If you are experiencing morning sickness, and are vomiting, it can be hard to make sure that you are eating enough. Identifying the foods that you can keep down, and eating more often, but smaller meals, is key for many women during their first trimester of pregnancy. Now is not the time to worry about calories – you can eat as much as you like. But, at the same time, cutting out processed foods and especially trans fats from your diet as much as possible will benefit you a lot. Fresh fruits and vegetables, full-fat diary products and complex carbohydrates are all great foods.

Foods that contain folate, the natural equivalent of folic acid, are all great to eat in the first trimester. Of course, you can still use folic acid supplements too. Omega 3 fatty acids, which can be found in nuts and oily fish, are another wonderful food that keeps you and your baby healthy in pregnancy, and is especially good for the first trimester, when all those bones and vital organs are forming.

At the end of the day, our diets are often less than ideal. Does nutrition impact the health of your baby? Yes it does, beyond any doubt. But does feeling guilty about not being able to keep down healthy foods in the first trimester help any? Nope, I didn’t think so either. Knowing what foods are good, and then eating what you can, is the most realistic approach.

Midwives are often experts on nutrition, and they know how much a good diet impacts fertility. During your first appointment with a midwife, she will probably tell you more about what foods promote the healthy growth of the fetus in the early stages of pregnancy, and which foods can increase fertility. It is also important to know what foods not to consume while you are trying to get pregnant.

Through my midwife, for instance, I learned that folic acid, a supplement used by lots of women in the preconception stage, is a synthetic replacement of the real thing – follate – which can be found in foods. Follate is more effective than its artificial counterpart. She also told me about herbs and other supplements that promote health while trying for a baby.

Another thing your midwife can do is to identify pre-existing medical conditions, and perhaps get them under control before pregnancy. This can also be done by a family doctor or an OB, but if you are planning to use midwifery care during pregnancy and birth, it is important to know if you have any health issues that might risk you out of a midwife’s care. Since this will impact the care you receive during pregnancy, and the kind of birth you can have, knowing what you can expect is very welcome.

Midwives are known for their personal commitment to their patients, and if you have a good midwife, she will use the opportunity to get to know you and your needs, and advise you about pregnancy, birth options, working out issues in your relationship before conceiving, and spiritual and emotional preparations for pregnancy. Perhaps your midwife will tell you about cervical mucus, and how to recognize signs that you are fertile. She’ll take the time to answer any questions you might have about fertility and pregnancy.

Another midwife tells me that, once a woman is already pregnant, she is often too busy with the pregnancy and too overwhelmed by hormonal changes to rationally work out many practical issues. If you are able to find out what you truly want in regard to your birth and beyond before, you have a better chance to make it happen. A good midwife can turn out to be a key companion in the process of exploring everything that you need to know about conception, pregnancy, and birth.

The study claims that women in UK face health risks because the nutrition value of the food they eat is too low. As Daily Mail says they are ‘shunning nutritious foods’. By expressing love for fast food women are endangering their unborn babies.

The study exposed the following findings: among most age groups, the intake of the most important micronutrients, such as iron, vitamin D, calcium and folic acid, are bellow recommended levels. Additionally, women generally eat a diet that is too high in saturated fats, too low in fibre, oily fish such as mackerel or salmon, and they do not eat enough vegetables and fruit.

The study also emphasizes that a poor diet and alcohol might not only be harmful for the unborn baby, but might also lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer and mental problems.

The review of the study summarized over 100 studies addressing women’s diets and dietary deficiencies, and it also analyzed how diet relates to other aspects of health.

I am not claiming that the findings aren’t true, because with the lifestyle most people lead, it is very possible that most women (and men) do not consume nutrients that are needed. However, it is important to bring out that the review of more than 100 studies did not state how those studies that were included in the review were identified. Perhaps the review didn’t include all relevant studies, because the studies that were not included may not agree with the findings of studies that were included. This might lead to conclusion that maybe the women in UK are healthier than it is presented in this summarization of 100 studies.

However, I was really excited when I saw a great blog post by Teddy Grahams. He exposed the insiders info of the GMO effect on fertility, an info that is waiting to be published in July 2010.

Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov and his team from Surov’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Association for Gene Security were set out to discover if Monsanto’s genetically modified soy.

(Btw, did you know that more than 90% of American (and I wouldn’t be surprised if world) soybean fields grow (Monsanto’s), genetically modified soy?)

The discoveries of the team are extremely upsetting.

A study was based on hamsters, growing two years over three generations, on the GM diet, with one group being exposed to the maximum GM soy diet. The later group especially showed devastating results.

By the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters were infertile or had high mortality rate among pups. The third generation of hamsters also suffered slower growth than previous generations.

Additionally, a rare phenomenon was notices: a third generation of hamsters eating Monsanto GM soy had hair growing inside their mouths. Shocking!!!

This is not the only research that has proved the dangers of genetically modified food.

Irina Ermakova and her team conducted a research on rats five years ago.  The team reported that comparing to the non-GMO soy fed group with 10% mortality, 55% of babies from rats that were fed with GM soy died within 3 weeks.

