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Pregnancy and Women’s Health
The Fifth Vital Sign: Master your Cycles & Optimize your Fertility by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a new release by the host of the acclaimed podcast, Fertility Friday. Lisa’s book is a well researched work that has been long overdue in our women’s health field! (See below for my favorite Basal Body Thermometer!)
Basal Body Thermometer: This is the Basal Body Thermometer that I use. It is simple to operate, affordable, and stores up to 60 days worth of data. A basal body thermometer should be accurate up to 2 decimal places.
A new release in 2018 by a fellow Dietitian, Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE — Real Food for Pregnancy is a must read for any mama or mama to be as well as any healthcare practitioners who work in the obstetric field! Practical, commonsense approach with plenty of recommendations to incorporate immediately into a wholesome lifestyle.
Real Food for Gestational Diabetes is Lily Nichol’s first book on managing gestational diabetes – one I wish I had read even for what I thought was low blood sugar during my pregnancies (turns out I learned that my body wasn’t tolerating carbohydrates well and I needed to learn to fuel my body properly to prevent those wide swings in blood sugar.)
Adrenal Thyroid Revolution by Aviva Romm is for any woman who is struggling with fatigue, exhaustion, and the challenge of being “tired but wired.” Basically, I think this book should be included in the curriculum for any new mama training! It’s intense and I don’t think the program is very realistic to be accomplished in the time frame specified, but it is helpful to read and to discuss with your functional medicine practitioner (and if you are my client we will discuss many of these concepts in our sessions together!) If you are interested in any of the supplements that she recommends you can order them from a safe and reliable source by clicking on the Wellevate icon at the bottom of this page if you are browsing on your phone (or in the sidebar of my homepage on a desktop computer.)
The Period Repair Manual: Natural Treatment for Better Hormones and Better Periods by Lara Briden, ND is a book that every woman should read at least once. It is helpful to know what is “normal” for a period because our periods are really the “report cards for our health.” Mamas, read these along with your teenage daughter! Help her to learn about her body early on! Already in the peri-menopausal stage? She addresses some of those issues as well. Buy 2 copies and read it with a friend!
Wholesome Encouragement for Mamas
Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood, Rachel Jankovic’s second book for Mamas, is just as hopeful, powerful, and humorous as the first!
Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic is one of those books that I read and knew that someone else understood all of the craziness that I was experiencing as a mama! She extends the hope of the Gospel to all of us weary mamas! (and, if you are a grandmother or an aunt, this would be a perfect gift to deliver along with a hug, a bar of dark chocolate, and a coupon for babysitting!)
Mom Enough: The Fearless Mother’s Heart and Hope is a collection of articles written to encourage mamas in their day to day life. Because, let’s face it, “Am I mom enough?” is a question all of us ponder as mamas!
Girl’s Club is Sally Clarkson’s newest work with her two daughters – It’s on my list to read and would be perfect for a girl’s book club!
Any work of Sally’s is filled with joy and encouragement. As a mama of 4 grown children who all had their unique challenges she offers Godly wisdom and hope to those of us who are still in the trenches of child-raising.
Marriage and Intimacy
Sheet Music by Dr. Kevin Leman – Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage is a fun and insightful book that I first read in preparation for marriage, but is helpful to read in any stage of marriage.