Your Midwife Doesn't Know Best
There is a high respect given to doctors and midwives. And rightfully so. They do significant training and study to become experts in their fields.
When I was working my way into the medical field, I saw it first hand. The amount of preparation, study, hands on experience, etc that I had to accomplish was insane – and I never even FINISHED my doctorate. So I can only imagine the toil these professionals go through to become just that – professionals.
And while I have the utmost respect for doctors and midwives when it comes to birth and delivery – I feel like there is one thought we need to remember before we give ourselves over to the care of another and that is:
Your doctor/midwife may not always know best – at least not in the realm of nutrition.
Let me explain what I mean.
Starting with doctors, specifically OBGYNs, these professionals are simply not trained in preventative care. The majority of training is spent in pharmacology and TREATING disease, being prepared for emergencies, etc. But when it comes to actual knowledge on the female physiology and how it responds to nutrients, what its nourishment needs may be, etc there is a severe gap in training. According to the Stanford School of Medicine, at MOST the nutritional education doctors receive focusses on simply macro nutrients like proteins and carbs, but doesn’t dive into the intricacies of nutrient physiology or even teach doctors how to educate their patients to lead a healthy lifestyle. This is a PROBLEM. It’s even more so a problem when you have doctors giving out nutritional education like it is gospel truth – for example, doctors stating that you need folic acid during pregnancy, when it has been long time understood that folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9, to which your body cannot absorb. What you actually need is folate, the naturally occurring form of B9 that is bioavailable to the human body.
Now midwives tend to be more naturally minded. And don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely loved my midwives for both of my births. But there is some outdated nutritional education that midwives tend to follow. For example, the idea that your caloric needs do not increase in the first trimester and barely increase in the second and third.. I understand the intentions behind this, but it doesn’t paint the full picture of nourishment for women who are walking through pregnancy. I would also argue that it sets a woman up for a crappy postpartum period because she is not getting the actual proper nourishment she needs during each trimester. The truth is, pregnancy is a stress (granted a good stress) and if you want to have a thriving pregnancy and awesome postpartum period your body needs NOURISHMENT to create a resiliency to that stress. To build your capacity.
I’ll give you a little anecdote: when I was pregnant the first two times, I was told to limit carbs or avoid them completely. Not knowing any better and still healing from an eating disorder, I was rigid with this recommendation. I only gained 26lbs my first full term pregnancy and lost the weight immediately after giving birth. But guess what? I had a horrible first trimester. My head was in the toilet. I was weak. Exhausted. And then when it came to my postpartum with that pregnancy, I suffered from postpartum depression, my hair fell out, my skin freaked out… It was a lot.
Fast forward to my pregnancy with my son. I knew better than to restrict calories or carbs. I nourished the heck out of my body with mineral rich foods. And wouldn’t you know? My first trimester was a breeze. And my postpartum? No hair loss, no skin issues, no depression. I was nourished. Yes, I gained 50lbs during pregnancy. But man I slept like a baby and I felt GOOD. And the weight has slowly and healthily been released as I’ve just passed the 1yr postpartum mark. As I’ve become a self taught student, I’ve come to learn that everything the body does serves a purpose. Every pound gained or symptom shown is your body’s way of communicating with you.
Another anecdote is from my pregnancy with my son. I was at a regular visit with my midwife and I presented with some slightly high blood pressure. My midwife suggested I cut out all salt and drink a gallon of water a day to improve my blood pressure. I walked next store to my chiropractor appointment and told her about my blood pressure spike, to which she advised me to INCREASE my salt intake and focus more on minerals – this is a more correct suggestion and I’ll do a post on blood pressure and pregnancy in the coming weeks, so be sure you’re subscribed LOL.
One of the best things you can do to improve your outcomes in pregnancy and postpartum is to become a student yourself and learn to support YOUR body’s nutritional demands. I would caution you to rely solely on the advice of a doctor or midwife (or anyone, really including ME). Become a student of your body and learn to meet your nourishment needs. Because the truth is, the formal education professionals have received is limited. You need to do your due diligence and research yourself.
And if you don’t feel confident in researching yourself, maybe that’s not your strong suit, build a team of professionals you trust. Coaches (like me HI), chiropractors, midwives, nutritionists, PTs, all of these professionals bring a unique look at the body. Get a multitude of counsel and then make the changes necessary.
But don’t blindly follow something any one person says…
Even if it’s your midwife or doctor.
This post and no post on cassidywoelfel.com are meant to be taken as medical advice. Please consult with your physician and use common sense before making any dietary or lifestyle changes.