TF Pregnancy Club - March/April Thread! - Page 2

[steph117]

Leilalu & jessicaSAR - CONGRATS! totally forgot to say...

Leilalu, wowee, Gavin is a little cutie-pie with those rosy cheeks!!

(I LOVE baby pictures. Anyone else feel free to share. )

It's weird, I feel like it was much easier to eat well when pregnant than now...actually, I guess that's not weird. When I was pregnant, I wasn't getting used to having a newborn around!

I am certainly getting my complement of post-partum MEAT. I have eaten beef every single day, at least once...hopefully that's good for my iron! And healing from surgery - I actually feel really good at this point, hopefully the food is helping...

[farmerjess]

Not to be too dense, but I am newly pregnant (10 weeks) and wanting to get on the TF bandwagon and have some questions about what's ok during pregnancy. I also have candida, so I am looking for an eating style that will help me keep it at bay because I am no longer able to take strong herbal anti-fungals (oregano oil, GSE, etc.) I want to focus on getting as many food based pro-b's as possible.

I read on another post that a mama didn't want to start drinking kombucha while pregnant or nursing. Should I be concerned about this?

Should I be concerned about the amount of alcohol in kombucha and kefir?

I really feel like it is, but raw milk is ok during pregnancy right?

Any other advice?

I am going to start making sauerkraut soon...

TIA

[thomlynn]

The concern with kombucha is detoxing while pregnant. I tried it after I was assured that it wasn't a problem and starting the very next day I felt very very tired. I would be needed a nap two hours after I got up. Plus I noticed my still nursing 20mo also became very fussy. I took it for a couple days before I made the connection (I assumed it was just late pregnancy tiredness). It also screwed with my already wacky blood sugar. I'm having problems with it dropping out suddenly, no matter how balanced my meal is.

Anyhow, about three days after I stopped drinking it I started to feel normal again. I mentioned the whole thing to my mw at my next appointment and she was not happy at the advice I had been given. She said you never want to encourage your body to detox while pregnant or nursing and if I'm looking for something to help with liver support (which was the reason I was encouraged to start drinking it to begin with) that nettles were a much safer option.

Raw milk is great during pregnancy and I think starting kefir would be great. Are you taking Cod Liver Oil?? That is a must.

[farmerjess]

Thanks so much for the advice. I guess that kombucha is too strong a detox for right now. I will just give away the batch we are making now.

I can't wait to start the raw milk though. I just need to go on a quest to find it in my area.

I will just stick to an optimal diet then and just cleanse the slow and hard way.

About CLO, the conservationist part of me takes over and thinks about how cod are becoming an endangered species. Is it really tons better than regular fish oil made from mackerel, sardines, etc. that are not over-fished?

[tabitha]

i am pregnant, nursing, and drink kombucha. just to add a different side. a lot of pregnant/ nursing women choose to drink it.

i bought CLO but it makes me feel so sick after i take it that i think maybe i shouldnt. i also started taking concentrace and take a rainbow light prenatal, too. we are big kefir fans as well.

raw milk is safe, pregnant or not, if the source is good. i get very ill in my 1st trimester and raw milk yogurt saved me this time.

i would not worry about alcohol, but you should know i also drink a glass of wine here and there when pregnant.

[Leilalu]

Originally Posted by farmerjess

Not to be too dense, but I am newly pregnant (10 weeks) and wanting to get on the TF bandwagon and have some questions about what's ok during pregnancy. I also have candida, so I am looking for an eating style that will help me keep it at bay because I am no longer able to take strong herbal anti-fungals (oregano oil, GSE, etc.) I want to focus on getting as many food based pro-b's as possible.

I read on another post that a mama didn't want to start drinking kombucha while pregnant or nursing. Should I be concerned about this?

Should I be concerned about the amount of alcohol in kombucha and kefir?

I really feel like it is, but raw milk is ok during pregnancy right?

Any other advice?

I am going to start making sauerkraut soon...

TIA

first off, congrats!



I would focus on more gentle things to encourage a balance during pregnancy. I think kefir is great as it colonizes the gut, leaving it protected. I think it is actually way better than grapefruit seed extract, and oil of oregano in that it is a real food answer. And you are drinking a myriad of probiotics instead of just getting rid of the bad. I think kefir is perfectly safe, but I would start out in small quantities with homeade. Homeade is way more potent.

As far as curbing the cravings, fat is the way to go. During my pregnancy I did ok as long as I stayed away from sweets and substituted adding fats like EVCO, and butter to things, and drinking whole raw milk.

