plus 3, Carolyn Hax: Couple stressed about pregnancy - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Carolyn Hax: Couple stressed about pregnancy - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Mom's Lifestyle in Early Pregnancy Affects Baby's Size - US News and World Report
Drinking milk during pregnancy may lower baby's risk of MS - PhysOrg
Drinking milk during pregnancy may lower child's MS risk - In the News

Carolyn Hax: Couple stressed about pregnancy - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 06:08 PM PST

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Dear Carolyn: We recently found out that my wife is pregnant. It will be our first child. This is usually joyous news, and while I'm elated, I'm also terrified. This is her third pregnancy; the last two ended in miscarriage. Both times, we were devastated, and while it's unspoken, I think this is our last shot at it. We're both in our late 30s and have been at it now for more than two years.

The problem is our combined stress. I am nervous all the time about the pregnancy, losing sleep, asking a million times a day, "Do you feel sick?" "Are your boobs sore?" "Are you tired?" etc., basically making sure she still feels pregnant. It's starting to get to her.

She is, of course, nervous, too. She has experienced all of the pain and the physical manifestation of the loss. I was just there for the awful ride.

She believes, rightfully so, that I need to "be strong for both of us" this time around. Easier said than done, however, as every time she seems peppy, hungry or not sore, I fear the worst is about to happen -- again.

Any advice so I can maybe at least fake some strength here?

NOT SO STRONG IN D.C.

Carolyn says: First of all, congratulations -- this is joyous news. You're prepared for it to take a devastating turn, I understand. But expecting bad news will neither prevent the bad news from happening nor make it hurt less if it comes.

Please remind yourself of this often, particularly when you're about to ask your wife how she feels. "Do you feel sick?" etc., isn't "making" anything "sure." You're merely finding out if she still feels pregnant, and that's a very different thing. Please internalize the obvious: None of your questions has any effect on the pregnancy itself.

And while that might feel like torture -- i.e., helplessness to prevent the worst -- try seeing it instead as liberating. You are under no pressure to make this work. It's not up to you anymore.

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Mom's Lifestyle in Early Pregnancy Affects Baby's Size - US News and World Report

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 02:12 PM PST

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By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The lifestyle habits you bring into pregnancy can have lasting effects on your baby's health, new research shows.

A Dutch study found that women who smoked, had high blood pressure or low folic acid levels in early pregnancy had babies that were smaller in the first trimester of pregnancy and had a higher risk of complications later.

"Our study demonstrates that several maternal physical characteristics and lifestyle habits, such as smoking and non-use of folic acid supplements, affect first-trimester fetal growth," said study senior author Dr. Vincent Jaddoe, a pediatric epidemiologist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

"First-trimester growth restriction is associated with higher risks of adverse birth outcomes and accelerated postnatal growth rates. Thus, the first trimester of pregnancy seems to be a very critical period for fetal growth and development. This is important, since it suggests that the fetus is already affected before pregnant women visit their midwife or obstetrician," he said.

For the study, published in the Feb. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers followed 1,631 pregnant women from their first trimester through their pregnancies. The growth of their offspring was assessed until the children were 2.

The average age of the mothers was 31, and 71 percent were white. More than half had a higher than high school education. The average body mass index was 23.5, which is normal (over 25 is considered overweight). About one-quarter smoked at the start of the study.

The researchers found that certain factors affected the likelihood that a fetus would have a small crown to rump length (a standard way to measure babies using ultrasound). Babies whose mothers smoked or had higher diastolic blood pressure readings (diastolic is the bottom number in blood pressure) were more likely to be smaller. Women who didn't use folic acid supplements and those with higher levels of red blood cells also had smaller babies, according to the study.

A small size during the first trimester translated to a higher risk of certain complications later in the pregnancy, such as preterm birth and low birth weight.

Babies that had first-trimester growth restriction had 7.2 percent odds of being born preterm compared to 4 percent for babies who weren't growth-restricted. Odds of low birth weight were 7.5 percent for growth-restricted babies compared to 3.5 percent for other babies. And, the odds of being born small-for-gestational-age were 10.6 percent for babies who were growth-restricted compared to 4 percent for babies who grew normally during early pregnancy.

Jaddoe and Dr. Gordon Smith, author of an accompanying editorial in the same issue of the journal, believe that when a woman is exposed to poor lifestyle habits in early pregnancy, it may affect development of the placenta, which then affects the fetus' ability to survive and thrive.

"Many adverse outcomes of later pregnancy are related to abnormal function of the placenta," explained Smith, head of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Cambridge in England. "Many key processes in the establishment of a normal placenta take place in early pregnancy. I think that if the placenta fails to develop normally in early pregnancy, it is impaired for the rest of the pregnancy, hence the associations with later complications."

The bottom line for women is that it's important to go to the doctor before getting pregnant to find out what steps to take to ensure that you're in the best shape possible before you get pregnant, such as quitting smoking and taking folic acid supplements.

"The fetus is very vulnerable, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. For women who are planning to become pregnant, it seems important to optimize their lifestyle habits before they become pregnant. From a health care perspective, we need to consider preconception care to help women to optimize their lifestyle habits before they become pregnant," advised Jaddoe.

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Drinking milk during pregnancy may lower baby's risk of MS - PhysOrg

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 02:41 PM PST

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Drinking milk during pregnancy may lower baby's risk of MS

February 9, 2010

Drinking milk during pregnancy may help reduce your baby's chances of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as an adult, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

The study involved 35,794 nurses whose mothers completed a questionnaire in 2001 about their experiences and diet during pregnancy with their nurse-daughter. Of the nurses studied, 199 women developed MS over the 16-year study period.

Researchers found that the risk of MS was lower among women born to mothers with high milk or dietary vitamin D intake in pregnancy.

"The risk of MS among daughters whose mothers consumed four glasses of milk per day was 56 percent lower than daughters whose mothers consumed less than three glasses of milk per month," said Fariba Mirzaei, MD, with the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "We also found the risk of MS among daughters whose mothers were in the top 20 percent of vitamin D intake during pregnancy was 45 percent lower than daughters whose mothers were in the bottom 20 percent for vitamin D intake during pregnancy."

"There is growing evidence that that vitamin D has an effect on MS. The results of this study suggest that this effect may begin in the womb," said Mirzaei.

Fortified milk, fatty fish such as salmon and exposure to sunlight are the most important sources of vitamin D.

Provided by American Academy of Neurology (news : web)

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Drinking milk during pregnancy may lower child's MS risk - In the News

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 05:11 PM PST

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Wednesday, 10, Feb 2010 12:10

By Richard James.

Scientists have claimed women who drink milk during pregnancy may reduce their baby's chances of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as an adult.

In a new study, researchers found the risk of MS was significantly lower among women born to mothers with high milk or dietary vitamin D intake while pregnant.

Researchers questioned some 35,000 women about their experiences and diet during pregnancy as part of the report.

Commenting on the findings Fariba Mirzaei, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said the risk of MS among daughters whose mother consumed four glasses of milk a day was 56 per cent lower than daughter whose mothers consumed less than three glasses per milk per month.

She added: "We also found the risk of MS among daughters whose mothers were in the top 20 percent of vitamin D intake during pregnancy was 45 percent lower than daughters whose mothers were in the bottom 20 percent for vitamin D intake during pregnancy.

"There is growing evidence that that vitamin D has an effect on MS. The results of this study suggest that this effect may begin in the womb."

The results of the preliminary study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd annual meeting in Toronto, Canada, in April.

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