Hi, I've been reading your posts for almost a year now before I realized that I could actually post without becoming a member! First of all, your forums have helped me immensely! Even though I never posted, I feel like I know many of you well! You were like the only "friends" I felt I had that knew what I was going through and understood the whole candida problem! I have been on the program for 10 months now, with the diet and the products, and am currently on the SBX and Olive Leaf phase.
I recently found out that we are expecting our third child (big whoops!). My candida symptoms had been doing much better - only vaginal itching/discomfort off and on - until I found out I was pregnant. Now, my vaginal symptoms have gotten worse, my feet are burning almost constantly along with my hands at times, and I can actually scrape the yeast off of the tips of my nipples when I take a shower. (Sorry if that's too much information - I've had problems there since I stopped breastfeeding my two-year-old at 8 months.) I don't know what else to do! I cheated on the diet during Christmas because I thought I deserved a "break" (ha ha, I know), and it just doesn't seem to get any better, no matter what I do. I have been following a strict diet with no dairy, no sugar, no yeast, and no gluten, and have even cut down on my brown rice products to where I only eat it once a day. I have read in the forums that symptoms tend to get worse as the pregnancy progresses (I am only 5 weeks now), and I don't know what I'll do if this gets worse! Any advice, anyone? It would be much appreciated!

Also, I have found that I am unable to eat any fruit without having worsening itching and burning symptoms. Is this bad for my baby, and should I be doing something to compensate besides taking my prenatal vitamin, B vitamins, and vitamin C?

By the way, I know that Olive Leaf and SBX aren't necessarily recommended during pregnancy, but right now my gut feeling is that they are safe for me and my new baby.

Hello Bloom mommy and welcome to the forum (even though you've been on here for about a year! ).

As you well know, Tarilee posts on Tuesdays and Fridays, so she'll be on soon to offer her informative support...

First of all congratulations on your soon-to-be new baby! I know that the hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy can lead to candida overgrowth at times--that, in addition to some "fun" at the holidays probably has led to your flare (I'm in that club too btw, as are most of us! ). I'm not entirely sure of which antifungals are appropriate and which not for pregnancy. I remember reading that capryl is okay, but I'd wait for Tarilee on that one.

As for fruit--when I'm in a flare up I can't have the amount of sugar in fruit either. I really need to lessen my candida populations before I can handle it. I realize you are pregnant and eating for two so i don't want to use my own experiences as a guideline because they may not apply here...

Have you tried dermasoothe for your breasts or any other topical lotion that might take the edge off? You may want to look into that in the meanwhile so you can find some relief that way.

I'm sorry I'm not being more informative, but hopefully one of our forum mothers will pop in to give their own experiences with candida and pregnancy...In the mean time, I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy and hope you keep letting us know how you're doing!

Take good care,

Ashley

Hi Bloom,

What a lovely post. I didn't get this on Friday for some reason. I hope you found my welcoming post? I offered some caution around using herbs when you're pregnant. Let me know if you need me to pull up my post for you. If you go back to the section where you posted it, you'll find my reply.

Take good care and it's lovely to have your voice join in! Thanks for posting and letting us know you've been on the sidelines!

Take good care,

TLC

Thank you so much for your response! It is so appreciated! I cannot tell you how much better it makes me feel to know that there are people out there somewhere who know what I'm talking about! Nobody here in Iowa has even heard of a systemic yeast problem - sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy! I swear, we must be the most backwards state in the country, in terms of doctors being openminded and knowledgeable about anything unconventional! It's so frustrating!

Hello!

I'm new here too, & wondering, if you are better...
I'm currently single & not sure if I ever do wish kids, but it's a bit distressing to know Candida can flare up in that case again.. OoO Hope you managed to 'tame' it, & if so, would be curious to see, how? (In case it might come handy someday )

I was also thinking, maybe the stress from it all added to a flare-up of symptoms? (Apparently you were pregnant before, but the symptoms didn't flare up until you knew it...?) Maybe just something to think about...

I wonder if you tried the coconut fat or sheep lanoline on your breasts yet also?
I was recommended coconut fat for fungi on hands or anywhere else.. (& it really worked, I just put it on my hands once, lol!!) & I heard lanoline recommended online for tender nipples..
Personally, at the lack of coconut oil or whatever, for my hands, sometimes I just tried olive oil & that helped too.. & I found a strong psychological component in the 'outbreaks' too.. you might try EFT or TAT for that, or other things...

This may sound gross, but have you considered not using any shampoos or other products on your body? (or only when & where absolutely necessary) I got rid of an eczema-ish thingie on my scalp by not using shampoo again.
& I've heard a relative of mine got rid of athlete's foot & a scalp-something years ago that way too!

Good luck with your baby & everything!!

Welcome Layla,

Have you read our welcome information?
Whole Approach welcome post

Using only organic or ecological hair and body care products can help. We've always wanted to have a hair and body care line but at this point I recommend Druide in Canada and I don't know what products are great in the US. One day I'll do an article for the site here to inform folks about what cosmetic ingredients to avoid, especially for those with skin issues.

I don't believe in using products on my body that are not at least close to good enough to eat! I also do not want to flush anything down the drain that may be caustic or disruptive to ecosystems affected by what goes down our drains and toilets so products I use regularly like this must be 'clean and pure.' I keep in mind that of course when we shower with products, we breath them as well as absorbing them through our skin.

There are many products on this website that are soothing to skin issues. Do you have skin problems yourself?

