Maybe a baby in 2017

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:15 am

I have my glucose screening test in two weeks. Last pregnancy, I opted not to do it, but my daughter was a hefty 8 lbs 12 oz, just one ounce short of getting the label "macrosomia," which is a baby that is "significantly larger than average" (according to Mayo Clinic, about 9% of babies worldwide). Gestational diabetes is connected to larger babies, as is maternal obesity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy (I had neither of those factors).

I'm not too concerned about passing the test, but it will put my caregiver's concerns to rest. I have had a few times were I felt hypoglycemic, but from what I've read this isn't a symptom of diabetes unless you are managing with medication. Gestational diabetes symptoms are excessive thirst, fatigue, frequent urination, nausea, and/or blurred vision, and half of those are common pregnancy symptoms!

To prepare for the test, I listened to this great podcast again: http://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/bingham/

One thing that surprised me was the part about obese women having more difficulty breast feeding because they are not producing the necessary hormones to maintain milk production. I know someone who struggled to nurse all three of her children, and she is obese. I wondered if it was related to her bad eating habits, or her medications for her health conditions, and possibly it was all of these factors that contributed to her lack of production.

Interestingly, when a person is trying to increase milk production, the first recommendation is to eat oatmeal! I actually had to avoid oats for years because I had oversupply, and practically drown both my kids. I leaked all over the place, and when I had let down, milk would literally shoot out of me like a fire hydrant. When I worked after my first was born, I had such a surplus of pumped milk I could donate to other moms in need. If more women ate oatmeal, then maybe we'd have more breastfeeding success! There are some herbal teas that should help, too, and a good unfiltered dark beer is another option (Left Hand Milk Stout is my fave, but Guinness is more common).
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Tue Mar 06, 2018 2:06 pm

I DID IT!

I corrected my iron deficiency though diet alone!!

This way of eating totally works!!!

Before we tested, my midwife gave me a little pep-talk, because she could tell it worried me, saying that it's common for iron to be a bit lower right now as blood volume increases, so not to fret too much, we'd just test again in two weeks and see what's happening, and then... my hemoglobin was 11.1 today. It feels so good to make changes and have results. The goal is to have it above 12. I'm just ecstatic that it has improved so much from such small changes, just making sure that my iron rich foods are enjoyed with foods high in vit C.

Today is 99 days until my due date. Let the countdown begin!
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:13 pm

Today is 26 weeks pregnant. Fetus is 1 2/3 lbs and 14" long, and kicking up a storm.

THIS IS A TMI POST. ABOUT POOP.

So, I've decided to take a calcium-magnesium supplement. I took it the last two pregnancies to reduce leg cramping and Braxton-Hicks, and it works, but it's also a laxative. Well, here we are, I'm 26 weeks pregnant, eating a plant-based diet, and constipated. How on earth is that possible, right? It's not like cheese-eating constipated, with hard, compact stools, but things are just moving t e r r I b l y s l o w l y. I know that pregnancy hormones can cause the digestive track to slow down, and the reconfiguration of the internal organs can effect things, and both of those seem to be giving me grief at the moment.

I've literally eaten 10 prunes a day for the past two days, and it turns out that I am completely immune to them. On the plus side, I love prunes, so now I can eat them with abandon and not have any unexpected urgent situations.

In addition to the slow digestion, I've also had quite a bit of Braxton-Hicks contractions (the practice ones that just annoy you to death), and foot cramps when sleeping on three occasions. Also, I'm having a terrible time sleeping. My sleep is very light, and if I get woken up sometimes I stay awake for hours. It's not fun. The calcium-magnesium helps with both cramping and sleep.

I'm using Bluebonnet brand liquid calcium-magnesium. I couldn't find a USP certified brand, so I will take this for the time being. I just started last night, and I haven't pooped my pants yet, so it's going well. I'm taking half the recommended dose, and having it twice a day, once in morning, and once before bed. I did rest better last night, but still have room for improvement.
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby f00die » Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:35 pm

no guarantees
but try boiled collard greens
a couple large plates
say 2 cups at a time
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby bunsofaluminum » Thu Mar 08, 2018 3:25 pm

Lyndzie wrote:One thing that surprised me was the part about obese women having more difficulty breast feeding because they are not producing the necessary hormones to maintain milk production. I know someone who struggled to nurse all three of her children, and she is obese. I wondered if it was related to her bad eating habits, or her medications for her health conditions, and possibly it was all of these factors that contributed to her lack of production.

