Frequently Asked Questions About Pregnancy and Nursing


I feel really nauseous the whole day. What can I do?

Your baby gets the glucose from your blood first. When baby is sucking up LOTS of glucose, your blood sugar crashes and you get nauseous. You need to stay stocked. Add two snacks - protein and complex carbs - mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Don't let yourself get to the crashing stage. Be attentive to that one.

I am on step 4 and have been enjoying my evening potato. Unfortunately, since I have become pregnant, I have been experiencing severe morning sickness. Is there anything I can do to help make it better?

Have a sizeable protein and complex carb snack before you go to bed. If you wake up in the night to pee, have something to eat. If you feel nauseous, have ginger ale (unless you are detoxed) or ginger tea.

I am in the middle of losing weight on the program and found out that I am pregnant. Now what do I do?

Bless the baby!! Focus on baby's health rather than your weight. Pregnancy is NOT the time to try to lose weight. Make sure you are eating your planned snacks and that you are eating enough browns with each meal.

Could you please tell me if it is ok to do the shake when pregnant? I use flax oil in it.

Don't use flax oil during pregnancy. However, the shake is a great alternative as a way to keep your blood sugar steady. It would be fine to use it once a day. You might want to add some extra oatmeal to help it last longer. Remember that baby is sucking up all the energy. And whey protein is a great alternative since it is so concentrated.

I take salmon oil capsules every day. Is it okay to use during pregnancy? What about during nursing?

Fish oil capsules are terrific source of omega 3's and good for you and baby. Make sure you use ones that are certified to be free of heavy metals like mercury. We carry these in our store. Go ahead and continue to take them during pregnancy until your eighth month. They thin your blood so it is better to taper down before delivery. Start up after delivery and continue while you are nursing.

I am in my fourth month of pregnancy and have been doing SARP and am on step 7. I haven't had sugar cravings since my detox. All of a sudden, I am having intense cravings. I checked my journal and don't see any triggers. What could the cause of the cravings be?

Most likely this is fluctuating beta-endorphin levels. There is a big hormonal shift after 3 months. If your BE goes up and then drops, you will crave. Try having a banana in the afternoon if you are craving. Make sure to have some protein with it.

I am on step 5 and was just about to start my step 6 detox and go cold turkey off the rest of the sugars that I am still eating. Will that be okay for the baby?

Do NOT go off the sugars cold turkey while you are pregnant. While you may be able to cope with the shock, it is not good for the baby. You can go off of sugars, and it is a great idea for the baby, just do it slowly. Taper over a few weeks. Think about baby.

Does the brain/body chemistry of a sugar sensitive pregnant woman change during the pregnancy?

Yes, your beta-endorphin levels stay way up there. This is why many of you feel so much better during pregnancy and then crash into a post partum depression. If you nurse, they remain high until weaning. And you get a huge surge of BE during labor. This lasts for about 4 days. In the period between it wearing off and the BE from nursing kicks in, you may feel really overwhelmed, inadequate and hopeless. Lack of sleep makes this worse. It is BIOCHEMICAL, you are not crazy. Talk to your husband or partner about this beforehand so that they can know what to expect. The more BE raising things they can help you with during that time, the better you will be able to cope.

Should I expect to become more or less sensitive to the sugars, flours, etc....or can I expect things to remain essentially the same?

The baby will be sucking up your glucose, so you need to eat more, eat more frequently, and eat good stuff. The more you can work the program, the better everyone will do.

I am concerned about toxemia. I had toxemia with my previous pregnancies when I was not doing the food and was eating out of control (lots of sugars and whites). Will doing the food make a difference in this pregnancy?

There is some evidence in the literature of a connection between toxemia and being out of control with the sugars/whites. Many women, who had toxemia in their first pregnancies, when they were not doing the program and were out of control, found that doing the food made for a healthier pregnancy - one without toxemia.

What should I be eating for optimum breast milk production?

Regular and enough protein at every meal, complex carbohydrates at every meal, and a combo snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Add HUGE amounts of water. Many women have found that adding one or two whey protein shakes a day significantly increased their milk production.

It is day 5 after birth and I am so sad and weepy. What is going on?

It is very natural to have low periods - that was your BE dropping after the big spike of childbirth. Your body was flooding you and baby with beta-endorphin to help with the pain. When it wears off you feel sad and overwhelmed. Try some gentle BE raising activities. Check our list for some ideas. Ask your friends to help with this one.

Does what I eat make a difference for the baby?

Breast milk is made from your blood, so whatever goes into you, goes into your blood and right into baby. Remember that if you are sugar sensitive, your baby is likely to be as well. The steadier your program is, the steadier your baby will be.

I heard caffeine isn't good for a sugar sensitive person. So, should I give up my daily caffeine fix (i.e., coffee or tea) now that I am pregnant?

