Call the Midwife: Roxanna Maurer on Nutrition During Pregnancy

Roxanna Maurer, Utah County Midwife

This is the first in a series of blog posts based on interviews I’m doing with midwives who serve Utah County. 

Today's interview is with Roxanna Maurer of Angel Baby Midwifery. Roxanna has been a midwife since she graduated from Utah School of Midwifery in 1998! She lives in Payson, Utah and attends home births in Utah County. Roxanna is a warm, loving, beautiful person—I hope this post captures some of that for you!

Last month, I chatted with Roxanna as she took a break in the shade from landscaping her backyard. She already has a thriving garden, and is expanding it with fruit trees and other plants. She shared her wisdom about the importance of good nutrition during pregnancy.

​When Roxanna takes on new clients, one of the questions she asks them is, Are you willing to take responsibility for yourself and your baby? Roxanna says, “I can talk to you till I'm blue in the face. But it's pointless if you go home and don't do anything about it.” This is especially important to Roxanna and her clients since all of her clients give birth at home. “Part of having home birth means I'm willing to take responsibility for myself,” she says. “That means you prepare for the marathon of birth.” And if you’re preparing for a marathon, you can’t be stocking up on candy bars and Diet Coke. Nutrition is critical.

So Roxanna shares a handy acronym to help her clients remember the critical nutrition components they need every day. The acronym was developed by her good friend and fellow midwife, Nikki Sasser. She says, “if you want to be a birthing queen, you need a WHOPPER every day.” And let me tell you, Nikki and Roxanna do not mean one from Burger King! (It’s also great advice for outside of pregnancy!)

W stands for whole grains. Roxanna’s disclaimer about whole grains? “I don't mean General Mills cereal that says whole grain on it because let's just be honest… it's not.” For those who are able to eat grains, she suggests oats, quinoa, millet, and brown rice as some delicious, nutritious options.

H stands for hydrate. Roxanna recommends drinking half of your weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 160 pounds, drink 80 ounces of water every day. Coconut water is also a great source of natural electrolytes—like Gatorade, but “with all the good stuff and none of the junk.”

O is for omegas. Roxanna uses the acronym BACON to remember sources of healthy fat and omegas. Butter, Avocado, Coconut, Olive oil, and Nuts.

P stands for proteins. As your blood volume increases during pregnancy, it’s important to have adequate amounts of protein. Iron and B vitamins are also critical in promoting healthy blood quality during pregnancy and having the necessary stamina for labor, birth, and early parenting, Roxanna says. (Vegans or vegetarians may need to take a B-vitamin supplement, as B-vitamins are typically found in animal products.) What sources does Roxanna recommend for protein? Beef, chicken, fish, eggs, lentils, beans and rice, nuts and seeds, protein powder drinks.”Those are a variety of ways of getting proteins in your diet.”

The second P in the WHOPPER acronym is probiotics. Probiotics “colonize the gut and break down the food.” Roxanna recommends Standard Process’s Lactic Acid Yeast as a probiotic supplement.

E stands for enzymes. Probiotics help break down the food, and enzymes continue the process. “That's the purpose of enzymes, to help you digest your food effectively,” Roxanna says. A healthy diet only does you good if your body is able to adequately digest it! Multizyme from Standard Process and TerraZyme from doTerra are options for enzyme supplements.

Lastly, the R in WHOPPER stands for the Rainbow. Eating a rainbow of healthy foods invites lots of beneficial vitamins and minerals into your diet. Go through the rainbow, and try to incorporate foods of every color. Red berries and cherries or beets, orange pumpkin, yellow squash, green salads or smoothies, blueberries, and purple plums or grapes… you get the idea!

And there you have it! Roxanna’s WHOPPER for birthing queens! Changing habits and sticking to a healthy diet can feel overwhelming, but you can do it! Check out my Top 5 Tips for Healthy Eating During Pregnancy. And to encourage yourself, here’s Roxanna’s tip: “Take a picture of success that you've had in your life and hang it in your mind.” Keep going back to that success in your thoughts; refer back to it. As you recognize other successes you’re having, “bring that into your success gallery, and refer to that. I was strong here. I can be strong here. And if I'm strong here, what else can I do?”

---