I got a great question yesterday that is worth sharing
with all of my readers:
"Sherry, is there any benefit to taking probiotics while
pregnant?"
The answer: Probiotics are one of the best supplement
choices for pregnant (or soon to be) women.
Here are just a few ways probiotics can help during
pregnancy:
1) Probiotics help your digestion
=======================
Pregnant women are notorious for having gas, abdominal
pain and especially heartburn.
Probiotics help break down proteins, carbohydrates and
fats and can help decrease gas, bloating and stomach pain.
Plus more efficient digestion helps foods move out of your
stomach quicker--that means less chance of acid rising up
in your throat and feeling like your chest is on fire.
Probiotics help your body absorb nutrients more
efficiently. This means a better nourished Mom, who will
have more energy during pregnancy.
Also, whatever Mom takes in, baby does too. So more
nourishment for Mom means more essential nutrients to help
her developing baby too.
3) Probiotics strengthen your immune system
==============================
80% of your immune system is in your gut, comprised of the
hard work of the beneficial bacteria that line your
intestines and fight off dangerous invaders you ingest.
For a pregnant woman, any illness that affects you affects
your baby too. So the stronger your immune system is and
the more illnesses you can fight off, the better it is for
your baby.
Plus resisting illnesses means less need for medications
(and their side effects) which can travel through the
placenta and be ingested by your baby too.
4) Probiotics help fight vaginal & urinary tract infections
=======================================
Pregnant women are more susceptible to these infections
because of hormone-related changes to their gut microflora.
For instance, yeast gets a boost from estrogen, so it
proliferates during pregnancy.
Yeast infections don't typically harm the baby--they're
just wildly uncomfortable for the mother.
However, bacterial vaginal infections can increase the
risk of premature birth.
And any kind of infection usually requires the use of
antibiotics--which can destroy the mother's supply of
beneficial bacteria and make her MORE prone to repeated
infections.
Probiotics can help the mother better fight off
infections, plus they help repopulate her supply of
beneficial bacteria after antibiotic treatment, which can
help combat future infections.
5) The birthing process exposes babies to microflora
=====================================
Babies born vaginally receive their first exposure to
microbes during delivery. The vaginal tract contains
microflora, which are ingested as the baby comes down the
birth canal.
So it's essential that the microbes the baby is first
exposed to are good, beneficial ones--probiotics.
A pregnant woman can help optimize the first microflora
that greet her baby during birth with probiotics.
If you're pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, Super
Shield probiotic formula can be a vital supplement to help
enhance your health and that of your unborn baby.
Super Shield contains 13 research-grade strains of
beneficial bacteria. No corners were cut when developing
Super Shield--we designed a product that contains a wide
variety of bacteria--each with its own "specialty"--that
would inherently help as many people as possible.
PPS: It's also important to eat nutritious foods and keep
acid low in your system while pregnant. The manuals in the
Great Taste No Pain eating system show you exactly what to
do and the recipes are FANTASTIC! Learn more about Great
Taste No Pain here at:
- http://www.greattastenopain.com/great.asp
**The FDA has not evaluated all of these statements. The
contents of this email are not to be considered medical
advice and are for educational purposes only. If you are
experiencing health challenges, always consult your doctor
for medical advice and follow it even if it contradicts the
contents of this email.**
