Katie Braswell is a holistic nutritionist focused on optimizing women’s health at all stages of pregnancy and motherhood. She believes women’s health recommendations are drastically behind the times and has made it her mission to change that — using real food and ancestral methods that help women regain vibrancy and wellness. Her continued education has led her to graduate from the Lily Nichols Prenatal Nutrition Institute and the Fertility Academy. You can find her on instagram @livewildbewell or through her website www.livewildbewell.com
How has motherhood informed your work with Wild + Well?
After getting my masters in functional nutrition and starting to see clients 1-1, my husband and I decided we wanted to start a family soon. After a few months of trying to conceive, I experienced a miscarriage and felt so under-resourced on how to support my body both in my recovery and my preconception prep. I felt like there was a true need for women to have more support and guidance during the transition to motherhood - regardless of how the journey goes. I now have two little ones and one on the way and I feel more inspired than ever to support women through motherhood. I focus on replenishing nutrient stores, balancing hormones, mitigating feelings of overwhelm and more.
What is a tip you would share with mothers in the postpartum space?
I always tell clients when I first start working with them to focus on eating breakfast and working to consume higher amounts of protein. It's amazing how much better my clients feel and what a difference this makes for them!
What was your personal journey through postpartum like?
My first postpartum journey was a little harder than my second. My first was born in a birth center and unfortunately, I had a third degree tear, so that took a little longer to recover from. He also had a harder time nursing, so the first few weeks were more stressful. But I still focused on optimizing my nutrition, lifestyle and attempted to get plenty of rest. So I still felt well-supported, even though it was a harder journey. My second was born at home, I didn't tear and he nursed well! All in all, my second postpartum journey was quite smooth!
Do you have a favorite postpartum product?
Red Light therapy! It made such a huge difference in my healing! I use Lumebox and I love using it on my low back, after breastfeeding (if there's any pain nursing as a new mom), and also for pains post birth!
Do you have any advice for women who would like to live in harmony with their hormones but don’t know where to begin?
I would first try to check in with your body more to get a sense of how you're feeling. Take a mental note on what feels out of balance, what symptoms are you experiencing, where do you feel like your body could use some support, etc. As a society, we've lost touch with how important it is to check in with the body and see what our body needs most.
What is one of your favorite ways to spend time with your sons?
We love to hike, cook, play outside, have craft time, etc. My boys are so fun and full of life and are always up for every adventure!