Additionally the babies in the GMO group were smaller comparing to non-GMO soy fed group.

Moreover, when male rates were fed with GM soy, their testicles turned from normal pink color to dark blue. And, in these findings Ermakova and her team were not alone: Italian scientists found changes in mice testes including damaged young sperm cells, and the DNA from parent mice fed genetically modified soy functioned differently.
So, why do people still eat GMO (soy)?

The answer is very simple – because the level of awareness is very low. People are either comfortable with the fact that no research was conducted proving GMO has negative effect on fertility. Do you want to know what happened to Ermakova and her findings?

-    She was attacked and vilified
-    Samples were stolen from her lab
-    Papers were burnt on her desk
-    Under the pressure from her boss she was told to stop doing GMO research

It is important to eat organic food.  Because some people are more sensitive than the others, the impact of pesticides and food additives can have devastating effects on some people. If you choose organic vegetables and fruits only, you will definitely avoid intoxication with pesticides and you shall maximize the intake of nutrients.

However, if you cannot afford to buy organic fruits and veggies, sink them in a bowl of water with dilutes tablespoon of vinegar. It won’t make them as good as organic, but vinegar will help wash off toxic heavy minerals.

Include at least 5 handfuls of vegetables and fruits into your daily menu, and most importantly pay attention to colors: dark green, red, orange and purple are best antioxidants and they do protect your genetic material in sperm and eggs.

Dairy and grain products are also recommendable in organic version. They are a bit more expensive option, but they are also the healthier option. If organic meat is too expensive for you, try to stick with cheaper proteins such as beans and organic soy.

If you have issues with estrogens, you should be careful when eating plant based hormone balancers such as soy. Plant based hormone balancers do help prevent imbalances between oestrogen and progesterone, which are often the cause for fertility problems and often even a cause of early miscarriage. It is recommendable to include in your nutrition a daily portion of plant based hormone balancers such as tempeh or miso (fermented soy), beans, lentils, flax seed etc.

Essential fats boost fertility too. Therefore do not forget fish, hemp and flax seed oils and omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats support male and female fertility and hormonal balance and also help the baby’s brain, nervous system and eyes to develop once pregnant.

Moreover, do avoid fertility hinders such as caffeine and alcohol, they do affect both female and male fertility.

But it is not… it is easier said than done.

First thing comes first. If you are overweight and trying to get pregnant, but you can, you should try to lose weight first. We have established that before… and if you had tried to lose weight, including cutting calories, eating healthier in terms of eating more proteins, less carbs, more healthy fats, and most of all in terms of including moderate exercise in your daily routine, but your goal was not achieved or you were losing weight slower than expected, it is time to visit your doctor.

There are many health issues that might be preventing you from losing weight: perhaps you have issues with blood sugar or you might be diabetic but you aren’t aware of that. Are you feeling tired often?

Maybe you are suffering from PCOS which additionally causes problems when woman is trying to get pregnant.
Perhaps you have underactive (overactive) thyroid gland?

These and many more are the questions your doctor should be able to answer with the help of some blood and other tests. Therefore, if you are experiencing problems with losing weight and you are really doing your best to lose weight, but the “air that you breathe makes you gain it all back”, it is time to visit your G.P.

However, if you are starving yourself and still forgetting the principles of good nutrition, doctor can’t help you if you don’t want to help yourself. Including quality nutrition and moderate exercise in your daily routine is the key to healthier you.

Pregnancy test facts:

- You can do pregnancy testing at home. Pregnancy tests are 99% accurate.
- Pregnancy tests test the presence of chemical called ‘human chorionic gonadotrophin also known as hCG. This chemical appears in the urine once an egg has been fertilized by sperm.
- hCG is a sure sign of pregnancy, but it can still be present after miscarriage or abortion for up to 8 weeks, or after giving birth for up to 4 weeks.
- Fertility drugs can cause false pregnancy (hCG is shown).
- The more sensitive the test, the earlier pregnancy can be detected.
- Alcohol, painkillers, antibiotics and oral contraceptives are not affected by pregnancy tests.
- When you are testing for pregnancy, always follow manufacturer’s instructions. They are easy and simple to follow.

Fertility and trying to conceive facts:

- Woman is most likely to get pregnant (she is most fertile) during ovulation.
- Ovulation usually occurs in the middle of menstrual cycle.
- An egg can be fertilized approximatally 12 hours to one day after the ovulaiton.
- Sperm can survive in a woman for up to 5 days.
- Generally speaking woman can conceive if sexual intercourse takes place max 5 days priod ovulaiton and 1 day after ovualtion.
- Only few percents of couples conceive in first month of trying to conceive.
- On average it takes more than 6 months for a couple to conceive. 15% of couples concieve after 6 months.
- If woman is older than 35 it may take longer to conceive.
- If a couple cannot conceive for one year, they should visit fertility specialist.
- If a couple cannot conceive for six months and woman is older than 35, they should visit fertility specialist.
- Conception may take longer in women who smoke.

