Top 6 Book Recommendations for Pregnancy and Postpartum

When I was first pregnant with my daughter I was scrolling though a popular pregnancy book that basically made me feel like my body was a failure and we were both going have to come out of the birthing process with three legs. Luckily I put that book right back on the shelf and found a ton of other amazing books. Pregnancy can be an exciting time and sometimes a scary time, I find it best to read books that will help educate but not instill fear in everyone. Here’s my list and why:

Books for Preconception

1. Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler - Since I’m wearing my sassy pants today, I will be straight-forward in saying I wish this was required reading for all menstruating women. This book explains how are bodies work along with what menstruation and ovulation are and help us better understand the WHY of menstruation and conception

2. Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden - Once you understand your cycle thanks to Toni, Lara helps guide you to better understand the complexities of what may be going on. If you are struggling with bad cramps, endometriosis, “weird or irregular” cycles and even those monthly mood swings, this is a book for you!

Books for Pregnancy

1. Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols or Real Food for Gestational Diabetes - If you’ve ever wondered if coffee or fish are safe or why Vitamin A is taboo (it shouldn’t be), then this is a must-read. Seriously, she debunks all of the BS information we are constantly told and uses research to highlight what pregnant mamas really need.

2. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth - If you have ever considered an unmedicated birth, this is the book for you. Ina will help you build the confidence you need in yourself to not listen to social media (hello almost every birth ever shown on TV which depicts a horrific labor) and instead listen to your body.

Books for Postpartum

1. The first forty days by Heng Ou - Besides the fact I love Traditional Chinese Medicine, this book is an amazing representation of what would should expect postpartum - support, love, nourishment and most of all, rest.

2. The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson - From processing your birth story to postpartum sex, this book covers it all and then some. Learn the importance of self-care, prioritizing your health and gathering strength to ask for help because nobody needs to go on this journey alone.
   

If you’re looking for a little more personalized TLC, set-up a free 15-Minute Healthy Mama Consult with Dr. Lauren to discuss your needs and create a game plan to a happy and healthier you.

Traditional Chinese Medicine & Food Energetics

The nature of food and herbs describes the temperature changes that they cause within the body. The energetic properties can change based on how the foods are prepared and cooked. Raw foods are naturally cooler while steaming cools or causes food to remain neutral. Boiled food moistens while stewed, fried or baked foods warm and dry. Deep fried and roasted foods create hot energies. Hot, Cold, Warm, Cool…what does this all mean?

Hot (Yang foods)

• Can be beneficial in moderation

• Same functions as warm foods but stronger
  

Warm: help stimulate body function

• Helps bring warmth and blood flow to the body

• Help decrease pain impacted by cold weather, yang deficiency

• Improves circulation

• Dispels cold, raises yang qi and energy

• Plants that take longer to grow (carrots, ginseng, cabbage, rutabaga) are warmer than foods that grow quickly (cucumbers, radishes, lettuce)

• Best for people with cold constitutions: cold patterns may include: chilly sensations, dislike cold, want to drink warm foods and liquids, clear and copious urine, stiffness, watery or loose stools, fearfulness, pain that is fixed, white complexion, runny nose

Neutral

• Do not tend to have energetic temperature but can be beneficial for wide variety of individuals (neither hot or cold)

Cold (Yin Foods)

• Beneficial for clearing heat or cooling the blood

• Helps clear toxins and nourish yin

• Best for people with heat constitutions: heat patterns may include: feeling hot, dislikes hot, bright red tongue with yellow coat, red face or eyes, nosebleeds, canker sores, bad taste in mouth, high blood pressure, fast pulse, inflammation, constipation, dark yellow or scanty urine, desire to drink cold liquids

Cool

• Cooling, but not as strong as cold foods

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Food Cravings

In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), each of the 5 organ meridians correspond to the 5 flavors of food. An imbalance in the system will cause a person to either crave a certain flavor or have a strong aversion to that flavor. Meeting this craving (or not avoiding the aversion) is about balance — satisfying the need without over-over-indulging. There’s also the option that your craving means nothing but it’s still a good idea to always pay attention to your body’s signals.

Salty: KD

• Crave extra salt on meals, chips, cheese

• Related emotion: fear surfaces or is confronted, salt cravings help pad the body with more water

• Balancing cravings:

  • Instead of consuming overly salty foods, nourish the kidneys with the natural sodium found in celery, seaweed, bone broth, seafood, or beans

  • Western take: this could be a sign of chronic stress, adrenal fatigue or certain medications.

