And I quote from the article:
In view of these pressures [to put off motherhood], I was glad my commitment [to being a mother] had begun early. I paid careful attention to diet and exercise from my early teens on, because I wanted to provide my future children with healthy bodies.
My mom told me all the time while I was a teenager, that I needed to prepare for motherhood by taking care of my body. I kind of rolled my eyes at it because I felt like, really? You think I'll be having kids anytime soon?
...and then I got married a few weeks after turning 20 and yeah, I had my first kid less than three years thereafter.
My mom taught me that a body needs five years of good diet and nutrition to prepare for healthy kids. I do regret not paying more attention to my body sooner. During my pregnancy, I know I ate WAY too many potato chips and FunDips. And don't even get me started on Doritos.
...mmmh Doritos.
Our current scientific understand of fetal development is so limited. I truly do wonder about the impacts of my teenage self's and pregnant self's diets on Nathaniel. And I know I need to be better about my food for the next kid I have, whenever that is.
Don't make your diet something you regret when you get around to having children. Maybe you're like I was when I was 19 and sure I wouldn't get married anytime soon--that is to say, WRONG and eating a terrible diet. As a woman, taking care of your body isn't just for you. It's for your children.
[/fitness rant]
That is so true, not just for long term effects, but even for the short term - I often wonder if things would have gone differently if I had eaten better during Liam's pregnancy. My amniotic fluid was really low, and I wonder if I had eaten more protein, less sugar, and drank more water, would the amniotic sac been stronger and the placenta been healthier and produced more amniotic fluid? would he still have been breech? This time around I am totally loading on protein, I have protein shakes every day and whenever I eat I think, how can I add protein to this? lol. I'm trying to resist sugar a little more, and I'm drinking way more water, or at least trying to. You can't change the past though, you can only live and learn.
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ReplyDeleteI agree it is so important to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves from the get go and not waiting until it is too late.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. I have never thought of the consequences of healthy eating in that type of context. It is an interesting and thought provoking idea.
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