August 11, 2023 • 10 mins
Part One in a mini series where I go through my top recommended resources for preconception. Don’t let the abundance of resources in the world overwhelm you! Know that everything I recommend I’ve either tested myself or seen to work well in my 9+ years of work with clients.
Get access to the living resource list here: https://www.resourcedoula.com/resources/
Quick Links
Books:
- Period Repair Manual: https://mydou.la/period-repair-manual
- Taking Charge of Your Fertility: https://mydou.la/taking-charge-of-your-fertility
- Awakening Fertility: https://trainat.li/awakening-fertility
- Your Pelvic Floor: https://trainat.li/KVPelvicFloor
- Real Food for Pregnancy: https://mydou.la/real-food-for-pregnancy
Products:
- Branch Basics: https://trainat.li/branch-basics You should get $10 off with this link,
- Alaska Tallow Co.: https://trainat.li/tallow Use the code: trainernatalie for 10% off
- Araza Beauty: https://trainat.li/araza-beauty Use the code: NATALIE15 for 15% off
Podcasts:
- Are You Menstrual? With Amanda Montalvo: pod.link/1568547321
- Listen to Amanda on The Resource Doula Podcast here: https://www.resourcedoula.com/nutrition-for-hormone-health-with-amanda-montalvo/
- At Home with Kelly + Tiffany: pod.link/1447751238
- Listen to Kelly & Tiffany on The Resource Doula Podcast here: https://www.resourcedoula.com/taking-responsibility-for-your-healthcare-and-birth-with-kelly-tiffany-of-beautiful-one-midwifery/
Please remember that that what you hear on this podcast is not medical advice, but remember to always be an active participant in your care, and talk to your healthcare team before making important decisions. If you found this podcast helpful, please consider writing a positive review in your favorite podcast app or subscribing on YouTube! Thanks so much for listening. I’ll catch you next time!
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and gain access to my most up-to-date resource list here: https://www.resourcedoula.com/resources
The Resource Doula Podcast Social Channels:
Instagram: @resourcedoulapodcast
Resource Doula Podcast Youtube: @resourcedoula
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Natalie (00:00):
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the abundance of
resources out there when itcomes to pregnancy, birth,
postpartum, and parenting?
Trust me, you're not alone inthis age of information
overload.
It's really easy to get lost inthe sea of options and end up
not taking action at all.
I'm Natalie, and you'relistening to the Resource Doula
(00:20):
podcast.
Join me on this miniseriesdesigned to help simplify this
journey.
In each episode, I'll go throughmy favorite resources for a
specific category, making iteasier than ever to find the
information you need and leavebehind what doesn't resonate
with you.
Our approach here is all aboutembracing a holistic, natural,
(00:40):
and non-toxic lifestyle.
Let's get started.
Today we're talking about myfavorite resources for
preconception.
Preconception is essentially thetime when you're looking toward
getting pregnant.
And this could be after youalready have kids or not.
Whole body balancing is reallythe name of the game here, and
I'm not about overburdening youwith resources, but really just
(01:02):
providing the ones that I trulybelieve will make a difference
in your life.
And I also want to provide aspace for processing.
If you've been going throughmiscarriage or infertility, or
just having difficulty with yourbody in general, I want you to
know that it is okay to stopthis podcast and come back to it
when you are ready for it.
We're gonna start out with somebooks that I recommend.
(01:23):
My first book that I give topretty much any client or
recommend that they read is aPeriod Repair Manual by Laura
Briden.
This book was reallyrevolutionary to me, and since
reading it for the first time, Ihave loaned it out.
So many times to people.
Laura explains things in just areally clear way and gives
(01:44):
practical ways to actually talkwith your provider and gives you
samples of questions you can askto chat about the things you're
noticing about your periodsymptoms.
It's really one of the largeplayers in how I came to the
conclusion that I hadendometriosis and then.
Ended up having surgery about ayear and a half ago now.
Um, this, this book is really agood one to have around for
(02:07):
reference, even after you finishreading it.
The next book I recommend isTaking Charge of Your Fertility
by Tony Weschler.
This book is excellent forunderstanding the nuances of
your menstrual cycle and anintroduction to the fertility
awareness method.
Oftentimes abbreviated.
As fam, and it really helps youlearn how to precisely track
(02:30):
your cycle signs.
There were more things in therethan I realized, and I will add
a little bit of a caveat.
Some of the nutrition advice andinformation on endometriosis in
the version I read was a littleoutdated, but all of that
information doesn't affect thetracking and the fam piece.
the next book I recommend isAwakening Fertility by Hung U.
