Being an 'Expert' & Defining Boundaries

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I really enjoyed hosting a pregnancy / postnatal exercise & nutrition live Q&A on babyexpert.com today! Questions included pelvic floor & post c -section tummy worries (‘is it EVER coming back?!’), as well as PCOS pre-conception fitness concerns & pregnancy weight control with diabetes.

Other experts asked to host chats on babyexpert.com include Zita West, the fertility guru, & so I was flattered to be in such great company! But it also got me thinking about the term ‘expert’, how it is used so sparingly (especially on the web) & the responsibility that goes with that label.

Womens’ pregnancy & postnatal exercise concerns often simply do not seem to be answered succinctly by the ubiquitous pregnancy ‘bibles’ (mine was Yehudi Gordon which I swore by!… what was yours?), or even by doctors & midwives. This is perfectly reasonable since none of these are specifically focussed on that subject matter. Your doctor & midwife are of course utterly fundamental to your wellbeing & safety during pregnancy & birth, but they’re not necessarily up to date or experts in the latest exercise research.

As a pregnancy personal trainer, I need to be very clear about my boundaries. My team & I NEVER cross the line into giving medical or obstetric advice. We’re not childbirth or parenting experts, we’re not antenatal teachers or trained counsellors.

I do know quite a lot about childbirth (especially when it goes off childbirth plan :-0), a little (very little!) about parenting, a fair amount about breastfeeding (my wisdom here goes thus : stick it out for 3 weeks & it stops hurting) & hopefully am pretty experienced & knowledgeable when dealing with the hormonal rollercoaster of pregnancy & motherhood…

…My point being, I know about as much, & as little,  as every other mother out there.

I am very clear however about my ‘expert’ status.

My expertise is in physical exercise throughout pregnancy & beyond – for fitness, strength, fat loss, flexibility, core & postural restoration, as well as alleviating pain & discomfort. I have a sound technical knowledge of, and & can advise on, optimum nutrition for pregnancy, breastfeeding & postnatal weight control.

General guidelines are a good starting point, but fears about exercise causing miscarriage;  ‘how much weight gain is too much?’;  ‘how long will it take to lose it?’; ‘how hard, how often & for how long should I exercise?’; exercise to make pregnancy, SPD & back ache more comfortable & controlling weight gain in pregnancy are all clearly still big concerns.

These are the questions I can answer.

I think you want straight talking, facts & strategies that work…  NOT generic, vague advice, unrealistic  regimes or value judgements. Am I on the right track? Do the answers like those given on the webchat today & on this blog help? I hope so – but please let me know either way!!

Pregnancy Exercise & Nutrition: How Much Weight Should You Gain During Pregnancy?

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When thinking about your pregnancy exercise & nutrition: How much WEIGHT GAIN IN PREGNANCY is too much? Or too little? How much of it is ‘BABY FAT?’

The most common pregnancy exercise question I get asked as a pregnancy personal trainer must be: ‘HOW MUCH WEIGHT SHOULD I PUT ON?’

Well every pregnancy is different. Some women gain a lot of weight (3.5 stone / 50+ pounds / 23kg), while others gain very little (1 stone / 15 pounds / 7kg). The answer partly lies in your pre-pregnancy body weight. For example, if you are around 5′ 6″ / 168 cm tall & weigh 10 stone 7 lb / 147 pounds / 67 kg then a healthy weight gain for you might be between 25 to 35 pounds / about 2 stone (11 to 16kg).

You do need to remember, though, that while weight gain charts can be helpful guidelines, I strongly urge you not to get too hung up on them. The best goal of any pregnancy exercise programme is not to worry about weight gain, but to take good care of yourself! REMEMBER (& I know this is stating the obvious but many women do seem to forget!)…

NOT ALL YOUR PREGNANCY WEIGHT GAIN IS FAT!

Your pregnancy weight gain is made up of the following (with approximate weights):

• Your baby ;-) ! (6-8 lbs)

• Placenta (1.5 lbs)

• Amniotic fluid (2 lbs)

• Uterine enlargement (2 lbs)

• Maternal blood volume (3-4 lbs)

• Maternal breast tissue (1-2 lb)

• Maternal body fluid (4 lbs)

• Maternal fat stores (roughly 7 lbs)

Secondly, weight gain during pregnancy is HEALTHY! It means your baby is growing well. If you’re active, following a sensible pregnancy exercise programme, eating healthily & not taking your pregnancy for granted, your weight gain during pregnancy & your weight loss afterwards will NOT be an issue. Your body is resilient! It will bounce back if you treat it well.

Remember (and trust!) that the extra weight WILL come off after you deliver your baby. If you’re active, you WILL get your pre-pregnancy body back… It’s only 40 weeks… so enjoy it!

If you feel you’ve already gained more than you should as a result of too little activity &/or overindulging, it’s never too late to turn over a new leaf! If you haven’t been exercising, start some pregnancy exercise today: a daily walk is a great start. And if you’ve been eating too much processed or take-away food, do your best to prepare & eat home-cooked meals with lots of vegetables!

It goes without saying that the foods that will make you gain unnecessary fat during pregnancy are the same foods that do you & your growing baby no good either.

So when someone offers you slices of cake or cookies telling you ‘Go on! You’re eating for two!’ – Your baby really doesn’t need those hydrogenated fats, sugar & empty calories any more than you do!

Actually, pregnancy is a great time to really start to think more carefully about what you are eating in terms of the nutrients you & your baby need. If you won’t change your eating habits for your own sake – at least do it for your baby’s! Remind yourself that there’s a little miracle going on in that bump… your body is an amazing, incredible machine, that is quite literally making a baby – brain, skeleton, nervous system, eyes, hair, every last bit of him or her is developing from scratch inside you!

Your body needs good fuel in order to do the best job it can – in the form of real, unprocessed, fresh food & plenty of good fats (Omega 3 & 6). If you choose your pregnancy foods with your baby’s development in mind, combined with sensible pregnancy exercise, then you won’t go far wrong & you won’t put on unnecessary weight!

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