About Us

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BIO

Lifelong holistic health has it benefits...as a young girl, in Sweden, I watched my dear beloved grandma die when I was 12, after years of her taking various medications, she was 66 and over weight,. The day of her funeral I mad an oath to myself, to always be healthy, never grow old and never look a day older than 39. I would do this with nutrition and exercise. Now how I knew this at 12, without all the information we have today or anyone telling me... I don't know. But I just knew. 

So I have exercised all my life. Started out with swimming, dancing, among many other sports, but I found bodybuilding to be my favorite sport. And it has served me well. I immediately starting to work in gyms from age 16. My family moved to Australia, where I won city, state and national body building titles while working as a personal trainer and aerobics instructor, delved into gym design and was the manager of one of Australia's most famous body building gyms at the time. 

AMERICA

Shortly after moving to California and starting up a private training business. I had a client who wanted a 3rd baby, but not necessarily another pregnancy as her previous two had been grueling with 9 months of morning sickness and various other ailments, including 36 hour deliveries. She was ready to adopt.  But she figured that if she got fit again it may help. Smart woman!!  After a year of getting her super-fit, she got pregnant right away, and we continued her exercise program through out pregnancy and for a year after. I modified her program based on her feed back as far as what she could do or not, and studied I studied her physical changes as her belly grew. This was back in 92/93, when women were told to lie down and not exercise while pregnant. So we had literally nothing to go by. 

However, this time she had 2 months of negligible morning sickness and no other gestational issues whatsoever. She went into labor on her due date. She called me from the hospital after delivering her baby boy in 3 hours, screaming "Lets do this again!" 

Her baby also had much better Apgar scores than her two other children. This is when I started to really take notice and document all the differences between her other children and this one. Her baby was much calmer,  ate and slept better, was better behaved and seemed to learn faster. I was amazed, and started studying the little there was. Another client of mine at the time was a famous Beverly Hills OB/Gyn who mentioned there was a medical book (not available to the public), by Dr. Raul Artal about exercise in pregnancy from 1991. He ordered it for me and it became my Bible. Now if any other Ob's read it, so many other moms could have had better pregnancies. This book validated everything I had observed. Because of this client, I decided prenatal fitness was going to be my specialty. I started getting OB referrals for many pregnant women. 

BOOK

I found some of the greatest (holistically minded) Ob's  to collaborate with and pick their brains to write my book Expecting Fitness.  Dr. John F. Kerin professor and director at Cedars Sinai in Beverly Hills and UCLA, Dr Jeffrey S. Greenspoon of UCLA, Dr. James Clapp of the Cleveland Health Clinic, who initially set out to prove with science that exercise was bad for pregnancy, but was stunned when all his research turned out in favor of prenatal exercise.  To top it off, Dr. Raul Artal wrote me a wonderful forward for my book. As did my client at the time Jane Seymour. I have since found many wonderful holistically minded doctors, midwifes, doulas, etc.. to work with. I started to get many celebrity clients including European Royalty. 

With so many of my clients being "high risk" and at the time put on bed rest, I had to develop pioneering "bed-rest" exercise programs that were mainly seated and/or lying down. This was a first at a time when doctors were still scared of  exercise during pregnancy, as no one had read Artal's book. You can find a whole chapter on "high risk" exercises in my book. 

HEALTHY BABY VITAMINS

My clients were complaining about all the vitamin bottles they had to open daily to get the best nutrition for their baby, so I collaborated with one of the top 5 nutritional formulators in the country; Jem Welsh (he truly was a gem, or wealth of knowledge), to develop my Healthy Baby Prenatal Vitamins. A convenient pack full of everything they needed for an optimally healthy baby.   

LAUREN ROTATION (R)

 To not only reduce but prevent back pain for my pregnant clients, I experimented with various exercises and invented the Lauren Rotation (R)   A leg circle exercise that has been invaluable in back and hip pain prevention. Not just for pregnancy but anyone. 

You can find it here: https://youtu.be/YJzw0TemYy4. 

NON PROFIT GOVERNANCE

Throughout my career in the holistic health fitness and maternal/ infant health industry I have sat on the board of the Los Angeles and Orange County March of Dimes, where I spearheaded new educational programs for pregnant women on exercise and nutrition. 

