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The most important 90 seconds in EVERY pregnancy

Dr. Alan Greene — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 00:08:01 +0000

Did you know that much of your baby’s blood is outside of it’s body at the moment of birth? And, that in the United States and Europe, this blood will never make it to your child?

You read that right, the umbilical cord in most births in 1st-world nations is cut before all of your baby has received all of its blood.

In fact, one third of a newborn’s blood is still in the placenta and umbilical cord for about 90 seconds longer than modern medical practice allows for. The result is that your baby is deprived of precious early-life resources that could allow your child to flourish.

If the cord is clamped too soon, before it stops pumping, your child misses out on 60% of its red blood cells, additional iron, stem cells, white blood cells and much more. These are the ingredients that support your bundle of joy developing healthy bodily functions, intelligence, resistance to infection – the list goes on.

Even more incredible is how remarkably simple it is to prevent the loss of this biological gold mine for your new baby. Watch the video below, where I talk about exactly how our generation can tackle this problem – starting today.

TICC TOCC

We’ve started a campaign to spread this message, called TICC TOCC – Transitioning Immediate Cord Clamping to Optimal Cord Clamping. To learn more about it, watch my talk at TEDxBrussels (scroll that page for video).

If you know someone who is pregnant, please share this message with them. It will make a world of difference in the life of their young ones.

In the comments below, share with us some ideas you have about how we can spread this message.

This is super powerful stuff, and the best part is it’s amazingly simple.

How can you help make optimal cord clamping a reality?

Dads & Doulas

Terri Babin — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:29:13 +0000

When it comes to dads and doulas couples can have a myriad of concerns, but the truth is both play a very important role. As a doula and mother who knows firsthand how important dads and doulas can be, I’d like to address some of the most common concerns – because dads and doulas make a great team!

Concern: If I have my partner, why do I need a doula?

Truth: The dad-to-be is in an unfamiliar environment, and trying to become familiar with the process and language of birth, understand medical procedures, and advocate for his partner is often extremely stressful. A doula can eliminate this stress by explaining what to expect, providing the information needed to help parents make appropriate decisions, and facilitate communication between the couple and medical team.

Additionally, it’s hard for a father to understand a woman’s instinctive behavior during birth and he may react anxiously to what a doula knows to be the normal process of birth. Seeing his partner in pain may cause the father to become distressed. A doula can skillfully help the mother to cope with labor pain in her own unique way, offer reassurance to both the mother and father, and encourage the father to participate at his own comfort level.

Concern: What if the doula takes over, displacing the father-to-be and interfering with the intimate birthing experience?

Truth: The doula can actually bring the couple closer, making sure the partner’s needs are met (food, drink, and reassurance) so the woman and partner can work more closely together. When the dad-to-be chooses to be the main source of support, the doula can help him be more successful by using her expertise to make suggestions for comfort measures, keep him informed about what’s going on, and offer words of encouragement and reassurance. During a long tiring labor, the doula can also offer the father a break or brief rest, without him feeling guilty about leaving his partner alone.

For the father who is shy, uncertain, or unversed in his role, the doula can suggest simple but truly useful tasks such as timing contractions, holding the woman, supporting her in a particular position, or showing him how to apply counter pressure to her back.

While the doula probably knows more about birth, hospitals, and maternity care, the partner certainly knows more about the woman’s personality, likes and dislikes, and needs. Moreover, he loves the woman more than anyone else there. The combined contributions of the father and doula, along with a competent, and caring medical team give the mother everything she needs to have the best birthing experience possible!

Concern: The doula has her own belief about how the birth should go, and imposes it on the woman and couple.

Truth: The doula’s number one goal is to help ensure the woman’s or couples birth plan is acknowledged and followed as best as possible. If the doula is thoroughly familiar with the couple’s wishes and their birth plan, she may actually think more about it than the couple, especially when labor is intense and things are happening rapidly. The doula can remind the staff or the couple of some items on the birth plan that are forgotten, but which later might be important. Sometimes when the birth plan is not followed, the couple later looks back with regret or disappointment- especially if it was a result of the choices they made.

The doula never makes decisions for the couple, but instead asks questions that will ensure the right information is provided so the couple can make an informed decision of their own. She may also suggest alternatives (like waiting a while) for the couple to consider their options.

In summary, the doula helps make the birth experience as rewarding and satisfying as possible. As one father said “I heaved a big sigh of relief when the doula walked in. I hadn’t realized how much pressure I’d been feeling. She not only calmed my wife, she calmed me down too.”

