Pregnancy metabolism

I think we are supposed to be slightly warmer than usual while pregnant but for those of us recovering the pregnancy is putting a LOT of additional stress on an already not robust system so I’m not surprised that expected warmth isn’t manifesting as it “should.”

I started my diet recovery right at the same time I got pregnant and now, 7 months later, I’m just beginning to see 98.6’s pop up on my thermometer (after eating, not first thing yet still).

The first 6 months was really a struggle to get the fluid intake balanced and high enough to keep me hydrated enough that I didn’t get the “drink more water” schpiel at every prenatal appointment without flooring my temperatures and energy levels. This last month I figured out my magic answer: I can drink all the whole milk I want without any drop in temperature or increased frequency of urination. It’s nothing short of miraculous to be 32 weeks pregnant and NOT have to pee all the time! I’m drinking about 1/2 to 3/4 a gallon a day with some herbal tea and juice as well.

I have had a hard time figuring out what to eat though, my food preferences have changed drastically with this pregnancy and I’m still trying to figure out what it is that I even WANT to eat with so many of my old staples so entirely unappealing. Some days I eat 6 meals (I call them my Hobbit days it’s fun eating elevensies :D ) and others it’s a struggle to figure out what to eat for three.

Something else that I’ve realized when I monitored my temps frequently throughout the day last week is that my routine housework was tanking my temps, I’d feel warmer in the hands and feet but my actual temp was down 1-2 degrees lower than before starting. Since then I’ve just been setting a timer to limit myself to 10-15 minutes at a time depending on strenuousness of the task I was going to do and It’s made a huge difference, since then is when I’ve been seeing my 98.6. And my three year old is loving the extra time I’m spending playing on the floor with him. :)

Hopefully you can glean a little something that might help you in my ramblings. Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and baby!

I had absolutely zero cravings with my first pregnancy while this time around my diet is being significantly impacted by new cravings and aversions to staple foods (such as I can’t eat fried or scrambled eggs any more, there went my default breakfast).

I think every pregnancy is different and I think you’re well within the range of normal. :)

Hi rachel, was just wondering how you’re feeling after another week. I wouldn’t expect your temps to be stable yet, your body is putting all its energy towards making a baby, not repairing itself. But I hope you are seeing at least some improvements!

My temps have improved and I’m pretty consistently at 98.1 during the day unless I’m either hungry or I’ve been too active in which case it drops. Symptomwise, I’ve seen huge changes over the last 8 months so I know there is hope. And on the plus side, I’ve got the pregnancy to blame for weight gain. No one one would dare telling this pregnant lady she needs to lose weight! :)

StephanieMichelle, you’re making me sweat just thinking about being in the heat all pregnancy. The only time I’ve worn a coat this winter is when the temperatures were below freezing, the rest of the time long sleeves have been enough and yesterday I was even out for a while in short sleeves in 38F and it felt nice. I think I would have melted being in late pregnancy during the summer.

My temp hit 98.8 this morning after breakfast and a over a quart of milk (prenatal appointment today and I’m SO tired of being told I’m “dehydrated”). I’ve really been seeing the biggest changes in my temps in the month and a half or so since I started drinking tons of milk. *happydance*

I’ve hidden the scale since it doesn’t tell my anything productive, but I have been glad to get the feedback of the thermometer as it has helped me discover a few things I needed to moderate more and seeing a temp of over 98.6 is a serious encouragement!

One more month of pregnancy and while my muscles haven’t gained strength enough to give me the stamina I could wish for, I do have energy and it feels great. I just have to sit down and play legos with my little man regularly, shucks. :)

Rachel, as for milk being expensive, is gatorade really less than milk in a cost per gallon comparison? I can’t stand the stuff so I have no idea what it costs, I just thought those kinds of drinks weren’t super cheap. I would certainly prefer to drink only organic, grassfed milk, but that IS expensive and I’m willing to compromise that preference to see these gains.

Okay, a powder I can see being cheaper, though that makes me wonder if it might work better for you if you diluted it less? But really, I’d still go for the milk personally.

I tried the salt and sugar blend twice when I had an episodes of cold hands and I didn’t notice much (if any) improvement either. What did work miraculously for me was a slice of toast liberally smeared with butter and honey and sprinkled with a little salt. Tasted great and my hands were toasty warm halfway through the slice. That was one of my first big breakthroughs with feeling the real effect that food has on me.

Another thing that I realize I haven’t mentioned in this thread is a few weeks ago my naturopath started me on some support for my thyroid after getting some not so pretty lab results back. My thyroid values had been borderline before but the pregnancy apparently pushed things too far and even by conventional doctor standards they weren’t working right. Within a few days the minor constipation I’ve had for years was COMPLETELY gone and now I’m seeing the temps up around 98.6 occasionally. It may just be that my healing had gotten to that point on its own but considering the lab results I’m inclined to think that the treatment has to get some of the credit.

I really hate to suggest something else for you to worry about, but if it hasn’t been looked at it could be interesting to get your thyroid levels checked.