5 Reasons You NEED to GET FAT This Pregnancy!

If I was to ask you what your biggest concern is about being pregnant, what would you say?

I'd hazard a guess that complications with your baby would be top of your list, right?

Then, coming a very close second I bet that you're also worried about how much weight you've put on / how fat you're getting, and how difficult it's going to be to lose it after you've had your baby?

Am I pretty close to the mark?

Well, if you're anything like the majority of pregnant women I know then you're not alone! So if I tell you that GETTING FAT is actually a good thing during pregnancy, you're probably thinking that I've finally lost it and the sleep deprivation of having a new baby has finally got to me, right?

...Not yet! Hear me out on this one...

Getting fat during pregnancy can have seriously big results when used correctly and has several major benefits for you and your little one...

1. If, like most of us, you have big plans for your little one and you can see her running for president, discovering life on Mars, or finding a cure for the common cold, then you should know that getting fat is ESSENTIAL in building her brain...

2. Do you wear contact lenses or glasses? Were you one of the unlucky ones that had to wear glasses to school as a kid? (that was me BTW!). Well, you definitely want to make sure you pay attention to this one then, because getting fat is responsible for forming your baby's retinas...

3. Maybe sports is your thing? The nervous system determines hand, eye co-ordination, reflexes and quick decision making. Without getting fat your baby's nervous system will not develop properly

4. (Look out for this one - if you thought I'd lost it earlier this may well have you sending me straight to the men in white coats...)

Getting fat can actually reduce your chances of suffering with post-natal depression - that's right I said REDUCE!

5. And last but definitely not least, getting fat will help you lose your baby weight and get a sexy post-baby body in rapid succession!

Confused?

OK, I'll 'fess up! I'm talking about GOOD FATS! In particular, Omega 3. Omega 3 fatty acids should be a primary ingredient in your pregnancy diet for all the reasons listed above.

Omega 3 fatty acids comprise:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): EPA is found primarily in fish and fish oil.

Docosahexanoic Acid (DHA): DHA is especially important to your body, and is also found primarily in fish.

Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA): ALA is found mostly in seeds, vegetable oils, and leafy green vegetables. It is converted into EPA and then into DHA in your body.

They are also available to take as a supplement, but beware of the quality of some cheaper brands, as they can be polluted with contaminants such as mercury and PCBs. It's definitely worth paying more for pharmaceutical grade products so you can be sure that you and your baby are getting a pure ingredient.

So you see, getting fat during pregnancy is a good thing after all!

For one to one advice on your pregnancy health and for more information on the safest and most effetive way to stay fit and healthy this pregnancy join my free pregnancy community

Banish Pregnancy Back Pain in Just 10 Minutes!

Did you know that your chances of suffering with back pain at some point during your pregnancy are over 90%?

As your bump grows and the balance of your weight shifts, you will find yourself leaning back more and more and putting increasing pressure on your lumbar spine.

However if you'd rather be one of the 10% that go through their 9 months without pain then check out this short video that will show you how to strengthen your core and support your pregnant back in just a few minutes!

Reduce Stretch Marks In 4 Simple Steps!

One of the worst things about pregnancy for most women is the horrible sight of great big lines crawling across their body. Although not all women get stretch marks, it's not far off with 90% of us suffering from those horrible red lines which usually appear in month 6 or 7.

Stretch marks appear when the skin is stretched over a short period of time and most commonly appear acrossthe belly in pregnancy. However the unlucky few will notice stretch marks over other areas such as the buttocks, hips, thighs and breasts.

It's a depressing thought that even if you lose all your pregnancy weight after giving birth you still can't wear a bikini on the beach because of the unsightly ravaged skin hiding underneath your clothes!

But have faith! There are a lot of things you can do to reduce or even prevent stretch marks!

It is widely thought that stretch marks are caused by the hormone corticosteroid which reduces collagen in the skin. Collagen is the thing that makes your skin stretchy, so if you give it a helping hand you can go a long way to preventing stretch marks.

This is what worked for me and I managed to come out of my pregnancy stretch mark FREE!

1. Pure Coconut Oil

Massage pure coconut oil into wet skin after your shower or bath. I did this twice daily and it kept my skin in tip top condition, as well as leaving it with a healthy radiant glow!

