Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Brewer Pregnancy Diet

I am not talking about losing or controlling weight during pregnancy, but rather a healthy way of eating. The "Brewer Pregnancy Diet" is considered by many physicians and midwives to be the healthiest eating plan to follow during pregnancy.

Above all else, this diet emphasizes the importance of consuming enough protein, which is crucial for growing a healthy baby without compromising the mother's health. This diet is not a low-carb diet, it is high-protein and also emphasizes healthy carbs. It is easy to follow after getting used to the recommended daily and weekly foods.

I have heard some ignorant people say that babies are like leeches and they will get whatever nutrition they need from mom regardless of her diet, but that is simply not true.

Several years ago, a close friend of mine and her baby almost died from HELLP syndrome (a complication or severe form of preeclampsia), which her midwife failed to detect. After an emergency C-section, she ended up in the ICU and had to have several blood transfusions. Countless other times, I have talked to or heard about mothers who had preeclampsia and were either immediately taken in for a C-section or given a couple of days to improve and (after their condition did not change) were enduced, often likewise resulting in a C-section.

Almost 100% of these cases would have been entirely preventable and in many cases even reversible through following the nutritional guidelines of the Brewer Pregnancy Diet. My goal is not to make these moms feel bad, my goal is to educate others so they will not suffer the same problems with their pregnancies. I blame the medical professionals who fail to explain to mothers about healthy nutrition, and who allow malnutrition to develop into a severe problem that has to be "fixed" with drastic and invasive measures rather than corrected through diet.

If you are already pregnant and have been told by your doctor that your blood pressure is high, and/or that you have protein in your urine, and/or you suffer from severe headaches, and/or you have severe swelling of your hands or even mild swelling of the face, please examine your diet. Most likely, you are not getting near enough protein every day, which means 100-120 g of protein or more. Many doctors will not diagnose your condition correctly as preeclampsia until it has become completely out of hand, and an emergency C-section is the only option. The doctor may make a note in your file of some of the symptoms, but usually not tell you about it because the prevailing medical opinion is that preeclampsia is an unexplained fluke, and that there is no cure for it other than delivering the baby when mom's blood pressure gets too high. In an effort not to worry the mother, which could further increase her blood pressure, they rarely inform her, or just play it off as normal.

Unless they make a conscious effort, most women will not eat that much protein in one day. You can reverse your symptoms by following the Brewer Pregnancy Diet. Having a C-section due to preeclampsia may not seem like a big deal, but it is for various reasons:

- Many women are emotionally traumatized by it, especially when it is sudden and unexpected.

- Babies are often delivered prematurely and may have to go to the NICU. On top of this, many babies' condition has already taken a hit from receving not enough oxygen for days or even weeks. This is due to the fact that when mom's blood pressure rises, the body starts depriving the plancenta (and thereby the baby) of oxygen in an attempt to save the mother's life.

- C-section are considered major surgery, and are associated with a host of negative side effects on both mother and baby. They also limit the amount of babies that a mother will be able to have, because many doctors/hospitals/states do not allow VBACs. Therefore, a mother is forced to undergo C-sections even after a healthy pregnancy, and three C-sections is generally considered the safe maximum for a woman. I have heard of some mothers who had as many as eight, but this is neither desirable nor healthy.

Eating right, on the other hand, is very easy. It is more a question of knowing to eat "this" versus "that". A hard-boiled egg on whole wheat toast with butter is a much better choice than a donut and coffee. Not only is the latter fat- and sugar-laden, it also provides next to no protein.

In addition to preventing preeclampsia, eclampsia, and HELLP syndrome, the Brewer Pregnancy Diet also prevents other health problems in the baby and helps mom to grow a healthy placenta and umbilical cord, which are crucial for a safe delivery.

If you are hoping to get pregnant, you can start following the daily recommendations now and improve your chances of becoming pregnant, although you will probably find that you cannot eat that much food. If you already are pregnant, you should immediately start following the nutritional guidelines in the Brewer Pregnancy Diet. It is never too late to start.