Take good care,

Tarilee

Well, unfortunately for me, no my symptoms haven't gotten better - only worse. I'm almost 20 weeks now, about halfway through, and thoroughly frustrated. With myself mostly, because I think I would be alot better if I followed the diet like I should. I still haven't managed to climb back onto the wagon I was on before Christmas - too much temptation all the time, and I just get so tired of fighting it! Now I'm only taking SBX one capsule twice a day, along with a probiotic. I have also started to have symptoms in my eyes, with them burning and mattering at times, as well as a flareup in my sinuses and on my hands right now. However, my feet have gotten better since using Kolorex cream on them! I haven't tried any of the products for my vaginal area yet, either - I've just been squirting liquid probiotic in there, and it seems to help somewhat.

Hi Bloom Mommy, so glad I found you. I am 8 weeks pregnant with candida and realy worried. I am having a bad flare up. My sinuses are blocked my ear is blocked sore throat and I feel awful like I have the flu but I have felt like this since I became pregnant. I am trying the diet but it is so hard. I am also eally worried aout what effect this is having on the baby. Has anyone else out there has a healthy baby with candida. I would be so happy to hear from you.

Hi, Lisa H

My best advice? Try not to be too hard on yourself. Starting the diet program is one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I didn't have pregnancy to contend with at the time. For me, baby steps were key - I gradually started eliminating things that I knew I shouldn't be eating, slowly one by one. This helped me because it gave me time to adjust to the changes. (Before this, I had never really eaten vegetables besides canned green beans and corn!)

Also, it is a good idea to go slowly because you are pregnant, since rapid die-off of yeast releases toxins into your bloodstream that could reach your baby.

As far as the health of your baby and what effect candida has on it, all you can control is your own health. Taking care of yourself, I think, is the best thing you could do for your baby. Right now, you can't control whether you have candida or not, so my thought is this: Why worry about what you can't control anyways? Focus on what you can do, and you will be doing the best for your baby. Worrying yourself sick over what your having candida will do to your new baby will not make him/her healthier! I know it is hard, because mommy guilt is usually our first response as mommies!

If it is any help, I am convinced that I had candida long before I knew I did, and that I gave it to my kids, a 3-year-old boy and a 18-month-old girl. When my daughter was born, I had vaginal symptoms and then later I had symptoms in my nipples and breasts while she was breastfeeding. Either in utero or through breastfeeding, I know I gave it to my kids. I know it's not recommended, but I started my kids on the diet and on the Attogram/Lahoz regimen when they were 2 years/6 months old. I just adjusted the dosages of the products to much less than I took myself.

Today, I still try to keep them on what would be a Phase III-type version of the diet, at least what I can control. (They always manage to get contraband here and there from other places! ) But I feel that they are in most respects healthy, normal kids, despite the fact that they both started out with candida. It took my son longer to get his rash to calm down because I think he had the candida for a longer time before I did something about it, and he still tends to have more symptoms now than my daughter does. But even these consist of a transient rash on their cheeks and arms that comes and goes, and once in awhile he'll have mattery eyes that will get better if I put a couple drops of probiotic in them. My daughter has the rash sometimes on her face, and she has small spots of what I think is eczema scattered over her body that come and go. All in all, I can't complain! My only worry is if the candida will flare up again when they go to preschool and eat junk food every day!

I hope this helps. Don't mean to be long-winded, but I know how important support from others, who are going through the same things you are, is! I don't know what I would have done at the beginning of our journey if I didn't have the forum on this website! Dealing with your own health problems, starting yourself and your two kids on new diets and herbal supplement regimens, worrying about money and how you're going to pay for all that, and dealing with doubting and questioning family members was certainly overwhelming enough for me! My faith in God got me through the toughest times, also. I think that he directed me to this website in the first place!

WOW, BloomMommy, that is very helpful to hear!!

So glad your kids got better with the diet etc!!

Tarilee, thanks for the Welcome post - I am still researching the site & printed some stuff out today... This site is truly amazing!!

Soo agree on not putting on the hair or body anything that I wouldn't put in my mouth.. well, except the soap, I suppose...

I have very dry skin & had occasional fungi on hands & feet, but not now.. (The diet seems to be working, & my determination!)
As a kid, I got rashes from food with food additives/preservatives.. I was actually allergic, the doctors found it..

I just read today that Candida may have a psychological component too (linked to self-worth, feelings of rejection & such, & healing could be about emotional cleansing from parents &/or past lovers too.. which could actually make sense..) ...so it seems it's best to be as relaxed about it as possible, & focus on baby steps & such.. Maybe also one could do a bit of affirmations or some other relaxation, I'm not sure if pregnant women can use EFT, but I think TAT would be okay... (I'm not sure if it's okay to post websites) both are sort of energy/healing procedures that can be used for relaxation & psychological healing or such..
I am now wondering if they could help with Candida too.. hmm.. (cured my driving-phobia, dentist- & spider-phobia with that! lol Or maybe you could cure vegetable-phobia/aversion? or work on your motivation & such.. hmm..)

I do love veggies, but I tend to eat food that lacks variety too, so I must struggle for variety... especially this time of year.

Ate 2 big pretzels & a croissant yesterday (unexpected social occasion that popped up) & got hungry for some of the day, & today I had big undereye circles & was 'off' almost whole day.. OoO But tomorrow is another day... I think it's important to take each new day one at a time...

Learning to eat right will be a lifelong wonderful resource for both you & the baby (or babies) & even if it goes slowly or in baby steps, it seems a really wonderful thing to be doing... I admire both of you Moms-to-be!!

As for kids at school, it probably depends on the school & the cooks there what food is offered.. I would expect Moms to be able to lobby for better nutrition too, no?

Mommies certainly CAN lobby for better nutrition and REAL FOOD in schools!

Your self observation (especially with the help of a food diary) will serve as confirmation of what foods work best for you and you will get to know this well as time goes on. Learning new foods can be so exciting!

You're on your way to a much more pleasant state in your body AND mind.

Take care,

TLC