MY PREGNANCY BABY

Hip Chick's Guide to PMS, Periods, Pregnancy & Babies

DP Nguyen

Baby Poop Decoder: Guide to Baby Stools

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Baby poop is gross, but someone’s gonna wipe that baby’s bottom. He or she just isn’t old enough to grasp the meaning of bladder control and wipe before you flush. So mom and dad, you have to step up and do the job for baby until he or she is ready to potty train.

If you’re a first-time parent, you may be surprised to see that baby poop doesn’t always look the same. Every time you change your sweetie’s diaper, your baby’s stool may be a different color, and even a different consistency. With so many shades and consistencies, you might be wondering what’s normal and what should make you worry.

Eww – should I call the pediatrician? Or is this color normal?

Here’s my “Baby Poop Decoder” to help you on your way. You’ll quickly find out what’s perfectly normal, and what should concern you.

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Eating Peanuts During Pregnancy Linked to Peanut Allergies

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The statistics of food allergies among American children is on the rise. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of children with food allergies increased 18 percent between 1997 and 2007. To put it in perspective for you, about three million children under the age of 18 has a food or digestive allergy. Time Magazine reports that six percent of children under age three has a food allergy, and two percent are allergic to peanuts.

Researchers and concerned parents want to know – what’s causing their children to develop these allergies? Could it have something to do with the foods that pregnant women eat? That’s a strong possibility, according to a new study published in the November issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

This new research study suggests that eating peanuts during pregnancy increases your baby’s risk of developing peanut allergies later in life. In fact, the more peanuts that a pregnant woman eats in her third trimester, the higher her baby’s risk of being sensitive and possibly allergic to peanuts.

To conduct the study, researchers looked at 503 infants, between the ages of 3 and 15 months, who displayed signs of milk and egg allergies. (These babies did not have peanut allergies, but the researchers theorized that they were more likely to develop reactions to peanuts.) The infants of mothers who ate peanut products more than twice a week during pregnancy had stronger sensitivity to peanuts, compared to babies whose moms did not eat as many peanut products. In a nutshell, moms who ate peanuts during pregnancy were at an increased risk of having a baby with a peanut allergy.

The results of this study are only the latest in a string of conflicting studies. Some studies have found no link between eating peanuts during pregnancy and food allergy development, while others, like this one, suggest that there may be a connection.

Research studies are confusing, but try not to feel guilty if you love eating peanuts. Many parents believe that you need to eat peanuts during pregnancy to expose your child, while others argue that you need to avoid it completely out of fear of peanut allergies. The choice is up to you, but trust me, you’re not the only one flipping back and forth.

Even the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t know the answer to this question. Between 1998 and 2000, the academy advised pregnant women with a family history of food allergies to avoid peanuts to help reduce the chances of food allergies in their children. Then in 2008, small studies in England found that there was no link to peanut consumption during pregnancy and peanut allergies in newborns, so this policy was reversed.

The bottom line: the research is mixed and there is no consensus. But one thing is clear – there is not enough scientific evidence to suggest that you could completely cut out peanuts from your diet. The best thing you can do for your baby is to eat a healthy and balanced diet.

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If you’re interested in discussing pregnancy with other pregnant women, and hip moms of all ages, check out the PregnancyGroup.org.

Moderate Caffeine OK During Pregnancy

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Last week, when I wrote about the Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy, I mentioned that you should probably give up your morning cup of coffee – just to be on the safe side. Excessive amounts of coffee (caffeine) has been linked to increasing your risk of having a miscarriage and delivering a premature baby.

If you’re a regular coffee lover, you’ll be happy to learn that earlier this summer, on July, 21, 2010, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a new position statement on caffeine consumption during pregnancy. The official recommendation is that moderate amounts of caffeine every day is perfectly fine for the mom-to-be.

“For years, women have been getting mixed messages about whether or not they should have any caffeine during pregnancy. After a review of the scientific evidence to date, daily moderate caffeine consumption doesn’t appear to have any major impact in causing miscarriage or preterm birth,” said Dr. William H. Barth, Jr., MD, chair of the Committee on Obstetric Practice in the official press release.

