How Much is Too Much?

Indulging Your Pregnant Whims

By Katherine Bontrager

You have an assortment of cravings, at all hours of the day. This is one of the more enjoyable by-products of your pregnancy. And your waistline is supposed to be expanding, so it's no holds barred for all your favorite indulgences, right? Well, not exactly.

"Indulgences during pregnancy by women can lead to lifelong problems in babies," says Dr. F. Sessions Cole, director of newborn medicine at St. Louis Children's Hospital and professor of pediatrics, cell biology and physiology at Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Michael Nelson, Virginia S. Lang Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and vice chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine, agrees. "Pregnancy is a critical period in the development of all organs in a baby," says Dr. Nelson.

"Within the first six to eight weeks of pregnancy, the shapes of all internal organs are established," adds Dr. Cole. "During this period, mistakes in shaping internal organs result in birth defects. While the placenta is an excellent protector of the developing baby, toxic substances in the mother's system can be transported across the placenta and disrupt the development of organs. For example, alcohol can disrupt brain development."

But women hear an assortment of advice regarding what they can, and can't, have during pregnancy. Christi Dixon, a mother of two, received separate recommendations during her pregnancies. During her first pregnancy, her doctor said moderation was key, while during her subsequent pregnancy her second doctor was more conservative, telling her to avoid caffeine, soft cheese, shrimp and many types of fish.

Because Dixon enjoyed a great pregnancy with her first child with moderation as a guide, she chose not to listen to her second doctor. "I was blessed with extremely easy pregnancies," she says. "I ate junk food once or twice a week – just as often as before I was pregnant – and had a few glasses of wine every now and then. I used moderation as my guide: one soda or cup of coffee per day; a glass of wine on the weekends, (my husband is in winemaking, so we have it often) [and] treats when I had cravings. I just didn't overdo a good thing, and I had two very healthy, big girls."

For Dixon, pregnancy is the one time in life when women are able to enjoy being big and enjoy being a host to someone else. "I thought it was a privilege, but I know that some women are scared to death of it," she says. "I think people get so stressed out over being pregnant that they can't enjoy the experience and the miracle!"

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• Talk about it!