DrGreene.com » Top Prenatal

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?

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.

Your Baby Knows What You’re Eating … Even Before Birth

Dr. Alan Greene — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:07:18 +0000

Babies have more taste buds before birth than at any later time. Why would they be designed to form extra taste buds only for them to disappear before they are even born?

Most parents think that before birth, babies get all of their nutrition through the umbilical cord. They don’t realize that babies also drink and digest amniotic fluid, swallowing the equivalent of up to three eight-ounce bottles a day of this nutritious, flavor-rich soup – flavored by what Mom has been eating and drinking. Babies taste, remember, and form initial preferences for these foods. It’s the first step toward Nutritional Intelligence. In my book Feeding Baby Green I described how to make the most of this:

First, you don’t need to do anything. That’s right. Babies are beautifully designed to get to know the real you. They learn about your world from what you eat and drink and from the aromas you smell. This is truly effortless learning and effortless teaching. Your baby is already imprinting on you much in the same way a baby duckling imprints on his mother.

Second, you could do something. We sometimes behave a little better when we know that others are watching. We’re our best selves. Now that you know that your baby is paying attention to what you eat and drink, you might find yourself naturally choosing healthier options from whatever is available.

Third, you might plan ahead to share with your baby the tastes and smells you would love for her to love (and perhaps skip, at least for a few months, the tastes you don’t want her to crave). If you need some ideas, you might aim for introducing delicious options from each of the twenty-one plant families listed in the “Biodiversity Checklist” at the end of Feeding Baby Green. These are a wide variety of foods that humans have enjoyed for thousands of years.

How often does a baby need to taste something to form a preference?

We know from animal studies that injecting a flavor into the amniotic fluid even once can make a lasting difference. Even once may be significant for human babies as well—especially for strong flavors.

I recommend that if there is a flavor or aroma you really want your baby to learn, aim for twelve times during the second and third trimesters. This works out to having the flavor at least every other week, on average. Or every week for a shorter burst. Or three times a week for a month.

^{For more information, see Feeding Baby Green, especially Chapter 4 Middle and Late Pregnancy, and the Biodiversity Checklist appendix, a simple delicious approach to teaching love of a variety of foods during pregnancy, nursing, spoon-fed, finger food, and fork & spoon stages of development.}

Pitkin, R., and Reynolds, W. A. “Fetal Ingestion and Metabolism of Amniotic Fluid Protein.” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oct. 15, 1975, 123(4): 356–63.

Mennella, J. A., Coren, P., Jagnow, M. S., and Beauchamp, G. K. “Prenatal and Postnatal Flavor Learning by Human Infants.” Pediatrics, June 6, 2001, 107(6): e88.

Smotherman ,W. P. “Odor Aversion Learning by the Rat Fetus.” Physiology & Behavior, Nov. 1982, 29(5): 769–771.

Bilko, A., Altbacker, V., and Hudson, R. “Transmission of Food Preference in the Rabbit: The Means of Information Transfer.” Physiology & Behavior, Nov. 1994, 56(5):907–912

Schaal, B., Marlier, L., and Soussignan, R. “Human Fetuses Learn Odours from Their Pregnant Mother’s Diet.” Chemical Senses, 2000, 25: 729–737.

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

Eating for Two: A Guide to Mother’s Nutrition during Pregnancy – Part 3 – How Much Folate Do You Need?

Dr. Alan Greene — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:30:22 +0000

How Much Folate Do You Need?

Preventing neural tube defects is the poster child for folate supplementation. But folate is also critically important whenever a new copy of DNA is made. Each new cell in the baby’s rapidly growing body requires a new copy of the baby’s DNA. In addition, folate is critical for the process of cell division. It’s a necessary ingredient as the one-celled fertilized eggs divides and divides, again and again, into the trillions of cells present at birth. At about six weeks pregnant, the nervous system alone is adding about 100,000 new nerve cells an hour!

