Don’t Get Yourself In A Pickle!

Now everyone knows that pickles and ice cream are a common craving for a preggo. So what is a craving?

Well when the body is in need of a certain nutrient or mineral we will crave the food that contains what the body feels it needs. Mostly salty and sweet, and most cravings are associated with hormonal imbalance…and seriously can you be more hormonally imbalanced then when you’re pregnant? Oh wait yes menopause but you have a way to go before you get there!

So if you are having such cravings and even if you’re not it’s important to know that to keep a healthy digestive tract, probiotics should be added to your diet. Even more so during pregnancy to help either minimize or maybe even avoid testing positive for GBS (Group B Strep). And, it turns out pickles are a great source of probiotics! What is GBS? GBS is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina, rectum, or lower intestine.

GBS is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD), there are no real symptoms, no known cause, which of course there has to be they just haven’t figured it out yet is my guess? and may come and go naturally throughout your life, if you check positive for GBS it just means that you are a carrier… so put this on your check list when you do your regular Dr. visit.

Studies and info I found suggest that 15% to 40% of all healthy women carry this particular bacterium. So how do I know if I have GBS? Well between your 35th and 37th week of pregnancy your medical professional will take a swab of both your vagina and your rectum send it off to the lab and screen for the presence of GBS. This is routine testing as part of your prenatal care. Results are usually available within 24 to 48 hours. An important factor and something you need to know, is that if you should go into labor before 35 weeks and have not been tested for GBS this needs to be brought to your Doctor or Midwife’s attention, don’t trust that everyone is on top of everything, mistakes are sometimes made. Don’t let this be one of them!

OK so I have GBS now what? First don’t stress, and that is not to say that we are taking this lightly. According to Childbirth.org GBS has been identified as the number one cause of life threatening infections in newborns. Normal procedures that you are given antibiotics intravenously during labor. Statistics show that 1 in 4000 babies may become affected if antibiotics are given and 1 in 200 babies if they are not. So the odds of a good outcome are very much in your favor. I’ve read conflicting stories back and forth about the use of antibiotics during labor, but in my self-educated opinion there is no way I would risk this if I tested positive and I would definitely be opting for the antibiotics…no doubt about it!

Can GBS be prevented? Maybe? What I do know is that there are some things you can do to help prevent GBS or at the very least help to keep the bacteria that causes GBS down to a minimum. Here is where probiotics come in. Probiotics are live microorganisms, basically, good bacteria that promote healthy digestion and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. It is also believed that probiotics boost immune function and increase resistance to certain infections and disease causing bacteria. Probiotics help keep the digestive tract and immune system in balance and who has more digestive issues then a preggo…so there is no down side to taking probiotics. Of course you will speak to your care giver on this matter. I have recently seen a prenatal vitamin containing probiotics on the market. Aside from helping to keep the digestive and immune system in balance, probiotics can be helpful in treating a variety of issues including: constipation; irritable bowel syndrome; Crohn’s disease; food allergies in children; treat urinary tract infections; eczema in children; and can lower your risk of diabetes and obesity and my favorite benefit, women who take probiotics gain a lot less weight and taking probiotics can reduce belly fat…I’m all about that one!

I have included a list of some of the many foods that are considered to have probiotic qualities: Pickles of course! Lacto-fermentation in other words pickles made without using vinegar; pickles made this way are alive and rich in probiotics. Yogurt is probably one of the best probiotic foods, live cultured yogurt. My suggestion is plain yogurt, no added sugar add your own fruit, honey or agave. My favorite is apple, cinnamon & agave…delish! Also cinnamon helps calm the digestive tract…just saying! Kefir I personally don’t like this stuff but if you do then knock yourself out, similar to yogurt Kefir is a unique combination of goat milk and fermented grains. High in lactobacilli and bifidus bacteria and is also rich in antioxidants. Sauerkraut is fermented, cabbage extremely rich in healthy live cultures and also aids in reducing allergy symptoms. Who knew? Sauerkraut is also rich in vitamins B, A, E and C. Dark Chocolate Hell to the yes! Dark chocolate has four times the amount of probiotics as many forms of dairy. Which makes me happy to call this is a craving and not just a bad habit…ya know thanks to my post-menopausal, hormonal imbalanced state! Microalgae such as spirulina, chorella and blue-green algae. I’ll stick to the dark chocolate thanks! Miso Soup-Yes I love miso soup! From what I’ve read miso is extremely nutrient-dense and is believed to help neutralize the effects of environmental pollution, alkalinize the body and stop the effects of carcinogens in the system…make mine a bowl.

These are just some of the foods that contain probiotics and if nothing on the list appeals to you, then the easiest way to get your probiotics are to use the supplements. A good probiotic supplement will contain a Billion, or more live bacteria in order to multiply and replenish the good bacteria and inhibit the growth of harmful macrobes that cause digestive stress. I am not recommending any one in particular but from what I’ve read, it is recommended to avoid probiotics that contain magnesium stearate.

So if you do present with GBS and are given antibiotics during labor and delivery, continuing to take probiotics after your pregnancy will help maintain and restore the normal bacterial population that becomes imbalanced from taking the antibiotics. So, it seems you cannot go wrong by taking probiotics, but as with most supplements, it is always better to get your nutrients from food sources so eat those pickles!!

-MaryLou, aka Massage-A-Mom

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