Nutrition

We’ve written in the past about a pregnant woman’s lowered immunity. Good nutrition, sanitation habits, rest, and exercise all help to strengthen the pregnant woman’s immune system—yet she will inevitably be exposed to viruses and other immune challenges. Pharmaceutical remedies may prove too strong or be contraindicated in pregnancy, so we wondered about herbal remedies. […]

Each woman arrives at a new pregnancy from a different starting point. One woman may have planned for months to get pregnant, taking vitamins, eating healthy, and exercising. Another might be classified as medically obese and is worried about how that will affect her pregnancy—should she lose weight or focus only on eating healthy? […]

Pregnant women are more at risk for acquiring infection or viruses given the altered immune state that accompanies pregnancy. Most care providers and health agencies agree that the flu is a risk in late pregnancy and recommend certain types of flu vaccines. But there are also natural ways to aid the pregnant immune system. Habits […]

photo credit: Carmen Hibbins For most women, navigating pregnancy is difficult. There are decisions to be made: maternity care, labor preferences, place of birth, newborn care, breastfeeding, etc. Not to mention vaccines. Currently the CDC recommends the influenza vaccine for all pregnant women. When making the decision to accept or decline the flu vaccine, it’s important […]

It’s that time of year. The time when we bake cookies and fudge and tasty pies. The time when the workplace break room is littered with holiday candy and plenty of chocolate. It’s a time when it feels almost obligatory to feed the sweet tooth. But what if you’re pregnant? Does pregnancy give you an […]

It’s Breast Cancer Prevention Month. Midwives care for the whole woman, from pre-conception to well-care post-childbearing. Invasive breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women. It’s sobering to think that, in 2016, there are more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S (women currently receiving treatment and women who have […]

When you’re short on time, it helps to think about the big picture and come up with a strategy. You want to avoid eating out, you want food that tastes good, and you want to have food that involves minimal preparation, right? I learned a long time ago that with a little forethought, I could cut a lot of time off of my cooking, save quite a bit of money, and make sure my family ate food they liked.

Often, if we don’t plan, we’ll do the usual fall back of “well, let’s just get take out” and that is (1) expensive (2) often as time-consuming as cooking (3) and usually not very healthy. Enter the Instant Pot.

The vitamins and minerals are easily assimilated by your body because they are from a food source. Seriously, this is powerful stuff.

Did y’all know that June is “National Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Month?” Lucky us! In Virginia, we are blessed with a bountiful assortment of local farms and farmers’ markets, making it easy to find delicious fresh produce. This chart can help you see at a glance which foods are best at certain times of year. […]