Local Businesses Supporting Health & Wellness Through Pre-Conception, Pregnancy and Postpartum

As a childbirth educator and doula in the Saratoga Springs area, I’m often asked for recommendations on providers in the area. During any pregnancy, expanding your care team beyond an OB or midwife can be so helpful in bringing both physical and mental health into balance. Fortunately, many of these services, such as chiropractic work, acupuncture and pelvic floor therapy, are often covered by insurance! This list focuses on trusted local practitioners and businesses supporting prenatal and postpartum health and wellness through movement, body work and nutrition in the Saratoga Springs area. 

Body and Energy Work

Massage

• Prenatal massage is so supportive during pregnancy – not just for day-to-day comfort, but also in releasing tension and tightness which can ultimately support the labor process. The oxytocin released during a massage is also known to help kick-start labor if in fact the body is ready… this was my own experience, going into labor about 12 hours after a massage with Suzanna Latz at Complexions, one day before my estimated due date! Trusted prenatal massage practitioners in the Saratoga Springs area include:

  • Joanne Sikora, LMT at Breathe Salon & Spa

  • Ashley Robinson, LMT - 518-424-8790

  • Suzanne Latz, LMT at Complexions Spa

Chiropractic

• Similar to massage, prenatal chiropractic can help reduce aches and pains but can also aid in balance and alignment, helping baby get into an optimal position for birth. Look for prenatal chiropractors who are certified in the Webster Technique, an adjustment protocol specifically designed for prenatal patients.

• Dr. Jaclyn Purcell at Saratoga Chiropractic

Pelvic Floor Therapy

• Pelvic therapy is an excellent resource for postpartum healing after a tear or episiotomy, but can also be a wonderful way to prepare for birth. While you’ll often see kegels as a suggestions for pregnancy preparation, a pelvic floor PT can offer more nuanced guidance for your specific body – for example some people, who need to work more on releasing pelvic floor tension (which can ultimately help with pushing), kegeling may not be the most supportive practice. Most pelvic floor PTs can also assess general alignment and mobility and offer personalized at-home exercises to support the body for birth.

• Linda Paulsen, PT, MSPT at Regional Therapy Center of Saratoga Hospital

Acupuncture

• Acupuncture has so many applications during the perinatal period. While it is generally useful for anxiety relief and deep relaxation, it can also help regulate the menstrual cycle, support conception, and support postpartum recovery. Acupuncture has also been used as a tool to help bring on labor or resolve breech presentation. Look for a provider who specializes in acupuncture for reproductive health.

• Dana Balassi, Dipl. O.M., L.Ac., Turtle Moon Acupuncture

Nutrition

Meal & Supplementation Subscriptions

• For a pregnant person trying to eat a balanced diet or new parents attempting to eat well while also caring for an infant, meal subscriptions can be immensely helpful. (A meal subscription gift card is a wonderful baby shower present as well!) I’m a particular fan of supporting local meal services, as they are far more eco-friendly than most of the mainstream companies which ship food across vast distances.

• 9 Miles East

• Greenfork

• Harvest2Homes

• Seedlings Baby Food

• Sara Avery, DPT, founder of Moon Cycle Seed Company, offers a seed cycling subscription as well as adaptogen moon milk blends to support hormonal balance through all stages of life, from pre-conception through postpartum, pre-menopause and beyond.

Movement

Yoga

• Prenatal yoga is a go-to suggestion for my childbirth education and doula clients for both mental and physical health. While there are a number of virtual options available online, practicing in a space with others is wonderful for building community, and for receiving guidance and adjustments from a prenatal-certified teacher.

• Lilli VanHall offers prenatal yoga classes at Leonie, a community-oriented studio rooted in intentional, low-impact movement.

• Caitlin Parwana offers both prenatal and postnatal yoga classes at Yoga Mandali, a local yoga studio in the Bhakti tradition.

Barre / Pilates

• Barre and pilates-style movement offers a low-impact way to build strength during pregnancy and restore the core during the postpartum period. While most studios do not offer prenatal-specific classes, teachers at our local Pure Barre are happy to offer modifications for pregnant and postpartum clients. 

Strength / Cardio / Cross-training

• Fit4Moms offers family-friendly prenatal and postnatal strength, cardio and core training programs, wonderfully accessible as babies are welcome in strollers!

