Pregnancy Diet and FAQ

First off, I’m not a doctor. I’m going to write what worked for me and what I believe is a good idea. I’ll write out why, and you guys can make up your own minds, and do your own research. Here’s the diet. It’s the same as the usual diet.

Is changing your diet while you’re pregnant a bad idea?

I don’t think so. Eating foods that are causing inflammation is a bad idea. Getting rid of those foods ASAP is what’s best for your body and your baby. I found that when I ate something I didn’t agree with (especially in the first trimester), I threw up. Yes, that’s morning sickness, but I was only ever nauseous if I was eating something that also ended up giving me arthritis. If I stuck to the diet, I wouldn’t throw up. To me, the throwing up seems like your body trying to expel something it doesn’t think is good for the baby. As much as people say morning sickness is normal, evolutionarily, what’s the point? Logically, it would be to get rid of foods you don’t agree with. I managed to completely control morning sickness by monitoring what I ate.

Are you going to get the vitamins you need?

Supplementing pregnancy with folate is always a good idea. Is removing foods going to remove much-needed vitamins? No. Processing foods your body doesn’t agree with takes a lot of energy, and a lot of vitamins are used in that process. For instance, processing glucose takes a lot of vitamin C. Without glucose, you don’t need as much vitamin C. My baby is not colic-y, is exactly at 50th percentile in weight, and is an extremely happy baby. My milk production is amazing (almost verging on annoying). I could easily be feeding more than 1 baby. I’ve had vitamins tested and micronutrients tested and my B vitamins seem to be a bit low, but it’s not from a lack of them in the diet. Probably a microbiome problem.

What about milk production?

Like I said, my milk production is amazing. I haven’t had any issues at all. I had Scarlett at 3am on Sunday and my milk came in Monday afternoon. Scarlett lost less than an oz of weight. I believe removing foods that are causing problems with your body has a beneficial effect on your breast milk production, and overall health. Anything that is going to make you healthier, is going to be good for your baby.

What about cravings?

Don’t pay attention to your cravings during pregnancy. I had horrible cheese cravings at the beginning of my pregnancy (even though the smell of pizza made me want to die). After rearranging my diet a bit, and eliminating fruit, my cravings went away. I didn’t have any cravings throughout the rest of the pregnancy. People crave sugar, wheat, dairy, etc., that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to eat them.

Did you gain enough weight?

My weight gain during pregnancy was awesome. I got quite a bit of flack about my diet during my pregnancy, from worried people concerned about whether or not I would be able to gain weight. I was 123lbs before the pregnancy and I went up to 156lbs just before I gave birth. Completely on schedule. I was eating more than my husband for the last two trimesters. Eat when you’re hungry, don’t watch how much you eat, just eat the right foods. This diet will help you gain the right amount of weight, instead of gaining too much.

Other pluses:

• Pregestational diabetes – if you’re eating zero processed sugar, low carb, no honey, no fruit, etc., you don’t have to worry about pregestational diabetes. If this is something you might be prone to, monitor your diet from the beginning.
• No morning sickness
• No itchy skin – common pregnancy symptom/ sign of food intolerance
• Proper weight gain
  • Big belly, but reasonably skinny everywhere else
  • Healthy baby weight
  • Much easier on your joints (you’re still going to gain 30-35 pounds)
• No colic! – babies are very sensitive to what you eat. Dairy is a common cause of stomach aches for them, and that’s through breast milk. I’m not suggesting dairy actually gets through your breast milk, but it’s possible it irritates your body enough that it irritates the baby. I’ve found Scarlett gets upset if I eat the wrong thing

Pregnancy is an extremely difficult journey. Even with a proper diet, it’s not easy. I still had pelvic pain, feet swelling, and the usual – crying over things unreasonably, peeing all the time, hoarding baby items, being strangely attached to my husband (kind of like Gollum with the ring)… etc. Having a proper diet and being meticulous with it (no cheating!) is important for your health and your baby’s health. I don’t believe having the standard “well rounded” American diet is the way to go.