[farmerjess]

yes, I am really feeling the need to get some coconut oil. I used to order it by the gallon from Wilderness Family Naturals, but I haven't in a while. Just the thought of having it again is making me hungry. :

And I am starting on the quest for raw milk in the triangle area, NC.

I don't feel like I have had much of a reaction from kombucha when I have had it in the past couple of weeks, so maybe I'll try it in very small quantities, like a tsp per cup of water or something.

Thanks everyone for your help.

[guestmama9916]

I haven't been keeping up with this thread so CONGRATS to all the mamas that had their babies!!!

My MW says BH can be caused by dehydration. She tells all her clients to drink 1/2 their body weight in water each day while preggers. I've made it up to 64 oz of water a day but that's not quite 1/2 my body weight in ounces. Its hard for me to do more than that but I do notice that I feel better when I drink my water than when I don't. I have a tendency to get headaches when I don't get enough.

On another note, I had ketones in my urine yesterday at my prenatal. MW says I'm not getting enough calories. I feel like I'm eating alot already. I'm aiming for 70+ grams of protein a day so perhaps I'm not getting enough of the other stuff in. I'm 20 weeks and have gained 6 lbs. Any suggestions out there?

[guestmama9904]

I'm not so new to the TF boards but I am... drumroll, newly pregnant!

How long have you been interested in Traditional Foods and how did you first learn about it?
on and off for the past few years, learned about it as a natural extention of reading every cookbook i can get my hands on and finding what interested me, actually the first truly TF book I read was the maker's diet by jordan rubin. I grew up eating whole foods, organic foods and helping out on friend's farms and my father was a professional chef so food has always been a hugely important thing to me.

When is your baby due?

end of November or early December

Which number child will this be for you, and what are the ages of your other children (if any)?

biologically this is #2, I have 2 stepchildren

What kind of birth are you having?

who knows ye


What part of the world do you live in?
minneapolis, mn, usa- where it is still snowing!

[spiderdust]

Originally Posted by farmerjess

About CLO, the conservationist part of me takes over and thinks about how cod are becoming an endangered species. Is it really tons better than regular fish oil made from mackerel, sardines, etc. that are not over-fished?

That's an interesting question... I hope someone has an answer! :

[RootBeerFloat]

Originally Posted by saving_grace

On another note, I had ketones in my urine yesterday at my prenatal. MW says I'm not getting enough calories. I feel like I'm eating alot already. I'm aiming for 70+ grams of protein a day so perhaps I'm not getting enough of the other stuff in. I'm 20 weeks and have gained 6 lbs. Any suggestions out there?

I might not be a ton of help here, but are you actually writing down what you're eating every day? I had been, and then stopped and suddenly had a huge slow down in my weight gain and had some protein in my urine. My midwife asked me if I'd been eating enough, and I was like, Yeah, I'm eating like a horse. But then I started writing it all down again (I'm using a sort of check off list for the Brewer Diet) and was shocked by how deficient I was in protein. And I was eating it several times per day. I'm back to trying to figure out how to physcially get that much food into me every day, but now that I'm working it, I'm feeling alot better.

[desertpenguin]

oK, i totally did not keep up with the January/February thread. i will try to do better this time. :

to everyone who had their babies, congratulations!

farmerjess-the recommendations for CLO are for the omega 3's and for the vit A and vit D content. Dr Mercola recommends and sells krill oil on his website, and it seems to be a good source of omega 3's but not a very good source of vit A and no vit D at all. if you can find another good source of omega 3's and vit A and D that would be really terrific.

[suzukiaustin]

OK, I finally updated the list. Please let me know if there are any dates that need to be corrected.

As I was updating the list, I realized that I was next to pop. I almost pooped on myself!!! OMG!!! I'm pregnant and I'm going to have a baby...and SOON!

Ally'smom - I'm having BH contractions like no other these days as well. I wish I knew a TF connection to them, but I don't. I'm taking the advice to drink more H20, though (thanks!). Oh, and they started at about 31ish weeks and have been getting progressively worse...like I think I'm in labor right now because they are so strong, but I'm not. At least I don't think so!

Steph117 - CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU!!!! Mia is just beautiful! Yay for beef and CLO!!

