Pregnant!

[sarahevebee]

I'm glad I revisited this post. Definitely needed to read all the great info everyone had posted again.

I never did get around to emailing Peat, though I suppose it's never too late. I didn't want to post here again until I had emailed him, but I hadn't yet, so I felt bad, and created a vicious cycle of foolishness for myself!

I have 2 months left in my pregnancy now...I'm due June 23rd.

Since my last post, I have been diagnosed with low iron and 'gestational diabetes.' I felt like the iron supplements were pushed on me, and gestational diabetes was like a threat to reduce carbs or else I would be forced to take insulin and have a hospital birth, probably by c-section.

My plan is to have a home birth, and I am now getting care from a midwife, who is concerned with the possibility of hypoglycemia in newborns when a high-glucose food supply from the mother is cut off at delivery. She's not afraid of big babies (another result of 'gestational diabetes) but her "carrot on the stick" is a natural, home birth, so I'm eating a high protein, low-ish carb diet and am feeling...well, I'm not feeling great. I'm just terrified of the hospital...I don't want to have an epidural...I don't want to be induced...and I certainly don't want an unnecessary c section!

I don't know if it's a mental thing, but I feel a bit like I'm starving myself.

I want FRUIT. All. The. Time.

My boyfriend thinks this whole "gestational diabetes" thing is a crock...and after reading this article http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/diabetes.shtml
I tend to agree. In fact, when I elected to do the GD test (something I should have never agreed to...UGH it drives me crazy knowing I could (and should) have said "no!") I was SUPER stressed about my big move...We just bought a house...and moved...while I was 7 months pregnant. Yeesh, I wouldn't be surprised if the stress affected my results. And the glucometer that the student midwife was using seemed pretty faulty.

Ok I'm done ranting.

My blood sugar has been consistently low (100 or lower 1 hr after eating, and around 90 in the morning before breakfast) so I'm looking forward to showing my results to the midwife, and going back to eating MORE FRUIT. I still haven't stopped eating dairy, of course, and beef sometimes...also had bone broth a few times but need more...and I'm out of gelatin! But I'm sick of feeling like I'm on a diet.

Oh, I also stopped taking the iron pills a while ago. I really don't want a jaundiced baby, thankyouverymuch.

So...this weekend I'm going to try my best to gather up the courage to email Peat, and then I'll post again.
Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and posting info and articles for me. Very much appreciate it.

For other pregnant women...I sincerely hope you find the support you need, especially in terms of prenatal care and developing a birth plan. I feel like there is so much misinformation out there, and a lot of it comes from the medical community.

 

[j.]

I think Peat often mocks the idea of gestational diabetes, and thinks the high blood sugar tends to create smarter babies.

 

[LucyL]

I had gestational diabetes with preg #2, before I knew about Peat, and handled it by low-carbing. If I had known then what I know now, I would have just been very particular about avoiding grains and PUFA's, and low-carbed only on those meals where I was going to be taking the blood test afterward :-D

Keep your milk and salt intakes up, and if you are worried about the fruit spiking your blood sugar, just eat small quantities more frequently, with the goal to keep a consistent blood sugar level.

 

[sarahevebee]

j. - Yeah, that's what I gathered from my research as well. I really don't mind having a big, healthy, precocious baby! :)
But I also feel like I have to keep the health professionals off my back and the insulin as far away as possible!
So I guess I'm striving for some kind of balance...

LucyL - That's the balance I'm talking about! Thanks

 

[Mittir]

Oh, I also stopped taking the iron pills a while ago. I really don't want a jaundiced baby, thankyouverymuch.

Did they measure your serum Ferritin and Transferrin (iron) saturation index to confirm
your low iron status? Those two tests are essential to measure total iron storage.
If you are really iron deficient then you can try dietary source of iron.
RP thinks liver is a safe source of iron. But red meat has more heme-iron, which
has much higher absorption rate. He also mentioned wheat germ for iron.
RP often talk about Dr. Tom Brewer's pregnancy diet. You can check this website
http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/

 

[sarahevebee]

I printed the Brewer's pregnancy diet. I'm surprised at the grains, soy, vegetable oil, etc. But I obviously would choose regular milk over soy milk and butter over vegetable oil and all that...

I'm also surprised at Peat's wheat germ for iron recommendation...although I've learned it is very nutritious...

The only things that were "out of range" on my last blood test were:

red blood cell count 3.43 ("normal" range: 3.8-5.10 million/uL)
hemoglobin 10.5 ("normal" range: 11.7-15.5 g/dL)
hematrocrit 31. something (stupid prescription info was stamped over the numbers) ("normal" range: 35-45%)

and

It also looks like my results showed zero white blood cells...? (absolute eosinophils) ("normal" range: 15-500 Cells/uL)

So...it seems like if I did have low iron I could easily correct it with diet, but how could they determine that my iron is in fact low, from this test alone...? They didn't even test my actual iron storage.

