Hi Joyful Birthing friends! I am thrilled to introduce myself and share some insight to a healthy and happy prenatal and postpartum experience with you. My name is Katharine Murphy and I am a Nutritional Therapy Consultant, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and mom of two, living in West Newbury. I am incredibly passionate about helping women to feel their best, look their best, and have an enjoyable pregnancy that leads to a healthy and happy babe. I believe with all my heart that food and lifestyle choices can have a dramatic impact on your fertility, pregnancy, baby, and adjustment to life as a mom. So let’s get to it! Here are my five top tips for a happy belly and a happy baby.

• Hydrate! It is so important to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water (about half of your body weight in ounces) and minimizing dehydrating foods and drinks; overly-processed salty foods, sugary drinks, and caffeinated coffee and drinks will all dehydrate you, so be sure to compensate with extra water when you indulge. This will reduce swelling and keep your digestion moving.
• Fatten up! Your baby’s brain is made up mostly of fats so especially in the third trimester, really focus on healthy fats like avocado, nuts, olive and coconut oil, salmon, grassfed beef, and full-fat dairy if you tolerate it. These will keep you feeling full and satisfied, and are so important for baby’s growth.
• You are sweet enough! Limit the sugar and carby treats to keep your blood sugar (and hormones and mood) balanced throughout the day. This is especially hard in that tough first trimester but once aversions and nausea have passed, try to balance the sweets with more greens. This is a big factor in preventing gestational diabetes and other pregnancy complications.
• Quality over Quantity! Eat for two, but in what you eat not how much you eat. You really only need a few hundred extra calories toward the end of your pregnancy, so baby didn’t want the extra croissant, you did 😉 Choose high quality sources of protein, fats, and unrefined carbs because these are literally the building blocks that make up your sweet babe’s body.
• Keep it Zen! Move your body in a way that is enjoyable everyday if you can, take a bath, go on a date with your partner, go to prenatal yoga, do whatever it is that keeps you relaxed.

And it’s all about balance, Mamas. Stressing about the second croissant is far worse for baby girl than the croissant itself. So enjoy it, and then go for a walk, or make a smoothie or do whatever gets you back to even keel. This is meant to be such an amazing time. So nourish your body with yummy food, lots of water, lots of movement, some deep breaths and you will arrive prepared for your sweet baby’s joyful birth