The Safety of Rebalancing your Gut While Pregnant and Breastfeeding

Juniper shares her insights on the significance of a gut rebalance during the pregnancy and breastfeeding. Drawing from her own personal experiences, she emphasizes the importance of turning inward and trusting your instincts when it comes to your family's well-being.

Transcript

Welcome to Follow Your Gut, where women like you are empowered to take charge of your family's health and happiness. I'm your host, Juniper Bennett, formerly known as Sarah. I'm the founder and CEO of Only Organics, and as a mama to four, I have personally gone through the ups and downs of navigating, the sea of misinformation and the runaround from our medical system while caring for my family's health and well being. This podcast is dedicated to educating and empowering you on the significance of gut health and how it affects everything from your family's sleep to your mood and everything in between. By understanding the foundation of your wellness and the causes of common yet preventable symptoms, you can achieve a deeper level of health and happiness for your family. Join me as we explore the world of gut health and enhance our lives from the core of our well beings, all while honoring our powerful intuitions. I'm so happy you're here. Let's dive in to today's episode.

Welcome to Episode 61, the Safety of Rebalancing Your Gut While Pregnant and Breastfeeding. Societal conditioning has ingrained in us the habit of seeking external answers for everything from the way we get our children to sleep to the health and well-being of ourselves and our families. We have all been greatly influenced in this way. It takes immense courage to be a leader, to turn inward while blocking out external pressures, and to trust your maternal instincts at only organics. And on this podcast, I hope to be a different kind of resource for you. My purpose is not to dictate what you should do. Instead, I am here to empower you with information and knowledge regarding the core of your well-being and your gut health. Today's episode aligns perfectly with this objective. I am frequently asked by mothers is it safe to rebalance my gut while pregnant or breastfeeding? This question is like asking is it safe to nourish my body with specific foods during pregnancy? When it comes to pregnancy, you may consult various sources for guidance, including books, online articles, and healthcare professionals. However, you'll often encounter conflicting information. One resource may recommend avoiding certain foods entirely, while another suggests moderation. Your healthcare provider might provide general guidelines and general guidance, but they may not have depth knowledge of specific dietary approaches. 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.

Similarly, 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 wellbeing. 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 an informed decision that aligns with your unique needs and your life. In this episode, I will provide you with comprehensive information about gut imbalance. I'm going to share my family's experience with imbalance and explain how we've rebalanced our gut bacteria during different phases of our life during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and in infancy. I'm also going to share what my naturopath and midwife told me about supplementing to rebalance my gut while pregnant and breastfeeding. These supplements are comparable to what you will find in my woman's and children's gut rebalance kits. Finally, we will dive into how each of these supplements work, their ingredients, and any potential negative side effects. By the end of this 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.

So let's begin by discussing how common gut imbalance is. Everyone experiences gut imbalance at different times in their lives. Our gut bacteria fluctuates, much like our immune system and our hormones. This is a natural occurrence. However, what is not normal is treating each symptom of gut imbalance individually. Symptoms such as skin rashes, restless, sleep, headaches, migraines, constipation or diarrhea, yeast infections, brain fog, inability to focus, weight gain or weight loss and mood swings are often connected to an underlying gut imbalance. Yet culturally, we treat each of these symptoms individually by addressing the root cause, which is the imbalance in the gut bacteria. We can not only alleviate these symptoms, but we can actually heal our bodies. 1s It is not uncommon for pregnant women to experience digestive issues such as bloating constipation or acid reflux. These symptoms can indicate a gut imbalance, yet we are often brushed under the rug. 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.

I'd like to take a little bit of time here to touch on factors that influence this alarming percentage. There are six main contributors. First, hormonal changes. 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. These hormonal changes can lead to alterations in the gut environment, potentially favoring the growth of certain bad bacteria while suppressing the good bacteria. Second, immune system modulation. The immune system undergoes changes during pregnancy to support fetal development and prevent the rejection of the growing fetus. These immune adaptions can influence the gut bacteria. The immune system plays a crucial role in maintaining a balanced and diverse gut microbiome and any disruptions in the immune system directly impacts your microbial composition. Third, dietary changes. Pregnancy often brings about changes in dietary habits and food preferences. Hormonal fluctuations and nutrient requirements can lead to a great shift in your dietary patterns including increased consumption of certain foods and reduced intake of others. These dietary shifts can impact the gut bacteria. Since different types of bacteria thrive on specific nutrients, imbalances in nutrient intake can greatly affect the growth and diversity of the beneficial gut bacteria. Fourth, stress and sleep disturbances. Pregnancy and the postpartum period can be accompanied by increased stress levels and disrupted sleep patterns. Stress and inadequate sleep have been linked to alterations of the gut bacteria. These factors affect the gut brain axis, which involves bi directional communication between your gut and your brain, influencing the gut microbial composition and function. I know I'm kind of getting nitty gritty here. I want you to have a full concept of how pregnancy impacts your gut bacteria naturally. This isn't a bad thing. It is a natural occurrence. But we can support ourselves through this. We can proactively, support and nurture balance. The fifth contributor is antibiotic use. Antibiotics are often prescribed during pregnancy and after childbirth. And while antibiotics are sometimes necessary, they disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome by killing 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 to 54%. This doesn't even touch on those Antip. How the 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 functioning optimally. Also, there are many alternatives to infections, like the cleanse supplement found in my shop.

