Smoking - reduce the risk to your baby by quitting within the first 5 months of your pregnancy

Recent research suggests that if mothers to be quit smoking within the first five months of their pregnancy then the damage done to their babies may not be as severe compared to the negative health affects among babies whose mothers have smoked throughout their pregnancy, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy.

The study does not suggest for one minute that smoking is safe, but that most damage is done to babies in the last 4 months where growth of the baby (and brain development) is most evident.

If you smoke throughout your pregnancy says, UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown:

¨ There is a higher risk of miscarriage, complications during pregnancy and complications during labour in women, and
¨ A baby is on average 4lb lighter. As low-weight babies have a higher risk of death (such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS) and disease in childhood, this is extremely serious.

There are many ways nutritional therapy can help support you while giving up smoking, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown. As smoking can upset your blood sugar balance, one of the first things I look at, are ways to regulate your blood sugar. Many foods can also upset your blood sugar levels, as well as other stimulants such as coffee, tea, alcohol and chocolate. There are also a number of supplements that may help reduce your craving for nicotine.

To find out more, please contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT). Melody offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy Linked To Lower IQ For Child

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, children born to mothers with untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy score lower on IQ tests than children of healthy mothers, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy.

Children born from mothers with hypothyroidism also scored lower on tests measuring attention, language, reading and visual-motor performance.

The thyroid gland is found in the neck and produces a hormone, thyroxine, instrumental to many bodily functions. Hypothyroidism is a condition where the gland does not produce enough of this hormone. Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include feeling tired or without energy; coarse, brittle hair; thick, coarse skin; and a lowering of the metabolic rate (which means you put weight on more easily than you might otherwise do).

Hypothyrodism can also contribute to infertility and it is estimated that about 3% of women of child bearing age may suffer from this condition.

The condition can be corrected by medication and / or supported through nutritional intervention and there are some simple ways of assessing whether your thyroid is not functioning at is optimum level, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.

Now I’m pregnant why am I sleeping so badly?

One of the reasons for fatigue and sleep problems during pregnancy are changing hormone levels, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy. For example, rising progesterone levels may partly explain excessive daytime sleepiness, especially in the first trimester.

However, according to the National Sleep Foundation, several sleep disorders can be caused or made worse by pregnancy. In a study of over 600 pregnant women, 26% reported symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS), a condition characterized by unpleasant feelings in the legs that worsen at night and that are relieved by movement.

The exact cause of RLS is unknown. However, evidence suggests that it is related to an imbalance of a brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is a naturally occurring substance which affects movement. In the evening, dopamine levels fall, and this may explain why the symptoms of RLS are often worse in the evening and at night.

Another cause of RLS is a lack of iron which is essential for the production of dopamine. Other nutrients are also involved in neurotransmitter regulation such as B6, B12 and folic acid.

Pregnant women are also at risk for developing sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep. This is particularly true of women who are overweight when they become pregnant. Sleep apnea may also be associated with complications during pregnancy such as gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, or low birth weight.

Consequently, it is important to ensure that you are eating well in order to ensure you are consuming enough nutrients to sleep well, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.

How much weight should I put on during my pregnancy?

You may be worried about gaining weight during pregnancy, or you may have started the pregnancy with more weight than you would have liked says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy..

However, under no circumstances should you diet while you are pregnant as you may deprive yourself and your baby of important nutrients, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown. Further, your body may start to detoxify (losing toxins stored in fat throughout your body) and these toxins may pass through your baby before being excreted.

If you eat a healthy, nutritious diet you will not put on any more weight than is necessary – so avoid the temptation to ‘pig-out’ as it will be harder to lose weight once your baby is born. As a rule of thumb, a healthy weight gain during pregnancy is considered to be no more than 33lb (15kg) and also not less than 11lb (5kg). Women who are underweight prior to pregnancy should gain a little more, and overweight women, a little less.

Women who do not gain enough weight have an increased risk for delivering babies with low birth weight (less than 2500 gm, or 5.52 pounds).

