Ep 175: You're Pregnant - Now What? Essential First Steps for a Healthy Pregnancy

Finding out you're pregnant is an exciting and life-changing moment—but what comes next? In this episode of The Aligned Birth Podcast, hosts Dr. Shannon Doula and Rachael break down the essential steps to take after that positive test. From choosing the right prenatal care provider to understanding the importance of prenatal vitamins, safe food choices, and stress management, they cover everything you need to know to navigate early pregnancy with confidence.

They’ll also dive into food safety do’s and don’ts (can you eat sushi?), the benefits of physical activity, and why building a supportive birth team is key to a positive experience. Whether you’re a first-time parent or expecting again, this episode will help you make informed choices for a healthy and empowered pregnancy journey!

Episodes Mentioned:

• Ep 3 - Build Your Birth Support Team
• Ep 14 - choose a care provider 
• Ep 73 - 5 benefits of prenatal chiro care 
• Ep 76 - 5 benefits of doula labor support 
• Ep 82 - hot topic, birth doulas are only for unmedicated births 
• Ep 86 - things to consider when choosing care provider  
• Ep 120 - questions to ask your care provider  

Transcript

Dr. Shannon (00:02.217)
Hello, hello, this is the Aligned Birth Podcast. You've got both hosts of the show here today. Dula Rachel is joining me, Dr. Shannon, and our birth-e topic for the day is gonna be kind of a, my gosh, you're pregnant, congrats, yay, now what? So kind of eight things to do when you find out you're pregnant. So, because it's...

It's so exciting and then you're like, okay, well now, now what? So it's really that early, I guess, aspect of things of like, yay, congrats, now what? So I'm excited to chat with you, Rachel, today about all of these fun little things.

Rachael Hutchins (00:48.194)
Hi, Dr. Shannon. Yes, I am eager to talk about this topic. I don't think it's one we've done yet, which is hard to find. And I think it's common, like these are some common questions that we get. But sometimes these are questions that people have before they've even like joined like hired a doula or, you know, sought chiropractic care unless they're already under care. So I think it's fun to share because this is like, you know, you found out you're pregnant. A lot of people find out they're pregnant. I mean, some find out really early, some find, you know.

Dr. Shannon (01:07.507)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (01:18.476)
eight, 10 weeks-ish. And so we wanted to share, you know, kind of the first handful of things you can do. We've got eight things here. We're gonna cover, you know, getting your prenatal care started, you know, food safety, vitamins, activity, you know, things to avoid and kind of helping give you some tips for beginning to build your birth support team. So...

I am excited to hop into this with you, Dr. Shannon.

Dr. Shannon (01:48.979)
Yeah. Okay, so you had literally just mentioned too, like the building your birth support team. And so these are really aren't in any particular order, but I would say the first thing that we're gonna talk about too is kind of getting in that first prenatal appointment. And so I think there's a group if you, if this is your first pregnancy, which I guess this is a little bit geared towards that maybe second time around it's...

It's still useful information, but you've kind of been there, done that. So maybe you know what you want to do, or maybe you're already established with an OB, you liked that experience and you want to stay with them or established with the home birth midwife, you liked that experience, you want to stay with them. But I would say picking and looking at a provider. And we had done an episode before too on like the reverse engineering of it, which I really loved of like picking provider, but really looking at how do you want to feel?

and what environment do you feel best in? And so that can play a part too in picking that. But yeah, that would probably be step one. I mean, it's one of the first things I ask if mom comes in like, okay, who's your provider?

Rachael Hutchins (02:59.674)
Yeah, and I think there are two avenues or one that could then lead to the next. So a lot of times if this is your first time and you find out you're pregnant, you know, kind of want to just go get that first appointment in, like find an OB if you aren't, you know, lot of people, if you're a woman, you already have an OB. So that tends to be where you go if you think you're pregnant for that confirmation of pregnancy. And so, you know, that because

Dr. Shannon (03:18.748)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (03:28.29)
It can be a lot to digest about like choosing a provider, especially if you are wanting to like choose intentionally and explore your options and decide on your birth location and all that, which we encourage. but I want you to know it's like totally fine just to be like, go get that pregnancy confirmation or ultrasound or blood work or whatever you need. where, you know, with your provider of who you've been seeing. But then the second part is saying, cause you have plenty of time.

Dr. Shannon (03:30.707)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (03:58.04)
Like you want to get under prenatal care. It's, is important to have regular routine prenatal care with a medical provider, you know, whether it be a midwife or an OB for the duration of your pregnancy. and you know, there's many benefits for both mom and baby to start care as early as you, as soon as you find out that you're pregnant, right? but then take some time to explore your options. And we're going to link lots of episodes in the show notes where we do chat about.

choosing your care provider, building your birth support team, know, exploring your options, all of that. But with providers, what we like to talk about is learn about who's in your area. So think OBs, midwives, and then think about locations. So what hospital is closest to you? Is there a birth center in your area? Are there home birth midwives in your area? know, chat around with some friends or ask for

recommendations based on the type of birth you want. If there's a hospital that like meets those needs, like go find providers that support their, like when you can exercise that muscle of exploring your options, like early in pregnancy, it can really set you on the right path for, the rest of everything. You don't have to just fall in line with, this is the, the GYN or the OB I've had since I was 16. I'm just going to go there and not think about it. This is like your first opportunity to.

Dr. Shannon (05:20.383)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (05:24.738)
exercise, you know, informed decision making and exploring your options. And I'm not going to say, you got to go birth here. you got a birth with a midwife, whatever. You just have to explore your options and know what's out there. You know, what I want to try to avoid for people is that they get to the end and they're like, I had a choice here. Like I could have had birth in this other hospital that was maybe 20 minutes further or, I could have chosen a midwife or,

you know, maybe even a home birth. I didn't even know there was home birth in my area or, you know, lot of people don't even know there's a birth center in Atlanta. So explore your options and then like you said, to your point, how do they make you feel? You start, you start becoming aware of your, how, when you're in the presence of your, you know, medical provider, how they make you feel. and that can be like those first initial steps and do it intentionally and meaningfully.

Dr. Shannon (06:07.142)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (06:19.407)
And it can be that process that takes a minute. So yeah, you can go to that original OB if you have one established or who you've been going to, know, time and time again. But it's not set in stone, you know, if you do go and start with them. So I think sometimes you can pick and choose. And so that's where you can kind of take your time with that as well. Yeah, and we'll link.

