anyone with preschoolers too? how to stay well?

[seahorsie]

I'm only a few weeks along & really sweating out this 1st trimester with my 3.5 yr old dd. This probably is the worst time of year to be in the 1st trimester, Feb is when we all get sick. Right now dd has the flu - she had a rash with it & I tried not to panic (I have no rubella immunity & dd is not vaxed for it) turns out it is just a weird flu rash.

Anyway, I will be SO relieved when 1st trimester is done! my last pregnancy began in June, so there was not much illness to worry about. Can anyone recommend a way to boost immunity safely in pregnancy? I have heard too much vit C is not good, so I take raw garlic cloves, cod liver oil, & probiotics. I feel ok so far, but being home with dd, how can I avoid her flu?

Which natural pregnancy book is best as far as supplements/herbs?

[mom2sweetboy]

I have a 3 year old son. When I think he is coming down with something I give him Airborne dissolvable cold tablets, and use Zicam (zinc nasal swabs) if he is coming down with a cold. He also takes a multi-vitamin and has a cup of tea every day. I don't know if this helps or not, but he hasn't been sick yet this winter. . .and he's around a lot of other kids too. . .

I don't take the airborne (can't stand the taste), but the Zicam works great for me for colds.

[seahorsie]

I was told by a pharmacist not to take Airborne during my last pregnancy (I had it in my hand in the store & she warned me not to buy it). I think there was a lawsuit against Zicam because some people complained that their nasal swabs caused loss of sense of smell... not sure what became of that, I think Zicam denied it. We take the oral melts, just in case there's something to that - forgot about Zicam though, thanks!
Dd takes a multi, cod liver oil, vit C, & probiotics - but her diet has been really fairly poor for some time. She's an extremely picky eater - avoids all veggies, except an occaisonal salad, & butternut squash soup. It's so frustrating.

[Tori Gollihugh]

To respond to your question about what you can take safely, seahorsie:

The first thing I would recommend is to make sure you are consuming enough WATER!!! It's amazing how much better your body can work when it's well lubed. heehee :D I found a link to a great water intake calculator on another thread a while back. It really opened my eyes! I totally thought I was drinking a "LOT" of water when I input my information and found out I was drinking less than I needed. NOW, I KNOW I'm drinking more than I "need" on a regular basis. It's rough with the potty issue... I have to pee ALL the time, but I haven't been sick or felt like I was developing anything since I've been drinking ENOUGH and more than enough water!!!
http://www.bottledwater.org/public/hydcal/input1.html

Also, regarding the Vitamin C: You're right that more than 2 tabs of 1000mg vit C is problematic because it will upset your Ph and the baby's Ph. HOWEVER, if you use a buffered C (like Ester-C), you can take 3 daily with no problems. If you DO get sick, you can increase that to 10 (increase your intake by 1 each day until you reach 10 -spread the pills out throughout the day, stay at 10 for 5 days and then decrease the same way).

You can also take probiotics. I use acidopholus and LactinX. Acidopholus is usually on the shelf at vitamin stores and pharmacies, but I've only been able to find LactinX at pharmacies (and it MUST be refrigerated or NO good). However, there are other probiotics that are good as well. Lots of info on this in the HEALTH forums!

Cal.Phos and Mag. Phos are good to take as well. The 40x is what I have and was recommended that I take. (I'm in my first trimester as well! Only 4 and 1/2 weeks.)

The only problem with LactinX and the phos tabs is that they have lactose in the formula... so if you can't consume that, you'll have to look harder for those kinds of items.

I totally recommend checking out the HEALTH threads... I'm sure you'll find even more valuable info!!

[seahorsie]

Thanks for all the info Tori! Actually, I just found out here that the best form of Vit C is Sodium Ascorbate. Check out this thread someone sent me:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=353318t

I'm going to look at your link now....

[BCmamaof6]

Yeah...I'm with ya.
Our 3yo had pnemonia (spent 6 hours in emerg on boxing day)
Then a staph infection on her skin.
Now an ear infection following a virus.

