To Be Mom

Trigerred by Brangelina’s third adoption, psychologists have started to show interest on this topic and have their say about the motivating force behind such multiple adoptions. Jolie has again adopted a child. This time it is a 3-year-old boy from Tam Binh orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The celebrity couple already have three children. One is their 1-year-old biological son and the other two, a boy and a girl, are adopted. What makes a woman go for multiple adoptions? Psychologists are of a unanimous opinion that the driving force behind multiple adoptions, especially by fertile couples who can have their own biological child, is a very complex one. Psychologist Hilary Hanafin believes that secondary infertility, in which a woman can have one biological child but not a second, could be behind it. But she admits the reason can vary from person to person. She says, A mother could feel inspired and achieve satisfaction from knowing she provides love to a child who would not have a traditional home. Or she could feel a special connection through her own personal history that makes adoption very appealing. Maybe she was adopted or lived in a foreign country. David Kirschner, the author of ‘Adoption: Unchartered Waters’, views this tendency as an obsession and believes that there is some complex and stronger mental force at play. He says, Certainly there is something obsessive about it. We call these complex human behaviors multidetermined. That is, there are a number of emotional/psychological/personality needs that are all being met by the act of multiple adopting in this case. Multiple adoptions might also be symptomatic of some guilt/redemption psychological dynamic. A fear of pregnancy complications and pain of childbirth may motivate some, competitive needs may motivate others to have the largest, most wonderful, most diverse family in the universe. The motivating force behind Angelina Jolie’s multiple adoptions is related to the complexities of a human mind and hence it cannot be easily secluded. This is no time to draw any conclusions as these are unchartered areas of a human mind.

Women expecting to be moms should add whole-milk products to their meals instead of skim or low-fat milk products. This advice is based on the findings of a new study, which followed more than 18,000 premenopausal women without a history of infertility over an eight-year period. During the course of this study, where whole-milk products were found increasing women’s fertility at the same time, skim or low fat ones were found doing just the opposite. As per the findings of this study, women who consumed one or more servings of whole-milk products a day were 27 per cent less likely to experience infertility caused by a failure to ovulate than those who ate less than one serving a week. On the other end, women eating at least two servings a day of low-fat dairy food were more likely to ovulate. Does intake of whole-milk products really bolster women’s fertility? How far findings, of this study are reliable? These are some of the questions that this study has given way to. In the upcoming days, only time will decide that how far findings of this study are trustworthy.

At times, would be moms experience some kind of uneasiness during the nine months which hamper their usual activities. Their blood pressure dips regularly. Back pain increases almost daily. Sabine Meier, a 44-year-old midwife from the German town of Viersen asserted, in such cases exercise is an effective way to reduce discomfort and counteract common pregnancy-related problems early on. Joachim Dudenhausen, director of the obstetrics clinic at Berlin’s Charite hospital, agreed, he said, exercising during pregnancy is very beneficial because it strengthens muscles, increases lung capacity and enhances overall well-being. Exercise eases pregnancy-related complaints such as tension in the neck and shoulders and problems in the area of the lower spine. Women who are physically fit usually recover from childbirth more quickly than those who are not. Lately, a survey by German Sport University in Cologne reported that although most of the women are aware of the exercise benefits during pregnancy yet percentage of women doing exercises is very less. However many women are unsure if they should work out while pregnant, and if so, in what way. Generally speaking, any pregnant woman can exercise so long as her belly doesn’t get in the way, Dudenhausen answered. While working out, pregnant women must bear in mind to avoid certain exercises in where the risk of injury is very high for instance, weight training, horseback riding and fast-paced ball games like squash. Even if you are not able to devote time for exercises or in some way not able to do them then walking would be the best solution for the problem. During walks, the joints and dorsal vertebrae that are under extra strain during pregnancy are not burdened much, circulation improves, and almost all of the muscle groups are worked at the same time.

What’s TV got to do with pregnancy pounds? It’s obvious that when anyone, whether they are pregnant, new moms or anybody else are engaged in watching their favorite soaps and consuming foods rich in calories cannot lose weight. A study was conducted on over nine hundred women to find how their activities post pregnancy affected their weight. The new moms were asked about the time they spent in front of the television, their physical activities and their diet. It was found that women who spent more time in front of the tube lost very little weight and for every extra hour of TV a woman watched each day, her risk of retaining 5 kg or more increased by 24 percent. They also found that women who watched less than 2 hours of TV daily, walked for at least 30 minutes a day, and consumed less Trans fat than the group average had a 77-percent lower risk of holding on to 5 kg or more of post-pregnancy weight. When people are not sitting in front of the tube they are most likely to be engaged in some or the other physical activity and of course walking and consuming less amounts of trans foods would help anyone trim down, not just new moms. What beats me is the purpose of the study; I fail to understand why the researchers had to go through this study wasting time and money and coming to conclusions which are obvious!

