Preparing Our Bodies for Pregnancy: Our Non-Toxic, Nervous System Journey
When Dillon and I decided it was time to start preparing our bodies for pregnancy, we knew we didn’t want to just “hope for the best.” We wanted to be intentional. We wanted to give our future baby the best possible foundation, and that meant focusing on our nervous system, our environment, and the choices we made every single day.
This wasn’t something we started overnight—it’s really been years in the making.
Where Our Journey Began
Back in chiropractic school, we were surrounded by people who pushed us to grow, to think differently, and to look deeper into health. It was also the time when Dillon started experiencing relief from his daily heartburn (after years of being on famotidine), just by being under consistent chiropractic care. For me, chiropractic helped calm my anxiety in a way nothing else ever had. Those personal changes lit a fire under us—we realized how much stress our bodies had been carrying and how powerful it was to finally start addressing it.
That’s when we really began asking: How can we remove unnecessary stresses from our life so our bodies can function at their best?
Thoughts, Traumas, and Toxins
Through chiropractic philosophy, we learned about the “3 T’s” — thoughts, traumas, and toxins. We had seen firsthand how stress (both mental and physical) had affected our health, but toxins were the big wake-up call for us. We started realizing just how many chemicals and endocrine disruptors are in our food, cookware, and everyday products.
We didn’t want to get overwhelmed, so we didn’t throw everything out at once. Instead, we took baby steps.
Small Swaps That Made a Big Difference
The very first change we made was food. We started buying mostly organic and sourcing meat from local farms. Even now, we love going to the farmers market for grass-fed, antibiotic-free meats and fresh produce.
From there, we slowly started changing out our cleaning products, body care, and beauty products. Some of our favorite swaps have been:
Hair care: Innersense
Body wash: Aleavia
Cleaning: Thieves by Young Living
Laundry: Wool dryer balls (no dryer sheets!)
Fragrance: Essential oils in diffusers instead of synthetics
We also began replacing plastic containers and cookware with glass, stainless steel, and cast iron to avoid harmful chemicals leaching into food.
These swaps took time—sometimes months, even years. And that’s okay. It became less about perfection and more about creating a sustainable, non-toxic lifestyle we could stick with.
Moving Our Bodies with Intention
Another piece of our preconception journey has been movement. Exercise has always been important to both of us, but we’ve shifted our mindset over the years from working out just to look a certain way → to moving our bodies to regulate our nervous systems and support longevity.
For Dillon, that’s meant consistent strength training, hiking, and staying active outdoors. For me, it’s been about syncing my workouts with my cycle—leaning into strength during my follicular phase, slowing down with yoga and walking during my luteal phase, and giving myself permission to rest when my body needs it.
Movement isn’t just about muscles or metabolism. It’s one of the best ways to process stress and keep the nervous system adaptable. We want to enter parenthood not just “fit,” but resilient—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
My Birth Control Journey
Another big step for me was getting off hormonal birth control. I had been on the depo shot for over 5 years (even though you aren’t supposed to be on it more than 2), and then I was on the pill after that. No one ever explained the risks to me, or the toll it could take on my body.
When I finally stopped in 2021, my body had a lot to figure out. My cycles were irregular, my mood and sleep were off, and I felt like I didn’t even know my own body anymore.
With chiropractic care, cleaner eating, and eventually learning how to cycle-sync my nutrition and movement, I was able to naturally regulate again. That was a huge piece of preparing for pregnancy—reconnecting with my own rhythms after so many years of being disconnected from them.
Why We Do This Together
This hasn’t been a “me thing” or a “him thing.” It’s been our thing. We both committed to 6+ months of preparation—consistent chiropractic care, eating mostly whole foods, grounding, meditation, no alcohol, and open communication through the whole process.
Has it always been easy? No. We’ve gotten plenty of jokes and pushback—things like, “We didn’t do all that and our kids turned out fine.” But for us, it’s not about judgment. It’s about knowing that we’re bringing a brand-new life into this world, and we want to give them the very best start we can.
And honestly? Having each other made it so much easier.
80/20 Balance
One of the most freeing parts of this journey has been learning that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We live more of an 80/20 lifestyle—we eat out sometimes, we go on ice cream dates, and we don’t stress about perfection.
Because stress is a toxin, too.
We’ve learned to do the best we can, make swaps where we’re able, and let go of guilt when things aren’t “perfect.” That mindset has made this a lifestyle, not just a phase.
Looking Ahead
Preparing our bodies for pregnancy hasn’t just been about the here and now. It’s about the future. It’s about knowing that every choice we make impacts not only our health, but the health of our baby.
We’re excited. We’re grateful. And we know this journey doesn’t end once the baby arrives—it’s something we’ll carry forward as a family.
Because for us, this isn’t a fad. This is our lifestyle. Our continuous journey.
✨ If you’re ready to start your own preparation journey—whether it’s preconception, pregnancy, or postpartum—we’d love to walk alongside you. Schedule your consultation with us today and let’s support your nervous system every step of the way.
