By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

If you’re pregnant…get out of bed!

If a pregnant mother you know has been told to stay in bed to prolong her pregnancy, please share this information with her.

A recent study summarized in  The New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch was done on 644 pregnant women. It showed that the bed rest that is often recommended to prevent pre-term births did not help prolong pregnancies, and may have actually been linked to an increase in pre-term delivery.

Every pregnant mother should be assessed by her doctor individually to determine what is best for her. This study provides support that activity restriction is an outdated recommendation that may cause more harm than good. Share this information with your doctor and have a discussion on what is best for you.

Odette Bulaong, ND

 

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

Does this baby make me look fat?

That was the link title of an eye-opening  Huffington Post article I recently read. It discussed a topic that people seem to overlook: pregnancy and body image issues. A healthy amount of weight gain during pregnancy is important for both the health of the baby and the mother. While there is a concern when too much weight is gained, more and more women are becoming over-focused on gaining too much weight. This can lead to dieting during pregnancy which is dangerous and may even lead to disordered eating that endangers both the mother and baby.

So before you decide to cut calories during your pregnancy, make sure you speak to a trained health professional who can help you make the best nutrition, self-care and lifestyle choices for you and your growing baby. If you are afraid or worried of how your body (and life) will change during pregnancy (and after), be sure to talk to your partner, loved ones, other moms, and a health professional trained in lifestyle counselling. This way you can get the physical and mental-emotional support you need to ensure a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and post-partum period, all of which will help you best take care of your baby into childhood and beyond.