The father’s presence and loving support in birth is comforting and reassuring. The love he shares with the mother and his child and his need to nurture and protect his family are priceless gifts that only he can provide. With her partner and a doula at birth, a mother can have the best of both worlds – her partner’s loving care and attention and the doula’s expertise and guidance in birth.

Dr. Greene at TEDxBrussels

Dr. Alan Greene — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 18:45:01 +0000

Last week I was honored to be one of the speakers at TEDxBrussels along with Steve Wozniak, Mitch Altman, Xavier Damman, Eri Gentry, Tito Jankowski, Peter Jansen, Jeroen Raes, Aaron Rowe, Monte Stettin, and many other personal heroes.

When I was asked to speak last spring, I knew this would be the ideal opportunity to introduce Ticc Tocc — Transitioning Immediate Cord Clamping to Optimal Cord Clamping to a global audience.

I am so impressed with the amazing job Samia Lounis and the TEDxBrussles team did putting this event together and hope you enjoy the video they produced of my talk.

Is it Safe to Nurse while being Pregnant?

Dr. Alan Greene — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:19:48 +0000

Dr. Greene’s Answer:

Nursing while pregnant is usually very safe for all three of you.

Brooke, when women realize they’re pregnant while still breastfeeding, they often wonder whether the nursing will affect the unborn baby or the pregnancy, whether they will still make enough nutritious milk for the current child, and how the normal breast changes of pregnancy fit in.

Women’s bodies do an amazing job of providing fabulous nutrition to their babies – even if they are not eating a lot themselves during the weeks of normal morning sickness. When the tide turns, though, and they start to feel better, it’s important to eat plenty of good healthy food to supply the nutrients Mom needs – as well as the kids.

Nursing while pregnant can trigger uterine contractions, but these usually are unrelated to miscarriages or early labor. Nursing causes the release of oxytocin, which can stimulate contractions, but at levels too low to ripen the cervix.

Women who are at especially high risk of miscarriage or early labor, though, and who have been advised not to have sex (which also releases oxytocin) may do better if they stop nursing. There are other physical reasons to choose to stop, but these are uncommon.

Usually women are able to maintain their milk supply if they’re able to drink plenty of fluids, get some rest, and the demand remains high – either from nursing or from pumping. Extra fluids, rest, nursing or pumping may help.

Fenugreek is often used to increase milk supply – but I don’t recommend its use during pregnancy. It’s likely unsafe and might be associated with early labor.

Six top reasons to eat healthy while you are pregnant: Part 1

Beth Bader — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:44:12 +0000

If you are pregnant, you’re probably thinking a lot more about baby names and how to store up a few months of extra sleep rather than that eventual battle over broccoli when your baby becomes a toddler. Yet now may be one of your best opportunities to help him to love his vegetables!

New, compelling research in epigenics — the relationship between genetics and environmental factors on how those genes are expressed — indicates your diet while pregnant can be a factor in your child’s IQ, risk of autism, and future risk of obesity and her long term health, including how well she ages as an adult, and yes, taste preferences — even for vegetables.

Six top reasons to eat healthy while you are pregnant:

You Can Lower Your Child’s Risk of Type II Diabetes and Age-related Diseases as an Adult. According to research funded by the BBSRC and the British Heart Foundation, your diet regulates your baby’s development of a gene called Hnf4a that relates to pancreas development. Eating poorly during pregnancy may increase the rate that this gene is altered in your child as he ages — upping his risk of developing Type II Diabetes as an adult. In related research published in the Journal of Lipid Research, a high fat diet during pregnancy may not only increase the likelihood of your child developing Type II Diabetes, but the risk for your grandchildren as well.

You Can Lower Your Child’s Risk of Obesity and Heart Disease as an Adult. If a chronic craving for Krispy Kremes is a regular indulgence while you are eating for two, you might want to reach for some antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies instead. Those junk foods high in fat and sugar that make your cholesterol and triglycerides skyrocket also raise your unborn child’s levels.

Research published in The Journal of Physiology showed that these infants were not only more likely to be obese as adolescents, but may have lasting alterations to their metabolism, including liver damage, and an increase in their tendency to gain weight and overeat. The good news is, if your diet during pregnancy is high in healthy antioxidants, your child’s risk of obesity is decreased. Now that’s a great reason to get your five (or more) a day!

You Can Decrease Your Child’s Risk of Autism. Babies born from mothers who are obese, have high blood pressure, or have diabetes — Type I or Type II — have a 60 percent increased risk of developing autism. For all pregnant women with these conditions, it’s advisable to seek a high-risk obstetrician. For diabetic moms-to-be, this newly discovered link makes it even more essential to keep blood sugars well-controlled through a healthy, managed diet.

