November 14, 2025 • 21 mins
Building a baby is the most intense construction project your body will ever take on, and it runs twenty-four seven. Angie shares a practical, judgment-free roadmap for fueling that work with simple foods, steady hydration, and small habits that add up—so you feel better now, support efficient labor, and heal faster afterward.
We break down realistic protein goals and easy ways to reach them without relying only on meat—think eggs, beans, Greek yogurt, tofu, edamame, nuts, and fish. You’ll learn why blood sugar stability matters for contraction strength, how electrolytes help your uterus function like the powerful muscle it is, and where a smart prenatal vitamin fits alongside a colorful, varied diet. We also talk through the messy realities: nausea, smell aversions, tiny stomach space, and the days when oatmeal and popsicles are all you can manage. You’ll walk away with snack pairings that actually work, hydration tricks that stick, and ideas for preparing freezer-friendly meals that can be eaten one-handed at 2 a.m.
As labor approaches, we outline light, nutrient-dense options for early labor and cool, refreshing choices for active labor—frozen grapes, smoothies, broth, and electrolyte sips. Then we carry the plan into postpartum with soups, stews, casseroles, overnight oats, and protein-forward snacks that rebuild you while you care for your newborn. Through it all, the message is simple: perfection isn’t required. Small, consistent choices—more protein, better hydration, a bit of fiber, a pinch of electrolytes—create real momentum for a healthier pregnancy, steadier labor, and smoother recovery.
If this conversation helps you feel more prepared and less overwhelmed, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s expecting, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Your stories and tips make this community stronger—what snack or hydration trick has helped you most?
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Show Credits
Host: Angie Rosier
Music: Michael Hicks
Photographer: Toni Walker
Episode Artwork: Nick Greenwood
Producer: Gillian Rosier Frampton
Voiceover: Ryan Parker
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:10):
Welcome to the Ordinary Doula Podcast with
Angie Rosier, hosted by BirthLearning, where we help prepare
folks for labor and birth withexpertise coming from 20 years
of experience in a busy doulapractice, helping thousands of
people prepare for labor,providing essential knowledge
and tools for positive andempowering birth experiences.
SPEAKER_01 (00:53):
And I'm excited, I guess I'm excited for every
episode and every topic, but umtonight's or today's episode is
about something that I don'tthink gets nearly enough
attention and something I feelkind of passionate about.
I am no expert on this, um, butit is something that I think we
all should give a little bitmore attention to.
(01:15):
And that is nutrition inpregnancy.
So I, you know, having done thisfor a long time, I'm a firm
believer that birth is not aboutperfect performance.
It's about a unique process.
And a lot of times that processis gonna have to do with how we
structure it, how we prepare forit.
(01:36):
And we can kind of prepare wayahead of the day of delivery by
how we take care of our bodiesduring labor, or sorry, during
pregnancy.
So I want to talk about umsomething that does not come up
nearly enough in prenatalconversation.
This is prenatal conversationwith providers.
This is also prenatalconversation with even amongst
friends, right, in society umwith doulas, unless you're like
(02:00):
really going out of your way andtrying hard, whether you do
regularly in life orspecifically in pregnancy, I
don't think nutrition getsnearly enough attention.
So, what I want to talk abouttonight is not eating perfectly
um and not um avoiding enjoyingenjoyment with eating, but just
talking about real food and realsituations, real people, and and
(02:23):
how that really truly doesaffect outcomes.
Because what you put in yourmouth throughout your entire
nine months of growing a body,it's gonna impact that body, and
it's gonna impact um kind ofyour processes along the way as
well.
So I've watched hundreds ofpregnancies unfold, and um
healthy nutrition definitelydoes play a part of that, and
(02:44):
that's about being prepared,like physically prepared,
emotionally prepared,energetically prepared for the
task, the feat, kind of thatevent of um labor and delivery
of giving birth.
Um, so we're gonna kind of talkabout what really fuels a
healthy pregnancy and how thatcan help impact better outcomes
all the way through.
So, why nutrition matters?
(03:05):
When you're pregnant, like asyou can imagine, your body is
like this brilliant nonstopconstruction site.
So 24-7.
And those of you who arepregnant or have been, you know
this.
Like this is an everyday, allday kind of event, right?
Um, there's a constant reminderand how you feel, how you look,
like your body, your body isimpacted from head to toe
(03:26):
through with pregnancy.
So blood volume almost doubles.
Your organs shift around to makespace for the baby as the baby
grows.
And your cells are building anentire body, right?
Um, they're building anotherperson's body's body organs,
cells, um, and keeping you goingand functioning too.
So that's a lot of work thatyour body's doing.
(03:46):
And that really does takefueling.
It takes steady, reliable umfuel for that to happen.
So good nutrition helps youavoid blood sugar crashes, it
helps you avoid swelling,dizziness, fatigue, um, to some
extent nausea, helps build astrong placenta, a strong
umbilical cord.
Um, again, that blood volume isincredibly important, a strong
(04:09):
amniotic sac.
