For anyone that follows Rachel Zoe, stylist to the stars, you would know that she's pregnant and if you have really been paying attention, you would have noticed that it is almost impossible to tell that she is 8 months pregnant. Blamed for making Nicole Richie and various other celebs stick-thin in order to fit into her fashion, Zoe has recently been quoted by a "source" in In Touch Weekly as saying that she is not used to eating 3 meals a day which is why she hasn't gained much weight during the pregnancy. One doctor speculates she hasn't gained more than 15 lbs (and with her tiny figure, you can hardly tell).
For the sake of your baby and all of the women who religiously follow your every move, please eat up. Low birth weight babies are prone to a host of health problems! Besides pregorexia chic is so 5 years ago....
Showing posts with label pregnancy weight gain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy weight gain. Show all posts
Kendra does Ok! (again), debuts post-baby bod
Okay so I have a few things to say:1) Surprise, surprise. Kendra is on the cover of Ok! again. I think she must be on contract with them.
2) ALLEGEDLY, she's lost 25lbs in 8 wks (that is, she gave birth 8 WEEKS AGO) after gaining 55lbs during her pregnancy AND having a caesarean.
How has she done it?
Kendra says she’s doing “45 minutes of hardcore training and weightlifting” followed by running and walking on a treadmill until she’s tired.
How has she really done it?
Crash dieting and ridiculous eating regimens (or perhaps by eating regimens I should say not-eating regimens). Everyone knows that you're supposed to wait about 6 wks post-caesar before exercising, which she clearly hasn't done. And hello? What about breastfeeding? If in fact, she is breastfeeding, losing that much weight so quickly can't be good.
Is anyone else sick of this? FOR REALS. I haven't even had a flipping baby and already I'm feeling the pressure.
LeeLee, little kid cravings and lots of exercise
Does anyone remember LeeLee Sobieski? Well, um, she's pregnant and according to Us, she's been having some 'little kid' food cravings:
"I eat less ice cream than I ever did because the baby takes up so much space. Ginger is really good. I kind of want ginger to settle the stomach sometimes and then macaroni and cheese. I kind of like little kid food. I think I like eating what little kids eat."
She's still working out with her trainer which, according to the recently published results of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, is a good thing because the researchers found that first-time mothers who exercised at least three times a week during their pregnancy were less likely to give birth to a baby with excessive birth weight. Women who exercised during pregnancy were also found to decrease their risk of developing pre-eclampsia by 20%.
"I eat less ice cream than I ever did because the baby takes up so much space. Ginger is really good. I kind of want ginger to settle the stomach sometimes and then macaroni and cheese. I kind of like little kid food. I think I like eating what little kids eat."
She's still working out with her trainer which, according to the recently published results of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, is a good thing because the researchers found that first-time mothers who exercised at least three times a week during their pregnancy were less likely to give birth to a baby with excessive birth weight. Women who exercised during pregnancy were also found to decrease their risk of developing pre-eclampsia by 20%.
It's an order: American soliders must shed their baby weight
Women might as well just give up on life now.
Just when you thought standards of beauty for post-baby mums couldn't possible get more unachievable, it seems that new mothers in the U.S. military are subject to pressures that most of us can avoid because our jobs don't demand it.
Enlisted US soldiers have six months postpartum to meet Army weight standards and pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Otherwise, they can be flagged and ultimately lose their jobs. Until recently, women started physical training with their regular units six weeks after delivery, outnumbered by fit and unsympathetic men and commanders with no experience in training soldiers who are also new mothers. "They look down on you, no matter how good a soldier you were before," said Warrant Officer Jacey Martin, a new mother and soldier at Fort Bragg.
According to the Defense Women's Health Research Program, more than half of new mums fail their fitness tests and about one-third don't meet the weight and body fat standards within six months. Apparently, there are some postpartum PT (physical training) programmes, however, many PT instructors have not been trained in techniques for working with new mums.
Um, not so much.
Just when you thought standards of beauty for post-baby mums couldn't possible get more unachievable, it seems that new mothers in the U.S. military are subject to pressures that most of us can avoid because our jobs don't demand it.
