Friday 30 March 2012

Paleo or Primal Pregnancy. What Can It Mean for Mother and Child?


My second pregnancy, I was borderline diabetic.  I was HUGE.   That is the child who was so ill.

I often wonder, if I had been primal, would he have been so severely ill?  I don't think so.  For too many reasons to list.

Even baby #3 reacts to gluten, though I was insanely gf.

Definition of insanely gf:  We don't allow it in the house and if guests bring it, we, as nicely as possible - because we know they are just trying to be thoughtful - ask them to put it back in their vehicle.

I was mostly primal (eating minimal grain, one serving or less per day) with him (#3) ... but he does not react to gluten or for that matter, to grains in general, to the same degree.  So I don't buy the whole "you have to consume gluten to trigger the reaction gene into activity" line.  Because he never had it, even in utero but he still reacts to it.

I'm somewhat angry about the 2nd pregnancy.  As soon as they saw there was a risk, why was there no one to say to me, "Cut out grains altogether. It's better for the baby and you don't need them.  They're just spiking your sugar, which is not good for either of you."

Instead, I was left wondering if I should reduce my food intake because my weight gain was so much more than it should have been.  (I'll try not to get started on the whole CR (calorie reduction) ridiculousness today.  I'll save it for another day to write about... again.)  I did not.  I could not.  I like food WAY too much and get WAY too hungry, especially if I'm pregnant or breastfeeding a baby. But if someone had told me that I could eat as much as I felt I needed to be comfortable if I just cut out grain and sugar, I would have done it in a heartbeat.  Partly for the baby and partly because I felt HORRIBLE.

My 3rd pregnancy (paleo/primal), I ate all I wanted (as I have always done), was never hungry and gained only 30lbs (as opposed to 50 for the others).  I lost it all within days of have the baby by beginning a pseudo  fast the minute I went into labour. (soup broth, tea and only the odd rice biscuit with cheese and maybe some honey).  And no, my milk production did not differ.  I still made quite enough milk.  The baby grew well and I nursed him until the age of five, as I did the others.   (I know extended breastfeeding freaks some people out.  Don't send me notes as I won't validate criticism from people who clearly have no idea re: the many benefits of extended breastfeeding.)

I kid you not.  That 3rd pg was rockin!  I felt like Wonder Woman.

And though now my kids are all healthy and our whole family has been doctor free for the last ten years, child #3 is the one who has never had health issues and has the best skin colour (year long - not just in the summer) of the three.  I wonder about this all the time.  His biggest reactor was cheese, which I was eating copious amounts of all the time.  And as he gets older, he reacts much less, which is interesting on it's own level.

It's not medical peoples' faults though.  Their training is what it is.  They are trained in treatment, not prevention. And that's important to remember.  The problem is when they act like they know there is no prevention when they have not been trained in that area.   It leads people to thinking prevention does not exist when it does.

After 10 years of doing this, I know that most medical professionals have no idea about this particular disease prevention/coping technique.  Although recently I have happily hooked up with a couple of paleo/primal doctors (finally!) but only on a social level as they are too far away. -.-            

Not that we've used doctors for the last ten years.  But I would like to get someone to run the blood tests I want done.  The last time I brought S in (it had been 5 years since his last bt) they wouldn't do it because he 'looked to healthy'.  I wanted to know where is creatinine, ferritin and eosinophil levels were as they are historically always off... which helps me to think about the next direction to go with him.  If those levels ever get truly straightened out, I will be able to stop doing a whole lot of brain gymnastics and move on to another subject... say... rocket science. ;D

Here is a link to my currently favourite video about the science behind a paleo/primal lifestyle:
The Best Explanation Ever Re: Gluten and Grain

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