|
Hi all,
I'm a midwifery student, and last semester completed an assignment on nutrition and weight gain in pregnancy. I repeatedly found literature that advised against losing weight in pregnancy because of all of the reasons that have already been discussed on this thread, such as the release of toxins, and the fact that an "overweight" woman does not necessarily mean someone who is less healthy than someone who is deemed "slim". The key seemed to be adequate nutrition more than anything else.
I found a guideline that recommended that women who had a BMI of less than 19.8 should gain between 12.5 to 18kg, BMI 19.8 - 26
(11.5-16kg) BMI 26-29 (7-11.5kg) and BMI larger than 29 (at least 7kg). I dont have a reference for this info, but am happy to share other references i found for the assignment.
Samantha
-------Original Message-------
Date: 01/29/06 20:13:02
Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] Weight gain in pregnancy
Hi Amanda,
As I said, the risks are small, and decreasing all the time. I was stating that the information that we have (about toxins being released into the blood stream when weight is lost by women who are breast feeding) should be a caution to anyone who wishes to intentionally lose a large amount of weight when pregnant or breast feeding. I would never ever suggest that women should stop breastfeeding because of fear of these toxins, unless the risk outweighed the benefits, and I would not be the judge of that.
Kind regards,
Nicole.
I was always told that one of the best ways to get rid of extra pregnancy kilo's (usually stored as fat) was to breastfeed? whether your start weight at the beginning of pregnancy was 110kg or 50kg there will be excess fat in the body, should we stop breastfeeding for fear of these toxins? Some women like me (luckily, but only for the first month) lose weight after giving birth very rapidly without even trying, I droped 18kg in two weeks after my second baby was born (I am also overweight). Mothers and Mothers-to-be have enough stress as it is without this, I say- baby healthy, mum healthy then job well done on her behalf!
Aren't there more toxins in the air we breath than those released by fat cells in weight loss?
Amanda
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 1:34 PM
Subject: RE: [ozmidwifery] Weight gain in pregnancy
Hi all,
I have been through my lactation textbooks, which are getting a bit ancient I must admit, regarding the safety or otherwise of dieting in pregnancy question. I was able to find a reference to toxins in breastmilk in Breastfeeding Matters by Maureen Minchin on p28-30 "A baby's exposure to toxins may be increased if his mother diets sufficiently to break down body fat during lactation, as fat-soluble chemicals may be excreted in milk. Hence mothers should not aim at rapid weight loss during lactation. " It is easier for chemicals to get to the foetus than it is for them to get to breast fed infants, so one may assume that there is some degree of risk during pregnancy from dieting IF there are pesticides in the mother's fat stores. It may be difficult to assess the degree of risk for a particular woman, but loss of large amounts of fat, particularly fat that has been there a long time, during pregnancy may be inadvisable.
I have been trawling through some websites I obtained from a google search and it seems that pesticides in human milk (and presumably in everyone's bodies) are dropping, as many have been banned from use. However the number of sites that I found indicate that this has been of concern to many poeple. Worth a look, but I think the risks are fairly small unless a woman has been working with the chemicals herself or perhaps if she lives on a farm where they have used a lot of these chemicals in the past (they take a long time to break down).
The other websites which mentioned dieting in pregnancy advised against it due to the additional nutritional requirements of the mother due to the needs of the fetus and physiological changes in the mother. Personally, I always lose weight (up to 10kg) at the start of my pregnancies due to 'morning sickness'. I usually regain this weight, plus a little more, mainly in the last month. My pregnancy outcomes seem to be fine (kids now 7-19 years old).
From all of this I think it probably inadvisable to lose large amounts of weight during pregnancy, and particularly for women who may have had exposure to harmful chemicals. However, a small weight loss, such as that achieved by Judy's friend (6kg), particularly if they are gradual, might be OK. It seems like an area that could do with some more research, however, it is not a topic that lends itself to a randomised controlled trial!
Regards,
Nicole.
No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.14.23/243 - Release Date: 1/27/2006
| 
