“ I focus on the beginning of life and its impact on our health physically and mentally throughout our lifetime. If we change the beginning of a story, we can change the whole story. It is both truly daunting and humbling. ”
PRECONCEPTION
Welcoming a new baby into the world is undoubtedly a momentous event. And just as you would prepare for any other big event in life, it is important to prepare for pregnancy.
PREGNANCY
You are now pregnant. Congratulations! Pregnancy can be a wonderful and blissful event but it can also be increasingly overwhelming, especially the first time around.
BIRTH
Giving birth is one of the most important events in your life! The outcomes of birth can play a major role in the future health and well-being of your baby.
POSTNATAL & EARLY LIFE
The postnatal period is a time of profound transition for you, physically , psychologically, emotionally and socially, but it can also be the most undervalued care.
A MESSAGE FROM DR. NAUF ALBENDAR
“As a medical scientist, I am at the forefront of human health research. With a BSc in Molecular Genetics and Genomics, an MSc in Nutrition & Food Science and a PHD in clinical medicine, there wasn’t a day in my clinical trials that I wasn’t in awe of how the human body works.
Therefore, when my husband and I decided to have a family, I couldn’t wait to experience first hand the world of pregnancy, birth, and parenting, hoping to take guidance from the expansive 21st century expecting mother’s checklist. I've done it all! The antenatal classes, the gigantic ‘what to expect’ manuals, the ideal birth plan A, B and C, being surrounded by the ‘right’ postnatal team , the week by week fetus development apps and so much more.
Not once was the most important question asked: How can parents-to-be optimise the health and wellbeing of their unborn child? Not a single research, clinical trial, discovery, publication and conference that was so familiar to me throughout my academic career was cited.
Parents were not told that everything from stress levels to pollution, type of birth, to diet will profoundly impact their child’s physical and mental wellbeing. That months before conception even happens, there are many steps parents-to-be can take to prepare for their own optimal fertility and the good health of their child!
This space is the result of this void. By decoding recent studies on the impact of preconception, pregnancy, birth and the first years of life on ongoing chronic health diseases, I hope to bridge the gap, inspire and create an educational platform for our children’s optimal health and well-being for life. ”
Yours in health,
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A deficiency and insufficiency in folate can become evident in 8-16 weeks. It may lead to megaloblastic anaemia, congenital disabilities, cardiovascular disease, cancer, autism spectrum disorder, infertility, depression, anxiety disorders and cognitive impairment such as dementia or Alzheimer's.