Ketosis during early pregnancy

**2big4mysize** · February 2, 2006, 09:21 AM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

sorry this sat so long. The issue is were you gettingthe vits the baby needed like folic acid for neural developement. Ketosis isn't dngerous for babies and actually they use ketones to create brain tissue. The problem with doing any weight loss program while preggo is your genes program your body to prefer you to the baby so you don't share cals with the developing baby like you would if you were not losing weight.

Move to the maintnenance phase of Atkins and you will not need to worry abut gestational diabetus and grow a healthy baby too. Check out DAWN's posts to see just how well this works.
there used to be a part of Atkins.com before the revamping of the site posted by an employee who was a dietician and did Atkins maintnenance during her preggo and delivered twins all were healthy and thriving,

**JandLsMom** · March 1, 2006, 04:10 PM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

i was also on Atkins induction when i found out i was pregnant. So my first 5 weeks of the pregnancy i was in ketosis. The baby was perfectly healthy so i assume it didn't harm him! He is now 20 mos old and doing well.

**JandLsMom** · March 29, 2006, 12:03 PM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

Originally posted by 2big4mysize

Ketosis isn't dngerous for babies and actually they use ketones to create brain tissue. The problem with doing any weight loss program while preggo is your genes program your body to prefer you to the baby so you don't share cals with the developing baby like you would if you were not losing weight.

The above is confusing! You say ketosis isnt dangerous for babies, do you mean US being in ketosis, or the baby being in ketosis? im not sure i understand you! And where did you get your information that your genes program your body to prefer YOU to the baby so you don't share cals with the baby? i have always read the OPPOSITE. Could you please share links to this information that you are speaking of? I still dont understand why being low carb would be a problem for the baby!

**joanstead** · March 30, 2006, 12:23 AM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

Yes, being in the induction phase during pregnancy can be very dangerous. No doctor knows for a fact because what pregnant woman do you know would actually be willing to be part of a research study and go into ketosis to see if it effects her baby's development??? I don't think any mom in her right mind would volunteer. So, the logic is this...you are in ketosis, your body eliminates the toxins through your blood, urine, sweat, tongue, etc. So, if you have a growing baby inside of you, then it is POSSIBLE that you could be sending ketones to the baby, which ketones are toxic.

I'm in ketosis, but I don't have a baby inside of me and it's not worth the risk to harm an unborn baby. You can still eat LOW CARB, but it is not recommended to do the induction phase--20 grams or less. You can still lose weight while pregnant. I have a friend who by the end of her pregnancy, had only gained 3 pounds. Obviously, she was overweight, so she didn't want to add on more weight by eating carelessly.

So, I hope this answers your questions about how it can be harmful to an unborn baby when the mother is in ketosis. It's not proven, but logically, that if the mother has ketones, then possible to pass them to baby.

Now that logic would seem to apply to breastfeeding mothers, right? The breastmilk should have ketones if the mother is in ketosis....well, I've been testing my breastmilk with ketosis test strips and there are just trace amounts, if any, in my breastmilk. So since I can test it and KNOW for a fact, then I feel safe.

However, if you are pregnant, you can't really go inside and test your baby. That's the difference.

**2big4mysize** · March 30, 2006, 06:53 PM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

actually ketones are very important for baby brain developement as the ketone molecule is the bluiding blocks for brain tissue so ketones are not toxic to babies.

Ketoacidocic is toxic to babies and moms but that is a different story.

**joanstead** · March 31, 2006, 08:33 AM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

I think I will have to disagree with you on part of that. Ketones are the waste product of using stored fat for energy. Ketones are the byproduct, therefore, they are a waste....toxins. Dr. Atkins explains the process in his book.

Ketoacidosis is something completely different from the ketosis process, yes, but ketones could be harmful to a baby if in excessive amounts, which if a person is on the induction phase, they will emit an excessive amount of ketones. It is assumed that when a person is in the induction phase, that they will have ABOVE normal ketones present, so that is why it could be harmful for the developing baby, which is why Dr. Atkins does not recommend any pregnant or nursing woman to go on Induction Phase.

**2big4mysize** · March 31, 2006, 11:35 AM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

I sugest you do a bit of bio chem studying as ketones are NOT a waste product in the human body.they are a waste product in just that cell at that momentbecause there was not enough oxygen present for the 2 carbon molecule of the fuel system to be burned to completion so the cell bundles those excess acytelCoAs ( which can also be from the carbohydrate fuel breakdown too) with some other biproductes of fatty acid oxidation into a molecule we call ketones for export out of that cell. Depending on what forn of ketones, acetone, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate. it is either used as fuel in other cells or expelled from the human body.ketones are the primary fuel of the human heart and just about all body parts other then red blood cells, parts of the retnia, and some areas of the brain can burn ketones as fuel too.
As I stated in the original post ketones are the building blocks for brain tissue. Ketone bodies are precursors for the essential substance (acetyl-CoA) required in the synthesis of lipid (myelin) in the neural cells.

So too the amopunt of excess "waste" ketones a person has will depend on how much they are eating and how much exercise they get along with how over weight they are.

Every human being on earth is in Dr Atkins defined ketosis ) the burning of fats for fuel) while they are sleeping as the food they had at dinners carbs have long been used up and the blood sugar drops causing the body to excrete a hormon to burn fats for fuel.

As Dr Atkins states in his book pregnant woman should not be in the weight loss phases of his plan but can eat maintnenance levels. Before ANA redid the Atkins.com website there was an article written by a dietician who was prego with twins which she delivered heathy talking about what she ate while prego as part of her Atkins program in the maintnenance phase which she had discussed with her doctors before she diod so.

the bottom line is out original poster didn't harm her kid from the ketones in the early days of the pregnancy. If she was deficient in a vit or mineral then she could have but since she hasn't come back to twell us anything her OBGYN told her about her baby.

**sesta** · November 18, 2006, 10:05 PM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

HI! I'm the OP checking back in here!

I had my baby in Sept. and she is as healthy as they get! No harm from being in ketosis in those early days. Baby is 9 weeks old and I am exclusively breastfeeding. I am constantly hungry and sadly craving the wrong foods. I want to BF as long as possible (hoping for a year) as it is best for baby but want to start Atkins as well as I have lots to lose weighwise.

Thanks for the previous feedback!

**Laurenfra** · November 18, 2006, 10:18 PM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

Hello and welcome back. Congrats on the new little girl! If you are always hungry and you are getting enough to eat I would try increasing you fats. Also are you getting enough water?

**Desertthorn** · November 18, 2006, 10:52 PM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

Sesta, congratuations on your little girl. I know if your pregnant you can do lifetime maintenance and I'll bet the same goes for breast feeding.

**2big4mysize** · November 19, 2006, 04:21 PM

Re: Ketosis during early pregnancy

welcome back congrats on your new baby girlks too.

did you know there are now studies out that show that by low carbing while preggo you can help your child with metabolic issues as an adult so you hve definitely helped your youngen there too.

Since the weight loss phases of Atkis would effect your brest milk production you will need to discuss that with your team but there is no reason you couldn't do the maintnenance phase now to help you control your cravings.

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