As a culture, we are being failed. It is recommended by most healthcare providers that we take a prenatal vitamin and an omega supplement while pregnant, but no one mentions anything about our gut health. A balanced gut microbiome is crucial for maternal health during pregnancy and postpartum. It aids in nutrient absorption and plays a role in metabolizing hormones. Supporting hormone regulation is imperative for a healthy pregnancy and postpartum recovery. And beyond the mother, she shares her microbiome with her baby when they pass through the birth canal. This inoculation influences the baby's immune system, development, metabolism, and overall health.
Rebalancing your gut while pregnant and breastfeeding. A topic that tends to be quite controversial but really important. There is a narrative that says how dangerous it is to cleanse while pregnant and breastfeeding but a whole side that no one talks about is how dangerous it is to have parasites, an overgrowth of bad bacteria, pathogens, and yeast in your body while growing and nourishing a baby.
Multiple times a day, I am asked by mamas if it is safe to rebalance their gut while pregnant or breastfeeding. This question is like asking, "Is it safe to adjust your sleep habits during pregnancy?" When it comes to pregnancy, you may consult many different sources for guidance, including books, online articles, and healthcare professionals. Everywhere you look you will find conflicting information. One resource may recommend a specific sleep position, while another suggests a different one and why the first one you learned about is wrong. Your healthcare provider might provide general guidelines and advice, but they may not have deep knowledge of sleep science. Ultimately, you have to be the one to make the decision for yourself. You are the one who knows your body best, and you are your best advocate.
Your gut health during pregnancy follows a similar principle. While some healthcare providers may be cautious about making recommendations regarding gut health during pregnancy, it's important to understand that gut health plays a significant role in your overall well-being and your baby’s health. Educating yourself about the benefits and potential risks of rebalancing your gut, either while pregnant or breastfeeding, and listening to your own intuition can help you make a decision that aligns with what is right for you.
I want to take a moment here to share my family's experience with gut imbalance and explain how we've rebalanced our gut bacteria during different phases of our life. I unknowingly passed an imbalance onto my second child during birth. He unnecessarily suffered with symptoms for his first 2.5 years of life. When we finally met with a naturopath who taught us that all of his symptoms were connected to a significant gut imbalance, I was pregnant with our third baby. Under my naturopath's recommendation and my midwives approval, I rebalanced during pregnancy, and into my postpartum and breastfeeding journey so that I wouldn’t pass an imbalance on the way I had to my second child. The supplements that my naturopath gave me are comparable to what you will find in my Women's and Children's Gut Rebalance Kits. Later in the episode we will dive deep into how each of these supplements work, their ingredients, and any potential negative side effects. By the end of the episode, you will have a clear understanding of whether rebalancing your gut is safe for you and your family, regardless of the life stage you are in.
As we move into this it is really important for you to know that everyone experiences gut imbalance at different times in their lives. Our gut bacteria fluctuates, much like our immune system and our hormones. What is not normal is treating each symptom of gut imbalance individually. Symptoms like skin rashes, restless sleep, headaches, constipation or diarrhea, yeast infections, brain fog, inability to focus, recurring UTI’s or mastitis, weight gain or weight loss, and mood swings are most often connected to an underlying gut imbalance. Yet culturally, we either brush these symptoms off or we treat each symptom individually instead of addressing the root cause, which is the imbalance in the gut bacteria.
It is not uncommon to experience symptoms like bloating, constipation, nausea and acid reflux during pregnancy. These symptoms indicate a gut imbalance. But because these symptoms are so common, the dots aren’t connected and you are either prescribed a prescription or you are left with “it will pass”. We are told this is just normal for pregnancy. This is just part of it. Just wait it out.
It is estimated that 70% of pregnant women in the United States experience a gut imbalance during pregnancy. Unfortunately most don’t even know it because as a culture we lack awareness and we depend on a system that is designed to treat, not heal. Take me for example. I had a beautiful pregnancy and natural childbirth with my second. I would have never known my gut was imbalanced. Knowing what I know now, it is better to assume you have an imbalance and rebalance than it is to risk passing on an imbalance. Ask any mother who has gone through this and she will say the same thing.
But why? Why do so many of us experience imbalances during pregnancy? There are several reasons but the truth is that most of us go into pregnancy with an imbalance. We are all exposed to toxins, heavy metals, pollutants and chemicals every single day. No matter how mindful we live. All of these negatively impact our good bacteria and in some cases even feed the bad bacteria, pathogens, yeast and parasites. Pair this with the fact that our environment is lacking the good bacteria that once lived in abundance and we find ourselves in a microbiome epidemic. Throw in pregnancy and there are several more contributors. . .