Don’t miss the next post in the two part series: three more ways your diet during pregnancy can help your child from a higher I.Q. to even fostering a taste for vegetables!

What to Do About Chemicals in Pregnant Women: A green solution.

Dr. Alan Greene — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:11:58 +0000

Here is the fifth take-home lesson from The Environmental Health Perspective article, Environmental Chemicals in Pregnant Women.

Lesson 5: A green solution. Leafy green.

Yes, we want to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals during pregnancy, both through simple personal choices and through public policy.

But there’s also growing evidence that certain potent nutrients found in some plant-based foods can prevent, reduce, or repair damage from toxic exposures when they do occur.

Researchers at Duke University demonstrated expected problems such as obesity, altered reproductive function, and increased cancer risk in animals whose mothers were exposed to the plastic chemical BPA during pregnancy.

Here’s the exciting part: when the pregnant mothers also got extra folic acid, a nutrient most common in green leafy vegetables (think “foliage”), this completely erased the BPA damage in their offspring. It worked through a process called epigenetics, the turning on and off of key genes.

Spinach and kale chips aren’t the only protective foods, but they are a good start. There are a rainbow of foods known to prevent and repair damage from threats in the environment.

My all-star list for pregnant women, children, and – really – for all of us, to follow over the next several days. Bon appetit!

Read More in this Series:
Lesson 1: It’s a peak behind the curtain.
Lesson 2: All products are eco-products.
Lesson 3: Public policy changes your body.
Lesson 4: Your choices do matter
Lesson 5: A green solution. Leafy green.

Dolinoy DC, Huang D, and Jirtle RJ. Maternal nutrient supplementation counteracts bisphenol A-induced DNA hypomethylation in early development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 7 Aug 2007; 104(32):13056-13061

Pregnancy and Weight Gain

Allison James — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:19:25 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but be amazed by how much my body is going through right now in order to support and nurture a growing fetus. I know we’re all aware of this already, but women are pretty darn unbelievable (which I manage to remind my husband of quite regularly and I recommend you do the same with your significant other)!

The fact that we are capable of giving birth to mini versions of ourselves is, in itself, mind boggling…and so incredibly cool!

And in order for us to increase the chances of having a happy, healthy baby, our body must go through many changes. Some changes are welcomed with open arms – bigger breasts, glowing skin, stronger nails and faster-growing hair. Other changes, however, are a little more difficult to get excited about – spider veins, water retention, stretch marks, and the most obvious change, weight gain.

And this brings us to our topic of the day: How much weight, on average, should a pregnant woman gain?

I’ll be the first to admit that I researched that very question as soon as I found out I was pregnant. What can I say? I was curious…not only that, but one of the first statements out of my doctor’s mouth was, “Just remember…you are NOT eating for two.” The matter-of-fact way in which she said it scared me a little so I quickly opened my computer, did my research, and here’s what I discovered…

Average Weight Women

If you begin your pregnancy at a healthy weight, you should gain between 25-35 pounds. In general, this means you only need to consume an additional 100-300 calories a day to meet the needs of your growing baby (a lot less than I would have thought…but I guess my doctor was right!). During your first trimester, you should gain 2-4 pounds (but everyone’s different because I gained almost 8 and I’m still in the “healthy range of weight gain”). After that, you should gain approximately 1 pound a week for the remainder of your pregnancy.

Here’s a fun table that explains our weight gain in a little more detail…

Eating for Two: A Guide to Mother’s Nutrition during Pregnancy – Part 13 – Eating for the Future

Dr. Alan Greene — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 21:17:36 +0000

Eating for the Future

With all that we know about tobacco, how can people still smoke?

It’s easy. They’re enticed by big business; they enjoy it; it’s cool; and it’s very, very habit forming. Now for the sobering truth – poor nutritional choices cause every bit as much cancer, death, disability, and chronic disease as cigarettes do. The modern American diet is public health threat number one to our children. With all that we know about junk food, how can people still eat it?

What an opportunity you have! For generations, many parents had no idea that they could start their children on the road to good nutrition before they were even born.

Just for perspective, you may want to watch an hour of children’s cartoons on television, or watch a group of kids in a fast food joint. You’ll be struck by the amount of unhealthy food powerfully, enticingly, seductively marketed to our kids with songs, toys, commercials, and characters.

How much better to have a tradition of good nutrition before they meet that onslaught! How much better to support their enjoyment of delicious healthy foods when solid foods are first introduced!

