28 May Pregnancy and the Primal Diet
Preparing for a healthy pregnancy begins with prioritizing the parents’ health. This process ideally begins with your parents’ parents. As the reader you have limited control over this and maximum control of your own state of being.
By optimizing your health physically, emotionally and spiritually you are setting intentions and creating a healthy, loving and welcoming environment for your child to enter this world.
On the emotional level, how can you clean up the skeletons in your closest?
Have you wrapped up any unfinished relationship business, established more stillness and serenity in your yourself to be mentally and emotionally available for your new role as a parent?
Is there healing work that you need to do to get right with your parents, your spouse, your ex-spouse, other children, or your inner child to eliminate any anxiety that you might be creating that will negatively impact your new child.
Avyanna experienced a healing crisis when Asa was a year old that almost killed her. This was triggered by an unresolved relationship within her family of origin. This shock to her system caused Avyanna to become incredibly depleted and informed her decision to stop breast-feeding which allowed her to conserve all of her energy for her own healing process. Asa was weened and Avyanna healed.
Emotional instability can make or break your capacity to get pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy, and a healthy baby.
On the physical level, is your environment safe and secure?
We don’t need a mansion and million in the bank, but we do need to have a safe space, even if it’s the back of a minivan and access to clean food, air, warmth, and water. This needs to be a place without emotional conflict where the tension and stress is low and welcoming.
How compatible are you with your mate? Do you have similar or opposite defensive patterns, love languages, attachment styles, values, and goals?
Are you capable of meeting your new child’s physical, financial, and emotional needs? This includes the basics of food, shelter, touch, and love.
In regards to food, there’s a big difference between junk food, health food, and optimal nourishment for building healthy babies.
Most of ya’ll have already eliminated junk food yet think that “Health Food” is on track for making healthy babies. However, most health conscious eaters are missing the mark. Organic sugar, organic flour, organic sodas, organic fruit juices, chocolate, roasted, salted, and smoked products, and free-trade coffee are NOT health foods!!!
If you are struggling to get pregnant, reevaluate the relationship you are in, your motives, your home space, and eliminate ALL of these toxic life-taking non-foods from your diet.
How can I best prepare Spiritually?
Why are you wanting to get pregnant? Because that’s what a woman is suppose to do? Because you are not being fulfilled in your marriage? Because you want to pass down your namesake or have them take over the family business? These might have been good motivations 500 years ago, but today we recognize that we are responding to the calling of a “Spirit Baby” who is choosing us as their vehicle to incarnate.
Your child is choosing YOU! Are you listening to this call? Are you willing to sign your spirit baby’s terms of agreement?
Certain creative energies are more suited to being parents. Are you a compassionate person who connects deeply with children? Do you have a supportive and nurturing body-type for birthing? Is family as important to you as a career? Do you see children as their own unique souls with their own unique path or just an extension of you and your goals and expectations?
Get clear about your purpose in life and develop a deep knowing that this IS your contribution.
When and how do I prepare for pregnancy?
Most tribal women begin preparing for pregnancy two years ahead of time. They begin dreaming about their next pregnancy. They create a large enough gap between pregnancies to regain their health and this is optimally 3-years. They move caretaking of their older children on to a grandparent or older sibling freeing up mama to be physically and emotionally available for the pregnancy.
They begin eating larger quantities of animal fats and proteins including the special foods of raw cream, raw butter, red meat, liver, and organ meats and slow down duties to conserve energy.
I had been on the Primal Diet for 20-years. Avyanna had begun the Primal Diet 6-years before Asa was born eliminating sugar, grains, and alcohol and by eating raw egg and raw milk smoothies daily, drinking green vegetable juice, and eating her meat both raw and rare. A year before conception she eliminated black tea (caffeine), maple syrup, salt, and starches.
Avyanna and I began discussing, dreaming, negotiating, and preparing for pregnancy 2 years in advance. I was wrapping up unfinished relationship business and getting centered for my self.
Once we made contact with our spirit baby, we needed to get crystal clear that we were willing to agree to this contract.
We spent the next 6-months getting clear by journaling, doing Shadow and inner work to confirm that we were up to the task. Avyanna and I began chanting together before bed and preparing for
subconscious communication with our Spirit Baby. We researched the best astrological time to conceive a compatible child which confirmed Avyanna’s intuition and visions. We wanted a connected and co-creative relationship with our child where our gifts and unity as a family could flourish.
