Reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board
Many women wonder if they should follow a special diet while they’re breastfeeding. The good news is that you probably don’t need to make any major changes to what you eat or drink during this time, though there are a few important considerations to keep in mind:
Continue Reading
to see why a well-balanced diet is important for your health…
Credit: Drummond-Young/Splash News Online
According to reports, Angelina Jolie is suffering from “gestational diabetes.” The actress is believed to be pregnant with twins. Sources claim she is having a rough pregnancy.
Whether these reports are true, or not, it got us thinking.
Should you be concerned about gestational diabetes?
The short answer: Yes.
Good care means a lot for your health and your baby’s health.
Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes in the United States each year.
We don’t know what causes gestational diabetes, but we have some clues. The placenta supports the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother’s insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother’s body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin.
Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia.
Gestational diabetes affects the mother in late pregnancy, after the baby’s body has been formed, but while the baby is busy growing. Because of this, gestational diabetes does not cause the kinds of birth defects sometimes seen in babies whose mothers had diabetes before pregnancy.
(March 25, 200 
- Reports this week revealed that pregnant Cate Blanchett is experiencing cravings for pickles and ice cream, making her one of the estimated 68% of pregnant women experiencing similar unusual food hankerings.
What some might not know is that these cravings can reveal a lack of certain nutrients, such as olives potentially indicating a lack of sodium and cheese a common sign of calcium, phosphorous and aluminium deficiency. Amongst other such desires, some pregnant women experience irrepressible cravings for chocolate and this could mean that you may be slightly anaemic (lacking in iron). Dark chocolate in particular, can be a useful source of magnesium and iron, whereas milk chocolate actually tends to inhibit the absorption of iron.
With this in mind there is a resource available for pregnant women to sort the nutritional facts from the fiction - the ‘Guide to healthy eating in pregnancy’. Produced in association with Midwife Maggie Evans by natural iron-rich water supplement, Spatone, the guide contains concise information for mothers-to-be on why healthy eating is important for their unborn baby, how much to eat, what particular cravings mean and which foods to avoid during pregnancy.
Meet our new obsession.
It’s a little treat called Tummy Rub Oil, by Mama Mio.
And, it’s fabulous… Pregnant, or not!
Pickles & Ice Cream was lucky enough to have met with the National Sales Manager for MamaMio, (she’s a jewel by the way), and she gave us an awesome presentation on their products. We are so pumped about this stuff, that we want to share everything that we learned with all of you.
She made a good point…
We will spend $200 on a piece of clothing that we wear occasionally,
but we are hesitant to spend money on something we wear every day…
Our skin.
“Mama Mio Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil is a super nourishing blend of the richest and most healing oils available. It absorbs quickly, leaving your skin feeling soft and nourished but not at all greasy. It super-hydrates your taut tummy to add elasticity, sparing you itchy belly syndrome and helping you win the battle against stretch marks. We offer an oil alongside our Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Butter as your skin naturally produces oil and therefore it is easily recognised and used. Every ingredient in Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil has a distinct moisturising purpose and is laden with Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) - Omegas 3, 6 & 9. Combined with our non-nauseating Gravida fragrance it is a tremendous stretch mark fighter.
The decision between Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil and Stretch Mark Butter is entirely yours. Do you prefer an oil or a butter they are both equally powerful at fighting stretch marks. For mega-tummies (does it feel like twins?) try layering Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil first and Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Butter second. With this dynamic duo in place, stretch marks wouldn’t dare!” - ♥ mamamio.com
Continue reading for more information about Mama Mio!
Learn how to use the product for the best results…
Plus, what exactly is in this stuff??
It takes an estimated 75,000 calories to “make” a baby, and few factors will have a more profound effect on the overall health of a newborn than the diet of the mother during pregnancy. But just because you’re eating for two doesn’t mean that it’s time to double your caloric intake. In fact, most experts believe that an expecting mother should be taking in an extra 300-400 calories a day. And just where those calories come from will have a lasting effect on a baby’s birth weight, brain development, bone strength, and many other important indicators of a healthy newborn. Pregnancy will be a time of many challenges, but your diet shouldn’t be one of them. David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, authors of “Eat This, Not That!,” show you the simplest, healthiest, most satisfying way to feed yourself, nourish your baby, and indulge your wild cravings during these nine crazy months.
