Why Holistic Care for the Mother Matters
Episode 18 – airs May 7, 2026
A Functional Medicine Approach to Remembering the Mother in Maternity Care
HOST: Dr. Daina Parent, ND
GUEST: Sarah Thompson, Dpl.OM, L.Ac., CFMP, and Birth Doula
Sarah Thompson brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on preparing for motherhood and maternal care. Host Dr. Daina Parent, ND and Sarah Thompson, Dpl.OM, L.Ac., CFMP, and Birth Doula, engage in an important conversation around the need for improved care for the mother in preconception, fertility and pregnancy. They discuss how whole food nutrition, lifestyle, functional lab testing and interpretation, and collaborative care can significantly improve pregnancy outcomes for mom and baby. Throughout the episode Sarah offers clinical pearls on how to improve diets of pregnant patients and influencing positive lifestyle changes.
Sarah Thompson is the author of Functional Maternity – Using Functional Medicine and Nutrition to Improve Pregnancy and Childbirth Outcomes and Beyond Results – A Practitioner’s Guidebook to Functional Lab Analysis in Pregnancy. She is a certified functional medicine practitioner, licensed acupuncturist, board-certified herbalist, birth doula, and educator with a passion for pregnancy care.
She is a leader in the practice and education of maternity functional medicine. Sarah combines evidence-based research in prenatal and maternity nutrition with functional medicine and nutrition principles. Sarah’s clinical experience spans nearly 20 years.
Highlights of the episode include:
- Foods for preconception – antioxidants from colorful whole food fruits and vegetables, omega-3s, and more
- The Whole Food Matrix – benefits of consuming vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in a whole food form
- Functional approach to interpreting labs during pregnancy
Podcast Summary
- 2:15 Discovering the passion for functional maternity care
- 5:32 Inspiring birth stories and navigating fear around childbirth
- 6:52 Opportunities for growth and improvement in conventional model of pregnancy care
- 8:06 “Prenatal care is the care of the baby. Maternity care is the care of the mother. We have lost the care of mothers through the care of pregnancy.”
- 9:00 How nutrition and lifestyle affects mother and baby
- 13:07 Preconception preparation – preparing the body for pregnancy
- 18:34 Foods for preconception – antioxidants from colorful whole food fruits and vegetables (polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and others), omega-3s, and more
- 22:54 Oxidative Stress Defined
- 25:22 The Whole Food Matrix – benefits of consuming vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in a whole food form
- 28:09 Managing cravings for unhealthy foods during pregnancy and balancing with nutrient dense foods
- 30:04 “How do I make what you’re doing work better for you?” – individualized nutritional support
- 33:04 Simple ways to add polyphenols to meals
- 36:19 Elevating everyday recipes to increase nutrient density and phytonutrient content
- 39:42 An individualized approach to herbs in pregnancy
- 42:52 Functional Medicine approach to common issues in pregnancy
- 49:43 The interconnectedness of systems and functions of the body in pregnancy
- 50:59 Modifiable lifestyle factors to improve pregnancy complications
- 53:47 Functional approach to interpreting labs during pregnancy
- 1:04:00 Collaboration in Care – it takes a village of practitioners working together to deliver holistic pregnancy care
- 1:06:00 Advice to practitioners and patients: importance of individualized maternal care and focusing on aspects of pregnancy and birth we can control
