Caylie is a long-time licensed practitioner of Chinese medicine, specializing in the spectrum of women’s health and the Founder of Integrative Fertility, which works in collaboration with reproductive endocrinology centers. She’s also an avid researcher with a swathe of publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as the author of The Field Guide to Pregnancy: research, recipes and remedies for navigating new territory. Where once she liked to travel, she now disavows going beyond a 10-mile radius with her toddler (she really tried). Luckily, there’s no shortage of wild and curated Bay Area escapades within that perimeter! She’s about health, but isn’t past making a tipsy Cointreau clementine marmalade.
It can be harrowing trying to figure out how to prepare for baby’s arrival. In Finland, everything you conceivably need for the entire first year arrives in one box. You can, of course, fluff it up with as many things as you need to help you feel comfortable, excited, and...
While it’s a good idea not to overly anticipate exactly how your birth will go, a birth plan is a wonderful way to dream about your labor and the birth of your child and can be an important medium for clarifying an idea of how you’d like to approach the...
Aside from morning sickness, many physical surprises may happen during pregnancy. Digestion is slowing down to accommodate your pregnancy, and your body’s hormones are making massive adjustments. It’s not unlikely that you will experience insomnia, fatigue, or even lethargy, sore breasts, and bloating. There are odder symptoms such as a...
Studies show that 50 percent of men seek treatment for their “sympathetic pregnancies.” Couvade, a derivative of the Breton verb couver—to incubate—is a legitimate syndrome in which your significant other, whose empathy you may usually appreciate, complains of the same or similar symptoms to you. Of course, he doesn’t have...
Pregnancy is a prime opportunity to set the tone for parenting The ups and downs, the discomforts, and the joys of pregnancy are a practice round for what’s to come. It’s a great time to work on your very personal strategy for muddling through the unknown. There is no right...
Breastfeeding There are plenty of conflicting strategies and opinions about how to breastfeed—timed feeding versus feeding-on-demand, for instance—but remember that, just as you know your own body, through intuition and experimentation, you will get to know your baby’s needs better than anyone. That said, breastfeeding is not necessarily as intuitive...
We’re all entitled to a vice, and coffee is a worldwide choice. It’s actually the number one source of antioxidants for most people. During pregnancy, however, it’s time to let it go. What’s the evidence surrounding caffeine and pregnancy? Caffeine is certainly not horrible, but in pregnancy its role is controversial,...
In pregnancy, usually less is more. But probiotics are a key nutrient for upping your health, as well as baby’s. Probiotics From conception to long-term health, there is an ongoing interplay between genetics and environmental factors. During pregnancy, many of baby’s immune functions are drawn from the mother’s diet. Exchange of...
Nutrition is of the essence, and “you are what you eat” is never as true as it is when you have a developing baby inside you. The foods you choose will nourish and help determine not only a healthy pregnancy, but also your child’s long-term health. Eating high-quality, pregnancy power...
“Month ten” – Postpartum care In Chinese medicine, the month after baby is born is still considered an intimate extension of your pregnancy. It is easy for everyone around you to focus primarily on the new baby during this time, and although that may be a welcome aspect of your support,...