Need Advice For Desperation And Stress During Pregnancy

How was your pregnancy? (Or your wife’s?)


  • Total voters
    2

Wabby1

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2018
Messages
11
hello all

I am currently 8 months pregnant, and I am not doing so well.

I feel constantly distressed and extremely depressed. These high levels of hormones are making me crazy. I’m having emotional flashbacks to things that happened to me in my early childhood to early twenties that I thought I had already come to peace with. They are also visual. I am steeped in learned helplessness as well, I can’t manage to get anything done. Anxiety is very high. I feel like my husband is starting to hate me. I don’t think this pregnancy is what he expected, his mom always said her pregnancies were blissful, and mine has not been that way. There’s a lot of guilt and shame because of it.

I have a congenital hypothyroid disorder. It’s been hard for me to get t3. I am on 200mcg of t4 (the gel caps).

I haven’t been strictly eating up to ray peat standards. Acid reflux has been insane!!!! I eat frequent small meals now. Fruit and oatmeal with 1% milk, breakfast burrito with egg cheese and potato, chicken breast and broccoli with a light sauce with 1% glass of milk and sugar, fruit and 1% fat Greek yogurt drink, sandwich with turkey, low fat mozz and a little bit of avo mayo(bad I know, but in lieu of tomato...), and maybe some more milk if I am still hungry.

My sleep is awful. Can’t sleep at night, but sleep all day, which gives me anxiety and guilt because I have two dogs that need exercise and mental stimulation.

I’m awake here in Central Standard Time 2:47am and my pulse is 115bpm, and yet I am sluggish as hell.

I am truly excited to be expecting a baby and I can’t wait to be a mother. I just wish I could feel better.
 

somuch4food

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
1,281
I sympathise with you. Generally, my pregnancies were kinda smooth, but started going downhill at 8 months.

Do you take a prenatal, or any other supplements?
 

Beastmode

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2017
Messages
1,258
Things we considered with my wife while going through pregnancy. She was 40 and sleep was pretty rough throughout.

1) Keeping bowels steady as that can create enough of a problem with a non-pregnant person. (well cooked bran with some salt and butter worked well)
2) Dr Brewer, who Peat mentions a lot, has some good working principles for a healthy pregnancy at any stage.
3) A lot of help. I say "a lot" b/c some of the basic stuff you might be doing don't seem like they are, but for a pregnant woman (especially at this stage) can overwhelming (i.e- walking dogs, feeding them, laundry, etc.)
4) Progesterone (progest-e) really helped my wife. By this stage your body is making hundreds of milligram (it should be at least,) therefore we were pretty liberal with her taking it as her estrogen was always high (huge stress hormone.)
5) Blood sugar balance. Lot's of fresh juices, ripe fruits, etc throughout the day. Even some by the bed if necessary.

All the above were helpful post pregnancy as well.
 

Tarmander

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Messages
3,763
1) Keeping bowels steady as that can create enough of a problem with a non-pregnant person. (well cooked bran with some salt and butter worked well)
It is probably gross and difficult, but getting a colonic or an enema would probably make the OP feel much better
 
OP
Wabby1

Wabby1

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2018
Messages
11
I could probably use a carrot salad as a substitute! Although I haven’t been having issues with using the bathroom.
 
OP
Wabby1

Wabby1

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2018
Messages
11
Things we considered with my wife while going through pregnancy. She was 40 and sleep was pretty rough throughout.

1) Keeping bowels steady as that can create enough of a problem with a non-pregnant person. (well cooked bran with some salt and butter worked well)
2) Dr Brewer, who Peat mentions a lot, has some good working principles for a healthy pregnancy at any stage.
3) A lot of help. I say "a lot" b/c some of the basic stuff you might be doing don't seem like they are, but for a pregnant woman (especially at this stage) can overwhelming (i.e- walking dogs, feeding them, laundry, etc.)
4) Progesterone (progest-e) really helped my wife. By this stage your body is making hundreds of milligram (it should be at least,) therefore we were pretty liberal with her taking it as her estrogen was always high (huge stress hormone.)
5) Blood sugar balance. Lot's of fresh juices, ripe fruits, etc throughout the day. Even some by the bed if necessary.

All the above were helpful post pregnancy as well.