Rachael Hutchins (06:22.168)
Yes.

Rachael Hutchins (06:35.994)
Mm-mm.

Dr. Shannon (06:45.503)
We definitely have a bunch of older episodes where we can link as far as things to think about when choosing the provider and location, interviews with some different midwives too. But there's all kinds of options as far as just a traditional medical under OB care. Then you have some OBs that do work with midwives. So you've a balance there. Then you have home birth midwives. there's a little bit of concierge care. centers, I don't know. think some people, if this is your first pregnancy, you may not know.

there's all those different options. And if you're listening elsewhere too, there's like, you know, who knows what kind of options you have.

Rachael Hutchins (07:15.126)
Exactly. No, think, yeah, wherever you're listening, you have, you know, you may not have a plethora of options, but, and maybe you only have one real good viable option, but do you know, like for sure, or, you know, you only know if you look around and I fully understand there are definitely areas where people don't have a plethora of options, but at least you know, and then you can advocate accordingly based on, know, where you either get to choose to have birth or have to have birth for.

Dr. Shannon (07:24.615)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (07:29.939)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (07:44.334)
variety of reasons. Some people are restricted based on insurance or financial situation. So, you know, but learn learning again what's out there and what you can afford or have insurance for or whatever is super important. So step number one, get that prenatal care in and then begin that process of choosing your provider. And then the second thing we have here in no particular order after getting under care is you want to begin taking your prenatal vitamins.

Dr. Shannon (07:48.453)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (08:01.181)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (08:13.597)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (08:13.722)
so I think if you are planning to conceive starting, you can start taking prenatal vitamins pre-conception, like two to three months before conception, which I think is, there's no harm in that, but obviously not everyone is planning conception, ahead of time like that. So, if you don't start prenatally or a preconceptively, then once you find out you're pregnant, you want to get those prenatal.

Dr. Shannon (08:42.099)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (08:43.224)
vitamins on board. What do you recommend to your clients for prenatal vitamins?

Dr. Shannon (08:48.497)
There's so many different options because you'll have liquid, there's gummies, there's capsules, there's chewable tablets. I do like certain ways of digestion as far as sometimes the capsules take a lot of digestion to get there. Liquids and gummies can maybe be a bit different chewable tablets because it's already chewed. That's neither here nor there. I have some that I recommend. Yeah, the little...

Rachael Hutchins (09:10.906)
Hold on, you just said chewable tablets. Hold on, you went really fast right there. Go again.

Dr. Shannon (09:15.697)
The like little, they can be a chewable. Yeah, it's just a chewable tablet. you see you don't if you don't want to swallow something, but it's still it's not a capsule that you would have like that comes in and it's not a gummy. Yes. There there's going to be yeah there's and they may not taste that great, but there will be some and those are going to be probably a little bit rare and even the liquid ones you're not going to see.

Rachael Hutchins (09:26.296)
It's not a gummy. Okay. Didn't know they made chewable prenatals. Okay, got it.

Rachael Hutchins (09:44.26)
Yeah. So do you have a go-to?

Dr. Shannon (09:45.427)
too many but I have a few I like mega food I tend to like something that's a little bit more like a whole food supplement rather than just synthetic and you can usually tell just by when you look on the label

Rachael Hutchins (10:02.424)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (10:08.691)
there should be like a proprietary blend at the bottom of like, okay, these are the foods that the vitamin C is coming from and the vitamin D and the E and the A. There's gonna be some that are, know, synthetic, yes, but I do tend to lean towards that a little bit more. So I like mega food. They have a great option too for older women, younger women, men, like all different stages of life. And so for the different needs that you have, Thorne is another really good.

Rachael Hutchins (10:16.111)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (10:24.495)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (10:31.994)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (10:37.437)
company needed. I've had some moms that have used that because sometimes certain things will make you nauseous. Certain I've got some moms, especially with the omegas that you want it to have in there. So DHA. So I like to have options. so not that's why sometimes it's tough. I'm like, it's like I don't really recommend one running shoe. I have a hard time with just like it's just this one. So I tend to send. Yeah. And then I'm constantly looking for

Rachael Hutchins (10:44.698)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (10:51.823)
Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (10:59.8)
Yeah, depends on how you tolerate it.

Dr. Shannon (11:04.581)
new ones that are out there too and new formulations and new blends of things.

Rachael Hutchins (11:10.402)
Yeah, ritual is a good one. think a lot of our clients have used in like, but I think the key there, the key takeaway is looking for whole food sources in, you know, cause some things do like you see a lot of more synthetic folic acid sometimes. but it's like, having, could be some synthetics mixed in there, but looking for a whole food, supplements. I've, I've always liked garden of earth.

Dr. Shannon (11:20.285)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (11:34.44)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (11:38.722)
They have a raw whole food prenatal. I think it's pretty good. Same thing with their probiotics. Rituals good, but doing your research, looking for the whole food sources of the vitamins. But the key things you really want is folate, B9, or the synthetic folic acid. And this is essential for DNA replication. You can also find this in leafy greens, citrus.

Dr. Shannon (11:41.673)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (11:57.321)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (12:01.139)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (12:06.436)
fruits, beans, eggs, dairy, and poultry. And so I think, you know, alongside a good prenatal is a good healthy diet where you're getting like the real source of these things. in a prenatal should be good sources of iron. You want to see good source of iron and vitamin D. And then like additional supplements I think would be things like your Omega-3 fatty.

Dr. Shannon (12:13.831)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (12:33.334)
acids like a DHA, EPA type of supplement and zinc. Sometimes your prenatal have zinc in it but it may not have a lot of zinc and then calcium. So calcium is a big player for the absorption of folic acid. So to make folic acid work well in your body and to absorb you've got to have a good source of calcium.

So again, more leafy greens, citrus fruits, beans, peas, nuts, beef liver, asparagus, broccoli, and all of that may not sound good, but some of it might. So just pick what sounds good and do that. But incorporating a good source of calcium is going to be important too.

