Healthy Eating During Your Pregnancy

I can certainly say, when I got pregnant with my oldest, I thought pregnancy was a free ticket to pig out and live on junk food, but I quickly learned through my reading, that is not the case at all!! Another misconception of pregnancy nutrition is that Mom should be eating for two, nope! Not at all. But one of the most swept under the rug, neglected, and black listed parts of pregnancy is nutrition.

We do not see Obstetric models of care including nutrition counciling, or really taking the time to say skip on this, or add that. You get a sheet of things not to eat and most are sent on their way. Which is one of the reasons I am intrigued to write about this.

According to The March of Dimes, women should be including the following into their diet on a daily basis :

• 6 Ounces of Grains Per Day
  • Slice of wheat bread
  • Wheat Tortilla (6 inches)
  • 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta
  • 1 cup of cereal
  • 1 large pancake (about 4 1/2 inches)
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fruits per day
  • 1/2 cup of 100% fruit juice (be careful of the amount of sugar in fruit juices)
  • 16 Grapes
  • 1/4 cup of dried fruit
  • 1/2 of fresh, canned or frozen fruit (My best pick would be fresh fruit since you often do not know what canned products are being preserved with)
• 2 1/2 Cups of Vegetables per day
  • 1 Cup raw or cooked veggies
  • 1 Baked Potato (skip or go light on the butter, sour cream, or bacon)
  • 2 Cups of raw leafy greens
  • 1 Cup veggie juice
• 400 Micrograms of Folic Acid
  • Most likely found in your pre natal vitamin
• 5-5 1/2 ounces of Protein per day
  • 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter
  • 1 ounce of lean meat
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup of nuts
  • 1/4 cup of cooked dried beans
• 3 cups of Milk products per day
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 2 ounces of processed cheese
  • 1 Cup yogurt
  • 1 1/2 ounces natural cheese

It really doesn’t sound like a lot of work does it?

We know the typical things to avoid… soda, sugar, caffeine, raw fish, unpasteurized foods, and make sure to keep your water intake up. This was a big one for me in both of my pregnancies. 6 to 8 glasses of water a day!  That is what I hated most of all and often got dehydrated. Which is something you want to avoid!

Remember, everything you eat, so is your baby!
You want to give your baby the best start at life, so just be picky and careful for your pregnancy.
It will pay off in the end!

CDC Releases New Report Comparing U.S. and European Infant Mortality Rates

The CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) released a new report this morning which compares infant mortality rates in the U.S. and Europe.

Authors of Behind International Rankings of Infant Mortality: How the United States Compares with Europe explored what they refer to as the recent stagnation in the U.S. infant mortality rate that has generated widespread concern among researchers, policy makers, health care providers and activists.

Using data from the United States? Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set and the European Perinatal Health Report, authors Marian F. MacDorman, Ph.D., and T.J. Mathews, M.S. of the CDC National Center for Health Statistics found that the main cause of the United States high infant mortality rate when compared with Europe is the ?very high percentage of preterm births in the United States.?

According to the study, while infant mortality rates for preterm (less than 37 weeks of gestation) infants are lower in the United States than in most European countries, infant mortality rates for infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or more are higher in the United States than in most European countries.

Discussions of the U.S. infant mortality rate are often countered with criticism that the U.S. records data differently than other countries, reporting very premature babies as live births. While this is true for five of the 19 European countries whose data was analyzed, 14 of the 19 European countries require that all live births at any birth weight or gestational age be reported.

The United States remains near the bottom of the rankings.

The report states, ?Reporting differences have little effect on the percentage of preterm births because most preterm births occur well after 22 weeks of gestation. For example, the percentage of preterm births for the United States in 2004 was 12.5% when all births were included and 12.4% when births of less than 22 weeks of gestation were excluded.?

MacDorman and Mathews attribute much of the high infant mortality rate in the United States to the high percentage of preterm births. Using the direct standardization method to apply the U.S. gestational-age specific infant mortality rates to Sweden?s distribution of births by gestational age, the NCHS found evidence that lowering the percentage of preterm births could have a dramatic impact on infant mortality in the United States.

