Taking Care

I'm currently reading Body, Soul and Baby, by Tracy Gaudet, which was recommended to me by Manda over at I think I hear your mother calling. Gaudet is an OB-GYN that believes in taking a holistic approach to pregnancy, and also in integrating alternative medicine during pregnancy. The book is unusual, in that it covers not only pregnancy, but preconception, and addresses in detail the mental aspects of getting pregnant, as opposed to just the physical. There's a lot of stuff I find a little hokey, like imagery exercises, and having conversations with your body about how it feels about having a baby (oh, the conversations I've had with my uterus!!!), but overall, I like the approach.

Dr. Gaudet breaks it all down into five "Centers of Wellness" that must be connected with and nutured:

1. Nutrition (food and supplements)
2. Movement (as opposed to exercise)
3. Mind (stressors/perceptions/state of mind)
4. Spirit (not just religion, but "feeling of connectedness to self" and to others)
5. Sensation (the five senses and sexuality)

I think this is an interesting approach. She views the process of becoming a mother as not just about the science of getting knocked up and carrying a baby to term, but as a psychological journey, as well. It's an approach that I haven't seen much of in the books that I flipped through when I was pregnant last summer. The book contains a lot of mental exercises and tips on how to have a really positive pregnancy. I'm finding it a little dense (she makes a LOT of recommendations), but I think that if we do manage to get pregnant again in the near future, it's going to be useful in helping me manage my stress and stay in touch with myself while also trying to manage the Big Project.

CD11 today, and the monitor is still crying "Low."