Enlisted US soldiers have six months postpartum to meet Army weight standards and pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Otherwise, they can be flagged and ultimately lose their jobs. Until recently, women started physical training with their regular units six weeks after delivery, outnumbered by fit and unsympathetic men and commanders with no experience in training soldiers who are also new mothers. "They look down on you, no matter how good a soldier you were before," said Warrant Officer Jacey Martin, a new mother and soldier at Fort Bragg.
According to the Defense Women's Health Research Program, more than half of new mums fail their fitness tests and about one-third don't meet the weight and body fat standards within six months. Apparently, there are some postpartum PT (physical training) programmes, however, many PT instructors have not been trained in techniques for working with new mums.
Um, not so much.
Portrait of pregnancy
I just came across an interesting portrait of pregnancy from a British writer in the new issue of UK Glamour. The author talks about gaining weight and 'losing' her pre-pregnancy figure:
"Why would I want a record of me getting bigger and bigger, when I’m the first to destroy any photograph of me that makes me look even remotely fat?"
Great photos and commentary, check it out:
Portrait of my pregnancy
"Why would I want a record of me getting bigger and bigger, when I’m the first to destroy any photograph of me that makes me look even remotely fat?"
Great photos and commentary, check it out:
Portrait of my pregnancy
Milla J: one hot mama
It's been 16 months since Milla Jovovich had her first baby, Ever Gabo. If you remember, the model turned actress turned fashion designer gained 70 lbs in her pregnancy. She's been back to her pre-baby weight for awhile now but thankfully, she reveals that it has not been an easy road and dropping the weight certainly didn't happen with yoga and drinking 3 litres of water every day.“Diet and lots of exercise, I worked my big, little butt off,” Milla reveals. “It’s been a lot of work and I’ve been working with Harley Pasternak and his 5-Factor program, they actually have diet food sent to my house. At one point I just ate oatmeal, salmon and artichokes everyday for a week. It was definitely a lot easier putting it on!”
Milla wants another baby but not yet because of all of the hard work she has done:
"I do want another baby but not for a little bit," she says. "I’ve only just lost all the weight so I want to enjoy my old body for a while before I have to become a crazy alien again."
Source: http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/12277
http://www.theinsider.com/news/1775569_Milla_Jovovich_On_Losing_70lbs_Of_Baby_Weight
Prepregnancy body image counts!
A new study out of Temple University tracking 1500 women has found that prepregnancy body image influences the amount of weight gained during pregnancy.
Women with misperceptions about their prepregnancy weight are thought to be more likely to gain excessive weight while pregnant. The researchers argue that overweight women who thought they were at a 'normal' weight prepregnancy are at the most risk of gaining too much during pregnancy (nearly 8x more likely to gain too much weight). Women of 'normal' weight who thought they were overweight before pregnancy are also, however, at risk of gaining too much.
Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE4BM4MS20081223
Women with misperceptions about their prepregnancy weight are thought to be more likely to gain excessive weight while pregnant. The researchers argue that overweight women who thought they were at a 'normal' weight prepregnancy are at the most risk of gaining too much during pregnancy (nearly 8x more likely to gain too much weight). Women of 'normal' weight who thought they were overweight before pregnancy are also, however, at risk of gaining too much.
Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE4BM4MS20081223
Men: missing all logic and reason
In the immortal words of Jennifer Aniston as she spoke of her philandering ex-husband Brad Pitt, it seems that Jerry O'Connell (hubby to Rebecca Romijn) is missing a 'sensitivity chip'.
O'Connell went on Conan O'Brien on Friday to say that Rebecca was 'huge' and that he told her this regularly. Right. Well, twins will do that to a gal.
He's now issued an public apology:
"I regret calling my wife 'huge. I meant to say that there are specific areas of my wife that are larger than normal and growing every day. All other portions of my wife are quite petite. I apologize to her and will be coming home with flowers."
A dozen roses per baby?
Totally off topic: No photos of Rebecca Romijn have surfaced as yet. Interesting.
Source: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20224278,00.htm
O'Connell went on Conan O'Brien on Friday to say that Rebecca was 'huge' and that he told her this regularly. Right. Well, twins will do that to a gal.
He's now issued an public apology:
"I regret calling my wife 'huge. I meant to say that there are specific areas of my wife that are larger than normal and growing every day. All other portions of my wife are quite petite. I apologize to her and will be coming home with flowers."
