Weight Gain in Pregnancy

If you are concerned about managing your weight throughout your pregnancy then you should read this article. Managing weight is an issue for most women, and this is no different during pregnancy. Many women are unsure of what is healthy weight gain throughout pregnancy. For the majority of mothers weight gain is needed to ensure that the foetus develops properly and is obtaining all of the nutrients that are required. Optimal weight gain during pregnancy is dependent on many things including the current weight of the mother. After reading this article you will realise that amount of weight gain or loss are not as important as other factors. We get caught up today in things that are often off focus. It is much more important for you to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle throughout your pregnancy in order to optimise the health of you and your child. That is a much healthier focus and one that has positive not negative implications.

First things first…

Nearly all women will gain weight during pregnancy, this is obvious, and may be a worry for many mothers who are concerned about their body and losing their figure. However, insufficient weight gain during pregnancy can affect the development of the baby. Energy is needed for a pregnant woman to create a whole new person therefore it is really important to make sure that there are enough nutrients and energy going in to allow for the baby to develop. It is possible, even common, to lose weight in the first trimester of pregnancy as mothers may have stopped drinking alcohol and have a much lower calorie intake due to morning sickness. However obtaining adequate nutrition is vital to the health of the baby, and in order for this to happen some weight must be gained as long as it is not excessive.

What about a woman who is overweight at conception who then improves her diet and cuts out the junk food? She will almost definitely lose weight and in some cases a substantial amount. That is a sign of health and nothing to be concerned about.

It is unfortunately quite easy for excessive weight gain to occur during pregnancy. Mothers may crave certain foods or use their pregnancy as an excuse to comfort eat. I had a woman in the clinic who said it was finally her chance to "pig out". It must be remembered that excessive weight gain can be detrimental to the health of the mother and baby and increase the risk of such things as hypertension, diabetes and asthma. Healthy eating is really important for maintaining weight but the key focus should always be on health not weight. In addition to reducing stress, high nutritional food will lead to weight loss because the body no longer holds on to the toxins.

It will also help during pregnancy to exercise gently or moderately at least 3- 5 times a week for about 30 minutes.  This gets the lymph moving where a lot of the toxins are held. Ensuring a balanced diet high in fibre, fruit, vegetables, essential fats (oily fish), lean protein and low GL (glycaemic loading) carbohydrates while avoiding high GL carbohydrates, such as sugar, and avoiding trans and saturated fats is the best way to maintain a healthy weight and make it easier to lose that weight after the birth.

Guidelines for weight gain are 28-40 pounds for underweight mothers, 25-30 for normal weight, 15-25 if you are overweight and no more than 15 pounds if you are obese. Therefore the recommended weight gain differs depending on your pre-pregnancy weight. These are guidelines only and as mentioned if you shift your focus to health you will not only have a better experience of pregnancy, you will also be doing the best for you and baby. Every woman is different and none of this is set in stone. If you maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle in pregnancy your body will be able to figure out how best to manage your weight during pregnancy. If you have any concerns or further questions why not contact us or book a session with one of our professionals?

Dads have the most difficult time during Pregnancy

I know because I was left with the unenviable task of naming our son or daughter. Granted it was the only thing I had to do during the pregnancy, but what a responsibility! That label is forever and it will be the most precious thing to them for a long time. For starters, right off the bat you don’t even know the sex, well we didn’t and there are all these choices and people are throwing in their 5p’s worth. It was very stressful. So I did what any normal male would do and procrastinated – to the point where my boy was nearly two weeks old.

What amused and confused me to some degree was the amount of tension and pressure people felt. Mother-in-laws, aunties, friends etc all started having a go at me. My argument was how do you label someone you have never met? I wanted to see what he looked like, felt like, see some of his personality and yet some people thought that was ridiculous and even absurd. We all have different approaches and abilities and we can bend to pressure as I did. I have three step children and eventually after questioning every day the kids told me they had named their brother from the only serious choice we had on the table. His name is Tane (Tar-nay) and he was the god of the forest in New Zealand culture. I think he suits his name now it seems to fit for all of us but it does give the Brits a few problems with pronunciation etc.

Apart from that it was a straight forward pregnancy for me really. I did lift my game when it came to cleaning (hired a cleaner) and cooking and the kids. It is definitely more work and for a change you have to have your finger on the pulse. I found myself being conscious around what needed to be done before being asked. That not only helps the ‘boss’ but also earns much required brownie points. When those testing times arrive, and trust me they will with kids, you need every scrap of kudos and reputation you can gather together.

At the end of the day you got into this together and it is a team effort. Boys will often take a back seat which can allow an easier life for a while but there is nothing like getting your hands dirty with your children. You start to appreciate the Mum and create a relationship with your child that is beyond changing a nappy. The times I have been peed on or looked in each other’s eyes with that real connection are the moments we will look back on when they are irritating teenagers and think – what happened?!

