Now that I’m in my ninth month, there are a couple of things I feel are important to be doing to prepare for birth. I ordered the birth kit last week, and was happy to have it arrive, so that’s one less thing I need to worry about getting taken care of. (Though when I opened it up, I felt it was a total waste of money and wanted to send it back. But I called and they don’t allow returns, even though I didn’t open up the packaging of anything. I should have asked what was included instead of assuming it was what I needed.)
Physically, there are a couple of things. One is to drink at least a cup every day of an herbal blend intended for pregnancy. I haven’t been drinking this since last week because I wasn’t sure about using the herbs in my Pesach dishes. It’s a blend of herbs that include red raspberry. I think in the past I’ve posted the recipe for the blend here. It’s a good blend for anyone, in pregnancy, during labor, and after birth – because it strengthens and tones the uterus. It’s an easy thing to do; I have it at night before I go to sleep. By this point, I really should be drinking a few cups a day, but I haven’t yet done that. It’s most important to me that I can use it as an infusion (very strongly brewed tea) during labor.
Though I’m due the beginning of May, I’ve been concerned about being early again. Since last time my water broke 3.5 weeks before my due date (and before that 2.5 weeks before), that would be the same as it happening tomorrow. I’m not really feeling like having a baby tomorrow. 🙂 I’m positive it wasn’t a coincidence that both of the last babies were early and I had the situation of PROM (prolonged rupture of membranes), and want to avoid that if I can. I asked my midwife what could have caused it, and she said it might be some kind of internal infection, though I have no signs of anything. Almost six months ago I asked another midwife (early in pregnancy, when I wasn’t yet seeing my midwife) who said it could have been GBS (Group B Strep), and a friend (who has a history of premature labor) yesterday emailed me saying it was probably GBS. But I kind of discounted that suggestion since I have no history of it and the only symptom that matches up is the PROM. My midwife didn’t bring it up as a concern and she knows the specifics of my situation.
In any case, I asked my midwife if she had any preventative suggestions, and she said that vitamin C strengthens the amniotic sac. Knowing vitamin C is good for fighting infections of all kinds, it made sense to me to take some. So I started taking a large dose of vitamin C daily in the form of medical grade powdered sodium ascorbate – 12,000 units a day. Yes, that’s a very large amount. If you take too much vitamin C, your body will let you know by getting rid of the excess in the form of diarrhea, so it’s not something you have to worry about overdosing on. I don’t enjoy taking this, but it seems my body needs whatever I’m taking in since I haven’t had any signs that I’m taking too much. I also started drinking kefir a few days ago. Kefir is cultured milk, high in probiotics, and very helpful in restoring digestive balance. Kefir can also clean out your digestive system when you start taking it, but so far, so good.
My main concern was that during Pesach, right when it’s most important to be doing these things (as far as my personal timeline goes), I wouldn’t be able to use them. Today my husband clarified for me that I could use the herbal tea blend as well as the vitamin C powder on Pesach, which was really a relief. I won’t be drinking the kefir after tomorrow, but that’s not a big deal to me. So now, I feel I’m doing my part and whenever it happens, it happens. (Though I hope it will be after April 18, since I rescheduled my monthly shopping trip for the 17th, and have lunch guests for the 18th. :))
Avivah
Bshaah Tova!! I hope you have an easy L & D!! And please G-d, a healthy baby! Good Yom Tov.
Love,
Rena
Thanks, Rena!
Please double-check that vitamin C dose with your
midwife, since high doses of C late in pregancy can
cause rebound scurvy in the newborn baby.
Not to nag or anything, I know you’re a CBE…
B’shaa tova, and Moadim l’Simcha!
Thanks for bringing this up, Jennifer – I feel very fortunate to have such educated readers of my blog! I’d never heard of rebound scurvy before. I did some online reading about it, but the research is regarding ascorbic acid, which isn’t the form I take – I’m wondering how different forms of vitamin C affects this? Also, it seems to be a concern if the mother is using it for a long period of time (I didn’t see a clear time frame for what’s considered a long time – throughout all of pregnancy was the impression I got), and suddenly stops supplementing. I’ve been taking it a very short time, and have already cut down my dosage since posting, since I was starting to show signs that my body didn’t need as much as I was taking anymore. I really appreciate you bringing this to my attention – there’s always more to learn!
Dear Avivah,
As I understand it, the main benefit to sodium ascorbate or calcium
ascorbate over ascorbic acid is that it doesn’t degrade tooth enamel or
irritate the stomach (because it’s not acidic). Any of these would raise
blood levels of vitamin C, so any of these would affect the fetus’s
uptake of C.
As far as length of time goes, I have had mild signs of C deficiency (increased
bruising, for instance) after taking supplements for one week and stopping
suddenly. I don’t know what would be required for a full-blown rebound scurvy
to occur; it probably depends somewhat on the individual. In any case, I would
recommend tapering off gradually. This will give your body (and the baby’s body) the
chance to adjust and stop “wasting” vitamin C.
One last thing about using bowel tolerance as a gauge of system overload:
remember that all that shmura matzah will be working in the other direction,
so it may mask the symptoms!
I hope you’re feeling well and enjoying your Chag,
Jennifer
Thanks for the quick response! This was very helpful.
I figured if there was any potential for risk,
you’d want to know. (I know I would…)
Be well!
J.
It is worth it to take a swab and check if you have GBS. I have a friend who was not tested and had GBS. She gave birth in a small low level care hospital and shortly after birth her baby was not breathing properly and had to be rushed to a bigger hospital that has a NICU. B”h now he is a healthy kid but it was a scary week. they claim the problem was GBS which could have been avoided by a shot during labour. It is possible to have it by one pregnancy and not the others. ( I had it in only one of my pregnancies)