**Biggeekgirl** and others....

I have a question....and I wanted to page Biggeekgirl....since you are a DSers and take loads if vitamins, like I do....

Are you breastfeeding?  Were there any concerns over the amounts of vitamins you take (especially dry D and A) and breastmilk?

Thanks to anyone who can asnswer my questions!!  Diana.

No one could tell me if vitamins would hurt the baby..... at least not at the levels I take them.  So I gave it a try... I wanted to breastfeed.

I breastfed for 4 weeks...(supplementing formula after bf-ing).   I LOVED it.... after I got the hang of it.  (it's harder than anyone told me!)

BUT.... my vitamin levels were in the toilet so I added back in my VIta4Life.  The first day I did so poor little Cooper screamed and arched his back after eating.....and cried and cried and cried. 

I was real worried.... I stopped my vitamins for a day and tried bf-ing again --- no problems.  Then I added back in the vitamins and the screaming started again. 

I did some other unscientific eliminating / adding for a week or two and recently decided I had to either give up bf-ing or give up vitamins.

As much as I'd like to give up vitamins I know I cannot for my health.  I need to be able to keep up with Cooper (and will be going back to work soon). 

It makes me sad to give up the bonding... although Cooper seems just as happy with a bottle and it makes taking him places much easier....   I'd rather be safe knowing formula won't hurt him than risk him getting some crazy overdose of a vitamin because it DOES go into breast milk and no one realized it.  If onions/garlic and dairy get into breast milk (some say within a half-hour of eating -)  why wouldn't some of our vits potentially get into breastmilk??

I'd like to know what other DSers who take boat-loads-of-vitamins do ! 

Cindy and Cooper (who is gaining weight as fast as I'm losing it!)

Cindy thanks for your reply!!  I was talking with my friend over the weekend she asked me about it, and it made me start thinking, and I am sure my drs will not be sure what to tell me. 

I think it is best for you and Cooper to have you taking vitamins!!  He is sooo sweet looking and he told me he didn't mean to pee on you yesterday, really....he loves his momma!!

How is the weight loss after baby coming?  How much did you gain? 

The drs are a little worried, I go back next week, since I have been so sick I have actually LOST 10 pounds...so they want to keep an eye on me.  Thank God I started to feel a little better this weekend and was HUNGRY and could eat...can you imagine!  LOL.  Although baby has decided that he/she doesn't like hamburger or steak....I can do seafood and chicken till the cows come home, just can't eat a cow or I REALLY pay for it. 

It was awful, DH made a great grilled steak with onions and mushrooms (you know we DSers love our steak) and it was SOOO good, had two helpings and he was thrilled I was enjoying it so much and actually eating....until midnight when baby decided to veto steak. 

Lesson learned....however I am hoping that the past 2 good days will continue if I promise him/her no more steak, LOL. 

Diana, the vitamins don't go from your gut directly into your breast milk, so it shouldn't matter how much you are taking. As long as your blood levels aren't excessive, your milk won't be toxic no matter how much A or D you take.

When it comes to breast feeding....logic says the vitamins (or onions, garlic, spicy food) won't get into your breast mil****il AFTER you digest it -- but, that doesn't explain mother after mother saying within a half-hour / hour after eating something spicy their baby gets fussy/sick from the breastmilk.

Digestion takes longer than a half hour....so somehow either something else is making the baby sick or there is some other mode of absorbtion going on.

I say try breastfeeding....if your baby seems to be doing well then go for it.  My gut (no pun intended) was telling me something wasn't right...  and it seemed linked to my vitamins. 

Weight gain....well I gained about 30 lbs.  I lost all but 10 in the first  2 weeks after having Cooper.  I sitll have about 7-8 to lose.  I am back in my pre-pregnancy pants.

I gained 25 lbs in the first 4-5 months then I lost about 10 and gained it again....bouncing back and forth for a while. 

In order to gain I had to eat and eat and eat and eat.  I was lucky that eating actually eased my morning sickness symptoms and I tolerated the carbs so much better than normal.  In the last 4 months or so I added in a digestive enzyme to help me gain weight.... I think it helped a bit.  (who knows?) 

