Sarah Michelle Gellar was seen out in Beverly Hills on Friday sporting some skinny jeans and a loose fitting tank top.

The Buffy The Vampire Slayer star looks fabulous less than a month after giving birth to Charlotte Grace – her first baby with hubby Freddie Prinze Jr.

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New research suggests that taking probiotics during their pregnancy may help women keep belly fat under control after pregnancy.

Researchers from the University of Turku in Finland enrolled 256 pregnant women in a study on weight gain, dividing them into three groups during their first trimesters.

Women in two of the groups received dietary counseling consistent with what doctors recommend for healthy weight gain and optimal fetal development.

They also were sent home with foods such as spreads and salad dressings with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as fiber-enriched pasta and breakfast cereal.

Women in one of those two groups also received daily capsules containing lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, the most commonly used probiotics — bacteria that help maintain a healthy bacterial balance in the gut. The third group received dummy capsules and received no dietary counseling.

All of the women were weighed at the start of the study and then again 12 months after childbirth.

Central obesity — defined as a body mass index of 30 or more and a waist circumference over 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) — was found in 25% of the women who had been given the probiotics as well as advice on what to eat.

Those not given probiotics didn’t do as well. Central obesity was found in

• 43% of the women who got dietary counseling alone
• 40% of the women who got neither probiotics nor dietary advice

The average body fat percentage in the probiotics group was 28%, compared with 29% in the diet-advice-only group and 30% in the third set of women.

“The women who got the probiotics fared best,” says Kirsi Laitinen, a nutritionist and senior lecturer at Turku. “One year after childbirth, they had the lowest levels of central obesity as well as the lowest body fat percentage.”

She adds that more research is needed to confirm the potential positive role of probiotics on belly fat. Additionally, she says her team of researchers will continue to track the women and their babies to determine whether giving probiotics during pregnancy has any influence on the health of the children.

Having 2 kids has been a big change around this house. I constantly look like crap. I wear my pajamas all day and rarely get a chance to wash my hair.

That is why I thoroughly enjoyed Oprah’s show yesterday on motherhood. Regular moms like you and I spilled to the talk show host about their dark mommy secrets.

I found the show therapeutic and loved hearing that all of the craziness that is happening at our house is being repeated in many other houses.

Here is what they said:

DIAPER STORIES:

• Vicki Glembocki, a mom of two, says she had a “pee incident” recently during a seven-hour drive with her kids. “I looked in the back, and the kids were sleeping, which was literally a miracle from God, but the problem was I had to pee,” she says. “So I’m thinking, ‘If I stop at a rest area, they’re totally going to wake up, and I do not want them to wake up.’ So I reach into the diaper bag, I pulled out a diaper and I peed into it.”
• Dee-Dee Jackson, a mother of five, has her own diaper confession. After running out of diapers in the middle of the night, she says she had to make her own. “What we had to do was use a maxi pad until the next morning,” she says. “It worked so well, we took our time the next day to get diapers.”
• Heija Nunn has a diaper tip that has served her well with her three kids. “You have to seed the house and car with diapers,” she says. “That way there’s always one to unearth in an emergency. Don’t put them in one spot—just scatter them.”

MOM CONFESSIONS:

• I’m embarrassed to say that I have completely forgotten to give my child dinner
• I confess that I have let my kids cry in their cribs while I sit with my husband and drink wine
• I confess to have thought more than once, what the hell did I do to my life – what the HELL did I do to my life?
• I don’t really give baths all of the time. I throw them in the jacuzzi thinking the bubbles will clean them off
• I have made a full lunch for my kids out of the snacks in my car.
• To be totally honest there have been times when my twins have gone 3 weeks without a bath.
• I confess my kids eat pizza for breakfast at least twice a week.

SEX AFTER BABY:

• Dooce’s Heather Armstrong talked sex and how it changes when you are a mom. “It took seven months [before I had sex after giving birth]. No one had told me that it was going to take that long after what the baby did to me,” Heather says. “Any guy who wants to have unprotected sex? Seven months without it. Just think about that for a minute. Let that number circulate in your head for a little bit.”
• Karen Walrond is a mom of a 5-year-old daughter says the definition of intimacy has changed for her marriage since her child was born. “Intimacy in our house nowadays is my husband and I touching ankles below my daughter’s sleeping form between us,” she says. “It’s really hard to get that loving feeling when you’ve got a 40-pound kid between you.”
• I certainly did not want to have sex because I didn’t want to create another one. No way I can’t do this again. I also felt like my body had been re-purposed. That area down there is now an out door – no longer an in door.
• What sex life – next question!
• I would so much rather sleep than have sex.