A well balanced meal during your pregnancy ensures that you get enough energy and nutrients for your baby to grow and develop, and for your body to cope with the changes taking place. Pregnancy is the time when you can eat anything to satisfy your food cravings. However there are foods that should be avoided during pregnancy which include: (1) Raw meat, shellfish and eggs- A pregnant woman should avoid sushi and other raw fish, especially shellfish (oysters, clams). These can be polluted by raw sewage and can contain harmful microbes that can lead to severe gastrointestinal illness. They should aslo avoid eating raw or undercooked meats, poultry and eggs because these can increase their risk of a number of food-borne illnesses (including listeriosis, E. coli and Campylobacter infections, salmonellosis and toxoplasmosis). (2) Many deli meats that could be undercooked and harbor bacteria. During pregnancy, it’s a good idea to reheat deli meats until they’re steaming. (3) Fish that contain mercury or have been exposed to pollutants- High levels of mercury can harm an unborn baby or young child’s developing nervous system. Some game fish (including bluefish, striped bass, salmon, trout and northern and walleyed pike) may be contaminated by mercury and other industrial pollutants such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Some studies suggest that exposure to high levels of PCBs before birth may contribute to learning problems, decreased IQ and reduced birthweight. (4) Unpasteurized milk, soft cheeses and pate- Certain soft cheeses, ready-to-eat meats and unpasteurized milk can cause a form of food poisoning called listeriosis. Listeriosis is caused by a bacterium (Listeria monocytogenes) and is especially dangerous during pregnancy.When a pregnant woman is infected with listeriosis, she may have a miscarriage, premature delivery or stillbirth, or her newborn baby may become seriously ill and may die. (5) Unwashed, raw vegetables- Raw vegetable sprouts and fresh (unpasteurized) fruit and vegetable juices can carry disease-causing bacteria (such as Salmonella and E. coli), making them unsafe choices for pregnant women. If a pregnant woman can pass a Salmonella or E. coli infection on to her fetus, the baby can develop diarrhea, fever and, less frequently, meningitis after birth.

Women facing high level of blood pressure during pregnancy are comparatively at an elevated risk of stroke or other heart problems later in their lives, a new study published in the Journal of American Society of Nephrology states. Before coming up with these findings, researchers went through the data of almost 5,000 women and found that about half of the women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy also had it again in their 50s. Moreover, such women were more prone to stores or heart attacks. Therefore, it is better to keep a check on blood pressure level, especially during pregnancy and for that don’t hesitate to have counsel of a gynecologist.

Recent study by the University of Rochester has postulated that men whose mothers ate large amounts of beef during pregnancy were three times more likely to have a sub-fertile sperm count. Researchers think that it is because of the growth hormone which was used by the beef industry. Although the hormones were banned in Europe but was not the case in the US, it made use of testosterone and progesterone, sex hormone. The chief researcher accepted the fact that lifestyle and exposure to pesticides are probable causes yet he advocated the stance by saying, Theoretically, the fetus and young children are particularly sensitive to exposure to sex steroids. Therefore, the consumption of residues of steroids in meat by pregnant women and young children is of particular concern. Hey, I am a bit skeptical about the whole affair, even if it talks about this research thing. What do you have to say in this regard?

How much gain in the body weight is good for moms during pregnancy, this question seems to be getting under scrutiny this time, with the news unveiling that women who gained the recommended amount of weight ran four times the risk of having a child who was overweight at age 3, compared to women who gained less than the advised amount. Moreover, outcomes were same in the women who gained more than the recommended amount of weight. Findings of this study have sparked a new question that what a pregnant mom should do. Should she not meet the requirement of recommended weight gain? Well, experts believe that no doubt, further investigation on this issue is required but they also not stay away from advising that pregnant moms should not try to gain less weight than recommended, as it may prove harmful for the kid. However, this fact can also not be spurned away that if moms gain weight in excess during pregnancy then too they may invite serious complications like prolonged obesity. Moreover, gaining too much weight increases the risk for having a baby that is too large, leading to a difficult delivery or Caesarean section, etc. The best answer to this question seems that neither pregnant moms should gain weight that is less than recommended nor more than recommended, but as recommended by the Gynecologists. As stated by Lisa Bodner, an assistant professor of epidemiology and obstetrics-gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health: … We just have to find a middle ground.

Experts have postulated that stress and depression during pregnancy is directly proportional to premature birth. Hormones which are related to stress play an important part in the development of unborn baby and this tends to shoot up in women who are in depression during pregnancy. High levels of these hormones are involved in triggering labor, leading scientists to believe they could be behind many of the 45,000 premature births that occur in the UK each year – with potentially devastating results. Premature babies tend to die within the first few weeks of their births and if any amongst them survive, they tend to live with health problems such as, lung disease, cerebral palsy, blindness or deafness. Dr Veronica O’Keane, a specialist in mental health in pregnancy, stated ‘many thousands’ of the unexplained premature births are likely to be caused by soaring levels of stress hormones and they could be prevented by treating stress and depression in pregnancy. Dr O’Keane, pointed out that it’s myth that women do not under go depression during pregnancy and that they are their ‘happiest’ mood. However, pregnancy is a stage when women under goes various mood swings and hence, depression comes as a part of pregnancy. Work carried out by Dr O’Keane and presented at a London conference held by the Institute of Psychiatry, hinted that children whose mothers become depressed during pregnancy find it harder to handle stress themselves. Therefore, stress in any given day is not only good for the would-be mother after all it affects the mental health of the progeny as well.

Parents planning to have a child at an older age might be risky as they are at risk of having an autistic child. Research has found that there is a link between parent’s age and autism. A study was conducted on autistic children and found that when compared with parents between 25 and 29 years of age, mothers and fathers who were 40 years of age or older were 27 percent and 52 percent more likely, respectively, to have a child with an ASD though the researchers emphasize that the chances of having a child with ASD are small. A number of studies have looked at the impact of maternal age on autism, but the results have been inconsistent. Paternal age has been much less studied and our findings support a link between advanced (parental) age and autism, although the effect on risk is small lead author Dr. Lisa A. Croen told Reuters Health. Previous research has also shown supporting a link and the fact that a number of childhood diseases are associated with advanced parental age. The team is using this data to conduct further studies and publish their findings.