Dr. Shannon (13:12.815)
Mm-hmm You might be taking a multivitamin anyways, know preconceptively and so the big difference between just like a regular Multivitamin and something that is prenatal specific is there there's going to be a higher concentration of some of the items that we went over

Rachael Hutchins (13:22.457)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (13:34.333)
with this list because the body is requiring a little bit extra. You you got a lot of DNA replication going on, you know, an increase in iron. There's a hit to the immune system because technically you're kind of growing a little parasite. So it's like, there's a bit of immune system depression there. So that's where zinc can help too, but zinc also helps with DNA replication. So there's a reason for those and why you want like a prenatal one specific. So you can't,

Rachael Hutchins (13:34.488)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (13:57.976)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (14:03.679)
That's where if you are taking a multivitamin, this goes into our next list of eight or whatever. is number three, reviewing what you're currently taking and the supplements that you're taking. I remember I was taking a really good liquid vitamin that I loved and a mineral support as well too. I brought it into the doctor's office just to make sure, this is my first pregnancy.

Rachael Hutchins (14:10.126)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (14:30.505)
I remember they made the comment that there was a lot of vitamin A and that too much vitamin A can be toxic to the fetus as far as like eye development. And so I was like, so that's where anything that you are wanting to take or looking to take, you do need to review it with your provider. They obviously may have the recommendations too. There's so many different options out there, but bring it to them and everything that you're taking already because you're not gonna need to take a multivitamin and a prenatal. That's gonna give you a little bit much.

Rachael Hutchins (14:38.254)
Okay.

Rachael Hutchins (14:47.737)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (14:53.038)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (14:57.743)
Mm-mm.

Dr. Shannon (14:59.931)
I do recommend having someone look over your list and bringing it to your provider. It may not all be in one supplement because sometimes the omega-3s are going to be in a different supplemental form. Sometimes Nordic Naturals is really good and they've got gummies and capsules and things too. Sometimes you have to maybe take additional supplements because other things on here would probiotics and things like that as well too.

Again, just discuss with your provider.

Rachael Hutchins (15:34.306)
Yes and I think kind of back to choice of care provider like a provider who's willing to discuss this in depth. You know what I've learned is personal opinion here with like home birth midwives like most of the ones I interact with put a huge emphasis on like getting the right vitamins and nutrients and food in to support the body to reduce

Dr. Shannon (15:56.615)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (16:02.094)
hypertension and preeclampsia and know, preterm labor or you know, excessive bleeding after like they like look at the whole like diet and really make sure you're dialed. And so just like food for thought of like if your current provider doesn't want to talk about this or put emphasis on it or spend time.

then maybe search that out. And if it's not a home birth midwife, cause maybe you're not choosing home birth, get it. That's not for everyone. Maybe like a functional medicine practitioner or even chiropractors or, know, people who are, who, who know that like what you put in your body, you know, and just taking, you know, a cheapy vitamin might be fine for some people, but it's not always the answer. And that if that's, I'm just trying to like put some emphasis.

Dr. Shannon (16:34.697)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (16:40.176)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (16:52.088)
on the importance of that. like you said, like you need to review it with your doctor or provider, whomever that is, but like, if they're not like giving it a decent amount of time and feedback, I would, it deserves it. Yeah. Yeah. And like the internet is overwhelming and like, so like having a trusted source of like, try these or do this combination and you know,

Dr. Shannon (17:04.763)
It deserves it. you yeah.

Dr. Shannon (17:15.838)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (17:20.654)
can also help reduce stress when you're trying to make this decision.

Dr. Shannon (17:23.983)
Mm-hmm. I do have like a little Prenatal Well, I have like a little supplement site where you can get him like discount But I do have like a prenatal and I'm sure you do too have like your prenatal like hey These are the ones you know that we recommend and use and you can send it to patients, too So that's the other aspect of like these other people in your birth Support team, you know, we'll probably Like where do we start?

Rachael Hutchins (17:39.876)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (17:46.794)
Who can provide that like help kind of decipher the information and give like good options Yeah, and get like your juices flying on like look how important this is and also talking about again You may not see this in the traditional model system medical model system, but like talking about whole foods That you can eat that are going to support your body and like how important what you put in during prank

Dr. Shannon (18:05.395)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (18:12.44)
you if you can prepare preconceptively, but definitely once you know you're pregnant, like that can dramatically, you know, reduce your overall risk for certain things during pregnancy and like for your birth too.

Dr. Shannon (18:25.339)
Mm-hmm, exactly. And so kind of in line with that too is our next little topic is, what would this be, one, two, three, this would be number four, is, yeah, it's what your...

Rachael Hutchins (18:35.992)
The diet.

Dr. Shannon (18:41.243)
eating. And maybe this would be like really go to your diet and then supplement and then talk about supplements. Because I do love the quote, like you can't supplement yourself out of a bad diet as well too. And so yeah, it's not and I've taken my vitamin, I'm gonna be fine, you know, and I get it. And I know in pregnancy, there's cravings. We're we're talking kind of beginning of pregnancy here. So we're not talking about the plates of chips ahoy.

Rachael Hutchins (18:54.016)
No, they go hand in hand. Good diet and supplements. not eat what you want and take all these vitamins.

No.

Rachael Hutchins (19:09.658)
And like think 80 20, like let's go. Like we don't have to say don't eat, enjoy yourself, but also pregnancy should not be an excuse to eat all the, like all bad stuff, all craving foods all the time. That is not going to produce a healthy outcome or give you the best chance at having a healthy outcome. So I think we got to be honest too about that of like how seriously you have to take.

Dr. Shannon (19:25.267)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (19:32.553)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (19:38.522)
treat your body while you're pregnant if you want to have the healthiest possible birth. And so I love the 80-20 rule because it gives you some room. Like 80, 80 % of the time we're, we're being good. And by being good, it's like, we're just prioritizing whole foods, eating. Like if you can make your plate, mostly veggies, you know, eating a variety of different proteins. and, and then the 20 is like, I'm going to have ice cream.

Dr. Shannon (19:46.431)
Mm-hmm.

80 % good. Yeah, don't flip it.

Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (20:03.217)
Eating the rainbow, the different colors of things.

Rachael Hutchins (20:08.627)
one a couple nights a week or here and there or you know like

Dr. Shannon (20:12.667)
Mm-hmm. It's not all or nothing. Yes. Yes. And you don't have to... That's where I like, would rather put that emphasis on like, ooh, eating whole food. Because I mean, folate, like you eat those dark leafy greens, some poultry, eggs, dairy, and your body won't store it, but you need folate. So that's where we have that synthetic aspect of folic acid and we fortified it because...

Rachael Hutchins (20:14.488)
Be intentional. It's not all or nothing, but the supplements aren't going to save you. No. Yeah. Food. Yes.

