There are two types of pregnant people, those who planned for pregnancy and those who did not. I’ve got you both.
If you’re a person who likes to plan, here’s the plan:
- Begin three months prior to trying to conceive with the approach below.
- If there’s a baby daddy, get him on board for some fine-tuning.
If you’re one (of many) for whom pregnancy was not planned, first – congratulations! Second – you’re in good company, half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned.
- Begin now with the approach below.
This Is the Goal
The goal, whether you’re in the planning stages or pregnant, is to cultivate peak health in your body (+ baby daddy’s if applicable) because it directly impacts the brain strength and health of your in utero baby.
This Is the Approach
The very first thing to do is to begin crushing it on our carefully compiled checklists, which you will find here: Start Here to Ensure a Strong Foundation for Baby’s Brain.
- The checklist for soon-to-be-mom-to-be or mom-to-be has 16 dos and don’ts
- For planners with a baby daddy, his checklist has 8 dos and don’ts
Is it just me, or do you get excited about a checklist? I get an energy surge from checking off a completed task . . . done. Next!
The second thing to do is to focus on these four pillars to building in utero brain strength:
- Clean Eating Is Critical
- Omega 3 + Choline = Mega Mind
- Exercise Is Everything
- Smitten + Zen
Overview – Four Pillars that Boost the In Utero Brain
1 – Clean Eating Is Critical
The foods you eat and the vitamins and minerals stored in your body are the sole sources for baby’s nutritional needs. The sole source – and that is pressure.
But remember:
- knowledge is power (be informed)
- and you are doing something extraordinary (you are creating a human being)!
2 – Omega 3 + Choline = Mega Mind
The benefits for baby linked to the pregnant mother’s healthy consumption of foods containing omega 3s and choline are well documented and very encouraging:
- Increased intelligence
- Superior communication skills
- Better social skills
- Fewer behavior related issues
- Reduced risk of learning disabilities like ADHD
- Lower occurrence of autism
- Decreased risk of cerebral palsy
- Healthier eyesight
3 – Exercise Is Everything
Women who exercise during pregnancy have smarter babies.
- This blunt assertion is the conclusion of numerous intelligence tests and neurodevelopmental measures.
- Not only is it confirmed that exercising mommas-to-be are delivering smarter babies, but research suggests these babies then have higher intelligence quotients for their entire lives.
Exercising while pregnant impacts your baby’s brain for life!
4 – Smitten + zen
Being pregnant brings abundant joy, but it can also bring on stress. You will want to be able to identify the type of stress you experience, because while some types of stress do not cause harm, chronic stress (which is prolonged, negative stress) has the potential to. If this is your experience, you need to immediately enlist the support of a professional to develop a plan that will provide you with reassurance and stability.
The ultimate goal is to:
- feel smitten with yourself,
- and your in utero baby
- while managing stress.
Being pregnant makes you vulnerable. You deserve to get the reassurance you need.