A dozen roses per baby?
Totally off topic: No photos of Rebecca Romijn have surfaced as yet. Interesting.
Source: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20224278,00.htm
Eating for two
Charlotte Church is apparently freaking out about her weight and she doesn't want a ‘bum bigger than her bump’.
‘I’m trying hard to regulate what I eat,’ she tells the Sunday Mirror. ‘Indulging yourself is the down side to pregnancy.’
Her daughter Ruby is 11 months old. Charlotte is due in November.
Source: http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celebrity-news/271372/charlotte-church-i-don-t-want-a-bum-bigger-than-my-bump/1/
‘I’m trying hard to regulate what I eat,’ she tells the Sunday Mirror. ‘Indulging yourself is the down side to pregnancy.’
Her daughter Ruby is 11 months old. Charlotte is due in November.
Source: http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celebrity-news/271372/charlotte-church-i-don-t-want-a-bum-bigger-than-my-bump/1/
Ulkrika Jonsson weighs in on bouncing back
TV presenter Ulrika Jonsoon is 5 stone heavier since she had her 4th baby a few weeks ago and she has written an essay for the Daily Mail about the scrutiny of her weight gain and the pressures to bounce back. She's written a very honest account of her weighing more than her husband, the enormous praise lavished upon Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry for their washboard abs a few weeks post-birth, and the struggles she's had with fighting to be skinny throughout her life:
"I remember thinking at the time that if I ever got pregnant again, I'd be one of those gloriously slender Yummy Mummies, driving my immaculate family around Chelsea in a vast and shiny 4x4, laughing mockingly at all the fat mums-to-be passing me by. Some chance. My body shape has changed more this time than it did in any of my previous three pregnancies, when I managed to notch up just a measly three stone".
Charlotte Church: fighting the fat
Charlotte Church may be happy to be pregnant for a second time, but one thing she's not looking forward to is getting 'fat'. In the latest edition of Ok!, Charlotte says:
'I’m not looking forward to getting a big fat face and arms again. I was just beginning to get my body back and I was doing quite well.'
In the next breath, however, she back pedals and says:
'It’s what women are made for. If you can’t indulge yourself during pregnancy, when can you?’
Jessica Alba comes out of hiding
The photo you've been waiting for (okay, maybe not, but it's hard to be exciting at 7:45am on a Wednesday): Jessica Alba one month post-baby
According to the Daily Mail, her figure is fabulous and she has lost all of her pregnancy weight.
What do you think?
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1030740/Oh-baby-Jessica-Alba-shows-fabulous-post-pregnancy-figure.html
Posh's post-baby belly
Poor Posh (no, seriously!). A brief body history:
Felt like she was too fat when she was a Spice Girl. Lost alot of weight. Alot. Became Queen Bee of Disordered Eating. Met David Beckham. Got pregnant x 2. Barely gained any weight. Lost whatever weight she gained and then some with the help of planned caesareans, possible lipsosuction and diet of prawns and ice cubes. Her anorectic chic has become her one and only career highlight.
Now it seems that The Daily Mail thinks that old Posh is getting 'saggy' after being snapped wearing a crop top:
"Her grey cropped T-shirt, complete with a sheer gauze layer, showed a distinct crease just above the waistband of her matching pencil skirt."
Did the author of this article forget that everyone complains that she's too thin? Now because her abdominal muscles are piercing through her skin looking like a 'crease' she is accused of being too 'saggy' because of her pregnancy. What's worse is that the author of the article blames Posh for knowingly exposing her stomach when she herself has said she 'hates' her stomach:
"The 33-year-old singer and mother of three has complained in the past that she looks "really awful naked". She has also spoken of the toll pregnancy has taken on her shape. "There are loads of things I don't like about my body," she said. "I've got so much saggy skin on my stomach."
Victoria Beckham has no fat on her body. I find it so incredibly offensive that not only are women's body parts honed in on and scrutinised without their consent, but that Beckham's supposed failure to have a perfect stomach is blamed on her pregnancy.
Give me a f^%#ing break.
Javine does a Demi
Brit singer Javine Hylton is doing it just like Demi; naked and pregnant, that is. As opposed to the celebs like Christina and Mylene who blabbed on about how gorgeous and sexy they felt when they were on the brink of birth, Javine says:'I'm usually 67kg (10st 7lb), but I've put on 19kg (3st). My bum's got really big – it has its own little personality'.
