The Virtual Birth Center--Pregnancy Sickness & Margie Profet

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Margie Profet and her pregnancy sickness theories.
From the book, Protecting Your Baby To Be now
called Pregnancy Sickness, by Margie Profet

article by Katie Heffelfinger

After searching for an informative alternative to the common advice of "eat small meals frequently-eat ginger-don't eat and drink at the same time-eat crackers in bed before rising-try sea bands-try B6-it is probably all in your head" I was exceptionally grateful to find Margie Profet.

Her original theories on morning sickness came to me as a true piece of genius. I am not the only person to think so, her theories won her a prestigious "genius" award from the MacAurthur Foundation, and like all geniuses, the scorn of the masses.

Why get nauseous? What purpose would it serve?

Profet's area of expertise is evolutionary biology. This branch of science concerns itself with why evolution (or creation, if you prefer) would have certain mechanisms in place in the human body. Profet's areas of interest
are theories for unexplainable or underexplained reactions of the human body to toxins in the environment. Profet sees pregnancy sickness as a way to protect the embryo from food-based toxins during the period where cells
are differentiating themselves from others for organs, fingers, toes, etc. Even a small amount of a toxin could cause major damage to a differentiating part of a fetus.

Profet separates the developing fetus into 2 periods, the period where cells differentiate themselves and the period of growth. This roughly correlates to the first trimester, but she also correctly dates the pregnancies FROM
CONCEPTION not from the last menstrual period. This changes the expected "season of morning sickness" from "the first trimester" to the 3rd to 14th week of embryonic life (or 5th to 16th week of pregnancy as measured by
that LMP date used ubiquitously by OBGYNS everywhere).

Most of the major organs are formed by the end of the 56th day (of fetal life-10th week of pregnancy)--however sex differentiation (12th week of fetal life), and other very major changes (cell differentiation) still can occur beyond this point. Depending on the rate of differentiation of cells of your fetus, morning sickness will probably continue until the point when the fetus can handle the possible onslaught of chemical toxins from the food you eat.

As a three time pregnant mom, this was always one of my big annoyances, because according to the hormone theory of nausea, placental growth and the hormone surges of early pregnancy should be complete by the time the placenta is well developed (8 weeks of pregnancy or so). Certainly by the 12th week of pregnancy the feelings of nausea should subside, why would I still be sensitive to foods and nauseous at week 16, or even 20? It is all about cell differentiation.

Who gets pregnancy sickness?

Profet documents nausea as a female human phenomenon, citing that since the time of Hippocrates, vomiting was a sign of pregnancy. She cites several indigenous peoples that have documented cases of aversions to foods and
nausea as a sign of pregnancy. This further removes the idea of morning sickness from being "all in one's head" to being a state commonly found in pregnant human females. It is not just limited to our species. Possibly all (especially herbivorous) mammals would have developed this ability, and aversions to foods are found in all species of pregnant females.

What is pregnancy sickness?

Profet equates the aversion to foods and smells as being similar to pregnancy sickness. By opening up the limits of "morning sickness" to include what you do not choose to eat, and what you avoid in your environment, you can see the sickness as acting in a more physiologically sound way.

All nausea is not created equal

What was TRULY good about this book was understanding the toxins which occur naturally in food, and why the pregnant female body reacts so strongly to them, especially during the period where fetal parts are differentiating
themselves. What has always bothered me about the "hormone" theory is that according to that theory all foods would be considered nauseating, equally. I could eat a cucumber, but only vomit the seeds. I have never vomited an
apple. Her theory explains this.

How to eat with respect to your pregnancy sickness

She delves very well into the land of common food toxins, and even has a diet for the first trimester woman. She cleverly remarks that the nutritional demands of the fetus are not the same at 8 weeks as they are at 38 weeks, and to make a blanket diet statement is to misunderstand the developing fetus, and the processes at work. This is the most brilliant bit of work, and sadly the most misunderstood.

In fact, after receiving the award for genius in her field the media had a field day, corrupting her theories to say that she was against pregnant women eating vegetables. Doctors who had initially supported her, withdrew support, and sadly, Margie Profet decided that biology was just not ready for controversial topics or her work. She no longer works in the field, and used her genius award to switch to a discipline more open to new ideas-astronomy.

The diet

I would love to see her diet as part of the SPUN or Brewer diet, for the first trimester.

