Tips and Feedback

Motherhood

I read an interesting article the other day in ‘Scientific America’.  Apparently mothers are not born but are made.  What they mean is that we are not natural mothers from birth but that our brains undergo a change during pregnancy and birth.  According to this article the female brain increases the size of neurons in certain parts of the brain during pregnancy and this produces permanent structural changes in the brain. 

Freaky but interesting.  The good news is that along with the maternal instincts of protecting and grooming our little ones, we also develop our memory skills, an increased ability for learning and an enhanced response to fear and stress situations.

So if you are planning a pregnancy and are worried about your ability or maternal instincts, I guess you can rest easy with that bit of information.  We would still advise you to plan as much as possible in advance with things like the birth, buying baby clothes and whether you are going to breast feed or bottle feed.

Tell us what you want to know?

Angela

Fish out of water?

Swimming is very good exercise, there’s no doubt about that. It uses almost all major muscle groups, it’s low impact and it certainly raises the heart rate. Breastroke burns the same amount of calories as a slow jog and freestyle (or crawl) is almost the same as a run. It’s the perfect exercise for those who are overwieght, have some sort of injury or someone whose pregnant. So if you’re burning the same number of calories as joggers or cyclists then why has swimming not proven to be as effective for weight loss?

The main problem is highlighted in a research program run by Professor Grant Gwinup and published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Basically, people get very hungry after swimming and as a result they overcompensate by eating more. It’s not really clear why people get so hungry after swimming. It has been suggested that water temperture plays some part in this but the research isn’t conclusive. The results on the other hand, speak for themselves. If swimming is part of your chosen weight loss program you need to be careful about what you eat and how much.

The other problem is something you have far less control over. Muscle action. Weight training helps burn calories simply by raising the metabolic rate so it stands to reason that swimming should do the same. Unfortunately it is, once again, not as effective because of the type of muscle action that occurrs.

One of the reasons your metabolism gets a boost from weight training is because of the damage caused to muscles during these exercises. Now the thing that causes most of this damage is known as eccentric muscle action. The opposite movement would be called concetric.

An example of concentric muscle action is when your bicep works to lift a weight and eccentric is when the bicep is working to lower the weight. Unfortunately in swimming most of the work you do is concetric muscle action. Basically this means that swimming doesn’t boost the metabolic rate as much as weight training does because (strange as it sounds) it doesn’t cause as much muscle damage.

Bummer right? Wrong. The fact remains that swimming is still a good form of exercise and if you do it right, you will see results. I have a friend who went out with a girl who was quite obese before she met him. She lost all of that weight through swimming and careful control of her diet. And I have it on good authority that the results were very good indeed!

If you enjoy swimming then it’s better than trying to run when you hate running. This is because you’ll be far more consistent in your routine and you will find it easier to keep it up and integrate it into your lifestyle. If you do something you hate you won’t be consisent and so you won’t get the same results.

My advice is to go swimming in the morning when you still have a day ahead of you. That way you won’t be able to just crash; try to be as active as you can after a session. The key to doing this of course, is not to overwork yourself in the pool. Push yourself but not too hard. Rather than going for speed go for endurance so do 40 slow lengths rather than 20 full speed ahead. That way you can build your fitness up in a more controlled manner and you won’t exhaust yourself in the process.

It’s also a good idea not to go swimming on an empty stomach. It’s not good to swim on a full stomach either because this can cause cramps, so maybe have a yogurt or something before you go. Then have something slightly more substantial afterwards. But be sure not to overcompensate because, as the good doctor has said, this will just cancel out all the work you’ve just done. I know it’s hard, believe me. I’m always starving after swimming. Drink lots of water before you eat something, that way you fill yourself up without topping up the calories.

Another a good idea is obviously to try and combine swimming with something else. I don’t really like running but I can walk for miles. So if you can, walk to the sports centre rather than taking the bus. Check out the Pink Fridge website for some more ideas on what else you can do towards personal fitness and weight loss. There are loads of tips and plenty of good advice, the rest is up to you.