Avyanna and I both have key placements of Scorpio and Sagittarius in our charts, so we began trying to get pregnant in February and did get pregnant in March for the birth to happen in this late Fall time frame. Asa was born a healthy and curious Sagittarius.
How can a father prepare himself?
The exact same way as the women and more. The father’s lifestyle, physical, emotional, and spiritual health contributes 50% to the development of the embryo and the health of your spirit baby. I would actually say that the father contributes 33%. The mother contributes 33% and your baby contributes 33% . Get on the Primal Diet, get your house in order, create security for your family to be, be discerning about selecting a compatible partner, and don’t put all the responsibility and initiative on your partner. Do all the research, preparations and the woo-woo chanting and get your shit together to make it a co-creative process so your partner feels supported and can relax in your confident, “I gotcha babe”, arms.
How do I find a compatible partner?
The best is to get referrals from your best friends who know you well. Next is to make friends with people who are part of your community and interest groups. If you love tennis, make friends with someone on the court. If you are a health enthusiast, make friends with folks at the farmers market. If you are a book worm, make friends in a book reading club.
Look for someone who is mature, grounded, stable and has many of Abraham Maslow’s 16 Distinguishing Features of Self-Actualizing People
The key is not to get swept up in excitement and intensity of a familiar, or opposite, or sexual attraction. Stay in your frontal lobe, make a best friend and then proceed just like making any intelligent big decision like buying a house or starting a business. Look under the hood, read the fine print, get a second opinion and weigh out the risks and benefits before becoming intimate with each other.
Avynana and I attended a training program at the Higher Alignment Center for Conscious Relationships. For 7 years we studied our unique values, virtues, and qualities while learning how to spot and attract compatible partners. Through this process, Avyanna and I initiated and engaged our partnership process.
How can I have the healthiest birth process?
Giving birth at home unassisted is the healthiest way to go. A calm environment where you can have all your comforts and foods near. You and your birth partner can connect and empower yourselves with the most ancient natural process that our bodies innately know how to do.
The medical church wants us to believe that birthing is a disease that needs their help to save us from ourselves. It is true that many of us are very unhealthy and thus have complicated births. And, this is natures way of making us stronger and healthier as a species. Medical intervention may save lives, but it perpetuates the decline of human health.
AVOID THE HOSPITAL AT ALL COST UNLESS IT’S A MEDICAL EMERGENCY!!!
Having an unassisted birth may be scary for first time parents, so get in touch with a midwife who values physiological birth to do some prenatal consultations to have experienced support and a back up person in case you have hemorrhaging and need emergency care (This, by the way, is really the only medical emergency as most everything else, breach, cord wrap, etc. can all be managed at home).
Take LaMaze breathing and birthing classes, schedule a session with a Pelvic Physical Therapist, contact La Leche League to learn about breastfeeding and get connected to a good supply of raw milk in case the mama doesn’t come into milk very well.
Our son was born unassisted and healthy at home.
We had our birth support person show up soon after the birth to welcome Asa, who was healthy and safe in Mama’s arms. She did remind us about the afterbirth, which we had totally spaced in all the excitement and assisted us skillfully with that. She was also a good friend and held space for Avyanna to share about her experience and personal process. During prenatal visits they talked about dreams and preconception communication as well as fears about birthing and family of origin challenges. It was helpful to have additional support when Avyanna needed it to set firm boundaries around our birthing space and empower her desire to have an unassisted birth. Our support person was a witness on our journey and helped Avyanna integrate the experience of free-birth when those around us could not. She cared for her postpartum and helped to resolve breastfeeding challenges.
Is it risky to get pregnant at 40 years-old?
Absolutely not! As long as you are still menstruating you can get pregnant. The risk is accumulating
40-years of toxicity in your body which would interfere with the healthy development of your child and produce problems like Downs, Autism, allergies, autoimmune etc. This is why we suggest taking several years to get clean and healthy BEFORE getting pregnant even it it takes you past your “birth window”.
How can I best keep my newborn healthy?
