did you take chlorella when pregnant?

[lulu0807]

wondering if anyone took chlorella when they were pregnant? and if so what dose? any information about chlorella would be appreciated! TIA!

[123]

I took it all through my second pregnancy and on and off with my third. I don't remember the dose, it was what was recommended on the box. I never had any problems, though I do think that the chlorella was responsible for my iron levels always being good. Even after I lost a lot of blood delivering my second, my iron levels were just a little under the recommended level (though I don't remember the numbers there either).

[Abraisme]

Yes, I have taken chorella through both of my pregnancies. I think it's super healthy so long as you were taking it before you got pregnant. Chlorella is a strong detox herb, so I don't think it's safe to start taking it during pregnancy. My sister started taking chlorella (while not pregnant) and had really bad detox symptoms (she was fatigued, achy and practically had to stay in bed for days)..

I take between 6-9 pills per day, depending on if I remember.

[lulu0807]

thanks ladies!

I wonder if a smaller dose would not yield such a strong detox?

I also noticed that spirulina is in the prenatal vitamin that I take...

[Abraisme]

Originally Posted by lulu0807

thanks ladies!

I wonder if a smaller dose would not yield such a strong detox?

I also noticed that spirulina is in the prenatal vitamin that I take...

I suppose it depends if you have any heavy metal toxicity. My sister spent several years in China, so she thinks that she picked up a lot of heavy metals while she was there. She was only taking 1-2 pills per day and had those extreme symptoms..

You could start taking 1 per day for a week, then upping the dose by 1 pill per week and see how it goes. When I first started taking chlorella I got a bad headache for the first few days, so I know it was doing something. I'm just not sure I'd want to risk exposing my baby to heavy metal detox...

[xekomaya]

I did take it on and off, and now that I know more would not do it again. I think if you're confident that you're very healthy and do not have a high body burden of heavy metals, other chemicals, and know your body detoxes well (good liver, etc), it probably is fine and great for your iron levels.

I, OTOH, didn't realize how unhealthy my body was AT ALL until after I had my baby - I got much sicker, allergies intensified, came down with severe chemical sensitivity, etc. -- Not at all related to the chlorella in any way, but I just totally didn't realize my liver was already so-so. I would just never have intentionally dumped more chemicals/metals into myself and my son had I known better. ymmv

[becalive]

I have organic chlrollea powder and was thinking of adding it too smoothies. Should I wait till after I have had the baby?

What kind of dosage should I take?

[TonyaW]

I wouldn't take it while pregnant or breastfeeding. It detoxes heavy metals very well. I wouldn't want my babe to get any heavy metals filtered through him or her. This is especially true if you have ever had any vaccines or any amalgam fillings.

[guestmama9916]

I took it last pregnancy and it gave me a good energy boost. However, it made my blood so thick that I'm not taking it again this time due to my pre-eclampsia history (I don't need to take anything to cause more blood clots!!). I hardly bled at all after DD was born which was a positive side effect but I don't think its worth the risk given my history. The effect seemed to last well after I stopped taking it too. When DD was a few weeks old I shattered a glass pitcher at my feet in the middle of the night when I got up to pump. I had some pretty good gashes but the bleeding stopped right away and just clotted right up like I've never seen before. I had not taken any chlorella for at least a month at that point.

[Koalamom]

I don't think I take enough to supply adequate iron, but I was taking it before getting pregnant and still do on occasion. I just put a bit in a smoothie. I am not taking a whole ton, just a small amount and am not worried about it detoxing to my baby. I feel great and am 38 weeks along.

[mariacm]

Originally Posted by lulu0807

thanks ladies!

I wonder if a smaller dose would not yield such a strong detox?

I also noticed that spirulina is in the prenatal vitamin that I take...

Lulu- is spirulina supposed to be a detox one too?? I was thinking about taking this but haven't yet, but wanted it for the omegas.

