at 34 weeks. She’s nearly 36 weeks pregnant this time with absolutely no complications. So, while that’s totally anecdotal, it sure does give hope!
It may be worthwhile to look into taking B vitamins, too. There are B-complex supplements, or Brewer’s Yeast is a great whole foods supplement (mix into smoothies, baked goods, or take as a pill). These increase energy and decrease likelihood of neural tube defects and decrease morning sickness. It’s great while pregnant, and not a bad idea while trying to conceive, either!
Be aware that even if the whole thing seems like a mess, you WILL get back to normal eventually. Night feedings are a real fertility killer, for more than one reason! My son (13 months) still sleeps with me and some nights still nurses 4 – 6 times. My daughter (2.5 years) didn’t do this so becoming pregnant the second time was easy. Not as much the third time. But, slowly, I’ve noted my signs getting back to normal. It’s just taken several months longer. Three months ago I was ovulating on CD 27 with luteal phase of only 9 days! Then on CD 21 with luteal phase 11 days. And most recently, on CD 15 and was hoping this was a pregnancy cycle (but not yet, unfortunately). As you can see – it’s SLOWLY returned to normal. I wasn’t regular from my first postpartum period (as I was with my daughter, who slept mostly through the night at 4 months and started solids early too), but, it IS happening.
Keep charting, consider some fertility herbs, and always make sure to have excellent nutrition! Donielle has many great posts here on exactly what to eat for a fertility diet.
Kate blogs at Modern Alternative Mama about real food, natural living, parenting, and other “natural” subjects. She lives in Ohio with her husband, Ben, and their two kids, Bekah, 2.5, and Daniel, 13 months. She also sells an organic skin cream that has a multitude of uses, from diaper rash to dry, cracked feet, to soothing burns! Kate enjoys everything that has to do with an all-natural lifestyle, even if most people do think she’s a little crazy.
Sources:
http://www.tryingtoconceive.com/bf.htm
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=440370
http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/vitex.html
http://www.fertilityfactor.com/infertility_trying_to_conceive_fertility_charts.html
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
A Preconception Diet
One of the most important steps in cost effective cooking (especially when eating real foods!) is deciding logically and intelligently what your meals are going to be for the week. I can definitely tell that in our season of busyness and lack of time to plan, has definitely taken a toll on our grocery budget.
The following menu is a good start at getting us back on track!
Monday:
Breakfast – two egg omelet w/ cheese and veggies, sausage, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – whole milk yogurt and berries, small amount of raw honey
Lunch - salmon sandwich (canned wild caught Alaskan salmon) on sourdough bread, cut veggies, cubed cheese, water kefir or kombucha
snack – cut veggies and avocado aioli
Dinner – roast chicken with gravy made from chicken broth, couple types of steamed veggies with butter
Tuesday:
Breakfast – whole milk yogurt with berries and a touch of raw honey, fresh juice
snack – cut veggies
Lunch – salad w/ red and green lettuce, baby spinach and lots of colorful veggies, chopped nuts, and cubed cheese, organic ranch dressing, water kefir or kombucha
snack – apple
Dinner – tacos with homemade seasoning and shells. serve with cheese, dark green lettuce (romaine), guacamole and fresh salsa.
