Whatever fuel the mother has carries across the placenta to the baby... or do you have some medical documentation that ketones don't? I'm not trying to be rude, I've just never heard that one before.


I wonder why it seems so hard for you to consider you might have gotten faulty information from your own doctor?

While ketones can and do cross the placental barrier, the mother's body is also maintaining blood glucose at a minimum level as well; enough for the baby's needs. Refer back to my earlier link and quote and note that especially in the third trimerster that while the mother may be drawing from her fat stores for energy and producing ketones, this is specifically done so that the developing baby can have greater access to the available glucose; mom uses her fat stores for energy, baby gets the majority of the glucose. You do not need to eat carbohydrates to produce glucose! The body is quite good at converting dietary protein to glucose in the liver through a process called gluconeogenesis. This is how low carbers maintain a stable blood glucose while low carbing. Carbohydrates from food are first converted to glucose before they enter the blood stream. You do not get carbs from ketones but rather they are the byproduct of burning fat for energy. The 'nutrition' that the baby gets via the umbilical cord consists of fatty acids, amino acids and glucose along with vitamins and minerals, the latter of which should be guaranteed with a good perinatal vitamin.
I would also like to state that I am in no way encouraging anyone to follow induction during pregnancy, but on the flip side there is no reason to be freaked out at the idea of consuming betweeen 40 and 60 grams of carb, maintenance levels for the average person, with increased calories for pregnancy needs nor do I see any particular reason to go to great lengths to avoid ketosis since it is perfectly normal and expected to spend at the very least part of the pregnancy using fat for maternal energy needs and producing ketones as a result.

Lisa- thanks for the explanation. I was a bit lost about the supply of nutrients somehow getting cut off.

I had a friend who decided to not follow any of the other guidelines. She painted, put up drywall, ate tuna and soft cheese and had an occasional glass of wine with dinner. I was horrified!

boy you, have the market corned on being the ONLY informed and risk free parent

I guess what really bothers me is your tone

Ketones cause brain damage and the "informantion is out there if you chose to accept it" -thus sayith Dirtywater

Putting information out there for the good of mankind is great but your tone is judgmental

And if you figured out that not everything a doctor says is the gospel truth-then that is a great day for you.

For your information- My living during my first daughter's gestation would not have "horrified" your delicate sensibilities-I did EVERYTHING by the book and my first IS autistic, any you are right it could happen to anyone, and trust me you dont want to go there with me.

Seems to me there are a great deal of people on this board who appear to have read ALOT more about this than you have, and no not just your garden variety fitpregnancy crap.

The decisions we have made are well informed-thanks for your info-I would have welcomed it (then discarded it) with a differet attitude.

Doctors dont know everything: I had to INFORM my pediatrican that my dd is autistic in face of his nay saying and telling me she would grow out of it.(and refusing to give me a referal)

Guess what? I was right and HE was wrong. I still find myself EDUCATING "professionals" who deal with my daughter

the information is out there should you choose to accept it.

Pinkquinn, for the most part, doctors are practicing CYA medicine (cover your A$$) and they pretty much have to in order to survive in this lawsuit happy society that we live in. They simply can't deviate from accepted protocol or they are putting their fannies out there to be shot at. Heck...I'm surprised that an OB/GYN hasn't been sued yet because the baby didn't have the right color eyes.
That said, doctors don't know everything. If I had listened to my doctor, I would have remained too frightened to try a low carb program to control my diabetes and remained on the ADA protocol and probably been on insulin by now; all the time having my doctor advise me that this was normal and to be expected as part of the natural progression of my disease. A diabetic in ketosis on purpose? Are you insane??? You'll DIE! Your kidneys will fall out! Your heart will explode! Your brain will be damaged!
Yup...even my own MD didn't understand the difference between diabetic ketoacidosis and benign dietary ketosis. Funny how none of those things has happened yet and it's been 6 years.
How many 'medical' websites are out there, even today in the face of hard evidence to the contrary, that still insist that a low carb way of eating is dangerous and to be avoided and that ketosis will kill you even for non-pregnant people?

Pinkquin,

I am sorry that you have had this experience with the medical community and I am truly sorry that you and your daughter are dealing with a diagnosis of autism. I realize that they still do not understand what causes that disease, which must be so frustrating. I fear it for my own baby, knowing that it is something like 1 out of every 106 children is diagnosed. I wish you the best.

I actually do trust my OBgyn and her nurses. They are very cautious, maybe it is from fear of lawsuits, but that is OK with me. She is very up to date with the latest research and i have had numerous experiences where I will be recommended a test by them, have my friends tell me that it is ridiculous, only to have them note to me in a subsequent pregancy that they were recommended to do the same.

I became a patient of this practice when we were renting in an affluent suburb and then commuted an hour to continue as a patient of theirs after we moved to a more affordable area in order to be able to buy a home. I could give you some examples here but I'm not sure what that will prove.

The nurses in this practice are low carbers and spoke in length with me about its benefits. They ended the conversation with a stern warning about following the low carb lifestyle while pregnant. I'm not ashamed of trusting my OBgyn as I have reason to believe that she is one of the best out there.

Drs. are like all people/professionals. There are good ones and there are bad ones.

Best of luck to you and your family.

