Beat The Cheat - Holiday Eating Tips From A Picky Doula

I'm picky and particular and choosy, oh hell, I'm tough as nails sometimes.  And my clients respect me for this. When I bring someone to them for another modality related to birth such as Chiropractic or Acupuncture, they know that practitioner is terrific. Why? Because I'm PICKY! Haven't you been reading?

Things I look for in a complementary practitioner for myself as well as my clients are good character, trustworthiness, RELIABILITY, RELIABILITY RELIABILITY and their ability to listen and hear, as well as their competency in their modality.


Eating during the holidays is a tricky thing even for the non-pregnant crew. Lots of cakes and cookies and other tempting food calling out to you "eat me mommy, eat me, just one!"

 A mother of a four-year old who I had the unexpected privilege to catch at at a wonderful home-birth. She is an amazing mix of crunch and reality. Don't expect to see her (or me) with a hippy skirt on, long braids, and eating hemp. Not that there's anything wrong with that. ;)

Without further adieu today's guest post and sound advice from Eulix [YOU LICKS - totally true and pun intended. Get it? Food, nutrition, and YOU LICKS, you know you licks the foods. never mind. read on already, hurry up!]


"Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies to Stay Fit–and Still Have Fun"

Good, healthy holiday eating can make the difference between an enjoyable holiday season and a miserable one. The trick is to enjoy treats without overdoing them. Make a healthy holiday eating strategy and plan to enjoy the holiday celebrations without feeling bad the next day.

Pregnancy and Weight Gain

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has issues an OPINION piece, called a Committee Opinion, this month on physical activity during pregnancy. This opinion replaces an earlier opinion published in 2002.

Their recommendations are that all healthy women with healthy fetus' have at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, every day, from the earliest onset of their known pregnancy throughout the entire pregnancy until the birth of their child.

"Women with uncomplicated pregnancies should be encouraged to engage in aerobic and strength-conditioning exercises before, during, and after pregnancy."

As a Childbirth Educator and a Certified Doula I have always taught that it is important for pregnant women seeking a better birth, to have aerobic activity every day. I always suggest a brisk walk for one hour, every day of the week.  The proper diet and caloric intake coupled with a one-hour brisk walk will not only help maintain proper weight gain for the full 40-42 weeks of pregnancy, but it will strengthen a mother's endurance, her muscles and make her healthier over all.

The added benefits to this regimen is that it "reduces the risk of gestational diabetes in obese women, and enhances psychologic well-being", according to ACOG.

ACOG concludes there is no evidence of harm to mother or baby when not contraindicated (see chart) and observational studies of women who exercise during pregnancy have shown benefits such as decreased cesarean and operative vaginal delivery (vacuum and forceps), and postpartum recovery time.

To learn more about nutrition during pregnancy and other important topics for a better pregnancy and childbirth it is recommended that you take a childbirth education class between week 12-15 for optimal results. Although taking an education class at any point in your pregnancy is important, I highly recommend the sooner you take your classes the better. The earlier you begin learning the important information, the more time you will have to apply the topics to your life and receive the most benefits.