And babies who are underweight are at risk for physical and psychological childhood disorders, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown:
· They are more likely to experience asthma, respiratory tract infections, and ear infections.
· Babies who are born weighing less than 1000 gm (2.2 lbs), are at greater risk for cerebral palsy (a neurological abnormality).
· They are more likely to score low on intelligence tests and are more likely to have delayed development.

Conversely though, gaining too much weight can also be a problem. It can make pregnancy an unpleasant experience, causing
· Backache;
· Leg pain;
· Varicose veins; and
· Fatigue.

It may also lead to hypertension and diabetes. Excess weight may also be difficult to lose after delivery.

Excessive weight gain may also cause problems for the baby. Technically, an overweight baby is one who weighs more than 4500 gm, or 9.9 lbs. Large babies make vaginal deliveries more difficult, increasing the risk for cesarean section. Overweight babies may have an increased risk for health problems later in life, such as
· Obesity;
· Adult rheumatoid arthritis; and
· Diabetes.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.

IVF may pass on genetic reasons for infertility

According to Professor Jens Peter Ellekilde Bonde, a professor of occupational medicine at Aarhus University in Denmark, and Professor Jørn Olsen, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California, countries using IVF such as Britain is facing an infertility timebomb because the increasing use of IVF means that couples with inherited fertility problems are able to have children and pass the condition on to the next generation.

Around one per cent of all births in Britain are the result of IVF or donor insemination, which means that around 11,000 babies are born annually after fertility treatment, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy. Each cycle of IVF costs between £4,000 and £8,000 and success rates are almost 30 per cent for women under the age of 35.

However, there are many other non-genetic reasons why you may not be able to conceive – such as anovulation (irregular or lack of ovulation) or poor sperm quality, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown. Furthermore, there any many nutritional steps you can take to improve your chances of conception and much research to prove it. Just one example is a study at the University of Surrey consisting of several hundred would-be parents with a history of fertility problems. They were put on tailor-made holistic pre-conceptual care programmes focussing principally on diet, vitamin and mineral supplementation and avoidance of environmental toxins. A stunning 81% of those who took part went on to produce healthy babies. This make the holistic approach 2 ½ times more effective than IVF!

To find out more, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Lack of adequate ovulation may be responsible for up to 40% of women with infertility

Ovulation occurs on a regular basis in women that menstruate at intervals between twenty-three and thirty-four days, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy.

Any menstrual cycle length below or above this range is frequently associated with anovulation (i.e lack of ovulation). There are various conditions that can result in anovulation in women including polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS), advanced reproductive age, hypo or hyperthyroidism, elevated levels of the hormone prolactin production, physical and emotional stress, the use of certain medications, in particular medications associated with an increase in Prolactin production and neurotransmitter alteration.

Altering your diet can help with anovulation in many cases by balancing hormone levels, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, and by reducing internal stressors on the body. For example, stress can contribute to high prolactin levels and certain foods or drinks can increase stress such as caffeinated products – coffee, tea, chocolate – eating unrefined carbohydrates such as white rice and bread and insufficient fruit and vegetables (which is very low according to the Foods Standards agency with the vast majority of us not meeting the basic 5 a day principle).

To find out more, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Obstetric Cholestasis may be helped with nutritional intervention

Obstetric cholestasis is an uncommon complication of pregnancy and is thought to affect 1% of all pregnant women. It is a condition which causes a build up of bile acids in the bloodstream and consequently lower levels of bile acids in the gut. The main symptom is persistent itch in the later third of pregnancy, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy.

The main complications appear to be a lack of vitamin K, which is essential for the blood clotting mechanism to work (thereby increasing the risk of hemorrhaging) and potentially a reduction in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins (such as vitamin D). There is also some controversy over whether the risk of still births is increased as a result of this condition.

The most common medical intervention is to give a drug which promotes liver function, as well as frequent ante-natal check-ups to ensure the foetus is not in any distress.

As there are many foods which can support liver function, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown and supplements such as digestive enzymes which can be taken to help breakdown fats in your diet, one option would be to seek nutritional advice to optimise your liver function and support digestion during your pregnancy.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.