Dr. Shannon (20:40.571)
a lack of folate in the mom's diet, we know can lead to neural tube defects. So that's where the importance of the diet comes from for mom. I remember my nutrition class in chiropractic school, you would always talk about if you eat crap, and I usually tell people this, you will literally turn into crap. Your body is breaking down these foods in order to use those products to build new cells, tissues.

Rachael Hutchins (20:46.542)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (21:07.61)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (21:08.081)
organs, all of that. So I don't know, when you think about that, you can really kind of change the mindset too on eating and like, ooh, I get to eat these healthy foods and I get to feed me and I get to feed my baby well. And maybe that can make the broccoli and asparagus taste better. Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (21:14.98)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (21:21.6)
Yeah, yeah, I know it's not easy, especially when you're pregnant, but you know, I couldn't agree more. So number four here is upgrade your diet. And it does go in conjunction with some of those supplements we talked, because like, you know, the prenatal vitamin and all the vitamins that are kind of required for pregnancy are also found in many whole foods. So that's, it all kind of is intertwined. But

One of the big things with upgrading your diet is the protein intake and protein needs to be between 75 and 100 grams a day. And that's a lot. so keeping a little food journal for a little while, just to kind of see what you're getting is a good idea. And if you're not getting enough, it's not like forever in perpetuity, keep a food journal, but it's just like get a little snapshot of like a week and what are you averaging and then figuring out how you can up it. I think things like

Dr. Shannon (21:52.539)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (22:18.552)
full fat Greek yogurt is great because like in a third of a cup, think you're most of them a third of a cup, you can get like 20 grams of protein. know, figuring out where you can add, know, eggs are great, but not everyone likes eggs. You know, so protein is a big thing that has to have be upgraded in the diet to support the pregnancy.

Dr. Shannon (22:32.895)
I was going to say, yeah, I love eggs.

Dr. Shannon (22:43.623)
And there's exactly, and there's that book by Lily Nichols, The Real Food for Pregnancy. And she wrote that book, she's a nutritionist, and she wrote that book primarily because of gestational diabetes and how much diet can impact whether you have or develop gestational diabetes or not. It's not the end all be all, but, you know, don't hear what I'm not saying, but like it's, I mean, diet plays a huge role.

Rachael Hutchins (22:47.96)
Mmm.

Dr. Shannon (23:12.085)
And so that's always one of my go-to books. Even if you don't have like gestational diabetes, I'm like, she's really good.

Rachael Hutchins (23:15.15)
Yeah, I really like

Rachael Hutchins (23:19.512)
Love her book, love she's got, she's been on a couple of podcasts and then I really, the way she talks about diet and trying to eat in a way that makes you feel good and also will prevent like pregnancy related illness and disease. Like it's, makes sense. so again, the earlier you can be informed about how your diet can impact your, your pregnancy for in a variety of ways, the better off you'll be. And the sooner you can kind of implement some of these things.

the better and you know, it can reduce rates of gestational diabetes and like high blood pressure. I feel like I'm seeing a lot of high blood pressure incidences in pregnancy in otherwise healthy individuals. And I don't know how much diet and lifestyle are playing in, right? But being aware of like, you know, certain foods can cause, you know,

Dr. Shannon (23:49.555)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (23:58.857)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (24:17.778)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (24:19.296)
bounce in your blood pressure. you know the other thing with diet is iron and we touched on iron because it should be in your prenatal but a lot of people either come into pregnancy anemic or become anemic or really have low iron levels during pregnancy your body the blood volume is is increasing so much that it can be hard

Dr. Shannon (24:22.409)
Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (24:45.982)
for your body to have enough iron and that's a really important component. And sometimes taking like a synthetic or supplement supplemental iron can cause like digestion issues, maybe constipation or upset tummy. So consider getting it in a whole food form like animal protein. Liver is a really great source of

Dr. Shannon (25:00.819)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (25:11.114)
Many nutrients and proteins and iron that you need. I know it doesn't sound good You can eat it or there is a supplement called desiccated liver It doesn't sound as bad as it is because it is and I think you can take an appeal form or like I took it I think I took like something called fermented desiccated liver during my pregnancy. It was in a liquid form again recommended by my midwives But it was a good source of it. So if you need it you like

Dr. Shannon (25:13.49)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (25:25.545)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (25:30.195)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (25:37.451)
huh.

Rachael Hutchins (25:39.598)
think about where it's coming from. And then if that source is maybe causing some digestion issues, then just explore your other options. So iron is something important to consider and your source of it.

Dr. Shannon (25:47.444)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (25:53.247)
Yep. And you can sometimes, you do tend to end up with constipation when you do increase the iron in the diet. And so I usually tell my moms, I usually recommend like a magnesium supplement too. And a lot of times they'll have magnesium with their prenatal. So hopefully it kind of comes with it, but to help the digestion.

Rachael Hutchins (26:12.538)
And magnesium, that's another great supplement. know we're throwing lots out at you, but magnesium helps your body absorb and like be efficient with the nutrients you're taking in. And that's one of the things I've learned and it helps regulate your blood sugar. You know, I think some people take it because I think it's going to help them sleep. It doesn't like cause sleepiness, but it does the way the body responds. does like kind of help it like optimize.

Dr. Shannon (26:17.191)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (26:25.939)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (26:30.077)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Mm-mm.

Rachael Hutchins (26:42.25)
absorption of vitamins and nutrients and then like kind of relax the body in a way that helps you sleep promotes it. Yeah. but I have, I like it now when I think about like how I felt like there's like a, side, another side effect or benefit from it is the absorption and like blood sugar stabilization that comes from magnesium and taking it at night.

Dr. Shannon (26:42.505)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (26:48.913)
It promotes sleep.

Dr. Shannon (27:04.337)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yep. Nope. I know. We should have had that on our little... There are so many. Everything's important, right, at this point. Don't overwhelm. I know. There are some things to think about. So our next little nugget is kind of food safety types of things. So with...

Rachael Hutchins (27:12.226)
I know, don't want to make it overwhelming.

Dr. Shannon (27:29.893)
You want enough omega fatty acids and a lot of the times those are coming from fish products, but then you want to be really careful about the type of fish products that you're eating, especially as it pertains to mercury levels and that type of thing. So sometimes like the albacore tuna tends to have a little bit more. So just a little bit of research in there. Kind of like you don't want some of those, I don't know what they would be called. I don't know, like swordfish, shark, like marlin, like, I don't know, like a tougher meat.