I find it interesting that we argue and yet we also agree. I think this conversation is healthy and an important one.

http://search.marchofdimes.com/cgi-...word=ketones%20

"The doctor may suggest a home urine test to measure levels of ketones, weak acids produced when the pregnant woman is not consuming enough calories and her body burns fat instead of blood sugar for energy. Moderate to large amounts of ketones in the urine can also be a sign of poorly controlled diabetes and of ketoacidosis, a complication that, unless promptly treated, can lead to death of the fetus."

After reading this, I wondered if it is possible that the reason why the OBgyns are against having ketones appear on urine strips due to ketosis is that it masks their ability to screen for the dangerous ketoacidosis.

At this point, I feel strongly that there is research that indicates that ketosis during pregnancy is both dangerous and benign. This is confusing but I still feel strongly that ketosis should be avoided during pregnancy. I simply don't see why it would be necessary or desireable to be in ketosis while you are pregnant.

Excert from interview on Larry King Live...

"KING: Are some under risk switching to low carb?

ATKINS: Very few people. I would say it shouldn't happen to a pregnant woman or a woman who is feeding her infants. It shouldn't happen to a person who already has kidney disease. But a few statements like that which we make, but basically other than that, very, very few people get in trouble from carbohydrate restriction. "

"KING: OK. Aurora, Illinois, hello. CALLER: Hello. Hi.

I have just had a baby two and a half months ago and wondered why it wasn't safe for me to do the Atkins diet.

ATKINS: Well, it is safe for you to do the maintenance level of the diet. But you don't want to give the keytones to an infant if you're feeding them breast milk.

KING: And she would be getting the keytones from what?

ATKINS: From being on a strict version of the diet. But you wouldn't be getting them if you're just on a low carbohydrate maintenance level. "

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRI.../25/lkl.00.html

Can I point out that Dr. Atkins was a cardiologist, not an OB/GYN, and also his own testimony earlier was that none of his pregnant patients had ever experienced problems.
However, odds are that at some point one of them would have a baby with an abnormality and, of course, blame the diet whether it was actually to blame or not. Knowing that he would have no defense (I can guarantee you that there are no studies out there designed to show the safety of a ketotic pregnancy based on adequate calories, restricted carbs and if millenia of history of pregnant women isn't enough proof for you, I can guarantee it wouldn't be proof enough for a court), I'm not surprised that Dr. Atkins would give the recommendation that he does.
I can honestly tell you that were I to become pregnant today, I would have no fears about staying at the 30 grams of carb per day that my plan calls for.



There is no 'masking' ketoacidosis, believe me. If ketones are present and blood sugar is also high (BOTH must be present for this condition to occur), then there is a definite problem. When a patient is expereriencing ketoacidosis, there is no doubt whatsoever that they are very ill and they would be presenting in the emergency department, not their doctor's office. However, this scenario is unlikely to occur in someone who is low carbing because blood sugars should normalize on such a plan.
Many medical professionals have it so drilled into them that ketones = bad that they confuse ketoacidosis with benign dietary ketosis. Many don't even realize that there is a difference. We have seen posting after posting in the War Zone quoting supposed professionals stating unequivocally that ketosis is dangerous. Period. Most of us know that isn't true.
I'm showing ketones all the time when I go in for a check. My doctor doesn't get excited anymore because he knows my blood sugar is controlled and therefore it's just a result of my diet and not an indication of a serious problem.



2 words: Gestational Diabetes.

If you will not believe the words of Dr. Atkins, the founder of the low carb lifestyle, then you will never consider any research contrary to that which supports your own view. This is where I exit stage right.

You don't have to be in ketosis in order to avoid gestational diabetes.

Good luck to all!

I'm sure you could find a much more receptive audience on a non-low carb board. People who haven't lived low-carb and had successful lives, INCLUDING pregnancy, on limited carbs might be more willing to question the advice of their OWN doctors based on the recommendation of yours.

Well, you couldn't be more wrong, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions, even doctors who fail to keep up with the times.

My doctor PUT me on a low carb diet because I had Gestational Diabetes. I lost six pounds the last 3 months of my pregnancy, even eating all day long. I did as she instructed and added small amounts high fiber dried beans, a minimal amount of brown rice, and low carb high fiber bread to my diet. My child was born 7 lbs, 6 oz and 22 inches long. He turned 4 last week. He has never been sick, except for the common cold maybe once a year. He's smart, can say his alphabet forward AND backward, has learned half of the greek alphabet, knows all his colors, his shapes, can count, is learning to write rather quickly. And for wome reason, (not claiming it's related) doesn't really like sweets all that much. Weird, huh?

When I got pregnant this time around, she wanted me to start on a modified low carb diet immediately (meaning add in a minimal amount of carbs from the same grains mentioned before, and maybe a minimal amount of fruit). I had already fallen off the wagon, and was eating everything in sight, definately not the low carb she requested. unfortunatly, we lost that baby a few weeks ago, not because of anything in particular, it just didn't start out right. I started back on my diet a week ago, and intend to stick out. In 3 months when we try again, I fully intend to go at my next pregnancy low carb, with my doctor's blessing (and instruction!!)

There is nothing that will ever convince me that Atkins/low carb is bad for humans whether they're pregnant or not!

Jo

dansonya

so sorry to hear your news

dirtywater

I went to a ped in a VERY affluent part of California where the snobs snub the snobs-and that did not make a SHRED of difference

You probably should go to a different board if you want supporters. In my opinion reading about indiginous peoples, the history of diets and our ancestors is proof enough for me.

And atkins did NOT start the lc movement