How Prenatal Detox Gives Your Baby a Healthy Head Start

For millions of couples in the United States, spring is more than a rebirth of nature. It’s time to think about family planning. Fall is the most popular time to conceive, but it’s time to start planning the nursery, the budget, and the mother-to-be’s prenatal detox plan. What is a prenatal detox, and why is it important?

 

What is Prenatal Detox?

Prenatal detoxification prepares the mom-to-be for carrying her baby by ridding the body of harmful toxins that affect every aspect of pregnancy, from fertility to ensuring a healthy baby throughout its conception and birth. 

 

It also gives the baby a healthy edge after birth, fighting against the development of medical conditions like asthma, developmental delays, allergies, and autoimmune disorders.

 

Prenatal Detox and Fertility

Detoxification restores the body’s balance to help ensure optimal health for moms and dads-to-be.

 

A healthy body is fertile, making it easier to conceive and carry the baby to term. Detoxing helps you balance hormones for conception, avoid chromosomal abnormalities that lead to birth complications, improve the quality of your uterine lining, and improve conditions like PCOS, fibroids, and endometriosis that make conception incredibly challenging.

 

Prenatal Detox and Your Developing Baby

In 2004, an alarming study was released by the Environmental Working Group showing the presence of over 200 artificial chemicals in the cord blood of newborns. Research shows that developing babies are only as safe as the mother’s health allows. Learning disabilities and health complications are linked to the mother’s exposure to food toxins, cleaning and personal hygiene products, and pollutants.

 

A prenatal detox cleanses the body to provide a safe, pure environment as your baby develops.

 

Prenatal Detox and Birth

Prenatal detoxification ensures your body is strong and healthy for a safe and natural birth. A detox program ensures that “systems are reset.” Following detoxification, your hormones are balanced and transmitting the messages your body needs to bring your baby into the world, and your body responds appropriately to those messages.

 

What to Expect During a Prenatal Detox

Prenatal detox should be started between six and nine months before conception. Although this seems like a long time between starting the plan and conception, it’s necessary for several reasons.

 

• Your follicles recruit every three months, meaning healthier eggs will be available
• Your body needs time to get rid of stored toxins
• Your provider needs time to assess and address medical conditions

 

A detoxification plan focuses on restoring your body’s balance through nutritional guidance and support, lab testing, assessing your physical and emotional readiness to incorporate the detox modifications into your life, and a comprehensive evaluation to determine your goals and concerns.

 

Once your initial assessment is complete, you will receive a customized wellness program, including a tailor-made food plan.

 

Why Can’t I Wait Until I’m Pregnant to Detox?

To ensure the best results and the healthiest rewards, detoxification is done before becoming pregnant. Once pregnant, you are detoxing for two. This isn’t always safe and will not accomplish the goal of achieving optimal health before pregnancy.

 

Detoxing involves improving your body’s ability to flush toxins from the body. These toxins pass through the bloodstream to the liver, kidneys, and other organs used in the body’s natural toxin-cleansing system. Because your baby receives nourishment from your blood, your bloodstream must be toxin-free.

 

In addition, some supplements taken during a prenatal detox may not be appropriate for a developing baby.

 

There is still a place for functional medicine during pregnancy, although the focus will shift from detoxification to maintaining the health of you and your developing child.

 

The Father-to-Be’s Role in Prenatal Detox

Men are not just invited to participate actively in their partner’s prenatal detox. They are encouraged to do so!

 

Men are at risk from toxins, too. Synthetic chemicals contain Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDC) that affect testosterone levels and sperm quality. EDCs hide everywhere, from food preservatives to plastics and even the water we drink.

 

Pesticides are a culprit in low sperm quality and decreased testosterone, too, and you don’t need to use these pesticides to be affected. They are sprayed onto produce, making even “healthy” food choices anything but healthy.

 

Even meat and dairy products affect male fertility. The animals that supply milk are given estrogen to encourage them to produce more milk. Your favorite steak contains antibiotics and hormones, and that reddish-pink color of packaged meats comes from an additive made from crushed beetle shells boiled in sodium carbonate or ammonia.

 

In addition to supporting your partner’s prenatal detox journey, consider detoxing alongside her so that when the time is right, you are producing healthy and active sperm.

Functional Health and Healing is Ready to Help You Have A Healthy Pregnancy

In San Francisco, Functional Health in Healing is ready to help couples achieve happy and healthy pregnancies, starting with a prenatal detox program.

 

Let Clare Cattarin, MSN, FNP, IFM-CP, and her team give you the head start you need when you’re ready to expand your family. We have customized wellness plans to support you from preconception to your healthy, happy pregnancy. 

Contact us now, and let’s start your incredible journey together.