Our 5yo has the same virus/cold.

I'm taking prenatal multi, vit E, folic acid (anyway) & acidophilis & vit C (to prevent illness).

I've read before that high doses of vit C can cause a miscarriage ("Wise Woman Herbal" maybe?) so I'd be careful about that.

[BCmamaof6]

Oh...and avoid sugar and caffiene...both can affect your immunity.

[merpk]

Truthfully, do you get sick from your kids?

:scratch

I never do. If they get something, it doesn't follow that I'll get sick. And if I get sick, it doesn't follow that they will.

Since we're all sleeping intertwined on the same bed/pillows/blankets, have never figured out how that works, but it's true. :shrug

So am thinking that maybe if you don't stress about it, it won't be worth stressing about.

(Sorry if that was a nonanswer answer. :lol)

[seahorsie]

Truthfully, do you get sick from your kids?

:scratch

I never do. If they get something, it doesn't follow that I'll get sick. And if I get sick, it doesn't follow that they will.

Since we're all sleeping intertwined on the same bed/pillows/blankets, have never figured out how that works, but it's true. :shrug

So am thinking that maybe if you don't stress about it, it won't be worth stressing about.

(Sorry if that was a nonanswer answer. :lol)


Wow, you are fortunate. We always end up with whatever dd has brought from school, usually not as severe though. I know the #1 thing I could do to help stay healthy is go to bed earlier! but my dh gets home late from work & we end up staying up late. Otherwise we wouldn't see much of each other.

We definitely avoid sugar, & I avoid caffeine.

[Momof3Girlz]

I agree with drinking lots of fluids. Get enough rest and be dilligent about handwashing. :thumb

[mama2silas]

We have had great success with using Emergen-C, so if DS seems to be coming down with something, I will give him Emergen-C Jr., and I'd probably take some too (Jr. version for me too). There are also a couple of homeopathic/herbal items we use for DS, and he gets his Echinacea gummy bear every other day (they are YUMMY). I don't tend to get sick very often *knock wood*. DH on the other hand....

[honeybeedreams]

i would go easy on the cod liver oil, there is lost of vitamin A in it and that is one vitamin a pregnant woman can get to much of. i suggest avoiding liver too while pregnant.

we love zicam. :love

but the single most important thing you can do to avoid illness is handwashing, learn how to wash your hands like a health professional and it will make a huge difference. (sing at least one full verse of old mcdonald had a farm, with lots of soap and hot water all the way up to your forearm)

also, make sure your kids get fresh air and plenty of sleep with a little sugar as posssible and they wash their hands a lot too. i let me son play in the sink since he is so pricky about washing his hands when i say so.

my son is in preschool and let me tell you, there are 4 kids in the class, he and another little girl are not vaxed and the other tow are and those other two kids are sick SOOOO much. like ALL the time. my son has been sick twice since sept. i do think vax-ing does really affect the immune system. as does formula. my son and the other unvaxed little girl were nursed until 2 at least.

just my .02.

[seahorsie]

[QUOTE=honeybeedreams]i would go easy on the cod liver oil, there is lost of vitamin A in it and that is one vitamin a pregnant woman can get to much of. i suggest avoiding liver too while pregnant.

I researched vit A for this reason before I became pregnant. It turns out, the synthetic form of vit A found in supplements is the dangerous type. Beta Carotene, naturally occuring vit A, found in foods - including cod liver oil, is safe. Whatever excess your body doesn't need is excreted. I really think cod liver oil is keeping me healthy - a week has past & I'm still ok. Dd 's flu has subsided into a mild cold, her rash is healing. We're also taking sodium ascorbate (best vit c), tons of raw garlic, probiotics, no sugar (we minimize that all winter), & try to wash hands as much as possible. The only thing I'm doing differently this time, than other colds/flu in the past is the cod liver oil (we used to buy only fish oil) & consistent garlic. :thumb