Rachael Hutchins (27:55.916)
Yeah, we have them here. We have Swordfish, Shark, Marlin, we have Orange Ruffee, Tilefish, and King Mackerel, and then limit Albacore Tuna to no more than six ounces per week. So not all fish is bad, but the ones that are higher in mercury, and it tends to be larger fish because they eat other fish, and then so they usually have a greater buildup of mercury. And so, you know, I think tuna is good. I think salmon.

Dr. Shannon (28:05.605)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (28:13.607)
Yeah, those big guys.

Dr. Shannon (28:19.827)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (28:23.941)
Mm-hmm. I was gonna say salmon. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (28:25.324)
is a good one. It's not high in mercury, especially if you can get wild caught. That would be a good source of getting it without a lot of mercury. But just being aware of that, it's surprising how many people, you know, aren't aware or they think like fish is just like off limits. And it's like, no, fish is really healthy.

Dr. Shannon (28:44.945)
Right. Yeah, no, you just want to be very intentional with, yeah, with the type of fish. But yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (28:50.36)
And there are plant-based omegas out there too that are good if you're like wanting to stay away from fish or you're vegetarian maybe. There are plant-based omegas out there that are really good too.

Dr. Shannon (28:53.727)
Hehe.

Dr. Shannon (28:59.495)
Yes, there's some like a vegan option ones.

Dr. Shannon (29:05.797)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly You do kind of want to stay away for some raw fish. So if you love sushi, maybe Maybe we stop sushi for a hot minute. I'm not a big fan of sushi Anything undercooked are you my oldest loves sushi. We took them to sushi restaurant froze whatever 14th birthday Yeah, they're involving sushi factory, but don't go there if you're pregnant

Rachael Hutchins (29:21.457)
I am.

Rachael Hutchins (29:27.406)
I know we still are wanting to go there, the one down in Kennesaw. Yeah. Yeah, don't go there if you're pregnant.

Dr. Shannon (29:34.911)
No, but raw fish like undercooked things Even like I feel like it was Runny eggs like just little things like undercooked things. I feel like you just kind of stay away from but then deli meats I would always I'm I guess if I'm being honest, I'm not a big fan of deli meat because it's processed but I also eat it so I'm gonna be a hundred percent honest like I do still eat it because 80 20, right so

You would just heat it up. I would always just heat it up in the microwave to kind of, you know, kill anything there. But you do want to stick a stay away from just under cooked meats and stuff like that stuff that you would probably normally be fine with and that you would be fine with eating, you know, if you feel like steak like my husband does. So and then the unpasteurized cheese. I feel like this one bothers me because I really liked blue cheese and I'm like, do I really have to?

Rachael Hutchins (30:03.514)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (30:29.801)
Do I really have to give it up? Yeah. I'm like, because I'm pretty sure I did eat it.

Rachael Hutchins (30:30.65)
Yeah, that feels like an extra conservative, no, I'm like, I don't even think I thought twice about eating soft cheese. but it is, you know, on the list. You could always, again, that's, don't take our recommendation. We're not medical providers. You can always ask your midwife or OB what they think it is on the list of things to avoid. And it just, because there's a higher incidence, right. Of maybe having some.

Dr. Shannon (30:41.189)
Yeah, I'm gonna be honest. think I, Just talk about it.

Dr. Shannon (30:51.338)
Yes.

Dr. Shannon (30:56.809)
Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (30:59.032)
bacteria in it that wasn't killed in the process of making it and that when you're pregnant you're more susceptible to you know, it impacting you like making you sick and we don't want that to happen. So, you know, make your own decisions. So, and then with food safety, this might seem very obvious, but this is important. Avoid drinking alcohol.

Dr. Shannon (31:04.671)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (31:10.281)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Exactly.

Rachael Hutchins (31:29.082)
Avoid smoking or vaping. Consuming alcohol during pregnancy does put your child at risk for lifelong learning disabilities, behavioral problems and other health issues. Some people, you know, get loose in the third trimester. I hear it kind of out there as far as like, baby's done developing. It's safe to drink. And I do think there's conflicting information out there. I hold kind of firmly to the

Don't drink during pregnancy. I do think it can also be a slippery slope because I think like once you have like maybe you're like, okay, I can have half a glass of wine, but then that loosens you up and you're like, okay, I can have more without thinking about the consequences because that's kind of how alcohol acts on us. And this is not a judgment or anything I had. I think there were a couple nights in my like final week or two of pregnancy. I had a glass of wine and it honestly came at the recommendation from my midwife as a means of it was red wine and it was just to help.

me like come and sleep and she was just like have like a small glass like this is not like go have a half a bottle of wine type of thing. So you know again individual choices and consult your provider with what they think is safe during the third trimester. Did you have something you wanted to share about that?

Dr. Shannon (32:28.404)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (32:45.103)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. I just remember with my first, I didn't know I was pregnant and I had gone back to where I went to college with some friends. And so we were in the downtown area and we just had, you know, just a fun time because you're young and I remember coming back.

And I don't know how soon it was after I found out I pregnant, but I remember being really, really upset in the office because I was like, my gosh, I went downtown Athens and I was drinking. And I was like, and she was very, very sweet and was like, you're fine. So I don't want anybody to freak out, but then I didn't have anything else to drink, once you find out. But don't.

Rachael Hutchins (33:28.982)
Yeah, of course. Yeah, I think that happens to a lot of people if they're not like, you know.

Dr. Shannon (33:32.991)
Uh-huh. Yeah, that's what she said and I was just like, my gosh, but still, you know.

Rachael Hutchins (33:37.394)
Yeah, and they that's once you know, it's always like once you know, that's when you focus on it. And so, yeah, and then, you know, smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and also increases the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight and certain birth defects. So and I wanted to lump in vaping there too, because we don't really know the risk of that. But I would say avoid that as well. And being around it, I think that's important.

Dr. Shannon (33:57.992)
Hmm.

Dr. Shannon (34:03.243)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (34:06.739)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (34:06.798)
Secondhand smoke and vaping is also not good for you. So just limit your exposure there too.

Dr. Shannon (34:14.451)
Yeah, being mindful of that. Mm-hmm. Yep, yep, Okay, let's see. One, two, three, four, five, our food safety stuff. Okay. So our sixth one on here is talking about being physically active. This is obviously something that would be good preconceptively to have. think most of these habits would be something good preconceptively to have in your life.