 

[sarahevebee]

"Gestational Diabetes" is such a crock!!! Ugh!!

http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id33.html

I'm meeting with my midwife in a few hours...I need a tall glass of OJ...

 

[Mittir]

According to wikipedia, hematocrit is often measured by multiplying
hemoglobin by 3. Your hemtocrit is probably 31.5
I do not know what is the minimum level of hemoglobin to be healthy.
Here is a document from WHO, which shows for pregnant women
10 to 10.9 is defined as mild anemia.
http://www.who.int/vmnis/indicators/haemoglobin.pdf
RP has mentioned that females in many species are anemic compared to
males due to high estrogen and low thyroid function.
If you can, get your thyroid level tested: TSH, total T3 and
Total T4 , if possible reverse T3.
They clearly did not do the iron storage test and they just assume
every female with anemia needs iron. In recent years, i often hear
about children are born with jaundice. I asked several mother if they were
taking iron supplements. I think it is a standard practice now
to give extra iron supplements to pregnant women.
I did not read Dr Brewer's diet in detail. But RP always described his
diet as 80 grams of protein, several quarts of milk and salt to taste.
In pre-eclampsia they fixed the problem by using large amount of salt.
It is basically a Ray Peat style diet if you use the dairy version.
I think basic idea of the diet is to get required nutrients.
It does not have to be quarts of milk. One can get similar
nutrients from other foods like cheese, meat, seafood, fruits etc.
I think RP was very inspired by his work.
Edit: You can measure temperature and pulse 1-2 hours after
breakfast to get an idea about your thyroid function.

 

[Blossom]

What Mittir said about it seeming to be standard practice to give pregnant women iron supplements is exactly what I have seen occur in medicine at least for the past 15 years and possibly longer for all I know, I haven't studied the history of the practice. I suppose it could vary depending on your locale. It does seem unfortunate that the iron studies are not done more appropriately and the individuals unique situation is rarely considered. Little or no effort is applied to nutritional recommendations although they would likely be horrible anyway. It's lazy, sloppy medicine and women and their unborn children deserve better IMO.

 

[HDD]

My daughter is pregnant and like you planning on having a home birth. She was having nosebleeds daily which concerned me. I emailed Ray Peat and here is his response.

Me: My daughter is 35 weeks pregnant and is experiencing frequent nosebleeds. Is this normal because of increase in blood volume? She is planning a home water birth.


RP: "I think a good vitamin K such as Thorne Research's drops would help. Raw leaves aren't digestible, and raw kale is more harmful to the thyroid. When pregnant it's essential to get at least 100 grams of protein per day, and plenty of calcium, for example at least two quarts of milk."

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Speaking only from my personal experience: I gave birth to both of my babies at home with a midwife. I also was diagnosed with "gestational diabetes" and both boys weighed over 8 lbs each. My sons, in their twenties now, are very healthy and quite bright (I know, I am VERY biased ). If it were me, I wouldn't stress over the blood sugar thing at all. Follow your intuition, eat the best quality food and aim to be as peaceful and stress free as possible. I hope you have a wonderful healthy birthing experience!!! Bringing a child into the world was truly the greatest event in my life....they grow up so quickly, ENJOY!!!

 

[sarahevebee]

I wouldn't stress over the blood sugar thing at all. Follow your intuition, eat the best quality food and aim to be as peaceful and stress free as possible.

Amen!! That is the path I'm on now.

My midwife was impressed that I've been able to keep my numbers so low...so she's cutting me some slack - I only have to test my blood sugar in the morning and after a meal of my choice. She's mostly concerned with my fasting numbers, but honestly I'm thinking the threat of having a hospital birth was a pretty empty one. She's dealt with a lot of women who have very unhealthy diets...and I'm not one of those women! So I'm taking a chill pill and going back to eating a crap-ton of fruit and dairy, because it's all I want right now! Ha. Besides, if I have a glass of salted milk before bed I'm fine through the night and my numbers are low (enough) in the morning.

OK - About the high-estrogen, low thyroid function causing anemia thing...
My most recent blood test that showed I was anemic did NOT test my thyroid levels at all.
But my first blood test did (it was ordered by a family physician who I remember taking verbal note of the fact that I wasn't "anemic" and my thyroid was "good.") It showed:

T4: 9.1
Total T3: 125
TSH Reflex: 1.15

I did notice that my hemoglobin and hematocrit were on the low side of the normal range on this particular report.

I took my temp and pulse an hour after breakfast on Sunday - 96 bpm and 97.8 degrees F
I've been forgetting to take it since then, though.