I was an Executive Board member of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) in Washington DC. 

President of Swedish Women's Educational Association (SWEA) Los Angeles where I organized several monthly member events, to further Swedish language, traditions and culture among  Swedish women, and the annual public Christmas Fair for 3,000 attendees. 

I am currently on the Board of Governors of the oldest and first consumer health federation; the National Health Federation to ensure our health and medical freedoms in the world, and plentiful healthy organic food choices for all, via our work and activism, attending Codex Alimentarius meetings under the WHO / UN, to ensure higher nutrient values and less chemicals in the worlds food supply. Previously I was a delegate for the NHF at these Code meetings fighting the FDA, USDA, CDC, WHO for your health freedoms. Please become a member to support the NHF  for your and your children's health. 

PREGNANCY

All along I was gathering more and more information on how to have a perfect pregnancy, and more so how to boost and protect fertility. I applied this knowledge to my own life for my own eventual children. I even deliberately gained an extra 8-10 lbs to ensure my otherwise lean athletic body would be able to hold a pregnancy for 10 years. Hormones are stored in fat. At 53 my crazy life finally gave me the  chance for pregnancy. And twins no less. I was over the moon as they say.  At my first check up to confirm pregnancy i am given a CDC sheet of all the vac.cines I should have.... I said flat out: It took me until 53 to get pregnant and they want me to kill my babies before they are even born? 

Then my regular OB ( a very famous celebrity OB that had given me many clients over the years to help them have healthier pregnancies), refused to plan for a home birth, based on my age....according to medical books... and predicted I would have preeclampsia, diabetes, etc... and early delivery at 29 weeks, just his wife and so many patients... without any regard to my 5 decades of compounded holistic living, exercise and avoiding all medications. I said: you can't put me in the same box as women that have not lived my healthy lifestyle. I have 53 years of accumulated health vs. five decades of all sorts of possible unhealthy lifestyle factors. Not only will I not deliver at 29 weeks, nor 40 weeks full term, I will deliver at 42 weeks and without any health issues. He told me I was crazy and was upset i wouldn't do any more ultrasounds.

But if there is something I know, its how to be pregnant. I am the pregnancy guru. I did everything to a T and took a truck load of supplements, that I modified as my pregnancy progressed.  I had to change to a very holistic OB that only does home births. But I still wouldn't do ultrasounds until 19 weeks, at which point I needed to confirm for myself that my twins were of equal size, as with twins it is common for one baby to take more nutrients than the other, and grow much bigger than the other baby. This can jeopardize the pregnancy of one or both babies.  I prayed every night before bed that my babies would be equal in size and be born at 42 weeks, super healthy,  smart, strong, and beautiful. Hindsight: I forgot to ask for "patience" ...  I also had a talk to my babies every night while pregnant, that they had better share all nutrients 50/50 equally so that they would be the same size. My 19 week appointment confirmed that they were almost exactly even on all measurements within 5%. After that I continued to pray to God not to let my girls out until Midsummer or 42 weeks, and refused all ultrasounds and all but one test, until the very end when my OB needed to know their positions. Driving even my holistic OB crazy. But I felt good, really good the entire pregnancy, not counting the pain of the weight of my large babies. I continued working as a personal trainer to moms until 36 weeks at which point my belly just go to big to maneuver... for such a physical job. 

DELIVERY

I did do one thing I have always told my clients not to do...  I wore maternity belts, and not just one but two, 24 /seven in the end. as the weight of my belly was so painfully heavy I couldn't function without the belts. I couldn't even sleep as turning around in bed was too painful. So despite my daily exercise program, my abdominals and uterus got lazy, and did not want to contract.... at 40 weeks I could feel something that was probably contractions... but way to weak to push out a baby or two. So plan B: a scheduled C-Section took me a week to wrap my head around. That was completely against my religion.  2 hours of talking with my OBs partner that delivers at a small private hospital discussing my fears and hatred of hospitals (based on working with pregnant women for over 20 years) we got a plan.  At 42 weeks, I got 1/2 a spinal just for the cut... and nothing else. No other medications, no pain killers, no antibiotics .. nothing.  