S.B

Baby clothes

If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy you will need to start thinking of lots of things.  One of the nicest things for me when I was pregnant was to shop for baby clothes.  I loved those little tiny bootees, shoes, vests and socks.  I could not imagine a human being so small that they would fit into those clothes.  I used to take them out on a regular basis just to look at them.

One of the things that was difficult for me to decide on, was whether to use disposable nappies or towel (cloth) nappies, so I used both.  I must admit that I preferred cloth nappies for many reasons but used disposable ones sometimes too. The things I took into consideration was: Convenience, price, waste disposal, environmental issues and washing needs. 

I did not find cloth nappies difficult to use or wash.  I simply got into a good routine and it certainly saved me a stack of money too.  I used two buckets for cleaning, one for wet nappies and one for soiled nappies (first empty the poo into the loo).  I simply emptied the nappies, water and all into the machine and put them through a spin cycle to get rid of the dirty water.  I also added lavender or tea tree into the fresh water as a natural disinfectant and for a good smell. I got organised for when we went out.  I used a waterproof nappy bag to keep wet nappies separate.  It really is easy and a lot better for the environment.  Also, fitted cloth nappies were only just coming out when I had my babies but now they are widely available and very easy to use - just like disposables.

by Angela

Baby news

When I was having children some 20 odd years ago, women were having babies in their early twenties.  Now the stats show that women in England and Wales are having babies in their early thirties.  That does not surprise me, but what did surprise me was to learn that 42.8% of the women having children are unmarried mothers.  That is almost half of all babies born in England and Wales.  That does not say much about the institution of marriage does it?

If you are pregnant or Planning a Pregnancy and you are not married, it does not matter.  What matters is that you take care of yourself and your little one.  For yourself you need to Eat Well, Exercise and get plenty of sleep.  For your baby, during pregnancy, you need to take care to learn about General Problems during pregnancy and to find out as much as you can about things like Recognising Labour, whether you are able to give birth normally and what to do if there are Complications.  

It is also a good idea to decide before baby is born on issues such as Breast Feeding.  Are you going to bottle feed or breast feed.  If you are going to breast feed, for how long?  If you decide on bottle feeding, examine what baby formulas are available and get advice about which are the best formulas to use etc.

What more do you want to see on our site?

by Angela

Pregnancy

We have recently had two people contact us wanting advice on what to do about their unplanned Pregnancy.  Both girls were too scared to tell their families and in the one instance the girl was afraid to tell her partner the news.  We all know that a planned pregnancy is the best pregnancy, but life often hands us challenges we have not planned for. 

If you find yourself in this position, my advice is simple.  If you really want the baby, then be prepared.  You will have to accept that you may loose your partner and maybe your family will be unhappy with you. Remember that Having a baby is a miracle.  Being a happy, well balance person during your pregnancy is important for you and your baby so make the decision carefully and especially with your baby and its future in mind.

Once you have made your decision to keep your baby, then you need to find the courage to tell the people you love that you are pregnant, happy about it and want to have the child.  Also let them know that you do not expect them to feel the same way about it, but that you really value them and need their love and support.  Let them know that it is OK for them to feel differently about the situation and that you are prepared to go it alone if need be.  It is best to communicate this in a gentle, kind and caring way so that you don’t alienate yourself.  Once your family has accepted the idea (it may take a while to sink in depending on the situation) they will start to think more about the arrival of their grand child, niece or nephew and in the case of your partner, his own child.

Just be happy with yourself and your decision and be understanding of the people around you who may not feel the same as you and time will do the rest.

Pinkfridge has a lot of information and advice about Pregnancy and having a baby. It includes things like your Health during the pregnancy, Maternity clothes, Planning the birth and much more.  Do yourself a favour and take in as much information as possible. This will help you have a successful and happy pregnancy.  It will also ensure that you are in a good state of mind when baby is born so that you can enjoy your little miracle. It is also a good idea to consult your doctor and even find a counselor to help you through the initial difficulties with your loved ones.

If anyone has some first hand experience of this situation or has been in a similar situation, please share your stories for our readers to benefit from.

by Angela