#33 Circadian Rhythms in the Childbearing Year with Nikko Kennedy

Nikko Kennedy is a perinatal quantum biology practitioner and certified labor and postpartum doula. She has a B.S. in Biopsychology from the University of Oregon and is the creator of Brighter Days, Darker Nights, a Substack publication dedicated to promoting circadian rhythmicity and quantum wellness in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Nikko created a discount for you lovely listeners on her Substack subscription! Use this link for 15% off. You can find her on her website, or Instagram.

You can hire Nikko for virtual and in-person doula services, 1-1 coaching, and online and in-person presentations and workshops. 

She is also a frequent podcast guest.

You'll hear about:

• The cycles of life! ♬ We are all existing in cycles within cycles. Both the 24 hour, circadian rhythm and the 28 ish day infradian rhythm  are present for women. Men exist in the circadian rhythm, but also have a 6o day cycle that is not often talked about.
• Optimizing your circadian rhythm for fertility (it can help prevent issues in pregnancy!)
• Our digestion is also controlled by circadian rhythm. This can affect how much of our nutrients we can actually use.
• A brief breakdown of negative ions - what the confusing jargon actually means
• How melatonin is a reproductive hormone! In pregnancy, a lack of it is implicated with pre eclampsia, growth restrictions, etc.
• There are even more potential melatonin disrupters in pregnancy (think bright bathroom lights multiple times a night, fridge light blasting during your midnight snack.)
• First trimester is a really important time to focus on sleep - this is when your placenta is being formed! Try to honor your sleep needs (even if it seems excessive..)
• All these principles align with traditional care - to nurture cells at level of mitochondria. (Makes sense that as we were more connected with the earth, we instinctively knew what we needed to feel good!)
• We are wired in connection to the sun and the earth - earth has an electrical charge that our bodies are attuned to - connecting to the electrical field of the earth has 'scientifically proven' benefits. It's not woo!
• Access to nature is completely missing from maternity care at a time when we are most sensitive, we are put in an incredibly artificial environment.
• Sunlight help facilitate huge surges of serotonin - this might be what gives women transcendental experiences during birth! This alongside melatonin also helps regulate pain! 
• Examples of these principles in her own birth stories
• How to work with this in the north - we have minimal light, no vitamin d, not much grounding - but our bodies know how to deal with this! We shift from a vitamin d reality to a melatonin reality. This even impacts our sleep schedule
• Balanced circadian rhythm knowledge is so coherent with postpartum principles! And can have huge impacts on newborns as well (like affecting jaundice!)
• How maternity wards and NICUs can catch up with the times. There's so much evidence for implementing small shifts which can facilitate healing.
• How supplementing melatonin could be a helpful for preeclampsia (but not recommended for every day, daily use.) We naturally create our own melatonin! Through multiple different pathways!
• Super trendy red light therapy is just mimicking fire light! Maybe you don't need to buy a super expensive light box, do you have access to fire?
• My continued hunt for restless legs relief...
• Setting up a grounded sleep environment with a building biologist! (I had no idea those existed!)
• How all this information coheres into her own life with four kids. (It's not actually that complicated.
  
  • Get outside first thing in the morning!
  • Eat protein, nutrient dense breakfast shortly after waking up
  • Spend of time outside during the day
  • Lights off after sundown (or before sunrise)- no blue light
  • Having warm lights, close to the floor or using candles.
  • Creating a calm, relaxing sleep environment that honors each kid's developmental stage.

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Mentioned on the show:

Maryn's episode on Taking Back Birth - 10 Steps to a Powerful Birth

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