(02:54):
This is the sister book to thepregnancy book, nine Golden
Months and the postpartum book,the first 40 days that you may
have heard me talk about before.
And it's really just a perfectblend of nutrition information,
stress reduction strategies, andChinese medicine inspiration.
So if you've been avoidingpregnancy like the plague for
years and years and years, andyou wanna start thinking about
(03:15):
trying to get pregnant, thisbook is a really great place to
start.
The next book I recommend isYour Pelvic Floor by Kim Vopni,
and as you probably already knowif you've been around for a
little bit, Kim is a mentor ofmine and an amazing pelvic
health advocate.
You can find her online at theVagina Coach, pretty much on
every social media outlet.
(03:36):
Um, she has years of insight andresearch and just explains the
pelvic floor really well in thisbook, no matter where you are in
your journey.
the next book I recommend isReal Food for Pregnancy by Lily
Nichols.
Lily is basically a food geniusand she's my number one
dietician recommendation forfood science and evidence-based
(03:56):
information on nutrition,whether you are a consumer or a
professional in the field aswell.
She's really a nerd about theresearch, which is great, and
she provides hundreds andhundreds of studies to back up
her information in the book, butit's also really.
Easy to understand as well.
If you're looking to learn howto nourish yourself well during
the transition to motherhood, Iwould recommend you read it.
(04:18):
She has also very delicious andsimple recipes in her book,
regardless if you're pregnant ornot.
So the, the sooner you get yournutrition on track, the better.
Next, I wanna talk about a feweasy swaps that you can make to
create a less toxic home andenvironment for healthier humans
and a better place to bring in anew baby.
(04:41):
So number one, open your windowsfor better air quality.
Number two, filter your air andyour water, your drinking water,
especially.
Number three, use glasscontainers or stainless steel to
store your food and water andnever microwave in plastic or
styrofoam containers.
Number four, switch to ahealthier cleaner, something
(05:02):
that's non-toxic.
I really like branch basics.
I've used it for about threeyears now and I haven't looked
back.
You wanna pick something whereyou won't have to worry if it's
around your babies, your pets,and you right?
If you're breathing, breathingit in.
Um, branch basics, coverslaundry, soap, hand soap.
All of my cleaning solutions,fruit wash, and.
(05:24):
Even body wash with just oneconcentrate.
They also have the oxygen boost,which kind of acts like an
oxyclean as well.
Um, so think about what you'reusing in your environment and
how you're cleaning your homeand what kind of toxins you're
allowing in through yourproducts.
Number five, think about whatyou're putting on your skin.
(05:44):
So this also kind of goes alongwith the previous one.
You wanna switch to less toxicproducts?
My top favorites are SolaSkincare.
I love their deodorant.
It's the only natural deodorantI've ever been able to use
without getting a rash as myskin is really sensitive.
Um, Alaska Tallow Co.
I have switched completely overto using Tallow on my face and
(06:07):
my body.
The Alpenglow is my absolutefavorite.
You can use the CodeTRAINERNATALIE to save you 10%
on your order at Alaska TallowCo.
I also like if I'm going to wearmakeup, a Raza Beauty.
The code, natalie15 also willsave you 15%.
At Raza, they have greatproducts that actually help to
(06:27):
nourish your skin and not damageit further, or you don't have to
worry about it being toxic.
Um, if you're wearing makeup ona regular basis or even
regularly, It's important to putthings on our face and on our
bodies that we could potentiallyeven eat things that are safe
for us.
The next thing is switching towearing more natural fibers
(06:50):
rather than polyester to avoidmicroplastics and just kind of
thinking more about what yourskin is absorbing, and
especially if you are sweatingin those clothes.
The last one here is throw awayany artificial fragrances.
So candles.
S room sprays those pluginthings and also be mindful of
(07:12):
excessive essential oildiffusing as well.
What we breathe goes into ourbodies, and simply by
eliminating a lot of theartificial fragrances in our
home, we can lower the toxicburden on our bodies as well.
There are a lot of accounts andpodcasts and things that people
will send to you or you'll comeacross as you're on this
(07:33):
preconception journey.
I'm going to give you two of myfavorite podcasts besides my own
that I really encourage peopleto listen to that are solid with
their advice and.
Heavy on the information andproviding information in a
simple and clear way.
So the first one is, are youMenstrual with Amanda Montalvo?
(07:53):
I love her podcast and I wouldreally encourage you to listen
from episode one, um, as thefirst 10 or so, build on each
other, and then you can hoparound.
They talk about the nutritionalside of hormone health a lot and
more about minerals than I haveever heard anybody.
Else talk about, and in case youmissed it, I also interviewed
(08:13):
Amanda on the resource doula inepisode 27.