All these are going to be thesupport system for the baby's
environment.
It also, um, good nutrition alsosupports balanced hormones
throughout pregnancy and givesyou stamina you need for labor
and recovery.
Like recovery is a legit processas well.
So your body is needingsupplies.
Like if we look at food assupplies, that's kind of
(04:30):
helpful, I think.
Um, and we look at food asbuilding blocks.
So, protein, if you think aboutit, every cell in your body is
built of amino acids, which areprotein, right?
Um, it's the hero of pregnancy,like it's the quiet hero of
building another human body isprotein.
So most people, and I I've heardthese numbers, and I, you know,
my personal study on nutrition,I think they are sometimes low,
(04:53):
um, but the recommendation is 80to 100 grams of protein a day.
Um, and I think sometimes if youespecially if we're pregnant
with multiples or have otherthings going on, it could could
be a lot more than that as well.
So that may sound like a lot,and maybe you've never made a
deep dive into your nutrition tosee what your macros are, but um
if you think about just eating aprotein at every single meal and
(05:17):
a protein snack, you're gonna beable to really easily get within
that 80 to 100 gram range a day.
So I know sometimes we think ofprotein all in meat.
Um, and some some some of myclients are vegans, they're
absolutely vegan.
Some are lotter omnivores, someare carnivores, but I want you
to also think of other sourcesof protein that are not just
(05:38):
meat, right?
It's not just about eating steakby any means, but eggs, um,
beans, nuts, nut butters, Greekyogurt, um, chicken's a great
one, fish, um, tuna fish ispacked with protein, tofu.
There's a lot of differentoptions that are gonna give you
a lot of protein.
Edamame beans are amazing.
Um, so protein helps keep yourblood sugar steady, and it helps
(06:02):
every little building block ofthat is gonna help you grow a
strong baby.
Like I remember being pregnantand I felt such a huge
responsibility for makingsomeone else's body, like
they've gotta live with thisbody for the rest of their life.
And what I, you know, what Ihelp them with, what I set them
out, the path I set them on, iskind of gonna set their life on
a path.
Oh, okay, it's not that muchpressure, but I felt that.
(06:23):
I definitely felt that.
I want to grow the best body forsomeone else that I can.
Um, but this will help your bodygrow strong tissues and organs
for that little baby's body thatyou're growing.
And then of course, there'shydration.
So you produce about an extraliter of blood.
Um, and we include like allfluids, amniotic fluid, lymph
fluid, like your body is needinga lot of water.
(06:46):
So if you look to consume 80 to100 ounces a day, um, and again,
that could be, you know, on theconservative side too.
And remember electrolytes.
We can get electrolytes,obviously, from food, but
sometimes it's fun to splash,you know, some flavor and
electrolytes into your watertoo.
Um, coconut water is great, justa squeeze of lemon juice, a
pinch of salt.
(07:06):
You can kind of make your own aswell.
Um, but these little things makea big difference over time.
Like where you have nine monthsto work on this.
And again, it's not about beingperfect, it's about just just
trying and making small changesif you need to, but it can make
a big difference later on.
And of course, then we havefats, complex carbohydrates.
Um, you need these for energy,right?
(07:27):
We totally need these forenergy.
That's best it can be consumedin whole grains.
Um, healthy fats like nuts,avocados, um, will kind of keep
hormones, hormones balanced andkeep your energy steady.
So some folks who are pregnanthave incredible fatigue, right?
Fatigue at certain parts ofpregnancy, certain times of the
day, um, it can be incrediblyfatiguing.
(07:49):
And think about fueling the bodyand kind of experiment in your
own little life on how yourfueling can shift to steady with
some of those things.
And then, of course, there'smicronutrients, iron, calcium,
folate, all of the vitamins andminerals that are um in a good
prenatal vitamin.
If you eat a varied diet as faras fruits, vegetables, um, a
(08:10):
good variety of proteins fromdifferent sources, um, great
hydration, some goodelectrolytes, you're probably
going to cover most of that, butprenatal vitamins do a really
good job at filling in the gaps.
But food obviously does the bestjob.
So don't just rely on yourprenatal vitamin.
Um, and some people will um, youknow, get a lot of supplements
going on during pregnancy.
(08:30):
Work with a dietitian, work withum someone who knows nutrition
really well, your providerperhaps, to see what um
supplements would be beneficialin your situation.
So all of that's fine and dandy,right?
A good healthy diet, awesomeprotein, awesome hydration,
great fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, lovely.
However, let's get to the realsituation here is that you're
(08:54):
pregnant.
We're talking about doing thiswhile you're pregnant, right?
Let's talk about the reality ofthat.
Because I don't know about you,but how you feel when you're
pregnant, I did not like, oh,sick, sick, sick.
I was just miserable for weeks.
And the more times I waspregnant, the worse it got, the
longer that lasted.
So I didn't like wake up andjump out of bed every morning
wanting to eat kale.
(09:15):
You know, that just wasn't mything ever.
Um, I didn't want to eatanything.