In a nutshell, don’t stress out about drinking that cup of coffee, having your favorite soft drink, or indulging yourself with that delicious bar of dark chocolate. But don’t overdo it with the caffeine-laced foods and drinks. Too much caffeine can still cause harm to your baby.

“Moderate caffeine consumption” is defined as less than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, which means only about 12 ounces of coffee a day. To help you put this measurement in perspective, an 8-ounce cup of brewed drip coffee is about 137 milligrams of caffeine, while an 8-ounce cup of instant coffee only contains 76 milligrams.

Caffeinated tea and regular soft drinks typically contain less than 50 milligrams of caffeine, and the average chocolate candy bar contains less than 35 milligrams. Staying within your daily caffeine limit should be pretty simple.

Remember to anything in moderation will be OK and won’t harm your baby. But the key word is “moderation.”

Learn more:
Early Pregnancy Loss: Miscarriage and Molar Pregnancy (ACOG)

Eating for Two – Weight Gain During Pregnancy

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We’ve all heard the expression “Eating for Two.” And if you don’t know a thing about pregnancy – which I didn’t, before I started working for an OB/GYN – you might think, “Oh, well, that means I eat double what I normally do. Go wild with the snacks and fast food.” It only makes sense, right? You have a new life inside you depending on you for his/her nutrient supply.

WRONG!

Eating for two does not mean that you can just eat anything that you want. In fact, you have to be careful about what you eat during pregnancy. There are foods to avoid, and you should try to eat a balanced diet to ensure that your developing baby receives all the vitamins and nutrients that he/she requires to develop healthy and strong.

During pregnancy, you only need to supplement your regular diet with 300 extra calories (if you’re carrying one baby). This is easily achieved. You just need to add a glass of milk here, possibly a peanut butter and jelly sandwich there, and slices of fruit as a snack. The exact amount of calories that you need to add depends on your weight before pregnancy. Your doctor or healthcare provider will be able to tell you more specifics about your general case.

The Food Pyramid is a good guide to follow when it comes to helping you find a healthy and balanced diet.

To have a healthy and happy pregnancy with few bumps along the way, you should only gain the recommended weight gain for your size. If you gain too much, or too little, this can be detrimental to your baby. In other words, it’s not a good idea. Try to stay in the recommended weight gain limit if it’s at all possible.

If you gain too little during pregnancy, this puts you at risk for having a small baby (one that weights less than 5.5 pounds) and having a premature baby. If you gain too much weight, you face the risk of preterm labor and delivery, a large baby, and a possible cesarean section (c-section). Plus, if you put on too much pregnancy weight, you may end up with gestational diabetes (diabetes that develops out of nowhere during pregnancy, which goes away after your baby is born), high blood pressure, and (gasp) unattractive varicose veins. You may also develop pregnancy stretch marks.

A perk of gaining just the right amount of weight – you will lose your pregnancy fat much faster. You will go back to your pre-pregnancy size faster than women who gain too much weight.

Recommended Pregnancy Weight Gain For Your Body Size

For the best outcome, if you started your pregnancy at an average size, you should aim to gain 25 to 35 pounds over the course of 40 weeks. This means that you should expect to gain between 1 and 4.5 pounds in your first trimester (the first 13 weeks), and you’ll gain at least one pound every week the rest of your pregnancy week by week.

Women who were underweight when they first got pregnant should gain between 28 and 40 pounds during pregnancy. This means, they should aim to gain between 1 and 4.5 pounds in the first trimester, and more than one pound with each week that passes from the second trimester onward.

Now, if you were overweight when you first became pregnant, you should aim to gain only 15 to 25 pounds over the 40 weeks of pregnancy. This means, you should gain between 1 and 4.5 pounds in the first 13 weeks, and only gain one-half pound the rest of your pregnancy week by week.

* Please do not attempt to diet or lose weight during pregnancy. This will definitely hurt your baby!