Leilalu - Gavin is a doll, too! I hope you are doing well in your recovery. Are the femented foods helping?

farmerjess - I drink kombucha a few times a week, but I was drinking it pre-preggo. It gives me a lot of energy... Give it a try and listen to your body. Kefir is full of good stuff too, so you may not need the kombucha.

saving_grace - I'm in the same boat about gaining weight. It took me a long time to get going with the weight gain. I wish I had some advice for you...I think I will be at 25 lbs gain when this baby is born (gained 35 with the first) so there is hope. Just eat when you are hungry and snack on nuts, eggs and avocados, things like that. I wanted to gain 35 with this pregnancy as well because I started out underweight, but I just couldn't do it while chasing a 2 year old, walking a few miles a day (live in a city where I have to walk everywhere), and with my food intolerances. Someone told me that weight gain has nothing to do with the baby's size - nutrient dense foods do. I'm hoping they are right!! (Makes sense to me...)

thomlynn - Do you have any links on the bach flower remedies? I've been taking the Rescue Remedy and it is AMAZING!! Almost addictive...

[newcastlemama]

Hi mamas!

Congrats on the new babies Lealiu and Steph!!! (Sorry of I miss people..I have just barely skimmed the tread)

Update--My little girl and I are doing great. I have stayed on top of my nutrition to avoid the PPD/PPP that I had after number one and I am so happy to report feel very mentally stable. I eat lots of meat, greens, and coconut milk/fruit smoothies, CLO, extra minerals...It is such a different experience this time!

About ketones--I had them in my urine during the last pregnancy (and very slight protein in my urine too) (I mainly eat a meat, produce, and nuts diet) My midwife was not concenced because she knew a ate a whole foods diet with lots of protein and everything else showed that I was healthy. I think it is a good idea to write down what you eat if you are concerned.

Jen

[jessicafairy]

Originally Posted by suzukiaustin

thomlynn - Do you have any links on the bach flower remedies? I've been taking the Rescue Remedy and it is AMAZING!! Almost addictive...

I'm not thomlynn but maybe this link is what you are looking for?
http://www.bachflower.com/

[thomlynn]

Originally Posted by suzukiaustin

thomlynn - Do you have any links on the bach flower remedies? I've been taking the Rescue Remedy and it is AMAZING!! Almost addictive...

I checked this out from the library and did a couple searches here.

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-B...5955572&sr=8-1

I was also looking at this

http://www.bachflower.com/childbirth.htm

[thomlynn]

Originally Posted by tabitha

i am pregnant, nursing, and drink kombucha. just to add a different side. a lot of pregnant/ nursing women choose to drink it.

Just curious, were you drinking it before you were pregnant/nursing or did you start during?? I'm wondering if some of what happened to me was b/c of the pregnancy and I could possibly start while nursing, but I'm not so sure.

[guestmama9904]

i have been drinking kombucha for over 2 years, is there any danger in drinking it now that i am pregnant?

[thomlynn]

Originally Posted by arismama!

i have been drinking kombucha for over 2 years, is there any danger in drinking it now that i am pregnant?

I've heard it's only a problem to START it when pregnant since it causes the detox.

[moneca]

The caution that exists with drinking kombucha (or utilizing any kind of detox) while pregnant or breastfeeding is not at all for the mother, but only for the fetus or nursling. I've noticed that most on the TF boards consume it anyway and disregard the cautionary advice. I have read in several places that if one has been consuming it for a year before becoming pregnant than it is not much of a concern becuase the body has already done quite a bit of detoxing. I've found the exact same warning with bikram yoga due to the detox effect. My teachers here all say that it is only safe to contine during pregnancy if you've been practicing for a year. I'm still not sure if I'm going to continue once we ttc.

Problem is that anytime you detox you are exposing your fetus/nursling to an increased toxin load because the toxins are being mobilized. The fetus will absorb mercury like a sponge which makes the mother feel better, but increases the babe's toxic burden (haven't ever read studies on other toxins or metals that address this point). Just because something says that it has detoxifing properties only means that it flushes toxins out of the cells into the blood stream for circulation and redistribution, but not necessarily out of the body. I do believe that some up to a good portion exit the body, but not all.

Some people have very distinct detox symptoms like fatigue, headache, flu symptoms, insomnia, allergy worsening and such. Others may have such strange symptoms that they do not make the connection. Some may not have a large toxic burden because of lower exposure or the body's natural detox systems work optimally. I know my detox symptoms very well as I had been chelating (1 1/2 year) and detoxing for 2 years. Kombucha without question worsened my symptoms and I believe it is a wonderful natural detoxifier, but please be very wary of beginning it if pregnant or nursing.