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Milk and pregnancy
A friend of mine recently told me that drinking a lot of milk, or eating a lot of dairy products, while pregnant can have quite staggering results. She said that drinking more than a glass of milk a day or having multiple servings of dairy products will cause the baby to be BIG due to growth hormones in the milk and that it also makes you more likely to have gestational diabetes. This is the first I've heard of it, and I haven't been able to verify any of that information anywhere yet. None of the pregnancy books or websites I have read say anything about that. Does anyone know if either of these statements are backed, medically-speaking? I'm a big dairy person (I love milk and ice cream, and those are two of the things I crave the most during this pregnancy), so I just want to know if I need to be cutting myself off from giving in to those cravings or not.
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Re: Milk and pregnancy
Well the growth hormone given to many cows, bovine growth hormone, causes cows to mature faster and produce more milk. It doesn't cause them to grow bigger so I don't see how it could cause your baby to be big.
That said, I prefer to choose milk and cheese that is labeled as not containing bGH.
It's a theory but not a fact. Personally, I'm creeped out by growth hormones and added antibiotics and don't think they are good for us in general so I buy my milk products and most of my beef organic.
Easy (but not cheap) solution. Grass-fed is even better for you!
Of course, I also try to buy the "dirty dozen" of produce (google it if interested) organic and wash my fruits and veggies carefully because there are actual studies indicating that pesticide exposure during pregnancy can lead to increased attention issues in young children.
Oh, and watch out for BPA in plastic containers and canned goods. BPA is estrogenic, meaning it mimics the effects of estrogen in your body. This could potentially contribute to weight issues.
Or, forget about all of this. Those are my pregnancy goals, but not everyone's.
Oh dang. Thanks for all of that info I guess I never really gave BPA or pesticides much thought (other than obviously they're not great for you).
Interesting....
I had a lot of milk/yogurt/ice cream when I was pregnant (I CRAVED it). I would say 4-5 servings of dairy a day. I gained 50 pounds while pregnant, but lost all but 3lbs of it by 11 weeks (I had a LOT of swelling, lost most of it in the first 3-4 weeks). My baby was pretty big- 9lb4oz, 21.5". He was 14lb14oz and 25.75" at 10 weeks (and he is now in 6-9month clothes). On the other hand, my family tends to grow big babies (my little sister was 9lb11oz), and my husband and I are both really tall. Who knows?
I drank LOTS of milk during pregnancy. I gained like 30 lbs, measure small, and my daughter was born 3 weeks early weighing a little over 5 lbs. I love dairy, and i never heard of that theory. I craved it even more while pregnant.
I wouldn't let that stop you from drinking milk or eating dairy, personally.
I read Skinny *** Bun in the Oven, and they are pretty extreme in their organic/vegan views. Most of it was a bit too much, but the milk part really stuck with me for some reason.
They listed all the reasons to avoid milk, and after that, it repulsed me. I didn't drink a drop the rest of my pregnancy, and I still don't drink it now. It just grosses me out.