Cold Sores and Fever Blisters

Cold sores and fever blisters are much more likely when your immune system is down. :( "Cold sores" and "fever blisters" are caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus type 1. What should you do if you have a "cold sore" or "fever blister" while pregnant (or when your wife is pregnant)?

1.       Avoid spreading the virus

2. Be sure to avoid any oral-genital sex when you (or your spouse) have any sign of the breakouts,
3. when your baby is born practice careful handwashing,
4. avoid kissing the baby if you have any sign of a break out. You don't want it to spread.
1. Supplements/foods/treatments that help:
1. L-lysine, start with 500mg per day at the first symptom and increase the amount by doubling the dose until you are taking 5000mg per day.

                                                               i.      Put some L-lysine from the capsule directly on the sores.

                                                             ii.      Foods that contain natural lysine and can help decrease the severity of the outbreak include: eggs, sour cream, yogurt, chicken and fish.

2. Propolus, 3 capsules/3 times a day
3. Zinc, 25mg after each meal and gradually increasing. Limit is 5000mg per day. (Increase gradually because it can cause nausea)
4. Echinacea root and burdock root: place 1 tablespoon of each in a quart jar, fill jar with boiling water, cap, steep 8 hours, strain out herbs, store in fridge. Drink 1/4 cup 3 times a day for 10 days then stop. (Can be repeated 10 days on/10 days off.) There are reports that when repeated every 10 days for 6 months, outbreaks never return!!
5. Heat lamp for 5 minutes, several times a day can help them go away faster
2. Things that aggrivate cold sores should be avoided:
1. Stress!
2. Nuts, nut butters, seeds, chocolate :( and caffeine.

Holiday Feasting - A Cautionary Tale

During the final few weeks of pregnancy, the baby gains an average of a half pound per week.  When a woman eats a wholesome diet, including plenty of protein, vegetables, fruits and whole-grains, while limiting simple carbohydrates and sugars, her body will NOT grow a baby that is too big to give birth to!  

If the woman over-endulges, however, eating too much/too sweet/too rich/or too junky- foods, baby can (and will) gain much more than a half-pound per week!

This is my sweet, gigantic baby.  Almost 11 lbs!

During my third pregnancy, I ate a very good diet AND lots of dessert.  I felt confident I could push out a 10 pound baby.  I never imagined he would be almost 11 pounds, though!  While pushing, I felt pressure in the front by my bladder and in the back by my rectum - at the same time!  The realization that my baby had a huge head became very clear to me as it scraped down my pelvic outlet!  I finally got his head out and my midwife began dealing with a bad shoulder dystocia.  We got lucky - he began breathing without extensive resuscitative efforts.  After that birth, I was unable to get up from a sitting position without rolling to one side, a sign of a separated symphysis pubis.  It took a lot of binding and lots of time for it to heal.  I vowed to myself that if I ever had another baby I would NOT eat sugar!

Trust me on this one, it is not fun to push put a ginormous baby! Enduring the maneuvers to free a shoulder dystocia and anxiety of waiting while your baby is resuscitated is not fun! The 6-months to a year of sacro-illiac and symphi pain are not what you want. The trauma to your vagina and time healing, with nerve sensitivity, rectocele and/or cystocele are not the lasting reminders you want to remember your birth.  If you end up "needing" a c-section, due to cephalo-pelvic disproportion (CPD) (baby head too big to fit through pelvis) the painful recovery, scarring, adhesions, self-doubt and worry are not worth another helping of dessert!

Please! Save yourself and your baby time, pain and suffering! Do not over-endulge during the holidays, or any other time!  Eat smart!  Eat plenty of protein, vegetables and raw fruits.  Do not eat white flour and simple carbohydrates.  Avoid cookies, cake, pie, pastry, donuts, soda pop, ice cream or candy! 

This does not mean you cannot celebrate!  Please, do enjoy the holidays!  If you are at a holiday party, have an extra helping of turkey, deviled eggs or veggies and dip instead of sweets.

You can thank me later.

Blessings!

:) Deborah