Thank you for you advice. I’m excited to look up Dr.Brewer. Unfortunately I live by myself for the most part. My husband is a truck driver and only home a couple days a week. I thought I would be fine haha. Luckily my mom is visiting me soon to help me. I do take progesterone but I might have to start taking more. Fruits have been helping a lot, can’t get enough. Thank you!
 

SQu

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Messages
1,308
Things we considered with my wife while going through pregnancy. She was 40 and sleep was pretty rough throughout.

1) Keeping bowels steady as that can create enough of a problem with a non-pregnant person. (well cooked bran with some salt and butter worked well)
2) Dr Brewer, who Peat mentions a lot, has some good working principles for a healthy pregnancy at any stage.
3) A lot of help. I say "a lot" b/c some of the basic stuff you might be doing don't seem like they are, but for a pregnant woman (especially at this stage) can overwhelming (i.e- walking dogs, feeding them, laundry, etc.)
4) Progesterone (progest-e) really helped my wife. By this stage your body is making hundreds of milligram (it should be at least,) therefore we were pretty liberal with her taking it as her estrogen was always high (huge stress hormone.)
5) Blood sugar balance. Lot's of fresh juices, ripe fruits, etc throughout the day. Even some by the bed if necessary.
Sorry to hear how bad you feel and really hope you can find relief.
I agree with all these points. Especially attending to gut health daily, and regular eating (three hourly to help your body raise progesterone levels). Gelatin might help too.
 

somuch4food

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
1,281
Just folic acid.

You need more B for sure. A standard diet probably can't provide enough nutrients to actually feel fine at that stage. Have you tried liver, or liver pate? If you want more natural sources, you can also try nutritional or brewer's yeast.

Did you eat much dairy before starting with Peat? I know dairy/calcium can wire me and I think it could be due to broken calcium metabolism, or histamine issues related to casein. Lowering calcium and including beef could help.
 

Peatful

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Messages
3,582
hello all

I am currently 8 months pregnant, and I am not doing so well.

I feel constantly distressed and extremely depressed. These high levels of hormones are making me crazy. I’m having emotional flashbacks to things that happened to me in my early childhood to early twenties that I thought I had already come to peace with. They are also visual. I am steeped in learned helplessness as well, I can’t manage to get anything done. Anxiety is very high. I feel like my husband is starting to hate me. I don’t think this pregnancy is what he expected, his mom always said her pregnancies were blissful, and mine has not been that way. There’s a lot of guilt and shame because of it.

I have a congenital hypothyroid disorder. It’s been hard for me to get t3. I am on 200mcg of t4 (the gel caps).

I haven’t been strictly eating up to ray peat standards. Acid reflux has been insane!!!! I eat frequent small meals now. Fruit and oatmeal with 1% milk, breakfast burrito with egg cheese and potato, chicken breast and broccoli with a light sauce with 1% glass of milk and sugar, fruit and 1% fat Greek yogurt drink, sandwich with turkey, low fat mozz and a little bit of avo mayo(bad I know, but in lieu of tomato...), and maybe some more milk if I am still hungry.

My sleep is awful. Can’t sleep at night, but sleep all day, which gives me anxiety and guilt because I have two dogs that need exercise and mental stimulation.

I’m awake here in Central Standard Time 2:47am and my pulse is 115bpm, and yet I am sluggish as hell.

I am truly excited to be expecting a baby and I can’t wait to be a mother. I just wish I could feel better.
Hi @Wabby1

my pregnancies were woefully difficult in many dimensions.

As I look back now- if I could only change one thing for all my pregnancies- and all of my 20’s and 30’s- is I simply would have eaten more.

I was hungry- but in the quest to remain underweight and thin- I had lost myself and all sense of listening to my body.
It’s so clear now- but I was so blind then.

Don’t know your dietary hx- but for me- this would have been life saving, life giving advice.

You reaching out is a great sign. You’re aware and being proactive.
Reach out more if you need us.
 

Davis90

New Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1
hello all

I am currently 8 months pregnant, and I am not doing so well.

I feel constantly distressed and extremely depressed. These high levels of hormones are making me crazy. I’m having emotional flashbacks to things that ...
Hi Wabby.
It is not easy going through pregnancy for anyone.If eating chocolate isn't helping with anxiety,you should try to color a coloring book or something like that.It will take your mind in the other way,you will think of the coloring,not about the problems.
 