I wanted to vomit most of thetime.
A lot of people were justhugging the toilet in the
morning and hoping that, youknow, salting crackers count as
a meal, and that's, you know,limping along.
So that that's a reality ofpregnancy.
There are people out there whohave no sickness feelings, no
nauseous feelings, like kudos toyou.
(09:37):
Um, that was not me, but I'mglad that that is your reality.
But it's okay.
It's all okay if you feel sick,if you don't.
Um, and and we don't have again,this isn't about being perfect.
Like if all you can handle todayis oatmeal and popsicles, that's
fine.
That's totally fine.
So do what works, do what youcan until your appetite, until
(09:57):
your appetite kind of shifts andchanges again.
Typically during pregnancy, itwill.
Um, and it, you know, whatdoesn't sound great this week,
in a few weeks, you'll be ableto do.
But some people have incrediblefood aversions during pregnancy
and aroma aversions, right?
Like smelling things andpreparing things, like the
thought of preparing chicken orum, you know, different types of
(10:18):
meat.
Like it's just too much.
We can't do it.
So do it works, just do it workswhile you can.
Um, I will say that giving somegood attention to protein and
nutrition can help.
It's not a perfect fix all thetime.
And I I'd like to do anotherdeep dive about this um for
morning sickness and feelingnauseous specifically, but I
have her had clients talk aboutamazing results from um really
(10:42):
giving attention to their dietand their nutrition to help with
that.
Um so some people will eat apretty awful diet at times
during pregnancy, you know, andsometimes you just feel awful
enough, like getting through aday, that's too much, right?
That's just about all you cando.
So that's fine.
It's totally fine.
Pregnancy is gonna be that thatway for a little while for some
(11:05):
people for sure.
But let's also talk aboutnutrition and how that can
influence birth, like the laborand birth process and the
postpartum process and therecovery.
Because maybe you don't feellike eating amazing um until
later on in your pregnancy.
And it's funny at that time, asthose organs have shifted, our
stomachs, you know, get reallysquished up, of course.
(11:26):
So sometimes little meals, bigmeals, like, oh, it's just hard
to eat very much food.
Um, so we might eat severalsmall meals during the day.
But here's the way it gets kindof interesting.
Your daily nutrition habitsdefinitely impact your labor,
which is kind of cool, and yourpostpartamin recovery process.
So having stable blood sugarsactually helps contractions um
(11:48):
stay steady instead of stalling,because those contractions,
that's a muscle working, right?
It needs energy, it needs fuelas well.
Um hydration throughoutpregnancy supports your uterus.
And this is a muscle that'spreparing for an incredible
event, and it needs electrolytesto work efficiently.
Um, iron and protein, when thoselevels are high, when our blood
(12:08):
is strong, um, when we've builtstrong organs, then postpartum
bleeding recovery go moresmoothly as well.
So there's nothing magic aboutthis, it's just how the body
works, how the cells work, andwhat you eat builds the cells
that power you during birth andyour healing.
So feed yourself well.
This is not about being perfect,not about controlling
(12:29):
everything.
It's just about what you can dotoday, what you can do now and
today.
Because your body deserves theright tools.
Um, and you will do the best youcan.
We all just kind of do the bestwe can.
So here's some little kitchenchips maybe that you can use
right now, whether you're inearly pregnancy, late pregnancy,
postpartum, just keep snacks,keep snacks around and have a
variety of snacks, really truly.
(12:50):
Like have them in your car, havethem in the bag you carry
around, have them by the bed,have them, you know, if you have
a sitting space in an office,have some snacks there and
choose your snacks carefully.
Like sometimes I just grab,right?
Grab and go when I rememberfeeling so, so nauseous and sick
for um during pregnancy, and Iwould have like a little bowl of
(13:11):
Cheerios or cornflakes, likesome bland cereal, and I would
just, as long as I was puttingsome little thing into my mouth,
like constantly, all morning,all day, I would just put one
cornflake at a time into mymouth, and that seemed to help
um curb some of the absolutehorrible nauseousness that I
felt.
But I should have been a littlebetter about getting snacks that
(13:34):
um were a little moreintentional.
So pair carbs with protein,right?
So if you have apples, if youcould do an apple, great, that
has great fiber in it.
Um, do it with peanut butter.
If you're doing crackers,crackers are pretty popular in
pregnancy, do it with cheese oralmonds.
Um if you're if you can do someveggies, awesome, amazing fiber
and really good new um hydrationin there as well for a lot of
(13:58):
vegetables.
Do that with hummus.
Um, drink water before you feelthirsty.
Sometimes if you let yourselfget hungry in pregnancy, oh,
you've lost it.
You've kind of gone over theedge.
Um, so kind of get yourselfbefore that and and spice up
your water a little bit.
There's lots of different ways.
Great electrolyte mixes anddrinks.
Sometimes can be adding a littlebit of um flavor to your water
(14:19):
in any way that you can.
Of course, low sugar, no sugaris going to be the best options.
