Baby Babble

Exercise good for expecting mom, good for baby's future

"Fetal cardiac autonomic nervous system regulation" is improved for an unborn child when his or her mom does cardiovascular exercise.  What that means in plain English is that the child's heart may benefit from exercise in the same way that exercise benefits us adults.  It could mean long-term heart health for that child, according to one researcher.  Blood pressure, breathing rate and the regulation of internal organs may all benefit. The findings were reported this week at the American Physiological Society, part of the Experimental Biology 2008 scientific conference. The study compared pregnant women who exercised at least 30 minutes at a time, three times a week, with moderate intensity aerobic exercise with those who did not exercise at all. The fetal heart rates were measured for developing fetuses between 28 and 38 weeks of pregnancy.

Ideal age for new moms? You tell us

The folks at MSNBC recently put together a great report on the modern-day quest for babyhood, including fertility issues and technology. Check out their report, Baby Quest, here.  The on-line program eventually led to an on-line discussion about the best age at which to become a parent and we thought that was fascinating. As you might guess, opinions are all over the map on this--young is best because you have the energy; older is best because you have the wisdom and the finances; any time is best because babies are just a blessing. Read what the MSNBC crowd had to say on this topic, then come back here to The Baby Babble and take our mini-poll.

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Shall we go back to pregnant moms drinking?

It seems that over in Great Britain, a debate has arisen among medical establishments about whether and how much a pregnant woman should drink. The British Medical Association does care for any alcohol during pregnancy. Last fall, something called the National Institute of Clinical Excellence suggested that a glass or two now and then wouldn't be a bad thing--but not in the first trimester. Now that group has switched gears again and said it's best to have none at all.

Over on this side of the pond (the United States), the Centers for Disease Control has recommended no alcohol consumption, saying, "Research demonstrates that prenatal alcohol exposure can result in a spectrum of birth defects that can affect a child's growth, appearance, cognitive development, and behavior (1,2). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are preventable if a woman abstains from drinking alcohol while pregnant."

In 2005, the U.S. Surgeon General suggested total abstinence for the same reasons. We seem to be leaning toward the "Better safe than sorry" advice, though research has yet to prove exactly at what quantity and what times alcohol might harm a developing fetus.

The last data available, from 2003, indicates that about 10 percent of American women go on drinking when they are pregant.

The Surgeon General's Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy is available at http://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/pressreleases/sg02222005.html.

Additional information about alcohol use and pregnancy is available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at http://www.fascenter.samhsa.gov.

What do you think about this topic? Would you/did you drink anything while pregnant? What advice to you give to women who are expecting? Fill out our mini-poll below, and/or click onto "Comments (0)" just below and leave you thoughts here at The Baby Babble.

Becoming a mother later in life

In this article from the Peoria, Illinois Star, writer Sonya Embry does a wonderful job of profiling four women who had children later in life, and the types of challenges and joys they've had as a result.  Her article is a wonderful exploration of how women's lives are just so much more complicated these days.  There are choices--in lifestyle, geography, career and even whether or not to marry---that just didn't really exist for some many women not that long ago.

Give Ms. Emry's article a read and then write us here with your comments.  Is there an upper age limit at which it's best not to consider having children? Are older women better mothers? Do children suffer when their parents are older than average?

Take our poll below and/or send your stories and comments by clicking on the word "Comments" just below.  It will open up to a new screen where you can enter your thoughts. They will be shown here at the bottom of this entry immediately.  Don't forget to email a friend who just may have strong opinions on this, or a good story to tell!

Best way to fit exercise into a new mom’s life

A lot of women, understandably, wish to get back to their pre-pregnancy weight, or better, as soon as possible after the birth of their child, but they shouldn’t be in too much of a hurry. No mom should even THINK about losing weight and exercising until at least 6 weeks after the birth. After approval from her doctor and making a plan together, she can then begin limiting calories and upping physical activity, but always with an eye toward getting adequate nutrition for breast feeding (which can burn 600 to 800 calories a day). A woman should strive to lose the extra weight by the 6-month mark, however, or she could be at risk for obesity. And, we can hear all you new mothers out there saying, "Yeah, right, like I have time for exercise." Here are five ways to get started in the right direction, courtesy of Fit Pregnancy Magazine.

