Mommy-Rexia....ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Let me begin with...sigh...here I go again.  Thanks Leah for sending me this article: http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/pregnant-dieters-make-obese-kids/

Of course, as usual, I got fired up, mad....and had to lash out once again on my poor keyboard.  I wonder when I will have to replace this thing?

The article is called "Pregnant Dieters Make Obese Kids."  The title alone makes me cringe, let alone the content.  Once I started reading, I immediately saw the usual trend; the article blamed the media for displaying super thin pregnant celebrities, which in turn starts a new fad.  Normal women believe it is natural to be thin while pregnant, therefore cutting calories-which in turn, starves their baby.

The entire idea appalls me.  Ask any one of my friends, I struggle with my own weight and body image issues.  I have always been a bit on the thicker side until more recently in my adult years.  It's a constant struggle that started when I was very young.  However, when I was pregnant...while I tried to eat healthy for the most part, I most definitely didn't starve my child.  Who on earth does that?  Well, I guess I could ask the same question to the people that shoot heroin or smoke crack while they are pregnant.

The research studies they refer to suggest that starving yourself while pregnant actually may change your babies DNA functions, causing them to become obese later in life.  They may have done the studies on sheep-but who cares?  The results were astonishing.  Here's the result of the experiment and what they found:
When the researchers examined the brains of developing lambs, they found evidence that the lambs’ DNA had been methylated, or chemically-altered, in ways that changed the functioning of genes. In particular, the genes that influence food intake and glucose levels were modified so that the lambs could be expected to face a greater lifetime risk of developing obesity and diabetes.

The article goes on to quote that skinny pregnancies pave the way for fat offspring.  I don't know about you, but I would take the rest of my life covered in acne and fat as a cow if it meant Callie had to go through only a fraction of the body image and insecurity issues young girls must face.  I hope that articles like this become awareness for the women out there who would sacrifice the health of their baby for a few less pounds.  Honestly, why even have a child?

If you think about it, the research makes sense, and they point out that an underfed fetus, when food finally becomes available, will over feed and thus become overweight rather than eat a normal feeding.  When you do encounter food, make the most of it, and develop a metabolism that is very efficient.  Aka...load up on them calories and store fat cells.

However, we also have to look at the flip side of things.  Studies also show that mommies who indulge in way too much fat, salt, sugar...and junk food in general also could have overweight children.  

Just eat healthy!  You won't get fat if you are eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.  Will you gain weight?  Sure!  Will you get stretch marks?  Maybe....one thing I've learned from those stretch marks and that saggy, loose skin-they are my battle scars; it's proof I've survived two successful pregnancies.  How else can I look I can it?  The most important thing is that we take care of ourselves and reproduce and bear healthy children.  Mommy Rexia shouldn't even be a term in our society!  ~ Trina