Summary of The Gestational Journey Conference
If you didn’t catch it on my Instagram stories and posts, last month I attended the first conference of its kind in this country. Regenerus Labs together with Robyn Puglia put on a two day conference centred on the gestational journey, from pre-conception, to fertility, pregnancy and post-partum health and nutrition. The world’s leading experts in this field flew in for the weekend to educate and inspire us, and that’s what I’m hoping I will do through sharing some of these key takeaway points.
- It takes about 74 days for sperm to be produced and female’s eggs take about 65 days from their former state to a pre-ovulatory follicle. This means that the health of yours and your partner’s sperm and eggs today are a reflection of the last 3 months.
- Creativity can be so powerful. Allow yourself time to be creative, free your spirit and do what you body is telling you to do. Research has shown creativity and meditation can reduce levels of inflammation in the body.
- You need to work on optimising your nutrient levels BEFORE you try for a baby. The pre conception work is vital. Creating a baby is a powerful task, but one which requires a lot of energy and nutrients from the mother. A 2018 study concluded that 77% of women ages 18-25 had dietary intakes below the recommended daily intake for iodine, and 96% of women of reproductive age had intakes of iron and folate below the daily recommendations.
- Some of the current recommended daily nutrient may be too low, for example vitamin D. Current recommendations are about half of what some research recommends is required to bring blood levels to an optimum.
- Significant maternal stress during pregnancy can impact the foetus during development, after birth and into adulthood. Working to decrease your stress levels during pregnancy is a way to negate these effects.
- Don’t beat yourself up about your past. Focus on taking positive steps forward. Anything positive step you take from now onwards will contribute to your overall health, and the health of your baby.
- Post natal mental health disorders are real and are often unnoticeable. Be there for others. Whether it’s your partner, friend, sister, daughter, child, colleague – support others around where you can.