Beastmode

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2017
Messages
1,258
Sorry to hear how bad you feel and really hope you can find relief.
I agree with all these points. Especially attending to gut health daily, and regular eating (three hourly to help your body raise progesterone levels). Gelatin might help too.

My wife isn't pregnant. I shared our experience while pregnant.
 

mostlylurking

Member
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
3,078
Location
Texas
T4 can actually make things worse because it will stop your thyroid from creating what little T3 it makes. You need to get on some T3 along with that T4 or better yet, switch to natural desiccated thyroid which has both. Read Ray Peat's articles on thyroid here: Programmable Search Engine

You are describing high adrenaline, low thyroid, and possibly low progesterone. Just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you have enough progesterone and delivery with low progesterone is pretty horrible. (voice of experience here) Read Ray Peat's articles about adrenaline here: Programmable Search Engine

Low blood sugar can cause high adrenaline. Hypothyroidism increases problems with keeping blood sugar stable. Sugar consumption lowers adrenaline. Read Ray Peat's articles about sugar here: Programmable Search Engine

Find an endocrinologist NOW who knows what they are doing. Don't worry about offending your current doctor as they obviously missed the class on T3. Consider getting some progest-E (over the counter), talk with the endocrinologist about it if you want, but do read Ray Peat's articles on progesterone here: Programmable Search Engine and listen to the three radio shows on progesterone Ray did on Politics & Science first. Here is the link to Politics & Science: Programs from series: Politics and Science|A-Infos Radio Project Search for Ray Peat using the search engine (top right), there are three shows on progesterone. Doctors have been misinformed about progesterone; you need to learn about it yourself via Ray Peat.

I've been hypothyroid all my adult life. I had a baby when I was 23 and at that time did not know I was hypothyroid. I had a lot of awful symptoms, including a lot of joint issues, especially with my pelvis. This didn't just go away with the delivery. I couldn't sit for about 6 months and I could no longer pick up my baby after she turned 16 months because my connective tissue was too weak. It didn't have to be that way. The natural desiccated thyroid (I take Acella brand, 180 mgs) has cured my joint issues. I am now 70, I started the Acella thyroid when I was 65.

In addition to the joint problems while pregnant, I experienced high anxiety and pretty severe postpartum depression for many months. The high anxiety and circular thinking continued for many years; it stopped when I got my thyroid medication optimized.

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) are poisonous and can also contribute to the high anxiety. Get them out of your diet, including any fatty fish and fish oil. PUFA will mess with your hormones, increasing estrogen. Estrogen causes inflammation (even in your brain) and causes high anxiety. Estrogen is supposed to be low during pregnancy and progesterone is supposed to be high. But if you consume PUFA that may not be the case.

Eat raw carrot salad daily to help keep your gut healthy.
 
Last edited:

Beastmode

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2017
Messages
1,258
It is probably gross and difficult, but getting a colonic or an enema would probably make the OP feel much better

When my wife was pregnant, we didn't want to take a chance with a colonic as it can create more unnecessary stress to the system. I wouldn't recommend that to any pregnant woman. I know of some having a self adminstered enema just prior to birth, but I'm not sure if that's even necessary with a proper midwife/facilitator of the birthing process.
 

Recoen

Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
Messages
609
T4 can actually make things worse because it will stop your thyroid from creating what little T3 it makes. You need to get on some T3 along with that T4 or better yet, switch to natural desiccated thyroid which has both. Read Ray Peat's articles on thyroid here: Programmable Search Engine

You are describing high adrenaline, low thyroid, and possibly low progesterone. Just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you have enough progesterone and delivery with low progesterone is pretty horrible. (voice of experience here) Read Ray Peat's articles about adrenaline here: Programmable Search Engine

Low blood sugar can cause high adrenaline. Hypothyroidism increases problems with keeping blood sugar stable. Sugar consumption lowers adrenaline. Read Ray Peat's articles about sugar here: Programmable Search Engine

Find an endocrinologist NOW who knows what they are doing. Don't worry about offending your current doctor as they obviously missed the class on T3. Consider getting some progest-E (over the counter), talk with the endocrinologist about it if you want, but do read Ray Peat's articles on progesterone here: Programmable Search Engine and listen to the three radio shows on progesterone Ray did on Politics & Science first. Here is the link to Politics & Science: Programs from series: Politics and Science|A-Infos Radio Project Search for Ray Peat using the search engine (top right), there are three shows on progesterone. Doctors have been misinformed about progesterone; you need to learn about it yourself via Ray Peat.

