Recently my wife and I have been informing our friends and coworkers that we are expecting. This is obviously a very exciting time for us and we are really looking forward to parenthood.
Babies, however, are not my specialty. I have never really been around kids much and have no clue what I am doing, but I'm sure I will learn fast. Being the nerd that I am I always like to do research to see what types of things we should be doing. I have discovered, with pregnancy, there are some people that say some things are ok to do and others say to avoid certain things completely.
Just like in the fitness world, I have a hard time taking someone's word. I always hear claims that this supplement will melt fat away in days and that this exercise will give you a ripped stomach. I have grown to be a very skeptical person and need to do my own research before buying into something.
To help clear up my head with the whole pregnancy, I thought I should do some real research and see what peer reviewed journals have to say. Here are just some random results I found interesting. Pass this on to anyone you know who is pregnant or planning on it. Whether it is their first or fifth pregnancy this info will be helpful.
1. How many extra calories should you eat during pregnancy?
It depends on the mother's weight before conception. For those who fall in a normal body mass index (BMI) which is around 20-24 you can use this guide. The first trimester you can continue eating pretty much the same amount as before. Second Trimester increase to an extra 350 cal/day and Third Trimester you can increase to an extra 500 cal/day.
2. How much weight should you gain during a pregnancy?
Studies again are finding that it depends on your weight beforehand. Here are some more guidelines you can follow. If you underweight (BMI is <19.8) then you should gain around 12.5-18kgs (27.5-39.6lbs). If you are normal weight (BMI 19.9-24.9) you should gain around 11.5-16kg (25.3-35.2lbs). If you are overweight then you weight gain should be even less. This may seem backwards but the smaller you are the more weight you should be gaining.
3. Increasing vegetable intake during pregnancy is beneficial to fetal growth.
They are finding that women who consume more veggies during pregnancy will decrease the risk of small for gestation age (SGA) birth weight and size. Increasing vegetable intake will help the fetus growth better.
4. Increasing milk consumption is associated with increased birth weight.
Drinking 3 glasses of milk a day lead to increased birth weight and size. There was a decreased risk of SGA birth, but an increase in LGA birth. This can be a good or bad thing depending on your situation.
5. Prenatal Fish Oil supplementation is just a good idea.
Women have to be careful with how much fish they eat and what type but they NEED to make sure they are getting their Omega 3's somehow. I can't believe how much positive information I found with fish oil and pregnancy. Some of the main things were helping the development of the nervous system and improve cognitive development into childhood.
6. Siblings born at closer intervals have an increased risk of developing autism.
This one has nothing to do with nutrition but I found one study that should siblings who were born <1 year apart had a higher risk of autism.
Well that is it for now. I'm sure I will find some more pregnancy tips and facts to share in the future. Hopefully in a few weeks we will find out what we are having and then we can start the baby pool.
You Stay Healthy San Diego!
Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator
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