Um, but drink before you getthirsty.
Kind of have something to sip onall the times.
Maybe hot is gonna be yourticket.
Maybe have something cold to sipon will be your ticket, maybe
room temperature, ice, maybeyou're crunching on ice or
sucking on ice to keep thingsgoing.
And then labor time comes,right?
(14:39):
All this prep, we've built thiscute little baby body.
Um, in early labor, we want tonourish yourself and do it well.
So eat something satisfying,something with deep nutrition if
you can.
Kind of eat light, but you know,probably eat lighter later on.
This could be like toast andalmond butter, it could be
yogurt, it could be a banana.
Um, and then later in labor, alot of people, the further they
(15:02):
get in labor, most people don'twant anything hot and heavy.
They kind of just want somethingI always think of like on the
sweeter side and refreshing andcool.
Usually it's something cool theywant in later labor.
So that might be something likeum frozen grapes.
A lot of people love frozengrapes.
Um, that could be a slushie ofsome kind, a little bit of a
(15:24):
smoothie that you've prepared.
Um, but have something like cooland refreshing for later during
labor.
And then postpartum too.
Like a lot of times we neglectthat postpartum period.
You can guess soups ready aheadof time, stews, casseroles,
things you can um freeze or rereheat just one-handed, you
know, because you'll be holdingthe baby a lot of the times.
Or what are some snacks you cangrab at 2 a.m.
(15:47):
when you're breastfeeding ababy?
Also think of protein there.
Um, that could be some almonds,it could be um dates and
almonds, it could be uh freshfruit, um, like I said, hummus,
just something you can grab.
We had a um mom of twins onetime, both in pregnancy and in
labor.
She was the snack queen, um, andshe had to eat a lot of
(16:09):
calories.
She had two full-term babiesthat were seven pounds, and she
did it all by nutrition.
It was pretty phenomenal.
She hit some really amazingprotein goals, and she had a
peanut butter sandwich.
I don't know if it peanut butterhoney, peanut butter jam, but
she had that every night.
Um, um, her postpartum doulasand her husband would get this
sandwich ready, and wherevershe'd be nursing those babies at
(16:31):
night, she would eat a full-onsandwich in the middle of the
night.
Um, so kind of think ofpostpartum, you know, nutrition
following you into postpartum aswell.
Um, really simple go-to mealsfor pregnancy for postpartum.
Um, some overnight oats if youdid overnight oats, soak them in
uh nut milk if you want, orcow's milk, whatever it is that
(16:51):
you enjoy, or water if you want.
Um, you can suck with chiaseeds, flax seeds, hemp parts,
um, some nuts and fruits.
That's a great um snack to eator breakfast that's ready for
you.
And a lot of times when you wakeup feeling sick, if something's
just ready, it's a little biteasier to get in something than
to grab something that's not soamazing.
So that a breakfast like that isgoing to be loaded with fiber,
(17:13):
protein, and it's a slow burningenergy.
So that energy can last youthrough the morning.
Um, it's just waiting there foryou to wake up when you are
ready for you when you're tiredand hungry.
Um, so again, I want to likeremember this isn't about
perfection.
Nobody's perfect.
Um, this is just aboutinstallments of nutrition,
right?
Those building blocks as you'rejust fueling your body and
(17:35):
stability about it, just insmall, consistent little acts,
the stability of that hopefullycan be really beneficial to you.
I see a lot of, as I work in thehospitals, a lot of birth um
stories, you could say, birthsituations and outcomes that um
are because mom has gestationaldiabetes, mom has preclampsia.
(17:57):
Um, some not all, not all.
I'm not claiming that all thesecan be fixed by nutrition, but a
lot of them can.
And I know we don't give nearlyenough attention to nutrition
during pregnancy.
So remember that you are yourbody's being taxed when you're
pregnant and you're building awhole nother body.
You need to take very good careof yourself.
You you deserve that.
Some people take the best careof their own body when they're
(18:20):
pregnant because they're kind ofdoing it for somebody else.
And sometimes it's easier to dosomething for someone else than
for us, or they'll be reallygood about their nutrition.
But please give your nutritionsome um attention and give it
some kindness.
Give your body some kindness,not criticism.
Um, just make little shifts andadjustments as you can.
So eat whip feels good.
Hydrate often, listen to yourbody.
(18:40):
Um, and I know sometimes that'sgonna be an absolute train
wreck.
I remember um when I waspregnant, sometimes I'd have
crazy intense cravings forstrange things that I never
would have wanted outside ofpregnancy.
I remember one time I had tohave it like immediately a meat
lover's pizza hut pizza.
And to now I look at that, andyeah, I think even the next day
I looked at that like, oh gross,I can't, I just can't even eat
(19:03):
that.
But at the moment, that's kindof what the craving was.
So um listen to your body,listen to what it needs, and
surround yourself with things tokind of make it easy, which
which can be helpful.
So please give a littleattention and intention to
nutrition um during yourjourney.
It will help your baby, it willhelp your process, it will help
you in postpartum as well.
