During and after pregnancy, especially when it is the first child, a Mother yearns for support. This rite of passage is life-changing, and much care is needed.
What if I introduced a plant ally that is one of the most loving and nurturing, in which you can relate without receiving unsolicited advice or opinions thrown your way during moments of hormonal frenzy or vulnerability?
Cacao as a Supportive Ally
This beautiful plant ally is Ceremonial Cacao, a delicious superfood known as the drink of the gods. It is rich in vitamins and minerals to support a woman’s body and contributes to balancing hormones through a neuroactive substance, phenylethylamine (PEA), boosting dopamine and serotonin levels. Theobromine, an alkaloid compound found in cacao, helps reduce blood pressure, has potential anti-inflammatory benefits, and along with tryptophan, an essential amino acid, enhances mood, where one can experience bliss, joy, and creativity.
Ceremonial Cacao activates the heart pathways, as it is high in antioxidants, is a natural antidepressant, and literally helps our blood flow gracefully to all parts of the body. It is high in iron, magnesium, and essential healthy fat, to energize and support women’s overall health.
Please ensure that the cacao you source is ceremonial. To give you a few keys, look at the nutritional value on the package, and make sure that the fat content is greater than 50%. Also inquire about the cacao source, origin, and process from farm to you.
Rituals For Motherhood
Ceremonial Cacao can be used for the diverse rituals and initiations that Motherhood entails. If we quickly look at the history of cacao, it has been used for both reverence to the deceased, and for celebration. Motherhood is the death of the independent maiden into one of lifetime service in raising a child amongst other things.
There are initiations around the female lineage, womb cleansing or past miscarriage, a closing of the bones fabric ritual postpartum — to close energy centers that were open for pregnancy and birth — and perhaps a ritual to receive the child’s name. Trust your inner guidance to create, and receive the blueprint of these rituals, or find someone in your community who specializes in holding a safe space for these initiations.
Ceremonial Cacao can be used during labour to honor life’s cycles, and enjoy the enhancing mood boosting chemicals as you welcome your newborn earthside.
Is Cacao Safe For Pregnancy?
In indigenous communities, cacao is used to help support the birthing process, and for energetic support for the doulas and midwives to serve with full presence. Cacao ceremonists and birth practitioners who have used cacao during pregnancy, including myself, honor this sacred medicine for all of the beneficial assets it brings to a woman’s body and soul. Pregnancy and birth can be exhausting for all parties.
Here are some benefits of drinking ceremonial cacao during pregnancy: sugar free, regulates blood pressure, natural remedy for morning sickness, mood enhancer, relieves anxiety, positive impact on the placenta, regulates metabolism, relaxes the nervous system, reduces stress, relieves constipation, high in iron, magnesium, calcium, and fiber, and is a great coffee substitute.
Please tune in with your own intuition and needs. Some women choose to introduce cacao after the first trimester, and others work with creative doses 20g the whole way through, or occasionally exploring ceremonial doses 40-45g, depending on how one feels. Choosing cacao with a low caffeine content is important.
Based on my experience, mothers I’ve spoken to who have used cacao during pregnancy, and midwives and doulas, the answer is a resonant YES. High quality Ceremonial Cacao, with a low caffeine level, is safe.
Cacao and Breastfeeding
Cacao is amazing for breastfeeding. Nutrients are transferred from Mother to baby, and it is recommended for Mothers to drink cacao for repair and to regain strength. It actually helps the production of milk as it releases oxytocin, which enhances the human connection between Mother and child.
A bit of a personal share: When our daughter was born, I had excess milk to the point where I was pumping for a few Mothers in the community. I sat with that, and what came clearly to me was that it was because I drank ceremonial cacao, which is packed with nutritional value.
Children and Cacao
After the first year (babies can benefit from breastfeeding for one year without drinking cacao) and as a child grows, serving cacao can support a beautiful bond between Mother and child, as the child is drinking a high quality medicinal superfood beverage instead of the hot chocolate sold on the commercial shelf.
The heart connection is there, and cacao helps open channels of communication which plays a big role in how parent and child relate to one another. When our daughter is unwell, she will often ask for ceremonial cacao. We believe it is due to the high nutrient content and its ability, when consumed in small doses, to relieve nausea.
Aynua Ceremonial Cacao
Aynua Ceremonial Cacao is 100% pure, certified organic, fair trade, and ethically sourced from Northern Peru, where cacao originates on the planet. It is easy to prepare, as the cacao paste comes in the shape of small discs, making it easy to measure, and melt.
A daily creative dose is 6-8 discs, which is around 20g. In this serving size, the fat represents a daily value of 14%, iron 17%, magnesium 24%, zinc 18%, fiber 14%, and proteins 6%. Note that caffeine represents only 0.2% of our cacao, and that it contains no added sugar. This is a good example of what to look for when sourcing a good quality ceremonial cacao. If you want to know more, visit this page.
The content of this blog is for you to start getting curious about ceremonial cacao, and its many benefits during and after pregnancy. If you would like to consult a medical practitioner before working with cacao, feel free. You know your needs and your own body better than anyone.
Blessings from Peru.
Diana Deer Hawk