Wednesday:
Breakfast – 16 oz. yogurt or kefir smoothie (1/2 cup yogurt or kefir, 1/2 cup raw milk, 1 raw egg yolk, 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1/2 cup frozen berries)
snack – deviled eggs
Lunch – homemade chicken noodle soup made with bone broth, water kefir or kombucha
snack – cut veggies and organic dip, cubed cheese
Dinner – grilled or baked salmon, steamed vegetables, baked potato w/ real butter
Thursday:
Breakfast - fried eggs on whole wheat sourdough toast, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – yogurt and berries
Lunch – chicken sandwich (from leftover grilled chicken) w/ lettuce, cut veggies, water kefir or kombucha
snack – apple, cubed cheese
Dinner – hamburgers on whole wheat sourdough buns, sweet potato fries, salad
Friday:
Breakfast – soaked oatmeal w/ butter, raw cream, walnuts, and maple syrup, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – cut veggies
Lunch – taco salad (leftover taco meat, red and green leaf lettuce, some iceberg lettuce, cut avocado, fresh salsa, seasoned brown rice, and sharp cheddar cheese. water kefir or kombucha
snack – orange
Dinner – grilled steaks, lots of steamed vegetables with butter
Saturday:
Breakfast - scrambled eggs w/ chopped spinach and cheese mixed in, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – apple
Lunch – mixed greens salad with cut veggies, cheese, and any leftover dinner meats, water kefir or kombucha
snack – yogurt
Dinner – gluten free homemade pizza topped with lots of colorful veggies and healthy meats like sausage
snack – homemade popcorn on the stove w/ real butter
Sunday:
Breakfast – sourdough pancakes, fresh juice or smoothie
snack – hardboiled egg
Lunch – salad w/ baby spinach and leftover roast chicken and lots of colorful veggies. water kefir or kombucha
snack – apple, crispy nuts
Dinner – Italian Cream Cheese Casserole with steamed veggies and salad
Most importantly in this menu though is the lack of refined sugars and processed foods which deplete your body of vital nutrients. The only sweetener I try to use is honey or maple syrup, and I make all of my own bread products, mostly through the process of sourdough to make nutrients more available.
Not only does this menu nourish my entire family, it’s a great source of very Fertility Friendly foods!
This post is linked to: Menu Plan Monday and Mindful Menus
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Preparing for Pregnancy
Let me ask you this:
How long did it take for you to plan your wedding?
Did you spend hours on the phone talking with florists, caterers, and reception halls? Did you try on dress after dress looking for just the right one at the right price? Did you start a workout program to lose weight? What about being nice and tan?
Tell me then:
How much more important is it then to take the time and prepare your body for pregnancy?
As women we’ve been given the great responsibility of carrying a precious new life, but our work needs to start before we conceive.
You see, the egg and sperm used at each conception are actually over 3 months in the making! That’s right, it takes a full 3 months for both the sperm and the egg to mature, so what you eat and what you’re exposed to before conception will make a difference in the health of your little one. And women are not the only ones that need to be aware of this as half of the genetic makeup comes from the man.
Not only is it important to clear out your home of conventional cleaning products, but keeping processed foods out of your diet and replacing it with a Fertility Diet is essential to providing a solid foundation for your baby. In doing so, you’ll be able to not only aquire better health for yourself, but passing that on to your baby.
*Enrollment for the Fertility eCourse will be open until the end of today. I hope you’ll be able to join me as we learn how to get our bodies ready for pregnancy!
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Today is the Day! Enrollment for the eCourse is Open!
I’ve been looking forward to this day for some time now, and I’m excited to announce that enrollment for the Naturally Knocked Up eCourse is open!! This course really has been a labor of love and I truly hope it inspires and educates those who take it.
My goal with this 12 week course is to fully equip women with the knowledge of how to prepare their bodies for pregnancy. Through PDF lectures and handouts, as well as videos and podcasts, I’ll walk them through not only the facts of natural living, but how nutrition and what we eat effects our fertility and the health of our children. A forum will also be available for discussion which also makes it easy for you to have direct contact with me.
Food is such an amazing thing and we’ve failed to see it as something that can help our bodies heal and overcome our modern ailments. We’ve forgotten how to use it to nourish our bodies so that they may be able to feed and sustain a life. I’ll teach couples how to use foods to help boost their natural detoxification system, what whole/real foods are, and what foods can be detrimental to our fertility. Included will be sample meal plans, recipes, and video demonstrations. Beyond food I’ll also be discussing how to prepare through exercise, the basics of natural family planning, and natural alternatives to infertility treatments.
This one-of-a-kind 12 week multi media course will be a breath of fresh air in an otherwise depressing world of unfortunate statistics. With these classes you will learn:
- How to cleanse your body of toxins
- Why common products you use may be contributing to your infertility
- What exercises can help you prepare your body for conception and pregnancy
- How to pin point ovulation
- What to eat…..and what not to eat
- Alternative treatments for infertility
But most importantly you will learn how to conceive and go on to have a healthy pregnancy and a truly healthy baby!
Whether you are thinking about having kids some time in the future, are on your 5th baby, or are staring your 3rd IUI/IVF procedure in the face, this course will help you fully prepare your body for carrying a new life.