(19:25):
Um, this is something I wish Iknew way more about.
I am fascinated with and I loveto study nutrition on my own.
Um, but it's something that Iencourage you to go down a
rabbit hole about, find anexpert, get with a dietitian.
There are people who specializein that for pregnancy.
We've had some guests on ourpodcast about that, and gosh, I
love what I learned from them.
(19:46):
So hopefully this helps a littlebit uh along your journey.
And as always, as we close uptoday, I want you to remember to
take great care of yourself, um,be gentle and kind to yourself,
and find someone else to connectwith, find another human to
connect with, whether virtually,whether in person.
Uh, maybe that includes touch,um, a smile, uh, eye contact,
(20:07):
but please make human connectionwith someone else that'll help
your day and help theirs.
Thanks for being with us, andwe'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_00 (20:35):
Episode credits will be in the show notes.
And next time, as we continue toexplore the many aspects of
giving birth.
Welcome to the Ordinary Doula Podcast with
Angie Rosier, hosted by BirthLearning, where we help prepare
folks for labor and birth withexpertise coming from 20 years
of experience in a busy doulapractice, helping thousands of
people prepare for labor,providing essential knowledge
and tools for positive andempowering birth experiences.
SPEAKER_01 (00:53):
And I'm excited, I guess I'm excited for every
episode and every topic, but umtonight's or today's episode is
about something that I don'tthink gets nearly enough
attention and something I feelkind of passionate about.
I am no expert on this, um, butit is something that I think we
all should give a little bitmore attention to.
(01:15):
And that is nutrition inpregnancy.
So I, you know, having done thisfor a long time, I'm a firm
believer that birth is not aboutperfect performance.
It's about a unique process.
And a lot of times that processis gonna have to do with how we
structure it, how we prepare forit.
(01:36):
And we can kind of prepare wayahead of the day of delivery by
how we take care of our bodiesduring labor, or sorry, during
pregnancy.
So I want to talk about umsomething that does not come up
nearly enough in prenatalconversation.
This is prenatal conversationwith providers.
This is also prenatalconversation with even amongst
friends, right, in society umwith doulas, unless you're like
(02:00):
really going out of your way andtrying hard, whether you do
regularly in life orspecifically in pregnancy, I
don't think nutrition getsnearly enough attention.
So, what I want to talk abouttonight is not eating perfectly
um and not um avoiding enjoyingenjoyment with eating, but just
talking about real food and realsituations, real people, and and
(02:23):
how that really truly doesaffect outcomes.
Because what you put in yourmouth throughout your entire
nine months of growing a body,it's gonna impact that body, and
it's gonna impact um kind ofyour processes along the way as
well.
So I've watched hundreds ofpregnancies unfold, and um
healthy nutrition definitelydoes play a part of that, and
(02:44):
that's about being prepared,like physically prepared,
emotionally prepared,energetically prepared for the
task, the feat, kind of thatevent of um labor and delivery
of giving birth.
Um, so we're gonna kind of talkabout what really fuels a
healthy pregnancy and how thatcan help impact better outcomes
all the way through.
So, why nutrition matters?
(03:05):
When you're pregnant, like asyou can imagine, your body is
like this brilliant nonstopconstruction site.
So 24-7.
And those of you who arepregnant or have been, you know
this.
Like this is an everyday, allday kind of event, right?
Um, there's a constant reminderand how you feel, how you look,
like your body, your body isimpacted from head to toe
(03:26):
through with pregnancy.
So blood volume almost doubles.
Your organs shift around to makespace for the baby as the baby
grows.
And your cells are building anentire body, right?
Um, they're building anotherperson's body's body organs,
cells, um, and keeping you goingand functioning too.
So that's a lot of work thatyour body's doing.
(03:46):
And that really does takefueling.
It takes steady, reliable umfuel for that to happen.
So good nutrition helps youavoid blood sugar crashes, it
helps you avoid swelling,dizziness, fatigue, um, to some
extent nausea, helps build astrong placenta, a strong
umbilical cord.
Um, again, that blood volume isincredibly important, a strong
(04:09):
amniotic sac.
All these are going to be thesupport system for the baby's
environment.
It also, um, good nutrition alsosupports balanced hormones
throughout pregnancy and givesyou stamina you need for labor
and recovery.
Like recovery is a legit processas well.
So your body is needingsupplies.
Like if we look at food assupplies, that's kind of
(04:30):
helpful, I think.
Um, and we look at food asbuilding blocks.
So, protein, if you think aboutit, every cell in your body is
built of amino acids, which areprotein, right?
Um, it's the hero of pregnancy,like it's the quiet hero of
building another human body isprotein.
So most people, and I I've heardthese numbers, and I, you know,
my personal study on nutrition,I think they are sometimes low,
(04:53):
um, but the recommendation is 80to 100 grams of protein a day.
Um, and I think sometimes if youespecially if we're pregnant
with multiples or have otherthings going on, it could could
be a lot more than that as well.