November is also Prematurity Awareness Month.? Considering the risks involved in preterm birth, you may be wondering what you can do as a birth activist or as a parent.? Here are some basic things to consider:

• Let labor begin on its own. Without a valid medical reason, let your baby pick his or her birthday for the safest, easiest birth.
• Choose a practitioner with a low induction rate. If you have a midwife or doctor who rarely sees anyone who goes past their due date, it should be a red flag.? Ask the receptionist for her opinion of how many women go past 40 weeks. The answer might surprise you.
• Know the signs of preterm labor. If you think you’re having any of the signs of preterm labor, call your midwife or doctor immediately.? The sooner you get help, the more likely that premature birth can be delayed or stopped completely.
• Be mindful of the risk factors. Face it, you have responsibility for some of the risk factors.? While there are certainly some risk factors for preterm labor that you don’t control, take charge of the ones you can, including prenatal care, good nutrition, not smoking, etc.

March of Dimes Gives US a ‘D’ for Prematurity

This week the March of Dimes gave the US a report card on prematurity. As some would have suspected, we are not doing well. Overall the US got a ‘D’ but my state was given an ‘F’, as were the states around me. Below you will find a post where Dr. Laura Riley talks about some things to be done to decrease the number of premature births in the US. In fact, she talks about prematurity from inductions and cesareans that are on the rise. My question would be how much is caused by what the physician wants and how much is the patient’s impatience? With so much focus on one day, could we lower the prematurity rate by simply giving the 38-42 week span as the possible due date?

You can go here to sign the March of Dimes petition for premies.

March of Dimes Interview for Prematurity Awareness Month

Dr. Laura Riley answers some important questions on prematurity and birth interventions for the March of Dimes and Birth Activist.

Thalia’s Virtual Baby Shower Supports the March of Dimes

As a national spokesperson for the March of Dimes, Latina pop superstar, Thalia Sodi knows the importance of giving every baby a healthy start. Thalia and her husband Tommy Mottola are expecting a little girl in October. She is encouraging fans who would like to present her with gifts, to log on to the first-ever “virtual baby shower” on AOL Latino and donate to the March of Dimes. Her video shows her explaining what a baby shower is for those visitors from other countries; opening presents; and encouraging her fans to send a donation to the March of Dimes in lieu of gifts.

To donate in English or Espanol.

This is from Beverly Robertson of the blog at Nacersano and the March of Dimes.

Spanish Language Blog!

Beverly Robertson from the March of Dimes is here at Lamaze with me. She and I started talking today and I found out she has a cool Spanish language blog. Check it out at: http://blog.nacersano.org/

Urge Action on PREEMIE Bill

From the March of Dimes:

There are only about 48 hours left before Congress adjourns for the year. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (TX) is using the PREEMIE bill to negotiate over another bill in which he has an interest. The content of PREEMIE has been cleared by all, including Chairman Barton’s office. It has been pending in his Committee for over 2 years and was unanimously approved by the Senate on August 1. Please call your Representative today and request they ask Rep. Barton and Majority Leader Boehner to let the House vote on S. 707 before Congress adjourns.

Call the Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 or go to http://links.marchofdimes.com/ajtk/servlet/JJ?H=14itxb&R=680790184 to obtain your Representative’s phone number and tell him/her to ask Reps. Barton and Boehner to put the PREEMIE Act on the House floor for a vote today.
Below are points that you can make:

• You have been personally affected by preterm birth (briefly explain your story and the impact on your family)
• The PREEMIE Act has strong bipartisan support and 97 House co-sponsors.
• The PREEMIE Act is desperately needed to stem the growing crisis of preterm birth.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 500,000 babies are born too soon each year. Since 1981, that number has increased by over 30%.
• The National Academy of Sciences (Institute of Medicine) estimates the economic burden of preterm birth in the US was at least $26.2 billion in 2005, or $51,600 per infant born preterm. Approximately half of the cost of health care is borne by employers and families with the remainder billed to Medicaid, S-CHIP and other public programs.

Background

For more than 2 years, the March of Dimes has worked with Representatives and Senators from across the nation to enact “PREEMIE.” (S.707/H.R.2861). The bill calls for creation of a public-private agenda to accelerate the development of new strategies for preventing preterm birth and for treating babies who are born too soon.
The principal bill sponsors are Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Chris Dodd (D-CT). The Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent on August 1, 2006. Currently, PREEMIE must now be acted on by the House of Representatives before it can be sent to President Bush for his signature.
For more information, contact the March of Dimes Office of Government Affairs (202) 659-1800.

This e-mail is sponsored by the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
For more information about the March of Dimes, visit our Web site at http://www.marchofdimes.com/.

Help Fight Prematurity

The March of Dimes is petitioning Google to give them an infamous Google Doodle for Prematurity day on 11/14/06. Sign their petition to get it listed:

http://www.marchofdimes.com/forms/signPetition.asp