The Brewer diet, also called the "No-Risk" diet is the following:

Every day of the week, you and your baby must have:
1. One quart (4 cups) of milk. Any kind will do: whole milk, low fat, skim, powdered, or buttermilk. If you do not like milk, you can substitute one cup of yogurt for each cup of milk.
2. Two eggs.
3. One or two servings of fish, shellfish, chicken or turkey, lean beef, veal, lamb, pork, liver or kidney.
Alternative combinations include:
* Rice with beans, cheese, sesame, milk
*Cornmeal with beans, cheese, tofu, milk.
* Beans with rice, bulgur, cornmeal, wheat noodles sesame seeds, milk.
*Peanuts with: sunflower seeds, milk.
*Whole wheat bread or noodles with: beans, cheese, peanut butter, milk, tofu.

For each serving of meat, you can substitute these quantities of cheese:

Brick 4 oz. Longhorn 3 oz. Camembert 6 oz. Muenster 4 oz.

Cheddar 3 oz. Monterey Jack 4 oz. Cottage 6 oz. Cottage 6 oz.

Swiss 3 oz.

4. One or two servings of fresh, green, leafy vegetables: mustard, beet, collard, dandelion or turnip greens, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, Swiss chard.
5. Five servings of whole grain breads, rolls, cereals or pancakes: wheatena, 100% bran flakes, granola, shredded wheat, wheat germ, oatmeal, buckwheat or whole wheat pancakes, corn bread, corn tortillas, corn or bran or whole wheat muffins, waffles, brown rice.
6. Two choices from: a whole potato (any style), large green pepper, grapefruit, lemon, lime, papaya, tomato (one piece of fruit, or one large glass of juice).
7. Three pats of butter.
Also include in your diet, in addition to the above (i.e., don't count one food in two categories):
1. A yellow- or orange-colored vegetable or fruit five times a week.
2. Liver once a week, if you like it.
3. Table salt: SALT YOUR FOOD TO TASTE
4. Water: Drink to thirst.
http://www.kalico.net/blueribbonbaby/ifyouarepregnant/index.shtml

The Margie Profet first trimester caveats would be:

From least to most potentially toxic, the foods are:
Foods at the top of the list have fewest toxins, and therefore will be tolerated best (by mom and embryo).

Fruit
fresh milk (unless lactose intolerant)
fresh eggs (again unless allergy)
yogurt

Processed or cooked grains (the outer hulls having the most toxins)

boiled or baked fresh meats (high heat cooking and char on meats creates toxins).

Non-bitter vegetables are the last category, peeled, in soups and without herbs.

Vegetables are the most potentially toxic, and have the most toxins. Cooking helps to destroy the toxins.

The flesh of fruits is least toxic, but the other parts, particularly seeds, leaves, stalks and roots, are most toxic. Plants want herbivores to eat their fruits, but not the parent plant. This explains why vegetables are so potentially toxic. They have chemicals to prevent herbivores from attacking them, this is shown by a bitter taste. Children have to be taught to override this natural aversion to bitter tastes, which exists in them to prevent poisoning. This is why herbs can create problems, they are poisonous for the most part, and flavorful in very small doses.

Organic foods have more toxins making them resistant to plagues and pests, so therefore should be avoided first trimester.

Mold, fungi (mushrooms), and bitter plant derivatives which are masked by sugar (cola, tea, chocolate) all contain toxins. Cheese is mold, and often less tolerated by pregnancy sick mothers. Humans can't taste the bitterness (toxicity) in things that have sugar in them. Nuts tend to have mold on them, but domestic varieties (bred to be non-bitter) are safe.

At every stage were food introduction is an issue, (embryonic, nursing, and introducing foods to babies) this order of foods is the most effective. This is only touched on in the book, but this is the best order to introduce foods to children and in breastmilk to newborns which will create the least amount of problems. (Of course ignoring animal products) For those of you who have ever prayed that the broccoli would pass more quickly through your system so that your very sad and angry baby could get some sleep, you know what I am talking about.

Well, does this theory have any flaws?

However, where Profet's theories get wiggly are where she strays from her areas of specialty, and the fact that there is little research outside of those areas in humans. Essentially, she just regurgitated the ideas of the mainstream in the areas where she had no expertise. Not that all mainstream ideas are bad, but I thought it showed little independent research into those areas.

