9
May

Paleo, Pregnancy, and Postpartum

It's been a long time coming, considering this is my 4th pregnancy and some of you have followed along since baby #2, but I finally answered all of your Paleo, Pregnancy, and Postpartum related questions in a Facebook Live chat earlier this week!

For those that missed it live or don't have Facebook, I wanted to share it here with you along with the links to all of the resources I mentioned in the video. There were a few things that we didn't get to cover, so see below for a bit of extra information! If there's anything I missed, please leave a comment here and I will update this page with more answers and resources as the questions come in.

Topics Covered (click on any of the blue links below to learn more)

Other Topics

 

Glucose Intolerance Test

In my past pregnancies, I begrudgingly drank the neon orange syrup and waited my hour in the clinic to get my blood drawn. I knew there may be another option out there, but figured it would be easier on all parties to just do it. This time around, I have been super vigilant to minimize any outside factors in my control that could potentially cause a postpartum flare-up, and the corn syrup and artificial colors (not to mention the crazy amount of sugar!) in the glucose drink raised red flags as flare inducers. I called the lab and asked them for alternatives and thankfully they do have another option. If you're worried about drinking the beverage, the alternative is to go in first thing in the morning, having fasted. They'll do a fasting draw, then you leave and eat a full breakfast and come back 1 hour after you've finished to have another draw. It's an extra step but I'm happy I did it that way!

 

Grey Area Foods During Pregnancy

Every time I post a meal of mine that has something pictured that is technically on the “no” list for pregnant ladies, I get a deluge of comments from other expectant mothers wondering if it's ok to eat this or that. I won't write much on this subject, other than do what you feel comfortable doing and eat what makes you feel good.

In my first pregnancy, I was hyper vigilant and didn't eat anything from the list that I wasn't supposed to, but after going through everything we went through, I realized there are far worse things to worry about than certain foods. I already have such a long list of “no's” with grains, refined sugars, legumes etc on the off list, and some good quality deli meat, smoked salmon, or occasional raw fish in sushi from a reputable restaurant doesn't concern me much.

There's as high a risk of being exposed to listeria bacteria in raw vegetables such as spinach as there is in fresh cut deli meat, so I choose to take my chances. When I do eat it, I prefer to get the house-roasted turkey from Whole Foods or I opt for trustworthy organic brands like Diestel and Applegate.

As for eggs and dairy- most eggs you purchase in the store are pasteurized so I don't mind eating the yolks slightly runny, as the whites are fully cooked. I do eat raw, grass-fed cheese from time to time because I tolerate it better than pasteurized. I have found over the years that while I can't tolerate cream and milk, I can do some hard cheeses that are lower in lactose and tolerate goat and sheep's milk cheeses even better than grass-fed cow's milk cheese.

That said, the risk of listeriosis are higher in the third trimester, so I'm a little more careful during those last few months.

 

Medications During Pregnancy

This is another area that you need to what feels right for you, and with direction from your OB and a functional medicine doctor if you have one. I am still on a handful of supplements that my practitioner said are ok during pregnancy, and have also continued this time on LDN (which I talked briefly about here).