Physical Activity During Pregnancy

Transcription

1 Healthy You and Baby, Too Physical Activity During Pregnancy Current Physical Activity Physical Activity During Pregnancy Consult your healthcare provider about physical activity during pregnancy. Questions for My Healthcare Provider Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, as amended. Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating, John D. Floros, Director. This material was funded by USDA s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through a contract awarded by the Kansas Department for Children and Families. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider. SNAP provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more call Healthy You and Baby, Too Lifestyle for a Healthy Pregnancy: Physical Activity

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3 Instead of an energy drink, try these suggestions to increase your energy during pregnancy: Drink a glass of water. Sometimes slight dehydration can lead to tiredness. Eat a small healthful snack such as a carton of yogurt or a piece of fruit. Take a nap. Take your cues from your body a short rest is refreshing. Go for a walk. By getting up and moving, you may find you feel energized! Energy Drinks and Vitamin Water Products Maybe you ve noticed you are more tired now that you re pregnant. Check with your healthcare provider for other tips. And remember to take your prenatal vitamins as directed! Before your pregnancy, you would reach for a canned energy drink when you needed a boost. But now that you are expecting, is that choice the right one for Sources: Ward, EM (2009): Caffeine. In American Dietetic Association s Expect the best: Your guide to healthy eating before, during and after pregnancy. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. SANDY PROCTER, Ph.D., RD, LD Kansas Coordinator, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program you AND your baby? Brand names appearing in this publication are for product identification purposes only. No endorsement is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, as amended. Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating, John D. Floros, Director. What Your Baby Wants You to Know

4 Higher caffeine consumption can increase the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and other problems. In most energy drinks, it s caffeine that provides the extra buzz we seek. Caffeine is a stimulant that slightly increases blood pressure and heart rate. It can cross the placenta, so it can increase baby s heart rate and breathing patterns, too. Most experts agree that small amounts (85 to 95 mg., about the amount in one 8-ounce cup of coffee) of caffeine a day seem safe during pregnancy, but more caffeine may be unsafe. Higher caffeine consumption can increase the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and other problems. Energy drinks have additional ingredients that are not recommended during pregnancy. Some of the additives, such as taurine, carnitine, inositol, ginkgo and milk thistle have not been studied for their safety during pregnancy. Do you want your baby to test the safety of these ingredients? Ginseng has been shown to be harmful to fetuses in animal studies, and should not be used during pregnancy. The sugar content of energy drinks adds extra, empty calories to your diet. Vitamins in these drinks are added at levels much higher than recommended levels during pregnancy.

5 SMOKING AFFECTS YOUR PREGNANCY AND YOUR CHILDREN SMOKE? You may have a harder time getting pregnant and be more likely to miscarry than non-smoking women. 1 SMOKING WHILE PREGNANT: Affects the placenta the source of your baby s food and oxygen during pregnancy Lowers the amount of oxygen available to you and your growing baby Increases: Your baby's heart rate The risk that your baby will be born prematurely The risk that your baby will be born with low birth weight Your baby's risk of developing respiratory problems The chances of stillbirth The risk for certain birth defects like a cleft lip or cleft palate The risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) 2 PREGNANT WOMEN EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE are more likely to have low-birth weight babies. 3 BABIES EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE are more likely to: Get ear infections 4 Develop bronchitis and pneumonia 5 Die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 6 CHILDREN EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE can also have serious health problems, including: Frequent lower respiratory illness Wheezing and coughing More frequent and severe asthma attacks Ear infections 7 SOURCES

6 HOW TO STOP SMOKING Think of reasons to quit smoking and write them down. The health of your baby and cost are a great place to start. Look at this list when you feel like smoking. Try healthy alternatives such as chewing gum, going for a walk, taking a shower or brushing your teeth after a meal. Make it difficult to smoke: o Buy smaller packages of cigarettes o Put cigarettes out of sight o Get rid of your ashtrays o When you get a craving, wait a few minutes before smoking o Avoid places you associate with smoking Reward yourself for the steps you make! Information from American Cancer Society Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, as amended. Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating, John D. Floros, Director. This material was funded by USDA s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through a contract awarded by the Kansas Department for Children and Families. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider. SNAP provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more call

7 Is there a cure for FAS? There is no cure for FAS. If children with FAS get help early, they may do better. If you think your child has FAS, or if you drank alcohol while you were pregnant, you should talk with your child s doctor as soon as possible. that they can get help for your child. Talk with counselors at your child s school so How can I prevent FAS? Do not drink alcohol if you are pregnant or planning to be pregnant. If you think you might be pregnant, stop drinking now. Do not wait until you know for sure that you are pregnant. If you have trouble stopping your drinking, you should use birth control so you do not get pregnant until you can stop drinking. What if I need help to stop drinking? Stopping drinking can be very hard. But there are many people who will help you. what you are going through. You can get free help from people who know in your phone book. Call Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The number is There are also many alcohol treatment centers who will help. Give them a call. Even if you have tried to stop drinking before, try again. Don t give up. Use birth control so that you do not get pregnant until you can get your drinking under control. For more information about FAS and other ways to make sure you have a healthy baby, contact: The Arc National Headquarters 1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 650 Silver Spring, MD (301) Info@thearc.org Or contact a chapter of The Arc in your own community. Did you know that if you drink alcohol when you are pregnant, If you are: You can hurt your unborn baby pregnant now, planning to get pregnant, or having sex, but not using any birth control Think Before You Drink

8 Why is drinking alcohol while I m pregnant such a bad thing? What if I m not planning to have a baby yet? I drank before I knew I was pregnant. What should I do now? If you drink alcohol while you are pregnant, Lots of women do not plan on getting It is never too late to stop. The sooner you you can hurt your baby s brain, heart, kidneys, pregnant. But it happens every day. stop drinking, the better it will be for both and other organs. you and your baby. Then your And most women do not know they are baby could be pregnant until they ve missed at least one or Make sure you get regular prenatal born with a two periods. checkups and tell your doctor or nurse you problem called have been drinking. fetal alcohol Women who drink alcohol and do not use syndrome or birth control when they have sex may get They can give you tips on what to do. Follow FAS. pregnant and expose their baby to alcohol their advice. before they know they are pregnant. Babies born with FAS have faces that do not look normal. They may be small and not weigh as much as other babies. This means they are not off to as good a start in life as other babies. Some babies with FAS will have mental retardation. Other babies will have a hard time learning and controlling how they act. These problems do not go away. They last a lifetime. Is it okay to drink a little during pregnancy, as long as I don t drink hard liquor? No. There is no safe level of alcohol you can drink during pregnancy. A 12-ounce can of beer has the same amount of alcohol as a 4-ounce glass of wine or a 1-ounce shot of straight liquor. Some drinks, like wine coolers or malt or mixed drinks, may have more alcohol in them than a 12-ounce can of beer. The best choice is not to drink at all when you are pregnant. If I drank when I was pregnant, does that mean my baby will have FAS? It is not always easy to tell if a newborn baby has FAS. Alcohol can affect unborn babies in different ways. Even if a baby does not have all the problems of FAS, the baby may be born with other problems if the mother drinks alcohol while she is pregnant. Some babies will have trouble learning or behaving.