News Moms Need

Some women think that pregnancy is a time to sit back and put their feet up. Not so! For most women, it’s important to exercise during pregnancy. In fact, it has many health benefits, so put down the remote, step out of your office and tie up your sneakers.
 
Healthy pregnant women need at least 2½ hours of exercise each week. This is about 30 minutes each day. If this sounds like a lot, don’t worry. You don’t have to do it all at once. Instead, split up your exercise by doing something active for 10 minutes three times each day. Take Fido for his morning constitutional. Walk around the block or parking lot with friends on your lunch hour. Go for a walk or bike ride after dinner to pick up a decaf at the local café or to check out the neighborhood gardens. Exercise doesn’t have to be boring.

For healthy pregnant women, exercise can:
• Keep your heart, body and mind healthy
• Help you feel good and find the extra energy you need
• Help you stay fit and gain the right amount of weight during pregnancy
• Ease some of the discomforts you might have during pregnancy, like constipation, backaches, trouble sleeping and varicose veins (swollen veins)
• Prevent health problems like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes
• Help your body get ready to give birth
• Reduce stress

If you’d rather keep going to the gym, you probably can. With their health care provider’s OK, exercising during pregnancy is safe for most expecting moms and their babies. So talk to your doc or midwife before you start any exercise program, and ask about what kinds of exercise are safe for you to do.

Did you know that about 1 out of every 125 infants is born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) each year in the U.S.? CHDs are among the most common birth defects and are the leading cause of birth defect-related infant deaths.

We worry a lot about our babies and their hearts, but do you think enough about your own heart?  Since February is American Heart Month, and pregnancy puts a fair amount of physical stress on a woman, I thought it a good time to mention taking care of your own ticker before you conceive.  Not thinking about pregnancy? You still need to read this. No matter what our age, here are some things each of us can do to help improve our heart health.

Stop smoking – Even if you do smoke, you’ve got to know it’s not good for you.  But did you know smoking may make it harder for you to get pregnant? And if you smoke while you’re pregnant, your baby is at greater risk for being born prematurely or too small?  

Have your doc check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.  If they test high, take steps to bring them down.  Most health care providers want your BP to be at or below 120/80 and total cholesterol to be below 200.

If you have a family history of diabetes, get your blood sugar checked.  Make sure you get into a program to help keep it in control before and during pregnancy. 

Eat right - Eat foods from each of the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, proteins (like chicken, fish and dried beans), grains, and milk products. Easy does it on salt and avoid foods high in fat and sugar.

Get to a good weight – If you’re not at your ideal weight (too many holiday treats?) knock off a few pounds, or gain ‘em if you need ‘em.  Exercise regularly and get fit. Exercising for 30 minutes on all or most days of the week is a good way to help maintain or lose weight, build fitness and reduce stress.

Reduce your daily stress - Pregnancy is a stressful time for many women. You may be feeling happy, sad and scared—all at the same time. It’s okay to feel like that, but doing what you can to reduce stress before pregnancy can help you better manage extra stress associated with pregnancy.  And if you’re not considering pregnancy, reducing stress can improve your quality of life in general.  Sounds good to me!

Many parents I have spoken with lately feel enormously stressed these days. Worries abound, sleeping is difficult and muscles ache all over. Does this sound like you, too? How about a massage?  Rubbing away the knots and tension can do a body good. If you’re pregnant, be sure your massage therapist is up-to-date on your pregnancy and is aware of any special circumstances that may exist.

Pregnancy massage, or prenatal massage, usually is considered safe, but you should always talk with your health care provider first, especially if you have:
• High blood pressure
• Diarrhea
• Morning sickness
• Fever
• Diabetes
• Heavy discharge

Pregnancy massage is a technique created specially for pregnant women to deal with the side effects of pregnancy. Many pregnant women find massage comforting because it may:
• Reduce physical and emotional stress
• Ease back pain
• Reduce swelling
• Relieve headaches and muscle aches

The massage may last as long as an hour. Pressure is OK, but it should not be so intense that you feel pain. Some massage therapists tell pregnant women to lie on their sides. Others offer special pillows so women can lie on their stomachs. Sometimes you may sit in a chair. If you are sensitive to odors, you may want to ask for unscented lotions and oils. No one wants you to feel nauseous while being pampered!