The next podcast I recommend isat Home with Kelly and Tiffany.
This podcast is just full ofsimplified health information
about hormones, non-toxicliving, balancing your life, and
a lot of information on.
Birth as well.
Kelly and Tiffany are home birthmidwives out of the San Diego
(08:35):
area, so I highly recommend it.
I also had them on the ResourceDoula podcast on episode 25 if
you wanna look at that.
I hope these tips were helpfuland provide a really
straightforward starting pointfor you on your preconception
journey.
I know that navigating overallhealth, especially women's
health, can be daunting, and mygoal is to simplify that just
(08:59):
even a little bit.
So if you found this podcasthelpful, please consider leaving
a five star rating and sharingit with a friend.
That's it for this episode.
All the resources I mentionedand more are part of a bigger
list.
That's a live document, meaningI update it regularly.
You can follow the link in theshow notes or just go to
resource doula.com/resources.
(09:21):
Please remember that these arejust suggestions and not medical
advice.
Thanks for listening.
I'll catch you next time.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the abundance of
resources out there when itcomes to pregnancy, birth,
postpartum, and parenting?
Trust me, you're not alone inthis age of information
overload.
It's really easy to get lost inthe sea of options and end up
not taking action at all.
I'm Natalie, and you'relistening to the Resource Doula
(00:20):
podcast.
Join me on this miniseriesdesigned to help simplify this
journey.
In each episode, I'll go throughmy favorite resources for a
specific category, making iteasier than ever to find the
information you need and leavebehind what doesn't resonate
with you.
Our approach here is all aboutembracing a holistic, natural,
(00:40):
and non-toxic lifestyle.
Let's get started.
Today we're talking about myfavorite resources for
preconception.
Preconception is essentially thetime when you're looking toward
getting pregnant.
And this could be after youalready have kids or not.
Whole body balancing is reallythe name of the game here, and
I'm not about overburdening youwith resources, but really just
(01:02):
providing the ones that I trulybelieve will make a difference
in your life.
And I also want to provide aspace for processing.
If you've been going throughmiscarriage or infertility, or
just having difficulty with yourbody in general, I want you to
know that it is okay to stopthis podcast and come back to it
when you are ready for it.
We're gonna start out with somebooks that I recommend.
(01:23):
My first book that I give topretty much any client or
recommend that they read is aPeriod Repair Manual by Laura
Briden.
This book was reallyrevolutionary to me, and since
reading it for the first time, Ihave loaned it out.
So many times to people.
Laura explains things in just areally clear way and gives
(01:44):
practical ways to actually talkwith your provider and gives you
samples of questions you can askto chat about the things you're
noticing about your periodsymptoms.
It's really one of the largeplayers in how I came to the
conclusion that I hadendometriosis and then.
Ended up having surgery about ayear and a half ago now.
Um, this, this book is really agood one to have around for
(02:07):
reference, even after you finishreading it.
The next book I recommend isTaking Charge of Your Fertility
by Tony Weschler.
This book is excellent forunderstanding the nuances of
your menstrual cycle and anintroduction to the fertility
awareness method.
Oftentimes abbreviated.
As fam, and it really helps youlearn how to precisely track
(02:30):
your cycle signs.
There were more things in therethan I realized, and I will add
a little bit of a caveat.
Some of the nutrition advice andinformation on endometriosis in
the version I read was a littleoutdated, but all of that
information doesn't affect thetracking and the fam piece.
the next book I recommend isAwakening Fertility by Hung U.
(02:54):
This is the sister book to thepregnancy book, nine Golden
Months and the postpartum book,the first 40 days that you may
have heard me talk about before.
And it's really just a perfectblend of nutrition information,
stress reduction strategies, andChinese medicine inspiration.
So if you've been avoidingpregnancy like the plague for
years and years and years, andyou wanna start thinking about
(03:15):
trying to get pregnant, thisbook is a really great place to
start.
The next book I recommend isYour Pelvic Floor by Kim Vopni,
and as you probably already knowif you've been around for a
little bit, Kim is a mentor ofmine and an amazing pelvic
health advocate.
You can find her online at theVagina Coach, pretty much on
every social media outlet.
(03:36):
Um, she has years of insight andresearch and just explains the
pelvic floor really well in thisbook, no matter where you are in
your journey.
the next book I recommend isReal Food for Pregnancy by Lily
Nichols.
Lily is basically a food geniusand she's my number one
dietician recommendation forfood science and evidence-based
(03:56):
information on nutrition,whether you are a consumer or a
professional in the field aswell.
