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Pregnancy, Cancer Risk, + Women's Health

Welcome to 'First Touch' where health meets life, love, and vitality.

Author

Leigh Erin Connealy
September 22, 2024

I wanted to find a way to create a deeper connection with my followers and provide more insights into the content I share on other platforms. I'm excited to give you all a closer, more personal look into my world—sharing insights from my life, my research, and work.

⬇️ What To Expect from First Touch 002⬇️

  • 🔬Newest findings in Pregnancy Restructures the Brain

  • 📈 Pregnancy, Cancer Risk, + Women’s Health

  • 🧠 My Advice to Those Preparing for Parenthood

  • 💡My Monthly Must Haves

  • 🐦Lovebird Foods: Combating Childhood Cancer

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and although I don’t treat pediatric cancer, I care deeply for children. I’m so passionate about the topic of parenthood and raising children well - I speak on this often because I believe that the link between parenting and health is undeniable.

With that in mind, I want to dedicate this week’s newsletter to sharing some research on pregnancy and a few thoughts on preparing for parenthood. Being a mother has been one of the greatest endeavors of my life. Children are a gift, and creating this miracle requires intention and conscious preparation. :)

New Latest in Cancer Research: Pregnancy Restructures the Brain

A study published this week in Nature Neuroscience sheds new light on how pregnancy transforms the brain. Researchers found that significant neuroanatomical changes take place during this period and can last up to 2 years postpartum. They used MRI scans to track these changes, documenting how pregnancy leads to sweeping reorganizations in the brain's structure and function.

One of the key findings was that nearly every part of the brain shows changes during pregnancy, particularly in areas linked to social and emotional processing. This restructuring is not random; it helps to prepare the brain for the demands of motherhood, much like adolescence and menopause are stages of brain remodeling. 

Key Findings: 

  • Gray matter, which is involved in processing information, decreased in certain areas. While gray matter reductions might sound concerning, they are actually part of a refinement process, allowing the brain to become more specialized and efficient for the tasks of motherhood. These reductions are thought to eliminate less essential connections in the brain, allowing important pathways, particularly those related to social interaction, empathy, and bonding, to become stronger. This helps mothers be more attuned to their baby’s needs and emotional signals.

  • White matter, which connects different brain regions and strengthens neural communication, increased during the second trimester. White matter facilitates faster, more efficient processing of information, which is crucial for managing the heightened responsibilities that come with motherhood. Researchers believe this increase in white matter enhances a mother’s ability to cope with stress and regulate emotions during the postpartum period.

The Latest in Health News: Pregnancy, Cancer Risk, and Women’s Health

This study is fascinating. It's the first time we've explored the brain during pregnancy in such depth. While we still have so much to learn, scientists found that brain changes are closely linked to hormonal shifts, particularly involving progesterone and estrogen. Both hormones peak during pregnancy, however, progesterone reaches significantly higher concentrations. 

I believe progesterone may be responsible for brain restructuring. The hormone is highly neuroprotective, is often used in the treatment for traumatic brain injury, and can reduce inflammation, protect against toxins, and support cognitive function.

Progesterone is so protective that the high levels during pregnancy provide lifetime health benefits for women–not limited to just the brain. Multiple studies have shown that women who give birth are at a lower risk of developing:

  • Breast cancer

  • Ovarian cancer

  • Endometrial cancer

  • Heart disease

  • Alzhiemers & dementia

  • Osteoporosis 

  • Arthritis 

  • Autoimmune conditions

The more children a woman has, the greater the protective effect. For example, according to the National Cancer Institute, women who had five or more children had a 50% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who had never given birth.

This is a beautiful example of how motherhood is a gift. While we usually focus on the intense demands and sacrifices a mother makes– her time, energy, and body--science is now showing us that pregnancy is a powerful process that transforms and protects her health. These hormonal and neurological adaptations offer a glimpse into the miracles that a child brings into our lives.

