Over the years I have become increasingly conscious of “you are what you eat” and have really made an effort to introduce whole foods into my family’s lives. My diet (with occasional participation by my dear husband Dov) included kale, brown rice, tofu, dates, nuts, squash and salmon but then later in the evening I would go and party, possibly get drunk and generally let my hair down on a dancefloor. All pretty healthy stuff I think.

Getting pregnant wasn’t all that easy. Admittedly, it didn’t take us forever either, but it was a process. I remember us having to count the days before my menstrual cycle and sometimes making love felt artificial and stressful. Then came the pregnancy tests, plenty of duds, and eventually one line showed up in August 2003. Naturally with my fascination for “all things supplement” I was taking folic acid and I was also pretty active, taking yoga classes and walking/jogging in Fort Greene Park.

Since you don’t really know me, I feel it is necessary to say when I finally did get pregnant, I was feeling the healthiest “ever.” Mind, body and spirit. I weighed about 130 lbs, I am just over 5 ft 5″, I had given up dairy for whatever reason made sense at the time (but with my background in excema I am not always sure if dairy is so great - I have just found a Water Buffalo yogurt that is amazing), I was enjoying my job, Dov and I were in a good space and it all felt very smooth indeed.

The one “disability” I seemed to have was a skin condition called Vitiligo. It’s an auto-immune disease that causes the body to attack its own pigment creating white depigmented areas on the body. Mine is pretty mild and later on, post-pregnancy, the Vitiligo seemed to stop, but my propensity to auto-immune diseases would crop up again and I will get to that a bit later.

Dov and I were delighted to find out I was pregnant. All of a sudden I was walking around with this profound sense of delicious unease and mother earth contentment as my breasts started to swell and my head began to swim. I couldn’t have been more than 6 weeks pregnant when we were driving to Montauk for the night to celebrate my birthday at a restaurant.

We were late (it’s always my fault) and I hadn’t eaten anything for several hours beforehand. Still in the headspace of pre-pregnancy where you can skip a meal and ‘you’ll be OK” I suddenly started to feel weak in the car. “Dov I think we need to stop, I am starving, I need to eat something,” I said. Luckily we passed a farm stand and Dov bought me a yogurt and then proceeded to reprimand me for being irresponsible.

A similar thing happened a couple of nights before when New York had suffered a massive power outage on my birthday (August 14th). I was with my boss and we were at a meeting in Chelsea. There was nothing to do but walk from the City across the Brooklyn Bridge to Fort Greene (it took about 2.5 hours and we were walking quickly). When I got home, I was absolutely exhausted. Dov was upset… why wasn’t I taking care of myself…. his unborn child needed rest!

I guess I listened to him but I think I was still secretly happy I had given myself a massive work-out and while I knew it was too much, my mind likes to push itself and frequently I really don’t know my limits.

The reason for all this information about me is that these two events are in fact the beginning of this blog and some very important lessons that I have had to learn, in some respects, the hard way. The first lesson I learnt:

1. When you get pregnant, your body is miraculously preparing you for a lifetime of regular meals and routine (something I am still finessing). It’s nature’s way of setting the record straight for even the most neurotic, fat conscious and twisted mums. If you are listening to your body, this 1.01 course in food economics is going to keep you and your baby in fantastic health. Your baby is going to need the very best nutrients you can give him. Don’t sell you or him short! You will be doing yourself a massive service if you could just get some basic recipes together, learn the fundamentals of whole food cooking and as a mother create a loving warm environment at home especially around mealtimes. Some day your darling child will not be attached at your hip and those meals will have even more meaning.

2. The second lesson I learnt and it’s such an important one… don’t push yourself too far. I admit, I still have a lot to learn in this area, but the key really is balance. Getting pregnant is a massive ordeal to your body and yes, you are wired to make babies and be superwoman but it’s time to start listening to the signs and symbols around you.

Another couple of points I want to add about this life changing period in your life…. TRUST YOURSELF. I feel we have become so disconnected from nature. With all the advice and books and doctors, it’s so hard to sometimes tap into your inner guide. Also, EVERYTHING IS A PHASE…. the sleepless nights, the aching breasts, the swollen ankles, the blubber tummy, the exhaustion, dreams of nights out with your partner till dawn, the snotty colds, the scrapes, bangs and tears… yes it really does feel like blood, sweat and tears at times but you really are wired for the job.

Around 6 months after Nina was born, I started to suffer from extreme exhaustion, my hair didn’t stop falling out, my skin was dry, I had chronic constipation and I couldn’t understand why my face had a yellow palour. I found out I was severely hypothyroid… another auto immune deficiency which had rendered my thyroid nearly useless. In a global sense your thyroid is responsible for all the “energy” in your body. So all of my systems started to slow down considerably. I started to take medication and that improved the situation but the demands of motherhood have certainly been a massive strain.

In general, I found the entire period post pregnancy to be a somewhat isolating experience. I wanted to have more people to share my experiences and I also felt there was a lot of information that was missing. Why did no one come to check on me after that massive birthing experience in hospital? What herbs or solutions could I have used to make it less painful “down there?” What foods should I really have been eating post pregnancy? What information can I learn from other cultures? What programs are available for women post pregnancy? How can I change my career?

This blog is dedicated to you, my dear ladies. It’s to help you get through this massive transition period which can go on for years and is so frequently overlooked. It’s also the beginning of a book I plan to write about the postpartum period. I REALLY want to hear from you. Your thoughts, frustrations, musings, and general support mean a lot to me and will make this site an even more useful and fascinating place to visit. In short, don’t be shy to join me on the journey. This is for all of us and our children too…..