That's Fit

When teen mom Xochitl Parra gave birth in the shower to the baby she'd been secretly carrying for nine months, she probably had no idea that her secret would soon be national news.

Parra had no phone in her home and thought that it was too early to call the neighbors for help. So she wrapped the baby in a blanket and -- umbilical cord still attached -- walked and jogged four blocks to the nearest hospital where doctors immediately set to taking care of her and the baby.

Parra and the baby are both healthy and safe. Doctors say they are lucky, but that Parra did the right thing by seeking help right away. Though Parra was initially scared to tell her mom about the baby, the family is now making arrangements to raise the baby together.

Two problems are plaguing American kids: Obesity and low birth weight.

Overall, the well-being of kids has improved over the years. But not for American children ages six to 11 who are four times more likely to be obese than kids in the 1960s. Kids ages two to five are three times more likely to be obese. As for low birth weight, the percentage rose 12.3 percent from 1994 to 2005, likely due to delayed childbearing and the use of fertility drugs.

These Duke University findings are concerning because overweight children have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. And low birth weight has been linked to developmental and learning problems, lower academic achievement, and chronic health conditions.

Moms who followed a "hearty" diet prior to conception are more likely to give birth to boys, according to a recent study. We touched on this here at That's Fit yesterday, but I thought I would go into some of the details I discovered.

The study found that, out of a group of women who followed a high energy diet (which generally included a daily bowl of breakfast cereal) around the time of conception, 56% had sons. Out of the group that took in fewer calories, including moms who skipped breakfast, only 45% had sons. The women in the first group not only consumed more calories, but but took in a large variety of nutrients.

Not everybody is sold on this theory, but there are some valid points to back up the findings.

When babies are born too early, they need a highly controlled environment to help them rest so that their bodies can grow and develop. Because their rest and sleep is so vitally important to them, NICU's across the country are learning new ways to keep their experience as womb-like as possible.

One dad saw that need and set about inventing a system to help. The Sonicu measures the level of sound in a room and uses a stoplight-type system to warn parents and doctors that they are making too much noise. The lights start at green, move to yellow, then flash read when decibel levels climb too high. The system can even dim lights in the room, kind of like a group warning.

So far, the systems have sold only in Indiana, but because doctors say there's nothing else like it on the market, hospitals nationwide may soon be seeking them out.

If your boys can swim, as George Constanza proudly stated in an episode of Seinfeld, you and your partner may not have much trouble getting pregnant. But, your boys' swimming ability can be hampered by a lack of sex.

It seems that the more often a guy has sex, the better the chances of conception. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine reports that a study on this topic was recently conducted; scientists took samples from 42 men with irregularly shaped, damaged sperm and found that for 88 percent of them, there were fewer damaged sperm in samples taken daily than in samples taken after a three-day abstinence.

Evidently, this down-time is long enough for older sperm to damage newer sperm. The only solution? Have more sex, and have it with more regularity. If only all problems could be cured in this manner, the world would be a much happier place.

Having the first baby of the new year is pretty exciting. Have the first baby of the New Year two years in a row? That's a good way to get your name in the papers. A Pennsylvania couple celebrated their second New Year's baby in a row on January 1st. Both this and last year's babies were the first born in the New Year at their local hospital.

Little Faith Lynn Armstrong was born at 5:32am this January 1, which means she now shares her birthday with her older sister, Kaden Skye Armstrong, who was born on the same day last year. It seems like this is becoming a New Year's Eve tradition for the Armstrong Family!

I have no idea what the odds are of this happening, but I'm guessing it's pretty unlikely.

When it comes to cravings, are you more of a sweet or salty person? It seems like a fairly frivilous question, but it could affect the gender of your future children. Seriously! It seems like an old wives tale but recent studies have proved that there might be some merit to this.

Here's the deal: If you crave things like salty snacks and red meat, your more likely to produce a boy. But, if you crave sweets and tend to eat more chocolate and sugary snacks, you're more likely to have a girl. Kind of gives meaning to the old nursery rhyme: Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what girls are made of; snakes and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what boys are made of.

What do you think about these results?

It never hurts to do a little review on a topic that affects so many women, and some men too. The topic: Anorexia.

Anorexia Nervosa, a type of eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and leading to a restriction of food and dangerous weight loss, is one serious disease -- between one and two of every 10 cases of anorexia leads to death from starvation, cardiac arrest, medical complications, or suicide.

Anorexia can halt the physical and emotional growth of teenagers and can lead to premature osteoporosis, infertility, increased risk of miscarriage, and low-birth-weight babies. Anorexia may be especially deadly for women with insulin-dependent diabetes if they omit or under-use insulin to control their weight.

The Business of Being Born is about just that. But it's just as much a statement that the Feminist Movement is far from finished and many women aren't informed enough to continue the plight. The film itself could change that as it offers viewers a vast education on why the treatment of pregnant women during childbirth isn't just sexist, but costly and dangerous for them and their children all in the name of doctors keeping their jobs and covering their back sides.

