Pregnancy and Low Carb lifestyles

[goodeats]

Hi everyone, I am new to this website. I have been low carbing for almost 8 weeks now. And I just found out that I am pregnant. Is it ok to continue as I am or do I need to go off until the Baby comes in June 2004? I want to keep losing weight as I am sure this helped contribute to my pregnancy. Been trying for 1.5 years. But I don't want to do anything harmful. I have lost 19 lbs so far. I love this diet.

Thanks
Goodeats

[kusomsen]

Hi Goodeats,

I am very excited for you! This gives me hope! I have been trying for 6 years and am still trying.

You need to speak to your Dr. about LCing, but a low-carb maintenance program should be appropriate. DO NOT try to lose weight during your pregnancy.

Take good care of yourself.

Never give up! Never surrender!

Katrin

[teelbee]

Atkins' book advises pregnant women to only follow the maintenance phase of plan. He did not recommend that pregnant or nursing mothers follow either induction or the on-going weight loss phases.

OTOH, there was a thread recently by a couple of LCE's expectant mothers. One of them noted that she is eating a far healthier diet than she would have been eating otherwise. You might want to use the Search feature to find that thread - it was really interesting.

~~~Teelbee

174 (Mar. 2002, highest weight), 164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135/137-134
remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic

[LCandrea]

Our moderator, Lawbooks, who is also expecting, wrote a GREAT article on this topic, and you can find it here:
What To Do With The Pregnant Low-Carber...

[This message was edited by Lawbooks on 01-11-04 at 05:22 PM.]

[goodeats]

Thank you all so much for the help. I will ask my doctor about this. I think that I am not really going to change a lot to my diet, Still going to avoid sugar and white flour, but will add whole grains and fruit to my diet to add back some carbs. More well rounded diet as I get more rounded. LOL.

[Carboholic]

weight loss is one of those things that is almost universally discouraged during pregnancy. your body is under a lot of stress already when creating a new little person, and losing weight on top of that adds more stress. not to mention, a lot of weight loss is achieved by restricting calories, which is counterproductive to what we need to do in pregnancy to build a healthy baby (increase calories!).

i spoke to my midwife at length about my diet, and she considers LC to be perfectly fine for pregnancy (the discussion was more for knowledge than need, i would remain LC regardless of her opinion on the matter). she is familiar with it from diabetic issues as both her sister and another close relative are diabetic and on LC. prior to switching to her care, i was seeing an OB who also knew i was on LC and didnt seem to have any problem with it (actually, the OB never talked about nutrition at all, but thats another matter =P).

i will admit to being constantly suprised at some of the responses i find on this board in regards to health topics, including this wonderful thing called pregnancy. most of the time, when someone writes about a doctor who warns against atkins/LC as being dangerous and unhealthy, that person is advised to drop the doc and seek out another who is supportive of what the patient has already chosen. yet most of the time, when another health issue comes up, that same person is advised to go to their doctor for advice.

i would advise everyone to regard their doctor's, or for that matter anyone's, advice concerning pregnancy, thyroid issues, etc with the same reservations that they have for the advice on LC. doctors are people too, and opinionated and fallible, which is why the "second opinion" was invented. plus they have neither time nor interest in keeping up on all the current research on all health topics out there. and there is no substitute for researching issues for yourself, especially with the availability of the web at your fingerstips.

*i think my crunchy-ness and antipathy towards the medical field is showing =P*

Erin
atkins since 12/2/02
preggo and lcing!

So, I just had a baby three months ago, and during the pregnancy, I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes. A diabetes educator gave me a diet to follow and a machine to check my blood sugar after every meal, but I found that the number of carbs she recommended was too much for me. So I ended up following a very low carb diet for the latter part of my pregnancy - I ate plenty of veggies, but no bread, potatoes, pasta, sweets, etc. Every meal became an experiment with the glucometer, and it was interesting to see how much my sugar was affected by carbs, especially "white" ones. Well, the baby and I are both fine and in excellent health. I gained only 23 pounds during the pregnancy and have lost most of it. I relaxed my diet during my maternity leave, but I'm trying to get back to lowcarbing now. Good luck, Goodeats, with your baby! It's the most wonderful thing in the world to make a little person. Congratulations!!

I don't know this from experience by any means. I didn't start low carbing until after my sons were both born.

But I have heard it said (here and in other places) that as long as you stay out of ketosis during pregnancy and breast feeding, you and the baby will be fine.