Source: http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=93078&in_page_id=7
Too 'fat' to give birth in hospital
Melbourne mother, Lisa Graves, has been told she is too 'fat' to give birth at her local hospital. At 100kg, Lisa will have to pay for private medical care and travel far from her home to receive the prenatal care she needs.
Why the shaming of 'fat' mothers is wrong
I've talked to dozens of women in Melbourne, all of whom are pregnant, and all of whom told me they feared if they gained ‘too much’ weight or failed to ‘bounce back’, they would no longer be valued as human beings.
The story of Berwick mother, Lisa Graves, proves that their fears are justified. How is it that the paradigm of obstetrics has changed into one in which Australian pregnant women must be legitimately afraid that they will be rejected for prenatal care if their body weight deviates from medical guidelines?
The shaming of fat people, fat women in particular, is a cottage industry in a culture that thrives on size zero and reality shows like The Biggest Loser. Magazines such as Slimming and Health, Good Medicine, and Oxygen are all designed for the ‘health minded consumer’ (mostly women) wanting to lose weight. Whereas fatness was once a sign of leisure, beauty, and status, in Australia, obesity signifies laziness and poor health. Fatness is no longer just a weight problem; it’s like a full-body cancer.
Thinness is admired and important especially for women, defining what is ‘normal’. A toned and contained stomach is unequivocally positioned culturally as the only pathway to happiness. In a culture bursting with ‘skinny’ pregnant celebrities, it is no surprise that pregnant women are no longer immune to the battle of the bulge. In fact, medical concern over ‘fatness’ in pregnancy began in the 1930s in America and is arguably at its height today as ‘fat’ pregnant women like Lisa Graves are told that they will be unable to give birth in a hospital if their body size is outside of ‘normal’.
It’s no wonder that pregnant women are confused by the definition of ‘normal’. In one respect, pregnant women are encouraged to eat big in order to have a healthy baby. ‘Dieting’ during pregnancy is tantamount to child abuse in some cultures. How many times have you mentioned to a pregnant friend that she should have another piece of cake or an extra biscuit simply because she’s ‘eating for two’? After all, pregnancy is quite possibly the only time in a woman’s life when being ‘fat’ is acceptable.
However, doctors also encourage women to vigilantly survey their eating and not gain too much weight. Recent research has shown obesity to be a legitimate medical concern in pregnancy. Babies born to overweight women are more likely to be overweight by the age of three. Obese women have a greater risk of developing gestational diabetes and are more likely to have complicated births.
However, this 'anti-fat' mindset and the moral panic surrounding ‘fat’ pregnant women is ironic considering thin women requesting elective caesareans are heralded as 'smart' for avoiding the agony of childbirth but ‘fat’ women who want to give birth in a hospital are accused of failing to recognise the ‘risks’ associated with their body size. It has become painfully clear, especially if you are ‘fat’; birth is no longer seen as a ‘normal’ life process. Rather, it is an accident waiting to happen.
I've talked to dozens of women in Melbourne, all of whom are pregnant, and all of whom told me they feared if they gained ‘too much’ weight or failed to ‘bounce back’, they would no longer be valued as human beings.
The story of Berwick mother, Lisa Graves, proves that their fears are justified. How is it that the paradigm of obstetrics has changed into one in which Australian pregnant women must be legitimately afraid that they will be rejected for prenatal care if their body weight deviates from medical guidelines?
The shaming of fat people, fat women in particular, is a cottage industry in a culture that thrives on size zero and reality shows like The Biggest Loser. Magazines such as Slimming and Health, Good Medicine, and Oxygen are all designed for the ‘health minded consumer’ (mostly women) wanting to lose weight. Whereas fatness was once a sign of leisure, beauty, and status, in Australia, obesity signifies laziness and poor health. Fatness is no longer just a weight problem; it’s like a full-body cancer.
Thinness is admired and important especially for women, defining what is ‘normal’. A toned and contained stomach is unequivocally positioned culturally as the only pathway to happiness. In a culture bursting with ‘skinny’ pregnant celebrities, it is no surprise that pregnant women are no longer immune to the battle of the bulge. In fact, medical concern over ‘fatness’ in pregnancy began in the 1930s in America and is arguably at its height today as ‘fat’ pregnant women like Lisa Graves are told that they will be unable to give birth in a hospital if their body size is outside of ‘normal’.