I hope you’ll join me in this one of a kind program!
You can even see a little sneak peek of all the classes offered and if you have any questions, I’m just an inbox away! The cost of this course will be a one time payment of $96.00 (that’s only $8.00 per class!) or 3 payments of $40.00. I’m also giving my wonderfully supportive readers an early bird discount so you can save $26.00 off the cost of the course until July 3 – this Saturday. Just enter the code: EARLYBIRD when you sign up. This makes your one time payment $70.00 or your first of three payments just $14.00.
I’ll also be giving away a scholarship each Friday: one on my blog, one on twitter, and one on Facebook. To make sure you don’t miss a chance to enter you can follow me several different ways:
By subscribing you’ll also be able to get notices when other bloggers are running a giveaway for the course as well!! And if you win a scholarship after you already paid – no worries, I’ll refund your money!
As a special note to other bloggers, you may also sign up to become an affiliate of Naturally Knocked Up!
*if you by chance feel lead to take this course, but life circumstances make it so that you are unable to pay, please contact me at ecourse (at) naturallyknockedup (dot) com as a few private (full and partial) scholarships will be made available.
***A percentage of the proceeds from this course will be donated to the causes I love; Compassion International, Michiana Christian Service Camp (went every year all through school!), Christ’s Mission in the Yucatan (I spent 2 weeks there when I was 16), and friends of ours - Tim and Debbe Meier who are in Zambia with Grace Ministries International.
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Two Journeys
The following is a guest post from Michele of Frugal Granola about her experience as both an adoptive mom and a mom who has now experienced a biological birth as well. Also, please don’t miss one of the posts on her blog this week, written by her husband. He allows us a glimpse into what men may be feeling while on the journey through infertility and loss.
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A surreal blend of lavender-scented candlelight, the hum of the eternal labor-song, the ripple of soothing water droplets, the timeless taste of salt swirls with gentle whispers…
A child- my child- is entering the world. In a blur of moments, I meet my new son.
And yet, in the midst of relinquishing to Strength, the journey of embracing another soul fills my thoughts. Each wave of physical intensity is repeating a journey once walked with agonizing footsteps of my heart.
I gaze upon my little girl witnessing this sacred moment in awe and rejoicing at the birth of her new brother. Her dark curls tousled from running in the summer sun are a sweet reminder of the winter’s eve nearly three years before.
The moment her daddy’s hand mussed her soft baby curls and laid her in my arms for the first time, after years of fervent midnight prayers, exhausting days of waiting, and tears of mingled hope, grief, and surrender; I met the daughter I already loved.
Birth… Adoption… Two different journeys. One love.
Two precious souls, gathered into an embrace, adored by one mama’s heart of gratitude to their Creator.
The same pain. The same joy. The same reflection of The Gift.
Photo Courtesy of sarahgrace photography.
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Fertility Diet part 5: What it Could Look Like
Eating for fertility is all about getting in the most nutritious foods you can. Each one of us will eat slightly different based on our owns tastes, the way we were brought up, and our culture, but no matter our background – we must choose nutrient heavy foods!
I’ll give you a view into what that diet could include. While it’s not perfect, it’s food I love and food that’s easy to prepare.
Day One
Breakfast - whole milk yogurt (raw milk yogurt is even better!), fruit, touch of honey. Fresh juice from 1 green apple, celery, carrots, and 1 beet.
Snack – cut vegetables and homemade dip
Lunch – a salad that includes 2 cups of leaf lettuce, cut veggies, hard boiled egg (pastured), raw cheese, crispy nuts, and a homemade dressing
Snack – apple and raw cheese
Dinner – tacos with homemade ’soaked’ tortilla shells, rice (soaked) made with homemade bone broth, avocados, onion, fresh salsa, lettuce, and raw cheese.
