TPV Podcast, Episode 62: Fertility & Early Pregnancy

In this episode, Stacy and Sarah talk about boosting fertility, creating a healthy internal environment for conception and pregnancy, and managing the symptoms that come during the first trimester.

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The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 62: Fertility & Early Pregnancy

• 0:00 – Introduction
• 0:52 – News & Views
  • Make sure you go over to the Paleo Magazine ‘Best Of’s’ nominations and vote!
    
    • The nominations:
      • Most Anticipated New Paleo Book, The Paleo Approach
      • Best Treat Recipe – Cookbook: The Best Brownies from Beyond Bacon
      • Best Culinary Recreation: Mango Sticky [Not] Rice
      • Best Paleo Podcast: The Paleo View
      • Best New Cookbook – Special Topics, Beyond Bacon
  • Stacy’s sister recently moved in and Stacy took her to her first Crossfit class – check for other life updates here
  • Sarah recently had one of those weeks where she desperately wished there was a Paleo friendly food-delivery option close by
  • Stacy has a peruvian rotissere chicken restauraunt within delivery range and they rely on that option when necessary
  • Both Sarah and Stacy have newsletters, so be sure to check those out
  • Sarah finalized design for The Paleo Approach and will soon be reviewing a full proof copy
  • This week’s show is a follow up to the pregnancy show and will touch on the topics of hormone regulation, fertility and early pregnancy
• (15:28) Science with Sarah – Morning Sickness
  • The  lower esophageal sphincter is at the opening of the stomach and it stays closed until you swallow, with the goal to keep things in the stomach – this is the reflux that fails when you have heartburn
  • The cause of morning sickness is the massive hormone shift that is happening during early pregnancy and it happens so that women instinctually avoid foods that may be of harm to the developing, very young fetus
  • At the beginning of the second trimester when the fetus is formed and more robust, morning sickness tends to subside
  • By making choices about the food you eat you can help impact the sickness
  • Foods that are easy to digest are braised or stewed meats, fish, well cooked vegetables
  • Protein can help tighten the lower esophageal sphincter
  • The sphincter is relaxed by caffeine, smoking, alcohol, chocolate, high fat meals and peppermint tea
  • Ginger, raw almonds, and papaya enzymes are all helpful with morning sickness
  • Stacy always attributed her morning sickness to low blood sugar regulation, and Sarah noted that while she hasn’t studied the correlation at length there is a tie between insulin and hormones
• (21:46) Questions & Answers
  • Megan – how do you prepare the body for pregnancy?
    • Check both Westin A. Price and Chris Kresser on this subject
    • A Paleo diet, great sleep habits, plenty of sunshine, and stress management will all set you up for success
    • There are many fertility complications that are often linked to lifestyle, so be sure to stay optimistic about your ability to influence the outcome
    • Be sure to look at last week’s show on nutrient density and what foods will provide you with all the essential building blocks
    • Getting adequate folate and B-vitamins, six months leading up to pregnancy is incredibly important, which are abundant in organ meats and shellfish
  • (27:35) Rachel – what can I do to handle ovulation struggles?
    • As addressed on the previous show to Rachel’s other question, keep working on the stress management, stay patient and relax
    • Sarah suggests taking a look at The Hormone Cure book, not going too low or too high with carbs, cut back on exercise intensity, and regulate your sleep schedule and quality to help with hormone regulation
  • (34:35) Karen – what foods should I eat to have a healthy pregnancy? What foods can I eat when dealing with nausea?
    • Stacy had all of her boys when she was 150 pounds overweight, which wasn’t ideal, but being overweight will not necessarily negatively impact you, especially if you are eating for health and implementing healthy lifestyle strategies
    • Stacy also reminds Karen to tune out the negative variables, it creates unnecessary stress that your body than has to deal with on a hormone level
    • Surround yourself with people, support and information that empowers you
    • Try your best to trust your body
    • Stacy suggests Sarah’s plantain crackers and Paleo muffins
    • Stacy also notes that she wouldn’t be so concerned with the rules, with a Whole 30 or a 21 Day Sugar Detox – to instead follow your cravings and look at what your cravings may tell you about your nutrient deficiencies 
    • Listen to what you are craving and ask yourself what aspect of the craving you want – if it is something from a SAD you will be able to find a Paleo version
    • Sarah also notes the importance of high-quality foods, like raw dairy products from a trusted source and seafood
  • (50:16) Jenna – how can I monitor my glucose during pregnancy?
    • Stacy didn’t have the glucose test in her third pregnancy, she simply declined because of the results from her first two pregnancies
    • Sarah notes that some doctors will allow you to test with whole foods as opposed to the sugar drink from the lab
    • Let your doctor know that you are already following a diet that is close to the gestational diabetes diet because how suagr makes you feel
    • It is also possible to get false positives with the test if you are on a low carb diet
    • If you are following a low carb diet, make sure when you get your carbs in that they are incredibly nutrient dense and being consumed from vegetables
    • Stacy and Sarah both feel that ox bile supplementation is safe while pregnant
• Sarah is fully prepared for Halloween and Stacy is preparing for her big Halloween party and a huge book signing featuring a handful of other Paleo all-stars!
• If you make bad choices on Halloween listen back to this episode on recovery
• But know that you don’t have to make bad choices – check out these awesome Halloween recipe roundups (one, two and three)
• Have a great week everyone and a wonderful Halloween!
• (1:06:24) Outro