'Obese & Expecting' Highlights Health Risks

One more worry in the country's obesity crisis: a new documentary highlights the perils of extra pounds during pregnancy.

The TLC special, "Obese & Expecting," follows four obese women through complicated pregnancies and painful deliveries that put mom and baby at risk.

"We know that obesity during pregnancy increases the risk of diabetes and preeclampsia," said Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "And when the mom is big, the baby can be big, raising the risk of birth injury and C-section."

A scene from the documentary shows doctors struggling to give one woman an epidural through the fat in her back.

"We spent 45 minutes attempting to put the spinal in," said Dr. Charles Hux, a New Jersey OB/GYN featured in the documentary. "With so many layers of fat, it's difficult to be certain that the needle went into the exact space it should go in."

After several tries, the team gave up, deciding instead to give the woman a general anesthetic and a C-section.

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"Going to sleep carries significant risks, even for a slim pregnant woman," said Greenfield, calling the decision a last resort. "And the risk goes up significantly in a woman who's overweight."

Studies suggest nearly half of U.S. women who are of child-bearing age are obese, a problem that weighs heavily on doctors.

"It's harder to provide excellent care to someone who's obese because a lot of things we do are not as accurate," said Greenfield, explaining how ultrasounds and other tests to gauge the baby's growth can be skewed by the mother's fat. "It's also harder to feel the position of the baby."

That fat, and the fact that obesity can cause irregular periods, also means women might not realize they're pregnant.

"If you don't know you're pregnant, you might not avoid things that are toxic, like alcohol, smoking and certain medications," said Greenfield, adding that prenatal vitamins are also important. "And a lot of what we do in prenatal care depends on knowing exactly how far along a woman is. If you don't have a sense of gestational age, it's harder to provide the right care."

Obesity has also forced hospitals to adapt, adding delivery tables that can be made wider and hold up to 600 pounds, Greenfield said.

"The old tables only went up to 450 pounds," she said. "That's just not realistic anymore."

Weight gain during pregnancy is normal. But obese women should gain no more than 15 pounds, roughly half the amount recommended for women of normal weight.

"For someone with bad eating habits, that's going to be really hard," said Greenfield, describing how pregnancy cravings and the "eating for two" mentality can conspire to pack on the pounds. "Lifestyle change is always hard. But during pregnancy, I think women are more motivated to do it for themselves and their baby."

"Obese & Expecting" premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on TLC.

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Knitting & Crochet for Charity & Creative @ Home Link-Up Party ...

Don?t forget to join in the Creative @ Home Link-Up Party! To find it, simply scroll down to the bottom of this post! We?d love to have you join us! Link any and all the creative things you do at home!

My Mom first taught me the basics of crochet, although at the time, I really wasn?t that interested. I did learn the basics and how to make Granny Squares. It?s wasn?t until years later that I decided to try my hand at it again and fell in love with yarn. After crocheting for several years and pretty much learning how to do just about everything, I decided to challenge myself to learn how to knit and I?m totally hooked! I love to crochet and knit because it?s something that I can put down as needed and not get lost or forget where I am. It?s also very relaxing and comforting. I?m able to make useful things that my family and friends can use. A hand crocheted or knitted item is a gift from the heart. As I knit or crochet, I like to pray for the person who will be receiving the item, so each item I crochet equals hours of prayers for that person. It?s a blessing for me to be able to spend that time in prayer.

I often start up projects just to keep my hands busy or to relieve boredom (like I?m ever really bored with my 2 boys! LOL!). I don?t have any particular person in mind when I start these projects, so I decided to look into some charities that accept hand crocheted or knitted items to help those in need. I?m going to pick 1-2 charities and create items for them. It will be a blessing to know that my work will help those in need. Whether it?s to provide warmth or just show that someone loves and cares for them, it really doesn?t matter.

We have received so much love and support from?individuals who didn?t even know us, except through the blogging community. I want to return some of that to others in need. I don?t do this for acclaim or to be recognized, I do it because it was first done for us. Christ died on the cross to give us the greatest gift of all. He did it not to become famous or for other selfish reasons, He did it soley out of LOVE for US! We, as Christians, are called to be Jesus to those around us. We should do this not for fame or acclaim, but quietly and simply. We should do it because that?s what Jesus would do and what He DID DO FOR US.

There are so many charities out there that accept crochet and knitted items. The one?s listed below are just a sampling. I have found that there are generally at least 1 sort of these organizations in nearly every average size town. Because of our past history with both infant loss and premature/ill babies, I will most?definitely be making baby items. This is a cause very close to my heart. When Gabriel died, we were given the sweetest infant cap and sweater, as well as a beautiful afghan. These items were created by volunteers and they mean so much to me. They are something that I can hold, smell and snuggle?they give me comfort.

The Preemie Project ? Founded in the spring of 2005, The Preemie Project strives to bring warmth, comfort, and support to critically ill infants and their families.

Knit Your Bit ? The National WWII Museum is proud to launch its own Knit Your Bit campaign. You can help the Museum honor WWII veterans by Knitting Your Bit- in this case a simple, but cozy, scarf to be donated to a veteran in a Veterans Center somewhere in the United States.

Mother Bear Project ? The Mother Bear Project is a grass-roots, non-profit group dedicated to providing comfort and hope to children, primarily those affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations, by giving them a gift of love in the form of hand-knit and crocheted bears.

Warm Up America ? Warm Up America! (WUA!) is an organization made up of volunteers who create handmade afghan blankets, clothing and accessories to help those in need. These items provide warmth and comfort to people who have lost their homes, fled abusive relations, or are being cared for in hospices, shelters, hospitals, and nursing home.