She's really a nerd about theresearch, which is great, and
she provides hundreds andhundreds of studies to back up
her information in the book, butit's also really.
Easy to understand as well.
If you're looking to learn howto nourish yourself well during
the transition to motherhood, Iwould recommend you read it.
(04:18):
She has also very delicious andsimple recipes in her book,
regardless if you're pregnant ornot.
So the, the sooner you get yournutrition on track, the better.
Next, I wanna talk about a feweasy swaps that you can make to
create a less toxic home andenvironment for healthier humans
and a better place to bring in anew baby.
(04:41):
So number one, open your windowsfor better air quality.
Number two, filter your air andyour water, your drinking water,
especially.
Number three, use glasscontainers or stainless steel to
store your food and water andnever microwave in plastic or
styrofoam containers.
Number four, switch to ahealthier cleaner, something
(05:02):
that's non-toxic.
I really like branch basics.
I've used it for about threeyears now and I haven't looked
back.
You wanna pick something whereyou won't have to worry if it's
around your babies, your pets,and you right?
If you're breathing, breathingit in.
Um, branch basics, coverslaundry, soap, hand soap.
All of my cleaning solutions,fruit wash, and.
(05:24):
Even body wash with just oneconcentrate.
They also have the oxygen boost,which kind of acts like an
oxyclean as well.
Um, so think about what you'reusing in your environment and
how you're cleaning your homeand what kind of toxins you're
allowing in through yourproducts.
Number five, think about whatyou're putting on your skin.
(05:44):
So this also kind of goes alongwith the previous one.
You wanna switch to less toxicproducts?
My top favorites are SolaSkincare.
I love their deodorant.
It's the only natural deodorantI've ever been able to use
without getting a rash as myskin is really sensitive.
Um, Alaska Tallow Co.
I have switched completely overto using Tallow on my face and
(06:07):
my body.
The Alpenglow is my absolutefavorite.
You can use the CodeTRAINERNATALIE to save you 10%
on your order at Alaska TallowCo.
I also like if I'm going to wearmakeup, a Raza Beauty.
The code, natalie15 also willsave you 15%.
At Raza, they have greatproducts that actually help to
(06:27):
nourish your skin and not damageit further, or you don't have to
worry about it being toxic.
Um, if you're wearing makeup ona regular basis or even
regularly, It's important to putthings on our face and on our
bodies that we could potentiallyeven eat things that are safe
for us.
The next thing is switching towearing more natural fibers
(06:50):
rather than polyester to avoidmicroplastics and just kind of
thinking more about what yourskin is absorbing, and
especially if you are sweatingin those clothes.
The last one here is throw awayany artificial fragrances.
So candles.
S room sprays those pluginthings and also be mindful of
(07:12):
excessive essential oildiffusing as well.
What we breathe goes into ourbodies, and simply by
eliminating a lot of theartificial fragrances in our
home, we can lower the toxicburden on our bodies as well.
There are a lot of accounts andpodcasts and things that people
will send to you or you'll comeacross as you're on this
(07:33):
preconception journey.
I'm going to give you two of myfavorite podcasts besides my own
that I really encourage peopleto listen to that are solid with
their advice and.
Heavy on the information andproviding information in a
simple and clear way.
So the first one is, are youMenstrual with Amanda Montalvo?
(07:53):
I love her podcast and I wouldreally encourage you to listen
from episode one, um, as thefirst 10 or so, build on each
other, and then you can hoparound.
They talk about the nutritionalside of hormone health a lot and
more about minerals than I haveever heard anybody.
Else talk about, and in case youmissed it, I also interviewed
(08:13):
Amanda on the resource doula inepisode 27.
The next podcast I recommend isat Home with Kelly and Tiffany.
This podcast is just full ofsimplified health information
about hormones, non-toxicliving, balancing your life, and
a lot of information on.
Birth as well.
Kelly and Tiffany are home birthmidwives out of the San Diego
(08:35):
area, so I highly recommend it.
I also had them on the ResourceDoula podcast on episode 25 if
you wanna look at that.
I hope these tips were helpfuland provide a really
straightforward starting pointfor you on your preconception
journey.
I know that navigating overallhealth, especially women's
health, can be daunting, and mygoal is to simplify that just
(08:59):
even a little bit.
So if you found this podcasthelpful, please consider leaving
a five star rating and sharingit with a friend.
That's it for this episode.
All the resources I mentionedand more are part of a bigger
list.
That's a live document, meaningI update it regularly.
You can follow the link in theshow notes or just go to
resource doula.com/resources.
(09:21):
Please remember that these arejust suggestions and not medical
advice.
Thanks for listening.
I'll catch you next time.
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