How is the baby growing?  Are they doing ultrasounds to measure?   I had one every month and Cooper was usually pretty much on track! 

I'm sorry the steak made you sick -- even with your puke story you're making me crave steak! heh heh.

I am going to find something to eat now....

Cindy

WOW, I can't believe you have lost pretty much all of your baby weight, that is amazing!!

So far, baby is measuring right on target for age and due date...my regular OB is having me come back every 3 weeks to check my weight, he says he isn't too concerned since the baby is on track, but since I started at a normal weight (can you believe....a NORMAL WEIGHT! ha!) he doesn't want me to be losing too much more than I have. 

I "think" I may have put on a pound, lol...either that or I need a good poo, we know how that can get us right back down on the scale, lol. 

Thanks for your insight and getting back to me...I am so excited that we have each other to talk to...since everyone else local is a RyNer and don't eat, etc the same.

P.S.....keep the pictures of Cooper coming!!!

 Hi, 
I just saw my first couple BFP's the last few days.
I have already added extra folic acid....
What adjustments have you done for your initial vitamin regimen --as a pregnant D.S.'r.

I get 2 multivitamins a day
2 10000 IU's of Vitamin A
1 50000 IU's of Vitamin D
1200 mg of the Citracal with Vitamin D
Biotin per day
I do the protein shakes once per day
And eat plenty of protein.
I have the tender iron and magnesium Citrate, I was going to add those but my labs came out really nicely in June. Just did my 1 year. 

I need to make appointments...
I assume I call my surgeon first,
OB next...

Should I demand some specific tests or anything?

Can someone who has DS give me a synopsis of the first 8 wks of pregnancy. 

Anyways, I just pray this sticks. 
Thanks so much!!!!

Hi there and welcome to babyland!   Congrats on your BFP!!  Always exciting!!!

Looking at your vitamin schedule you seem to be pretty on top of things, and since you have added the extra folic acid, I would say you are pretty well set.

I hate to admit but I have slacked on some of my vitamins since getting pregnant, I have had HORRIBLE morning sickness that has lasted ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT....so taking pills was not fun.  I even had to take some perscription Zofan for the sickness....I can say (1 day shy of) 15 weeks it is STARTING to get better, LOL.  I have good and bad moments.

I hope for you to have no sickness!!

Also my diet has changed, probably mostly from being sick, but baby has made me crave different things.  Example, I used to stop at Wendy's for a burger several times a week...now I can NOT stand anything beef....I get sick.  I crave watermelon and salads (of course covered in full fat dressing, perferably Olive Garden dressing, LOL), salmon, shrimp and chicken.  I never used to eat a lot of chicken, I was more a beef eater.  But the drs will tell you, the 1st trimester can be easy or it can be a battle, mine has been a battle....so I ate whatever sounded good.

I have also upped my carbs, baby loves pasta!!  I still do the Dreamfields pasta though. 

What else...my OB was not familiar with DS, only with RnY (of course), so for my 1st appt I went ARMED with knowledge...copies of my labs (I keep a running spreadsheet so I can see trends, etc)....background info about the DS, what my insides now look like, etc.  They keep it right in the very front of my file so everyone can see it.  They sent me to a high risk OB which was fine with me b/c I am about extra monitoring than not enough.  You know?!

They sent me to a nut (dietatian) since they send all their RnY patients and I was pretty impressed she had done her homework and was at least familiar with the DS.  She had some good ideas for getting in extra protein for me. Since I got pregnant I have lost 10 pounds, which they are "moderatley ok" with but not thrilled since I was a "normal" weight to start with....can you believe that....a NORMAL WEIGHT...hahaha, never heard that before!!   But since I am starting to feel better and therefore able to eat more I think I will start gaining some weight before long. 

First thing, call your OB and make an appt.  Then call your surgeon and let him/her know you are pregnant.  Dr Peters was great about it, he said if anything comes up to call him and the OB can call him, etc.  He is willing to work with any of my drs if they have questions or issues. Keep up your normal lab work to make sure everything is going well.   

Then relax, starting reading all the crazy baby books and enjoy it!  Congrats again!!!