Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?

Sunniva

Knowing what I know now, I would have gotten a dula and a home birth. At least adjacent to your "regular " doctor.

I have never had medical problems in my life, so at that time I just did not have any thoughts it could be different with pregnancy.

Be prepared for the unexpected. I had a non eventful pregnancy at what the medical establishment considers "advanced maternal age".

I became pregnant when I wanted with no problem. Carried to term without problem. Then at a 39 week check my doctor said I needed to go to hospital and be induced. Something about the babies heart rate decreasing with contractions (to the best of my memory).

To this day, because of my ensuing distrust of the medical establishment, I am not certain that recommendation to be induced was necessary.

Be aware, if you are induced, there is an extremely high likelihood you will end up with a c-section. I did. It is the worst way to give birth. I believe my body was not yet ready and producing the high levels of progesterone it does at birth time, so an induced birth is agonizing.

Knowing what I know now, I would have a birth plan - Google that. Be prepared to never let baby out of your site. Be aware of injections they might give baby, do you want skin on skin immediately after birth before they go about their "medically necessary procedures". Do you want them to bathe the baby, or rub the vernix into their skin. Know your stance on vaccines and what they might try to give you or baby in hospital. And have a plan if your plan goes south.

Also, get a competent assessment for lip and tongue ties if you are having trouble breast feeding, or if baby has reflux.

And after you have successfully brought baby into this world, know that the days are long but the years are short. You will have 18 summers with them. Let them be messy, your house does not have to be perfect, do things, get outside, let them explore and be creative.

Get outside with baby in the morning light to set them up with a great circadian rhythm.

Self care for mom after birth: often overlooked in USA, but a standard test for Europe (so I've read) is thyroid testing. It is not uncommon for the thyroid to unload stored colloid after birth (according to Ray Peat), which will result in a hyperthyroid state, which should resolve itself in a few months. Ray talks about strategy for this. If you are not aware - as I was not- it might end in the medical establishment vaporizing your thyroid. Have a plan.

golda

@DonkeyDude said in Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?:

I audibly keked at this. Is the father-to-be also allowed to do this (for the baby's sake, of course)?

Hey, you are creating a wonderful little life. Do what you feel best to remove stress in general, and you have my personal endorsement to block whomever especially when your wife is with child!

@Sunniva said in Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?:

Self care for mom after birth: often overlooked in USA, but a standard test for Europe (so I've read) is thyroid testing. It is not uncommon for the thyroid to unload stored colloid after birth (according to Ray Peat), which will result in a hyperthyroid state, which should resolve itself in a few months. Ray talks about strategy for this. If you are not aware - as I was not- it might end in the medical establishment vaporizing your thyroid. Have a plan.

Also precious insights & considerations I wish I was aware of before getting pregnant! I gave birth in Europe (Belgium) in the most standard set up but never had any blood test or thyroid testing proposed post-partum (never). Just the stupid glucose test. Post partum care in Belgium is fairly limited I found (the one checkup at 5 weeks PP to tell you you can have sex (......... ?)), I know parental policies are much more lenient in Slavic countries (Hungary looks as based as it can get).

Have a plan indeed.

mexican_coke_fan

@Peatful said in Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?:

stay away from fertility treatments or clinics

very interesting, what makes you add this as one of your major points?

@Sunniva said in Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?:

Then at a 39 week check my doctor said I needed to go to hospital and be induced. Something about the babies heart rate decreasing with contractions (to the best of my memory).

To this day, because of my ensuing distrust of the medical establishment, I am not certain that recommendation to be induced was necessary.

Be aware, if you are induced, there is an extremely high likelihood you will end up with a c-section.

My wife and I watched this old documentary by Ricki Lake (of daytime talk show fame) called "The Business of Being Born" and one of my key takeaways was that the inducing process tends to snow ball with interventions until the woman needs a C-section.

I found the documentary online, it's a fascinating watch
https://www.bitchute.com/video/L1S3yTovYnFV/

Peatful

@mexican_coke_fan said in Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?:

@Peatful said in Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?:

stay away from fertility treatments or clinics

very interesting, what makes you add this as one of your major points?

@Sunniva said in Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?:

Then at a 39 week check my doctor said I needed to go to hospital and be induced. Something about the babies heart rate decreasing with contractions (to the best of my memory).

To this day, because of my ensuing distrust of the medical establishment, I am not certain that recommendation to be induced was necessary.

Be aware, if you are induced, there is an extremely high likelihood you will end up with a c-section.

My wife and I watched this old documentary by Ricki Lake (of daytime talk show fame) called "The Business of Being Born" and one of my key takeaways was that the inducing process tends to snow ball with interventions until the woman needs a C-section.

