While I don’t usually take a lot of supplements myself (I believe we can pretty much get all we need from our food) this is one instance where I think some smart supplementation is helpful. For one, your adrenals are about to get whipped like never before so taking some good adrenal support would be a good idea in my opinion. This is what I’ve been taking but of course, your mileage may vary:
UltraLife Adrenal #1, an adrenal concentrate as well as an herbal blend.
Super Quercetin Vitamin C complex: Vitamin C has is a powerful anti-oxident, anti-inflammatory and helps balance cortisol levels. I prefer a good complex like this over straight Vitamin C which is only Ascorbic Acid.
Licorice root extract or tea: Helps extend the half-life of cortisol for situations when cortisol production is low. I recommend working with a practitioner when using an extract as you can potentially overdo it. It's also contraindicated for high blood pressure. Start with a licorice tea in the AM and see how you do.
B Vitamin complex: Be sure to find a good blend that has folate, not folic acid.
As baby's sleep starts to improve, hopefully in a couple of month, you can add in some Phosphorylated Serine at night. This will help get your own sleep back on track.
I’ve also taken some thyroid support from time to time as stressed adrenals often means suppressed thyroid function. For this I used Iodine and Selenium but again, this is one where I would consult a practitioner for if you feel you need it.
At night I take Vitamin D and Magnesium (and the occasional hit of Tequila but I think that’s more of a super food than a supplement).
I’ve also been taking some good digestive enzymes. There are lots of good quality digestive enzymes out there (and some not so good ones) but I’ve been pretty happy with the UltraLife brand and well as Bluebonnet Power-Zymes. Ginger tea is also a great thing to drink shortly after a meal. I like the idea of taking some digestive support because as your body shifts to your sympathetic nervous (stress response) system (and it will) things like digestion will be compromised.
Get Ready For Sugar Cravings
One thing I’ve known about for a while is the effect of sleep loss and sugar/carb cravings. When we sleep we produce a hormone called Prolactin. If we get enough sleep, Prolactin is used up and there isn’t a whole lot left during our waking hours. However, in a sleep deprived state, we will have Prolactin leftover the following day. Unfortunately, this triggers something in our brains called Neuropeptide Y. As it turns out, Neuropeptide Y triggers some serious carb cravings. You can read more about this in the book Lights Out. Again, as much as I was familiar with this mechanism, I wasn’t fully prepared to deal with it. After a week or so of extremely poor sleep I noticed I was absolutely destroying all manner of carbs and sugar. Even when I realized what was happening, I had a hard time controlling it. My recommendation would be to make sure your diet is really dialed in a couple of weeks prior to the little one’s due date. Add in super nutrient dense foods like bone broth, coconut oil, grass-fed beef and butter and organ meats. Have a high protein, high fat breakfast to help deal with cravings throughout the day. Any refined sugar or carbs are going to be your kryptonite. You need to squeeze out every last but of nutrition from your meals during this crazy time so don’t waste calories on nutrient devoid foods.
No matter how many times you hear about sleep deprivation prior to having a baby, there’s nothing that can fully prepare you for sleep deprivation once you have actually had said baby. If you’re one of those folks that are expecting a new addition sometime soon and you think you’re ready... you’re not. You can never be ready. There are moments, under the darkness of night, at say, 12:35 AM or 1:30 AM or 2:45 AM or 3:15AM or... you get the picture... you will seriously consider sleeping in your car... in the middle of winter (or outside... in the middle of winter). In fact the thought of an ice cold, yet quiet car, seems like an oasis if it means getting a few minutes of decent shut-eye. It’s times like this that it’s okay to be honest about your feelings. This whole baby raising thing is not always bunny rabbits and giggle fits. Sometimes it’s a whole lot of suck. In fact, at 3:50AM or 4:10AM or 4:12AM or 4:F&*&ing18AM!! (Ahem... sorry) you might even think it’s all pretty much a big ball of suck. But trust me, the sun does come up tomorrow... probably in a few minutes actually... and when it does, you’ll have an amazingly bright eyed, beautiful and perfect little person looking at you and all the frustration from the night before will melt away. Then he'll cry with the terror of ten-thousand thunderstorms... but, I promise, it will still be okay and it does actually get easier. Enjoy. Every. Second. Change “I have to” to “I get to.”As in: "I GET to wake up at 3AM and change my baby." "I GET to wake up at 4AM and help my wife feed my baby."
Tips to Help Mama: So this baby raising thing is hard. The hardest thing you’ve ever done but trust me on this... as hard as this is on you, it’s nothing compared to how hard it is on Mom. Sure, you’ve gone a few nights, or even weeks, without decent sleep. Well, consider that mom had a bowling ball attached to her gut for a few months before having to upload your bundle of joy into the world. How well could you sleep like that? The days and weeks after birthing your bundle of joy she feels like she was hit by a train. Do everything in your power to make sure she doesn’t feel the need to do shit around the house. And trust me, she will want to do shit around the house. The laundry and dishes will be piling up. I’m not saying you need to be the housekeeper... well, yes, actually you might need to be the house keeper for a while. If you’re extraordinarily lucky (like us) you’ve got some family and friends around you that will offer help. They will say things like, “if there’s anything you need, let me know.” That’s your cue to be extremely clear here. “YES! You NEED help!” Mama may not want to let people help but you both need all the support you can get, so get it while it’s offered! Especially from folks that have gone through this because they understand like no one else. Let them help. Hell, give them jobs! Let them do the dishes, laundry and vacuuming. Let your mother-in-law fold you underwear. Seriously, this is no time to worry about who will see the holes in your boxer-briefs. Whatever it takes, make sure Mom sleeps when baby sleeps. And get some damn sleep yourself. Whenever, where ever. Do whatever you can to relieve stress from Mom especially if she’s breastfeeding. Nothing disrupts the production of breast milk like stress. I’ll be writing a post soon on how YOU can help support Mama and her breast feeding endeavor.