I've been hypothyroid all my adult life. I had a baby when I was 23 and at that time did not know I was hypothyroid. I had a lot of awful symptoms, including a lot of joint issues, especially with my pelvis. This didn't just go away with the delivery. I couldn't sit for about 6 months and I could no longer pick up my baby after she turned 16 months because my connective tissue was too weak. It didn't have to be that way. The natural desiccated thyroid (I take Acella brand, 180 mgs) has cured my joint issues. I am now 70, I started the Acella thyroid when I was 65.

In addition to the joint problems while pregnant, I experienced high anxiety and pretty severe postpartum depression for many months. The high anxiety and circular thinking continued for many years; it stopped when I got my thyroid medication optimized.

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) are poisonous and can also contribute to the high anxiety. Get them out of your diet, including any fatty fish and fish oil. PUFA will mess with your hormones, increasing estrogen. Estrogen causes inflammation (even in your brain) and causes high anxiety. Estrogen is supposed to be low during pregnancy and progesterone is supposed to be high. But if you consume PUFA that may not be the case.

Eat raw carrot salad daily to help keep your gut healthy.
I’m glad you’re doing better now! There seem to be so many women with the “trifecta” nowadays - hEDS, POTs, and MCAS. I’m finding that these things “go away” when I fix my metabolism, including thyroid. From your post it sounds like your hypermobility/ hEDS is as well :).
 

Lollipop2

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
5,267
T4 can actually make things worse because it will stop your thyroid from creating what little T3 it makes. You need to get on some T3 along with that T4 or better yet, switch to natural desiccated thyroid which has both. Read Ray Peat's articles on thyroid here: Programmable Search Engine

You are describing high adrenaline, low thyroid, and possibly low progesterone. Just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you have enough progesterone and delivery with low progesterone is pretty horrible. (voice of experience here) Read Ray Peat's articles about adrenaline here: Programmable Search Engine

Low blood sugar can cause high adrenaline. Hypothyroidism increases problems with keeping blood sugar stable. Sugar consumption lowers adrenaline. Read Ray Peat's articles about sugar here: Programmable Search Engine

Find an endocrinologist NOW who knows what they are doing. Don't worry about offending your current doctor as they obviously missed the class on T3. Consider getting some progest-E (over the counter), talk with the endocrinologist about it if you want, but do read Ray Peat's articles on progesterone here: Programmable Search Engine and listen to the three radio shows on progesterone Ray did on Politics & Science first. Here is the link to Politics & Science: Programs from series: Politics and Science|A-Infos Radio Project Search for Ray Peat using the search engine (top right), there are three shows on progesterone. Doctors have been misinformed about progesterone; you need to learn about it yourself via Ray Peat.

I've been hypothyroid all my adult life. I had a baby when I was 23 and at that time did not know I was hypothyroid. I had a lot of awful symptoms, including a lot of joint issues, especially with my pelvis. This didn't just go away with the delivery. I couldn't sit for about 6 months and I could no longer pick up my baby after she turned 16 months because my connective tissue was too weak. It didn't have to be that way. The natural desiccated thyroid (I take Acella brand, 180 mgs) has cured my joint issues. I am now 70, I started the Acella thyroid when I was 65.

In addition to the joint problems while pregnant, I experienced high anxiety and pretty severe postpartum depression for many months. The high anxiety and circular thinking continued for many years; it stopped when I got my thyroid medication optimized.

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) are poisonous and can also contribute to the high anxiety. Get them out of your diet, including any fatty fish and fish oil. PUFA will mess with your hormones, increasing estrogen. Estrogen causes inflammation (even in your brain) and causes high anxiety. Estrogen is supposed to be low during pregnancy and progesterone is supposed to be high. But if you consume PUFA that may not be the case.

Eat raw carrot salad daily to help keep your gut healthy.
What a wonderful post! Thank you for taking the time.
 

SQu

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Messages
1,308
My wife isn't pregnant. I shared our experience while pregnant.
Yes sorry I should have made it clearer that I was quoting your post in support of what you were saying, but my comments were meant for Wabbly1.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom