PP pregnancy

[Thedabara]

I thought I'd start this one since it is where I am right now. I've been trying to stay on plan for most of this pregnancy. I've been doing PP for almost 3 years now, and have found so many health benefits that I couldn't see why I would want to add things back into my diet just to be "balanced" for a pregnancy.
Now, just to be clear I am not trying to lose weight while pregnant. I have about 8 weeks to go and have gained 20 pounds. That puts me right on target for what doctors want me to weigh. My last 2 pregnancies I gained 50 and 60 pounds. A bit too much! I stay at about 40- 50 ecc a day, sometimes I splurge and go up to as much as 100, but that leads to GERD. Sometimes I don't even eat 20 ecc. What I do eat are calorie dense foods. My diet is very high fat and higher protein than I was. The pregnancy book the doctors gave me said that most women need 45 grams of protein a day, but pregnant women need as much as 60 grams. i had to laugh at that. pre pregnancy I ate 70 grams of protein per day at the very least. I usually aimed for 90. Now I aim for about 120 grams or more. I would assume that with all the nuts and berries and different fats and proteins that I actually eat my diet is more nutrient dense than most standard pregnancy diets.
The only time I really struggled with eating enough protein and very few carbs was during the morning sickness phase of pregnancy. I don't really know how to get through that part without cereal, or bagels. Those were about the only 2 things that would stay down. Fortunately, the baby doesn't need as many nutrients during that time of development. Now, at a little over 7 months he needs quite a bit, but I think he is getting it. as a matter of fact, I think it is time to order more cod liver oil!
Now, i do still have cravings for carby stuff. I deal with that by baking low carb rolls, and desserts. With my last son (60 pounds gained) I ate so much cheesecake, this time the cheesecake is sugar free without a crust! I keep lots of low carb muffins and rolls (all homemade) in the freezer for when any cravings hit. So far, it has done the trick about 90% of the time. The other 10%? well, that would be those days when my ecc intake goes up to 100!
So, I have about 2 months to go and see no problems staying with pp during that time, and afterward while nursing.
If there are any other pregnant PPers out there, please feel free to post! I'd love the company!
Jenny

[dvdmon]

Hi Jenny, I'm not pregnant ;-) but my wife was for the first time last year. She doesn't exactly follow PP, but after getting diagnosed with GD she agreed to try it out for a bit and her blood sugar came right back in line, so she stayed with it for the rest of the pregancy and ended up gaining all of 20 lbs I think. After the pregnancy she lost all that and then some and got down to a weight lower than she'd been in years at which point she just got a little scared she would continue to lose, and so started upping the carbs. Nothing horrible, just some trailmix and occasionally some whole wheat bread. Anyway, she had a great pregnancy and other than feeling a little naucious in the afternoon for a few months, never really had "morning sickness." She felt great up until the birth. Sounds like you are doing very well.

[avnndd]

Jenny, I'll add what you and I have already discussed on the other board.

MamaT (my wife) was borderline gestational diabetic with the last pregnancy. This time, she failed one reading on the 4 hours fasting glucose tolerance test, so her OBGYN diagnosed her with GD. The dietician prescribed a "diabetic" diet, which of course included a TON of carbs...stupid! She tried it for one day, her readings were high, she went BACK to a modified PP plan (slightly higher carbs, things like an occasional banana to help with the leg cramps), and her readings have been fine. When will the doctors learn? Oh, and she has gained MAYBE 20 pounds total this time...and is due any day. Need I say more?

[dvdmon]

Jenny, I'll add what you and I have already discussed on the other board.

MamaT (my wife) was borderline gestational diabetic with the last pregnancy. This time, she failed one reading on the 4 hours fasting glucose tolerance test, so her OBGYN diagnosed her with GD. The dietician prescribed a "diabetic" diet, which of course included a TON of carbs...stupid! She tried it for one day, her readings were high, she went BACK to a modified PP plan (slightly higher carbs, things like an occasional banana to help with the leg cramps), and her readings have been fine. When will the doctors learn? Oh, and she has gained MAYBE 20 pounds total this time...and is due any day. Need I say more?

Aaron, I totally comiserate! My wife got handed the same garbage from the nutritionist. One of her main issues was that ketosis would be a grave risk to he baby. Now, we all know tha ketosis for someone without true diabetes is not harmful, but I figured I'd do some research since pregancy is somewhat of a special case. Well, like most of the scares we hear about low-carb, this one is based on studies that look pretty faulty or at best inconclusive. Yet they are still used and abused. I think one study suggested a potential 10-point drop in IQ. That's been escalated to where many sources and thus doctors now call it "mental retardation." Anyway, this nutritionist said in order to not go into ketosis but also to keep blood sugar down, if my wife couldn't do this with diet, well, then she'd just have to get insulin! Hey, nothing like complicating a pregnancy like adding a major hormone artificially into the mix, huh? :rolleyes:

Then there's the fear of "big baby." They wanted to force us to induce at 40 weeks if the baby hadn't come by then. We ended up going with a midwife and trying for a home birth, but after 43 weeks we decided we probably did need some help, and so got induced, but our baby was all of 7lbs 3oz. Probably would have been a lot less at 40! Big baby indeed! The problem is that at least some docs can't seem to make a distinction between women truly at risk (those who are diabetic even when not pregnant and those who can't control their blood sugars even with diet) with women who simply fail the test they give you, which is kind of unfair. They make you fast, then give you this huge sugar load, and then make you sit still. Also, apparently blood sugar naturally goes up throughout pregnancy. My wife got tested a little later than normal, so that could have been the only reason for her "failing."

[avnndd]

Wow, Levi, that all sounds SO familiar...the insulin threat, the big baby thing, trying for a home birth, the late glucose tolerance test...are you sure we aren't the same person??? ;-)

[Thedabara]

Doesn't it get maddening? I actually feel confident enough to totally ignore any doctors diet recommendations. After 3 years of PP, and PLENTY of research (As I say I was a scientist before being a mom), I actually think I know a little bit about nutrition. If ever I discuss my diet with my OBGYN I usually just say that I stay away from sugars. of course, I actually mean the sugars in bread, potatoes, pasta etc...
I hated taking that glucose drink! It actually made me nausiated for over an hour. But, my numbers came back "normal" or even a bit low. So, I never had to do the fasting glucose test.
and just for the record, Levi, I kinda knew that you have never been pregnant befoore! I do remember when your wife was pregnant, though. I'm glad it all went so well! Certainly a lot of the awful symptons I had during my last 2 pregnancies I have not had during this one. Whenever I have heartburn, I realize I have gone too high with my carbs. Last pregnancy I was taking Zantac all the time! I haven't had an antacid yet!
as for ketosis being harmful...how on earth did all those Eskimo babies even survive, yet alone thrive?
Jenny

[PPmama]

I not only did PP throughout my pregancy with my daughter, but discovered there were a lot of side bennies: no morning sickness, for one! Very little heartburn. I found that msot of the "problems" that I was told just came with pregnancy <i>only got bad if my blood sugar was doing the mambo</i>. I expected lots of swelling of ankles and so on. No way! It was amazing.

And because I agreed to monitor my blood sugar throughout the pregnancy (I am predisposed to GD because of PCOS and on metformin for that anyway), the doctor didn't make me drink that nasty syrup. ;)

She is now a thriving, happy almost-2 and if I could do it all over I would do it the same way.

[LMN]

I have a 2 month old baby but had morning sickness from 6 weeks pregnant until the day before she was born. Worst of all I was totally repulsed by protein! I relied on shakes for the first few months then managed to introduce cheese and nuts. My husband did all the cooking, he would cut meat up very small to 'hide' it amongst vegetables. As soon as my daughter was born I could eat anything again - although I still find a steak a challenge. I'm loving the wide variety open to me now!

[Thedabara]

I had a lot of trouble while I was morning sick. I really don't like protein shakes much. I don't honestly think I could have stayed low carb if my morning sickness had lasted. It sounds like you did pretty well under the circumstances! During the 2 months or so that I was morning sick, I tended to reach for the bagels or the cereal. I even stocked up on low carb cereal (over the internet) just so I could be relatively low carb. I'm really glad that phase didn't last too long for me. One more month to go!
Jenny

[LMN]

Ha! I'd forgotten about low carb cereal. I had my sister-in-law send me 12 boxes of Hi-Low out from the States (I live in New Zealand). I would take it to work in little bags and nibble on it dry. I don't know if you are planning on having your baby in hospital, but be warned - hospital food is not low carb! I was in for 6 days and had my family bring me in extra food. In the days immediately following the birth I was so hungry! My mum was great and would make me high protein meals and bring them in. My husband would eat the hospital ones! Even though I was wanting to lose a bit more weight at the time I fell pregnant, I went to maintainance level carbs then and are continuing on maintainance level while breastfeeding. Sometimes I'm really hungry (it seems to be after 4am feeds) so I make muffins from the Eades cookbook and keep them in the freezer.

[Thedabara]

Ilove those muffins! We have some in the freezer right now. And yes, I know hospital food is very high carb. I figured one or 2 meals there would be alright, but I am already planning on what else to bring. We are bringing a cooler chest so I can always bring those muffins. I plan on bringing the whey protein powder I like to add to water, because I just know I won't get enough protein otherwise. I also intend to bring almonds and a whole bunch of cheese (I'm partial to Mozzerella at the moment). I guess that low carb cereal would be a good idea too. I think I need to make a list! :) That always helps. I already know I am bringing my liquid splenda. I use it in decaf coffee. Now, to have this stuff all ready to go on a moments notice...hmmmm that aught to be interesting!
I do remember being starving while nursing my other 2 children. I was not low carbing then. I was kind of in maintenence when I got pregnant. Unfortunately, I went overboard on the carbs for about 2 months before hand and had gained back some weight. So, after all is said and done I will need to lose a few extra pounds after this is all over. At least this time I have only gained 20 or so pounds, last time I gained 60!
it's nice talking to you, by the way! "see" you soon
Jenny

[kitkat]

Right now, at the beginning stages of pregnancy, I am trying to figure out what foods I need to add in order to be healthy. Up until Sunday, I have been in the 'corrective' phase.

[Gaelen]

And yes, I know hospital food is very high carb. I figured one or 2 meals there would be alright, but I am already planning on what else to bring.

Thedabara, while it's great that you can bring food in if the offered menu won't meet your needs, the hospitals around here actually give prospective moms a copy of the standard menu that they'll be on post-delivery (unless there are complications...then, the menu may change depending on doc's orders.)

I was only on solid foods for about three days during my last hospitalization (not for pregnancy), but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I could choose on-plan, protein-rich controlled carb meals all day long. In addition to rotating entrees like broiled salmon and swiss steak (round steak in a tomato-y vegetable sauce), I could choose make my own omelettes, 4 oz. beef or turkey or veggie burgers, grilled chicken breast, fresh whole fruits, three kinds of steamed or stir-fried veggies, plain cottage cheese and plain, unsweetened yogurt any time I wanted them. Sure, some of the stuff came with carb sides, but if it did I just didn't EAT the roll, potatoes, etc.

You might want to ask if you can see the menu you'll have; you could be surprised at what is actually available.

[Thedabara]

Gaelen, i do remember their menu being fairly large. I also am aware that I am on no specific diet plan for hospital purposes. Asking them for a menu is a great idea.....I think I will, and then possibly supplement from there (mostly for when I get REALLY hungry because of nursing etc...) Thanks for the advise!

KitKat,

I try to stay about 50 ecc, but that was my maintenence level anyway. When I do go lower, I tend to eat very high fatty foods and alot of protein. My minimum protein level before pregnancy was about 70 grams. I usually ate 100+ grams a day anyway. Now, I aim for 100-120+ grams of protein. I NEVER worry about fat. as far as carbs go, I added more dairy products than I would have had...mostly because I love them! i now eat more plain, full fat yogurt, and even some whole milk. before pregnancy I usually just had heavy cream..less carbs.
Now, when i had morning sickness, all bets were off! I ate pretty lousy! it was also rather hard to get in even 50 grams of protein.....I wish I had found the protein powder that I like by then (isopure). i would add calorie dense things like nuts and cheese. if you feel like fruit, i would just eat it. What I mostly did (although I have been doing PP for 3 years), was stay away from certain things. Those things would be, sugar, white flour, and most processed foods. keeping in mind I don't eat potatoes or rice any more, I basically eat what i want as long as it is a whole food. Not every week is perfect (last weekend i had a bit of a carb binge....mostly bread).
I think first trimemster doctors want women of normal weight to gain only about 5 pounds or so....So I wouldn't worry about upping your carbs too much. Now, I gained 12 pounds my first trimester and I do attribute that to lousy eating during morning sickness.
if I had to tell you what to add back into your diet...it would help to know what you like....anybody could tell me to add okra to my diet, and I never would since I don't really like it. Personally, i added more dairy and more blueberries, and larger portions of veggies I love....okay, I love veggies anyway. I even eat carrots, I never ate them during the weight loss phase. I hopes this helps somewhat...please keep in mind I am not a doctor or nutritionist:) I also eat alot of meat and shrimp. i've tried sardines but i really don't like them much. I take at least 1 TBS full of cod liver oil (Carlson's) every day, and a very good prenatal vitamin. I really have to keep my magnesium up too. This late in pregnancy if I forget to take my magnesium I get terrible leg cramps (and I get constipated).
okay, i've rambled quite a bit! I'd love to keep chatting!
Good luck figuring this stuff out!
jenny

[LMN]

Hi Kitkat,
I also was in the corrective phase when I became pregnant. When I asked my ob about diet she said to stick with how I was eating as apparently the developing baby requires the mother to eat more calories, protein and fat, but not any more carb, she also said to keep taking Folic acid to 14 weeks. I found a good multivitamin and took that and (at the beginning) fish oil capsules just to reassure myself.
As I said in my previous post I had ongoing morning sickness and found fish oil not at all pleasant to throw up so stopped taking those.
I actually moved up to maintainance levels fairly promptly as I found I craved citrus and 'crunchy things'. It was a good time to practice listening to what my body was really asking for (not easy for someone who tends to overeat/comfort eat).
My husband would bring me a piece of thin sliced toast and a protein shake in bed before I got up (dear man!) in an attempt to control the morning sickness, but after a few weeks I realised that protein shake is actually a very expensive thing to flush down the toilet every morning! So I would just have the piece of toast and 'do breakfast' later in the day.
By the way, after the birth my ob also said there was nothing wrong with being in the corrective phase while breastfeeding and she didn't believe a breastfeeding mother being in ketosis would affect the baby. Only one person's view but interesting. I have found I'm very hungry so I'm sticking to maintainance for now.
Le Leche League has an interesting page on low carb dieting and breastfeeding at www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/lowcarb.html (http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/lowcarb.html)

[kitkat]

Jenny & LMN, thanks for all of your help. I feel good eating around 10-12 ECC, but don't want to do anything to risk my baby's health. I don't mind maintaining, but only eating 10 ECC is still prompting me to lose. In fact, I am down another lb this am. In a situation other than pregnancy, I would be thrilled! :P As of last week, I haven't been counting fat grams and eat well above my minimal protein intake requirement, which was 64 gm. Here is a look at my food intake today...how does it look?

B~ LC bread (7), natural PB (4) cottage cheese (3)
S~ Cashews/almonds
L~ Beef fajitas (min. veggies) sans the tortillas, but with salsa, sour cream, cheese and olives
S~ Beef jerky

[Thedabara]

It looks good to me. All i can add is don't let yourself get hungry. If you are eating quality foods, and enough calories and protein, i really don't think adding carbs is neccesary. by the way, i am down a pound this morning too! However, at this late stage i have been told that is normal...yeah!
jenny

[Thedabara]

Wow, Aaron, Vicki is really down to prepregnancy weight???? Oh my, is THAT ever encouraging!!!:D I can't wait!
jenny

[Gaelen]

Ladies...it's pretty typical for women of normal weight, who do not gain a great deal of weight during pregnancy and who breastfeed after delivery, to lose all of the pregnancy weight before the baby is three months old. As long as the mom doesn't fall into the old 'you're eating for two, now, dearie' trap, the process of milk production for a hungry baby will take up its fair share of calories. The first thing the body will 'consume' in the process of producing breast milk is the latest weight gained--the pregnancy weight.

This doesn't always happen so quickly when the woman was overweight going into the pregnancy, and/or gained more than 10% of her bodyweight while pregnant. But outside of those conditions, it's not unusual to lose the pregnancy weight pretty quickly if you're breastfeeding.

[Thedabara]

That's just it Gaelen, for my last 2 pregnancies I started off about 30 to 40 pounds overweight, AND gained 50 to 60 pounds during each one! Thanks to PP I started this pregnancy maybe 15 pounds more than my goal weight (only because I over indulged ALL last summer), and have only gained around 20 to 25 pounds. I am in SO much better shape now! I do remember at least 30 pounds coming off pretty quickly. but, I was still overweight by a long shot. It took this WOE to lose all that weight, and to gain back quite a few health benefits too! I guess i am just ready to have this baby, and start feeling "normal';) (or at least not pregnant) again!:)

jenny

[avnndd]

Well, MamaT is quite a bit "overweight", but still only gained about 15 pounds during the pregnancy, and has officially LOST that 15 pounds after only 3 1/2 weeks! I'm here to tell you, she did NOT have that happen with her last pregnancy, pre-PP.

[choubear]

Oh, I should have said - I came out of Cat's birth only 8 lbs heavier than I went in, with that weight gone within a month...

But I *did* suffer MAJOR morning sickness for about 6 weeks, despite eating REALLY well... Of course, as Gaelen points out, that could be due to a number of other factors!

[Thedabara]

Hello Choubear!!!!!:D it is so nice to "see" you here! I've missed the avatar you had from the old board, with that cute PP baby!

Now, I should be clear that I don't have PCOS. I know exactly when I ovulate, so conception just wasn't an issue...and i cannot really comment on change of diet either anecdotal or scientific. When I started this thread it was just because I have all these pregnancy books that say..."don't eat low carb" "make sure at least half your calories come from carbs" etc...
I have been eating this way for 3 years. I love the science behind PP. I too, before kids, was a scientist (although as a geologist I never dealt with any living organisms!:) Just rocks and lots of ice). I just couldn't see how upping my carbs and lowering my fat (and protein) could be beneficials to me or the baby. Now, I have upped my carbs a bit...to an average of around 50 ecc a day. That is my maintenance level by the way. But how could I justify upping them to 300 grams a day??? or cutting out saturated fat, or lowering my protein to only 60 grams a day.
Anyway, I couldn't...so after careful consideration, and just plain gut instinct, I stuck with what I consider to be healthier eating.
I still find it ironic that these books (written by doctors) talk about how fat is needed for brain development, and then recommend a low fat diet! Go figure!
by the way, I have 3 more weeks (i hope a little less), until Matthew is born. Which reminds me, I need to take my cod liver oil today...haven't yet. And maybe have a juicy piece of steak with some green beans sauteed in coconut oil! Hold the potato please!:D;)
It's great to see some disscusion here!
jenny

[Gaelen]

The posts in this discussion that related to PCOS have been moved to the thread PCOS information and discussion (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=478), since PCOS affects more than fertility and deserves its own subject line. There were a lot of posts to separate; I may have lost one in the copy/paste/merge threads, but the gist of each discussion was preserved.

Separating these discussions into two threads should make it easier to figure out how to follow a controlled carb/adequate protein eating plan during pregnancy (in this thread), and discuss PCOS response to low carbing (in the new thread.) Please remember, information from an electronic bulletin board/forum is no substitute for hands-on care, supervision and advice from a licensed medical professional.

[Thedabara]

With under 3 weeks left, I thought I would post because i am running into a stumbling block. I want carbs! This past week, although mostly on plan, has been a fight to eat healthy. I really don't know why that is, but I am craving sugar and bread galore. This is when the baby really needs fat, so I am making sure to take my cod liver oil, and I eat a diet that is about 60% fat anyway...all good fats, no trans fats here!:) Part of this probelm could be thoughts of, "well, I only have a few weeks left, what harm would it do.." that type of thing. But, I'm pretty sure I could add on another 10 pounds in those 3 weeks if i eat everything I want to. And, although I am not a doctor...no one is going to make me believe that 3 weeks of sugar would be beneficial to the baby! What I think i will do is up my berry intake everyday. I usually have strawberries on hand, and always have blueberries in the freezer...a bowl full of blueberries with or without some heavy cream might help calm this urge to dive right into carbdom. Even if it doesn't a bowl full of blueberries is certainly better than a cheesecake!:D maybe its time to make another low carb pumpkin pie.
jenny

[dvdmon]

Jenny, good luck. It's tough to guage these things during pregnancy because your body is in such an altered state, and your mind too! It sounds like you are keeping your feet on the ground, though. If you are craving sugar and bread, you could always do what you're doing - provide sugar in small quantities in otherwise healthy packages (berries). As far as grains, I'm no big fan of them, but if it helps you get through the last weeks, you could always try some sprouted grain bread, which has a lot more fiber and nutrients than most. Just remember that your baby is demanding extra blood sugar for their own development, and since you are basically at term, that could be adding significantly to your cravings. I just think that you shouldn't be too tough on yourself at this stage. That doesn't mean eating anything, but it does mean doing what you can to eat healthy (which it seems you are doing wonderfully), but within that mindset not to drive yourself crazy about being perfect either. Anyway, I'm sure you have it all figured out!