The best time to prepare to have a healthy pregnancy is while you’re still in your mother’s womb. If she could have known what we know now, your lifelong health trajectory could have been altered for the better, and so could that of your children. Through changes in our DNA called epigenetics, some genes are expressed while others are silenced in response to environmental and nutritional variables. Are you prone to heart disease, diabetes, autism, or ADHD? While genetics plays a role in determining these fates, environment may play an even greater role. What your mother ate, drank, smoked, and breathed during her pregnancy with you changed the expression of both her genes and yours, often in a way that can be passed down to future generations. Likewise, lifestyle changes you make today will not only benefit you and your baby, they may even affect your grandchildren.
As an obstetrician, Dr. Schneider helped thousands of women improve their health before, during, and after pregnancy. Her research into genetic vulnerability to environmental toxins and nearly three decades of experience helping individuals with autism allows her insight that few other physicians have. It is her belief that many birth defects and neurodevelopment delays can be prevented with proper prenatal counseling. Although she no longer practices obstetrics, she takes great joy in working with women to achieve the highest level of health possible before conception and throughout their pregnancies. Our Preparing for Baby program involves a detailed medical history, family history, assessment of risk factors, and laboratory testing. Nutritional and metabolic testing will be recommended and genetic testing may also be indicated.
With 1 in 36 children today developing autism and the siblings of individuals with autism now entering their child-bearing years, Dr. Schneider’s focus is on protecting the next generation of children from the fate that so many suffer from today. Many young adults who have recovered from autism are ready to start families as well, and they would benefit from testing and support they are unlikely to find elsewhere. While some risk factors are beyond our control, many are not and those can be mitigated. Preparing for pregnancy by correcting nutritional deficiencies, reducing inflammation, addressing metabolic abnormalities, and clearing toxins would be wise under any circumstances, but is particularly important for high risk families.
Is your pregnancy five years or more in the future? It’s not too soon to begin to prepare! Too many women wait to make healthy changes in their lives until they discover they’re pregnant. For some of their babies, that’s too late. If you have the luxury of a few years, you can make an incredible difference in your health. Losing weight, kicking bad habits, and learning to lead a healthier lifestyle take time, but the effort will be well worth it and your risk of many serious pregnancy complications will diminish significantly.
Take an honest look at your occupation and environment. Are you living in a heavily polluted city? Do you have a career that exposes you to radiation, harmful chemicals, or a high level of stress? Do you travel across time zones, work the night shift, or get interrupted sleep because of your job? If your home, occupation, or lifestyle are not compatible with a healthy pregnancy, you may need a year or more to change that situation.
Maybe you’re already pregnant. Any changes you make today will benefit the child you’re carrying and any future children you’ll be blessed to have. Dr. Schneider will guide you through each trimester with testing, nutritional support, and information to augment your current obstetrical care.
The sooner you begin, the greater the benefits you and your baby will reap. You can give your child an incredible gift–the gift of the healthiest possible start in life based on the knowledge we have today. Call today and let’s start on this incredible journey!