So that may sound like a lot,and maybe you've never made a
deep dive into your nutrition tosee what your macros are, but um
if you think about just eating aprotein at every single meal and
(05:17):
a protein snack, you're gonna beable to really easily get within
that 80 to 100 gram range a day.
So I know sometimes we think ofprotein all in meat.
Um, and some some some of myclients are vegans, they're
absolutely vegan.
Some are lotter omnivores, someare carnivores, but I want you
to also think of other sourcesof protein that are not just
(05:38):
meat, right?
It's not just about eating steakby any means, but eggs, um,
beans, nuts, nut butters, Greekyogurt, um, chicken's a great
one, fish, um, tuna fish ispacked with protein, tofu.
There's a lot of differentoptions that are gonna give you
a lot of protein.
Edamame beans are amazing.
Um, so protein helps keep yourblood sugar steady, and it helps
(06:02):
every little building block ofthat is gonna help you grow a
strong baby.
Like I remember being pregnantand I felt such a huge
responsibility for makingsomeone else's body, like
they've gotta live with thisbody for the rest of their life.
And what I, you know, what Ihelp them with, what I set them
out, the path I set them on, iskind of gonna set their life on
a path.
Oh, okay, it's not that muchpressure, but I felt that.
(06:23):
I definitely felt that.
I want to grow the best body forsomeone else that I can.
Um, but this will help your bodygrow strong tissues and organs
for that little baby's body thatyou're growing.
And then of course, there'shydration.
So you produce about an extraliter of blood.
Um, and we include like allfluids, amniotic fluid, lymph
fluid, like your body is needinga lot of water.
(06:46):
So if you look to consume 80 to100 ounces a day, um, and again,
that could be, you know, on theconservative side too.
And remember electrolytes.
We can get electrolytes,obviously, from food, but
sometimes it's fun to splash,you know, some flavor and
electrolytes into your watertoo.
Um, coconut water is great, justa squeeze of lemon juice, a
pinch of salt.
(07:06):
You can kind of make your own aswell.
Um, but these little things makea big difference over time.
Like where you have nine monthsto work on this.
And again, it's not about beingperfect, it's about just just
trying and making small changesif you need to, but it can make
a big difference later on.
And of course, then we havefats, complex carbohydrates.
Um, you need these for energy,right?
(07:27):
We totally need these forenergy.
That's best it can be consumedin whole grains.
Um, healthy fats like nuts,avocados, um, will kind of keep
hormones, hormones balanced andkeep your energy steady.
So some folks who are pregnanthave incredible fatigue, right?
Fatigue at certain parts ofpregnancy, certain times of the
day, um, it can be incrediblyfatiguing.
(07:49):
And think about fueling the bodyand kind of experiment in your
own little life on how yourfueling can shift to steady with
some of those things.
And then, of course, there'smicronutrients, iron, calcium,
folate, all of the vitamins andminerals that are um in a good
prenatal vitamin.
If you eat a varied diet as faras fruits, vegetables, um, a
(08:10):
good variety of proteins fromdifferent sources, um, great
hydration, some goodelectrolytes, you're probably
going to cover most of that, butprenatal vitamins do a really
good job at filling in the gaps.
But food obviously does the bestjob.
So don't just rely on yourprenatal vitamin.
Um, and some people will um, youknow, get a lot of supplements
going on during pregnancy.
(08:30):
Work with a dietitian, work withum someone who knows nutrition
really well, your providerperhaps, to see what um
supplements would be beneficialin your situation.
So all of that's fine and dandy,right?
A good healthy diet, awesomeprotein, awesome hydration,
great fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, lovely.
However, let's get to the realsituation here is that you're
(08:54):
pregnant.
We're talking about doing thiswhile you're pregnant, right?
Let's talk about the reality ofthat.
Because I don't know about you,but how you feel when you're
pregnant, I did not like, oh,sick, sick, sick.
I was just miserable for weeks.
And the more times I waspregnant, the worse it got, the
longer that lasted.
So I didn't like wake up andjump out of bed every morning
wanting to eat kale.
(09:15):
You know, that just wasn't mything ever.
Um, I didn't want to eatanything.
I wanted to vomit most of thetime.
A lot of people were justhugging the toilet in the
morning and hoping that, youknow, salting crackers count as
a meal, and that's, you know,limping along.
So that that's a reality ofpregnancy.
There are people out there whohave no sickness feelings, no
nauseous feelings, like kudos toyou.
(09:37):
Um, that was not me, but I'mglad that that is your reality.
But it's okay.
It's all okay if you feel sick,if you don't.
Um, and and we don't have again,this isn't about being perfect.
Like if all you can handle todayis oatmeal and popsicles, that's
fine.
That's totally fine.
So do what works, do what youcan until your appetite, until
(09:57):
your appetite kind of shifts andchanges again.
Typically during pregnancy, itwill.
Um, and it, you know, whatdoesn't sound great this week,
in a few weeks, you'll be ableto do.
But some people have incrediblefood aversions during pregnancy
and aroma aversions, right?