Rachael Hutchins (34:36.514)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (34:40.739)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (34:44.467)
But there's a little bit of a line between physical activity and pregnancy and like, this is not like the chance to start like training for an Ironman and things like that. I'm being extreme in that example, but I wanna be clear that we want you to move still. it's being mindful of the activities that you're choosing.

Rachael Hutchins (34:56.505)
Alright.

Rachael Hutchins (35:03.471)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (35:08.083)
but, and maybe modifying things, but you should be well and fine to do most of the activities that you do regularly for exercise while into pregnancy. It is good, minimum of 30 minutes a day for kind of that three to five day range, you can do weights. There's all kinds of things that you can do. Getting the heart rate up is good and you'll notice, well, this is still just early pregnancy stuff, because you'll notice you can't really breathe later on.

I that I, so I run a lot and I ran through both of my pregnancies. And I know early on, I think it helped a lot with just nausea and like even fatigue. Like even though I was tired, I still felt like my energy was better with regular exercise. And so I didn't really change it up too much. I just was able to maintain that. So.

Rachael Hutchins (35:53.028)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (36:01.21)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (36:05.725)
Maybe some of that's a little bit of that my body was adapted to that. So that's why I like that preconceptive like activity and then you continue it through pregnancy. But it is beneficial for those aspects in addition to the other health benefits.

Rachael Hutchins (36:10.724)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (36:21.016)
Yeah, optimal if you can start preconceptively. I mean, that's just good for life in general. And then if you find out you're pregnant, definitely it's important that you add it in at that minimum requirement, like you said. and there are many benefits, but when you feel like crap in the first trimester, like it's so hard to motivate. I mean, the fatigue and the nausea for some are

Dr. Shannon (36:31.933)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (36:39.891)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (36:44.268)
are debilitating at some times. So do what you can with what you got and just add it in as you start feeling better and know if you have any bit of motivation, like Shannon said, that it can actually help reduce those symptoms and help them feel better. It can help you kind of like push through and get there, but it can be really, really hard to motivate. We get it. But there are so, so many benefits to being physically active during pregnancy, you know, for you, for baby, including helping build strength and flexibility.

to combat common aches and pains of pregnancy, reduces instances of hypertension and gestational diabetes. It improves mood and energy, helps improve sleep, helps with postpartum recovery physically and mentally. And think about doing different things. There isn't like a, you have to do like this, but just think like what feels good to you if it's hiking or walking or yoga or lifting weights or dance, whatever.

you feel good doing, you're going to be more likely to do it. So do that. and I think if you can add in some strength, that'd be cool. but, and, and like stretch stretching or yoga for flexibility to help you prepare for the birth. but I think when you have people on your team, like a chiropractor or doula or midwife pelvic floor therapist, like they're going to kind of give these recommendations too. So you can always look to them for guidance.

Dr. Shannon (38:09.183)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, and as I say bring any activities that you want to do to your provider as well too, especially if it's some you know, if you were doing extreme sports or something beforehand, but Yeah, let them know you're gonna move but that Does go a really long way and can kind of be connected to the next thing on our list so Number seven would be kind of keeping stress in check. I feel like exercise is a good way to just help

balance emotions. but I mean, it can be, you know, when you first find that out, there's a lot of like excitement, potentially, and like adrenaline, there can be a lot of stress as well too. because it is a big change and whatever, history you're coming from can impact that as well. Whether, I guess I'm thinking of like, if you have a history of like in these sort of mental health issues,

Rachael Hutchins (39:06.938)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (39:07.133)
with anxiety or depression, it, you know, finding that out in those first little bit, you can have a flare up, you know, so to say of that. So it's keeping those mental health habits that you maybe already have developed and continuing them or starting some new ones and ways to process those emotions. I do like exercise as a way to get things unstuck, you know, as far as the emotions or whatnot.

Rachael Hutchins (39:16.218)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (39:35.854)
Yep. Yeah. So keeping stress in check is vitally important to the health for you and baby. Period. the hard part with that is that everyone has stress, right? Everyone has stress, like daily life stress or previous trauma stress, or like you said, mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, OCD, all of those things.

Dr. Shannon (39:49.172)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (40:01.612)
in one way or another and so we have to be aware of the impact of stress on pregnancy. You know, it can cause a lot of challenges. So the sooner we can be proactive with combating that and kind of setting yourself up for good routines and good habits, the better off. So, you know, sharing your feelings with someone you trust.

talking about this with someone and finding the right care for you. So depending on what your source of stress is or your triggers or whatever, like finding the right support system for you. So maybe that's a mental health counselor, specifically like to perinatal, talking with trusted friends and family, talking with your birth support team, you know, and then adding in the good self care things, know, walking in nature, warm up some salt baths, prenatal massage.

chiropractic care, you know, a hobby, something that like can, your brain can kind of like check out for a little bit, like coloring or I've seen recently like, you know, doing those instructional Lego sets or like, a puzzle, like something that's like, you don't have to think about doing, but you can kind of just like turn your brain off for a minute. I find that really helpful. I really, really like the, like the Lego sets that are kind of

Dr. Shannon (41:12.159)
With the paint by numbers. I've seen that a bunch.

Rachael Hutchins (41:26.478)
Like easy, have instructions, I get at something in the end and during that time I'm like not on my phone and I'm not, I don't know, it's just a cool way to decompress. So exploring those options. What else? Taking mini breaks throughout the day, you know, when you're pregnant and we all have stress in one way or another, like finding time.

Dr. Shannon (41:28.639)
You

Dr. Shannon (41:34.993)
I love it. Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (41:52.468)
Mini breaks, right? Like, I like, I don't have an hour to go get a prenatal massage. Okay, cool. Let's do 10 minutes in the morning of decompressed time, 10 minutes in the middle of the day, and maybe 10 minutes in the evening where you can like do whatever helps you feel good. Maybe it's having no stimulation. Maybe it's listening to music. Maybe it's coloring like 10 minutes, mini break. Maybe it's journaling. I love journaling as a way to like get out some of the feelings. And

you know, you've got to release that tension where you're going to continually have stress and tension ebb and flow throughout pregnancy. So you have to learn how to deal with it. So it doesn't build up. and I chiropractic care is a great way to also release those, that tension and clear those pathways. but you know, it's, it's multi-layered for a lot of people. It's there's no one size fits all. So we're just kind of throwing out some ideas and just trying to bring awareness to the importance of keeping stress in check.

for optimal health and safe birth.