Absolutely, but do not go cold turkey off of caffeine while you are pregnant, it is not good for the baby. Plan a taper over 3 weeks. Read the detox article for help with this.

What about alcohol. Is a little wine all right?

Nope. No alcohol in any form. None. And if you are thinking about getting pregnant but are not yet, stop alcohol now.

I am pregnant and taking the recommended SARP vitamins. Are they okay for the baby? I am nursing my baby and take a One-A-Day type vitamin. Is that okay? My doctor wants me to take a special pregnancy vitamin. Should I do it?

The answer to all these questions is yes. The vitamins are safe for pregnancy and nursing. Make sure you get a prenatal mixture so you get adequate folate.

I want to get pregnant. Will doing the food help with my fertility?

The food will definitely help, especially if Daddy is doing the program too. And there is a nice by-product - doing the food will make you less tense and more relaxed along the way. A diet high in sugar desensitizes you to the wonderful beta-endorphin effect of intimacy. Do the program and enhance your relationship!

This baby seems so much calmer than my previous babies. Could doing the food really make that much of difference?

Absolutely! Doing the food helps the baby, too! Of course, we are not saying that doing the food will guarantee a placid baby LOL! Just that it will make the baby calmer than if you are imbalanced. Sugar sensitive babies are very sensitive to what you eat. If you have lots of sugar, you will have lots of withdrawal. So will baby. Maybe some of what you thought was colic was sugar withdrawal.

Does feeding the baby formula make a difference for a sugar sensitive baby?

Formula is not the best option for a sugar sensitive baby. Read the labels of what is in formula. Your milk is better. Even if you work and need to be away from baby during the day, you can pump and leave breast milk. The technology of modern pumps makes this option very workable.

I am a numbers person. How much protein should I be having while pregnant?

Definitely eat more protein. Take your weight and multiply it by .8 to 1.0 to get the daily grams and then divide that number by 3 to get the amount you need for your 3 meals. If it is more than you are able to eat at a meal, put it into your snacks. As you grow and baby grows, you will need more.

I use soy protein powder in my shake and I am pregnant. Is there a problem with it? I am nursing and love my George's shake. Can I still use the soy protein powder?

No. Do not use soy protein powder while pregnant or nursing. Switch to an alternative protein powder (brown rice, vegetable, whey, etc.). We now have George's Restore in our store.

I have to take the glucose tolerance test and drink that awful sweet drink. I detoxed from sugar before pregnancy, are there any alternatives?

You may ask your doc to forgo the GTT unless you are actually spilling sugar into your urine. It does not have to be done routinely.

Here is another alternative from Helen.

At the beginning of December I wrote to you all asking about what I should do about the glucose test to see if I have gestational diabetes. I didn't want to drink the sugar drink because I know it would make me so sick. I mentioned it to my Doctor and he kind of murmured to bad but didn't give me any alternatives.

I decided to switch the midwifes at the office I go to so I can use the natural childbirth center. In the orientation they said all tests are up to me. So when I met with one of the midwifes I said I didn't want to take the glucose test that morning. She said instead of not taking it, she proposed a sugar sensitive friendly alternative. I'll pass it along in case it comes up with any of you.

She told me to fast starting at midnight. Go to the office first thing in the morning and have my fasting blood drawn. Then go out and have breakfast- protein and complex carb like I eat anyway. Then come back in 2 hours and have my blood taken again. She said that will tell her everything she needs to know. Now it is a bit of a pain because the test will take all morning instead of an hour, but I think it is worth it.

And one more suggestion from Julie

A few years ago (1999, I think) ACOG did a study that showed that 18 Brach's Jelly Beans (the small ones) had exactly 50 ml of glucose and was a valid alternative to the glucola for the gestation diabetes test. Women also tolerated the jelly beans much better with fewer side effects such as headache and nausea/vomiting. Maybe your care provider has heard of this and/or is willing to look into it to let you try it.

I am stuck here in the hospital and the food is awful. No browns or greens in sight. The protein also seems inadequate. What can I do?

Talk to the dietician. The hospital has one. Tell her your needs. Ask for good food. Of course, asking may not help. (smile)

Your best bet is to give your family and friends a list before you go. Be specific about the kinds of foods you want. All your friends and family will want to do something. Ask for good food. Put out a call for help and be specific. Ask for broccoli florets not flowers. Have your hubby bring a protein shake instead of a milkshake. If mom is around, ask her to cook stuff and bring it. Tell her what YOU need, not what she wants to make.

And if you haven't gone to deliver yet, plan, and when you pack your bag for the hospital, throw in some program friendly and non-perishable items.

(c) Kathleen DesMaisons 2006. All rights reserved.