It’s no wonder that pregnant women are confused by the definition of ‘normal’. In one respect, pregnant women are encouraged to eat big in order to have a healthy baby. ‘Dieting’ during pregnancy is tantamount to child abuse in some cultures. How many times have you mentioned to a pregnant friend that she should have another piece of cake or an extra biscuit simply because she’s ‘eating for two’? After all, pregnancy is quite possibly the only time in a woman’s life when being ‘fat’ is acceptable.
However, doctors also encourage women to vigilantly survey their eating and not gain too much weight. Recent research has shown obesity to be a legitimate medical concern in pregnancy. Babies born to overweight women are more likely to be overweight by the age of three. Obese women have a greater risk of developing gestational diabetes and are more likely to have complicated births.
However, this 'anti-fat' mindset and the moral panic surrounding ‘fat’ pregnant women is ironic considering thin women requesting elective caesareans are heralded as 'smart' for avoiding the agony of childbirth but ‘fat’ women who want to give birth in a hospital are accused of failing to recognise the ‘risks’ associated with their body size. It has become painfully clear, especially if you are ‘fat’; birth is no longer seen as a ‘normal’ life process. Rather, it is an accident waiting to happen.
The arrogance that informs this contradiction is precisely why coming to the defense of 'fat' pregnant women is important and necessary. To turn pregnant women away from hospital and tell them to stop eating and lose weight or to just move on to another facility is as ridiculous as it is patronising. Reducing birth to a problem of body weight grossly oversimplifies a complicated physical process.
Now, it seems ‘fat’ women are worse than ‘teen mothers’ when it comes to winning the title for ‘most ill-equipped’ in managing their own pregnancies; it is these women who are seen as calculating, callous criminals who have little concern for the welfare of their unborn children simply by virtue of being ‘fat’. Lisa Graves should be applauded for being unashamed in her demand for the same compassionate treatment that thinner pregnant women are given. Is too much to ask that doctors stick to the Hippocratic Oath and accept that mothers in all shapes and sizes instead of continuing to demand perfection?
Now, it seems ‘fat’ women are worse than ‘teen mothers’ when it comes to winning the title for ‘most ill-equipped’ in managing their own pregnancies; it is these women who are seen as calculating, callous criminals who have little concern for the welfare of their unborn children simply by virtue of being ‘fat’. Lisa Graves should be applauded for being unashamed in her demand for the same compassionate treatment that thinner pregnant women are given. Is too much to ask that doctors stick to the Hippocratic Oath and accept that mothers in all shapes and sizes instead of continuing to demand perfection?
Halle Berry: thrilled to be eating
I've said more than once that pregnancy is often the only culturally sanctioned time of life when women can be 'fat' and are expected to have big bellies (notwithstanding the fact that there are size zero maternity jeans). I wrote about Milla Jovovich and how her somewhat extreme weight gain (reportedly 70lbs) was most probably symptomatic of her inability to have a healthy relationship with food given her career as a model, and in fact, she confirmed this late in her pregnancy http://babybumpproject.blogspot.com/2007/10/more-more-more-milla-j-are-cravings.html
I was sad to read yesterday Halle Berry said this about her 7 months pregnant body:
"This is the first red carpet that I've really walked down where I didn't have to think about holding in my stomach – because I can't."It's the first time I've been to an awards show where they served a meal and I actually ate it – the whole thing," she said. "I was eating off everybody else's plate and that felt very liberating and good."
I think it's great that Halle feels 'liberated' as she says but I'm not surprised that she feels this way. Women are taught to suck in and push up and shove all the extra floppy bits away so no one can see them. When you're pregnant, clearly sucking in just isn't going to happen. But to think that these smart, funny, talented women have never been able to eat a proper meal in public because their dresses are too tight or because an armada of cameras are staring them down, at the ready to splash just how much they ate across the headlines of the tabloids, is just sad. I think most women who read this blog are guilty of indulging in the same self-defeating behaviours at some point in their life but why do we allow that? We should feel liberated to eat whenever we want, not just when we are growing another human life. Halle might feel free to indulge herself now but no doubt when that baby is born, like every other celebrity, she will be back in her jeans faster than she grew out of them.