[mamatosage]

Hi,

I am 28 weeks pregnant and have just started taking liquid chlorophyll.
I took it on and off before I was pregnant and then a bit in my early second trimester.
My midwife raves about it's benefits for pregnant women. It helps maintain your iron levels and boosts your energy.

She has me taking a teaspoon a day in a pure 100% juice-as vitamin C aids in absorption of iron.

[lulu0807]

Originally Posted by mariacm

Lulu- is spirulina supposed to be a detox one too?? I was thinking about taking this but haven't yet, but wanted it for the omegas.

I'm not the best person to ask, but...

I thought that what makes chlorella such a great detoxer is that it has a very high concentration of chorophyll, which cleans the blood. Spirulina also contains chorophyll, just not as much as chlorella, I read that spirulina contains more protein. besides this difference chlorella and spirulina are nearly identical, right?

I worked part-time at a health food store during this pregnancy and the owner, who I adore, raved about these two algaes... saying they had everything the body loves!

thanks for all these replies ladies!

[lulu0807]

also... Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Years by Susun S. Weed recommends 3 teaspoons of chlorella (per day?) for anemia.

[dori3]

I know this is a really old post and such but I had to sign up to this site just to post this response because there is a lot of misinformation about how chlorella works.

I had the same concerns as the previous poster about the detoxification effects of the metals "going through my baby". But this is not true.

Chlorella's detoxification effect does not go "through" the baby.

Chlorella is not that type of detoxification agent. The way it was explained to me by a naturopathic doctor is that there are different types of detoxification agents. Chlorella is one that does not take heavy metals out of your bloodstream and/or your fat cells and therefore possibly re-desitribute them to your baby as other detox chemicals might. Instead, chlorella BINDS (basically creates clumps) to these heavy metals in your intestines and gut from food that you have just eaten, and so you basically expell them in feces and urine as opposed to having them absorbed into your bloodstream, as they would normally.

Let me know if this doesn't make sense. Just wanted to help! You can research this for yourself online or ask your naturopathic doctor, or doctor or chinese medicine to confirm this fact. I made sure of this before I continued to take chlorella during my pregnancy.

I'm currently 21 weeks pregnant and my baby is growing BIG and is super healthy (maybe too big and I should lay off the Chlorella! lol).

[essnce629]

I know that this is an old thread, but I was just given some free chlorella samples at Whole Foods the other day (Sun Chlorella brand) and I decided to do some research on them. I am still nursing my 23 month old DS and everything I've read is that chlorella actually helps to decrease toxins in breastmilk and make it "cleaner" for baby. It was also shown to increase IgA levels in milk which translated to less infections for baby. Here's what I came across:

Chlorella (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) supplementation decreases dioxin and increases immunoglobulin a concentrations in breast milk.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17472477

Study Shows Chlorella Boost Breastfeeding Immunity Properties

http://parenting.amuchbetterway.com/study-shows-chlorella-boost-breastfeeding-immunity-properties/

All the reviews I read about it on both Amazon and Vitacost were also very favorable. I'll think I'll give it a try!

[NourishCreate]

Yep!  Chlorella binds with heavy metals actually keeping them AWAY from the baby!   When you have any seafood, you should have some chlorella at the same meal (before) to keep any new heavy metals away from your blood stream!   This prevents your body from absorbing the metals bc they bind with the chlorella and then are excreted out of your body.

Chlorella is a superfood- so many minerals, vitamins, protein, etc.  I think it would be OK to have some here and there for your baby. Maybe just don't overdo it~~!

[cameragirl]

I've been taking it, but backed off the last few days because I got morning sickness and puked it up. I think I need a few more days for the association to wear off some. It's great for pregnancy constipation, and I seem to have more energy. It's also a good source of protein. If you haven't taken it before, I'd gradually increase your dose every few days. I was dealing with infertility and took 10-15 grams a day until I got pregnant, and then switched to 5 grams a day.