We recently chatted to Jess Rosenberg from the nutritionally-formulated vitamin brand Moode about nourishing your body through preconception and pregnancy as a part of our series 'The First 1,000 Days'. Read on for Jess's insight into the subject and gather valuable advice on how to best support yourself and others while pregnant.  

What are the ‘First 1,000 Days’ and why is this window so important to help forge a healthier future for both baby and mum   

This critical period of child development spans conception through to the time our children turn two. A time of both great possibility and fragility- it’s the most rapid period of brain development and growth.

Despite officially starting at conception, we like to incorporate preconception planning into the timeframe. This is because health professionals always recommend parents-to-be begin nutritional prep and preconception support at least 3+ months before trying for a baby. It’s during this period we can influence both egg and sperm quality (eggs take 90 days to fully mature), help regulate ovulation, balance reproductive hormones, increase implantation rates and ultimately improve fertility outcomes. 

How is nutrition an integral part of the First 1,000 Days and what advice can you give from your experience in this time period? 

A healthy diet is non-invasive, inexpensive and one of the easiest ways to provide holistic and preventative support to the body to prepare for conception.  Eating perfectly all the time isn’t possible, or realistic. Especially during pregnancy and postpartum, so we recommend including a quality prenatal vitamin as part of your plan. These help plug any nutritional gaps, while providing support for foetal cognitive development and a host of other things. (Prenatals are particularly relevant when you’ve hit that First Trimester nausea hump and the thought of keeping quality food down is enough to make you want to cry. I spent the First Trimester- and much of the Second- of my latest pregnancy avoiding anything ‘green coloured’).  

How can new mothers best support themselves through such a life-changing journey?  

Preparation is key. The more your body is prepared before conception, the more nutritional stores you will have to pull from when Trimester 1 takes hold.

Three ways to support the body through pregnancy:
1. Adopt a diet to support optimal health. Try and include:
  - Low mercury seafood, which is high in Vitamin D, Iodine and brain boosting Omega-3 fat- DHA.
  - Green leafy vegetables, which is full of folate, as well as a range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to support general foetal health and development.
  - Lean meat, which is full of protein- essential for foetal, placental and maternal tissue growth.
  - Eggs, packed full of most of the nutrients needed to support the nutritional demands of growing a baby. In particular, choline - which is essential to foetal brain and cognitive development.
  - Seaweed, as plants from the sea are rich in iodine - an essential nutrient for foetal growth and development, as deficiency here has been associated with some congenital abnormalities.
  - Liver, known as nature’s multivitamin, liver is rich in choline, iron, folate, B12 and almost every vitamin and mineral required for the healthy brain development of your growing baby.

2. Try to get some movement in each day. It can be tough when we don't feel our best, but according to the health experts, exercise in pregnancy is safe for healthy women with normal pregnancies. The general rule is to practise at 70-80% of your usual fitness routine – staying active is key to easing pregnancy symptoms, preparing for labour and surviving those long nights ahead with a little one.

It’s still recommended to discuss your exercise plans with your health care provider in early prenatal visits to ensure no underlying health conditions may be aggravated by exercise, and to inform your trainer of your pregnancy, so any adjustments to your exercise regime can be made before participating in the workout.

3. Alleviate the symptoms of nausea Recognise your food triggers, as low blood sugar levels, being too hungry or being too full can all be triggers for nausea. Consider Ginger and Vitamin B6 to alleviate the symptoms. Vitamin B6 is a well-researched vitamin that can help ease mild to moderate pregnancy-related nausea.

How can partners, family and close friends better support the new mother?  

LI recently chatted with social-worker and perinatal psychologist Gemma Smith about exactly this. She suggests being proactive in discussing your feelings and concerns about pregnancy, postpartum and early pregnancy with your birthing partner early on. Creating space for these conversations is a helpful approach to avoid the discussions being affected by other stressors like the hormonal seesaw. She suggests unpacking things like:

- How and when to tell family and friends about your pregnancy
- Setting boundaries around information you’ll share with others
- Preparing for the financial impacts of pregnancy and parenthood
- Your respective expectations of parenting styles - Your expectations of roles and responsibilities in early parenthood
- How and when to approach a subject that might upset one of you
- When best to discuss and make big decisions - (and perhaps most importantly) The impacts pregnancy and parenthood will have on your relationship with each other Gemma and I initially discussed this topic when I was pregnant with my third baby, Louie as I grappled with how to ensure my partner was providing the support I needed, even the third time around. This is a conversation that never grows old.  