[honeybeedreams]

I researched vit A for this reason before I became pregnant. It turns out, the synthetic form of vit A found in supplements is the dangerous type. Beta Carotene, naturally occuring vit A, found in foods - including cod liver oil, is safe. Whatever excess your body doesn't need is excreted.

actually this is untrue. there are two types of vitamin A... the kind that comes from plants are "caroteniods," beta carotone is one. this isn't actually A, but rather is converted to A in the body. this is less likely to build up to dangerous levels in the body and so is a good choice for supplementation. however, this kind of A come from PLANTS, NOT FISH. animal sources (including fish) have a kind of A called "retinols" this A is more readily converted in the body and therefore is more likely to build up to high levels. cod liver oil contains this kind of A. levels of vitamin A over 6000 IU (any kind, beta carotone OR retinols) are linked to birth defects and so pregnant women should exercise caution in using cod liver oil or eating animal livers. if you take cod liver oil you should not take more then 1 tsp per day.

if you want some sources, PM me, as my housemate retrieved an article for me from the United States Pharmacopeia Drug Information.

[seahorsie]

Ok - I think I mixed up the beta carotene with retinol, you're right about that. But you should read this link from Weston-Price about how Vit A has suffered a bad rap. Please read especially the section "Vit A - A Knavery".

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/vitaminasaga.html

[honeybeedreams]

honestly, i have some issues with the weston price website. i think the science is kinda shaky. and believe me, we all drink raw milk here and appriciate what WP has done to help people have the right to both buy and sell raw around the country... but like dr. mercola's site... the science is sometimes grounded more in the author's reality than in real verifiable science.

i love the ideas on both sites, but think that sometimes they both (like PETA) go to far to push a particular agenda. and i don't think it serves them very well, since it makes ALL information on the site questionable.

just my .02.

[seahorsie]

I posted the question of Cod liver oil/pregnancy in the nutrition forum - there are some mamas there who took CLO during their pregnancies & did well. Also, turns out Carlson's CLO is one of the oils with lower levels of A so not so worrisome. With my dd still with a cold, I feel CLO is helping me stay well where other supplements haven't. I feel pretty safe with the dose I'm taking & brand.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=408632&goto=newpost

[honeybeedreams]

i stand by what i say, however, anyone here is welcome to do whatever they want with the information i have shared. to me, this isn't "mainstream," i manged three health food stores before becoming a mommy, it's what i did for a living and i was very careful to research what i told people. i am now a professional nutritional consultant and so have to feel confident about what i tell people, since they pay me to tell them this stuff.

you (the generic you) should do whatever you feel is best for your body, your baby and your life, however, please don't (seahorsie) misquote me when you seek other information. :thumb

[SaveTheWild]

why not just take fish oil (the body oil) instead of cod liver oil? I assume it still has most of the same benefits, but with lower risk of too much Vit A, and lower toxins. that's what I am doing. i take fish oil every day from a brand made of small, non-predatory fish (therefore naturally low in bioaccumulating pollutants).

[seahorsie]

i stand by what i say, however, anyone here is welcome to do whatever they want with the information i have shared. to me, this isn't "mainstream," i manged three health food stores before becoming a mommy, it's what i did for a living and i was very careful to research what i told people. i am now a professional nutritional consultant and so have to feel confident about what i tell people, since they pay me to tell them this stuff.

you (the generic you) should do whatever you feel is best for your body, your baby and your life, however, please don't (seahorsie) misquote me when you seek other information. :thumb





Forgive me, but I didn't come out and quote you in the other forum - never mentioned your name. I was speaking "generically" when I spoke of mainstream. Mostly I was referring to online health sources that I have been searching - conservative in nature - many which agree with you. I don't consider anyone on MDC to be mainstream. Others in the past on MDC have also made similar comments on CLO to yours. So I was not specifically referring to you. Sorry that you took this personally. It was not meant to be. :o