I would not suggest this book as a "cure all" for solving the mysteries of birth defects, but as a solution to morning sickness which gives a bit of meaning and purpose to the nausea and vomiting, absolutely. When I could think of my morning sickness as something that was "helping" me nurture my baby, I could make friends with it. When I understood that my diet could subsist of more than saltine crackers, and that the freshness of the food or the toxins within it were the reasons for my taste or aversions to something, it all made just a little more sense. I felt affirmed, less crazy and as we all know, that makes it all easier.

~Katie Heffelfinger: doula, student midwife, EMT and pregnant mom

On a personal note from Katie: Why are you all into morning sickness?

In my family, on both sides, all women know that they are pregnant by sprints to the bathroom. Barely missing a period, morning sickness is an all-day every day type of occurrence to be endured until sometime in the middle of pregnancy, sometimes going right to the end in later pregnancies.

Incapacitated, I would throw up everything, water, crackers.Frustrated, I turned to research for evidence. Eat small meals, eat frequently, eat ginger. I still threw up. Occasionally, something would stay down, apples, maybe some yogurt. I still threw up. Sometimes, I would smell my husband and run away to vomit. The only comfortable position was horizontal, watching Game Shows, or serials.

Clinging, white knuckled to my couch as nauseous a frat boy early Sunday morning, I prayed that I wouldn't have to leave my safe little horizontal world for anything. Vitamin B6 shots or accupressure bands would bring me to being able to sit up, but sitting at my computer (typically my favorite thing to do) was impossible.

This was more than nausea, it was the constant, never-ending feeling that the world out side of my body was unreal, and all I could, would or should do was to lay there. Feeling like a failure, I decided I must secretly hate myself or the baby.or my mother, like the literature said. I still threw up.

Whenever I would consult a paper a journal, book, email, doctor, midwife-it was always the same story. "Hormones" were to blame. Since I think that is THE most condescending thing to say to someone. No one would ever say, "Oh
wow, Hey, that anaphylactic shock you are going into, look it is Ok. It is just HORMONES."

As soon as I was able, I started researching morning sickness, and found that basically we don't have a clue what causes it, or why it exists.

In fact we really don't even have a way to describe nausea. The first descriptive study of nausea, "Assessment of the Multiple Dimensions of Nausea: The Nausea Profile," was published in the June 1996 issue of the Journal of Psychomatic Research.

http://www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/nausea.html

The research shows that nausea means different things to different people, thus an accurate description is central to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease or condition. Researchers have discovered 17 descriptors that define -- in a specific and statistically significant way -- the feelings that come under the umbrella of nausea. Before this research, the condition of nausea had not been quantitatively analyzed. Although a scale assessing the nausea and vomiting of chemotherapy patients was introduced in 1992, until now there was no precise tool to evaluate the feeling of nausea.

Extensive testing and statistical studies resulted in a list of 17 descriptors to define nausea. Each of these was rated on a scale of 0 to 9. Based on these ratings, the descriptors were clustered into three groups: somatic or body distress; gastrointestinal distress and emotional distress.

Subjects reported somatic distress as feeling: fatigue, weak, hot, sweaty, lightheaded, shakiness. Gastrointestinal distress was reported as feeling: sick, stomach awareness or discomfort, a feeling as if he or she might vomit, ill, queasy. Emotional distress was reported as feeling: nervous, scared or afraid, worried, upset, panic, hopeless.

The article concludes by characterizing nausea as a "syndrome including complex reactions of different physiological and psychological systems to a change in autonomic activity as a result of some nausea-evoking stimulus."

So basically, no one has any idea what this "nausea" thing is. It isn't even described as the same feeling.however there is clearly, somatic, gastrointestinal and emotional stress as categories that nausea could be grouped under. I have heard some of the most condesending stuff about the mother-based causes of morning sickness, and I don't see how folks can say these things, when nausea has not even got a definition.

Every source lists different "treatments" but none is clear about the causes. Low blood sugar is often blamed too. While that might account for the somatic causes of nausea, and by working around them, vomiting may be avoided, the real question remains unanswered. Why would we humans have this mechanism in place by which a majority of pregnant females undergo a period of vomiting when clearly there should be more food available to assist the developing fetus-well Margie Profet cleared that up.

The point of view that I got from Margie Profet ended the self-loathing, and enabled me to see pregnancy sickness for what it is. a great service. Fewer miscarriages and birth defects are found in women with strong morning sickness, and for me, the nausea is worth it. If you are lucky enough not to get morning sickness, watch out for toxins, and try not to be too jealous of the rest of us while we sprint out to go visit the porcelain goddess.:)