my 2 cents...
Amy

[sizzlingseven]

I was low carbing for the last two years, then found out 3 1/2 weeks ago I was pregnant. I'm only starting my 10th week, and in the 3 1/2 weeks, I gained 10 pounds. Why? Because the food pyramid says you need four glasses of milk a day, 6-11 servings of bread, 3-5 servings of fruit, 4-6 servings of protein and limited fats & sugars. So, I started eating toast, sandwiches, pastas, milk, yogurt, muffins, cereal, fruit juice, bananas..... then add a few Xmas cookies or desserts.... and 10 pounds later my stomach looks 5 mths pregnant already. I've already had strangers ask me when my baby is due.

So, this week I'm starting the Atkins Maintenance Program. I'm going to test out at 100g carbs, take my pre-natal vitamin and 2 calcium supplements, and keep exercising. And, WATER WATER WATER!!! Will let you know how it goes. Hopefully the pregger ladies here will keep posting for some moral support. Keep in touch, would love to hear how you're doing. I would really love some support too - I'm having a tough time with gaining weight... but don't want my baby to suffer either....

Niki
162/173/189
Due August 16, 2004

[jestey]

Niki - I am not currently pregnant (and won't be again ) but I can certainly relate to how you are feeling. With my first child, I gained only about 35 ounds, but most of that was in the first trimester and the first half of the second, and my starting weight was something like 190. But, I lost it all and then some. My second pregnancy, I started of at a much lower weight (132) but gained about 55 pounds due to being on partial bedrest at starting at about 22 weeks. It is so hard when you are pregnant to not eat! Gosh, I remember that I have NEVER been so hungry in my entire life as I was during the first trimester if my first pregnancy! I wish I knew then what I know now. But, don't worry. You have a plan to manage your weight and that is great! You will do really well, I think, on the maintenance plan. I can tell you that your appetite will decrease pretty significantly after the 12th week. And after that, as the baby gets bigger, you just won't be able to eat that much (ya know, squashed innards.

Best wishes to you - this is such a cool thing to experience.

Jen
175/129/120

[Lawbooks]

Niki,

Congratulations!!

I *fixed* the link to my article about low-carbing and pregnancy (above), but here it is again for good measure...

What To Do With The Pregnant Low-Carber...
Congratulations again and Good Luck!

Summer


www.herstorygirl.com

[mommyamber]

Hello!
I usually post on the cooking pages but I just had to tell someone the great news.
I just delivered a low carb baby! A perfectly healthy baby girl. I low carb'ed thru the whole nine months- w/o cheating. It was the best pregnancy and delivery I have ever had. And Ihave 6 children! The oldest is 7years old. I started low carbing in July of 2002 because i had JUST had a baby 4 months prior and wanted to drop those last 10lbs. Well i did more than that- I got down to 121lbs !!( i only wanted to get to my average weight of 135. And at 5'8" tall for me that was normal since i got married. I started low carbing in 2002 for 2 reasons -weight loss was not the driving force, it was for the tiredness, zombie brainess that I was living with day in and day out. Near accidents EVERY time I was behind the wheel because I was so so out of it mentally. I would call my husband in tears and ask him to pray that I got the kids and I home safely because I was in such a zombie state I could hardly drive. I couldn't take it any more (and I wanted to drop a few pounds anyway). I never had a problem with weight - always tall and thin even while having babies back to back. But it was the low blood sugar thing for me. And always hungry. Always living on junk food and candy- while I feed my family a "balanced" and "healthy" diet, I still preferred candy and junk for my meals (hiding the crap I ate of course)
ANYWAYS so i went low carb and the next thing you know... 7 months later I am pregnant again!! well I thought- why give up my low carb diet? I am sooo much healthier, so much more PATIENT and charitable, iI have ssoo much more energy and most importantly my BRAIN is clear, no more foggy-headed and I feel great ! So I ask my self "why not low carb while i am pregnant? What on earth does my body need sugar and flour for to make a baby?" SO I told my ob/gny and he said "if you can live with giving up those foods then GREAT! It is very good for you. It is a good thing. I wish i could do it" he said.
So I did.
It was the best pregnancy i every had.
The morning sickness was NOTHING compared to my previous 5 pregnancies. In the past I had to take a prescription drug that had to be compounded ( mixed/created) at special pharmacy that does that. And it was really expensive. I had nausea all day everyday for 3 and half months with each pregnancy. It was bad. bad bad.... but with my low carb baby--- Almost NOTHING! oh man was that great!

And you know the normal dead tired, can't move, can't lift an arm or leg all day some days--- GONE-- I was bouncing off the walls with energy.
NO cranky moods-- happy and joyful- almost too much so sometimes. I was euphoric on some days!

