The Pagan Mother's
Guide to Pregnancy

Conscious Eating During Pregnancy
Natural Childbirth and Pregnancy Books
Links to Natural Childbirth and Pregnancy

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Conscious Eating During Pregnancy

What you want: What you should have: For even stricter eating:
potato chips baked Goldfish crackers opt for organic cheese crackers
soda pop juice (make sure it's only 100%) or milk try some organic juices or drink herbal teas with honey instead of sugar
fried chicken eat grilled or baked chicken use a fat griller or try steaming your bird
French fries slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick circles, top with cheese and bake them in the oven or the toaster oven. use organic cheese and potatoes. Organic cheeses are all-natural with no chemicals or colorants.
steak opt for smaller portions of meat and choose less fatty cuts organic or all-natural meats will not contain harmful hormones.
fast food instead of getting something greasy, go to a deli. The food there is fresher and is sure to be free of trans-fatty acids. carry snacks with you when you go out so you know what you are eating is good for you.
peanut butter actually, peanut butter is great for you! opt for all-natural peanut butter that contains less (or no) sugar than popular brands
seafood fish is very healthy during pregnancy but can be full of mercury. Smaller fish such as catfish and tilapia have very low levels of mercury and should be eaten instead of larger fish like swordfish or tuna. Farm-raised fish has fewer vitamins and minerals, but at least you know that it is mercury-free! Organically raised fish is even better.
roasted and salted nuts roasted nuts often contain saturated fats which can be bad for you. Opt instead for raw nuts and dried fruits. Go with organically grown raw fruits and nuts which are grown without pesticides.
candy If you are craving sweets, try to curb your desire by stuffing your face with fruit - the sweeter the better. Grapes are my favorite. Pineapple is also good. Dried fruits are higher in sugar than fresh fruits and may help even more to satisfy your sweet tooth. Use all-natural sugars and honey instead of sugar when you can. Opt for organic fruits, honey and sugar if you can find it. It tastes the same but is so much better for you and the environment.
     

Foods You Never Knew Were Good For You

peanut butter While you may have heard that peanut butter is high in fat,  you are only hearing a half-truth. Almost all of the fat in peanut butter is unsaturated fat which is good for you and can lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Peanut butter is also an excellent source of protein and folic acid which is necessary for proper fetal development and prevents birth defects and brain abnormalities. Peanut butter is cholesterol-free and can help fight breast cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Visit www.peanutbutterlovers.com for more information.
avocados Avocados are another food you often hear about being high in fat and therefore bad for you. On the contrary, avocados are an amazing source of vitamins and minerals and are the highest fruit source of vitamin E which is a strong antioxidant that slows the aging process, prevents cancer, and heart disease. Avocados are high in good fats which can help you loose weight, not gain it, and will help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Find out more at www.avocado.org.
   
   

Chemical Cuisine - which chemicals in the foods you eat are dangerous and which are safe?

Natural Childbirth and Pregnancy Books:
My Personal Selections

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  Birthing From Within
by Pam England CNM, MA & Rob Horowitz PhD
309 pages/paperback  b&w illus.

This is an amazing book that I am proud to own. Birthing from Within explores, not only birth, but the feelings women experience about birth and turning what you think you know about it into what you undoubtedly always knew. Taking experience and examples from many mothers in many different situations, readers learn how to deal with the fear and intimidation they feel caused by lack of knowledge and doctors. Whether you decide to have your baby with a midwife, doula, or all alone, this amazing publication will help you on your way through empowerment and love. Included are writing and drawing exercises, stories from mothers and midwives, and tips and tricks for learning to stand up to your doctor. Learn to explore yourself through creativity and get the scoop on how to make those beautiful belly casts for yourself. Whether you are looking for tips on relaxation during childbirth or to find the strength within yourself to do it painlessly and effortlessly, this is the book for every woman planning children.
-Amber
Editor of WitchCrafted

   
Everything Your Baby Would Ask...If Only He or She Could Talk
by Kyra Karmiloff & Annette Karmiloff-Smith   

When I saw this book in the bookstore, I immediately snatched it up and took it home. I didn't care that I wasn't pregnant. It is the best book I have seen on the subject of babies and I knew I had to have it for my first child. The questions and answers are surprisingly thorough and the full-color photos and illustrations are absolutely breathtaking! Everything Your Baby Would Ask... covers the development of infants both within the womb and without. It discusses behavior, adaptation, and recognizes and explains why babies think and do what they do. This compact book offers what other bulky baby books offer at only 192 pages and is very fun to read. I took it home and finished it in two days. I would recommend  this book to every mother who is expecting.
-Amber
Editor of WitchCrafted

   
Birth Without Violence 
by Frederick Leboyer

Frederick Leboyer's Birth Without Violence is often considered to be the most influential book ever written about childbirth. Instead on focusing on the newborn from a doctor or parent's perspective, Leboyer hits home by focusing in on what the baby feels during birth. His comments on the common images of cruelty practiced on babies let parents stop and think about what is really happening in the delivery room and why babies scream in terror and agony.  Leboyer gives insight into the reasons babies suffer during hospital births and he offers ideas and exercises on how to bring your baby into the world peaceful, warm, loved, and happy. His powerful photographs show the shocking treatment of babies by doctors that we think is commonplace and so, disregard. As a delivery room doctor with a lifetime of experience, Leboyer explains how babies can be brought peacefully into the world without pain or tears. I highly recommend this book for its ideas, photos, and absolute poetry.
-Amber
Editor of WitchCrafted

   
Silent Knife: Cesarean Prevention and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
by Nancy Wainer Cohen & Lois J. Estner 

Many mothers think that cesarean will not be an option when their baby is due. In truth, cesarean births are very common and the number of cesarean births performed in hospitals is on the rise. Many mothers find that they have developed severe physical and psychological destruction after having a cesarean forced on them by a doctor. Far from being a safe practice, cesarean births can have a profound impact on the newborn as well, causing severe respiratory infections and brain damage from the anesthetics. Cohen and Estner provide Silent Knife as a way for women to take back birth and ensure themselves a safe home or hospital delivery, whether it is their first birth or they are planning a (much advised-against by doctors, but perfectly safe) vaginal birth after cesarean. This important book is not intended to frighten mothers, but instruct them on the dangers of common hospital practice. I suggest every parent read this book before deciding on their desires for a hospital delivery.
-Amber
Editor of WitchCrafted

   

Links

Pagan Mother's Guide to Childbirth
Compassionate Souls - guide to conscious parenting.
Natural Childbirth and Rearing - from a Pagan mother's perspective.
The Dangers of Ultrasound
Pre-Birth Communication - an interesting concept in communicating with infants before birth through emotion and the mind.