Lets begin with a few of the health benefits that come from Plexus products, which are beneficial to both mom and baby.

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1 There are so many great mothers out there who want to go the extra mile to make sure their babies have the best of health, both during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is important for parents to do their research, since there are so many options out there and everyone has a different opinion on what you should do for your kids. This article will try to combine lots of the Q & A we ve received on the subject of Pregnancy & Breastfeeding while on Plexus into one article for all the mamas out there. Lets begin with a few of the health benefits that come from Plexus products, which are beneficial to both mom and baby. First off the most important of these is improved gut health and less fungus/candida in the body. This is going to vital for both mother and baby. Let s talk about baby first. As the baby passes through the birth canal during delivery, they pick up your bacteria, whether good or bad. If you are struggling with a yeast/fungus/candida overgrowth at the time of birth, then you pass that onto your baby from the first moment. Who hasn t had a round of antibiotics in their lifetime, killing off all the good and bad candida, leaving our guts prone to candida overgrowth? We as a western culture don t help the situation with our diets filled with simple carbohydrates and sugars either. There is much to be said on this topic, enough to fill a book. The documentary Micro Birth is a great resource on this topic to help women gain a better understanding of how long-lasting the effects of passing on yeast/fungus/

2 candida to your baby at birth can be. Now on to mama, did you know a woman is much more likely to have a yeast/fungus/candida overgrowth once she becomes pregnant? Many of us can testify to this; some ladies get the first yeast infection of their life once they became pregnant. This is due to hormonal shifts happening in the body, that make it easier for yeast to thrive. Even something like heartburn, which is also much more likely to happen to a woman when she's pregnant is a direct result and symptom of fungus overgrowth. Check out all the other articles on fungus overgrowth and stages of candida for more info on this. You'll find many in the files section of this FB group. Heartburn does not mean that you have too much acid in your stomach; it means that yeast/fungus/candida has weakened the esophageal sphincter which is the flap or valve that is supposed to keep the acids in your stomach. This is why you see babies with reflux struggle so much with conventional ways of fixing it. Unless you get to the root of the problem it will continue to be an issue. Let's not forget that at least 80% of our immune system is in the gut. If you have not yet read why Probio5 is such an effective probiotic at killing off candida, then take a moment to read through the article on that. There are so many things that could be said on gut health for both mama and baby that we will save for another article sometime. Secondly, lets discuss the need for balanced hormones. Ask any husband, he knows it's true! Did you know that the number one way to balance your hormones is to first balance your blood sugar levels, which helps the endocrine system balance out our insulin? Having balanced hormones will give us much more bearable and healthy pregnancies and breastfeeding. It will also increase fertility (read the testimonies of ladies who tried for over 5+ years to get pregnant before Plexus came along), help prevent miscarriages, and help prevent postpartum depression. Balanced hormones (along with lower insulin and better insulin sensitivity) also really impact milk supply. If you happen to be one those mamas that tried everything to increase milk production while breastfeeding your baby, and just couldn't seem to get your milk supply up, then there is a good chance you were experiencing a hormone imbalance that was very specifically tied to insulin resistance. Studies show that insufficient milk supply is strongly linked to insulin resistance. There are even medical doctors who have considered using diabetic drugs (blood sugar control) to help mothers increase milk supply. It is crucial to bring down your blood sugar levels daily, and get your hormones balanced again. Plexus slim was designed to balance blood sugars, thus we are seeing amazing results with moms who take it while pregnant and breastfeeding. Many mothers have reported better milk supply while on Plexus then they ever thought was possible. (It is important to ask your midwife or care provider before starting any new supplement while pregnant or nursing.) Thirdly let s address having less toxicity for mom and baby. Babies are born with many of our toxins/ chemicals circulating in their blood; in fact, testing newborns cord blood shows staggering amounts of chemicals already present, that we mothers have unwillingly passed on. There are 4 ways our bodies get rid of toxins. #1. Defecation, #2. Urination, #3. Perspiration, and #4. Respiration. In plain English, the number one way our body gets rid of toxins is through regular bowel movements, next through urinating, then through the skin/sweating, and lastly through our breath. If you are constipated, then you just eliminated your body's number one way of releasing toxins. That's a big problem, especially with baby on board. In my (Sarah Jones') midwife practice, constipation seems to be a huge issue many pregnant women deal with. The good news is if you are taking bio cleanse and Probio5 at the

