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Starting Whole 30 on August 1 while 37 weeks pregnant


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WARNING: This post talks about a previous birth experience which wasn't great. If you're pregnant, you may wish to skip it.

So last time round, I gained 40 kg, BP skyrocketed, was induced, had a three day labour where I went hypercontractive (4-5 minute long contractions with no real break in between), baby's heart rate stopped, I went into shock and had an emergency C-section. Every intervention you could have, none of which I wanted. My recovery was not great, nutrition was shit (pre-Paleo days so I drank lots of milk and ate heaps of bread which I thought I needed to make milk) and I had mild post natal depression.

This time (3 years later) I've gained 11kg, BP is awesome, I ran until my 34th week and am still walking and swimming and feeling really good. I haven't been 100% paleo this pregnancy but haven't strayed too far. I am starting a Whole30 on August 1 (due date August 22) with the knowledge that I may (or may not) eat a piece of sushi when bubs is born :) Hoping to have a natural birth this time around but I know that whatever happens, good nutrition is key to my recovery (both physical and mental).

Planning meals in advance and trying to get organised. Any advice appreciated if you've done a Whole 30 with a newborn.

Thanks in advance,

Meghann

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Good luck!! I'm also pregnant so I would love to hear what others have to say about this.

I can say, though, we have had much success with making hearty soups ahead of time and freezing and also preparing our protein and freezing it for easy thawing and prep. I also live and die by my crock pot!! I'll see if I can track down the website that has tons of paleo-friendly crock pot meals.

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I'm 24 weeks pregnant and am going to start on the 1st. I had trouble with binge eating/overeating with my first pregnancy. This time has been very difficult as well and I'm hoping the Whole30 will put myself and the baby in a healthier/happier place!

With my last pregnancy I ended up with high blood pressure at the end that lasted 6 weeks post partum. I don't want to go there again. I also had horrible milk supply and I know it's because my nutrition was so poor at that point!

I hope there are many other expectant moms for the next 30 days! We could all use the support!

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Hiya! Another pregnant mama chiming in! :)

I'm starting the Whole30 on August 1st also. I'm currently 17 weeks pregnant.

We've been eating paleo for about a year and a half now, but during early pregnancy nausea I found myself eating some GF grains here and there and have not been able to kick the habit. I'm hoping this Whole30 will kick start my good eating habits again.

I gained a lot in previous pregnancies (80 pounds with #1 and 60 pounds with #2), but had no other problems with my pregnancies, birth or post partum, thankfully.

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Just to join in... I'm 17 weeks pregnant too (due date 1/4) and starting on August 1st too. Same story as Jennifer - had been pretty strict paleo previous to being pregnant but completely fell off the wagon during the first trimester. Glad we're all in this together!

Just doing my weekly menu plan now and have a pot of bone broth going.

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Yay for pregnant paleo mamas! Days 1 and 2 have been good. Feeling the start of the 'carb flu' a bit today, but I know I have a (possibly) very limited amount of time to make myself feel as well as possible so that's good motivation. Glad you're all here for support!!!

I ate shit my first trimester...toast, fried foods, not too much sugar. My nausea was awful, and I know my choices didn't help but I was too tired/overwhelmed/stressed (choose your excuse...lol!) to do much else. This will be my simplest Whole30 in that most meals will be ground meat (thanks to the one income at the moment) plus veg and good fat.

K.I.S.S (Keep it simple sweetie...)

I remember how awful I felt when my son was born. It was such a magical time and I just felt so exhausted. I know that's natural, and normal, but I also know I don't have to feel as bad as I did, ever again!

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Really good for me! Last time I tried a Whole30, I was not really into the spirit of it and made a bunch of goodies that "technically" fit the bill, but were a massive compromise to how the program is intended. Yeah, that Whole30 lasted 8 days. This time, it's been all meat, veg, eggs, a bit of fruit and a few almonds. I'm almost finished Day 3 (I'm in Australia) and my energy was pretty good today. BP was 120/60 this morning and I've remembered to drink lots of water. Pork belly for tea (hubby's request)..yum!

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We're good to go here. Headaches but that may because I never fully gave up my morning latte and drinking it black only holds me for about a half a cup (which is fine).

It is a bit silly but I am super excited about this tupperware serving dish I bought just to get me back on track during this Whole30. I pack all the compartments full of olives, veggies, and sliced meat and can pull it out anytime.

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We're doing good here, too, and I'm feeling really good about getting us all back on track again. And I've finally made a plan to start exercising again. I haven't moved my body much since the nausea hit, but now that I'm feeling better that's changing.

How are you all doing with snacking? I don't normally need to snack as much when not pregnant, but I can not seem to skip snacks at all. I don't view it as a big deal right now, though, because I'm pregnant and listening to my body and not just snacking to eat. I've been tracking my food intake and realized that I might not be eating enough fat with every meal (even though I'm cooking with it, at minimum, at every meal), so I'm paying closer attention to that today and adding more to see if that helps keep me satiated for longer.

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If anything, I've struggled to eat enough this pregnancy, and doing a Whole30, I have to be really conscious on how many calories I'm getting. So i'm not worrying too much about snacks. And the other day, I had a sip of my son's fresh squeezed OJ. Instead of freaking out (like I would have in the past, and probably restarted my Whole30), I thought "Dude, it's orange juice..." I guess what I'm saying is that I am doing this Whole30 to the best of my abilities and being a bit gentle with myself.

On a side note, I had contractions for a couple hours last night, before they fizzed out. Almost time :o

Yay to everyone feeling good and staying on track! And Jennifer, I had to add more fat to stay full, avocados have been a godsend!

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Jennifer - You and I are in the same stage of pregnancy. When are you due?

