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What do I Need to Know about Pregnancy and Motherhood?
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding a baby, be sure to get enough calcium and vitamin D. Calcium and vitamin D are good for you and for your baby’s growing bones. If you don’t get enough of these nutrients, your baby’s calcium needs will be met by taking calcium from your bones.
If you are younger than 19-years-old, you need 1,300 mg of calcium and 400-800 international units of vitamin D every day. If you are 19 or older, you need 1,000 mg of calcium and 400-800 of vitamin D every day. Getting enough calcium and vitamin D during pregnancy is a great way to start building healthy bones for both you and your child.
Most studies show that while some bone loss may occur during pregnancy, a woman usually regains it after giving birth. In fact, studies show that having children, even as many as 10, does not increase a woman’s chance of getting osteoporosis later in life. Research even suggests that each additional pregnancy provides some protection from osteoporosis and broken bones.
For women who have pregnancies in their teens, the effects on bone health later in life are still not certain. Teens have not yet reached peak bone mass. More studies are needed to learn if teen pregnancies can affect future bone health.
Pregnancy-associated osteoporosis. Some women develop a temporary type of osteoporosis during pregnancy. While we do not fully understand what causes this type of osteoporosis, it is extremely rare and usually goes away shortly after a woman gives birth.
Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding for the recommended 6-12 months has many health benefits for mother and baby. Like pregnancy, breastfeeding may cause some temporary bone loss. However, bone density appears to recover over time and should not cause long-term harm to a woman’s bone health. All women who are pregnant or nursing need to get enough calcium, vitamin D and appropriate exercise to keep their bones healthy. If you’re breastfeeding exclusively, ask your child’s pediatrician if you need to give your baby supplemental vitamin D.
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Follow Your Heart
My Grandmother, Sarah, came from the old country, a small town in Russia where marriages were prearranged. My Grandmother wanted to marry the handsome boy down the road, but her parents wouldn't permit the marriage; and so when suitors came to call, my grandmother would dust her face and long hair in flour, demurely enter the room, and for added effect started banging her head against the wall. Needless to say she was beginning to get a bit of a reputation. Eventually rather than perpetuate the scandal her parents gave in. After all they had other daughters to marry off. Moving on several years, that same woman took her six little children, one semivar and one pair of silver candlesticks crawling through the forest at night to get to the ship that would bring her to her husband in America. My Grandmother lived with us, and shared many of her experiences with me as I sat by her side. I learned that nothing in life is impossible, if you set your goals, and have the determination to follow your heart. Thank you, Grandma. I miss you so.
Sharon Marantz Walsh- New York, New York