Conclusion? I don't know. A coworker today told me his baby girl was born jaundiced and lo-and-behold...his fiancé was taking iron pills throughout the pregnancy because she was told she had anemia. So I'm still hesitant to take the rest of my iron pills... I think it's highly possible that my thyroid function decreased in the past 6 months (which is how long it's been since my thyroid was tested.) But I also don't know how much credit to give a blood test when it comes to thyroid anyway...

Before I was pregnant, it was really easy to adjust my diet to relieve symptoms of high estrogen and low thyroid function, and I felt near immediate affects from my diet changes (menstrual cramps gone, thicker hair, warmer hands and feet, great physique without exercise, better digestion...etc.) I really think looking at symptoms are the key with this stuff...but now that I'm pregnant I don't even know what's "normal" for my body anymore. Everyone's hair seems to get thicker when they're pregnant...nearly everyone gains tons of weight...hands and feet are always warm...mental clarity is not there all the time...pregnant women are often tired...blah, blah, blah. It's just not so black and white with pregnancy, I guess.

I think I'm just going to have to let go and enjoy my last two months of pregnancy by following my intuition! I know that my body knows what to do...(heck, that's why I'm having a home birth!) Now for some milk and fruit...

 

[sarahevebee]

Update!

My baby girl Abigail was born at home on July 2nd, 3:45 am, 7 lbs 8 oz. She was posterior, with a nuchal hand and I didn't tear (thanks to great coaching from midwives.)

I did have some blood loss during delivery, so I got a shot of pitocin in my leg to speed up delivery of the placenta, and I took metformin as prescribed for a day or two after the birth.

Abby is SUPER healthy. She came out screaming crying, and crazy strong! She even helped me push her out - I could feel her feet push against my ribs with every pushing contraction (we pushed together for 55 minutes, which I was told was very fast for a first birth.) She had a full head of dark hair and she latched to my breast right away, as if she had done it before! And no jaundice :)

Big hugs to everyone for giving me advice through my pregnancy!! Thank you all

When I can get a break from breastfeeding on demand, I may start a postpartum thread...there is so much fascinating stuff happening to my body...lots to talk about!

Oh, here's an interesting, off topic thing I found about co-sleeping/bed sharing (which I often do at night with Abby) and CO2:
"Researchers have discovered that the lining of the nose is rich in receptors that may affect breathing, though their exact function is unknown. Perhaps mother’s breath and/or smell stimulates some of these receptors, and thus affects baby’s breathing. One of the main gases in an exhaled breath is carbon dioxide, which acts as a respiratory stimulant. Researchers have recently measured the exhaled air coming from a mother’s nose while sleeping with her baby. They confirmed this logical suspicion that the closer baby is to mother’s nose, the higher is the carbon dioxide concentration of the exhaled air, and the concentration of carbon dioxide between the face-to-face pair is possibly just the right amount to stimulate breathing." - http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health ... -sometimes

 

[charlie]

sarahevebee

Congratulations! And thank you so much for the update about Abigail. Such a pretty name. :)

 

[Blossom]

Thanks for sharing your beautiful story! Congratulations

 

[Mittir]

Congratulations. She is probably the first peatian baby of this forum.
I am curious to know how a low PUFA diet effects baby's health.
It took me a year of persuasion to convince a family member with two
kids (3 and 6) to give up vegetable oil and to use butter only.
They used to have flu or some kind of infections every month.
They have not had any of those in last 3-4 months.
I don't think the mother realizes that its the oil that changed their health.
Now I am trying to convince her to lower starch intake.

 

[HDD]

So glad you shared your story! It is such an amazing time in your life. Cherish every moment. Babies grow and change so quickly! My daughter's home birth was great, too, and her baby is 3 months old now. It would be so great for you to start a postpartum thread. My daughter is not Peating so I am trying to encourage her to increase her coconut oil consumption. I believe it affects the fatty acids in the breastmilk.

 

[LucyL]

Update!

My baby girl Abigail was born at home on July 2nd, 3:45 am, 7 lbs 8 oz.

July 2nd is a very, very good day to be born on. Congrats!

 

[sarahevebee]

Thank you, everyone

Mittir - Good on you for being persistent! I've all but given up on my boyfriend...hoping that he'll begin to see the benefits of Peating just by watching me! As for family members...I think they've seen me obsess over too many different 'diets' to trust me anymore, ha.

Haagendazdiane - So happy your daughter's home birth went well :) Congrats on your grandbaby! I actually just upped my coconut oil intake yesterday from 2 tbs to 3 tbs...I don't think I was getting enough...it makes sense to me that fat quality while breastfeeding is way important.

 

[sarahevebee]

I'm off to post something in the help section about food allergies in breastfed babies before I start something about postpartum stuff...poor baby Abby is having some unusual diapers and her pediatrician recommends I cut out diary from my diet..