And now is an even more special opportunity. In the womb, your baby’s eyes are shielded from the seduction of commercials, from the kid’s meal toys, and from the group-think of peer pressure. She tastes and remembers what you eat! All she knows is what you feed her in quiet, and what her dad feeds you. She loves what she eats, grows from it now, and develops tastes for the future.

The prenatal vitamin is an important way to fill in the nutrient gaps, but babies were designed to thrive from what mothers ate long before these and other supplements were invented.

When I was growing up, my father grew tomatoes in our backyard. These vine-ripened tomatoes were absolutely delicious – far better than any others I can remember having. As plants grow, the new growth is built from materials taken from the soil. Nothing can be incorporated into plants unless it is present in the soil. Plants grown in depleted soils are just not the same. But plants do the best they can with whatever materials are available. They can do a lot with a little.

You are your baby’s soil.

When you first meet your baby face to face, you’ll be looking at cheeks and toes built from the food you have eaten.

What an opportunity!

Read More from: Eating for Two: A Guide to Mother’s Nutrition during Pregnancy

Eating for Two: A Guide to Mother’s Nutrition during Pregnancy – Part 10 – Calories

Dr. Alan Greene — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:55:33 +0000

Calories

“Eating for two” is an oft-repeated phrase during pregnancy. But when it comes to the additional amount that women need to eat, it is more like eating for 1.1! Okay, for some women, perhaps a bit more – but generally not as high as eating for 1.2. If you would have had a 10 ounce glass of orange juice, now you would want an 11 or maybe 12 ounce glass – not two glasses!

You need an extra 300 calories per day, more or less, to support all of the growth and changes in both mother’s and baby’s bodies. This isn’t much! (An apple has about 120 calories.) And you want these extra calories to be packed with nutrients.

Putting It Together

A prenatal vitamin is a wonderful safety net, containing most of the vitamins and minerals that we have learned mother and baby need. It can let you relax and enjoy eating, but I wouldn’t let it steer you away from the general type of diet pregnant women are designed to eat.

You can achieve optimum nutrition for mother and baby with a delicious and balanced diet of a variety of organic whole foods. Be sure to enjoy a balance that includes plenty of fruits and vegetable, grains and legumes, as well as lean protein and calcium sources.

This will also leave room for some yummy desserts, and for following some of those intense cravings. If the cravings persist, rescan the list of nutrients in this series, to see if any insight “pops” as to what your baby and your body might be trying to say.

You’ll notice some of the things not found on the list of foods needed in pregnancy: partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, modified food starch, processed white flour, artificial flavors, artificial colors, and chemical preservatives. These are all common in highly processed food products, and have become staples of the modern diet.

Some of these may be fine for the baby. But by choosing meals of organic whole foods, or by choosing food products with short ingredient lists that don’t sound like chemistry sets, you will avoid experimenting on your child to find out!

Read More from: Eating for Two: A Guide to Mother’s Nutrition during Pregnancy

Eating for Two: A Guide to Mother’s Nutrition during Pregnancy – Part 4 – The Gift of Iron

Dr. Alan Greene — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:45:41 +0000

The Gift of Iron

Iron requirements also soar during pregnancy. Both the mother and the baby need iron to build red blood cells. A pregnant woman’s blood supply increases by 1/3 over the course of the pregnancy. Babies must grow their entire blood supply from scratch – and scratch includes iron. Iron is also a foundational building block of muscles and of a number of enzymes carrying out vital processes throughout the body.

Iron occurs naturally in a number of foods. Good sources include organic fruits and vegetables such as raisins, apricots, prunes (and prune juice), spinach, kale, and other greens. We get iron when we eat wonderful legumes such as dried beans, soybeans, peas, and lentils, and grains such as oatmeal. Especially rich sources of iron include meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. Liver tops the list. Clearly pregnant women are designed to eat more of at least some of these foods. Iron is one good reason for this, but there may be others not yet discovered. Perhaps iron is one reason why women lay awake dreaming of some of these foods (I can almost smell the juicy cheeseburger with sliced apricots).

A savvy meal planner and smart cookware turn up the heat on iron intake. Eating or drinking foods high in vitamin C (such as orange juice) at the same time as foods high in iron helps the body to absorb and use the iron. Cooking in iron pans can also add iron to foods.

Many foods, especially cereal grains, are now iron-fortified. The iron here is poorly absorbed, but manufacturers have dumped in enough iron to make up for this. In addition, prenatal vitamins contain plenty of iron.

Pregnant women need about 27 mg of iron per day to supply themselves and their babies. A healthy baby born at term should have a store of about 500 mg of iron in her body, all of it a gift from her parents.

Read More from: Eating for Two: A Guide to Mother’s Nutrition during Pregnancy