40 & having a baby: Mommy's being well for baby

There are days when I feel like having a baby at 40 is much simpler than many think it is. Then there are days when I feel it’s much more difficult and complicated than anyone made it out to be. In my previous article, I chose to reassure readers who are in the same situation as I am, saying it is better to take an optimistic stance in getting pregnant after 35, than welcoming the alarmists into your thoughts, only to cause unwarranted fears.

Now, I choose to be more realistic. But this is not only for the “mature” mothers-to-be, as pregnant women at any age could use all the tips they could get on how to be healthy while pregnant and how to stay healthy even after birth. We owe it not only to ourselves, but more importantly, to our babies, to be as healthy as we could be.

As I had mentioned, too, in my last article, pregnancy is, generally and in reality, a risky business, no matter what the mother’s age may be. After all, another life is totally dependent on how the mother treats herself while she is pregnant. The only way to reduce the risks is to ensure that all is well with the mother in terms of health and disposition. This will make baby all well and healthy, too.

I’m sure you all have an idea on how to keep healthy, pregnant or not: eat well and right, exercise, and get enough rest and sleep. It’s just that pregnant women should take some additional extra-careful consideration.

I can say that even when I was already 39 years old when I got pregnant and 40 when I gave birth, I was actually in better shape than when I was pregnant with my first daughter 10 years ago. And I owe this to my serious and determined effort to lose weight three years ago and to maintain a healthy lifestyle since then. Paying extra attention to your health as a mother doesn’t end when you give birth. A mother should make sure that she is in her best possible physical condition especially after giving birth to take best care of baby, too. To keep things simple, let me focus on diet, exercise, and rest during pregnancy and after giving birth.

DIET

There should be no drastic changes in a pregnant woman’s diet. You simply take more of some kinds of food and take less of other kinds of food. Health practitioners would advise extra doses of folic acid (also known as folate) and iron as well as other vitamins and minerals.

Enough supply of folic acid ensures that your baby doesn’t have congenital defects especially in the nervous system, such as neural tube defect (NTD). Iron deficiency in pregnant women can cause anemia, as her body is not producing enough hemoglobin that brings oxygen to all parts of the body. Iron-deficiency anemia in a pregnant woman won’t have serious effects on the baby because he will use up all he could of the mother’s iron supply, so the mother will have to make do with what’s left. You have to watch out, though, that the condition does not get severe, as it might put your life in danger, thus endangering the life of your baby, too.

My hemoglobin count dropped right after delivering through caesarian section over a month ago, and I was literally as pale as a paper. My baby usurped all the iron and hemoglobin she could use from my body’s supply and I had to take extra doses of iron supplements for one month.

Pregnant women also tend to crave and eat more, most of the time using pregnancy as an excuse to indulge. Though you should not deprive yourself of food, this is not the time to overindulge either. A pregnant woman of average weight before getting pregnant should only gain from 25 to 35 pounds during the entire course of pregnancy. Weight gain should vary depending on pre-pregnancy weight of the mother.

It is still best to avoid too much sugar and salt during pregnancy. After giving birth, it is expected that the mother should keep a healthy diet, avoiding excuses to overeat such as trying to recoup nutrients while recuperating or because you are breastfeeding. The mother’s body would have enough calories to support breastfeeding from the fat gained during pregnancy. So if you are exclusively breastfeeding, you just need an additional 200-300 calorie intake.

EXERCISE

I had been hard at work trying to get as close as I can to my ideal weight and keeping it there. This might also be the reason why I had unexpectedly gotten pregnant. Unknowingly, during my first month, I was still doing pretty strenuous and hard-core workouts so I thought my monthly period was simply delayed due to heavy exercise.

I initially had reservations about continuing to exercise when I found out I was with child, thinking that at my advanced age, miscarriage was more likely to occur. Well, it was a fear that was totally unfounded, so I continued exercising and just toned it down to brisk walking and light jogging several laps on the track oval at least three times a week. My doctor advised me to do it less frequently, though, when my hips and buttocks started to hurt due to Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP).

Exercise during pregnancy not only helps keep your weight in check but also prepares your body for the strain of delivery.

I believe that swimming is the best exercise for mothers, both at the pre- and post-natal stages. I would have loved to go swimming every chance I could get, except that I do not know how to swim. Yoga and Pilates are also excellent forms of exercise as they help tone specific parts of your body, especially those that would play a big part in a safe delivery, such as the lower back and abdominals. If you had started an exercise regimen while pregnant, you should continue soon after giving birth, with the consent, of course, of your doctor.

Those that delivered through C-section might have to wait a little longer. But while we wait, we can already do some stretching and firming exercise, especially those that strengthen the pelvic floor and tone the tummy muscles. But please do consult with your doctor first before engaging in any form of physical activity right after giving birth.

REST

The amount of sleep pregnant women should get does not really differ from how that of un-pregnant persons. A mother should learn to take cues from her own body, taking naps when necessary and staying in bed longer if she doesn’t feel well enough to get up. Some pregnances require special attention and extended periods of rest. Generally, if you have a relatively normal pregnancy, simply get between six to eight hours of sleep a night plus occasional naps in the afternoon or mid-morning.

I believe it is more important to pay attention to rest and sleep after giving birth. Every mother knows that it is the first greatest challenge of motherhood - how to get enough sleep right after the baby is born. Newborns and infants do sleep up to 18 hours a day, but not longer than 3 hours at a time. This is particularly challenging at night and early morning, when we are used to sleeping for at least five hours straight. We do have to get up to feed or change nappies or simply to cuddle. And at times the baby does not go back to sleep until the rooster crows.

The trick to recoup sleep is to grab all the opportunities you have throughout the day to catch some shuteye while your baby sleeps or naps. You could only do this if you employ the support and help of your partner or an alternate caregiver to take care of the other things that need to be done like housework.

HAPPY MOMMY, HEALTHY BABY

I have proven for myself that no matter at what age the mother is, pregnancy and delivery risks are greatly minimized if a healthy lifestyle is observed. At 40, I actually feel I am much healthier now than when I had my first baby at 30. Apart from keeping healthy physically, it definitely helps to keep a positive disposition throughout pregnancy and well after giving birth. Enjoy this special phase in your life the best you can and simply bask in the joy of this privilege of bringing forth precious life into the world, again, no matter what age you may be.

Photos: “Hand to hand” by Carly Lesser & Art Drauglis, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved / Photo: “Baby” by Quinn Dombrowski, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.