Source: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20169669,00.html
I was sad to read yesterday Halle Berry said this about her 7 months pregnant body:
"This is the first red carpet that I've really walked down where I didn't have to think about holding in my stomach – because I can't."It's the first time I've been to an awards show where they served a meal and I actually ate it – the whole thing," she said. "I was eating off everybody else's plate and that felt very liberating and good."
I think it's great that Halle feels 'liberated' as she says but I'm not surprised that she feels this way. Women are taught to suck in and push up and shove all the extra floppy bits away so no one can see them. When you're pregnant, clearly sucking in just isn't going to happen. But to think that these smart, funny, talented women have never been able to eat a proper meal in public because their dresses are too tight or because an armada of cameras are staring them down, at the ready to splash just how much they ate across the headlines of the tabloids, is just sad. I think most women who read this blog are guilty of indulging in the same self-defeating behaviours at some point in their life but why do we allow that? We should feel liberated to eat whenever we want, not just when we are growing another human life. Halle might feel free to indulge herself now but no doubt when that baby is born, like every other celebrity, she will be back in her jeans faster than she grew out of them.
Source: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20169669,00.html
J.Lo goes underground from fear of 'fat'
Apparently, J.Lo is 'freaking out' over her pregnancy weight gain. Due to give birth in early spring, a 'source' says:"She is huge and freaking out. Her face has become really puffy from retaining a lot of water."
So worried about losing her looks, the actress/singer has decided to put her career on hold and 'do a Victoria Beckham', hiding out at home until the baby is born. Beckham, as you may know, is notorious for having caesars at 8 months to stem weight gain and to give herself more time to 'bounce back'.
When I read this, I realised something. When was the last time we heard about or saw pictures of Nicole Richie, Halle Berry or Christina Aguilera*, all of whom are due to give birth in the near future?
Whereas hundreds of news items were devoted to the pregnancies of these women (including J.Lo) for many weeks, as each woman waddles closer to her due date, her appearances in public becoming increasingly few and far between. Why?
As seemingly comfortable we are with the visibly pregnant belly and as marketable as pregnancy is for a number of celebrities, the appearance of a 'monstrous' pregnant stomach is still anathema to the heterosexual appeal these women typically embody when they are not pregnant. Despite a culture that loves a good pregnancy or celebrity wedding story, the 8-9 months pregnant celeb is not fodder for 'sexy' cover photos. As in the feminist philosophical tradition, the heavily pregnant woman is abject, swollen, 'leaky', monstrous, and even 'grotesque' as she transitions into motherhood.
As Christina (we're clearly on a first name basis by now) and Halle Berry were happy to be photographed with a cute little protuberance, a heavily pregnant belly is more inconvenient than irresistible. It is no wonder that J.Lo is afraid of monstrousity given her career as a Latina icon with an amazing arse; now she is allegedly pregnant with twins (double the weight gain in half the time). Pregnancy is a time when the taut, tight idealised feminine body is challenged; many of these celebrity women are surely anxious about having/being a body that is seemingly uncontrollable and 'chaotic'. Cultural standards of female beauty are particularly daunting for any woman that is not pregnant; now we know that these same standards apply to pregnant women and are even more vociferously enforced post-baby.
*obviously Christina is on the cover of Marie Claire this month, but the photo shoot was done months ago when her body was more contained.
Lack of sleep = slower weight loss
In a study of over 900 women, researchers from Harvard Medical School found that mums who got less than five hours of sleep a day when their babies were 6 months old were three times more likely to be carrying 11 extra pounds at the child's first birthday than those who get seven hours. The bottom line –- those extra two hours of sleep could make all the difference.
The study also found that mothers who slept fewer hours at one year postpartum than they did at six months postpartum had twice the risk of substantial weight retention. Other studies have shown that persistent sleep deprivation causes hormonal changes that may stimulate appetite.
The researchers think just 2 extra hours of sleep is as important as a healthy diet and exercise.