This information is not intended to be advice. I'm getting fired up here. Because in today's world, antibiotics are absolutely over prescribed. And not only are women and children suffering from their good bacteria being greatly impacted, but also our planet, the heavy use of antibiotics is devastating for our dear mama Earth. What can you do before antibiotics, before you even need antibiotics, before you have group B strep? Before whatever occurrence calls for antibiotics, UTIs, ear infections? What can you do? You can nurture the bacteria in your gut, you can balance your gut. And when your gut is balanced, your body functions optimally without the need for antibiotics or other prescription interventions.

Lastly, the last contributor to Imbalance, not just for women, but for your child, is how your baby is brought earthside. Whether child is born via vaginal, birth or Caesarean section influences the establishment of the infant's gut microbiome. Vaginally delivered babies acquire their initial gut microbiome from their mama when they pass through the birth canal. In contrast, infants born via Caesarean section have a different initial gut bacteria composition, resembling that of the skin and the hospital environment. However, your child is delivered impacts your baby's gut health, which has implications for your gut health as well as a culture. We are being failed. It is recommended by most healthcare providers that we take a prenatal vitamin and an omega supplement, 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 essential for a healthy pregnancy and postpartum recovery. The gut microbiome interacts closely with your immune system. In fact, 70% of your immune system resides in your gut. Again, during pregnancy. The mother's gut bacteria is transmitted to her baby th during birth, influencing the baby's immune system development, metabolism and overall health.

The gut bacteria also impacts your breast milk composition as it contributes to the production of prebiotics that support the growth of beneficial bacteria in your baby's gut. Additionally, a healthy gut microbiome supports postpartum recovery by aiding in nutrient absorption, hormone regulation, immune function and mental wellbeing. How? 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 19 hundreds. One in 100 women experience depression in their lifetime. One in 100. Today it is one in four. 1One in two children will have a chronic disease by the time they are 18. I'm going to repeat that half of our youth population will have a chronic disease by the time they are 18. Studies have shown that children with autism have significantly fewer good bacteria strains in their gut than children who do not have autism. In 2001, in every 150 children were diagnosed with autism. For some reason, there doesn't seem to be updated data, but in 2021, in 36 children were diagnosed 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 often 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. Because I am not a doctor, I cannot legally say, yes, rebalancing your gut is safe or not safe for you during pregnancy or breastfeeding. But what I can do is I can share my personal experience and empower you to make the decision that resonates with your intuition. You are the leader of you and your family's health.

Really quick. Are you wondering if you or your child have a gut imbalance take? My quick and easy quiz to find out in less than 60 seconds. Understanding your gut health is the first step in leading your family toward optimal health and happiness. Visit www. Dot only on L E organics.com Pages quiz, or simply click the link in the show notes to take the quiz now.

So when I was pregnant with my third child, my second child, we basically had lived in survival mode for the first two and a half years of his life. When he was two and a half, I was pregnant with our third child. And finally, after suffering for two and a half really long and hard years, we he visited over 17 healthcare professionals. And luckily, when he was two and a half, we landed at a naturopath who helped me understand all of his symptoms his colic, his reflux. Horrible head to toe eczema. His behavioral issues, his speech delays, all of it was connected to a significant imbalance in his gut bacteria. I had so many questions because we were doing everything right. I didn't take antibiotics while pregnant or postpartum. I had a really strong and healthy pregnancy and birth. He was a big, healthy, almost ten pound baby. I didn't have chemicals in our home. I used plant based, chemical free cleaners and laundry soap. I clothed my baby in organic clothing. I was extreme. I was so deeply committed to doing what I knew was right, yet it wasn't enough. Here my child was so unwell, so unwell that it consumed our world for two and a half years. And I was terrified. I knew that if I didn't learn how to heal my child, he was on the fast track to disease. I knew I was going to lose my child. 1s It when we learned how to heal his body. I had so many questions. Why? Why? What did I do wrong? Because that's what we do as mothers, right? We internalize it. And when life isn't great for our children, we take blame. What my Naturopath helped me understand is that mothers pass their bacteria on to their children during birth. I likely and unknowingly had an imbalance when I was pregnant with my son and I unknowingly passed it on to him during birth.