Interestingly, when a person is trying to increase milk production, the first recommendation is to eat oatmeal! I actually had to avoid oats for years because I had oversupply, and practically drown both my kids. I leaked all over the place, and when I had let down, milk would literally shoot out of me like a fire hydrant. When I worked after my first was born, I had such a surplus of pumped milk I could donate to other moms in need. If more women ate oatmeal, then maybe we'd have more breastfeeding success! There are some herbal teas that should help, too, and a good unfiltered dark beer is another option (Left Hand Milk Stout is my fave, but Guinness is more common).


I never knew that about obesity. I was obese for all of my pregnancies and never produced much milk, except my third born, and I drank a tea that was known to help milk production. And yassss! Get you a solid brown stout! yum!
JUST DON'T EAT IT

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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Fri Mar 09, 2018 7:53 pm

Thanks for the idea, foodie. Collards are usually my favorite cooked free, but I can't stomach them right now. Hopefully this is a phase that passes soon. I've been leaning on bok choy for the greens for the time being, but they are a bit expensive unless I go to the international grocery store.
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:51 am

Instead of the traditional glucose challenge test, my midwife wants me to do a food journal for a week, plus fasting blood glucose, 1 hr post breakfast, and 2 hr post breakfast. I have dragged my feet about it for the past few days, but finally decided to go ahead and do it. I worry that I won't "pass," and that she'll give me poor advice for changing my diet, where I would see that I just need to tighten up my eating, and cut out the fats and off plan foods.

I also feel a little confused about what "causes" gestational diabetes. I've read two different theories, one which is in line with regular type 2 diabetes, where excess fat causes insulin resistance, but also have come across the theory that pregnancy hormones produced by the placenta impair pancreas function, which is somewhat similar to type 1 diabetes.

So, I'm going to post my results here, along with my food journal. Next week she's hosting a group prenatal visit, where her patients can all come together for a group appointment and pitch in, so I'd like to have this done by then so she and I can touch base, and I can then book a follow up appointment with Jeff if needed.

SAT 3/10
Fasting: 88
1 hr: 116
2 hr: 77

Breakfast - "cold oatmeal": oats, raisins, chia seeds, banana slices and almond milk; Rooibos chia tea, decaf black tea
Snack - sugar snap peas
Lunch - pasta with homemade marinara and veggie balls, faux parm, prunes
Snack - 4 Cadbury eggs (I know, freaking horrendous)
Dinner - oil-free fries, ketchup and mustard, veggies and hummus
Last edited by Lyndzie on Sun Mar 11, 2018 6:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby f00die » Sat Mar 10, 2018 12:23 pm

Lyndzie wrote:I also feel a little confused about what "causes" gestational diabetes. I've read two different theories, one which is in line with regular type 2 diabetes, where excess fat causes insulin resistance, but also have come across the theory that pregnancy hormones produced by the placenta impair pancreas function, which is somewhat similar to type 1 diabetes.

its a combo of both of those
the hormones reduce maternal glucose utilization (aka insulin resistance)
to protect the growing fetus from hypoglycemia
this is normal and good.
in some people with their own insulin resistance already,
the extra resistance caused by the hormones
pushes them into "diabetes", which is a technical term with a specific definition.
with an initial fasting glucose of 88, and your diet,
im betting you wont get it
best of luck

btw, apples + bananas + lots of water
has helped, instead of collards
maybe a walk after eating (increases insulin sensitivity too)
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Sun Mar 11, 2018 7:02 am

Foodie, after yesterday's test, most of my fears went away. I am a little concerned that she's going to say my blood sugar is going too low, but it's within the margin of error for these machines, I think.