Facts about early pregnancy signs:

- Missing period or shorter, lighter bleeding may occur early during pregnancy.
- Morning sickness.
- Feeling emotional or moody.
- Breast changes, such as fullness and tenderness, are often the first signs of pregnancy. It is also possible that the nipples enlarge.

However, it will surprise you (at least it did surprise me), the study and its findings were published in the journal Pediatrics, and the findings stand in contrast to a 2005 U.N. report claiming that there is no evidence of an increased risk of birth or other reproductive defects in the Ukraine areas that are contaminated by radiation from the Chernobyl accident.

Dr. Wladimir Wertelecki of the University of Southern Alabama in Mobile claims this study is a proof that further research into actual consequences of catastrophe, including birth defects will be needed, and luckily this question re-opened the misleading results of 2005 U.N study…

I can’t believe that the mankind is really stupid enough to even believe that Chernobyl catastrophe cannot leave serious consequences…  The International Atomic Energy Agency and other U.N. bodies took a stand that the catastrophe did not have any effects on birth defects… this does proves once more money is worth more than human life.

Luckily, the dilemma and a huge problem of Chernobyl catastrophe re-opens with the help of following study results.
Study was conducted in the area the Ukraine province of Rivne, which is located approximatelly 150 miles from Chernobyl nuclear power plant. As an illustrative example, the soil and food from that area is still contaminated with low levels of the radioactive substance cesium 137. I truly hope people living are not eating radioactive lettuce …

The study results were following: among more than 90.000 babies who were born in Rivne between 2000 and 2006, the rate of neural tube defects was more than two times higher than for the rest of the Europe.

Neural tube defect which represents a serious anomalies of the brain and spine, including spina bifida, which is a common serious consequence if woman lacks folic acid in early pregnancy.

In 10,000 babies, 22 babies  in Rivine were born with a neural tube defect, comparing to the rest of the Europe where approximately 9 births with neural tube defect per 10.000 births.

Additionally, in the area of Polissia which is known to have the highest rate of contamination with radioactive substances, the rate was three times higher comparing to the European average.

Additionally study reports higher rate of other birth defects, including elevated rates of conjoined twins, sacrococcygeal teratomas (congenital tumors on the tailbone), microcephaly (head is abnormally small) and microphthalmia (eyes are undersized).

However, dr. Wertelecki said these findings are not definite, because study didn’t include nutrition into observation. Since all these defects can be caused by either alcohol consumption or deficiency of folic acid, and both alcoholism and malnutrition are a problem, and this study only observed the exposure of actual radiation absorption.

Women who are older, overweight or obese and have a family history of diabetes are at higher risk for developing diabetes. In most cases women with diabetic predispositions are sent to nutritionist or dietitian, and for their sake and the health of their children they have to control of their nutrition and exercise, which are both contributing factors of developing or preventing gestational diabetes.

A new study form Louisiana State University was conducted and the research suggests that the chances of developing gestational diabetes can be dramatically reduced by just giving up the cola habit. A study namely found that women who drank as much as five regular colas a week before they get pregnant increase the chance of developing gestational diabetes by more than 20%. However, when it comes to other sugar-sweetened beverages or diet drinks, researchers could find no link.

As with everything, the same is with controlling the urge to drink colas. You need to moderate it and everything will be fine. You don’t have to stop everything at once, but moderation is the solution to a problem.

However, if gestational diabetes develops, woman must do everything to keep it under control. This includes adjusting proper nutrition and moderate exercise… and eliminating cola.

Omega-3 fatty acids are concentrated in the brain and play a crucial role in development of cognitive and behavioral function. Therefore might symptoms of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression, and poor blood circulation. Additionally, infants that are exposed to omega-3 fatty acids deficiency from their mothers during pregnancy are at greater risk for developing vision and nerve problems.

Omega-3 fatty acids are along with omega-6 fatty acids considered essential fatty acids. It is important to have a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 in the diet. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation, and most omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation. Typical American diet, high in red meat consumption, is too rich with omega 6 acids and lacks omega 3 acids. More precisely, American diet contains 14 – 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. The Mediterranean diet, on the other hand, which is higher in omega 3 fatty acids (fish, nuts, vegetable oil) has a much healthier balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Many studies have proved that people who follow Mediterranean diet are less likely to develop heart disease, and according to new researches also infertility.

Omega-3 fatty acids are absolutely necessary for human health, and they play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development. But your body cannot produce omega fatty acids by itself:  you have to get them from food. There are also some studies available that suggest that body absorbs omega fatty acids better from food than nutritional supplements. Omega 3 fatty acids can be found in following foods:

• Fish, particularly oily fish such as salmon, tuna, halibut, mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, cod, albacore tuna and other seafood including shrimps, scallops, algae and krill are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish, particularly non-fried oily fish at least 2 times a week.
• Nuts, flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans, and tofu are high in omega 3 acids, and vegetables, such as kale, cauliflower, cabbage, cloves and mustard seeds, collard greens and Brussels sprouts.