Natural Birth

A recent study regarding weight gain during pregnancy recently caught my eye as it identified that weight gain does increase the weight of a child independently of genetic factors.

The study, which involved over 500 thousand women and 1 million children showed a consistent association between pregnancy weight gain and birthweight. In summary, each kg gained by the mother in pregnancy increasing the baby's birthweight by 7.35 g. Infants of women who gained more than 24 kg during pregnancy were around 150g heavier at birth than were infants of women who gained 8-10 kg.

I do believe that much more can be done for pregnant mums during pregnancy to help ensure they have the healthiest pregnancy and baby possible. Although there’s a significant amount of monitoring of the baby, advice to help stop smoking, drinking and information regarding what to eat from a danger perspective, there seemed to be much less focus on weight gain.

From working with pregnant women, some who have found it easy to manage their weight and others who have struggled, I have noted down below the four key things which made a positive difference.

1) Only eat when you are hungry and stop before you are full
A Paul McKenna favourite, but this really worked both for me personally and many other mums. This is also an opportunity to practise listening to your body which is a wonderful skill you will be thankful for during your birth.

2) Make time for yourself so you can stay active
Whether this be seeing an osteopath to help with back problems (my osteopath Richard Skudder was a lifesaver - thanks Richard!), going to a pregnancy yoga class, or any other activities which make you feel good - the better you feel, the more active you’re likely to be. This will help both with you and your baby’s health as well as preparing you for your birth day. Remember to take advice from your care provider about what type of exercises you are able to take part in.

3) Consider what you will feed your baby once he/she is born
It’s likely that you wouldn’t knowingly feed your baby unhealthy food once they are born, so start considering their diet before their birth day. Babies tend to be de-humanised during pregnancy by being referred to as a foetus rather than baby, so reframe this for yourself and begin to be the mum you want to be, right from the start.

4) Break all of the above rules... occasionally
Remember to enjoy your pregnancy, celebrate each day, treat yourself occasionally and look forward to your birth day.

If you would like further information on exercises during pregnancy, then do check out my previous post where I recommended an e-book containing birthing ball exercises. Purchasing the book will enable you to have access to a free exercise motivation during pregnancy hypnosis download which I created especially to go with the book.

For more information on the article, go to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196836.php

The Article, published Online First in The Lancet, is written by Dr David S Ludwig, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, and Dr Janet Currie, Columbia University, New York, USA.

Photo credit: stuartwebster