We have a lot of fertility happening around here with me being pregnant for the first time, five mama goats due in May, and all the seeds bursting to life in the garden.
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about people who are having a difficult time conceiving. The first time Jeff and I ever made love during my fertile time, I got pregnant. So I thought I could help share what I know. I am by no means an expert in this area, but I have come across some wonderful information that I feel could be really helpful to others. I am passionate about food and I know that diet has a huge impact on health. Sure, fertility drugs might work, but they are not fixing the underlying problem of why you cannot get pregnant. That’s why I feel it is wise to start with the roots for true healing and the diet is the foundation/roots of our health. Also, starting with diet is much less expensive than fertility drugs. Indigenous people always ate special foods prior to conception, during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Being pregnant is a time when you need extra nutrients to grow a baby. That takes good food. And it also takes good food for your body to be fertile. Below, I’ve listed two books about food that I feel are really helpful for fertility.
‘Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods’ by Nina Planck
You can read what I wrote about it here in a previous blog post: Good Read by Nina Planck
This book spells out which nutrients are essential for fertility and which foods to get them from. Lots of good information about fertility.
‘Nourishing Traditions’ by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig
This is my favorite cookbook. It has a section that talks about what foods to eat prior to conception. Also, the entire book is an excellent diet to follow for fertility. It is full of nutrient dense recipes based on ancestral wisdom.
(There is an amazon link on my blog where I list favorite books. Both of these books are listed there. You can click the link to check them out if you’re interested.)
Overall health is vital for fertility. Here’s a fun little recipe for health that I just made up. It changes by the day. Here’s what it is today:
Taryn’s Health Recipe:
-Soaking up Sunshine
-Being Grateful
-Being Grateful
-Time in Nature
-Going with the Flow
-Moving your Body
-Eating nutrient-dense Foods
-Being lighthearted
-Having a positive attitude
-Sharing your gifts with the world
What do you do to be healthy?
Hope this helps!
Happy Baby Making!
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(After I wrote this post, dw made this comment:
“Another thing I wanted to mention that has really helped me is learning my body’s cycles & what they mean, such as when I ovulate & how long my cycles are. I never knew about that until we started TTC our second baby. I think it should be taught to all young girls entering puberty.
And the last thing I wanted to mention is learning how to syncronize your womanly cycles with the lunar cycles. That has helped me so much to have more regular cycles. Having a regular sleeping pattern/circadian rhythm & sleeping in natural light according to how full the moon is, really helps your body get back on track.”
Thank you for the comment dw! I wanted to include this because I forgot to mention it and it is so important.)
dw- I posted some of your comment on the fertility blog post because I felt it was an important addition. I hope you don’t mind.
Love, Taryn
dw- Thank you for mentioning all of that! I didn’t even think to mention about connecting with your cycle, which is so obvious. It’s something I have done for a long time so I don’t even think to mention it.
Thank you!
Great tips! It took us 17 cycles to get pregnant with our second child. My body, emotions & spirit were so messed up after a lifetime of polution & chemicals, topped off with so much emotional trauma from childhood as well as adulthood. It’s surprising I could get pregnant at all!
I’m so happy to be taking this year right now (staring last January) to get my body & spirit in better condition to have another baby. I will definitely be trying those pre-conception foods when we get ready to start TTC.
Another thing I wanted to mention that has really helped me is learning my body’s cycles & what they mean, such as when I ovulate & how long my cycles are. I never knew about that until we started TTC our second baby. I think it should be taught to all young girls entering puberty.
And the last thing I wanted to mention is learning how to syncronize your womanly cycles with the lunar cycles. That has helped me so much to have more regular cycles. Having a regular sleeping pattern/circadian rhythm & sleeping in natural light according to how full the moon is, really helps your body get back on track.