• Other beneficial foods: black beans, walnuts, blackberries, blueberries
  

Sour: LV

• Crave sour candy, citrus, sourdough bread, vinegar or fermented foods (kombucha, pickles), olive oil, olives

• Related emotions: frustration, anger or stress —> the LV Qi is constrained and not able to freely flow due to anger or stress and we crave sour foods to help disperse the stagnant energy

• Balancing cravings:

  • Drink warm water with ACV, lemon juice and honey in the morning, snack on green apples, eat cruciferous vegetables

  • Avoid alcohol, fatty/greasy foods
    

Bitter: HT

• Craves coffee, chocolate, caffeine

  • Chocolate is a comfort food for many (hi Mom)

• Related emotions: lack of joy, mental restlessness

  • We are craving stimulation and bitter foods to wake up the nerves of being frazzled or fatigued

• Balancing cravings:

  • Consume red foods - beets, cherries, strawberries, red cabbage, red grapes, red beans, tomatoes or watermelon

  • Western take: make sure you are eating high quality chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) and getting enough magnesium-rich foods like leafy greens, nuts and seeds
    

Sweet: SP/ST

• Craves sugar and sweets, grains, dairy, candy, ice cream

• Related emotions: worry and not feeling nurtured or grounded

• Balancing cravings:

  • Nourish the spleen by consuming root vegetables (to help ground the person), cinnamon, ginger, beans, brown rice, oats, fruit

  • Western take: make sure your blood sugar is not fluctuating too much. If you are feeling fatigued or foggy, your body may be craving sugar as a way to quickly increase blood sugar
    

Pungent: LU

• Craves spicy food or hot sauce, wasabi, jalapeño or mints/gum

• Related emotions: sorrow, grief that has been suppressed

• Balancing cravings:

  • Release emotions, consume onions, ginger, garlic (not too much as they are hot foods), almonds, pears, sesame seeds

Cravings can often tell us a story of our needs whether it is our overall body, our nutrition or even just our emotional needs. The next time you go to grab a pickle (am I the only one pregnant?), think about other ways you can also nourish your body, mind and soul.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Dampness

Dampness. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, dampness is the cause of many diseases. If you were ever more musically inclined than I was, you were probably told to avoid dairy prior to a choir concert because it could make your voice rattle. That is a prime example of dampness in TCM. For some it looks like impaired digestion (mucous stools, loose or sticky stools and maybe even undigested food in the stool), others are a little phlegmy, and some people are oh-so-fortunate to have heaviness, swelling or water retention or a distended abdomen. Now, before you figure there’s no hope and you are doomed with loose stools and phlegm the rest of your life, there are some things you can do to limit the formation of dampness and decrease dampness.

Proactive measures that limit the formation of phlegm and dampness

• Eat food and drinks at room temperature or warmer

• Incorporate bitter, pungent and aromatic foods and spices

• Drink bone broth as a snack

• Appreciate the flavor of foods

• Eat small to moderate size meals and avoid over eating or eating until you are overly full

• Drink ginger tea

• Exercise regularly

Foods to incorporate to decrease dampness:

• Lightly cooked vegetables

• Whole grains (brown rice, barley, rye, oats)

• Bitter, sweet, pungent and aromatic spices

  • Includes: cloves, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, mustard, mustard greens, nutmeg, thyme, turmeric, basil, parsley, garlic, onions, shallows, horseradish, turnips, radish, cayenne

• Legumes (kidney beans, pinto, red lentils)

• Meat, poultry and fish in small quantities 

• Small amount of whole fruits and lemons

• Sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds

• Tea (green, oolong, jasmine, raspberry leaf)

• Bone broth

Foods to limit or avoid when you are feeling phlegmy or damp:

• Cold, raw foods (uncooked vegetables)

• Refined sugars

• Fatty meat (bacon or duck)

• Eggs

• Fruit juices

• Coffee and alcohol

• Deep fried foods

• Nuts

  • Limit to 1-2 portions per day (8-10 nuts is one serving)

• Dairy (cold foods - cheese, milk, ice cream)

• Wheat (refined flour or pasta and bread)

• Cold or iced drinks

• Banana

  Avocado