Future question for mommas

emilybeaver

I plan on trying for baby 2.0 this fall. Do you keep this woe or do you eat carbs?

DianaElena76

Good question! I didn't start this WOE until after I closed up shop. I think if I were to do it again I would increase my carbs to include fruit, more vegetables, and maybe some whole grains. But I think there are people who have been ketogenic throughout pregnancy, I just don't know if I myself would do it.

baconslave

With my last preg, I developed GD, and went on a low-carb diet. It was about 100g. I ended up taking a med for it because the diet still wasn't enough to get it down. So if I knew then what I know now, I would do less than 100. Probably 50g net. Not doing the baby thing anymore though. 4 kids is my sanity-limit.

emilybeaver

Haha. Thanks lady. I didn't get GD with my first but I swelled up like a balloon and my BP was high towards the end. I'm trying to avoid that this time. Even though I'll be getting a repeat CS.

Sarahb29

baconslave wrote: »

With my last preg, I developed GD, and went on a low-carb diet. It was about 100g. I ended up taking a med for it because the diet still wasn't enough to get it down. So if I knew then what I know now, I would do less than 100. Probably 50g net. Not doing the baby thing anymore though. 4 kids is my sanity-limit.

Similar story to mine. Actually funny story, I stayed at the hospital for about 2 weeks total and we got to order off the hospital menu. I was given the diabetic menu. Well they used to call me and complain about my carb intake saying I wasn't eating enough carbs! I'd order an omlette or 3 eggs plus ham plus bacon, and they'd say, "Ok.. and for your carbohydrates..?" like I needed them. I declined and said my nutritionist wants me to keep them low (which she did). Then the next meal they'd call back and have the same carb discussion. I really liked the chicken stir fry they had though.

Anyway, while I was preggo my typical chosen carb was 1 slice of sprouted toast, the lowest carb I could find. I'd have to dig through my 2012 diary but I think it was 11 or 12g of carbs. I'd enjoy it slathered in peanut butter with a glass of Almond milk watching 2 broke girls, lol.

To answer your question OP - we don't know enough about the effect of a Keto/really low carb diet has on a developing baby. I'd give yourself a little more leeway and stay around 50-100g or so.

macchiatto

Ooh, good luck!
I wasn't a low-carber when I was TTC. If I do TTC again, I'd stay keto while TTC but once pregnant, unless I saw compelling research on pregnancy and ketosis (which I'd certainly be I'd be open to), I'd be inclined to up my carbs a bit, more the 60-80 range or so.

auntstephie321

We are ttc currently, no luck. Hoping the low carb helps, though it wasn't my main reason for going low carb. It has really stabilized my bbt. If we are ever lucky enough to conceive I really don't know what I'll do lc wise. I have seen people who were keto through out with no problems. But I think I'd likely up my carbs a bit to around the 80g range. It's all just wishful thinking at this point. It would be a nice problem to have to figure out.

Dragonwolf

macchiatto wrote: »

Ooh, good luck!
I wasn't a low-carber when I was TTC. If I do TTC again, I'd stay keto while TTC but once pregnant, unless I saw compelling research on pregnancy and ketosis (which I'd certainly be I'd be open to), I'd be inclined to up my carbs a bit, more the 60-80 range or so.

Unfortunately, ethics says you'll never see such a study in humans.

However, consider this:

1. The northern native people, including the Inuit, Sammi, Mongols, and Plains Indians, live(d) on primarily meat-only diets. Now, there's some debate as to whether the Inuit, at least, are actually ever in ketosis (they eat a lot of really fresh, raw meat, which gives them "animal starch" from the glycogen, and between that and their protein intake, it might be enough to keep them out of ketosis), but it's pretty clear they're at least very low carb.

2. Test any woman who has severe and constant morning sickness and you'll find them in ketosis. I'd actually argue that it's a pretty typical state for women to go in and out of during at least part of their pregnancy.

3. Even while pregnant, low carb diets are still the number one way to deal with diabetes and is very often the course of action for gestational diabetes. Anything less than 100g of carbs is at least mildly ketotic.

4. Observations of actual humans suggests it's okay -- http://myzerocarblife.jamesdhogan.com/wp/2015/02/eat-zero-carb-pregnant/ http://nopainnograin.blogspot.ca/2013/10/pregnancy-and-low-carb.html https://www.reddit.com/r/KetoBabies/

5. Newborns are in a state of ketosis -- http://realmealrevolution.com/real-thinking/ketosis-key-to-human-babies-big-brains http://www.ketotic.org/2014/01/babies-thrive-under-ketogenic-metabolism.html

Bonus: There aren't any actual studies that a high carb, USDA-recommended diet is actually "safe" for pregnancy, either, particularly to the standards to which the ketogenic diet is being held. (One could argue that it's "safe," because it's the status quo, but we still have a 20-50% miscarriage rate, 32.7% C-section rate (granted, a chunk of that is arguably non-emergency), and an 80/100k SUID rate (infant death due to SIDS or unknown causes, not confirmed accidental suffocation). http://www.cdc.gov/sids/data.htm http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm Not to mention the infant epilepsy rates, childhood autoimmune and diabetes rates, allergy rates, birth defects, etc.)

That said, the simple truth of the matter is that it hasn't been studied (and probably never will be). As such, there's not a great deal of strenuous scientific information on the matter either way. You'll want to do your own research, talk with your doctor(s), and make the decision for yourself. Even then, your cravings and food aversions might make the decision for you, whether you like it or not.

baconslave

emilybeaver wrote: »

Haha. Thanks lady. I didn't get GD with my first but I swelled up like a balloon and my BP was high towards the end. I'm trying to avoid that this time. Even though I'll be getting a repeat CS.

I had preeclampsia with my 1st and 3rd. I had to be induced with both. I week early with the first. I was hospitalized 5 days whiile they decided whether or not. My BP readings got up to 200/155. BAD. With the 3rd kid, I was induced 2.5weeks early due to it. The poor dear was jaundiced really bad. We had her in a bili-light blanket for a week. With my last, my BP was inching up every week, UNTIL I started the low-carb diet. It went down to normal within a week and stayed there. I believe that I developed GD with the others, they just didn't catch it and THAT caused my BPs to get bad.

kimmydear

I'm finished having kids but my last one was 5 years ago. I developed postpartum preeclampsia and ended up in the hospital for a week after baby was born with very high blood pressure. I wish they had suggested a low carb diet at that point. I had to stay on BP meds for a year after that. If I had known diet may have speeded up the process of healing, I would have tried it.

vazquezmom7

I think there is a blogger who actually was zero carbs with two pregnancies and she is even raising the kids with this WOE. I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy, that was the red flag I needed to want to better my eating habits.
I am 35 with 7 kids and the chance of another pregnancy is always there. I think a couple weeks someone posted that she was pregnant and was going to continue with this WOE. I wonder how she is doing.