Just found out I'm pregnant! Yay! and yikes.... :-|

[Amelie]

Hi Shelley/Forum,

If you remember a few months ago I said that I was going to be trying to get pregnant with my husband. I considered this to be no small feat as he has had a vasectomy for 11 years, just had reversal surgery in February, and I have endometriosis and had surgery in December to remove chocolate cysts and adhesions causing one of my ovaries to bend backward on itself. I also have a previous history of a miscarriage (different guy/marriage, 4 years ago).

I took a test this past Saturday and it had a faint positive line (a full 5 days before my period was due), and took another this morning (2 days before period due) and its a strong positive line. So I'm definitely pregnant!

I'm starting to get excited, but am also a little fearful because I miscarried last time at 5 weeks. I can't help but think that the symptoms are coming on stronger, earlier, this time though!

Anyway, just some general advice as to things I should be eating (or not)? I've got the basics like no raw meat, no soft cheese, no aspirin/ibuprofen which I never take anyway, etc etc, but specific supplementation or herbs is more what I'm interested in (should take OR shouldn't take). For example I stopped taking Vitex per the manufacturer's instructions not to take it while pregnant (didn't take it since ovulation actually). I don't know why that is, but figured I wouldn't chance it!

Also, I still occasionally have problems with my gallstone and even though I bought a bottle of the GCG, after 3 servings I decided I literally can't stomach it anymore. Is there a pill form of it? I know it won't be as effective but it still has to do something right? Anything else natural that I can safely take while pregnant to help manage my gallstone issue? I assume lecithin and ACV is safe. And if anybody lives in the Portland area and wants to come pick it up, I'll give it to you for free! Its nearly full minus 3 Tblsp.

One question I had too is if anyone knows what is safe to take during pregnancy that supports your body's production of progesterone. I have had several friends miscarry at 8-10 weeks because their bodies didn't make enough progesterone (before the placenta takes over at 12-13 weeks). I heard Evening Primrose Oil supports progesterone production, BUT, I don't know if its safe to take during pregnancy!

OK enough for now...let me know if you have any advice for avoiding miscarriage and especially for good sustenance for the baby while its organs/brains develop during the first trimester.

After typing this out, it is starting to feel a little more real to me now.

Once again I want to say a HUGE Thank You to everybody on this forum, especially Shelley, for your help with my couple of medical issues over the past 2 years (endo and gallstones mainly). Having found absolutely NO help in traditional doctors, in desperation I found your site and even though I was skeptical at first, you have been consistently right in your suggestions of what would help a variety of ailments. This is truly amazing, you have a real talent Shelley, and I'd love to see a book published by you someday!

XOXO
Karyn aka Amelie

[shelley]

Congratulations Amelie! Oh I do hope everything works out okay.

Lecithin, ACV, apple cider, cleansing carrot salad, should all be safe. I don't recommend herbal tinctures at this time, so for gallstones the best thing is plenty of ginger - ginger tea, ginger biscuits, the ginger that comes with sushi, even candied. However you can get it. It will totally help with morning sickness too.

Not sure about the safest way to increase progesterone, or even if that's what you should be doing now, however, I do know that a lot of pregnant women fail to manage hormones properly simply because they're not eating right. So long as you eat whole foods and particularly the super-foods that I list in the FAQ you and your expected will be way ahead of the game!

[Amelie]

Thanks for the reply Shelley! I just thought I'd share more info that I came across, I guess in the first trimester folic acid and zinc are especially important to get due to rapidly developing cells and organ development. In the 2nd trimester iron is very important as blood volume in mom and baby increases, and in the third trimester calcium is especially important as the baby's bones are developing then.

So far I've been taking one of those "one a day" prenatal pills (bad, I know but I figured it's better tha nothing?) but what I'd like to do is get my act together a little bit better and start splitting up my nutrients according to your FAQ's. Like taking a B complex in the morning, my minerals with some fats at lunch, calcium/magnesium as CalMagFizz as an afternoon snack, etc. The one a day multi is I swear giving me constipation and possibly contributing to my insomnia too

I also read that DHA is really important although its just now garnering mainstream attention for its ability to boost baby's brain development. I plan to buy some Udo's Choice iwith DHA, or Cod Liver Oil, I know that you don't recommend pills because the oil can go rancid easily but if I do get Cod Liver, I have to take it as a pill because I just can't stomach fish flavored oil, I even got the lemon flavor and have a mostly full bottle just sitting in my fridge for 6 months! I had the same unfortunate effect with the GCG...that stuff is disgusting! Though powerful, I agree.

Early this morning I had a panic attack that I was going to have a miscarriage because right at that moment (5am) I waasn't experiencing my usual symptoms as strongly, and I took my temperature and it was down 2/10ths of a degree from the previous day (falling temp's sign of decreasing progesterone and impending miscarriage). I took it again at 8am though and it was back up.

I'm going to try and fight off this anxiety over miscarrying as best as I can, but I'm within a day or two of when I miscarried last time so maybe I'll just have to suffer through it.

Amelie

[shelley]

Associations created by trauma are very strong. It's tough to shed them. Do what you can to make this time more pleasant and calm -- hot baths, foot massage, silly movies, what-have-you.

Folic acid and zinc are essential. NYF has enough folic acid, zinc you usually have to do pills. about 25 mg chelated should work fine, more may make you nauseus. DO NOT overdose on the folic acid, and don't overdose on any B vitamin long term. You can take more than RDA now, but you don't need like 500% like some pills have.

The only iron I've ever been able to stomach and pass through my system is NOW brand's version which has a bit of fennel or other gentle herbal laxative. It has everything you need to build red blood cells - B12, a bit of C, and the iron.