Many massage parlors offer couples massage, so your partner can distress, too. And, if you’re lucky, he may learn some ways to help you with your aches at home between sessions.  Relax and unwind.

Nine months of a healthy pregnancy is the best gift you can give your future baby. There are things you can do before you get pregnant to help give your baby a better chance of a healthy and full-term birth. Talk to your health care provider before and during pregnancy about you and your partners’ health and any concerns you many have. This will help you have a healthy baby.

Before getting pregnant, ask your health provider these 9 questions.

What do I need to know about:
1. Diabetes, high blood pressure, infections or other health problems?
2. Medicines or home remedies?
3. Taking a multivitamin pill with folic acid in it each day?
4. Getting to a healthy weight before pregnancy?
5. Smoking, drinking alcohol and taking illegal drugs?
6. Unsafe chemicals or other things I should stay away from at home or at work?
7. Taking care of myself and lowering my stress?
8. How long to wait between pregnancies? (Ask your health care provider what’s best for you.)
9. My family history, including premature birth? Premature birth is when your baby is born too early, before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

Special thanks to the celebrities Thalia and Heather Headley for helping the March of Dimes tell women about these 9 important questions.

Since you found out you were pregnant, has your partner been complaining about many of the same symptoms you have had?  Morning sickness, weight gain, bloating and mood swings?  There may be a good explanation.  Believe it or not, some men do share in more than the simply the joy of being an expectant parent—they actually develop the physical symptoms of pregnancy.  This phenomenon has a name—it is called Couvade syndrome, although many people know it as a sympathetic pregnancy.  Couvade comes from the French word that means “to hatch.” 

Scientists aren’t sure whether Couvade syndrome is a physical or psychological phenomenon—or a little of both.  Men actually do experience hormonal changes throughout their partner’s pregnancy.  According to an article in Scientific American “prolactin is highest in men in the weeks just before the birth, testosterone is lowest in the days immediately after the birth, estradiol levels increase from before to after the birth, and cortisol peaks during the labor and delivery (although it remains an order of magnitude below the hormonal experience of the laboring mother).”  So it seems that many of the same hormones that affect women during pregnancy also affect men as well—who knew?

But as of right now, the hormonal basis of Couvade syndrome has not been proven.  There are many other events that occur during pregnancy and around the time of childbirth that could affect a man’s hormone levels.  Stressors such as concerns about becoming a father, extended family coming in for possibly extended stays, and financial worries could also be contributing factors.  And, not all men experience pregnancy-like symptoms when their partner is expecting.  It is hard to know exactly how many men actually experience Couvade syndrome, but depending on who you ask, the estimates range from 20-80%.  Was your husband one of them?

Being an expectant parent is an exciting time for both moms and dads but it can also be stressful.  Becoming a dad, just like becoming a mom, begins before delivery.  If your partner is experiencing any pregnancy symptoms, just remember that they will go away soon—once your little one arrives, his symptoms will disappear.  And then you both will forget any of those unpleasant pregnancy symptoms and be entirely focused on the new little bundle of joy in your world!

We all have stress in our lives and some of us deal with it better than others.  Aside from the major traumas in our lives (death in the family, divorce, terminal illness…), what’s stress for one person may just be a nuisance for another. (So, how’s your MIL?  Got a really unique co-worker or boss? Has your car broken down lately?…)

Did you know that stress may impact your fertility?  A recent study in the journal Fertility and Sterility suggests that stress, which alters a woman’s chemistry, may make her less likely to get pregnant than a woman who is not stressed.  Researchers in the United States and England measured women’s levels of alpha-amylase, a body chemical in saliva that’s considered a barometer of stress. They followed the women for six months. Their findings indicate that women with higher levels of alpha-amylase were less likely than women with lower levels to get pregnant each day during the fertile window.

