I’m changing topics slightly – this post will be more
closely related to the Paleo lifestyle, in general. Because of my knowledge and understanding of
the Paleo way-of-life, I often question cultural norms – why do these practices
exist? Why is “x” or “y” considered “normal?”
Throughout my pregnancy and now in early parenting, I
continue to question these cultural norms.
During my pregnancy it was “why do women need drugs to have a baby?” We are the only animal that “needs” this. We
are the only animal that “needs” to be monitored monthly (and in my case
weekly) by physicians to ensure our pregnancies are humming along smoothly.
My husband and I had a honeymoon baby – so, we were
surprised by the pregnancy, but pleasantly so!
I’ve always had a fear of not being able to conceive or miscarrying
because of my thyroid disease and gluten-intolerance, which are both closely related to infertility. So, getting pregnant
before “trying” was very welcome by my husband and me.
We got to our first Dr. appt, got the bloodwork done and we
were in fact pregnant. She had me come
back a couple of days later to test my hCG and make sure it was rising
appropriately. It wasn’t – while this
hormone should increase by 100% every 2 days, mine increased by about 30%. My doctor basically told me that I should
expect to miscarry. (She didn’t use
these words, but that’s what I heard.)
We had a follow-up ultrasound scheduled for the following week, which meant
I spent a week crying because my biggest fears were becoming a reality. Well, we got to the ultrasound and I was a
mess emotionally – I expected to hear/see nothing when she put the sonogram to my
belly. But, that did not happen. It was magical – I could hear my baby’s
heartbeat loud and clear.
But, I was a nervous wreck until week 14 (which was the “danger
zone” in my mind.) And then around week
20, I was at a bachelorette party, when an OBGYN who happened to attend the
party had the nerve to say to me “You’re 20 weeks? Are you sure your baby’s
alive in there? You’re looking really
small…” Thanks for that.
So, nervous wreck Aubrey came back in full-force. “Is she growing in there?”
At 28 weeks, my Doctor told me that my baby had Intrauterine
Growth Restriction – fears: validated. I
was starving my baby. The Doc told me
that her brain was developing normally, but the rest of her body was not. This is a “good thing” because the baby’s
body was working correctly and sending all of the nutrients to the most
important part – the brain. All I could
hear was “OMG, I’m starving my baby.” Was
this due to my “paleo” diet? Was I
really starving my baby? Did I need grains
in order to conceive a child?
I also became borderline hypertensive in my last 8 weeks of
pregnancy. Me and Lilah were put on
strict watch.
We monitored that baby – I went in for 30 minute heartbeat
tests twice/week for the remainder of my pregnancy, all the while, in the back
of my head thinking “these tests cannot be good for my baby.” Lilah would kick and kick while these tests
were taking place. I read somewhere that
heart monitors sound to babies like a freight train is in the room with them. But, I did it – heartbeat tests to make sure
my baby was alive and my high blood pressure wasn’t restricting blood flow to
the placenta.
Anyway, the point of this entire rant is that this all felt
so unnatural to me. Guess what…Lilah
came out perfect. She was not growth restricted;
she came out a healthy 7lbs 11 oz the day after her due date. Her head wasn't huge with a tiny little body like my Doctor had warned us we might see - she was perfectly proportionate. My blood pressure was perfect during my
labor. I had a healthy, happy baby
girl. And after all of that worry,
nervousness, and doubt over my ability to carry a child.
Why do we put ourselves through this? Although I believe in the power of medicine
and medical intervention in the event of an emergency, is it necessary to
perform weekly/monthly tests on pregnant women?
I’m sure many would argue yes, but I’d lean more towards a no. We need to eat healthy, be active, and trust
that our bodies can produce a child, like our ancestors did, and like all other
species of animal does without medical help.
Looking back, the stress/worry that I was put through during pregnancy could
not have been good for me or Lilah.
As an aside, my husband and I did do the Bradley Method for
our childbirth education. I’d recommend
this to any Paleo mama and will dedicate my next post to this.
Thanks for hearing out my rant. For those pregnant mamas out there – TRUST your
body. TRUST your diet. THINK positive thoughts. Your baby will be perfect.
