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Pregnancy Suggestions
Hi B & Daniel,
I recently found out I am pregnant Super excited, and I’m about 5 weeks along.
Besides the blood test document under resources, are there any tips and suggestions that you have in ensuring a healthy pregnancy besides general recommendations mentioned throughout the course?
Are there ways to avoid/overcome some of the common uncomfortable symptoms of pregnancy (fatigue, nausea, bloating, constipation)?
I already have mild heart burn, some serious nausea, fatigue, and changes in bowel movement. Trying to eat smaller and more frequent meals & using lots of ginger in my cooking.
This is what I’ve been trying to do (but it hasn’t always worked out):
- 3-4 eggs daily to meet choline needs
- kelp flakes on food for iodine
- trying to consume low mercury seafood 2-3 times a week (salmon, shrimp, mussels)
- red meat a few times a week (but it may be starting to make me nauseous)
- eliminated caffeine and sticking to decaf 1-2 times a week
- one folate rich food daily
- thorne basic prenatal daily
- vitamin D + k2 2000 IU every other daily
- 30 physical activity daily (yoga, stationary bike, walk, lifting weights, or circuit training)
- limiting outside food and processed foods. sticking to homemade healthier desserts (once a week) and fruits
- spend more time outside and see morning sunlight as soon as I wake up (aspiration)
- organ meat 1-2 times a month (aspiration)
- avoiding precut fruits and vegetables, raw dairy, deli meat, undercooked meat
I got COVID too which has made it hard to stick to my nutrition goals and my body feels a lot weaker than it did the last time I got COVID two years ago.
I will be getting blood work done at 8 weeks, and adjusting vitamin D dose accordingly.
Are there things I should watch out for or be mindful of?
Thanks!
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3 Replies
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Congratulations @Misha! Very happy and excited for you!!
Digestive complaints such as nausea, reflux, heartburn and bowel changes are unfortunately common, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy (for various reasons), but there are definitely tips to help ease those discomforts.
Eat/drink: okra, bone broth, gelatin, ginger (1-2 grams per day added to your normal dishes, or brewed as a tea is helpful against nausea), chamomile and/or lemon balm tea (in reasonable amounts up to 2 cups per day), and probiotic fermented vegetables before meals or as a condiment to aid digestion.
Beet Kvass is another great probiotic drink that helps thin the bile, possibly reducing the chances and/or severity of morning sickness.
Hydrate well: Drink plenty of water throughout the day (about 64-80 oz), preferably at room temperature. Sip rather than guzzling, and drink more outside of meals than during meals. Daily bone broth helps with hydration and soothes the digestive tract.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: if bone broth and fermented foods/beverages seem to make your nausea worse, then stop all fermented foods and consider a DAO enzyme to help breakdown histamine. Severe nausea in pregnancy could be histamine related!
Liver and Gallbladder Support – focus on foods that help your liver function optimally and keep the bile flowing. Keep the following special foods on your radar in the context of a rich and varied diet; lemon water, garlic, greens (dandelion, turnip, beet, arugula) and cooked cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower), and foods containing turmeric, such as yellow curry or golden milk (your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk, heated with the addition of turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and cardamom). If you are accustomed to consuming a low-fat diet, increase gradually and start with gallbladder-support foods at least a week before you increase or begin consumption of fatty acids and cholesterol rich. You can see more liver/gallbladder supportive foods HERE.
Relief measures: Seek chiropractic/osteopathic care by a practitioner trained and experienced in pregnancy. Practice gentle exercise and relaxation techniques daily. Try to avoid lying down within 3 hours after a meal or within 1 hour of a snack. Side sleeping on the left side will reduce pressure on the LES compared to sleeping on the right side. This is especially helpful when lying down with a full stomach.
Eating Hygiene: Relax before, during and after meals, and chew food well. Eat small, more frequent meals to prevent over-filling of your stomach.
Digestive bitters: these help stimulate your own acid production to ease digestive discomfort; however, most formulas are not considered safe to use in pregnancy. The only one I know that is pregnancy safe is by Urban Moonshine’ chamomile-flavored digestive bitters (Calm Tummy formula). For food options, see list HERE.
Factors that may aggravate reflux:
Eating while stressed or in a hurry
Eating too late at night when the body is fatigued and does not have enough time to empty stomach before lying down
Eating too much at once; delaying meals until ravenous – this may cause you to eat too much and too fast, or to choose less healthy food options
Eating while angry or afraid, or during an argument
A diet high in starches and sweets
Prophylactic, long term or overuse of antacids
Caffeine (glad you instinctively cut this out already but decaf may be too acidic as well)
Tomatoes, citrus, apple cider vinegar, peppermint, spicy foods, eggplant, bell peppers, chocolate. These are common culprits, but vary from person to person depending on individual sensitivities.
Tobacco (even passive exposure)
Ice cold drinks
Carbonated beverages, including sparkling water, consumed with meals
Hope these tips provide more insight into things to consider. Please keep us posted throughout your pregnancy – we’re here to support you along the way!
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thanks for all the beneficial information @Bernadette Abraham!
Nausea
I tried drinking bone broth and didn’t experience any symptoms and it helped with my nausea
Spicy food is a trigger for nausea, but tomatoes and oranges seem to help combat the nausea for now
I’ll be purchasing some lemon balm tea soon and fermenting some vegetables.
Coffee
I really enjoy the taste of coffee, so I was wondering if you have any suggestions to replace it that are safe for pregnancy?
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@Misha glad to hear you’re managing the nausea better. There are several herbal coffee alternatives:
Teecino – herbal coffee (www.teecino.com)
Made from: organic carob, organic barley, chicory, organic dates, almonds, organic chicory, organic vanilla extract, organic figs
Coffig – roasted fig beverage (www.coffig.com)
Dandy Blend – most hardcore coffee folks love it (www.dandyblend.com)
Made from: roasted roots of dandelion, chicory and beets, and the grains of barley and rye.
Mountain Rose Herbs – herbal coffee (www.mountainroseherbs.com)
Made from: organic roasted dandelion root, organic roasted chicory root, organic roasted carob, organic Maca powder.
And for your knowledge, below is a sample list of herbs to avoid during pregnancy by Dr. Aviva Romm who’s an excellent resource on pregnancy and post-partum:
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