THINGS NO ONE TOLD YOU:

• No one ever tells you how gross or uncomfortable it is feeling your boobs on your stomach.
• I just wish someone would have warned my about the hemorrhoids. Just a little heads up. I could have used the warning.
• No one ever told me that boys wake up with woody’s. I go in there in the morning to get them up out of bed and they’re all pointing at me.
• One of the things no one told me about being a mom is that there is lice involved. Lots of lice. I wish someone would have told me how to get rid of the lice.

I love that these moms were so honest. The show was refreshing and uplifting because it’s nice to know that your not in it alone.

Laila Ali has been a professional athlete all her life. After giving birth to her son Curtis in late August, the new mom found herself needing to get back in shape. But how does a mother find the time and the energy?

Laila, who found out that being fit is good for both the mom and her baby, shares her get fit tips with new moms.

Before starting an exercise regime, check with your doctor. Here are some other exercise safety tips to keep n mind:

• Invest in a good support bra. Your breasts are going to be larger than normal from the milk production and will need a lot of extra support.
• Be careful of high-impact sports due to lax pelvic ligaments and joints left over from pregnancy. This is why core (abdominal work is key after pregnancy preventing lower back and joint injuries).
• Make sure you drink lots of water to replenish yourself, especially when breastfeeding.
• Listen to your body. If you’re feeling tired, go easy on yourself. Try not to push yourself until you feel ready.
• If you start to feel light headed and nauseous, or notice a change in the color of your vaginal discharge, consult with your doctor. You may be exercising too strenuously.

*And remember, losing baby weight takes time. Since her son was born in August, Laila has lost 15 pounds. She says she has 20 more to go.*

CNN has an interesting article about dads who are experiencing postpartum depression as well.

The news site spoke with Will Courtenay, a California-based psychotherapist, who is a leading expert in the United States on paternal postnatal depression.

He found that daddy depression

“comes as quite a shock to men who are expecting this wonderful time of baby bliss with the new baby and a time of bonding.”

“Each day in the U.S., 1,000 new dads become depressed, and according to some studies that number is as high as 3,000. That’s as many as one in four news dads who become depressed.”

A number of factors may cause the depressed feelings.

“It’s likely that sleep deprivation plays a major role,” he said. “Hormones may also play a role.” According to Courtenay, “It’s a double whammy. Not only do our testosterone levels go down, but our estrogen levels go up and these female hormones coursing through our body can really wreak havoc on a man’s functioning.” Although experts aren’t exactly sure, they theorize that these fluctuations may be similar to “sympathy pains” that individuals feel when someone they’re close to is hurting.

Will recommends:

• men with a history of depression see a mental health professional before the birth of a child to work through any issues that are causing stress and anxiety.
• couples to seek marital counseling ahead of time if they’re having trouble communicating.
• couples should evaluate monetary resources before a new baby arrives.

SOURCE

Such support helps yours uterus to contract faster, it gives excellent back support while breastfeeding and provides some extra support when lifting older child in and out of the crib.

Even though I am still a few months off of delivering #2, I am already looking for the best way to get back into shape after baby arrives.

The Belly Bandit wrap is an abdominal compression binder designed to help you get your body back to its former fabulousness post childbirth.

Not only does it help reduce uncomfortable uterine swelling, it aids in decreasing bloating caused by water retention, and gives additional support for Mommy’s weary legs & back. For you breastfeeding moms, there’s a bonus. The Belly Bandit will help you with your posture during feedings, and may help to reduce the all too common back & shoulder pain associated with breastfeeding.

Available in 3 different styles, this unique abdominal compression binder offers something for all moms.

The Original($39.95) is the no-frills ‘get-it-done’ model. It has all of the same benefits as the other versions, with less flash.

The Couture($49.95) is the trendy mommy Belly Bandit choice. It is fully covered lightweight fabric with a solid outer cover with an inside peek-a-boo print that’s simply fabulous to wear! This version was created for moms who want to feel extra cute while losing that post-pregnancy belly.

The Bamboo($59.95) is the eco-friendly version for the Green mommies. It is inherently anti-microbial, moisture wicking and is three times more durable than cotton. Fabric made from Bamboo is one of the softest, all natural, greenest, fibers around.

US researchers have told an international mental health conference they have proof that women with children are more visually aware and responsive compared with those without offspring.

Recent tests on tests on rats have shown that there is a “reservoir of hormones” released in pregnancy and giving birth that create permanent changes in the brain.

“The flow of estrogen promotes neuron growth and enhances the plasticity of the brain,” said Professor Craig Kinsley, a neuroscientist at the University of Richmond.

“As a result mothers in our animal models have better vision, coordination and memory, stronger survival instincts and go about their tasks more efficiently than non-mothers.”