In a way, to prevent this from happening with my third child, my Naturopath recommended that I rebalance my gut alongside my second child's. It was a really beautiful and empowering experience that not only did my Naturopath recommend, but my midwife fully supported. So I was in my third trimester at this time. I rebalanced my gut with the supplements and the program. So that is equivalent to what you get in the Woman's Gut Rebalance kit. And when you purchase that kit, you get free enrollment in my course the Essentials of Gut Health, where you learn the lifestyle l factors that I practiced to heal my gut when I was pregnant with my third and that I used to heal our second child. And. I did it. My rebalance went into my postpartum, and it changed my life. It changed my child's life. I never had any reason to believe that my gut was anything other than balanced. I wasn't looking. I didn't know that our gut bacteria fluctuates. I had zero knowledge on the gut other than how important it is to eat real foods. We were doing that, but it wasn't enough. I contracted a gut imbalance. And what I've since realized is I actually probably have lived most of my life with a minor gut imbalance without knowing it. This is how the majority of people live. We get back. I wasn't looking. I didn't know that our gut bacteria fluctuates. I had zero knowledge on the gut other than how important it is to eat real foods. We were doing that, but it wasn't enough. I contracted a gut imbalance. And what I've since realized is I actually probably have lived most of my life with a minor gut imbalance without knowing it. This is how the majority of people live. We get by. We are fine. I passed that minor imbalance on to my child and his became a significant imbalance. I did not pass an imbalance on to my third child.

In fact, my third child is the most grounded person in our family. When all of us get sick. He does not get sick. He sleeps through everything. He was the absolute most content infant out of all four of my children. And I don't find coincidence in this. Me nurturing my gut health during pregnancy with him in my third trimester and into my postpartum period with breastfeeding changed what is possible for him. There are so many potential long term risks with having too much bad bacteria, yeast and parasites in the body. And for me, it was a no brainer to rebalance my gut. And like I said, it completely changed my family's life. This is why I'm here. This is why I have created only organics and this podcast, this is why I show up. Because my family went through an experience and it became my life purpose to change what is possible for others. It makes me sick knowing how many women and children experience very similar and completely avoidable situations as my family did. When a baby develops symptoms that all of us mamas are told are normal and we are brushed under the rug, we are told to wait them out, those symptoms are actually our children's bodies asking us for help. They are indications of a gut imbalance, severe acne, eczema colic, reflux, sour smelling poop mucus in the poop thrush, and restless sleep. When a baby develops these symptoms within the first three months of life, you can be pretty sure that you unknowingly passed an imbalance onto your child during birth. It is a beautiful invitation to heal you and your child right alongside each other, the way I did with my child.

Now I want to share with you how I healed my child's body and how I rebalanced my own gut when I was in my third trimester and into my postpartum breastfeeding journey so that I wouldn't pass that invisible imbalance that I didn't even know was there onto my third child. There are two components lifestyle shifts and supplements. The supplements that I was given by my Naturopath, again, are equivalent to what you will find in my woman's and children's gut rebalance kits. I want to take some time here to break the supplements down that make up these kits so that you are empowered to make the decision of whether to rebalance your gut or not. If. We're going to start with cleanse. Cleanse is a PH balanced, alkaline structured silver solution that has been silver has been used for thousands of years as a natural antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. Cleanse is what killed the bad bacteria and yeast in me and my son's gut. I like to picture cleanse like a cleaning spray that cleans off your kitchen counter. So there is lots of clean space, right? Like you clean your whole countertop and then there is so much space to fill that counter with beautiful flowers and nourishing foods. The table is the gut cleanse. Cleans out the bad bacteria, yeast and parasites and makes space for the good bacteria to come in and flourish. To reiterate what cleanse does, it naturally kills the bad bacteria, yeast, mold, parasites, and even some viruses in your body. You may have heard of a similar supplement called colloidal silver. Let me explain the difference really quickly because I get asked a lot. Is cleanse a colloidal silver? The answer is no. Silver is naturally an acidic base. And in most silver supplements, including colloidal silver minuscule silver, particles are suspended in purified water. 1s This is typically okay for short term use, but the acidity is hard on your gut. This is why I sourced an alkaline based silver because it is gentle on the gut and is wonderful for long term use. So the difference is it is an alkaline base versus the natural acidic base of silver. When I built Only, I had a very clear mission to source the absolute best quality supplements that are equivalent to what my Naturopath gave me that were only available at very select few Naturopathic offices. I haven't cut any corners or missed any parts because this is so important to me. When it comes to silver, there are many important parts to consider the particle size, the concentration and the base s. I made absolute certain to source the silver that is not only suspended in an alkaline water, but it has effective concentration and is manufactured in a way that makes the particle size so small that it will not metabolize or build up in your body. The ingredients in cleanse are silver and alkaline structured water. That's it. The only risk ever reported when it comes to using silver supplements is a condition called argeria. This is a condition where the skin permanently turns a gray or blue color. This is caused by consuming large amounts of improperly prepared silver solutions. The only reported cases of this happening are from people who were making their own silver solutions in their own home. The silver particle size in cleanse is so tiny, and they are bonded to the water molecules in such a way that they absolutely cannot accumulate in your organs or your skin cells.

