ClubMom Members: Purchase = one of=20 Brette's books at Barnes & Noble and earn 5 Points per dollar:
Complete Credit Repair Kit
Plus-Size Pregnancy Can Be Healthy
Get the information you need to have a healthy baby
By=20 ClubMom Pregnancy Health and Divorce ExpertBrette Sember is a former = attorney,=20 mother of two, and nationally recognized expert on pregnancy, divorce, = parenting=20 and credit. She is the author of books such as Your Plus-Size = Pregnancy,=20 Your Practical Pregnancy Planner, The Complete Credit Repair Kit, How to = Parent=20 with Your Ex, No-Fight Divorce and The Divorce Organizer & = Planner. =20 She is the owner of the web site
With over half of all pregnant women falling in the plus-size =
category,=20
plus-size pregnancy is something that can no longer be ignored. If =
you're=20
plus-size, you've probably heard things about how your weight can affect =
your=20
health. But being plus-size doesn't mean you can't have a wonderful, =
healthy=20
pregnancy and a beautiful, healthy baby if you get the information you =
need and=20
receive good medical care.
Find a Size-Friendly=20
Caregiver
Find a caregiver who is accepting of you and your =
body=20
shape, and will work with you to help you have the healthiest possible=20
pregnancy. Ann Douglas, author of The Mother of All Pregnancy =
Books,=20
herself a plus-size mother of four, says, "You want someone who will =
help you to=20
set weight gain goals for yourself, but who won't make you feel like an =
unfit=20
mother if you happen to gain an extra pound or two one =
month."
Interview=20
your doctor or midwife at your first appointment and ask specific=20
questions:
* Do you consider yourself to be sensitive to the =
needs and=20
feelings of larger women?
* What kind of weight gain do you recommend =
for a=20
large woman during pregnancy?
* Where is the scale located for=20
weigh-ins?
* Does your office have larger-size gowns and blood =
pressure=20
cuffs?
If the answers you receive make you uncomfortable, go =
elsewhere.=20
Remember that part of your caregiver's job is to talk to you about your =
risks=20
and health concerns. The news might not always be just what you want to =
hear,=20
but you want a caregiver who can do so without blaming you or scolding =
you.=20
Don't be embarrassed by your weight or shape =97 doctors and =
midwives see=20
bodies of all shapes and sizes all the time. It is important that you =
find a=20
caregiver with whom you can be honest, one who will listen to your =
concerns and=20
questions and treat you with the respect you =
deserve.
Health=20
Concerns
You may worry that your weight will affect your =
chances for=20
a healthy pregnancy. Remember that the odds are that you will have a =
healthy=20
pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby. However, plus-size moms are at a =
higher=20
risk for some conditions.
"Obese women also develop high blood =
pressure=20
more often than thinner women," says M. Kelly Shanahan, MD, FACOG, a =
practicing=20
OB/GYN and author of Your Over-35 Week-by-Week Pregnancy =
Guide. =20
Plus-size moms-to-be are at increased risk for gestational diabetes, =
which can=20
lead to a big baby. "Even without diabetes, larger women tend to have =
larger=20
babies," notes Dr. Shanahan. "Large babies may mean more cesarean =
sections and=20
more risk of injury to the baby during a vaginal birth." There's an =
increased=20
risk of shoulder dystocia, where the shoulders get stuck, which can lead =
to=20
nerve damage in the baby and vaginal tears in the mom. "Women who are =
obese=20
should be screened for gestational diabetes in the first trimester; if =
this=20
testing is normal, they should be tested again in the usual 24 to 28 =
week=20
range." Controlling weight gain and monitoring the baby's size can help =
avoid=20
this.
The March of Dimes in its February 2002 report "Nutrition =
Today=20
Matters Tomorrow", reports that overweight women are at a 30 percent to =
40=20
percent higher risk of delivering babies with birth defects. Don't =
panic; some=20
of the risk can be reduced with folic acid supplements. Talk to your =
caregiver=20
for more information
Make sure your care provider discusses these =
conditions with you and monitors you for them. At the same time, =
remember that=20
your caregiver monitors all pregnant moms for these conditions, and will =
do the=20
same for you. Don't feel you are being singled out because of your =
weight.=20
Weight Gain and Pregnancy
One of the biggest =
misconceptions is that you shouldn't gain any weight during pregnancy if =
you are=20
larger than average size. Don't believe it!
Dr. Robert A. =
Hadden,=20
assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia=20
University, agrees. "I would never recommend someone to diet during =
pregnancy."=20
Recommended gain for plus-size moms is between 15 and 20 =
pounds.
In fact,=20
a 1996 study reported in the medical journal Obstetrics &=20
Gynecology found that gaining little or no weight won't necessarily =
make=20
you or your baby any healthier. "It's not healthy for a woman to aim for =
zero=20
weight gain during pregnancy," agrees Douglas. "Try not to beat yourself =
up if=20
you exceed it, but, at the same time, don't give yourself carte blanche =
to gain=20
50 pounds during your pregnancy."
Simply be realistic about your =
weight=20
gain and try to focus on eating healthy foods. Talk to your caregiver =
about how=20
much weight he or she recommends for you.
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