How to Make Yarrow Oil (& Why)

Yarrow is one of my favorite herbs to work with. In cultures across the world, it's known as a spiritual protector that helps us hold energetic boundaries. It's typically contraindicated for pregnancy, but for those menstruating, it can be helpful to regulate flow and reduce cramping by relaxing the smooth muscles (either as a tea or tincture, and can be rubbed on the lower belly in oil form). Also called "soldier's woundwort," it has a strong blood clotting ability, and according to Susun Weed's Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Years, it has been used traditionally to prevent postpartum hemorrhage. Anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, it's a common ingredient in sitz bath blends as it can soothe hemorrhoids. In poultice form, it can also be used to aid mastitis, similar to the application of cabbage leaves.

The oil can be used as an ingredient in salves... or poured directly in the bath for a skin and spirit soothing experience.

I love this minimalist approach to making herbal-infused oils:

1. Gather and dry your herbs until they are dry enough to crumble. Although fresh herbs can be used, this requires another step at the end to let water evaporate, and greatly increases the likelihood of mold.  

2. Fill a clear glass jar 1/2 way with herbs, then cover with oil of your choice. I used jojoba oil.

3. Let it sit in direct sunlight for at least 4 weeks.

4. Strain with cheesecloth, discard herbs and pour oil into a new jar stored out of sunlight.

Simplifying Prenatal Nutrition

Often times, our vision for how we'll eat in pregnancy doesn't quite match reality. There are so many beautiful, nutritious pregnancy "superfood" recipes out there... but the truth is between morning sickness, cravings and exhaustion, it can be hard to make those recipes happen. So how do we simplify?

Of course, we can "eat the rainbow," looking for quality, whole, unprocessed foods. But sometimes, a little bit of structure can help guide us, and make us more likely to actually work in beneficial foods. I love the recommendation to focus on a few key nutrients for each trimester.

1st Trimester

In the 1st trimester, we want to emphasize Vitamin A & Vitamin B, particularly folate. These vitamins play important roles in fetal development; Vitamin A (found in eggs, liver, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and so much else... think 'orange') supports symmetry in the body, and Vitamin B (also found in eggs, liver, along with dark leafy green vegetables) is important for brain, nerve and spinal cord development. There are MANY more sources of these vitamins, so with a quick search it's easy to find something to work into a favorite (simple) recipe or snack.

2nd Trimester

In the second trimester, baby’s bones are really developing. To support that process, we want to focus on calcium – also, getting enough calcium replenishes your own stores, in your bones and in your teeth as well.

3rd Trimester

And then finally, the third trimester, we want to focus on healthy fats - think avocado, coconut oil, nuts, seeds and so on. At this point, baby’s bones are formed and they’re really just putting on weight, in their body and in the growing brain.

Throughout the entire duration of pregnancy, a prenatal supplement in addition to a DHA supplement. (Iron, protein and of course adequate hydration) are important throughout the entire pregnancy as well.  Finally, another wonderful way to boost vitamins and minerals AND boost your water intake is through herbal tea – plants like pregnancy-safe plants like stinging nettle, red raspberry leaf and oatstraw can support the reproductive organs while also offering an abundance of vitamins and minerals.

Diving Deeper

Ultimately, the focus here is on simplifying. As a newly pregnant person, there can be a lot of pressure around health and nutrition, and feeling that we’re never quite doing enough. That’s one of the reasons I loved pregnancy-safe herbal teas during my pregnancy. I felt like even when I couldn’t stomach much more than pasta and bolognese, I was still nourishing my body and baby, and creating a routine that was relaxing, as opposed to stress-inducing.

Of course, some of us are more passionate about cooking than others. If that’s you, there are so many amazing resources out there for more detailed guidance. Some of my favorite books include Heng Ou’s Nine Golden Months, and her postpartum classic The First 40 Days, Aviva Romm’s The Natural Pregnancy Book, and Lily Nichols’ Real Food for Pregnancy.

Resources

If meal-planning while pregnant feels overwhelming, subscribing to a meal service for the duration of your pregnancy can be a wonderful investment (and in many cases, may even roughly equal the cost of various ingredients for more involved meals).

For prenatal clients in the Saratoga Springs area, there are a few local businesses I recommend. Shortly after I gave birth to my son, I subscribed to a weekly meal plan with 9 Miles East. I receive 4 meals per week, all of which are ready to heat up, delicious, and far more nutritious (and creative) than anything I’d likely be motivated to cook on my own. I can also personally recommend Greenfork along with Harvest2Homes.

For those outside the Capital Region, I enjoyed HungryRoot meals in my second/third trimester, but found them far too flavorful to stomach in the first. Previously I’ve ordered from both Urban Remedy and Sakara Life, which are exceptionally nourishing though certainly a higher investment.