1) Stock up on nutritious, fast snack foods.

2) Eat small meals and snacks throughout the day to keep your blood sugar even. Distribute your calories evenly. This helps destroy binging tendencies and is better for you and the baby.

3) Think before you munch.

4) Load up on fluids, drinking 8 ounces of water or other non-caloric beverage 8 times a day, even more if you are breast feeding.

5) Be patient. It can take more than a year to take off pregnancy weight gain.

6) Get moving with baby:

• Pushing a stroller 1 ½ miles for 30 minutes burns 150 calories.
• Use baby as a weight. Hold her against your chest and do lunges or lie on your back holding baby up, pressing to the ceiling.

7) Take naps—you’re less likely to over-eat if you are fully rested.

How did you begin to get moving after baby was born? How long did it take you to lose the baby weight? Write us here using the comment feature just below.

New guidelines issued on pain relief during labor and delivery

Guidelines related to anesthesia and pain relief for women during labor and delivery, first drafted in 1998, have been revised by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and are now published in the April edition of the journal Anesthesiology. The guidelines offer information that may be helpful for women to consider before their baby is due, and they give guidance on a broader range of pain control methods than in the past. On change states that women in early labor should be offered the option of spinal or epidural analgesia, according to the new recommendations, and they should be assured that choosing one of these methods does not increase the likelihood of needing a Cesarean section, as many fear.  The new guidelines also state that these two methods are preferred, when a Cesarean is necessary, rather than general anesthesia.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists provides more information here.

Did you make specific decisions about your pain relief methods (or not) before giving birth? Write us here with your own thoughts, concerns and advice. We'd love to hear it. Use the comment feature just below.

Will your next baby be a Suri or Shiloh?

The end-of-the-year tallies are in at BabyNames.com and it seems that Ava and Aidan are topping the list of baby names for 2006.  Madison is soooooo 2005 for a girl's name. Now instead of Number 1, it only weighs in at Number 4 on the list of popular girl names.  The Baby Names folks says they've noticed an uptick in the number of names being influenced by celebrity culture (Ava having been inspired, apparently, by Reese Whitherspoon a few years back).  But, a celebrity baby name takes a while to catch on, usually about three or four years to really become popular. If that's true, look for a lot of girls named Suri and boys named Shiloh in three or four years.

Older new mothers are okay

A small study of women who gave birth at age 50 or older shows they do not, as is current thinking, have "reduced parenting capacity." The study involved only 49 women, who reported on their level of physical and mental stress after giving birth. While it appears these older new-moms have reduced physical capacity, their mental capacity is better, and that there was no significant difference between older and younger women in overall parenting stress. So there.

Are you a new-mom and over the age of 50? We'd love to hear your story. Write us here using the comment feature below.

Drinking and pregnancy poses quandry for some

Since the early 1980s, doctors have advised no drinking at all for pregnant women, but some women question that advice and, truthfully, medical research can't be found to support it.  However, everyone does seem to agree that HEAVY drinking is potentially dangerous for the developing baby (and the mother-to-be, for that matter). In this great article from the New York Times, one food writer muses and explores her own choice--to drink in extreme moderation during her pregnancy--but wonders if she's done the right thing.  Since researchers first identified Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, labels on alcohol bottles and doctors themselves err on the side of caution by advising no drinking at all.  How much is too much is a difficult thing to measure because, for one thing, you can't conduct these kinds of tests on pregnant women. For another, one woman's physical response to alcohol can be way different than another's. And, drinking two glasses of wine quickly will mean one thing, while drinking one small glass of beer over the course of a few hours will mean another.

So, doctors and women waffle and look to research and try to find proof, and then decide their own behavior accordingly. What do you think? Take our Baby Babble survey below (its completely confidential) and let us know your own decisions in this area while you were pregnant. Care to comment instead? Use our comment feature, just below.

Don't create future smokers while creating babies

If you smoke during pregnancy, your child will be more likely to take up smoking than the children of mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy. That's the finding of a recent study conducted in Australia and reported this month in the journal Tobacco Control. The children of 1,000 women were studied and the research showed they were three times more likely to start smoking by the time they reach age 14, and two times more likely than other children to begin after that age. The findings suggest yet another good reason for women not to smoke during child-bearing years and to give up smoking as soon as they know they are pregnant.

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