SUN 3/11
Fasting: 77
1 hr: 108
2 hr: oops, forgot

In other news, I'm not sure if I've posted specific numbers about my weight, but I might as well. Keep in mind, I am super petite. My pre-pregnancy weight was 110 (I'm 5'3"), and I'm up to 126.5 at 26 weeks. My weight gain has not been slow and steady at all. At first, I immediately gained 5 lbs, which I did with both last pregnancies, so no big surprise there. I did not pay any attention to weight the last two times, so this has been a big eye-opener, because I've seen how I gain in spurts. I managed to gain 7 lbs in three weeks, which totally freaked me out, but then I haven't gained any more in three weeks, so it's not a trend.

Image

There is this nifty weight gain calculator that shows you there recommended range of weight gain and how you are doing. My midwife seems to think that it's ok for me to gain 40-50 lbs, but not only is that insane, I was not underweight!
Last edited by Lyndzie on Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:48 am

Currently 27 weeks pregnant, fetus is about 2 lbs and 14.5 inches long, roughly the size of a head of cauliflower. A head of cauliflower that kicks a whole bunch.

This past week has been an absolute shitshow of eating. I avoid all added sweetners, but the cal-mag supplement that I picked up is sweetened, just slightly, but enough to lead me astray. It's so weird, because it's like my brain just turns off reasonable thinking and suddenly stupid stuff like egg mcmuffins and restaurant veggie burgers and fries are consumed (I kid you not, Wednesday was just an all-around disaster). Thankfully, my blood sugar readings are fine even when my diet has room for improvement.

MON 3/12
Fasting: 91
1 hr: 104
2 hr: 86

TUES 3/13
Fasting: 90
1 hr: oops, forgot!
2 hr: 96

Because my eating has been so embarrassing, I'm not posting what I ate.

So, as of yesterday, no more! I did a ton of research before I found Now brand Cal Mag powder. It tastes awful, but I also was 100% on plan yesterday, so that is a small price to pay for will power and rational thought. Serving size is 1 rounded tsp, containing 400 mg calcium citrate, 400 mg magnesium citrate, and 200 IU vit D3, and nothing else. I'm going to take 1 serving before bed and see how that goes.
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Thu Mar 22, 2018 8:13 pm

Yesterday marked 28 weeks pregnant - officially third trimester! 12 weeks to go!! Fetus is about 2 1/4 lbs, and almost 15 inches long. This monster likes to throw dance parties in the middle of the night. Already head down, too, fingers crossed that doesn't change.

Back to the supplement saga, as it has turned into. The new supplement did not work for me at all. It took a couple days before it became apparent, but the cramping is bad enough to interfere with my ability to get tasks accomplished during the day, and I'm waking up every 45 minutes at night, only sleeping very lightly. THIS IS NO FUN. I went to the local health food store to pick up something else to try, and the super nice lady there suggested Natural Calm, and gave me some samples, but that's not helping either. Fortunately, I've been back on plan the past few days, so if I can continue to take the original supplement and stay on plan, I will do that, because I need to sleep and function.

On Tuesday, my midwife hosted a group prenatal meeting. It was a really interesting experience. There was about 15 of us pregnant ladies all together, ranging from 12 weeks pregnant to 40 weeks. One woman was expecting twins, another was having her sixth baby, it was quite a diverse group of experiences. It was nice to chat with others, but I am a bit too introverted for that setting.

Something else that was interesting was what other people brought for lunch. It was a pitch in, so I brought my favorite fiesta bean salad, but EVERYTHING else had oil in it except for the fruit and veggie trays. I was very thankful that I brought the bean dish, and got to enjoy oodles of watermelon and pineapple. You could tell that everyone brought something that they thought was healthy, like a chicken quinoa dish, but man I forgot what an outlier this way of eating is.

And, my belly has started to itch, and I have no idea how on earth my shirts are going to be long enough to get me through the next three months. Oh, the adventures of pregnancy!
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Sun Mar 25, 2018 11:37 pm

Aaaaand, hello insomnia. Might as well try to make the best use of this time, right?

I've spent that last 10 or so days trying to figure out an alternative to the Bluebonnet cal-mag liquid supplement, with no luck. I've tried Natural Calm, which is a magnesium powder you mix into water. I also tried Now brand cal-mag powder, which (as I have already mentioned) tastes like stomach acid and didn't help. Lastly, I tried Bluebonnet magnesium citrate tablets, which are enormous and did not help either.