And out came my two beautiful bundles of joy. Each girl was 8 lbs. Wow, that oxytocin! The surge of hormones and love meeting your babies for the first time was everything I had ever heard it would be. Life transforming, overwhelming with so much joy.. 

All in all, it was probably the most holistic c-section one could have. I was so pleased at how it went and how I was treated. 

The doctor was fabulous. He had instructed his staff, this was not your ordinary mom... just do as she says... 

My girls were just dried off, not washed, their umbilical cord cut was delayed, and given to me and I have never let go of them since. 

In my room I had boxes of herbs, homeopathic remedies, vitamins, and essential oils. The nurses would come in and ask me health questions...  I kept the girls in bed with me at all time except for eating my meals. My husband would bring me organic food from Erewhon to eat as I couldn't possibly eat the horrific hospital food. And I put them together in one cot. I pushed out the second cot. These girls have lived for 10 months together, and should stay together. I've seen enough videos on a dying twin being revived to life just by placing the healthier twin next to it. 

POSTPARTUM

The hospital pediatrician was told by me to not do any regular tests, vac.cines etc... He claimed one of my girls had spina bifida.. and wanted to take her for an ultrasound. I said: No she doesn't, I took way too much folate for that and the babies are not leaving my sight. (You cannot trust hospitals with vac.cines when you are not in sight). If you want to give her an ultrasound you can, but please bring the machine into my room. He grumbled but did so, and the test confirmed she was just fine. So ladies, doctors work for you, not the other way around, don't let them bully you into things. Understand and know your body, learn to be your own holistic doctor. 

God gave us everything in nature to take care of any and all needs, and has instructed us all to take care of our own Temple. Our body.

Also understand that babies when born will and should lock eyes with you and smile at you on day one. It is the medications and shots that blur babies eyes and prevent normal characteristics and development.  Stand up for your rights to bodily sovereignty for you and your babies.

BREAST FEEDING

After I got home, I was told I wasn't producing enough milk for two babies and had to start pumping. I was also told I probably wouldn't be able to nurse for very long... I was thrilled I could nurse at all so I did do some extra pumping, but my girls mostly nursed. At 10 months I quit pumping as I was making plenty of milk, and they were thriving with zero issues. Yes no jabbs, not anything after the first couple of visits to my holistic pediatrician. Well, to make a long story short, they nursed for 5,5 years, until I had to stop it out of plain exhaustion. So much for older moms not being able to nurse... 

CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Going back to coming home from the hospital, on the very first day after finishing nursing and watching my girls, I was stumped. I knew everything about being pregnant, but I knew nothing about what to do with babies. What do I do now ?  What can newborns do? So being a teacher... I pulled out their abacus and started counting.. Math is good. 

Being in the pregnancy and baby industry for so long I had gotten to know Dr. Titzer who developed INFANT LEARNING.com. and showed me how babies have the highest capacity for cognitive and language learning in the first 11 months. It's literally down hill after that. A child's brain is 75% developed by 2, 85% by 3 and 95% by 5. So I bought his programs in English, German and French and improvised with Swedish books, and videos for babies, and I only speak Swedish with my girls. We started the program with two languages every day, from 8 weeks on. Just to see what would happen.  At 16 months, both girls started reading in all 4 languages on the same day. It blew me away. 

They hit all their developmental markers early and have been as tall as children 2 years older from  get go. 

I got everything I prayed for, at 6.5 they are now way too smart and strong and over power me with their will power, strength and lack of patience... I should have prayed for that last one.... I had no idea children can be so stubborn..... and oh,  so messy.... but they keep me laughing and smiling of joy every day. We home school and they have an envious lifestyle of fun classes and activities. I think back at going to my own rigid school days, from 8 -- 3 every day.... what a horrid system. 

HOLISTIC COACHING

After the COVID lock down I will only do virtual client coaching for holistic health, specializing in fertility, pregnancy, maternity and infant health. 

If you or someone you know need help, contact me via contact form and help me support my wonderfully healthy little girls. 

I will have several protocols soon. 

Yours in Health

Healthier Moms make Healthier Babies. 

Birgitta