Dr. Shannon (42:53.413)
Mm-hmm. I You know, I was working full-time out of the house with both my pregnancies, but I remember like that fatigue is really real early on and like no one may know that you're pregnant and you're not really showing and it

Rachael Hutchins (43:11.974)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's like the hardest time.

Dr. Shannon (43:15.739)
It's the hardest time. And so sometimes too, and then you're like, well, I look like normal me yet maybe you're not getting as much done in the day as you used to or something else. It's a little bit of being graceful with yourself because I like when sometimes I don't remember who I've heard this from. They're like, what'd you do today? I made an eyeball, you know, like your body, you know, I love that. I'm growing a human. Yeah. So you got to.

Rachael Hutchins (43:28.814)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (43:34.97)
I'm growing a human.

Dr. Shannon (43:39.783)
Yeah, it seems easier to say that in the third trimester when everybody can tell you're pregnant, you got the waddle and you know those type of things. But it's still early on like be graceful with yourself. You don't necessarily have to push through with things. So that's being mindful with your exercise. But I don't you know, you don't want that mental stress too of like, my gosh, I used to always be doing this. Why am I taking naps all the time? It's okay. You gotta take the nap. You gotta lean into what the body is telling you to do. But just know that like you've got a lot going on. You got so many so much is going on that you can't see. So

Rachael Hutchins (43:59.844)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (44:09.474)
Mm-hmm. yeah. yeah.

Dr. Shannon (44:09.567)
Don't beat yourself up too with the early fatigue and stress.

Rachael Hutchins (44:14.862)
Yeah, I feel, I think it's very, during that time where you kind of go from being yourself, like feeling like yourself. And, of course you're excited about the pregnancy, but it's also very, it's a very confusing time because you feel very different. But like you said, it's not like people don't know it on the outside. You're not really sharing it. It's like the adjustment time there to like, cause I think people feel that can like, I struggled cause I remember I'd be trying to work and all I wanted to do was crawl under my desk and go to sleep.

Dr. Shannon (44:30.825)
Mm-hmm.

You look the same.

Dr. Shannon (44:42.879)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (44:44.408)
And so just really was like a challenge to exist. And it always came at ebbed and flowed. It did, cause I would be the tie, like the fatigue and the nausea was like so strong, but then I had to kind of carry on. Like I still had to show up. Like I couldn't just take the whole first trimester off of work or sleep all day. And so that's where like you had to find these little things that you could plug in.

Dr. Shannon (44:49.621)
I love that. A challenge to exist. Now I know. That's what it feels like though.

Dr. Shannon (45:01.073)
Mm-hmm. That's so tough. Yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (45:13.171)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (45:13.25)
and then be gracious with yourself of like, this is why, like your body, the number of hormones that your body is producing and then your blood volume doubling and your, you know, just so much happening. And it's the whole pregnancy, but I think the first trimester is the hardest because there's that adjustment period of like, I'm pregnant. Like, I don't know, I don't know. It's hard.

Dr. Shannon (45:16.905)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (45:27.86)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (45:34.043)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, it is hard, I know. So don't be hard on yourself. Your body's already doing all the hard work, yeah. Okay, so the last thing I think on our list is the beginning of building the birth support team. So we kind of mentioned at the beginning with...

Rachael Hutchins (45:42.978)
Yeah, be gracious. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (45:59.345)
wanting to get in and getting that like initial prenatal check, know, depending upon how early it is you find out when you're pregnant. I remember the second time around we went way too early and you really there was like, this is too early. I was like, okay, I'll have to come back. so this is the beginning of building your birth support team. And we have a lot of episodes of this. We're not going to go through it now because we're going to do another episode on

And we have a lot of good interviews with providers and we're going to add in more interviews with providers to come. But it's looking at, creating that birth support team with your provider, but then there's other members of the birth support team that you can start looking at. And in some instances, these newer birth support team members will maybe have relationships with other birth support team people that

you could bring into your journey. And so I'm looking at specifically what we are obviously going to talk about is Dula, Labor Dula Support and prenatal chiropractic care. And so we have a bunch of little episodes too on like what to look for, what did they do, how did they help as far as it's not so pressing. So I don't want to like overwhelm and be like, okay, I've got to do all of these things in the week. No, but it's having it on your list, hearing the word Dula. Maybe you've never heard the word Dula. Maybe you don't hear the word Dula from your provider.

Rachael Hutchins (47:19.002)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (47:22.143)
And it's, want, that's one of my goals with this podcast is so that you hear words that you maybe have never heard from your provider that can change the trajectory of your birth and which can change the trajectory of your mental health and postpartum and everything else. So it's very important. So not necessarily pressing right at the beginning, but I do think it's very important for you to research these options.

Rachael Hutchins (47:34.628)
you

Rachael Hutchins (47:39.546)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (47:47.849)
so that you can decide, yes, I want this or no, I don't, but at least I am informed about it. So I guess that's like in a nutshell, we have all the ones about like the benefits of it,

Rachael Hutchins (47:55.864)
It's like planting the seed for people who have found out they're pregnant to begin exploring their options to build a support team because there are benefits to having prenatal chiropractic care. There are benefits to having birth doula support as well as postpartum doula support. And, you know, if you don't know that those people exist in the realm of pregnancy, then like you don't even know your options. So that's kind of why we want to just

Dr. Shannon (48:05.043)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (48:13.95)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (48:25.162)
That's why for one, it's in the eight things to do when you find out you're pregnant is to begin considering who you want to be on your birth support team so that you can kind of start that research process. It's not like you have to have everything locked down like you said. But yeah, mean, we obviously believe that birth doula support and chiropractic care is so helpful or we wouldn't be in our careers that we are.

You know, and with Burke Dula's, you know, we, from the time you hire us until 12 weeks postpartum, at least that's our setup, like we're your Dula's in your pocket. So you've got questions, you got concerns, you want to learn more, you want to get resources. Like we're there for all of it. And like with years of experience and training, just so you can have the information you want to have the support you want.

Dr. Shannon (49:07.156)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (49:21.754)
to learn how to advocate for yourself in the birth space. It's a lot. So we can be alongside you through that whole journey so that you have the best chance at having the birth that you want and started on the right foot into motherhood.