So, if you are hoping to get pregnant and are upset that you haven’t yet conceived, chill out.  Find a way to relax and let nature take its course.  If you don’t get pregnant right away, don’t worry. Nearly 9 out of 10 couples who try to get pregnant do so within one year. It may not happen immediately, but the odds are it will happen soon.

Taking care of a baby is an awesome responsibility. It’s rewarding yet demanding and has the potential to put a tremendous amount of strain on us moms. So, what do you do to recharge and manage the stress of it all? I’ll go first. One of my favorite past times is eating ice cream right out of the container while watching back to back episodes of Say Yes To The Dress. It’s amazing how much better I feel after a little mindless TV and some sugar. Don’t judge! I’m also a closet Facebook user. I’m trying to avoid that whole Farmville scene though. I hear it’s fun and highly addictive. Do you have any guilty pleasures that you’re brave enough to admit? Let’s hear them! Check out our fact sheet, New Mom Stress.

Spring is here and I’m so excited! Where I live, the past few days have been absolutely gorgeous. Between all the snow and rainstorms we experienced earlier this year, Lola (my dog) and I are happy to finally take our exercise outdoors in the warm weather and sunshine.

If you’re an expecting mommy, spring is the perfect time to get some fresh air and get moving! For most women, exercising while pregnant is safe and healthy. It can help prevent gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that sometimes develops during pregnancy. For women who already have gestational diabetes, regular exercise and changes in diet can help control the disease. Exercise can also relieve stress and build the stamina needed for labor and delivery. It can also help women cope during the postpartum period by keeping “baby blues” at bay, regaining their energy and losing the weight they gained during pregnancy. Some research suggests that exercising during pregnancy can also keep baby healthy at birth and later in life.

So let’s get out there and get moving!

All weekend long I kept asking myself, “what am I forgetting?” It was driving me crazy. I knew there was something I was supposed to do. Then I logged onto the computer this morning and it dawned on me. I forgot to write a blog post for Friday. DOH!  I hate to admit that I have a memory problem (especially to colleagues), but unfortunately this is just one out of a hundred examples that I can give about the mental fog that I’m in.

I almost forgot my wedding anniversary recently. Good thing he brought it up the day before and I had a chance to run out and grab a card. I walk into a room and completely forget what I was intending to do. I can never find my cell phone. I have to keep sticky-notes on the computer screen, frig and in my car to serve as reminders. Put gas in car. Buy diapers. Call sister for her birthday. Take baby for flu shot. If it’s not in writing it’s not getting done. I actually just remembered that there are wet towels in the washing machine from two days ago. Gross.

This wasn’t always the case. I was sharp once, or so I thought. I wonder if I ever will be again or is this it? I’ve done a little reading and although researchers can’t explain all the ways motherhood affects a woman’s memory, they agree it can happen. Plummeting hormone levels after delivery, fatigue, stress/anxiety, drastically changed priorities and breastfeeding might be the culprits.

I wanted to end this post with a funny story, but unfortunately I can’t think of one, so that’s that.  Have a good day and please feel free to share your favorite ‘momnesia’ moment.

Most moms and dads anxiously await the arrival of their new baby after a healthy 9 months of pregnancy. But for some, that day may come too early and it can mean baby will spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Having a newborn baby in the NICU, especially one that is born prematurely, can be a heart wrenching experience for moms and dads. The effects of this traumatic event on parents can last long after baby has left the NICU and is on the way to a healthy recovery. The New York Times published an article today that shares compelling stories from former NICU parents who continue to deal with this stress as baby grows older.

If you or someone close to you is in a similar situation with a baby in the NICU, you may want to visit our online community, Share Your Story. This community of preemie and former NICU parents offers comfort, gives guidance to and shares their experiences with other moms and dads also going through the NICU experience. Talking with someone who’s been through it all before can help moms and dads to better cope with this difficult ordeal.