Folate occurs naturally in a variety of foods. Organic green vegetables (especially leafy vegetables), dry beans, peas, and fruits can be great sources for pregnant women. In addition, folate is found in organ meats, such as liver and kidney, although cooking can destroy folate. Clearly, women are designed to eat larger amounts of at least some of these folate-rich foods during pregnancy. Folate is one important reason for this; there may also be other nutrients in these foods whose requirements we have yet to understand. Perhaps folate is a reason that fruits, fruit juices, and sour foods are so often the foods of dreams.

Women who could possibly get pregnant should get at least 400 micrograms of folate per day. During pregnancy, the recommendation increases to at least 600 micrograms per day. A survey of typical American women from 1988 to 1994 estimated an average woman got about 250 micrograms per day in her diet. Those who ate lots of fruits and veggies got more. In 1998, law mandated that enriched cereal grains include folate. Now the typical American adult probably gets about 340 micrograms a day from food.

Prenatal vitamins usually have 1,000 micrograms (1 mg) of folate. This is equivalent to getting about 500 micrograms of folate from food, giving women who take the vitamins plenty with just a little extra help from the diet.

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 2 – Folate and Iron

Dr. Alan Greene — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 19:23:24 +0000

Folate and Iron

Out of all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in our diets, we only know of two whose requirements increase by 50 percent or more during pregnancy: one vitamin and one mineral, folate (also known as folic acid) and iron. Deficiency of either folate or iron can lead to anemia in the mother and in the baby.

Famously, the baby uses folate when forming its neural tube, the ancestor to the brain and spinal cord. To do this, adequate supplies of folate are most important at about 21 to 28 days after fertilization. This is the reason that getting plenty of folate surrounding conception can help prevent birth abnormalities called neural tube defects. Women who eat plenty of folate-rich foods can store folate supplies for 2 or 3 months.

What Dad Eats Counts, Too

Dad’s diet, like Mom’s, may help babies before they are even born! Researchers have found that men who take in enough folate may make their offspring less susceptible to later cancer, according to a study published in the February 2001 Fertility and Sterility. For years, women have been encouraged to get enough folate to help prevent birth defects. Now, folate appears to encourage strong, healthy sperm that produce healthier kids. This breakthrough suggests that other choices in Dad’s life not yet studied may also play a role in the strength and vitality of his sperm and the subsequent health of his children.

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 1 – Pregnancy A Special Time

Dr. Alan Greene — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:14:14 +0000

During pregnancy, every ounce of baby’s growing body after that very first single cell has come from her mother’s own body. The brain, the heart, the muscles are all built from nutrients that were once part of her mother. The baby is quite literally her flesh-and-blood offspring. Nutrients that Mom eats during pregnancy, or that she has eaten beforehand, are the exclusive fuel and the only raw material building blocks for the baby’s growth. There is nothing else.

This is a special time. A mother and baby together have different nutritional requirements than either of them will ever have alone. Because the mother is the one doing the eating, we’ll look at these needs from the perspective of changes needed in the mother’s diet.

Sadly, nutrition has not been an adequate priority in mainline medicine. The current 2002 edition of my favorite textbook of obstetrics still contains nutritional advice based on the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances. We’ve learned a lot about nutrition since then, but much of it hasn’t filtered into physicians’ texts, much less popular parenting books. The data in this series is current as of the most recent Dietary Reference Intakes for each individual nutrient at the time of publication. Prenatal vitamins are designed with these recommendations in mind. Keep in mind that the handful of vitamins and minerals in the tablets are just the Hollywood stars of nutrition. Each organic whole food contains a cast of thousands of micronutrients that we are just beginning to understand. Some of these important “extras” don’t even have names yet. A diet rich in the variety of organic foods where the “leading actor” nutrients naturally occur is probably the best diet for pregnancy.

The prenatal vitamin is a spectacular safety net. Getting more of these same nutrients from food is generally great, but taking more of them as supplements is unnecessary and unwise.

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