When working with women who desire very much to conceive, it can be challenging to help them understand the big picture. They want a baby…they want it NOW…and if that's not something you can promise…well, there are a gazillion other people out there who will gladly take their money if they say what these women want to hear.
We're establishing a pretty good track record when it comes to fertility help, but what I want to be sure everyone understands, who comes to this blog, is that we're equally concerned about your long term health, and preventing infertility in the babies you might have.
One of the patterns I'm seeing when evaluating clients, is that they were either formula fed, or breast fed for a short time before being switched to formula. Yes, what happened to you as a child can definitely affect your fertility. We can do a pretty good job of playing catch up, but if you only play catch up long enough to become pregnant, then go back to your former way of eating, you're setting up your babies to have similar problems in THEIR adulthood. Knowing what you've likely gone through yourselves…why would you wish that on anyone? Especially your own child?
So even though you may not really be thinking about the fertility prospects of the baby you may not even have yet, I'm encouraging you to think long-term and big picture. Here's an example of research that tells you why I'd do that.
Seventy-seven healthy babies born to term were compared to each other based on the following: (1) breast fed longer than 6 months, (2) breast fed between 3 and 5 months, and (3) exclusively formula fed.
Baby's DHA levels (that's the omega-3 found primarily in fish oil and marine algae) did not differ much at birth, but DHA significantly decreased between birth and the first year of age in babies who were not breast fed. The researchers concluded that breast feeding for at least months is what is required to prevent this decline.
Because every milligram of DHA a baby gets in breast milk comes from mama's personal supply, it is crucial that mama's diet be adequate in DHA throughout nursing. Fortunately, the very diet we've been encouraging you to consume to become pregnant and stay pregnant…is the diet that facilitates this process. It wasn't that you were healthy and just needed a little push to become pregnant. You were out of balance, and the way you chose to eat restored that balance. Once you get there, the goal is to maintain balance, not go back to being out of balance because you've achieved your important goal and want to get back to the easier way of doing things.
It's about your pregnancy, your baby's health, your brain and baby's brain. And it's not really that hard. Hopefully we're helping you to see that.
Sanjurjo Crespo P, Trebolazabala Quirante N, Aldámiz-Echevarría Azuara L, Castaño González L, Prieto Perera JA, Andrade Lodeiro F. [n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in plasma at birth and one year of age and relationship with feeding.] An Pediatr (Barc). 2008 Jun;68(6):570-5.
