Better Health For Mommy And Baby

One doctor calls it a side effect of the nation's obesity problem.

Women thinking just because they're pregnant, they can eat anything and everything they want. Nine months later, they've got a big baby in their arms and a big weight problem on their hands.

Expecting her second child, Mount Carmel mom Ashley Kanipe is determined not to make the same mistake she did with her first pregnancy.

Kanipe, an expecting mother, says proper eating habits weren't an issue for her.

"I just ate whatever I wanted really. I just never really felt full, so i just kept eating, but I didn't realize I was gaining so much weight," says Kanipe.

She ended up adding 60-pounds to her small frame. Twenty of it was still there almost a year after Tye was born.

The Institute of Medicine says ideally, you should only gain 25- to 35-pounds if your weight is normal, 28- to 40-pounds if you're underweight.

If you're overweight, you shouldn't go over 25-pounds and if you're obese, 15-pounds is the mandate.

Experts say you really only need 100-extra calories a day during your first trimester, 300 for the remainder of your pregnancy which is the equivalent of these two snack packs.

Angel Crutcher, M.D. Ob-Gyn, says, "If you can eat healthy, those 300 calories can go a long way, but if you try to eat junk food, you're going to probably eat a lot more calories and gain a lot more weigh than you should."

Tipping the scales leads to gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and increased risk of having a c-section.

A study last year shows the babies born to overweight mothers are more likely to have cardiac or other birth defects.

Doctor crutcher urges her patients to exercise during pregnancy and try to resist cravings, which she knows first hand is easier said than done. She just gave birth ten months ago to her first child cameron.

Dr. Crutcher says, "I delivered early at 33 weeks, but by then I had already gained 30 pounds, so I was kind of close to my maximum already. It is hard to do."

"I'm not a good role model for my patients, I guess," says Crutcher.

Crutcher says one way to speed weight loss after delivery is breast feeding. It burns an extra 300 to 500 calories more a day.

How long should it take to lose the weight after the baby is born? Doctor Crutcher says it takes nine-months to put the weight on, so it's alright if it takes nine months to lose it.

But if it stays on up to a year, it's not going anywhere, and you're going to have to diet.