Your spouse’s habit can affect your pregnancy

You’ve probably made many changes in your lifestyle since you’ve become pregnant, but here’s one your partner should make. Two large studies in the Journal Sleep found that pregnant women exposed to second hand smoke were far more likely to have problems related to sleep. They found that when expectant women were passively exposed to tobacco smoke by being near smokers, they were more likely to experience inadequate sleep, problems falling asleep, frequent premature awakenings and increased snoring. Interestingly, those exposed to second hand smoke had about the same incidence of sleep disturbances as pregnant women who smoked. These findings were based upon questionnaires of over 30,000 pregnant women polled in 2002 and then in 2006 providing even greater credibility to the finding. In about 80 percent of these cases, the woman’s spouse was a smoker.

Although sleep disturbances may seem inconsequential to the pregnancy, they have been shown to increase your risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, prolonged labor and cesarean section. These studies provide one more reason why pregnant women should avoid tobacco smoke—at home, when socializing, and in the workplace. Tobacco smoke is also associated with heart disease, cancer, and having a low birth weight baby. So ask your partner to take a pledge to stop smoking during your pregnancy. You, he and your child will all benefit from a smoke-free home.

Our New Baby

On September 10th, my wife Morgan gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. I wanted to thank all of you—friends, patients, readers, and family—for your support and kind thoughts. The birth of our daughter was the culmination of nearly two years of fertility treatment. Morgan and I have included details of our story in my book Perfect Hormone Balance For Fertility, which will be published in April, 2008. Having watched Morgan live the principles of this book and my pregnancy book, and seeing her thrive throughout her pregnancy, I feel emboldened even further to encourage you to consider the recommendations we offer in Perfect Hormone Balance for Pregnancy.

While pregnant, Morgan truly had minimal symptoms. All of her tests indicated that her risk for pregnancy complications was equal to that of a woman half her age; Morgan is in her early forties. Throughout her prenatal visits, her obstetrician expressed disbelief at her health and the development of our daughter. Morgan and I live a healthy lifestyle to begin with, but she really applied herself to take an active role in her pregnancy. We improved our food choices, worked together to minimize the impact of stress on her, created a truly green household environment, and she was still walking about five miles per day up until her date of delivery. Now that we’re completing our first week as parents together, I am pleased to say that we’re enjoying ourselves, our new baby, and each other.

To any of you that read my book, I encourage you to embrace whatever aspects of this program you find applicable. Better still, I’d love to hear from you. If you have any comments or anecdotes that you’d like to share, please post them here or send them to me at drrobertgreene@aol.com. Thank you again for all your support.

Best thoughts,
~Robert

Gestational Diabetes Can Lead to Obesity in Children

Here’s more evidence that an expectant woman’s hormonal status has a life-long effect on her developing child. Through a process known as hormonal imprinting, the hormones that a fetus is exposed to in the womb can set what’s “normal” for him for the rest of his life. This latest study looked at the lasting impact of gestational diabetes—having high blood sugar during pregnancy—on a baby, and found that the disorder raises the child’s risk of obesity.

Researchers in the study examined the records of nearly 10,000 pregnant women and their children up until age 7. They found that the higher a woman’s blood sugar during pregnancy, the more likely her child became obese during those early years of life. The researchers also found that effectively identifying and treating gestational diabetes reduced the future risk to the child. The bottom line is that there is a direct connection between what you eat, particularly if you overindulge, and your baby’s future life and health. Avoiding too much weight gain, and choosing healthy whole grains, vegetables and fruits over processed starches and sweets can keep your blood sugar at healthy levels. It’s also important to avoid skipping meals. Instead, consume your meals and snacks at regular times throughout the day and before bedtime as recommended. Any steps you can take to improve your health will have a lasting impact upon your child.

Non-stick Pans Lower Newborn's Weight

Non-stick chemical surfaces are in the news again; this time for their impact upon infant birth weight. The same coatings that save us minutes of cleanup time in the kitchen can reduce the weight of your baby according to a recent study that tested the blood from 1,400 pregnant women in Denmark and then tracked the outcome of their birth. Although the effect was small, these are the same chemicals—perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA)—that have already been clearly linked to cancer and developmental problems in animals tested. In fact, they have been shown to kill pet birds exposed through routine exposure in people’s homes.

A more detailed analysis of birth outcome and exposure to PFOS and PFOA was recently performed at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Not only did they find a reduction in birth weight, but there was also a reduction of the head circumference in the babies exposed, suggesting an impact upon brain development. The news regarding these chemicals has already convinced the EPA to persuade eight manufacturers of these BioMutagens to voluntarily phase out production by 2015. I suggest that you begin taking simple steps to protect yourself, your baby and the rest of your family now. Here’s how:
• Don’t preheat nonstick pans—temperatures high enough (600 degrees) to release these chemicals can be produced in two to five minutes. Cooking at temperatures below 400 degrees seems to be safe.
• Discard old cookware with flaking surfaces—The Green Guide suggests replacing frequently used nonstick cookware every two years, about the time they begin to degrade even if there’s no evidence of wear.
• Plan your next set of cookware—purchasing cast iron, enameled cast iron or stainless steel will provide more durable and safe cooking surfaces as well as an eco-friendly solution to this problem.
• Keep pet birds out of the kitchen—they are extremely sensitive to these chemicals and can be killed by even a single exposure to these compounds which can easily occur by becoming distracted and overheating a pan.