I received a wonderful comment on another blog post of mine, "Top 10 Foods to Prepare for Labor and Delivery." In that post I list Liver as one of my Labor and Delivery prep superfoods. The commenter brought up the concern that liver is an extremely rich source of Vitamin A, and excess Vitamin A in pregnancy is associated with birth defects. Her concern was that I may be giving out dangerous information in regards to suggesting liver consumption for labor preparation. I truly welcome these comments and concerns, as they offer an avenue for discussion, and this is a great topic of discussion.

I love liver. Yes, I literally do, and so do my children. My family is a subsistence meat eating family, meaning we hunt for our meat. Every fall we fill our freezer with some of the highest quality meat to be found, this includes the organs. My children will fight each other over the last sliver of heart fajitas (a fall delicacy at our home). You've also never seen two little girls more excited over the giblets in a bird. There is nothing more enjoyable than watching them "patiently" waiting for the fried liver and heart of little game birds and chickens. 

Not everyone loves liver as much as I do, for various reasons. But no one hates liver more than the modern medical system. There have been several myths over the decades, in regards to liver, that have been debunked. Like the "it filters toxins and therefore is toxic." Which we know is not the case. The liver is not a storage organ for toxins, it is a storage organ for vitamins...which is why it is one of my superfoods. 

In 1995 an article written in the New York Times stirred the prenatal nutrition pot. This article Study Links Excess Vitamin A to Birth Defects create a swirl of thought and discussion over the dietary intake of foods like in Vitamin A, like liver. The article stated;

Let's come back to this. First, before I continue, I think it is pertinent to explain what Vitamin A is, exactly.

Vitamin A comes in 2 dietary forms; Provitamin A Carotenoids (Beta-Carotene, Alpha-Carotene, Beta-Crypoxanthin) and Preformed Vitamin A Retinoids (Retinol, Retinal, and Retinoic Acid).

There are also synthetic versions of Vitamin A. These are created in the laboratory, and are often used in supplementation, and in research. The tend to be more water-soluble, and easier to regulate in trials, but also more toxic. 

Carotenoids in the diet are converted to Retinol (the more usable form of Vitamin A). The Liver stores Vitamin A in an alcohol based form called Retinyl Esters. (which is why it is such an nutritional powerhouse for dietary retinol - esters are converted to retinol in the small intestines). There is a negative feedback mechanism in place that "measures" the levels of retinol in the liver. When there are adequate levels of Vitamin A in the body, there is actually an inhibition of both absorption of of Carotenoids from the diet and a decrease in conversion to Retinol in the Liver.  The ratio varies from 4:1 to 55:1. Conversion is also limited in the presence of other nutritional deficiencies, such as zinc. 

Carotenoids are potent antioxidants. There are over 750 of them found in plants with only Beta-Carotene, Alpha-Carotene and Beta-Cryptoxanthin being able to convert to Vitamin A Retinol. Beta-Carotene is the one most commonly referenced. On their own, Carotenoids are potent antioxidants that help neutralize toxins in the body. In order to actually function, they must be converted to retinol. There main dietary function is the serve as a source of Retinol, as Retinol is the true Vitamin A.

When you hear "Vitamin A" what you should really be hearing is "Retinol." This is the usable form of Vitamin A in the body. It is ESSENTIAL for human health and development. It is converted into Retinal and Retinoic Acid dependant on the body's needs.  Retinol functions on a cellular level, controlling cellular development and growth. Retinol plays a very important part in the development of embryos. Retinal is used in eye health and development. Retinoic Acid is necessary for hormone function and genetic expression, as well as tooth and bone growth...all important functions for pregnancy, childbirth and fetal development.

So, this specific study that is mentioned in the New York Times was a survey study done at Boston University School of Medicine. Meaning the Dr. conducting the study interviewed 22,748. He did in depth interviewing into the supplements they were taking and the foods they were eating. 98.6% of the women interviewed were well under the toxic amount of Vitamin A. Those that were consuming higher amounts, received the majority of this Vitamin A in synthetic form from prenatal vitamins and fortified foods. When you read the actual article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, very little of the Vitamin A supplied was via natural foods. The majority was via supplementation.

This isn't the only study that has been done. In fact there have been several, dating back to 1967 in fact.  The finding were slightly varied, based on methods, but there are some key features in these articles that need to be addressed.

The link between dietary Vitamin A and birth defects is literally non-existent. In fact, you would need to consume in excess of 20,000iu per day of retinol (not beta-carotene) over the course of weeks/months in order to induce an overdose dietarily. (if you are eating that much liver, you like liver way more than I am giving the population credit for.) Not a single study links Beta-Carotene consumption to birth defects.