Day Two
Breakfast – Scrambled eggs (pastured) made in tallow, slice of sourdough toast with butter
Snack – yogurt and fruit
Lunch – chicken noodle soup made with homemade bone broth and brown rice noodles
Snack – celery and peanut butter (soaked)
Dinner – Italian cream cheese chicken,(made with homemade bone broth, homemade cream cheese, and brown rice noodles) salad
Dessert – Nourishing Fudge
Day Three
Breakfast – Smoothie with 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup whole milk (raw preferred), frozen fruit, 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1 raw egg yolk
Snack – granola bar
Lunch – 2 hardboiled eggs, sourdough toast and butter, cut veggies
Snack – fruit and nuts
Dinner – hamburgers on homemade buns, sweet potatoes, broccoli, small salad
Day Four
Breakfast – 2 egg omelet with veggies and cheese, berries
Snack – cut veggies and dip
Lunch – lentil soup and salad
Snack – yogurt and fruit
Dinner – Grassfed beef roast with salad
Snack – Smoothie with 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup whole milk, frozen fruit, 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1 raw egg yolk
Day Five
Breakfast – soaked oatmeal with raw cream, butter, nuts, maple syrup and fruit
Snack – homemade popcorn with butter and sea salt
Lunch – salad with leftover taco meat, avocados, rice, salsa, and homemade dressing
Snack – hard boiled eggs
Dinner – Grilled meat/poultry, steamed veggies, and soaked millet
Day Six
Breakfast – sourdough pancakes, yogurt and berries
Snack – fruit and cheese
Lunch – BLT pasta
Snack – homemade trail mix
Dinner – baked salmon, steamed veggies,baked potatoes with butter
Dessert – red grapes
Day Seven
Breakfast – eggs and sourdough toast, fruit
Snack – cut veggies and dip
Lunch – chicken tortilla wrap, cut veggies and dip
Snack -fruit
Dinner – homemade pizza and salad
Dessert – Healthy Brownies
What are 3 ways you think you can increase the amount of nutrients you consume in a day?
For me, I try to include broth wherever I can fit it in, I like to eat whole milk yogurt (both for the fat and for the probiotics) and I try and consume a majority of my ‘breads’ as sourdough.
This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday and Mindful Menus
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Fertility Diet part 4: Foods to Avoid
We’ve been talking a bit about what essential nutrients we need and where to find them, so let’s talk a bit about the foods that may hurt our fertility.
Sugar
One of the “anti-nutrients” all health care providers, holistic health coaches, and nutritionists can agree on is sugar. This particular food can cause widespread damage throughout your body! One of the many ways it does is by causing your insulin levels to rise. When you eat a sugary food, your body needs to release insulin in order bring down the levels of sugars in your blood. The thing you need to realize is that insulin is a hormone, and when constantly flooding your system, rising and falling, it brings along all of the other hormones as well. Your endocrine system is connected so when just one hormone can not be regulated it can no longer perform and regulate the others – including your sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, etc.)
It’s also hard for our body to digest and uses the nutrients our body has stored in order to get rid of it, as well as being hard on the liver (which is our bodies natural detoxifier).
Caffeine
Studies have shown that women who drink one to one and a half cups of coffee each day had up to a 50% reduction in fertility. Three cups a day has been linked to early miscarriage (new evidence shows 200 milligrams as the limit). The liver has to convert caffeine so that it may be passed in your urine. Your liver also has to deal with excreting your hormones. If the liver is overworked in one area, it can’t function properly. Caffeine increases the excretion of calcium which is important in absorbing vitamin D as well as providing a little baby with strong bones.
Alcohol
In women, alcohol may actually prevent the production of progesterone, which is vital to ensuring a pregnancy is carried to term. In men, it reduces the levels of sperm-making hormones which can actually wipe out a sperm count for three months after a heavy drinking session. (It takes 3 months for new sperm to mature)
Low-fat Milk
The problem is, it seems our bodies need fat in order to maintain our cellular structure. And removing the fat from milk has actually been shown to cause an imbalance of hormones throughout the body, causing a failure to ovulate or produce a healthy egg. In a recent study, scientists found that women who ate full fat dairy were found to have a 27% lower risk of infertility. Women who ate low fat milk products twice a day were found to be twice as likely to not ovulate. This study shows that eating healthy fats, as are in milk, is helpful in reproduction.
Soy
Soy contains something called phyto-estrogens and while some health practitioners (even holistic ones) think that eating soy can be healthy, I have a problem with something that includes these “plant derived estrogens’. While in some cases a diet that includes a small amount of soy may not be bothersome, many men and women find they have issues with this particular food.