(Tip - don't buy your cocnut oil form a health food shop - they charge a small fortune! Instead go to your local Indian or Carribean grocery store as it is used for cooking in these cultures and is dead cheap!)

2. Diet

Make sure your diet is based on clean wholesome foods that are jam-packed with nutrients. Vitamins C and E, zinc and silica are all necessary to keep skin healthy and glowing.

(Please be aware that Vitamin E supplements should not be used in pregnancy)

3. Water

I say this all the time (as I'm sure you know by now!), but hear me out! It is vital that you drink enough pure clean water during pregnancy to keep both you and your baby happy and healthy.

One of the first things to suffer if you are even 2% dehydrated is your skin! You NEED to drink at least 1ltre of water per 50lbs of bodyweight to fill your body's needs. So keep a bottle with you at all times and drink from it frequently!

4. Don't OVEREAT!

The bigger you get the worse your stretch marks are gonna be!

Stick to NATURAL food sources that are free form processing.

My rules are only eat fresh foods, (or freshly frozen foods), that have come directly from the ground, swam in the river or sea, or foods with faces (animal protein).

If you eat this way for the majority of the time you'll soon find that all non-emotional hunger cravings dissapear and that you only eat what your body needs to do it's job properly.

Too Tired and Pregnant to Exercise? You NEED To Read This!

You know when I was pregnant I would have somedays where I would wake up feeling absolutely exhausted and I wouldn't be able to shake that feeling all day. On these days even my daily workout which usually gave me MORE energy, would sap my strength.

So on these days I listened to my body and took the easy option. Stretching!

Pregnancy can make so many parts of your body tighten up and feel stiff, inflexible and sore, but a simple stretching routine can do wonders to easing away those aches and pains and making you feel more human again!

1. Pelvic Tilts

(If you have a birthing ball / swiss ball you can use this to sit on and do pelvic tilts, but the floor is just as effective!)

Get onto all fours on the floor with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.

Start with a neutral spine (flat back).

Slowly exhale and squeezing your buttocks, start to tilt your pelvis so that your tailbone moves down towards the floor(like a dog tucking it's tail between it's legs).

At the same time squeeze on your pelvic floor.

Hold for a couple of seconds then release and repeat x 10

You should feel a nice release in your lower back.

2. It's all in the Hips!

Drop down onto one knee and steady yourself by holding onto something (like a wall or a chair. Very gently move your back leg away from you by sliding the knee backwards.

Now squeeze your bottom hard.

This may be enough of a stretch for you. Hold for 20-30 seconds before easing off and then repeating another 2 times each side.

To increase the stretch push your hips forward to elongate the hip flexor muscle.

3. Chest matters!

Your chest muscles can really shorten and tighten up during pregnancy, giving you an awful rounded shoulder posture that can make you look a lot bigger and older than you are!

Stand next to a door or a post and raise your bent arm to shoulder height.

Place your palm and forearm against the door.

Now leaving your arm where it is take one step forward on the leg closest to the door.

Hold for 20-30 seconds then ease off before repeating a further 2 times.

To increase the stretch try turning your hips away from the side that you are stretching - as if you were turning around to talk to someone just behind your other shoulder.

4. What a pain in the neck!

Pregnancy can put a lot of strain on your neck and shoulders and these stretches can provide you a LOT of relief from aching and burning shoulders.

Sitting up tall on a birthing ball or a hard chair put one finger on your chin and push your chin back into your neck to bring your neck into neutral alignment.

Now tip your ear to your shoulder being careful to keep your chin tucked in. Stay here for 20 seconds.

Next do the same thing but once you have gone as far as you can go, gently rotate yourhead as if looking out of the top corner of your eye.

Then rotate the other way as if looking down at your shoulder.

Repeat on both sides, holding the stretches between 20-30 seconds.

5. Oh my poor aching legs!

Those big muscles at the front of your legs can get very tight from poor posture in pregnancy.

Standing next to a wall, hold on with one hand and withe the other hand grab hold of your ankle and bring your heel to your bum.

Make sure your knees are together and in line with each other.

To increase the stretch push your hips forward and squeeze your bottom down.

Again hold for 20-30 seconds and ease off before repeating a further 2 times each side.


