Low Birth Weight Still a Top Concern for Pregnant Women
If I were to ask you, in terms of baby's birth weight, what correlates with:
A pooled analysis of 150,000 pregnancies correlates a 2.2-pound increase in birth weight with a 10-20% lower risk of hardening of the arteries later in life.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007, volume 85 pages 1244-1250, Huxley R., et al. "Is birth weight a risk factor for ischemic heart disease in later life?"]
Fancy that!
My point here is that I'm afraid that special attention to pregnancy weight gain, "childhood obesity" and the fear of "high birth weight babies," might lead to concerned mothers restricting their food intake during pregnancy.
Ellyn Satter, RD, MSW, pointed out so eloquently in her Family Meals Focus Newsletter (August 29, 2007) that research suggests the culprit linking low birth weight with resulting disease is the fetus's exposure to high levels of a hormone (glucocorticoid) produced by the mother's body to stimulate the creation of glucose from available protein and fat. Getting enough energy (glucose) is the first requirement of the fast growing fetus. Quite simply, if the mother isn't eating enough energy, the glucocorticoid levels go up so she can burn protein (including her own body tissue) to make up the energy needs.
Satter also states (and I agree) that food restriction and striving for stated weight-gain outcomes during pregnancy can distort eating attitudes and behaviors and is potentially harmful for the mother and the fetus. So let's, as a society, be careful not try to fix one problem by creating another.
I can give you my personal pregnancy experience (many moons ago) as one example. I gave birth to my first daughter at an impressive 8 pounds 12 ounces. She was a healthy baby who was an avid breastfeeder from the get-go - and was at 11 pounds weight at 2 weeks of age (her pediatrician asked me if I had whipping cream in my breasts). She hovered in the 90th percentile from that point on and was one of the healthiest babies/toddlers I've seen. I don't think she needed antibiotics till she was 6! That same daughter is now considered slightly under "ideal" weight for her height at the age of 16. I think if you focus on "health" and discourage obsession and restriction, each child's body finds its natural path to become their own personal full-grown healthy body.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: healthy diet, pregnancy, weight gain, childhood obesity
- increased hypertension
- adult cardiovascular disease
- type 2 diabetes
A pooled analysis of 150,000 pregnancies correlates a 2.2-pound increase in birth weight with a 10-20% lower risk of hardening of the arteries later in life.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007, volume 85 pages 1244-1250, Huxley R., et al. "Is birth weight a risk factor for ischemic heart disease in later life?"]
Fancy that!
My point here is that I'm afraid that special attention to pregnancy weight gain, "childhood obesity" and the fear of "high birth weight babies," might lead to concerned mothers restricting their food intake during pregnancy.
Ellyn Satter, RD, MSW, pointed out so eloquently in her Family Meals Focus Newsletter (August 29, 2007) that research suggests the culprit linking low birth weight with resulting disease is the fetus's exposure to high levels of a hormone (glucocorticoid) produced by the mother's body to stimulate the creation of glucose from available protein and fat. Getting enough energy (glucose) is the first requirement of the fast growing fetus. Quite simply, if the mother isn't eating enough energy, the glucocorticoid levels go up so she can burn protein (including her own body tissue) to make up the energy needs.
Satter also states (and I agree) that food restriction and striving for stated weight-gain outcomes during pregnancy can distort eating attitudes and behaviors and is potentially harmful for the mother and the fetus. So let's, as a society, be careful not try to fix one problem by creating another.
I can give you my personal pregnancy experience (many moons ago) as one example. I gave birth to my first daughter at an impressive 8 pounds 12 ounces. She was a healthy baby who was an avid breastfeeder from the get-go - and was at 11 pounds weight at 2 weeks of age (her pediatrician asked me if I had whipping cream in my breasts). She hovered in the 90th percentile from that point on and was one of the healthiest babies/toddlers I've seen. I don't think she needed antibiotics till she was 6! That same daughter is now considered slightly under "ideal" weight for her height at the age of 16. I think if you focus on "health" and discourage obsession and restriction, each child's body finds its natural path to become their own personal full-grown healthy body.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: healthy diet, pregnancy, weight gain, childhood obesity
2 Comments:
I concur. I myself weighed in at 10 lbs!! and was spectacularly thin...eating any and everything in sight right up to my 30's.
I’m 5’7” and currently weight 166lbs. I have felt my healthiest at 135. The following is what I eat on a daily basis: B- 2 oz oatmeal (dry), 8 oz plain yogurt and 1 piece of fruit or 6 oz canned or frozen. L- 8 oz salad, 4 oz protein, 6 oz cooked veg, T dressing, 6 oz rice or potato and 1 piece of fruit or 6 oz canned or frozen. Dinner is the same as lunch. I don’t eat anything that contains flour or sugar products and I do not snack. Can you tell me if I will lose weight eating this way? Somehow I feel that I have to have a restrictive rigid food plan to lose. Also is there a way in which I can determine how many calories are in the quantities I eat? Everything I eat is steamed, broiled, boiled or baked. I don’t create recipes or get fancy with the food I prepare as this can cause me to binge. Nothing I eat is processed. Any suggestions/ideas/thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanx.
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