Recently, we have received lots of e-mails from moms-to-be who wanted to know: how can
I make sure that my baby grows in my womb as expected?
The answer is: it’s not always possible to make sure of that, but there are certainly
things that you can do to support your baby’s growth!
Yes.
So, in this video, we are first going to discuss why there is not necessarily a problem when
your fetus is small.
And then we are gonna share with you the 7 things that you can try to support your baby’s
growth.
This is Nathalie, a pregnancy and birth consultant and TCM therapist, and that's Mathias a researcher
and science geek and on this channel we help
mommies and their babies naturally and science-based.
So, how can you help your baby grow?
When your doctor tells you that your fetus is small during a scan, then it does not
automatically mean that there is a problem.
During a check-up your doctor estimates your baby’s size and then compares that size
to a standard chart.
That chart tells them how your baby compares to thousands of other babies at that particular
stage of a pregnancy.
However, if you look at a school class for instance, you are gonna see that not every
child is equally tall, right?
And so, the challenge for your doctor is to determine, whether your baby just a small
baby or whether there are underlying reasons that prevent your baby from fulfilling their
growth potential, right?
Yes.
So, let’s assume that your baby-girl is in the 25th percentile, then this means that
on average out of a hundred baby-girls, your baby is smaller than 75 other girls and larger
than 25 other girls.
Does this mean that your baby is not growing as your baby should?
No, not necessarily!
Maybe your baby is just smaller.
What does matter is consistent growth.
And so, the question is: during the next scan, does your baby remain in the same percentile
or even above or is she now suddenly in a lower percentile.
When the latter is the case, then it could mean that there are reasons that prevent your
baby from fulfilling their growth potential.
Yes.
Now, on the one hand, there can be medical reasons why a baby is not growing as expected
which may not be easy to control.
For example, if you suffer from a chronic disease or if your placenta is not working
as it should, then it is just very difficult for yourself to do anything about that.
All you can do really in such cases is try to stabilize the problem together with your
doctor so that, at least, it does not get worse.
On the other hand, scientists have found that there can also be reasons which are related
to lifestyle which could either cause a fetus to be small given their age or have a low
birth weight.
These are things that normally are under your control.
And so, by taking care of them you might be able to at least reduce the risk that your
baby does not grow as expected.
So, let’s have a look at them!
Sometimes, women tell us that they are doing like 200 squats per day in order to prepare
for labor.
And while we absolutely admire such high levels of motivation, there are some scientific studies
that show that such high volumes of exercising may not be the best thing to do, not in general,
but at least during the third trimester of a pregnancy.
Yes.
To be totally honest with you, this is an ongoing controversy among scientists but there
is some evidence that high volumes of exercising in late pregnancy could reduce fetoplacental
growth, which means growth that is related to both, the placenta and the baby.
On top of that, some scientists have found that exercising in a high volume during late
pregnancy may slightly increase the length of a pregnancy by about 1.5 days on average.
So, in brief: exercising while you are pregnant in general is great, right? Because it can benefit
the baby and the mother in many ways. Right!
However, many scientists recommend keeping the volume of exercising at a healthy level
during the third trimester, in order to minimize the impact that high volume exercising could
have on the baby’s growth. Right!
Keep in mind, the question what a healthy level is for you really depends on many factors,
like your age, your pre-pregnancy body mass index, if you are used to exercising etc.
But in general, high volume exercise means doing excessive training, including lots of
repetitions or training including heavy weights or high frequency training etc.
But if you have any doubts, please discuss with your provider what an appropriate volume
of exercise is in your particular case.
Interestingly, a study from China involving more than 10.000 women found that women who
took afternoon naps of between one and one and a half hour were 29% less likely to have
a baby with low birth weight compared to women who did not nap during the day.
On top of that, they also found that the frequency of the naps seems to play a role: women who
napped on 5 to 7 days per week were 22% less likely to have a baby with low birth weight.
Keep in mind though that this study was not a controlled experiment, right?
So, we cannot really say that there is definitive proof that afternoon napping really prevents
a low birth weight.
However, as the scientists point out, the findings of their study do suggest that
a 1-1.5-hour afternoon nap 5 to 7 days per week might help at least reduce the risk of
a low birth weight.
If you are not yet pregnant, then it could pay off to work on your pre-pregnancy Body
Mass Index.