Ins & Outs of the Week

In: 🍵 🚰 💆‍♀️

Out: 📱 ❌ 🍭 

  • Color dyes in snacks

  • Sleeping with your phone charging next to you

  • Stressing over things we can’t control

🐦️ LoveBird Foods

Living with an autoimmune disorder and being a professional in the big food industry, Parker became increasingly aware of the demand for healthier food options for his children. Driven by a desire to better nourish his family, Parker sought alternatives that focus on whole food nutrition and avoid high-inflammatory ingredients.

Love Bird boosts gut health & maximizes nutrition with real ingredients :

✔️ Grain-free

❌Refined sugars

✔️ Organic

❌Natural flavors

✔️ Paleo + AIP

❌Sugar science

✔️ Gluten-free

❌ Dairy

The mission of LoveBird Foods is clear: to help families and provide children with a healthier alternative to a commonly loved meal. Parker believes that food should be simple, wholesome, and naturally sweet. Given that cereal is a staple breakfast choice for both children and adults, it became the ideal product for LoveBird Foods, designed to provide children with the proper nutrition they need to thrive at their maximum potential each day.

⭐️ LoveBird donates 20% of all profit to fighting childhood cancer ⭐️ 

A Few Tips for Those Preparing for Parenthood:

Becoming a parent is both a privilege and a significant responsibility—one that should never be approached casually. We pass down everything to our children–our genes, eating habits, thinking patterns, traumas, stress, etc. Because of this, we cannot be lax about parenthood. Children call us to address ourselves. We need to become extremely conscious when we bring new life into the world:

  1. Use this time to purify: I mean this on both the emotional and physical levels. Emotions are one of the most important things to address before we have children. They affect our cells–when we are stressed, our cells are stressed. Before we take on the responsibility of caring for anyone else, we have to take care of this. We can’t give our problems to our children, it is not fair to them. 

There are many ways to heal our emotions. Your therapist might not tell you this, but you do not have to embody the trauma you have experienced. You can use it as a tool and let it go. We all have the power to transfix our pain, turn a negative experience into a favorable one, and heal.

To purify the physical:

2. Sit down with your partner to create an intentional plan: It's so important that both parents are on the same page. Before you have a child, think about what is required to become an excellent mother or father. Map it out, be extremely intentional. What will your day to day look like? How will you approach their education? Nutrition? Discipline? Sleep routines? What experiences do you want to give them? How will you encourage their creativity? Consider every detail & how you will make it happen. 

  1. Evaluate your own upbringing: Use this time to reflect on how you were raised – what you appreciated and what you would like to do differently. Even if you did not have the best childhood, you can use the wisdom we gained from those experiences to create a better childhood for your kids. This can also be an opportunity for healing as parents. 

  2. Fine tune your nutrition: Both mother and father should prioritize nutrient density: red meat, dairy, gelatin/collagen, seafood, honey, fruit, sourdough, vegetables, sea salt, butter, olive oil. All as high quality as possible. Avoid seed oils, processed foods, chemicals, all additives. Everything you eat impacts your future child – now is one of the most important times to be diligent. We have to treat the body with exquisite reverence. 

  3. Learn as much as you can: Do your research. Read old parenting books, ask your parents and their friends about their experiences, keep an open mind. There is so much wisdom out there, we just have to seek it out. 

  4. Work on being your best self everyday: The best thing you can do for your child is become whole yourself. Children learn through example. If you want them to be exceptional, kind, courageous, etc., you must also embody these things. 

  5. Understand parenting is never a burden: Parenting is one of the ultimate blessings. It is a privilege to experience this miracle, and through children, you have the opportunity to bring excellence and beauty into the world. Again, we should not take it lightly. 

Resources

On Parenting -

Hold on to Your Kids - Dr. Gabor Maté

Deep Nutrition - Dr. Cate Shanahan 

On Emotional Health -

The Biology of Belief - Dr. Bruce Lipton

Talk Soon,

❤️ Dr. Connealy