Dr. Shannon (49:38.719)
Are you finding that moms are reaching out earlier in their pregnancies or do you still see moms reach out and they're like, I'm due in two months. Do you have any availability? What do you see? Okay.

Rachael Hutchins (49:54.306)
Yes and yes. We get the, it is literally like a healthy mix of people who pee on a stick and set up a consult with us as soon as they find out. We've had people not even pregnant yet having a consult. So they know as soon as they're pregnant who they're going to hire. And then the people who very, very early in the first trimester. And then, I mean, we have a consult, I think this week with someone who's due at the end of the month or beginning of November. or

Dr. Shannon (50:00.297)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (50:08.807)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (50:12.98)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (50:23.167)
Mm.

Rachael Hutchins (50:23.64)
Obviously we don't know when this is going out, but they're doing a few weeks and, and they're having higher their dual yet. like, you know, but when people ask when we like to say beginning of the second trimester is a, is a good time. We feel like to actually hire your dual of now that doesn't mean you can't be figuring out your options in the first trimester, but you know, walking one down in the second trimester, beginning of the second trimester, cause that's going to maximize your.

Dr. Shannon (50:26.75)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (50:40.637)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (50:47.903)
Right.

Rachael Hutchins (50:53.508)
time with them.

Dr. Shannon (50:54.57)
Right and maximizes the time with them you get more potentially information that's spread out. Maybe not so much like my gosh It's right at the end blah blah blah blah blah blah, you know, like have you done this this this this this Not that you guys are able you know what I mean, like just kind of being later there Yeah

Rachael Hutchins (51:01.492)
Right. Right.

Rachael Hutchins (51:06.69)
No, there's a lot. There's no way. there's no way. It's so much better when it can be like nicely spaced out. Because it's a journey. Like, and like, yeah.

Dr. Shannon (51:12.479)
Yeah, when it's spaced out. And this dual is gonna be in your intimate birth space. They're gonna be in the birth room. You wanna get to know them and be comfortable and then your nervous system feels safe with them. there was something else I wanted to say. We're talking about birth duals. it's not like duals are gonna have a maximum number of clients that they can handle.

Rachael Hutchins (51:20.654)
Right, you wanna get to know them.

Rachael Hutchins (51:41.689)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (51:42.243)
And birth is unpredictable and so most doulas try to manage their calendar and schedule so that they don't have overlapping births. So the only reason I want to mention that too is that's where maybe looking out and searching earlier, know, and you mentioned second trimester that gives you a better chance of them maybe not already having that calendar full. And I think very kind doulas are the ones that do that so that they respect the fact that you want them there, you know, at

Rachael Hutchins (51:57.647)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (52:10.156)
Yes.

Dr. Shannon (52:10.993)
at the birth, you know who's going to be there. So I just wanted to mention that.

Rachael Hutchins (52:13.046)
Yes, absolutely. That's a great point. And that is why I would say early second trimester versus like end of second trimester because you will run into people not having availability. For sure. Yeah, there is a limited, every doula has a max number of people they can take in a month. Some take more, some take less, but we take a very mindful load because we want to be at your birth.

Dr. Shannon (52:24.345)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (52:30.333)
Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (52:36.463)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. So, but that's where you interview, know, you interview, interview all the people on your care team. I want to mention with chiropractic care the aspect of like the best time to plant a tree was yesterday or whatever that thing is, but the next second best time is today. Like, I would prefer to have people start under care earlier than later.

Rachael Hutchins (53:03.456)
Sure, yeah.

Dr. Shannon (53:04.647)
So again, I don't want to pressure like, my gosh, if I was pregnant, I'm already behind all of these things and blah, blah. It's not that, but I would put it up there pretty early with, and it has nothing to do with availability and offices, but it has to do with the amount of time that I'm gonna have to work with you to help balance pelvis and sacrum biomechanically, but also looking at

Rachael Hutchins (53:09.671)
No.

Dr. Shannon (53:32.219)
nervous system health. So balancing pelvis and sacrum biomechanically, want to like, don't want to have to work extra hard later in the pregnancy to undo some things that have been wound up, whereas I have a little bit more time to unwind things if we start earlier in pregnancy. But then also too, gives your nervous system a chance to regulate, respond to stressors appropriately. We already talked about the importance of stress. Like you're not going to be able to eliminate it, but can we respond to

Rachael Hutchins (53:43.588)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm.

Dr. Shannon (54:00.591)
situations and things appropriately without maybe going to fight or flight or to a freeze aspect of things. And so I think chiropractic care is a way to help regulate that as well too. the earlier, the better in that aspect. There's also, I'm not a spokesperson for the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, but they do, they're kind of the governing body for Webster Technique, which is that specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment for prenatal care.

So I did want to mention that you do want to search out someone who is qualified in dealing with a pregnant pelvis and the nuances that come with that. So you can go to icpa4kids.org and you can search for a Webster certified chiropractor in your ear. You just put in your zip code. So that's really cool as well too. So my two little nuggets.

Rachael Hutchins (54:30.628)
Mm-hmm.

Rachael Hutchins (54:38.542)
Yes.

Rachael Hutchins (54:51.268)
Great advice, great advice. And being connected with someone like Dr. Shannon is gonna expose you to more like resources and meaningful support where you may not get that otherwise. just want to, there's so many benefits to seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy. I did it with both of mine. I came late to chiropractic care with my first like meaning like I was like 38 weeks. I was like that one that you're like, okay, we got you, but this is not optimal.

Dr. Shannon (55:18.607)
I got you. Yeah. And I never make a mom feel bad. I'm like, yes, let's do this. But in my head, I'm like, okay, let's do this. my gosh. Yeah.

Rachael Hutchins (55:20.282)
And right, right, you're here now. Yeah. And then, but then all the way through with my second and definitely notable differences, being like having more time under care with the second. And I had, I had good births and I was under car, prior to care of both of them. So I know that that helped. Yeah. well, this is good.

Dr. Shannon (55:29.363)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (55:34.843)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Dr. Shannon (55:44.647)
Yeah. Yay! Anything else on your list? I don't think I had. I think that was it. All of our A-Lil things we kind of went over. Yeah, so congrats you're pregnant.

Rachael Hutchins (55:50.038)
Mm-hmm. We will link in our show notes, like the additional episodes that kind of go further in depth on some of these topics. We know this is just beginning, you know, scratching the surface. So definitely check out the notes and stay tuned for a new episode coming at you soon.