- Pregnancy is accompanied by natural yet significant hormonal shifts that affect the gut bacteria. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone influence the composition and diversity of your gut microbiome.
- Your immune system undergoes changes during pregnancy to support fetal development and prevent the rejection of your growing baby. These immune adaptations can influence the gut bacteria.
- Pregnancy often brings about changes in dietary habits and food cravings. Often the foods we crave are harmful to our good bacteria and promote the growth of bad bacteria.
- Pregnancy and postpartum can be accompanied by increased stress levels and disrupted sleep patterns. Both have been linked to alterations of the gut bacteria.
- This is a big one. Antibiotics are commonly prescribed during pregnancy and after childbirth. And while antibiotics are sometimes necessary, they kill both the harmful and the beneficial bacteria. When you take one round of antibiotics, your risk of postpartum depression goes up by 24%. If you take two rounds of antibiotics within a twelve-month period, your risk goes up by 54%. This doesn't even touch on how antibiotics impact your growing baby. Again, sometimes antibiotics are necessary, but the majority of the time, when the gut is balanced, antibiotics aren't even needed in the first place because the immune system is strong and overall the body is able to function optimally. If they are needed it is so important to hyper focus on healing the gut. But at best women are told to grab a probiotic at the grocery store. I hate to break it to you, but those probiotics are dead and won’t make a difference.
Again, beyond you, an imbalance directly impacts your baby. When your baby passes through your vaginal canal they acquire their first bacterial exposure. You pass your microbiome onto them. Babies born via Cesarean section acquire environmental bacteria.
Your gut bacteria also impacts your breast milk composition and contributes to the production of prebiotics that support the growth of beneficial bacteria in your baby's gut. Overall for both mother and baby, a healthy microbiome is so important. But if you unknowingly have an imbalance during pregnancy, you pass that imbalance on during birth. You struggle unnecessarily in your postpartum recovery and your baby develops symptoms like eczema, colic, sour smelling poop and as they grow older they experience developmental delays, are put on the spectrum or are prescribed medications for behavioral issues. How is it that we are not taught about this during pregnancy or even better, before we conceive in the first place?
Inflammation, autoimmune disease, and obesity all stem from the foundation of the human body being imbalanced. In the early 1900s, 1 in 100 women experienced depression in their lifetime. Today it is 1 in 4. 1 in 2 children have a chronic disease. Half of children! How can this be accepted and here we are being told that taking gentle measures to heal our body is “too dangerous”. This narrative needs to change and as the leaders of our own lives and our family’s, we have to be the ones to change it.
Studies have shown that children with autism have significantly fewer good bacteria strains in their gut than children who do not have autism. 1 in 36 children in the United States were diagnosed with autism in 2023. This is an increase of 312% since 2000. The rise in chronic disease and overall sickness—we are being failed. Why are we not being educated on the significance of our gut health and how it is at the core of human well-being? I am not sure, but we are governed by a sick care system and a profit-driven pharmaceutical industry that focuses on treating symptoms rather than addressing the underlying causes and actually healing the human body. This approach has led to a neglect of the crucial role that gut health plays in our overall health. This is not okay.
This is why I am so dedicated to sharing this awareness and educating mamas. You don’t have to settle. Your child doesn't have to be one of the statistics we just talked about.
There are two components to rebalancing: supplementing and lifestyle shifts. Let’s break down the supplements in the Women’s and Children’s Gut Rebalance Kits.
Cleanse is an alkaline structured silver that has been designed to eliminate harmful pathogens, bacteria, mold, yeast and parasites while preserving the beneficial microorganisms in your body. Unlike colloidal silver, which is acidic and hard on the gut, Cleanse is gentle and made for long-term use. Please listen to episode 72 to learn more about Cleanse and how there are zero negative side effects.
Nourish Probiotic is a spore-forming probiotic that goes dormant when encapsulated and activates in your gut when you take it. These probiotics are resilient and incredibly effective, unlike non-spore-forming probiotics that begin to die shortly after manufacturing. Nourish is designed for all ages and can be mixed with water, cleanse, or breastmilk for infants.
The Rebalance Kits come with free access to my course that teach you all about the lifestyle shifts that will help rebalance your gut.
Knowing what I know now, if I were to get pregnant again I would rebalance in my first trimester, maintain that balance throughout pregnancy and rebalance again in my third trimester into my postpartum period. This would ensure I would pass a balanced microbiome onto my baby and set myself up for the most beautiful postpartum experience.
My biggest hope is that you leave here feeling empowered. What matters most to me is that you now have a life changing awareness that has the power to pass on through generations. You are now educated and empowered to decide if rebalancing your gut is safe for you. You are the expert of your own body and the guardian of your family. Own this with pride.
