Cod liver oil in pregnancy?

[squishy]

I'm sure it's fine, but the box has such huge warnings on it - I'd like to take cod liver oil to help out with my carpal tunnel syndrome. Does anyone know of any reasons why I shouldn't?

TIA

well are you pregnant? bacause i thought you only use that to bring on labour x

according to Babycentre you should avoid cod liver oil in pregnancy:

There are two types of fish oil supplement -- those made from the liver of the fish and those made from the body of the fish. Supplements made from the liver of the fish, such as cod liver oil, contain the retinol form of vitamin A and need to be either avoided altogether or strictly limited in pregnancy so that your daily intake does not exceed 3,300 micrograms (mcg). On the other hand, fish oils not derived from fish livers contain lots of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is essential for your baby's developing eyes and brain.

I thought it was due to the fact that you are only allowed limited amount of fish...you need to limit the likes of salmon and tuna etc.

I wanted to take fish oils to help with pnd as suffering from dd's birth 15 months ago and now 20 weeks pregnant. But decided against it...

Speak to your consultant or gp.

I'm 22 weeks pregnant and taking mumomega, which is specifically designed for taking during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It has both omega 3 and 6 from fish oil and evening primrose, but does not contain any vitamin A.
One of the other ladies at my early antenatal class was taking it and asked about it, and the midwife was of the opinion that it is fine.
The only thing is, it's really quite expensive (I bought it from Boots).
The government advice on eating in pregnancy (website) says it's better to eat oily fish than take supplements; personally I'm still not able to stomach it at the moment, hence taking these as probably better than nothing.

There is the worry about heavy metals and toxic products building up in sea fish though.

VItamin A is best avoided (as a supplement) until 3 months... afterwards it's OK. Anything in large quantities is always bad though!

Squishy - there isn't an awful lot of evidence for cod liver oil helping with CTS and it can bring on labour so I'd avoid it. Have you been given wrist supports and/or seen and occupational therapist? - there are lots of 'management' strategies that will help you through pregnancy and beyond. Let me know if you want more info.

If you do want to take something you could look into taking linseed oil as and alternative.

ooh, I'm glad I asked now!

Yes, I'm 33 weeks so will avoid it now (maybe for 7 or so weeks).

I know cod isn't one of those fish to be avoided or limited, but hadn't thought about the liver, which is something I wouldn't normally eat of the fish!

I was recommended halibut oil (for joints and CTS) but couldn't find any so got cod liver instead (but of course, halibut oil wouldn't be liver).

There are fish oils in the pregnancy supplements I'm taking so perhaps I'll just assume all of that is adequate.

Liquidclocks, yes, I have those gorgeous splints and wear them at night, which seems to reduce pain during the day but it is easily brought on by the slightest of things (carried 2 empty plates earlier and set it off). Any info you do have for other strategies, I'd be really grateful.

I know - they'e SO sexy aren't they!

I'm an OT but also I've had CTS in both pregnancies and befire that following - ironically - in injury while making resting splints.

Assuming you've got pg-related CTS there's not much point in making long-term changes as hopefully you will find itgets much better after you've had the baby - though you may find it gets slightly worse just afterwards as your body retains more water for a few weeks.

In terms of when to wear the splints, don't wear them all the time as you'll weaken your joints but you can wera them a bit more often. CTS as I'm sure you've already been told happens because you out on water in pg which can put pressure on the nerve that feeds part of your hand - the pain will get worse if you inadvertently stress the joints and they get inflamed. To try and prevent this you can wear the splints while doing any activity that strains the joint - gardening, driving, lifting (though you should be cutting down on these things anyway at your stage of pg). But things you do you may not think of as hard can also be included - lifting a kettle/pan, hoovering, making a bed. Just remember to take them off when you've finished.

In terms of kit one hing I would recommend is 2 of those floppy plastic jar openers - (I got a sunflower shaped one from morrisons recently for 99p) one for home, one for your handbag. Use them for jars (obviously) but also whenever you need to switch something on/off that's stiff like a tap, or they're good for round door knobs. It might sound trivial but you do these things so often that if you make that one minor change it can make a real difference.

If the CTS is long term/doesn't go away the go to your GP and get referred to see an OT if you haven't already - there are loads of gadgets and little strategies they'll be able to help you withthat will ease the pain and just help you get on with life.

Also -it might be worth you getting/borrowing a baby sling for those first few weeks - an easy access one NOT the papoose style - just to save your hands/wrists. Newborns are light but you pick them up and carry them around a lot so its worthwile thinking about it.

wow, that's very thorough, thanks liquidclocks!

I've just had a mini tantrum trying to do some cleaning with DH - only wiping something but it send pins and needles throughout the hand....

I will wear the splints for that sort of thing in future (as well as getting DH to do more!), thanks

No probs, think I'm probably getting a rep for my mini essays

Best advice I can think of it even doing a bit of wiping is setting it off is don't do it - it's only 7 weeks so chill out and take it easy for the rest of your pg.

Also did forget to say in previous post, I've had a lot of people tell me that quite an effective way of 'resting' the wrists is when for example you're watching the tv, sit with your arms stretched out accross the top of the sofa (unless it's really high backed) as though you were goinf to hug 2 very big people. This keeps your wrists in a nice 'neutral' position without putting any pressure on the nerves.

Hope it sorts itself out when baby comes and you have a trouble free pg otherwise.

awww, thanks!! Will make my DH read this post!!!!