Pregnancy can be an exciting, yet equally scary, time in a woman’s life. So many changes are going on in the body at once, and we often feel as if we simply have no control over any of it.
In my case, I was pregnant and nursing for five years straight, as I had three boys in three years, and I breastfed all of them for no less than 15 months each. (Yes, do the math, I did breastfeed while I was pregnant! And I was working! And I was in graduate school!) However, I survived! That is not to say the whole physical experience did not take its toll on my body. It did. I simply made sure to eat right and exercise every day. With my third son, I was actually on the treadmill one morning at the end of the pregnancy, and five hours after I got off the treadmill and took a shower, he was born! I was also able to bounce back quickly!
Pregnancy and breastfeeding can affect our bone health., but not as badly as I had originally suspected. According to the health web site, www.niams.nih.gov, when a baby is in its mother’s womb, it requires plenty of calcium to meet the demands of its growing skeleton, especially during the last three months of pregnancy. If the mother is not taking in enough calcium, the baby will draw what it needs from her bones. Unfortunately, most pregnant women are not getting enough calcium, but pregnancy does protect her reserves in certain ways:
**During pregnancy, a woman produces more estrogen, the hormone that protects the bones.
**Any bone mass lost during pregnancy is usually restored within a several months after delivery or after breastfeeding is stopped.
**Pregnant women absorb calcium from food and supplements better than non-pregnant women.
The site goes on to suggest that pregnancy might actually be of benefit to overall bone health. Some studies have shown that the more times a woman is pregnant, the greater her bone density is and the less risk she will have of a fracture.
From an elementary perspective, the best way to ensure good bone health during pregnancy is to allow for the following:
**Get plenty of calcium. The National Academy of Sciences recommends that women who are either pregnant or breastfeeding consume 1,000 mg of calcium per day. For pregnant teens, bump that up to 1,300 mg per day.
**Get moving! Like our muscles, our bones respond to physical activity and become stronger. Try some walking, climbing stairs, or even dancing. Be sure to check with your physician first, however, before engaging in any exercise activity.
**Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Do not smoke. Stay away from alcohol. Be sure to follow all of your doctor’s orders
My 105-year-old Grandma, as you know if you have kept pace with these articles, is something of a medical enigma in terms of the quality of her health as compared to her age. She is doing great! Her two biggest complaints in life are her loss of hearing in her left ear, so sit on that side of her when you don’t want her to hear what you have to say, and she complains that her food needs more salt. She does not salt her food….she “foods” her salt.
Among Grandma’s interesting medical issues is something that happened to her about three or four years ago. This may be a bit TMI (too much information), but bear with me. I AM going some where with this. She was in the bathroom one day, finishing up her “business,” when she noticed a spot of blood on the toilet paper. Not too alarmed, she simply brushed it off by thinking it was something previously on the tissue. After all, she did recycle her lipstick blotting tissue to clean herself up! (Grandma is going green!)
However, this continued each time she went to the bathroom for the next day. To make what could be a long story short, Grandma sought medical attention and the doctor indicated that what she was experiencing was something similar to a period. “I have seen this in some women her age,” he noted. To which we responded, “Well, exactly how many women her age have you seen?”
Just last month, I was with Grandma and was helping her out in the bathroom at the airport. She had me get “that dang maxi pad” out of her purse so she could use it. It was, after all, that time of the month for her. I jokingly said it was “that time of the century for her.” We then laughed that this new medical mystery with her would most certainly cramp her social life. I told her to not go too far with her “boyfriends.” That tickled her to death. She just carries on with things. At least having a “period” again can make her feel like a young woman once more. I just pray the associated mood swings don’t hit! Her bones are seemingly made of steel, so even if she freakishly got pregnant at 105, she would do well.
However, while it might make for great reality TV, the world does not need another “oldest mother,” and I surely do not want an aunt or an uncle 45 years younger than me! Grandma does believe in pregnancy, however. She flat-out told a young married couple in her hometown recently that they needed to (and I quote here!) “go home, get in bed, and get busy!” Three months later, the girl was pregnant! Grandma truly speaks her mind…and enjoys the results!