It’s also been alleged that soy is high in something called phytic acid which prevents nutrients from being absorbed as well as robbing bodily stores of nutrients trying to digest it. (it may bind to nutrients like zinc and carry it out of the body)
Lastly, a very large portion of the soy grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. Meaning that scientists have changed the DNA of the plant by ‘merging’ it with cells from other organisms. A few studies have been done on animals that show GMO foods may decrease fertility.
Processed Foods
This category of foods takes care of a lot of the harmful substances we place into our bodies like MSG, Trans Fats, high fructose corn syrup, and soda. there really is nothing more sabotaging to healthy eating than processed foods! Not only do they place many different toxins into our bodies (thereby making the liver less efficient at cleaning them out) we again use a lot of nutrient stores digesting them!
While we may never have a “perfect” diet, we can make a conscience effort to cut back our consumption of certain foods so that our bodies can run they way they do best. It’s all about eating for nourishment!
What foods do you stay away from when trying to conceive?
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Free: Digital Copy of Angie Smith’s book!
Angie Smith, author of the blog Bring the Rain, and wife of Selah artist Todd Smith has written a book about their story of loss and grief called “I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy”.
If you don’t know their story, at 18 weeks gestation, they found out that their little girl would not survive. They decided to carry her to term, she gave birth, and little Audrey lived just 2 hours. Her blog is powerful and moving and while I have not read the book myself (just downloaded it) I would highly recommend you do. Especially those of you who have death with loss.
Barnes and Noble currently has it as a free download, you just have to set up an account, and I’d jump on this quickly as I’m sure it’s a limited time thing!
And please spread the word and pass this on to your friends!
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Fertility Diet part three: Other Key Nutrients
We’ve already discussed nutrients essential for fertility, along with where to find them and today we’ll take a quick look at some other nutrients that may help boost our reproductive health as well. These nutrients differ from the fat soluble vitamins we’ve talked about before. These water soluble vitamins are not stored well within the body (like fat soluble vitamins are) and we must make certain that we consume regular amounts of them.
Vitamin B
This water soluble vitamin is actually a group of 8 vitamins that help to promote overall health within the body. Making sure you get enough B vitamins in your body can help regulate menstrual cycles and help maintain quality of both egg and sperm. Vitamin B6 is especially helpful in lengthening the luteal phase of the cycle.
Foods with ample amounts of this vitamin include:
- Liver
- Lentils
- Beans
- Avocados
- Kefir
- Potatoes
Vitamin C
A powerful antioxidant, vitamin C helps to protect the DNA of both egg and sperm and can help neutralize toxins within the body. It also aids in sperm and semen production, keeping the semen less sticky, or clumpy, and allowing the sperm to move freely.
Foods high in Vitamin C:
- red peppers
- orange
- broccoli
- kiwi
- papaya
- strawberries
Zinc
An essential component of the genetic material within our bodies. A deficiency in zinc therefore can cause chromosomal changes in either partner which in turn causes reduced fertility and greater risk of miscarriage. In women zinc is important in helping your body utilize your reproductive hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. For a man, it can greatly impact the sperm count since zinc is found in high concentrations in the sperm. It is also needed to make the outer layer and the tail of the sperm.
Ways to get zinc:
- beef, venison, and poultry
- eggs
- whole grains
- whole fat dairy products
- seeds like sunflower and pumpkin
- molasses and maple syrup
Looking at the list of foods in which you can find these nutrients, how many of them do you currently include in your diet?
If you don’t, what are just 1 or 2 ways you can work on increasing consumption?
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
My thoughts for you on Mother’s Day
To the mother’s who have babies in heaven, I say a special prayer for you today. May you feel the peace and comfort of God, knowing that through you he has done a great work. You provided for that little one until the exact moment his/her place in glory was ready. A child remains in your heart forever, no matter how short their time here on earth was. Your reunion shall com in His perfect time. Happy Mother’s Day.
For the mommas still in waiting, while today is a special struggle for you, I pray that today you feel the awesome comfort that can only be given by our Heavenly Father above. Today is for you as well, as you already carry the heart of a mother. May your sacrifice and longing be acknowledged, may those around you today lift you up. Happy Mother’s Day to you.
To all of you mama’s who have been blessed with children here on earth. May you always find joy in your role as a mother and may your children become a reflection of you. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