Continuity of Care

A familiar face at my birth. Why is this so important?

It’s called continuity of care and it really does make all the difference….

How can it be that simple? There is only one way a woman can have a natural birth and by that we mean no vonteuse, forceps or intervention of any kind. A birth where she feels totally empowered, in control and the person in charge of her destiny. One of the most common complaints I hear is women saying that they felt powerless, it was done to them. Their birth, done to them. Not choice, as in the birth plan they put down, but more like a medical procedure where they were having something done to them. The only problem with that is if a woman wanted to give birth she now feels like she failed.

Birth is a time for a woman to realise her amazing power and that can only occur with a powerful birthing experience. To have that occur she needs to feel safe. If she feels safe and gets the result she wants then all sorts of amazing things start to happen. The massive release of oxytocin the love hormone which is released with a natural birth is infused to her world. Dad changes from bar-steward to hero. Baby goes from crying thing I don’t know what to do with into my little baby needs something from mummy. You see all a woman really wants is a result where she looks back with pride and think “wow did I do that?!” That is an outcome that all women want but most are too anxious to achieve. What we do not provide for that to happen is an environment where they feel safe. How can you feel secure at a time so precious in your life, where you feel incredibly anxious with people in a room you do not know.

Think of a child arriving for an operation aged five years old. They would be scared stiff because they have no anchor, no safety net. What they will face is the unknown and they know subconsciously that their safety and wellbeing is in somebody else’s hands. Now magnify that a few times because a woman during birth is not only concerned about her own wellbeing but also the safety of her unborn child. This little person is instinctively the most precious individual in the world to her.

In our western culture today we apparently have become anaesthetised around birth when it comes to how vulnerable a woman feels. If you live in a war zone dying people becomes normal and you become desensitised. Is it possible that has happened to our culture around birth? What we end up with is Mums who feel they are a failure, who then enter the world of motherhood on a fragile foundation. They are just getting over the trauma of the birth and then they are expected to breastfeed. A completely new task that is not always straightforward, especially if you now have a traumatised baby who was also part of that birth experience. If they have any challenges whatsoever and are told by professionals or family “that’s ok let’s just give them a bottle” they are now totally convinced they have completely failed. The joy of motherhood goes rushing out the door with all the dreams and fantasies of how it was supposed to be.

Great!

The two most important roles in life as a Mum and you are already on the back foot.

BUT…..

What if you could set up a situation where you felt more secure, confident and supported In life we love this ‘one cap fits all’. This worked for Mary Lou so it will work for you… That thinking is the basis of a lot of failings because we have created a rigid box. We are all individual and we need to accept and nourish that. We need the boxes to feel safe. Mums often say “just tell me what to do”. That answer is often impossible because what works for one will not always work for the next. We have differing views, bodies, attitudes, fears and aims. How can we possibly approach the same role in the same way? There are always different strokes for different folks but one aspect that is guaranteed consistent with all women during birth is the need to feel safe.

For this reason they need to know the people that are in the room. There are so many benefits of continuity of care during your pregnancy and birth. This means that you have continuous care with the same professional. Today however that is very difficult to achieve unless you go private. Women also don’t have the same network today that they would have had. Aunties, siblings, Mum, Gran is all a thing of the past. We live apart today and the community is not what it was. On top of this women are bombarded with negative messages from friends, family and the press. The anxiety levels increase with every horror story they are told.

There are some options.

1. Having a private midwife that focuses only on you. These women are always passionate about giving women the birth they want and are also confident in themselves. They often do homebirths and that takes a self belief to be comfortable with that.
2. A Doula is one option that creates an environment for the Mum to be assisted towards her birth. They will often see you through your pregnancy, may offer treatments and other tools e.g. reflexology, massage, hypnotherapy etc

The most important factor is you get the result you want. A birth plan is a nice idea but try to achieve that with the professionals when in the throws of active labour. You have other things to think about and consider.

Whatever you choose you need to feel confident if you are to achieve the result you want.

That takes preparation, well thought out preparation.

Professionals who intend for your result to happen have experience in supporting mums through pregnancy, birth and beyond. Working with someone early in your pregnancy where you can establish a relationship of trust and support will work best. If you can create the right setting for you and have a fantastic birth experience then you will enter motherhood on such a strong foundation. Imagine starting your journey of motherhood with a performance you were proud of. Now that would be a result Doula or not, private midwife or not, create your individual environment for success.

All the best.

Check out our interview with Heather Guerrini, Gentle Birth Practitioner and Doula.

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When these moments happen in life you never forget them and you are never the same again.

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