There are many scientific studies which have shown that underweight women are at a higher
risk of having a baby with low birth weight as well as a “small for gestational age
baby”, which means that baby’s growth is not as we would expect it to be at a specific
point in time during a pregnancy.
So, if you are underweight and consider getting pregnant, you might wanna try to increase
your weight first.
As important as your pre-pregnancy weight is an adequate caloric intake during your
pregnancy.
There is strong scientific evidence that if a pregnant woman is not gaining enough weight
during her pregnancy, then her baby is at a higher risk of being small for gestational
age as well as having a low birth weight.
Conversely, if a pregnant woman is excessively gaining weight during her pregnancy, her baby
is more likely to be large for gestational and there is a higher risk of an increased
birth weight.
Neither of that is optimal because it can have long-term effects on the baby’s health. Yes.
So, if you want to make sure that your baby grows and gains weight normally, then one
way how you can support that process is by making sure that your weight gain is within
a certain range.
To help you understand how much weight gain is appropriate for you, we have posted a table
in the description below this video.
That table shows you the weight gain guidelines that the Institute of Medicine has published
in 2009 based on recommendations by the World Health Organisation.
Yes.
On top of that, we also talk about the optimal caloric intake during a pregnancy in one of
our other videos which you can find the description
below this video.
That said, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that ideally, your
provider determines your Body mass index at the beginning of your pregnancy so that they
can then tell you what an appropriate weight gain looks like in your case.
When you take care of an adequate caloric intake, it is also important to look at where
those calories are coming from.
Of course, burgers and fries and fizzy drinks can also provide your body with calories.
But they mostly provide your body with macronutrients,
particularly fat and sugar.
However, in order for your baby to grow and gain weight properly, your baby also urgently
requires micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Yes.
Studies have shown that micronutrient deficiencies during pregnancy can have serious implications
on the developing baby, particularly on baby’s growth and weight.
And so, the first step of making sure that baby gets what they need is eating a
variety of healthy foods, including vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread, grains, dairy products,
fish and meat or meat alternatives.
On top of that, it can also make sense to take supplements, particularly iron and folic
acid.
In fact, we explain in detail what kind of nutrients a fetus needs in one of our other
videos which you can find in the description below this video!
But in general, we recommend consulting with
your provider first before you take any supplements.
When a woman is pregnant, her body changes the way how it regulates blood sugar.
As a result, pregnant women often develop low blood sugar levels.
And according to scientific studies, newborns of women with low blood sugar levels often
weight significantly less than women with normal blood sugar levels. Right.
Now, it's very important to understand that there are circumstances under which it is very difficult
if not impossible to avoid low blood sugar levels.
For example, diabetes can cause low blood sugar levels in women when they take medications.
Another example is morning sickness because frequent vomiting can make your blood sugar
levels drop.
But on the other hand, there are also lots of lifestyle-related aspects which can cause
low blood sugar levels.
Examples are when you are not eating enough or exercise more than usual or drink alcohol.
That said, mild forms of low blood sugar are unlikely to do any harm to your baby.
However, we just want to make you aware of the impact that low blood sugar levels can
have on the baby.
So, if you have the feeling that low blood sugar levels are an ongoing problem, then
we encourage you to talk with your doctor about it!
It’s important to understand that it’s your blood which carries both, oxygen and
nutrients from your placenta to your baby. Right!
And so, one way to increase the chances of your baby to grow within a normal range is to increase
the blood flow to the baby and to make sure that nothing interferes with that blood flow.
And since the blood flow to your baby is linked to your own blood circulation, there are several
things that could help you increase the blood flow to your baby.
We explain these things in detail in one of our other videos!
Yes.
By the way: there is one more thing which can prevent your fetus from growing as expected.
And that’s alcohol, drugs and smoking.
So, it’s always a good idea to stay from these, right?
And finally, please keep in mind that under normal circumstances, there is really no need
to be worried about your baby’s growth!
But if you are concerned about your baby’s growth, then we encourage you to talk with
your doctor about your concerns so that they can evaluate if there is indeed a problem
and if so, to determine what is the best way to deal with the situation given your particular pregnancy
case. Right.
If you have found this video helpful, we would be grateful if you could leave us a like or
even a comment in the comment section below.
Yes, and if you want to see more videos about pregnancy and baby-related topics in the near
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