I found the documentary online, it's a fascinating watch
https://www.bitchute.com/video/L1S3yTovYnFV/

Kind of what you refer to regarding the big business of pregnancy.
It’s a trap that plays on the emotions of a couple who are “struggling” to get pregnant.

Obgyns will quickly refer you to a “specialist”
Unnecessary and dangerous imo

Eat well
Get sun
Stress down
Trust your body
Etc
These things don’t create revenue for big pharma do they?

To add to this
Lets say I know 10 women that went the specialist route
And now
Three of them have cancer

Added for clarity: it’s unnatural hormonal manipulation

Peatly

@Sippy said in Bioenergetic Guide to Pregnancy?:

Does anyone have any comments or experience to share in regards to pregnancy at an older age? I had a child at 30 and now I'm 40 and would really like to conceive again. It's taken me 10 years to recover my health to the point where I could even consider this. Obviously it's not ideal, but I'm so much healthier now than I was 10 years ago.

From an interview

"Hey Danny, can you ask Ray if he had ever seen or heard of a woman regaining her fertility taking high dose progesterone? We're talking someone who has been infertile for a decade or more."

Ray Peat: When I was teaching nutrition classes, there were several women who said they had been infertile for more than 10 years. And it was a three month class. And usually there were two or three people during that class who would suddenly get pregnant, just with almost all of them, just with diet changes. But it was to increase their progesterone and thyroid and to get their estrogen under control. And one woman, a medical doctor, she had diagnosed ovarian failure when she was, I think, about 35. And by carefully taking a blood test about every week or two, she imitated the natural hormones of the cycle with small amounts, generally of both thyroid and progesterone. That doesn't take a huge amount when it's at the right time. And I think, I forget her exact age, but she was in her 40s and had been perfectly infertile for over 10 years and had a baby very quickly as soon as she got her blood test showing the hormones in the right range.

Source

JulofEnoch

@Sippy

Absolutely. @Peatly shared one of Ray's comments on that matter but yes you absolutely can have a healthy conception, pregnancy, and birth after 40. It will be very important to have a good understanding of your minerals, heavy metals, and hormones, so blood test and a hair/nail mineral analysis are essential. @haidut has testing on the idealabs website.

Progesterone, thyroid, and good nutrition will be essential, not only for you, but for your partner as well. Men pass on an enormous amount of epigenetic conditioning to their offspring, whoever you have a child with should make sure to also test minerals and metals as well as hormones.

Wishing you the best

@Peatly Thanks for this quote. What tests do you think he is talking about every week or two? My naturopath says it's only useful to do a hormonal panel on the 21st day of my cycle. Thyroid testing is usually only every 6 weeks.

@JulofEnoch Thanks for the encouragement. I have done a few hair mineral analysis tests years ago, but I didn't want to take the nutritional balancing supplements. They were full of excipients if I recall correctly. Do you know of any resources for interpreting the results and deciding how to correct imbalances? I know that it is quite complex.

Peatly

@Sippy "she imitated the natural hormones of the cycle". I think prolactin, progesterone, estrogen and perhaps thyroid.

There are other tests but I rarely hear Dr Peat suggesting some of them

Have you read From PMS to Menopause?

micronutrients are also important for brain development and development of the body systems in general... I think these sort of things need to be stressed more

taking care of gut microbiome to pass on a healthy one to the child

fat soluble vitamins to avoid crowded teeth after the child is born like vit K2

I remember seeing my aunt bake a cake when my cousin was very young and my younger cousin tried to bite a stick of butter... Kids do that for a reason right? We should maybe just let them eat butter if they want.. They probably need it

we need to remember food sometimes only contains micronutrients in theory, it's important to remember organic can be a meaningless label you need to chase where the minerals and micronutrients actually are not just look up a chart on the internet. minerals and real nutritious food has a certain smell but its hard to describe to someone who hasn't experienced it

I believe but I haven't really tried it myself yet that a person could probably be extraordinarily healthy eating just... potatoes and apples if the soil was well taken care of

JulofEnoch

@Sippy

They were full of excipients if I recall correctly.

So many things are these days.

Do you know of any resources for interpreting the results and deciding how to correct imbalances?

Regarding interpretation, I am no expert myself so I've relied on others knowledgeable to help me. I cannot vouch for everything this guy says but his videos on HTMA have been useful for me. If you want a real expert with a focus on mineral balancing, fertility, etc. then Andra is someone who you should consider speaking with. Her Twitter is a good resource for free knowledge. Andra is no stranger to Peat and the Bioenergetic community.