Eat this
Salad made with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, tofu and cheddar cheese
Called “baby greens” for good reason, romaine lettuce is packed with folate - two cups contain 150 mg, about 40 percent of your recommended daily dose — which promotes healthy development. And hard cheeses like cheddar are good sources of calcium, which will help strengthen your baby’s teeth and bones. Finally, tofu is rich in iron, which enables your red blood cells to carry oxygen to the baby.
Not that!
Salad made with iceberg lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, deli turkey and feta cheese crumbles
They call it iceberg lettuce because it will sink your ship — iceberg has almost no nutritional value. In the salad hierarchy, it’s pure filler, providing little of the vitamin- and iron-rich benefits of spinach. And we’re banning deli meats and soft cheeses like feta because they can carry harmful bacteria — a bad choice for pregnant women.
Fish and shellfish can be an important part of a balanced diet during pregnancy. They are a good source of high-quality protein, healthy omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients, and are low in saturated fat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advise women who may become pregnant, pregnant women and nursing mothers to eat the types and amounts of fish and shellfish that are safe. By doing so they will gain the positive benefits of eating fish, but prevent harm to the development of their baby.
Seafood Do’s and Don’ts for Expecting and Nursing Moms:
1. DON’T eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. DO eat up to 12 ounces (2 to 3 meals) of other purchased fish and shellfish a week. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
3. DO mix up the types of fish and shellfish you eat.
4. DON’T eat the same type of fish or shellfish more than once a week.
5. DO check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local rivers and streams. If no advice is available, you can safely eat up to 6 ounces (one meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don’t consume any other fish during that week.
Read more to get answers to your most-asked questions
about mercury in fish and its effect on pregnancy…
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If your nausea is of the more common variety, there are simple things you can do to feel better. Health and fitness instructor Denise Austin suggests using ginger to soothe nausea in her book, Denise Austin’s Ultimate Pregnancy Book: How to Stay Fit and Healthy Through the Nine Months — and Shape Up After Baby (Fireside, 1999). “I discovered ginger actually helped, and ate ginger snaps and put ginger root into my fruit smoothies. Ginger tea is also soothing to the stomach.” Sipping ginger ale may also help settle your stomach. Denise offers up another healthy tip: To calm a queasy tummy, try a simple fruit dish of chopped crystallized ginger mixed with a teaspoon each of honey and lime juice, mixed with watermelon balls. Denise says that it’s very refreshing, and recommends storing the mixture in an airtight container and snacking on it during the day.
If you find you can’t stomach ginger, try these physician-recommended and mom-tested tips to soothe your nausea.
(NAPSI) - “Today, expectant mothers are often given a long list of do’s and don’ts to follow-and that list seems to change almost daily. Fortunately, some well-chosen expert advice can help reassure mothers-to-be that they are doing everything they can to plan a healthy pregnancy.
Drs. Alane Park, Yvonne Bohn and Allison Hill are expert OB/GYNs who deal with all types of pregnancies and deliveries at their practice in Los Angeles.
Their everyday experiences with pregnant women have earned them a television series called “Deliver Me,” which airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
The three doctors, who are also moms themselves, have compiled 10 simple but essential tips to help keep expectant moms and their babies happy and healthy:
1. Wait at least nine months before getting pregnant after each pregnancy.
2. Talk to your doctor about your recommended pregnancy weight gain. It may differ for each body type and each pregnancy.
3. Ask your doctor about treatment of existing conditions, such as thyroid disease, hypertension and diabetes, during pregnancy.
WASHINGTON - “Women who take folic acid supplements for at least a year before becoming pregnant can greatly reduce their risk of delivering a baby prematurely, researchers said on Thursday.
Folic acid, a B vitamin, already is known to prevent major birth defects that involve a baby’s brain or spine. This study shows it may provide another benefit — cutting down on premature births in which babies have less time to develop in the womb and are more likely to experience serious medical problems.
The study tracked about 35,000 pregnant women between 1999 and 2002 who disclosed their folic acid intake.
It found that women who took folic acid supplements for at least a year before pregnancy cut their chances for very early pre-term births — 20 to 28 weeks into the pregnancy — by 70 percent compared to other women.”
Copyright 2008 Reuters.