How can we as a wider community better support new parents through this time period?   

It’s all about community. Conversations. Education. Awareness. So you don’t have to learn about something for the first time when you are experiencing it. Forums, spaces, places to discuss reproductive health, fertility charting, how to fall pregnant, what your pregnancy care options are, recovery is essential to a positive experience before motherhood. Coming out the other side with multiple sources of community points of connections will serve you well. 

What was the most challenging thing you experienced as a new mother?  

This is really taking me back, and I’m feeling nostalgic about this, as my oldest- Sonny is off to start Grade 2 today, and my middle- Milo is starting Prep!

I was so prepared for being a mother. Excited about breastfeeding, nurturing, connecting with my baby. But I was completely unprepared for my postpartum physical recovery. I don’t remember this being mentioned once in the lead up.

My post labour experience was a hazy world of body aches and wounds to heal. I wished I had invested in some care- beyond my routine checkup with my doctor- as their focus was on my stitch healing and the baby. There was so much more going on for me they never even asked about.

I would absolutely recommend a postpartum Doula if I were starting all over again. Someone there to support and nurture me, while I supported and nurtured my baby.

For mothers who have never explored nutrition supplements before, how would you suggest they begin their journey?

A prenatal is formulated to support a woman’s health and her baby’s development throughout the fertility journey. It does so by carefully balancing the nutritional needs of both the growing baby, and you. Phew, a small tablet can do quite a lot. A prenatal is recommended preconception, as they’re packed with nutrients that support egg health and maturation. Throughout pregnancy, they provide good coverage for the nutrients we’re most likely to become deficient in. And postpartum to support healing, repletion and milk supply.

While supplementation is not a fix all, a quality prenatal can serve as an insurance policy for any gaps in your diet. It’s important to not just take what you’re told here! Want to know more about what to look for? We unpack it all here.

What difference do natural products (supplements/foods/baby foods/skincare etc) make in the First 1,000 Days?

Even the healthiest of diets can sometimes fall short when it comes to providing all the essential nutrients you and your baby need during pregnancy. Consuming leafy greens, proteins, eggs and whole grains in excess is a fantastic start, but even our best intentions can be railroaded by unexpected nausea and other fun side effects of pregnancy. And it’s unlikely we’ll get exactly what we need from diet alone.

The additional nutrients found in a prenatal are there to support the overall growth and development of the baby, while also supporting your health too. Regardless of food intake, prenatals ensure you’re meeting the basic requirements of certain nutrients known to play a key role in the healthy development of your baby.

Vitamins are useful, but they’re just one part of the preconception preparation puzzle. And can only be of assistance if dietary intake is inadequate. It’s best to think of a prenatal as part of your preconception and pregnancy support crew, filling the gaps we might be missing. At least this is one pill that’s always easy to swallow, no sugar coating necessary.

Give us three quick nutritional tips for a healthy pregnancy:

1. Exhausted? Take your B Vitamins!

These vitamins are needed to metabolise food into energy, and will provide a natural energy boost and lethargy lifter- most needed in the draining First and Third Trimesters.

2. Your body is growing and changing. There are vitamins and minerals that can help with this!

Our connective tissue is expected to grow and change, along with our bodies. Ensuring good levels of zinc and protein helps to support the building of new tissue. Vitamin C helps support collagen formation which allows for the maintenance of healthy skin, tendons, cartilage and teeth throughout the process.

3. Personalise your iron rather than routinely supplementing it.

Taking additional iron without checking if you’re deficient, can lead to an overconsumption of iron in those who don’t need it. But, iron deficiency is so common in pregnancy, so if you find you’re exhausted and deficient, the small amount found in most prenatal vitamins isn’t really going to cut it. Current practice in Australia recommends screening for deficiency through a blood test. And if needed, picking up a high quality iron supplement at a dose that will actually work is best for you and your energy. Read more here.