First, avoid ALL the medical interventions – vaccines, x-rays, CT Scans, ultrasounds, amniocentesis, silver nitrate eye prophylaxis, Vitamin K injections or drops, Vitamin D supplements, manufactured formulas, antibiotics, healthy baby evaluations, etc.
All baby needs to thrive is mama’s milk and TLC.
After Asa was born, Avyanna drastically reduced her fruit intake, moved to a completely raw meat and dairy diet to support Asa’s development and we avoided ALL medical interventions except one ultrasound to rule out if we were having twins.
What About Vitamin D?
Humans manufacture Vitamin D from sunlight. Get yourself and your baby outdoors in the sun every day for at least 30-minutes. Your baby will get Vitamin D from your mama milk if you are getting it from sunlight.
Is honey safe for my infant?
Raw unheated under 93 degrees F. honey is completely safe and actually is a beneficial enzyme that aids in digestion. Artificially heated honey that gets above 93 degrees F. is like crack and is as dangerous as refined sugar and corn syrup. Aajonus said that “it would be negligent NOT to feed infants raw unheated honey” (We Want to Live p. 276)
Is it Dangerous to feed my baby raw milk?
Countless studies and research have been done by William Campbell Douglas, Dr. Francis Pottenger, Dr. Weston Price, Dr. A.F. Hess, Dr. J.E. Crewe, and others proving that it’s not bacteria in raw milk that causes symptoms rather its pasteurization that turns the milk into a toxin. The commercial dairy industry and the medical establishment are working together to create the propaganda campaign against raw milk and try to scare us into thinking their poison is heathy for us.
Humans have been drinking raw milk for eons and the pasteurization process was just invented in the last 60 years to extend shelf life so diary operations would have less losses and more profits.
The only outbreaks attributed to food poisoning are attributed to pasteurized milk products (see p. 180 of Recipe For Living Without Disease)
Even Louis Pasteur admitted to being bought out and “Bechamp’s Terrain Theory was right.”
What is the difference between A1 and A2 milk?
All mammals produce a genetic structure of milk proteins that has A2 Casein, including humans. A1 only comes from genetically modified industrial dairy cows. So, if you want your baby to have a milk product that is compatible with digestion go with mama milk or A2 animal milk.
Click here for Understanding the A1 vs. A2 Beta-Casein Comparison
When do we move baby to solid foods?
Your baby will tell you when they’re ready for solid foods. When they want to try the solids that are on your plate, let them. Raw milkshakes, raw meat, raw liver are good transitions. Avoid all the sugary, fruity foods which are high in sugar and all the vegetables that they can not digest.
Click here to meet Max and his parents who thrive on Aajonus’ formula for a Healthy Baby
Baby Food/Infant Formula, p. 40 Recipe For Living Without Disease
Infant Liver Booster, p. 52 Recipe for Living Without Disease
Asa only had raw mama’s milk for the first year. After that, he wanted raw cow milk, raw milkshakes, and raw meat. We avoided fruit as much as possible and chose a small amount of green banana or blueberries as occasional option. The only fruit he eats is a small amount of berries, green banana, melon, pineapple, and dates. Raw fats like butter and cream must be eaten with them and only in the afternoon, so it doesn’t make him hyper, cranky and irritable. We restrict the amount of carrot and beets he eats as well because of the high sugar content. We notice a big change in his mood and ability to stay centered if he eats too many veggies in general. He gets sweetener only from raw unheated honey.
His favorite foods these days are raw chicken, raw beef, raw pork, lube drink and plenty of raw milk and honey. For a snack he’ll have raw green banana with cream and honey or dates with raw unsalted butter. And, he knows to limit his cheese intake, avoid salt and cooked food, because it makes his face puffy and constipated.
Asa loves it and is not only thriving but excelling on this diet!!!
He has never had an eye ache, maybe one or two fevers, a handful of snotty noses (usually after eating cooked food), vomited perhaps a half-dozen times, red and cruddy eyes once, and a couple days of low energy in his 4-years of life.
No allergies. No eczema. No colic. No gas. No sleepless nights. No indigestion. No diaper rash.
Asa is one of the healthiest kids I have ever seen.
How can I support the teething process?
Cold feels good on the gums, put some non-plastic item in the freezer and let them chew on it. Chicken bones were our choice and Asa loves “bones” to this day.
Is a fever dangerous?