I'm not sure what it is about the liquid supplement, but it is nothing short of amazing. Issues that I have been experiencing from the beginning suddenly vanished. I have had pain in my hips when I sleep since the first trimester, which I had assumed were related to sleeping in weird positions, totally disappear. My regular, completely irritating, borderline "irritable uterus" (this is an actual thing) Braxton-Hicks contractions greatly alleviated, and I am able to get basic stuff like making dinner and washing laundry done.

What I don't understand is that if I'm not "deficient'" in either of these nutrients, why the supplement is helping so much. When I've used Cronometer, I've always had sufficient calcium, and plenty of magnesium, and those numbers are static and independent of calorie consumption, so it's not like I'm getting less because I have a fairly low calorie intake.

Another thing I had been trying out this pregnancy is only drinking when thirsty. There are many threads in this forum about thirst, and that consuming some arbitrary amount of water, as opposed to just drinking when thirsty, could actually be harmful in some instances instead of helpful. Instead of using the common held belief that you should drink 64 ounces of water a day, and I had been following thirst as the natural indicator of water needs much as we should follow hunger for food consumption.

About five days ago I happened to get a 1 liter bottle of water while out and have been using it to track my water intake, and found that I do physically feel much better if I make sure to drink 2-3 liters of water a day. This is way more than I drink otherwise, which makes me really question how the whole thirst mechanism works. Am I ignoring my own thirst? Is it true than chronic mild dehydration is something that a person can become accustom to (which doesn't make any sense to me, but I'm searching for some sort of explination here)? I can easily drink the additional water, and feel better afterwards (specifically less cramping, which is linked to dehydration), but am drinking more than thirst dictates.

In other news, my 5 year old has been complaining of stomach aches for about a month or so now. She's been raised vegetarian, and we don't keep dairy foods in the house, and she's not constipated, but I can't figure out what might be bothering her. A few days ago I mentioned to her that when I eat dairy foods, it makes my tummy hurt, and did she think that might be what's bothering her, and she came to me later and decided that she was going to quit eating cheese and eggs, and couldn't remember what it was called. She is so cute! She's been very adamant about it, and even decided against goldfish crackers after I explained (without judgement, it was totally her choice) that they have cheese in them. It's nice that she's making these decisions on her own, because the no-meat rule is non-negotiable, but this is something she is allowed to fully take ownership of and figure out where her boundaries are.
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby f00die » Mon Mar 26, 2018 5:20 am

fwiw, the institute of medicine recommendation on daily water intake:
91 ounces for women
125 ounces for men
80% of that from beverages
20% from food
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Re ... lfate.aspx
its not until youve drunk that much water that you notice that theres a difference.
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Mon Mar 26, 2018 6:42 am

Hi foodie.

I was basing my water intake on Jeff’s numerous posts on thirst and appropriate fluid consumption (viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6149).

Since our way of eating has a very high water content, trying to figure out an individual person’s needs is near impossible once you also take into consideration variations in height, weight, sex, activity level, weather conditions, etc. For instance, there is no way that a 110 lb woman would need the same amount as a 210 lb woman, especially if one lived in Florida and the other in Ontario.

The first point mentioned in the article you linked also supports Jeff’s assertion that the vast majority of people reach their needs using thirst as their guide.

I drank a whole liter of water last night while I was up (and ate a salad), and woke up thirsty. This pregnancy has been a bit of an adventure.
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Re: Maybe a baby in 2017

Postby Lyndzie » Tue Mar 27, 2018 7:09 am

Tomorrow is 29 weeks pregnant, and the fetus is about the size of a butternut squash, weighing roughly 2.5 lbs and 15 inches long.

I forgot to mention: my iron is up to 11.7!! Jeff's suggestions to eat iron rich sources of food along with high Vit C foods has totally worked. Food is way more delicious than iron pills, and I'd rather not try to manage constipation side effects on top of regular pregnancy challenges.

I'm starting to get comments from people about my size. I'm a petite person, and the baby belly just sits on the front of me like a poorly thought-through building addition. Comments started about this time last pregnancy, too. Oh well, just 11 weeks to go!
Lindsey
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My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
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