Supplements, Pregnancy Procedures & Research

My first pregnancy below- The bounce back was SO MUCH EASIER without exclusively breastfeeding.. unfortunately it didn't work out as I had planned with my first born.

40 weeks + 5 days pregnant & then 4 weeks PP with my first little boy!

Having a healthy pregnancy is usually at the top of everyone's priority list when the time comes to try. Although I am not a doctor, I did do a lot of research prior to getting pregnant for the first time to ensure I was doing all I could to make my first [vegan] pregnancy a smooth one. 

The first trimester, for me, was full of nausea and just a constant hungover feeling. That was true the second time as well AND the third--only worse! I didn't actually throw up with my first pregnancy (maybe once or twice) but I constantly felt like I was going to. With my second pregnancy I got sick almost daily for 13 or so weeks. It was ROUGH. Especially with a 2 year old by my side all day-- who has time to feel like that?! If I thought that was bad, I got pregnant with my third before my second even turned one, and I was SO SICK for the first 15 weeks. Things like avocado toast and ice cold fruit were my best friend for a little while. I was absolutely repulsed by all things VEGETABLES with baby 2, which was weird because I was vegan then. I started slowly incorporating meat and dairy back in while postpartum with baby 2 because the exclusive breastfeeding was DRAINING me of nutrients, my iron was low and my naturopath thought it was a good idea to begin the transition back to all food groups. 

Supplementation:  

Having a doctor who is checking your bloodwork regularly (especially postpartum!!) is so important so that you know what you need to add in. My thyroid was all off while I was exclusively breastfeeding baby 2 and silly me waited until 10 months postpartum to reach out to my naturopath to get bloodwork. She saw that my thyroid was off, and my iodine was low (which impacts your thyroid!!!) and she had me add in 2 of these drops every day. Within 2 months I was seeing the numbers improve and was FINALLY able to shed a little weight now that my thyroid (aka metabolism) was up and running again. I got pregnant again immediately following, but we stayed on top of my bloodwork and was able to move forward through my third pregnancy with the protocol to replace the nutrients my baby was causing me to be deficient in from breastfeeding. That included taking iron pills to keep those numbers in line as well. 

I really liked Mary Ruth's Prenatal/Postnatal , Doctor's Best Fully Active Folate, & Nordic Naturals Vegan Vitamin D3. These are the ones that worked for me and my lifestyle, but as always, check with your doctor before taking any supplements as I did before taking the ones listed above. I continued with these supplements postnatal as well while breastfeeding and then for my second & third pregnancy/postpartum. 

Procedures during Pregnancy:

There are other things that also need to be considered when it comes to protecting the health of you and your unborn baby. Things like deciding if you will accept the flu shot or Tdap shot that will be offered to you while pregnant. In my opinion, this should be thoroughly researched before giving your doctor the "okay". Do you know how/if it will affect your baby? Do you know if multiple studies have been done on pregnant women that show it's safe for the fetus? Have you read any studies that show it's safe and effective? Furthermore, it is important to research the "Glucola" glucose drink that is given to test for gestational diabetes. Do you know the ingredients of this drink and how/if it will affect you and/or your unborn baby? Is there an alternative option  to this drink in order to tell if you have GD? [PLEASE be aware, I chose to have my OB prescribe a glucometer and I tested my own blood after each meal for a period of time. IF you choose an alternative option like I did, make sure you speak to your child's pediatrician who will be visiting you in the hospital and let them know that you are using this alternative to test for GD and the results of that test. If they simply see that you "Declined the Glucose test" and are not informed that you took part in an alternative option which came back that you don't have GD they will have the nurses test your child's blood using heel pricks after every feeding which is not necessary if the alternative method proved you do NOT have GD.]

 And finally, the "Group B Strep" (GBS)  test that will be done as you near those final weeks of pregnancy-- if you test positive for it, do you have to have the IV of antibiotics during labor? What affects could antibiotics have on your baby? How likely are you to pass this onto your baby? Are the affects worse than the risk of passing GBS on to your baby? Finding the answers to these questions should be on your to-do list as well. You may find some push back when you question your care provider on these topics as they want you to get the standard care, but that doesn't mean that if you feel something isn't right for you and your unborn child that you can't deny it. Just know the risks of each vs the risks of NOT getting them. I am not telling anyone what to do I am simply saying to do your research ahead of time so that you can make an informed decision.  

Things to look into (Especially on the FDA website to check ingredients/adverse events) that are administered once you give birth:

• Vitamin K Shot

• Hepatitis B Shot

• Erythromycin Eye Ointment 

• Circumcision for boys