Fever is the bodies cleansing process. Heating the body increases circulation, speeds up metabolism (along with increased blood pressure, increase pulse, and increased respiration and perspiration.) Stopping a fever thwarts the healing process and promotes disease. Support a fever by keeping the baby warm and encourage perspiration. When the fever breaks the healing process is complete and your baby will be healthy and happy again. Aajonus said, “I have never heard of anyone getting brain damage from a high fever. “ (see We Want to Live p. 277)
What causes and how do I treat Colic, Rashes, and Diarrhea?
All of these are caused by your baby ingesting foods that it can not digest or are toxic and are your
baby’s healthy detoxification responses. If you stick with mama milk and raw meat and dairy, your baby will not have any of these detoxifications. Aajonus’ has some basic treatments to soothe these symptoms on p. 276 of We Want to Live. These are the same treatments for an adult and remember that treating the symptoms does not fix the root of the problem which is to put life-giving love into your baby’s brain, body, heart, and soul.
What are your thoughts on school?
Schools follow doctrines created by their organizers. Nowadays, must public schools promote the pharmaceutical and industrial complex agenda. You’ll have to fight for your health, food, and civic freedoms. Private Schools will also have their values that they promote. Homeschooling gives you the most control over the influence and education of your child and you can promote your specific values the best. Then, you can choose extra-curricular programs like art, crafts, nature learning, sports, etc to which your child is drawn.
Un-schooling is a novel concept in which a tuned in parent can recognize their child’s strengths, gifts, and interests and cultivate these in them. For example, Asa loves construction, so we read to him about construction, take him to building projects and construction sites, give him age-appropriate construction tools and support his curiosity about tools, equipment, building and masonry. He wants to be a builder, teacher, and healer when he grows up, so might as well start engaging him in supportive experiences now when he’s passionate, curious, and wanting to become skilled.
When it comes to education and the Primal Diet, we have found that this often awkwardly conflicts. Even the alternative programs feed the kids organic oven-fired pizza and make their own chocolates for Halloween, and give fruit and fruit drinks as snacks. So, we have disappointingly pulled away from some great forest school and outdoor nature programs to support Asa on the Primal Diet.
Any Final Suggestions?
Getting pregnant and healthy parenting are large topics of discussion and it’s not a perfect science. It takes research, commitment, patience, and conviction to be true to what you know is right for you and your family.
I see so many people reacting to having “Gotten Pregnant”, as I did in my early years, and the best advice is to slow down your hormones, get composed, and ease your way into the process with clarity and confidence.
Even with the most Boy-Scout preparedness you can muster, you will be caught off-guard, unequipped, and unprepared to face many situations. But, creating a foundation within yourself and with your partner, you will have the tools and the alliance to figure it our together.
If you are struggling with getting pregnant and you are doing everything right, toss the game plan, have wild sex and fun with your partner, and don’t take it so seriously. You might find yourself accidentally getting pregnant.
Finally, if your destiny is to have healthy children, you will. There’s always the acceptance piece that your destiny could be taking you down another path to have other experiences and lessons to learn in this life.
If you are interested in more support around pregnancy and healthy parenting, join our Primal Diet Virtual Community that meets monthly to support each other and ask questions.
Inquire about our in-person monthly potlucks.
Go to Primaldiet.net, subscribe, and find other primal dieters, families and communities in the Primal Diet Forum and buy Aajonus’ Vonderplanitz books which are essential to healthy living and pregnancy.
Join our Primal Diet Signal Community chat to ask questions, meet people, and get support. Hire an experienced Primal Diet Pregnancy Coach to work with you and your partner…and as Aajonus would say, “..Health is the basic gift of all life, as the sun shines on everybody…”
In Optimal Health,
Phoenix Be
Blossom and Be Wellness
Health Coaching
Relationship Coaching
Primal Diet Coaching
Therapeutic Bodywork
Resources:
Blossom and Be Book Recommendations on Pregnancy, Birthing, and Parenting
Recipe For Living Without Disease, Aajonus Vonderplanitz
We Want to Live, Aajonus Vonderplanitz
Miller’s Organic farm (717) 556-0672
Abraham Maslow’s 16 Distinguishing Features of Self-Actualizing People
Forest School Teacher Institute
Free Birth Society
Higher Alignment
La Leche League
Realmilk.com
Shadowwork