3 proper doses for your body, then constipation is a thing of the past. You need to be having one bowel movement for every meal you eat, so roughly three per day. You will be amazed at how great you feel when your body is not storing up all those toxins in the bowel! The three topics we just touched on are all health benefits that Plexus TRIPLEX provides. The Triplex is all about gut health, reduced blood sugar levels, which in turn also balances hormones, cholesterol, and blood pressure, and of course less toxicity. Ease is the next supplement we would like to address. It contains all the omega-3 fatty acids you and baby are really going to need. If a pregnant woman does not have enough key nutrients and minerals for herself and her baby's development, her body will automatically sacrifice these nutrients & minerals and take them out of her bones/body in attempt to pass them onto the baby. The most common ones I see in my pregnant and breastfeeding moms to name a few are anemia, restless legs, hair loss, achy joints and even vaginal tearing from weakened tissue. The other thing to be aware of is that a woman with a leaky gut from candida over growth will have a hard time absorbing her minerals and vitamins. It is crucial that women heal their guts while taking whole food supplements so that not only their babies will grow healthy and strong, but also that women can feel their best as they are going through such a huge life-changing event. This is no time to be out of energy and having health issues of our own, especially when it could be so easily avoided by being proactive with better nutrition. Plexus Ease plays an amazing role here: it contains ETArol, which has so many important building blocks for baby's development, including minerals and omega 3, 6, & 9. In addition it also has MSM, glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and more, which all help build tissue, cartilage and bone (think baby's skeleton). Ease contains KEY ingredients that both mother and baby will benefit from. The next supplement is X-factor, a multi-vitamin with AMAZING bioavailability. Due to the patented aloe blend it contains, the absorption rate of these vitamins and minerals is about % more effective then other quality supplements on the market. In my midwifery practice I have moms take two servings of X-factor a day along with Ease for a complete prenatal with Omegas. If your protocol is the Triplex (Slim, Probio5, Biocleanse) plus Ease and X-factor, you have the most COMPLETE & SUPERIOR nutrition plan for both you and baby. (Again it is important to discuss this with your health care provider.) Now, let s cover a few more tips or questions we ve been asked so far: ~Most doctors and midwives recommend that a woman should not try anything new in her first trimester of pregnancy. This includes big diet changes and even changes in exercise routines. If you have not used Plexus prior to getting pregnant, and you are still in your first trimester of pregnancy, then consult your doctor or midwife before starting your Plexus supplements. ~ Do I need omega-3 supplements? YES, it's a great idea to be taking those, and the Ease is a GREAT choice here. It has an omega-3 fatty acid that is 100x more powerful then regular fish oil, plus it has the other building blocks for baby's development that we discussed. Ease takes the place of your other omega-3 supplements.

4 ~ Do I REALLY not need anything else, not even folic acid? X-factor has you covered, in fact, did you know that folic acid is actually the synthetic version and that X-factor has folate, which is the real thing? ~ Is the Biocleanse OK for pregnancy & breastfeeding? I thought a cleanse should be avoided during these times. Well, let's define a cleanse. Having regular bowel movements each day is not an extra cleanse at all, that's just your body functioning as it was designed to. Many people need to fully realize that 3 bowel movements a day is NORMAL. Here's some more reassurance as we take a look at the ingredients of the Biocleanse in regards to pregnancy/breastfeeding: higher oxygen levels are fantastic for baby, as are also higher magnesium levels. In addition to oxygen and magnesium, Biocleanse also contains baking soda (think cookies), bioflavanoids (from fruit) and vitamin C (very important for pregnancy, including for the strength of your amniotic sac/membranes). Biocleanse is going to help your body detox in the same gentle, safe way that extra fresh air outside would, or the same way an exercise program would. This is by means of extra oxygen getting to your cells. It is also designed for LONG-TERM daily use. This is GREAT news for after your baby is born: there's help for fussy, colicky babies too. Colic, cradle cap, thrush and often diaper rash are all just symptoms of fungus overgrowth in your little one. Most likely it's yeast/fungus that you unknowingly passed onto them at birth. Well, the Probio5 has been absolutely AMAZING for some of our mothers & babies in this regard. We have many babies whose fussiness and colic has completely disappeared with the help of our Plexus probiotics, and I'm sure any mother reading this understands what a relief that can be. I (Sarah Jones) am a testament to that. My youngest had terrible colic, cradle cap, acne, and very rarely had BMs (about once every few days). I started him on probio5 and within a couple days he was having normal stools and a few weeks later his face cleared up and the colic went away and now all his cradle cap is completely gone. He sleeps amazingly well now too. Because the Probio5 capsules can be opened, you simply put the probiotic powder into the side of their mouth right before breastfeeding, or mix it into one dropper of breast milk or water. It's a good idea to take Probio5 at bedtime, and with as little food/milk as possible, so that the special enzyme blend can go to work on breaking down candida/fungus cells instead of just digesting food/milk. It's so simple to give to your babies, and it will make such a huge difference in their behavior, not to mention their immunity. This covers a lot of the basic questions, and we hope this article helps a lot of mamas out. We admire you for taking time to research, and are excited for you as you experience your BEST pregnancy and breastfeeding experience so far! (Talk to your sponsor or friend who introduced you to Plexus for suggestions on doses for each of these supplements.) Written by Jennifer Loewen & Sarah Jones CPM, LM

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