Like smelling things andpreparing things, like the
thought of preparing chicken orum, you know, different types of
(10:18):
meat.
Like it's just too much.
We can't do it.
So do it works, just do it workswhile you can.
Um, I will say that giving somegood attention to protein and
nutrition can help.
It's not a perfect fix all thetime.
And I I'd like to do anotherdeep dive about this um for
morning sickness and feelingnauseous specifically, but I
have her had clients talk aboutamazing results from um really
(10:42):
giving attention to their dietand their nutrition to help with
that.
Um so some people will eat apretty awful diet at times
during pregnancy, you know, andsometimes you just feel awful
enough, like getting through aday, that's too much, right?
That's just about all you cando.
So that's fine.
It's totally fine.
Pregnancy is gonna be that thatway for a little while for some
(11:05):
people for sure.
But let's also talk aboutnutrition and how that can
influence birth, like the laborand birth process and the
postpartum process and therecovery.
Because maybe you don't feellike eating amazing um until
later on in your pregnancy.
And it's funny at that time, asthose organs have shifted, our
stomachs, you know, get reallysquished up, of course.
(11:26):
So sometimes little meals, bigmeals, like, oh, it's just hard
to eat very much food.
Um, so we might eat severalsmall meals during the day.
But here's the way it gets kindof interesting.
Your daily nutrition habitsdefinitely impact your labor,
which is kind of cool, and yourpostpartamin recovery process.
So having stable blood sugarsactually helps contractions um
(11:48):
stay steady instead of stalling,because those contractions,
that's a muscle working, right?
It needs energy, it needs fuelas well.
Um hydration throughoutpregnancy supports your uterus.
And this is a muscle that'spreparing for an incredible
event, and it needs electrolytesto work efficiently.
Um, iron and protein, when thoselevels are high, when our blood
(12:08):
is strong, um, when we've builtstrong organs, then postpartum
bleeding recovery go moresmoothly as well.
So there's nothing magic aboutthis, it's just how the body
works, how the cells work, andwhat you eat builds the cells
that power you during birth andyour healing.
So feed yourself well.
This is not about being perfect,not about controlling
(12:29):
everything.
It's just about what you can dotoday, what you can do now and
today.
Because your body deserves theright tools.
Um, and you will do the best youcan.
We all just kind of do the bestwe can.
So here's some little kitchenchips maybe that you can use
right now, whether you're inearly pregnancy, late pregnancy,
postpartum, just keep snacks,keep snacks around and have a
variety of snacks, really truly.
(12:50):
Like have them in your car, havethem in the bag you carry
around, have them by the bed,have them, you know, if you have
a sitting space in an office,have some snacks there and
choose your snacks carefully.
Like sometimes I just grab,right?
Grab and go when I rememberfeeling so, so nauseous and sick
for um during pregnancy, and Iwould have like a little bowl of
(13:11):
Cheerios or cornflakes, likesome bland cereal, and I would
just, as long as I was puttingsome little thing into my mouth,
like constantly, all morning,all day, I would just put one
cornflake at a time into mymouth, and that seemed to help
um curb some of the absolutehorrible nauseousness that I
felt.
But I should have been a littlebetter about getting snacks that
(13:34):
um were a little moreintentional.
So pair carbs with protein,right?
So if you have apples, if youcould do an apple, great, that
has great fiber in it.
Um, do it with peanut butter.
If you're doing crackers,crackers are pretty popular in
pregnancy, do it with cheese oralmonds.
Um if you're if you can do someveggies, awesome, amazing fiber
and really good new um hydrationin there as well for a lot of
(13:58):
vegetables.
Do that with hummus.
Um, drink water before you feelthirsty.
Sometimes if you let yourselfget hungry in pregnancy, oh,
you've lost it.
You've kind of gone over theedge.
Um, so kind of get yourselfbefore that and and spice up
your water a little bit.
There's lots of different ways.
Great electrolyte mixes anddrinks.
Sometimes can be adding a littlebit of um flavor to your water
(14:19):
in any way that you can.
Of course, low sugar, no sugaris going to be the best options.
Um, but drink before you getthirsty.
Kind of have something to sip onall the times.
Maybe hot is gonna be yourticket.
Maybe have something cold to sipon will be your ticket, maybe
room temperature, ice, maybeyou're crunching on ice or
sucking on ice to keep thingsgoing.
And then labor time comes,right?
(14:39):
All this prep, we've built thiscute little baby body.
Um, in early labor, we want tonourish yourself and do it well.
So eat something satisfying,something with deep nutrition if
you can.
Kind of eat light, but you know,probably eat lighter later on.
This could be like toast andalmond butter, it could be
yogurt, it could be a banana.
Um, and then later in labor, alot of people, the further they
(15:02):
get in labor, most people don'twant anything hot and heavy.
They kind of just want somethingI always think of like on the
sweeter side and refreshing andcool.
Usually it's something cool theywant in later labor.
So that might be something likeum frozen grapes.
A lot of people love frozengrapes.