The pregnancy weight gain is slightly different if you are carrying twins or multiples. Average-sized women carrying twins should aim to gain between 37 and 54 pounds.

How Accurate are Home Pregnancy Tests?

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Whether you’re trying to conceive, or you’re afraid that you accidentally got pregnant, you will want to know the answer to – “How Accurate are Home Pregnancy Tests?” In order to understand the accuracy of home pregnancy tests, you have to first learn about how they work, what hormones they measure, and how soon you can take the test.

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October is SIDS Awareness Month – Overview of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

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Did you know that October is SIDS Awareness Month? (Yes, I know it’s the end of the month, but I think this is a worthy topic to blog about. And an important one, especially with the infant sleep positioner recalls recently).

SIDS – or sudden infant death syndrome – is a silent killer that claims the lives of an estimated 2,500 seemingly healthy infants each year. Like its name implies, SIDS is the sudden and unexplained death of babies under one year old. More SIDS deaths occur between 2 and 4 months of age, and the risk increases during the winter months. It affects more boys than girls. And despite years of research, this disease remains the leading cause of death among infants between the ages of one month and one year old.

While your child’s risk of SIDS is rare, it’s a frightening phenomenon. Unsuspecting parents come into the nursery to check on their newborn, only to find that he has died in his sleep. Parents are left devastated and with no answers. While scientists have pinpointed risk factors for SIDS, they still do not know what causes it or how to prevent it. They only have theories.

Many researchers now argue that SIDS babies are born with one or more conditions that make them vulnerable to certain stressors. Some scientists believe that these babies may be born with defects in their nervous system – in the areas that control their breathing and heart rate. In addition, SIDS babies may have immature brainstems, compared to other babies. The brainstem region is the area that controls their respiratory function (breathing) and wakes them up from sleep.

When a baby with these vulnerabilities is placed in a compromising position, such as being placed stomach down with their faces burrowed in soft bedding, they have a harder time being aroused from sleep (due to their immature brainstems), so they continue to “re-breathe” (inhaling their own exhaled air). When these infants “re-breathe,” the level of carbon dioxide in their bodies increases and the level of oxygen decreases. Eventually, this lack of oxygen will cause their deaths.

For this reason, all doctors and pediatricians recommend that you place your baby to sleep on his back on a firm mattress.

Fun Fact: The SIDS deaths in the United States has declined over 50 percent since 1994, when parents were first encouraged to put their babies to sleep on their backs.

Despite this encouraging statistic, babies still die from SIDS every year. And unfortunately, there is no known way to prevent SIDS, however, there are steps you can take to reduce your child’s risk.

One way to possibly prevent SIDS is to eliminate the known risk factors of SIDS, including:

  • Exposure to Smoke – Your child is at greater risk of SIDS if you smoked during pregnancy, or if a newborn is around secondhand smoke.
  • Overheating – Infants are at greater risk of SIDS if they have an elevated body temperature. For this reason, the American Association of Pediatrics recommends that you keep the room temperature comfortable and limit how many blankets and outfits you place on your child.
  • Soft Bedding – Research has found that babies sleeping on a soft mattress or soft bedding have double the risk of SIDS.
  • Stomach Sleeping – Infants who sleep on their stomachs have a much higher risk of SIDS. That’s because stomach-sleeping babies are more likely to overheat, have pauses in breathing, and re-breathing his exhaled air.

You might be able to lower your child’s risk of SIDS if you follow these tips, as suggested by the American Sudden Infant Death Institute:

  • Always place your child to sleep on his back.
  • Put babies to sleep on a firm mattress. Do not place anything (no covers, pillows, toys, etc.) in the crib with your baby.
  • Do not co-sleep with your child.
  • Don’t over-clothe your child. Only dress him warm enough without having to use a blanket or cover.
  • Breastfeed your child if possible. (Infants who are breastfed are at reduced risk of SIDS).
  • Give your baby a pacifier. (Pacifier use is linked to lowering the risk of SIDS).

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