An interesting dilemma but not one that seems overly complicated. Clearly, partners need to be more involved in sharing the domestic workload because women still do exceedingly more childcare (e.g. waking up in the night) in most of the developed world.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312174,00.html
The study also found that mothers who slept fewer hours at one year postpartum than they did at six months postpartum had twice the risk of substantial weight retention. Other studies have shown that persistent sleep deprivation causes hormonal changes that may stimulate appetite.
The researchers think just 2 extra hours of sleep is as important as a healthy diet and exercise.
An interesting dilemma but not one that seems overly complicated. Clearly, partners need to be more involved in sharing the domestic workload because women still do exceedingly more childcare (e.g. waking up in the night) in most of the developed world.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312174,00.html
baby weight + ballerina = no good
I seem to spend an inordinate time discussing pregnant celebrity weight loss and weight gain on this blog. Then I saw a fantastic article in the Globe and Mail about the pressure to lose baby weight for professional ballet dancers. Of course! Why in the world hasn't anyone discussed this before?Two ballerinas from a Toronto dance company discuss the business of being a pregnant and a ballerina:
"Being a ballerina is all about fighting your body, fighting the effects of time. It's about being preternaturally young and beautiful. You have these 20-year-olds nipping at your heels all the time. And being pregnant is about surrender to your body. You're going to gain 40 pounds. You have to deal with it. You have to accept it."
This is such an fascinating body narrative; to be ballet dancers, women are constantly in the pursuit of perfection, almost to excess. In a sense, to be a ballerina is to engage in a sort of feminine protest against the meanings and the shape of a typically feminine body (curves, breasts). As Bordo argues in obsessively pursuing slenderness and hollowness, women come to embody the 'masculine' values of the public sphere (e.g. a body that is always controlled, contained). The ballerina embodied this intersection in almost a 'battle' between male and female sides of self.
On the other hand, pregnancy is a time of constant, uncontrollable bodily change and is a bodily state striking in its inscription of extreme femininity. Self-management in pregnancy becomes more elusive, the more hotly it is pursued. Whereas a ballerina posseses a body in defiant protest of conventionally feminine body shapes, pregnant bodies not only resist cultural norms of slenderness, they constantly threaten to erupt and challenge normative femininity. As a ballerina's body is coded as a rebellion against the maternal, domestic femininity; pregnancy is the embodiment of reproduction and the maternal.
Pregnancy for a ballerina is a major career decision. "It's pretty traumatic. You worry if you will get your body back. It is your instrument for your art." The dancers in the interview reveal that that they purposely had to wait until the 'end' of their careers to fall pregnant (age 37 or 38) essentially because the 'damage' done is irreversible.
"The end of the [ballet] career happens to coincide with the end of your reproductive career. By the time you are 40, most people have finished their classical ballet careers, and most women are not having babies past 40. It's a decision all ballerinas have to make."
And we thought being a celebrity was hard work.
Milla weight update
Another update from Milla from her website:
"hey everyone! just thought you might enjoy seeing the progression of my physical downfall! LOL! these three pics encompass the over 50 pounds i had to gain to achieve my present unbelievably svelte figure of 191! i think i did a great job getting here and the journey has been a gastronomical pleasure!
i also added a pic of me in the nursery! of course now that i've set everything up, i won't let my daughter touch anything! its way too cute just the way it is! just kidding! kind of. but seriously, babies want to play with the box that toys came in more than the toys themselves! thank god. not cause i want to play with them myself or anything! what do you think, that i would buy my daughter toys and then not let her touch them?! how could you say such a thing?! i'll let her play with them! when she's like 18! LOL!"
Source: http://www.millaj.com/from/index.shtml
"hey everyone! just thought you might enjoy seeing the progression of my physical downfall! LOL! these three pics encompass the over 50 pounds i had to gain to achieve my present unbelievably svelte figure of 191! i think i did a great job getting here and the journey has been a gastronomical pleasure!
i also added a pic of me in the nursery! of course now that i've set everything up, i won't let my daughter touch anything! its way too cute just the way it is! just kidding! kind of. but seriously, babies want to play with the box that toys came in more than the toys themselves! thank god. not cause i want to play with them myself or anything! what do you think, that i would buy my daughter toys and then not let her touch them?! how could you say such a thing?! i'll let her play with them! when she's like 18! LOL!"
Source: http://www.millaj.com/from/index.shtml
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