Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/329829
18 Here's WHat moms can do to get babY oFF to tHe best start PossibLe Skinny jEAnS FiRST: If possible, try to slim down to a healthy weight prior to getting pregnant, says Denver OB/GYN Kristine Eule. "If you are coming back for a second or third pregnancy, and you haven't lost the weight from before, wait until you have." Eule recalls a patient who started out at 110 pounds with her first pregnancy, gained 40 pounds, and got pregnant again before losing the excess weight. Now she's on her fourth pregnancy at 260 pounds. "Ideally, if someone is thinking about getting pregnant, we try to have them come in for preconception counseling, work on diet, and get in the best shape they can be going into it." no TickET FoR Two: "The eating-for-two advice is a complete myth," says Dr. Heather Fitzler, an OB/GYN with the Center for Women's Health in South Denver. In reality, she says, your caloric intake doesn't need to change at all in the first trimester. In the second and third, on average, it should increase by about 300 calories, the equivalent of one whole- wheat bagel. THE ScAlE RUlES: According to the Institute of Medicine's revised 2009 guidelines, underweight women (with a Body Mass Index of 12.5 to 18) should gain 28 to 40 pounds; women of normal weight (BMI of 18.5 to 24.9) should gain 25 to 35 pounds; overweight women (BMI of 25 to 29.9) should gain 15 to 25 pounds; and obese women (BMI of 30-plus) should gain 11 to 20 pounds. However, many physicians – including Wilk and Barbour – believe these guidelines are too generous. "In some overweight and obese women, the babies do just fine if the mom gains zero," says Wilk. ByE-ByE SUgAR: "Pregnant women are warned about all kinds of things they shouldn't eat because of the health risks, but sugar is probably the number-one worst thing she can put in her body," says Wilk. He notes that simple sugars, like those found in soda, juices, candy, etc., fail to trigger the hormones that tell the brain "I am full," so despite the calories they pile on, they leave us hungry. The same goes for refined carbohydrates, like white rice. Instead, shoot for low-glycemic-index carbohydrates, which leave blood sugar on a more even keel, and fiber-containing fruits and vegetables, which fill you up. Have an orange instead of orange juice. Substitute quinoa for white rice. "Ideally, if someone is thinking about getting pregnant, we try to have them come in for preconception counseling, work on diet, and get in the best shape they can be going into it."