Prof Kinsley said his research was inspired by his own wife’s ability to automatically tackle new tasks with the birth of their daughter, and anecdotal evidence that pregnancy improved physical attributes in women, like hair and fingernails.

“I thought ‘why can’t it be mental too’, and what do you know, it was.”

Really?? I can honestly say that I am smarter in some areas because I need to be, but my memory has definitely gone down the toilet.

Related Articles:

• Lemons To Cure Morning Sickness?
• Study: 2 Cups Of Java Doubles Miscarriage Risk
• Need A Pregnancy Pick Me Up? Eat An Apple!
• New Folic Acid Recommendations For All Women

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A UK mom has returned to her pre-baby weight just 5 days after delivering her 14th baby.(The couple currently has 13 children, 1 of their babies was born prematurely and didn’t survive)

Following the birth of her last daughter Tallulah, Joanne Watson is already back to her normal weight of 103lbs and has no problem squeezing into a pair of size six jeans.

At her heaviest during pregnancy, the super mom, weighed just 112lbs, with the baby accounting for 6lbs.

The 5′2” mom’s secret?

“I suppose I’m running around a lot after the children, taking them to school, making their meals and taking them shopping or for walks in the park so they keep me pretty fit.”

I know your all thinking it…I WISH!!
SOURCE

When Anne Swanson gave birth to her first child in 2002, she experienced postpartum depression, that feeling of extreme sadness that researchers believe is brought on by a severe hormonal plunge.

So the 30-year-old didn’t want to go through that again when, three weeks ago, she gave birth to her daughter, Maxanne.

But officials at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center didn’t go along with her plan. To combat the depression, she wanted to ingest the placenta, the blood- and nutrient-filled sac that connected her to Maxanne during pregnancy.

“I can keep my baby, but I can’t have the link that connected us,” Swanson said about Sunrise’s refusal to release the placenta to her. “This was my last pregnancy. I am not going to have another placenta. To me, it was a big deal to have it, whether I was using it for medicinal reasons or planting it.”

Swanson had planned to give her placenta to a friend to be dried, ground into a powder and packed into capsules.

The theory is that excess hormones build up in the placenta during pregnancy, and new mothers can take the pills and replenish depleted hormones and control that down-in-the-dumps feeling some experience after childbirth.

Instead, Swanson is waiting to hear back from Sunrise officials on whether the placenta will be destroyed.

She met with a lawyer to determine her rights. They sent a letter to the Sunshine Center to have them hold off disposal until a further decision could be made. They still have not heard any word.

The plans were originally for a homebirth, but complications required her to be hospitalized.

On arrival, she voiced her wishes to the nurse. After Maxanne’s birth, though, the hospital’s staff told her they were not comfortable releasing the placenta, Swanson said.

Citing patient privacy laws, Sunrise officials would not discuss Swanson’s case specifically. But they said aside from very narrow exceptions, placentas are not released to patients.

“Like any other body part, placentas contain a lot of blood, which can carry infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis,” said Twinkle Chisholm, a spokeswoman for Sunrise. “We take great measures to prevent disease transmission.”

Frustrated, she says “I didn’t have HIV. I didn’t have hepatitis. Do you think I would be requesting the placenta if I had HIV? That is ridiculous.”

In 2006, Hawaii became the first state to pass a law allowing hospitals to release placentas for spiritual reasons. But if the baby, mother or placenta tests positive for HIV, it is not released.

The placenta is a temporary organ that transfers oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the fetus during pregnancy. It also allows release of carbon monoxide and waste products from the unborn child. The placenta is expelled, with fetal membranes, during the birth.

Though causes of postpartum depression are unclear, experts believe a sudden decrease in hormone levels is to blame. During pregnancy, a woman’s body produces more estrogen and progesterone than needed, and those excess hormones can build up in the placenta.

Within 24 hours after childbirth, the woman’s body stops producing those large amounts of estrogen and progesterone.

Traditionally, postpartum depression is treated with therapy or antidepressants. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM, the belief is since the placenta contains the excess hormones, the placenta could prevent postpartum depression, Selander said.

“Inherently, it makes sense,” Gala said. “The placenta, after just 12 weeks of pregnancy, contains a lot of progesterone and estrogen. After the baby is born, the body doesn’t produce enough of these hormones, so there is a sudden crash.”

Eating the placenta after the baby is delivered seems to be increasing in popularity. To make it into pills seems like a more reasonable alternative to frying it in the pan and eating it like liver.

>Related Articles:

Mom Eats Placenta To Prevent Postpartum Depression
New Placenta Screening For High-Risk Pregnancies

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PHOTCREDIT:PATTIRAMOS