SO, YOU'RE PREGNANT
Getting big and fit
| • | After birth |
By Tanya Bricking Leach
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Michele Aucello of Diamond Head learns relaxation techniques at a yoga class developed by Cathy Louise Broda, owner of Purple Yoga Hawaii, after her pregnancy.
Photos by Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser |
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| Jessica Knight, front, and Ericka Ehrhorn practice yoga for pregnancy at a class for moms-to-be at Purple Yoga Hawaii in Mo'ili'ili. |
From hot tubs to hair dyes, there are plenty of "what ifs" for an expectant mom to worry about. Even germs from the cat's litter box are cause for concern.
Carol Lent knows the look of the cautious moms-to-be.
Lent, who has worked at Down to Earth health-food store since 1977, sees them scanning food labels and picking out produce.
"They're going for organic products and fortified milk," she said. "They're reading ingredients and avoiding artificial preservatives, hydrogenized oils and high sugars."
They're also asking for tea made of red raspberry leaves, said to make for easy childbirth, and greens such as kale, she said.
But all the warnings — against everything from raw fish to hot baths — can be daunting.
Cathy Louise Broda, owner and instructor of Purple Yoga Hawaii in Mo'ili'ili, had been trying to keep herself healthy even before she
became pregnant last year. Broda, 38, knew certain risks came with being an older mom. The chance of miscarriage is higher, and she did everything she could to eat well, sleep enough and keep her body strong. She taught yoga until the day she went into labor.
Today, she feeds her 8-month-old daughter organic foods, and she includes yoga classes for pregnant women and moms with babies.
Routine cautions
Yoga student Ericka Ehrhorn, 34, of Kahalu'u, who is due to give girth to a girl Saturday, has been reading all the maternity books
she can to research what's good for her and baby Danicka. Ehrhorn suffered through some bad morning sickness, but steered clear of treating her pregnancy like an illness.
She gave up things such as fresh mozzarella cheese — one of her favorites — and started practicing yoga, which not only made her relax but helped her relieve back pain and keep a positive outlook.
Twenty years ago, when Leilani Collins was pregnant with her last child, she didn't worry so much about what she did for exercise or what she put in her mouth. There were no pregnancy police making sure you got enough folic acid or worked on strengthening your legs to prepare for giving birth.
Collins, 53, now a Wahiawa grandmother of five, remembers craving 'opihi and having people tell her that eating the Hawaiian delicacy picked from rocks on the water's edge would mean her child would cling to her. The old wives' tale turned out to be true, she laughs, but there wasn't any urgency then to avoid shellfish, caffeine or any number of things now considered potentially harmful.
Collins is glad to see people paying more attention to health and nutrition.
Stronger doctor's orders are part of life these days for people such as Shelly Awaya, 32, a Kailua mother of 6-month-old twins. She avoided raw fish, shellfish, sweets and caffeine throughout her pregnancy. But she was on bed rest for more than two months, and her doctor told her she wasn't gaining enough weight, so she loaded up on protein.
"It was kind of a stressful pregnancy," she said.
Easier with practice
| • | So, you're pregnant?
The baby items keep on coming this week in Island Life. If you missed our story yesterday, check the link below. Sunday: I'm pregnant Monday: The latest in maternity fashion Yesterday: Popular baby names Tomorrow: Empower that baby shower with style Thursday: Moms-to-be talk about nutrition and exercise Friday: Gifts and necessities for baby |
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"I don't overindulge myself," said the Hawai'i Kai woman, who is due to deliver her fourth child next week. "But if I happen to be somewhere where there's food, I'll have a few pieces of fish."
Lindy Shapiro of Kihei, Maui, used to be "so afraid of everything" when she was pregnant with son Quinn, now 17 months old — from deli meat to soft cheeses, caffeine and a whole list of things that were off-limits.
Now that she's pregnant again, there are other no-nos she can't avoid, such as lifting heavy things, namely her 22-pound son.
But Shapiro, a former competitive athlete, has been able to make a business out of getting new moms back into shape with an exercise video she made with a friend.
So she doesn't worry about gaining a little weight and dealing with the changes that will come before she gives birth to her next one in September.
"With all the information, we tend to be overcautious," she said. "But there's no harm in that."
Tanya Bricking Leach writes about relationships for The Advertiser. Reach her at tbricking@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8026.
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If you're a health-conscious new mom who's been there and done that on the pregnancy front, what's next?
- Purple Yoga Hawaii offers classes for pregnant women, for new moms and even infant massage. A number of other yoga studios in Honolulu also tailor classes to expectant mothers.
- Neighbor Island moms share their secrets in a workout video on regaining fitness after childbirth.