Um, that could be a slushie ofsome kind, a little bit of a
(15:24):
smoothie that you've prepared.
Um, but have something like cooland refreshing for later during
labor.
And then postpartum too.
Like a lot of times we neglectthat postpartum period.
You can guess soups ready aheadof time, stews, casseroles,
things you can um freeze or rereheat just one-handed, you
know, because you'll be holdingthe baby a lot of the times.
Or what are some snacks you cangrab at 2 a.m.
(15:47):
when you're breastfeeding ababy?
Also think of protein there.
Um, that could be some almonds,it could be um dates and
almonds, it could be uh freshfruit, um, like I said, hummus,
just something you can grab.
We had a um mom of twins onetime, both in pregnancy and in
labor.
She was the snack queen, um, andshe had to eat a lot of
(16:09):
calories.
She had two full-term babiesthat were seven pounds, and she
did it all by nutrition.
It was pretty phenomenal.
She hit some really amazingprotein goals, and she had a
peanut butter sandwich.
I don't know if it peanut butterhoney, peanut butter jam, but
she had that every night.
Um, um, her postpartum doulasand her husband would get this
sandwich ready, and wherevershe'd be nursing those babies at
(16:31):
night, she would eat a full-onsandwich in the middle of the
night.
Um, so kind of think ofpostpartum, you know, nutrition
following you into postpartum aswell.
Um, really simple go-to mealsfor pregnancy for postpartum.
Um, some overnight oats if youdid overnight oats, soak them in
uh nut milk if you want, orcow's milk, whatever it is that
(16:51):
you enjoy, or water if you want.
Um, you can suck with chiaseeds, flax seeds, hemp parts,
um, some nuts and fruits.
That's a great um snack to eator breakfast that's ready for
you.
And a lot of times when you wakeup feeling sick, if something's
just ready, it's a little biteasier to get in something than
to grab something that's not soamazing.
So that a breakfast like that isgoing to be loaded with fiber,
(17:13):
protein, and it's a slow burningenergy.
So that energy can last youthrough the morning.
Um, it's just waiting there foryou to wake up when you are
ready for you when you're tiredand hungry.
Um, so again, I want to likeremember this isn't about
perfection.
Nobody's perfect.
Um, this is just aboutinstallments of nutrition,
right?
Those building blocks as you'rejust fueling your body and
(17:35):
stability about it, just insmall, consistent little acts,
the stability of that hopefullycan be really beneficial to you.
I see a lot of, as I work in thehospitals, a lot of birth um
stories, you could say, birthsituations and outcomes that um
are because mom has gestationaldiabetes, mom has preclampsia.
(17:57):
Um, some not all, not all.
I'm not claiming that all thesecan be fixed by nutrition, but a
lot of them can.
And I know we don't give nearlyenough attention to nutrition
during pregnancy.
So remember that you are yourbody's being taxed when you're
pregnant and you're building awhole nother body.
You need to take very good careof yourself.
You you deserve that.
Some people take the best careof their own body when they're
(18:20):
pregnant because they're kind ofdoing it for somebody else.
And sometimes it's easier to dosomething for someone else than
for us, or they'll be reallygood about their nutrition.
But please give your nutritionsome um attention and give it
some kindness.
Give your body some kindness,not criticism.
Um, just make little shifts andadjustments as you can.
So eat whip feels good.
Hydrate often, listen to yourbody.
(18:40):
Um, and I know sometimes that'sgonna be an absolute train
wreck.
I remember um when I waspregnant, sometimes I'd have
crazy intense cravings forstrange things that I never
would have wanted outside ofpregnancy.
I remember one time I had tohave it like immediately a meat
lover's pizza hut pizza.
And to now I look at that, andyeah, I think even the next day
I looked at that like, oh gross,I can't, I just can't even eat
(19:03):
that.
But at the moment, that's kindof what the craving was.
So um listen to your body,listen to what it needs, and
surround yourself with things tokind of make it easy, which
which can be helpful.
So please give a littleattention and intention to
nutrition um during yourjourney.
It will help your baby, it willhelp your process, it will help
you in postpartum as well.
(19:25):
Um, this is something I wish Iknew way more about.
I am fascinated with and I loveto study nutrition on my own.
Um, but it's something that Iencourage you to go down a
rabbit hole about, find anexpert, get with a dietitian.
There are people who specializein that for pregnancy.
We've had some guests on ourpodcast about that, and gosh, I
love what I learned from them.
(19:46):
So hopefully this helps a littlebit uh along your journey.
And as always, as we close uptoday, I want you to remember to
take great care of yourself, um,be gentle and kind to yourself,
and find someone else to connectwith, find another human to
connect with, whether virtually,whether in person.
Uh, maybe that includes touch,um, a smile, uh, eye contact,
(20:07):
but please make human connectionwith someone else that'll help
your day and help theirs.
Thanks for being with us, andwe'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_00 (20:35):
Episode credits will be in the show notes.
And next time, as we continue toexplore the many aspects of
giving birth.
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