Breath deeply into each stretch to increase circulation and send a supply of fresh oxygen into the muscle bed. This will help clear toxins from the muscles (the source of your aches and pains), and send an increased supply of oxygen to your baby.

You may even get a little burst of thankyou kicking from him!

(It is VERY IMPORTANT to stretch GENTLY in pregnancy. The hormones relaxin and progesterone make pregnant ligaments and muscle fibres extra stretchy to allow for the changes the body must go through in pregnancy. Therefore it is very easy to overstretch. Only go to a point of mild stretching/discomfort)

Eating Nuts and Seeds Can Damage Your Baby's Heart

It can be difficult to know what you should and shouldn't be eating in pregnancy and you could be easily forgiven for thinking that as long as your diet is based on wholesome nutritious foods, packed with vitamins, you'll be making all the right choices for yours and your baby's health.

However, pregnancy is no time to assume anything as not all vitamins (and so not all foods) are good for an expectant mother. Trials on Vitamin E supplementation found that Vitamin E supplements during pregnancy doubled the rate of stillbirths, led to low birth weight and increased health complications in newborn babies.

More recent research has found that as little as 3/4 of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin E in the diet of a pregnant woman can lead to heart defects in the baby.

This is particularly significant when you consider that many women take Vitamin E supplements to prevent stretch marks; and for its antioxidant properties that have previously been heralded as helping protect against miscarriage and pre-eclampsia.

Vitamin E is found vegetable oils, nuts seeds and eggs, so although these foods are still good for you, caution should be exercised over how much of these foods you should eat on a daily basis.

12.6mg a day was found to be the maximum amount of Vitamin E that pregnant women should consume in their diet every day.

One egg contains roughly 1.6mg of Vitamin E
Tinned tuna in vegetable oil contains roughly 6.9mg Vitamin E
10 Almonds contain roughly 7mg Vitamin E

An END to Pregnancy Cankles (and other water retention issues) in 5 Easy Steps!

Spring is well and truly here as this weekend saw the official start of British Summer Time.

The weather has been playing ball too and it's finally time to start thinking about lovely floaty dresses and cropped trousers. The trouble is that the last time you saw your lower limbs you couldn't tell where your calves ended and your feet began! Oh horror of horrors, you've suddenly got CANKLES!

One of my readers recently asked me how to get rid of her Cankles! She's only 27 weeks but is suffering terribly with swollen joints...

Swollen hands and feet are unfortunately all too common in pregnancy. When you fall pregnant your blood volume increases substantially. Your growing uterus puts pressure on your pelvic veins and vena cava (the major vein that receives blood back from your lower limbs), and slows down the bloodflow returning to the torso. This causes blood pooling, which in turn forces water into the tissues of your extremities (hands and feet).

Pregnancy also increases the likelihood of retaining water, which then adds to your Cankle issues!

So what can you do about it?

1. Elevate, elevate, elevate!!!

Yes you finally have a valid excuse for putting your feet up! Whenever you are sitting down, put your feet up on a stool or a pouffe.

If you are lying down, always lie on your left hand side to take the pressure off the vena cava and relieve the pressure.

2. Drink 1 litre of water for every 50lbs of body weight.

Just 2% dehydration can cause heavy water retention. If you are fed up with all the toilet trips, try putting a couple of grains of organic sea salt in a litre bottle to help you absorb the water into your cells better.

3. Get off the processed food!

Processed foods, sugar, caffeine, wheat and processed dairy all behave as toxins in your body. If your system is holding toxins it will automatically retain water to dilute those toxins so that they are not harmful to you or your baby.

Wheat, in particular, is well known for causing pregnancy oedema and oedema can even slow down delivery of your baby if your pelvic tissues are swollen and congested.

4. Get plenty of exercise

Veins have low blood pressure and so we have to use our leg muscles to help push blood back up to the heart. Strengthening your muscles through regular exercise will help your circulation.

You also need to move frequently during the day and avoid long periods of sitting or standing.

Just remember to always elevate your legs after exercising!

5. Get a massage!

Massage is great for aiding circulation and helping move fluid out of congested tissues. Hey, you now have a free pass to ask your partner for a foot massage every night!

To get all of your pregnancy questions answered, post your comments on my blog, or ask me directly through my pregnancy community