The short answer is yes. But why exactly? There are numerous processes within the body that facilitate pregnancy happening without too much trouble. All of these processes rely on the liver functioning properly, inflammation and oxidative stress being under control, hormones in balance, thyroid in good working order... and this is the short list. For example, if you have used an iud (of any kind), or oral birth control, you have unknowingly suppressed your hormones function

I get asked quite frequently what my favorite parenting resources are, and I’ve compiled quite a stack of parenting books over the years as we were navigating some difficult waters with our oldest. Here are my top picks and why I love them. 1. Parenting From The Inside Out: this book is hands down probably my favorite. Daniel Segal talks about how our own experiences being parented influence our own parenting, how to nurture and heal our own parenting wounds and become more p

I have 3 siblings, 2 of which are younger than me. I was always obsessed with babies, much like my youngest daughter. I began babysitting when I was 11 years old, then became a nanny for 4 amazing girls, and eventually had my own 2 children. Given my experience as a peds nurse and nanny, I figured I knew it all when it came to parenting... but boy was I mistaken. (Seasoned moms- it's okay to laugh with me on this...I know I'm not the only one!) While my experiences helped me

I never fully understood just how impacted my child's immune system would be until I put them into preschool, where they were exposed to 20 other Petri dishes (ahem....children). With my firstborn, I really didn't know that there were ways I could be supporting her immune system that would have prevented many of these illnesses, so I was forever playing catch up from one illness to the next, and as soon as she would recover, she would get sick again. It was a never ending mer

To springboard off my last post, I wanted to share a little bit more in depth on the cost/budget aspect of making healthy food choices. I mentioned that the current generation of children is the first generation NOT expected to outlive their parents. I feel I need to explain why this is, and why it matters that we give them healthy food. 1 in 2 children are diagnosed with some sort of chronic illness. This is UNHEARD OF to date, but really if we think about it- are we surpris

7-Day Kid-Friendly Meal Plan

I've been a little MIA lately. It has been a super busy end of the year for my husband with his schooling, my 2 kiddos end of the year activities, and starting a group coaching program. I've been mulling some things over for a while and trying to put the words together for this post that is near and dear to my heart. Never did I ever think I would be the parent of a child who needed a little more than the usual... otherwise known as a special needs mom. I know when I hear tha

7 years ago, I didn't know that my symptoms were not the problem. In my mind, my painful periods and irregular cycles were something to be managed with hormonal birth control, ibuprofen and a heating pad. I didn't know that these symptoms that I ignored because I thought they were "normal" would eventually lead to repeat miscarriages, and severe postpartum insomnia, anxiety, depression and thyroid issues. Had I known that my symptoms were like little red flags that my hormone

You may feel tired, cold or that you've gained weight. Maybe your digestion seems a bit more “sluggish”. You may be convinced that your metabolism is slow. Why does this happen? Why do metabolic rates slow down? What can slow my metabolism? Metabolism includes all of the biochemical reactions in your body that use nutrients and oxygen to create energy. And there are lots of factors that affect how quickly (or slowly) it works, i.e. your “metabolic rate” (which is measured in

I don't know where you live, but where I live in the Pacific Northwest, winter never seems to end. It is rainy and grey with low hanging clouds for months and months on end. The first sign of spring- no matter how cold it is- brings everyone out in shorts, tee-shirts, and very pale legs. That is... until our noses recognize the pollen in the air and before we know it, we are sneezing, watery eyed, irritable messes. What causes this response? Some people will say pollen, which

I have been thin my entire life. I have never struggled to lose weight...that is, until I had children. Then my thyroid went crazy high, and then crazy low, and we are getting it back to a good place. Over the course of the last 7 years, I have done just about every diet you can think of, although now that I'm thinking about it, my dieting days really started in college. I had never been self conscious about my weight until I went to nursing school and was surrounded almost

I've been talking a lot about hormones on here. It's a passion topic of mine, but it's also an area that, as a health coach, I see the majority of my clientele suffering from needlessly. To catch up on the background check out this post! Over the next week or so, I'm going to be talking about the ways in which our hormones are impacted at a deeper level. You probably know you have a liver. But are you aware of how much it does for you? From a Chinese medicine standpoint, the

I don't know about you, but I didn't learn what was in our food until I discovered that I was intolerant to gluten and dairy. I wondered how after eating Taco Bell and Burger King for 26 years I could suddenly NOT tolerate any of it anymore. And as if that wasn't enough of a slap in the face, to go from paying $2 for a loaf of bread to spending close to $6 on good gluten free bread was painful! It's no secret that going gluten free can be more expensive, and we have made adju

Have you said “bye bye” to sleeping through the night? Are you feeling exhausted or “running on stress hormones” all day? Do not fear, I have some great tips (and an amazing recipe) for you! The science of sleep is fascinating, complicated and growing Sleep is this daily thing that we all do and yet we're just beginning to understand all of the ways it helps us and all of the factors that can affect it. Lack of sleep affects just about everything in your body and mind. Peopl

I used to think having such painful cramps that I had to crawl to the bathroom and vomit were normal. I mean, it only happened once every 3 months, so that wasn't too bad right? Feeling blue before your cycle is certainly expected, normalized, and even mocked in some instances. I mean, all it takes is a quick google search of "PMS memes" for us to get a good glimpse of the normalization of a really awful experience. I don't know about you, but I did not feel like myself befor

Coffee is one of those things- you either love it or hate it. You know if you like the taste or not (or if it’s just a reason to drink sugar and cream). You know how it makes you feel (i.e. your gut, your mind, etc.). Not to mention the crazy headlines that say coffee is great one day, and the next day you should avoid it! There is actual science behind why different people react differently to it. It's a matter of your genetics and how much coffee you're used to drinking. I

Oh my gosh – nutrition and diet info is everywhere, and it can be completely overwhelming to know up from down or which "method" to try in order to make improvements. Each expert and association tries to lead you in their direction because they know best and their advice is going to help you. Right? Well, maybe… Everyone has heard (and maybe lived through) the intense focus on how much you eat. This has gotten way too much attention because while this does affect your weigh

Some days I have to look around and laugh at myself. If I told 18-year-old me that 26-year-old me would be working as a birth doula, putting essential oils on my three-year-old’s owies, cloth diapering my home-birthed baby, getting on soap boxes about Big Pharma and the state of our food landscape in America, and tossing anything with harmful chemicals out of my house, I would probably be terrified of the person I was going to become. I think before my own journey toward a mo

Sometimes those holiday feasts are just amazing. And it's not just the abundance of delicious food but also the people, the decorations, and the ambiance. It is way too easy (and common) to indulge on those days. But it doesn't always stop there. Sometimes we overeat on regular days. Or at regular meals. Or All. The. Time. I have noticed myself making all sorts of excuses to indulging such as: It's been a stressful day, I didn't sleep well last night, my kids are being jerks,

This word “metabolism” is thrown around a lot these days, but what exactly is it? And is there anything we can do to improve it? You might know that if yours is too slow you might gain weight. But what exactly does this all mean? Well technically “metabolism” is the word to describe all of the biochemical reactions in your body. It's how you take in nutrients and oxygen and use them to fuel everything you do. Your body has an incredible ability to grow, heal, and generally s