I caught a screening of the Ricki Lake production last night. It was one of several that are part of an Oscar qualifying run in advance of a planned January theatrical run in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The movie reflects the ignorance of many American women regarding childbirth and chronicles how informed mothers' desires and questions are systematically ignored, ridiculed and at times downright demeaned before they are given a series of unnecessary medical procedures and drugs in the name of the supposed safety of their babies. Specifically, the film examines normal, healthy women undergoing traditional hospital birth amid a rising Cesarean section rate in the Unites States versus at home with a midwife's assistance.

It's estimated that 20 percent of new mothers end up suffering from postpartum depression, and that many of them can develop more serious psychological problems if the depression remained untreated.

As such, the U.S. House of Representatives are strongly suggesting that health agencies look deeper into the problem in order to prevent further encroachment in addition to deeper studies into the psychological consequences of abortions.

With the bill passing the House by a 382-3 vote, it will now go to the Senate for debate. and now goes to the Senate. In the bill is a $3 million stipend for use in increasing awareness of postpartum depression and the anxiety and irritability it can cause.

Expectant moms with babies on the way may end up having a heightened possibility of premature birth if they have a low cholesterol level, according to a new study released this week.

Although recent, unrelated research has also stated that pregnant women can also have an increased risk or premature babies if they have high cholesterol levels, this new finding sheds light on how important moderate to normal cholesterol levels may be for those who are pregnant.

Although this study mentioned that lower cholesterol levels may be impacted by a female's genetic makeup (instead of diet), the increased possibility of premature birth or low birth weight still needs to be looked at for many. If you're pregnant, are you tracking your cholesterol levels?

Being a new parent is scary. Even if you're been reading all the books, and trying to prepare yourself emotionally, all that new responsibility can come as quite a shock.

So much so, apparently, that most women experience disturbing dreams after giving birth.

A new survey found that 75 percent of new moms were plagued by often horrifying nightmares involving their new infant. This number is enormous, especially when you consider that only 59 percent of pregnant women experience this phenomenon, and anxiety-ridden dreams only effect 42 percent of women who've never had a child.

However, according to psychiatrists, it's nothing to worry about -- in fact, it's completely normal. People routinely work through their problems and adapt to new circumstances using their dreams.

Researchers aren't sure how long these nightmares last -- as after 3 months, many involved in the study were still experiencing them. Fortunately, in addition to the knowledge that you're body is working through a normal process, you can also take comfort by remembering that, after all, it's only a dream.

I've never been pregnant, and don't plan to be any time soon, but when I do, I hope I can lose the baby weight as easily as some of the celebrity moms out there. Take Access Hollywood's Nancy O'Dell -- She's lost 24 of the 30 pounds she gained when pregnant with daughter Ashby Grace after only nine weeks, according to People Magazine.

O'Dell credits breastfeeding, which she says is 'the best diet.' Not only does it burn a ton of calories, but O'Dell is eating healthfully so as not to pass on any junk to her little daughter. She stays away from milk, cheese, tomatoes and garlic because it upsets her baby's tummy.

Working out is also an important part of the equation. Following advice from friend Lisa Rinna's trainer, she does ballet and dance workouts three times a week.

The risk of death during childbirth may be small, but recently released government figures show that the number of women dying while giving birth is the highest it's been in decades.

In 2003, the maternal mortality rate was 12 per every 100,000 -- which was already higher than it'd been since 1977. The new statistics now reveal that, in 2004, that rate rose again to 13 per 100,000.

The good news is that we've made dramatic gains in the last century -- as only 90 years ago 1 in every 100 women died giving birth. Plus, it's possible that the rise is superficial -- perhaps due to the a change in the way California, Montana and Idaho label a person's cause of death, or other factors that aren't technically health-related.

On the other hand, some doctors suggest that the higher number of C-section (which pose a variety of risks), along with older mothers and rising obesity rates, may all factor in to the increase.

Whatever the cause, any rise in these figures seems worrying, and worth keeping an eye on.

Often when we hear about the many risks associate with obesity the focus is on the increased danger of developing potentially life-threatening conditions such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. Less-discussed is the fact that obese women have a much harder time conceiving, and now, a recent study reports that those who do, run a higher risk of giving birth to babies with birth defects.

A report by the University of Texas at Houston found that babies born to women who were obese before pregnancy were twice as likely to have spina bifida and there was also an increased risk of heart, anus, penis, limb, diaphragm and naval defects. There were also higher risks for kids born to overweight women, but instances weren't nearly as high as for those born to obese mothers.

The article discussing the study points out that it is always a good idea for obese women hoping to become moms to try to lose some weight before getting pregnant. For severely overweight women who are already pregnant, it is important not to try to diet but rather to discuss with your doctor what is an appropriate amount of weight to gain, as well as how to stay as healthy as possible during and after your pregnancy.