I've been pleasantly surprised the last few days to not feel strong urges to snack. With that said, I did make up my tray of veggies, olives, and meat and that is what I turn to when the urge does hit. And if I want a banana or apple with almond butter I'm not stressing over it as much as I did pre-pregnancy (I ate a very low carb version of Paleo and most fruit was out.)

The part that is hard for me is that my appetite for meat has been much diminished since being pregnant. The last two days I've made it through with eggs, taco salad with ground beef, and egg drop soup. I'm hoping my meat aversion won't last much longer since it puts a serious damper on what I want to cook.

Congrats Meghann on a strong three days!

Also, I'm working on building a pinterest recipe board of things I'm either cooking or planning to cook. It is nothing special but here is the link if either of you are interested: http://pinterest.com/ellyally/

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goosehollow, my EDD is January 8th. :)

I increased my fat intake today and was able to make it from breakfast to lunch without needing a snack, so I think I found my problem! Adding about a 1/4 cup of canned coconut milk to my breakfast seemed to do the trick. I did end up needing a small snack between lunch and dinner but that was due to working out after lunch.

Learning new things every day during this whole30 even though I've been eating paleo for a year and a half now.

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How's everyone going? I'm feeling pretty good, a bit tired, but I think that's more because I'm 38 weeks pregnant, than because of the Whole30! Had an appointment at the midwives tonight and BP was perfect. Yay!

I have so much more energy than I did last time around. I was pretty miserable by this stage.

My bestie came and surprised me with a pedicure at the day spa today. She brought me a fresh juice and a piece of coconut milk chocolate. Both were 'technically' Whole 30 but not really in the spirit but, meh, I ate a bite and really enjoyed it :D

Did anyone try the chowder? It's so good!

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Hi ladies! I'm really happy that I checked these forums and found your posts.

I'm 38 weeks pregnant and while I've been paleo for a few years, this entire pregnancy I've been slipping and even though our core meals have been standard paleo fare and well balanced, it's all the extra crap I've eaten that has done me in... I've put on a lot of weight and feel pretty bad about it.

The great news is that my health is perfect, blood pressure, iron levels etc, and the baby is a good size with no problems whatsoever. As of Sunday (it's now Tuesday here in Aus) I've tightened the reins food wise and even though I know it's psychological, I feel better already for it.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about how you're all going, especially after you all give birth!

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I'm doing good here. It has been surprisingly easy for me to stay on board and so I just want to kick myself for not getting back on track earlier. I'm probably eating too much tuna at the moment... it's not my favorite but it is easy an protein to fix fast.

And I totally know that we're not supposed to be trying to lose weight while pregnant but I will admit that I was happy when at my check-up the scale said I'd lost three pounds since we started. I gained 17 pounds my first trimester when I fell (jumped) off the Paleo wagon so I've been a little concerned and am just glad to see that I've stopped gaining so rapidly. And I'm not bloated anymore. Can anyone give me a "hallelulah"?

Tomorrow I find out what sex my baby is! Can't wait :D .

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goosehollow, I feel the exact same way. I've been doing really well, feeling good, haven't really had any cravings for non-Whole30 foods and am kicking myself for falling off the paleo wagon.

My weight gain is also not completely out of control at this point like it was with my previous two pregnancies. I've only gained 1 pound in the past 4 weeks (which puts me at about 15 pounds gained so far at 18 weeks). Not bad!

I was pretty tired yesterday (Day 6), but so far today my energy seems to have come back a bit. It's still early though, so ask me again this afternoon. Ha!

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Meghann I'm in Brisbane at the moment but we're actually moving to Melbourne for my husband's new job!

He's due to start at most two weeks after the baby is born or the 27th August, whichever comes first... so potentially I'm in for a lot of stress (newborn, first baby, interstate move) but I have to stay optimistic about it all.

I have a midwife appointment today - I can't help hoping that she'll say that it's looking very close, like the baby will be born this week instead of next close :)

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Awesome Jennifer! Glad you're feeling well. Minimising my weight gain with this pregnancy was a huge focus for me, but not in that sick, disordered eating, old news kind of way. I know my weight gain last time (40kg!!!!! Not pounds, kilos!), led directly to a lot of my complications.

With Whole30/Paleo eating I feel so confident that bubs will be big enough and healthy, and I haven't jeopardised their or my own wellbeing!

scatterpig, how exciting. Good job staying positive. We'll have to meet sometime when you're settled. I'm always looking for paleo 'allies' in Australia, but haven't found many who aren't online! I'll be doing some meal plans in the next few days for the first few post- partum weeks, so I'll e-mail them or post them on here for you to have a look at. Will you be right in the city?

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So I do have one very minor complaint about this Whole30. I was really hoping to have a girl baby this time (we have two fantastic boys) but just found out I am having another boy. Guess Paleo can't do everything!

(On a side note... even though I'm currently disappointed, this boy baby has nothing to worry about. We'll love and adore him in all his manliness.)

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goosehollow, sorry you're feeling a a bit disappointed :( People keep asking me what I hope I'm having and I really don't know. My gut says it's another boy and I'd be happy with that. Sometimes I think I want a girl, but then I remember what I was like at 14 and it seems terrifying!!!! :lol:

scatterpig, how'd your MW appt go?

How's everyone going? I've had a bowl of strawberries with coconut milk and a few almonds as a bit of a treat every night and it seems to work. I'm really craving broccoli and cabbage...big changes from my usual cravings. And pretty much anything with iron and Vit C too!

Today is the first day I've felt tired, but I don't think it's Whole30 related. I finished my last major work assignment today and literally, as I hit send to the editor, felt my body "power down." I have a few bits and pieces to tie up, but it was like my body knew it could start to relax and get ready for bubs.

Night all! Early ones for me now because, hey, I never know when I may have to get up and have a baby ;)

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