And the constipation..... the constipation.. the kind that made me cry on the potty... GONE... that fact alone made me what to cry w/ joy every time it was time to "go". The fear was always there- because yah never know ahead of time if it is going to hurt. But it never did this time.

It was incredible.
I think my ob/gyn used me as his poster mother for what a perfect pregnancy should be like-- not one single complication or complaint.

Then delivery day.. November 4th 2003. ( 2 months ago. today is 1/12/04)
I was out shopping. I was at Target timing my contractions. I decide not to goto toys r us and to goto the hospital instead. So I drove there and checked in. "I am going to have a baby today " I said. My husband showed up a half an hour later.
Labor was fast and easy. Isat around the hospital for 4 hours in No Pain. Then in 45mins I went from 5 centimeters to 10 and delivering. I was only in pain for the last maybe 15 mins. The doctor didn't even get there in time. I sat the bed up said to the nurse "i am going to have a baby now" and out she came. As easy as can be. I was nearly in shock how easy it was. I kept saying over and over and over "can you believe that? can you believe that?" it was unreal. I have had 5 previous labors- I know what labor is like. it is not exactly fun or easy.
All I can say it that my body must have been in such excellent health from low carbing that everything happened so naturally like it must have been thousands of years ago, before the agriculture of starches and grains came along. She was 6lbs 4 oz. My smallest baby yet. But perfectly healthy. And is a totally chubby and healthy now ( I have breast milk enough to feed twins) Actually I have so much breastmilk that I pumped for a woman 6years ago who adopted, and again with the baby i just had, I pumped for another lady who had her baby living in the hospital for a month.
And here are the stats:
Normal non carb life: get pregnant at 135lbs- deliver at 172 to 175. get right back down to 135.
LOW CARB life: get pregnant at 121lbs- deliver at 151lbs !!!
wow wee I can't believe the difference it made.
I will definitely not be giving up my low carb lifestyle when I get pregnant again. We hope to have many more children. we are hoping to have at least 8 if not more. I am only 32 and my husband is 42.

Any ways-- I just HAD to tell someone! You know how good yah feel when you are low carbing and topped with a wonderful new baby girl - Olivia Marie Hoffman- i just can hardly contain myself. I have a friend who is low carbing during her pregnancy now ,she is due in the spring and she is doing great. She said there is a low carb pregnancy group on Yahoo if any of you who are reading this are interested. Maybe I should go there and tell everyone how great it was for me!

Well thanks for listening!
MommyAmber
convinced for life
p.s. Oh WOW i just read Dana Carpender's book- How I gave up my low fat diet and lost 40 lbs.!!
This is definitely one of THE best books you can read. Even if you have been low carbing for years.. you will learn TONS of stuff from her book. It is fast and easy to read and entertaining too. I love it. i am going to pass it around to all those i can.

Amber C Hoffman

Amber, Congratulations on your new baby! I'm very interested in your experience. My husband, Graeme and I, have a separate forum on this website "Low Carb Jumpstart," and we're LCandrea's personal trainers. I've been doing some research about pregnancy and low carb and would like to talk more about it with you if you have the time (I know how busy you must be!)At your convenience, could you email me at Kate@lowcarbexercise.com? Thanks alot and enjoy your new baby!
Kate

[Lawbooks]

Amber, WOW!

What a wonderful story and CONGRATULATIONS!!!


You have kind of confirmed what I have suspected all along... that this woe (way of eating) is perfectly safe while pregnant.
THAT SAID, I STILL WILL NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO GO INTO KETOSIS WHILE PREGNANT -- and neither should anyone else until more research is done!
It's not that I don't believe your story (I DO!), but I would NEVER take that risk with my own baby and there is still so much that we do not know. The studies are very limited with ambiguous results.
I have done VERY well with this pregnancy by eating **LOWER-CARB, but WITHOUT KETOSIS** and that is the method I will continue to recommend to other expecting LC mothers.
AND, I had the complication of type II diabetes (pre-existing BEFORE pregnancy) to deal with.

I hope you understand what I am saying... I honestly believe (deep down) that they are going to find (eventually) that there is no harm in eating this way while pregnant, BUT I cannot in good conscience tell other mothers to do so because We just don't know.

I am SO HAPPY for you and I truly wish you the best!
Congratulations again!!

Summer


www.herstorygirl.com

[sizzlingseven]

thks mommyamber for the personal story. Very encouraging! I'd be interested to know at what level you tried to keep your carbs at. would you ever test to make sure you never fell into a ketosis state?

It sounds like you didn't fully restrict them - you still gained 30 pounds, but it was probably a very different 30 and I guess it was easier to lose?

Congrats and good luck with your family! You're putting the Brady Bunch to shame!

Niki
162/172/190
Preggers since 11/10/03
Due 8/16/04
LCing since 10/21/03