Because Liver is a rich source of Retinol (via esters), it has been the dietary black sheep for the prenatal diet since the first study linked high levels of Vitamin A (via synthetic). The amount of Vitamin A reserves found in Liver is not static and can range from 3,000iu per 3oz to 12,000iu per 3o, with some sources (depending on region and diet) can be upward of 25,000iu per ounce serving. This includes your Cod Liver Oil Fish Oil supplements. 

So, to reiterate:

• Check your prenatal, other supplements (life fish oils) and your consumption of synthetic, fortified vitamins in the diet. You are more likely to be exposed to overdoses that are linked to birth defects from those sources. Need a good prenatal, let me know. 
• Birth defects were seen after DAILY CONSUMPTION OVER WEEKS - MONTHS at high levels (exceeding 10,000 iu) of preformed Vitamin A, not ProVitamin A Carotenoids.
• Play it safe and limit Liver to 1x per month in the first trimester...if you just love Liver and need to eat it.

To answer the question and concern left on my previous post about the fear of Liver consumption, excess Vitamin A and the possibility that I was giving out dangerous information. The answer is that consuming Liver in the last couple of weeks of pregnancy WILL NOT cause birth defects in your baby. The research supports these concerns IF, and only IF, there is an excess consumption of preformed (either dietary Retinol esters, or synthetic) during preconception and the first trimester. 

Liver is fair game in the preparation for Childbirth.

In fact, the Retinoic Acid + Increasing levels of Estrogen at term are responsible for the stimulation and increase of Oxytocin receptors on the uterus.

First off, I want to thank you for following along on this series. I have been really excited for this one. I am sure there are parts that I missed, or questions that have arisen. Please feel free to email me, or comment below. I love discussion.

To top of this series, I want to simplify it a bit. I want to list my FAVORITE foods for preparing for labor and delivery. Some of these may seem different from what you've been told during pregnancy. That's okay, we are trying to deliver a baby at this point, and some of the nutritional needs change slightly. If you have a medical condition (such as diabetes) than some of these foods (like bananas) may not be an option. 

​Probiotics are the "good" bacteria in and on our bodies. We have a symbiotic relationship with them. More and more research is pointing to the benefits and necessity of a healthy microcolony.

As it applies to labor and delivery, probiotics are extremely important, influencing not only the health and labor outcome of the mother, but the health of the infant into adulthood.

1. Aid in the digestion of food and the conversion and absorption of certain vitamins
2. Prevent infections that can cause premature rupture of membranes and early labor
3. Balance Group B Strep
4. Set the foundation for infant immunity

It seems to me that there is so much emphasis put on the progression of labor, that we fail to address the many other aspects to the process. ​​

The Amniotic sac and the fluid it contains is as crucial to the initiation of labor as it is a home for the growing infant. 

All of the processes leading up to delivery are important. A hiccup with any one and normal natural labor and delivery is affected.

That being said though, .  If the door cannot open, the baby cannot pass. If the cervix cannot soften and efface, then no amount of contracting will delivery your baby. ​

​In the female reproductive system, there is a delicate play between Estrogen and Progesterone. The yin and the yang in TCM of the reproductive system; Estrogen is the yin cooling aspect, and Progesterone is the yang warming aspect.

Both Progesterone and Estrogen are steroid hormones. Meaning they are made from cholesterol...there it is again. If your body doesn't have enough cholesterol, you cannot make steroid hormones (this includes Vitamin D, which is technically a steroid hormone).

​Now that we know a little bit about the biology of natural labor, and the beginning of how the hormones play off of each and other and work in the body, let's dig a little deeper. 

I wanted to start off with oxytocin. Oxytocin is one of the key players in the birthing game. Without oxytocin, the uterus cannot contract, the cervix cannot efface or dilate, and natural birth does not occur.

When we think of labor and delivery, nutritionally, many of us think of the snacks (or lack of snacks allowed) during the 24-ish hours of actual labor. But, let me tell you a secret....the real nutritional works begins about 8 weeks BEFORE labor. This is when you are building up your nutritional stores that will fuel the natural birth processes. 
 
Most women are not aware of the role nutrients play  in the process of labor. I want to spend the next several articles discussing the important role that nutrition plays in processes of labor. 

I want to start, today, by talking about the natural biological processes of labor. By understanding HOW our body goes into labor and the natural biological changes that happen in the process, it will be easier to explain how nutrition plays a role in your natural birth goals.