Both my midwife and my naturopath assured me that I could literally drink a gallon a day and never turn blue. I have zero fear when it comes to using cleanse. Cleanse is the exact equivalent to what I got from my naturopath that my midwife gave full approval for that she actually sells in her office now. You when you use cleanse for earaches mastitis thrush here's the thing these symptoms don't really even come on when your gut is balanced. But when you experience those and you use cleanse, it is a beautiful circle of strengthening the core of your body and actually healing your body rather than mass that symptom. Because I have so intentionally and diligently source cleanse, I trust it with my whole heart. My family takes cleanse every single day we have in various different life stages and I have full trust. But I am here to educate you on what cleanse is and how it works in the body so that you can trust yourself. You can trust your own best judgment. Okay, now we're going to move on to nourish probiotic. Nourish is a spore forming probiotic. What this means is that at the time of encapsulation, the bacteria actually goes dormant. I like to think of spore forming probiotics like carrot seeds. You buy carrot seeds, they're dried, they're dormant inside that cute little seed bag. And then when you plant them in rich soil, you give them water, they germinate and they grow. The same is true for spore forming probiotics. When you consume them, they germinate and become more inside your body. These strains of probiotics tend to be more hearty and they're stronger, but they're kind of hard to come by.

Most probiotics on the market are nonspore forming where spore forming probiotics go dormant, germinate and become more in the gut. Nonspore forming probiotics begin to die shortly after manufacturing and by the time you get them and you take them, there are so few bacteria still alive that they aren't very effective. So if you are focused on rebalancing and maintaining balance in your gut, you really want to take a spore forming probiotic. Nourish is designed for infants to elderly to give it to children who cannot swallow capsules. You just open the capsule and mix the powder with water cleanse or breast milk for really small infants under the age of three months. You can dip your pinky in cleanse and then dips it in the nourish powder and put it in their mouth. 1s While rebalancing your gut so that they are healing with you. Both cleanse and nourish can be used in higher doses to rebalance the gut and in smaller doses to maintain gut balance. Before we wrap this episode up, I want to share one of the greatest testimonials we get about the Woman's Gut Rebalance kit. Many breastfeeding women who rebalance their gut with this kit send us photos of their baby's diapers full of parasites. The mama healing her own body heals a significant problem in her baby that she didn't even know was present. This is absolutely amazing.

Anyway, for the lifestyle shifts, this could be an entire episode of its own. And for the purpose of today's episode, I really want to focus on the safety of supplementing for rebalancing your gut while pregnant and breastfeeding. If you decide to rebalance, you or your child's gut. With my rebalance kits, like I mentioned a minute ago, you get free access to my course, the Essentials of Gut Health, where you will learn everything you need to. Know about the foods to eat and avoid while rebalancing your gut. And so much more about the subtle lifestyle shifts you can make to support your gut health and balance, not just during your rebalance, but long term. How can you establish and maintain balance for your life? 1To recap. I have given you all the information about gut imbalance, shared my family's experience with imbalance, the supplements we use to rebalance, and the suggestions my naturopath and midwife gave me while pregnant and breastfeeding. I have shared with you how each of these supplements work, the ingredients, and any negative side effects. So now you are empowered to answer the question of if it is safe or not for you to rebalance your gut while pregnant or breastfeeding. You are the expert of your own body and the guardian of your family's well being. By educating yourself and listening to your intuition, you have got this. Thank you so much for joining me. I will be back next week.

Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Follow Your Gut. As a reminder, the information shared on the show is not just for your children, but also for you. As a woman at Only Organics, I have created a line of the best quality gut balancing supplements and products that have transformed my family's health and happiness. Head to WW Onlyonics.com to start your journey to optimal gut health today. Lastly, I always want to be very transparent that I am not a medical professional and the information shared on this podcast is based on my personal experience and research. Please always listen to your own inner voice of wisdom and your healthcare professional. Join me again next week for more insights and inspiration on taking charge of your family's health and happiness. I'll see you the