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

20 week scan!

Finally, the day arrived! I was so excited that I woke up super early and then had to fill my morning to keep me from boredom. Today I would find out the sex of my little tadpole!

Carl managed to get the day off of work and I was really pleased as this would be his first hospital appointment. i just knew once he saw his little baby on the monitor it woiuld all hit home for him and become real!

Now when I wake up in the mornings I'm generally quite dehydrated as I try not to drink too much at night so I can get a good night's sleep without running for the loo every two minutes, so as usual I woke up and downed a couple of pints of water. At around 11am I remembered that I wouldn't be able to pee from midday as I needed a full bladder for the scan and hastily stopped drinking and went to the loo.

We got in the car and all was fine till we reached the hospital. I was DYING! I was desperate to pee but knew I had to wait. Well isn't it just typical that when they have you waiting, tell you to come with a full bladder and tell you not to pee, that they're running late!! I just had to cross my legs and hope for the best!

The scan went well and Carl was really chuffed to find out he wwas having the boy he'd hoped for! It was so great to hear him say that it almost brought a tear to his eye, seeing him for the 1st time, (for Carl this is a miracle and he's not the most emotional of people - I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't cry at the birth!)

I swear the little monkey knew we'd seen him as the very next morning he started kicking!

Extreme Skinny Celebrity Mums

The trend for super skinny celebrity mums is on. Keeping your weight down during pregnancy and rapid and extreme weight loss after giving birth has become the norm within the celebrity world. Whether it's pressure from the papaparazzi, a social event to look great for, or a million dollar contract hanging in the wings, it's no longer OK to lose your baby weight in anything over three months. Stars like Nicole Ritchie, Victoria Beckham and Jordan are experts in this game having cut down the time to a matter of weeks or less. But what message is this sending out to pregnant women?
This isn't to say you shouldn't want to look after yourself during your pregnancy - there are still too many women out there who use pregnancy as an excuse to stop being active, stop exercising and comfort eat whatever they want. A good friend of mine did exactly this and put on 30kg with her first child. On interviewing her about her pregnancy weight gain she said,

"I did eat a 500g bar of chocolate most nights and wouldn't think twice about eating whatever I wanted regardless of whether I was actually hungry or not. I do wish I'd taken more care as it's going to be a real struggle to lose the weight now"

Putting on too much weight during pregnancy has it's own set of complications such as toxemia from sugar and more dangerous implications like increasing the risk of the potentially fatal pre-eclampsia. A controlled diet and exercise programme is therefore beneficial but are the celebrities pushing the trend too far?

Nicole Ritchie was back down to a size zero just two weeks after giving birth and Jordan admits to living on fresh juices to shed two stone in just a few weeks to get back to her pre-pregnancy weight of 8st 2lbs. So what effect are these extreme diets having on mum and baby?

Any extreme and uncontrolled weight loss will see a rapid decrease in lean muscle mass. As our major organ, the heart, is just one solid muscle this also dramatically decreases in size bringing severe consequences. In an invetagative documentary for UK's Channel 4, when Natalie Cassidy tried the favoured maple syrup diet of Hollywood stars, she suffered palpitations, a racing pulse, followed by a blackout. The rapid decrease in size of the heart muscle in these circumstances can lead to a heart attack.

Not only are the major organs at risk then but the limited nutrition can lead to brittle bones and osteoporosis. Inadequate nutrition during pregnancy means that the baby will source minerals from wherever it can and if you're not eating enough, that's going to be from your bones and teeth. Combine the weakened bone structures with the extra weight you carry during pregnancy and you're looking at back pain, hip and knee problems.

So what is the right amount of weight to shed after your baby? James Clapp MD found that anything over 1lb a week can affect milk production, however, experts such as Dr Hilary Jones surmise that around 7-9 months is a good guideline to go by.

However, these guidelines are very general. If you are eating well and exercising properly you should lose your baby fat at a safe and steady pace, that fits with your body type and metabolism. This will be different for everyone as we are all unique and it depends on how much weight you put on, what your diet and exercise programme was like before, during and after your pregnancy, whether there were complications, etc. At the end of the day you will know what feels right for you, and as long as you aren't endangering the health of you and your baby, then there's nothing stopping you getting your body back relatively quickly. Just don't put pressure on yourself to be like the celebrity mums. In the real world, health comes first.

Thai Beef Salad Recipe

I love thai food. I find the flavours and ingredients so fragrant and healthy. I recently went out for dinner with my family to my favourite thai restaurant in Bristol and had Yam Nua, a spicy salad with wonderfully hot, fresh and sour flavours. I'd forgotten about this dish but it's something I lived on when I was in Thailand travelling a few years back and it inspired me to make my own version.

Now traditionally you are supposed to use sugar in it to balance the hot and sour flavours but I wanted to keep mine as healthy as possible.

Salad:

Sirloin / Rib Eye Steak (400g )
2 medium tomatoes diced/ 12 cherry tomatoes quatered
1/2 a large cucumber peeled and diced
4 shallots diced / 4 spring onion
Handful of chopped mint (fresh)
Handful of chopped coriander (fresh)

Dressing:

1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
2 1/2tbspn lime juice
2 bird's eye chillies
1 red chilli
2 cloves garlic
1tsp lemongrass paste (optional)
1tspn agave syrup

To Serve:

Salad leaves

Grill or griddle the steak and remove from pan. Leave to rest for 5 mins then slice thinly.

Pound the garlic with the chillies and mix with the rest of the dressing ingredients.

Mix the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss well with the dressing. Spoon onto plate lined with a bed of salad leaves and serve.

Elimination day 3 and finally a cure for pregnancy acne!

Well this last week has been hectic to say the least. I finally moved home on the weekend and it's great to be back. Although I can't get used to not having to go to work. Think that may take a while!

Now that I'm home I've gone back on Elimination and it's been great. I'm loving it and the fact that I have the kitchen at my dispoal any time I want makes it sooooo easy!

Today is day 3 and it's been an absolute breeze! My body is loving it and my pregnancy acne has practically gone, (although I think that also has loads to do with the fact I'm no longer living in a cupboard, sleeping on a sofabed and completely stressed out all the time!).

The great thing about elimination is that the more often you do it the easier it gets. You know exactly what to eat, you have loads of recipes in mind that are quick and easy and I actually really look forward to my meals. I love that I'm doing the best for my baby and I'm sure tadpole is appreciating it too!

I'm still craving fruit like crazy but I'm sure that probably won't change.

For those of you who are still sceptical about elimination and the restrictive nature of the diet here's what I've eaten over the last 3 days:

Thai beef salad
Chicken Curry
Masala mincemeat and peas
Banana eggs
Muesli
Yogurt
Fruit of all colours!
Fudge walnut bounce balls (protein snack - all natural ingredients)
Loads of veggies done every way!

Tommorow I'm making blackberry muffins, yummy!

The only thing I'm struggling with is finding a raw milk supply near me. There's loads of farms seeing as I'm out in the West Country so I think I'll just get in the car and drive and see what I find!