Home
Knowledge Base
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

In my obstetrical practice, we have a large Hispanic population with a high incidence of gestational diabetes. Seems to me that the ADA diet these patients are given is higher in refined carbohydrates than what we learned about in the ADAPT program. Any thoughts on dietary recommendations to help avoid the diabetes clinic putting them on insulin? Also, do you have any thoughts on using Metabolic Synergy or GlucoSupreme herbal and pregnancy?

Chris Kresser: Great questions. Yeah, I think the ADA diet, which is basically a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, is a nightmare...

Do you have any supplements you recommend for postpartum? Many doctors recommend continuing prenatal, but how long?

Laura Schoenfeld: So the postnatal period is interesting because obviously you don’t want to be giving somebody too much of...

Elevated fasting blood sugar and pregnancy often occurs fairly early on in gestational diabetes, likely related to human placental oxygen enhancing insulin resistance. We often have to resort to insulin at bedtime to control the morning insulin. Is there anything specific you believe would work in pregnancy to avoid the use of insulin when diet fails?

Chris Kresser: That’s a really good question. Nothing comes to mind right off the top of my head because a...

In regards to calcium in pregnancy, I know you recommend Nutrient 950, which has 300 mg. I have a patient who is on a Paleo template following closely your guidelines and Healthy Baby Code. Her doctor wants her on an additional thousand milligrams of calcium, Tums, of all things. I read some research showing a thousand milligrams of calcium supplementation assisting in healthy baby weight. She’s eating a nutrient-dense diet that brings her over a thousand milligrams of calcium including her prenatal.

Chris Kresser: I don’t think that’s necessary. You have to recall that doctors, even OB/GYNs, the kind of recommendations that...

I have a patient who has been taking HCl on her maintenance protocol. She just got pregnant and was wondering if she should still take it. It has helped her significantly with her digestive issues, and she hasn’t had any issues in the past three years. During pregnancy, in general, which supplementation are you cautious with? Have you ever seen any issues with overmethylation?

Dr. Amy Nett: You’re saying she’s been on HCl for three years? That seems like kind of a long time....

In the case study related to nutrition for fertility during Week 22, the patient could not eat liver, so a combo of extra virgin cod liver oil and desiccated liver supplements were recommended. How much of each and how often to give each of these in this case? Also, any recommendation for brands of desiccated liver?

Chris Kresser: If they’re doing both, I would probably do a teaspoon of extra virgin cod liver oil and then...

Patients with type 1 diabetes who are pregnant are advised to take 5 milligrams of folic acid. I’ve advised to take folate, not folic acid. My questions is whether they need to only take it until 12 weeks, and does it matter if they get extra folate in multivitamin and mineral supplements?

Chris Kresser: I think a moderate dose of folate throughout the pregnancy in a patient with autoimmune disease—or any patient,...

I recently had a baby. Unfortunately, the birth ended up in an emergency C-section due to complications. I’m breast-feeding, and I think my infant has some reflux. He is five weeks old. He seems to stress after feeds but not bringing up any milk really. He’s gaining weight very well, if not too well as I have too much milk. I’m now on a strict Paleo diet, and my infant is on prebiotics and probiotics. I recently listened to your podcast but wondering if you have any other tips. Also, any tips for decreasing the amount of breast milk when in excess.

Chris Kresser: Okay, so the ideal in this situation, which unfortunately isn’t happening in that many hospitals yet, is that...

You recommend in the fertility and pregnancy unit that women focus on saturated fat and cholesterol. How would this recommendation change if the woman falls into the category we would typically recommend to eat a Mediterranean Paleo diet?

Chris Kresser: Yeah, I suppose it depends on maybe to some extent on the woman’s age, but if a woman...

Would you recommend doing the DUTCH test while pregnant or nursing?

Chris Kresser: Sure, but you have to take into consideration that the patient is pregnant or nursing, and you...

Next