Also, don?t forget to think about your local hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, hospices, etc. Most of these places take in donations of this type and they are given to people in need in your area.

Creative @ Home Wednesday is a weekly Link-Up Party all about those creative things you do at home! We are looking for all your creative posts, crafts/hobbies, food/cooking/recipes, home decor/remodel, fun & games for the kids, homemaking, etc. If it?s creative, we want you to share it! Please join in the fun and do a little blog hopping! This is a fun way to discover new blogs and make some new friends. Leave a link to ANY AND ALL of your creative blog posts

Instructions:

1. Post a link to your creative posts to the linky below. Simply click on the text link that says: You are next? Click here to enter
2. Enter your DIRECT link to the post you wish to share and fill out the remaining information requested.
3. You may enter as many links as you desire.
4. You MAY link to other link-ups, giveaways, and reviews..
5. Once you post a link to your blog post, please place a text link or use the graphic below to link back to the Creative @ Home Link-Up Party. You should have a link to this link-up part on EACH post you share here.
6. Be sure to also click ?like? on any article you liked to vote for that article. I will be featuring the most popular articles next week on the blog and my Facebook page!
7. Have fun! I can?t wait to see what links you leave behind!

If you would like to use the graphic below, simply cut and paste the html coding out of the box below the graphics to quickly link back to here.

<img src="http://www.susangodfrey.com/Images/SG_CreativeAtHome.png"/>

Linking To: Works For Me Wednesday, Women Living Well Wednesday, Homemaking Link-Up, Encourage One Another Link-Up, Simple Living Wednesday, Wisdom Wednesday, Wise Woman Wednesday, Proverbs 31 Thursday, Beautiful Thursday, It?s A Keeper Thursday,

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I May Be Mormon, But This Obama Guy ... (talking-points-memo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Squrl, Simple, iTranslate Voice, and More [Apps Of The Week]

Manage your money, learn new languages, and wind down with an endless supply of videos with this week's best iPhone apps. You'll also be snapping pictures and waking up in a better mood.

More »

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No, Snapchat Isn?t About Sexting, Says Co-Founder Evan Spiegel

?The minute you tell someone that images on your server disappear, everyone jumps to sexting.? Evan Spiegel laughed and leaned back into his chair during his first sitdown interview since his iPhone app Snapchat blew up over the last month. Snapchat?is #12 on the free iOS photo app charts in the U.S. and?just scored some mainstream media attention in The New York Times.?Plus, we hear that Snapchat has also impressed Facebook's internal product leadership and even Zuck himself. Why? Snapchat is a photo-sharing app that changes privacy norms in a very novel way. The free app allows users to send others photos and control how long receivers can see them. These photos last for up to 10 seconds, before they disappear forever. ?It seems odd that at the beginning of the Internet everyone decided everything should stick around forever,? Spiegel said. ?I think our application makes?communication a lot more human and natural."

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Tyga's 'Leaving Stuff Behind' On 'I'm Gone' With Big Sean

'When I made this record, I was just like, 'Sean would be dope on this,' ' Tyga says of adding Big Sean to the song.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by James Lacsina

Tyga and Big Sean on the set of their video for "I'm Gone"
Photo: MTV News

Tyga and Big Sean display quite the chemistry on "I'm Gone," the new, heartfelt single off of the Cali MC's sophomore album, Careless World. But the song only tells half the story.

This week Tyga premiered the song's Colin Tilley-directed video as an MTV Jam of the Week. MTV News caught up with the pair back in April when they shot the clip in a Lynwood, California, warehouse.

"The video concept is me leaving stuff behind, like my girl, and then driving the car, then nobody driving the car," Tyga explained.

His description may have seemed a bit cryptic then, but now that the visuals have finally dropped, it all makes sense. Opening with a shot of the Young Money rap standout sitting alone on a barstool with his head hung low, it is clear that the bright lights have taken their toll on Tyga's love life. "Looking around glass, my future is in the past/ I'm rearranging my life, I'm single and now I laugh," he spits to begin the song.

The somber track is quite emotional and wouldn't seem to call for a guest verse. In fact, Tyga first intended for the single to be a solo affair, but when it was complete, he just heard a spot for his buddy Sean.

"When I made this record, I was just like, 'Sean would be dope on this,' " the tatted-up rapper said. "The record was already done — that's why Big Sean is at the end of it. We made the beat longer because I was just like, 'Let's just add him to it.' "

Sean, who closes the track out with reflective lyrics of his own, jumped on the song without hesitation. "I had already liked it off the rip, I liked the sample, I liked the vibe of it," he told us. "He sent me the song and it was perfect. I remember I had just got done with my show in Houston. I knocked it out right after."

In fact, Sean's voice was still hoarse from the performance he delivered just hours before, but it all worked out in the end. "My voice was half gone — I don't know if people could tell, but my voice was damn near gone when I recorded it," he revealed. "I just came up with the whole thing on the spot."

What do you think of Tyga's "I'm Gone" video? Let us know in the comments!

Related Artists

• Tyga
• Big Sean

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Reader Rants: Cagereaders sound off on Quinton Jackson, future champs and more

It's time to check in with Cagereaders on their opinions on the latest in MMA news. We hear your thoughts on Quinton Jackson, which belts will change hands, and most importantly, Louis Gaudinot's hair. Want your thoughts included in a future reader rants? Like Cagewriter on Facebook and comment on the stories that show up in your timeline.

How do you solve a problem like "Rampage?" Some Cagereaders have ideas.

There are a lot of people that make the UFC money, but once you start losing, your marketability dwindles. Add in the general consensus that Quinton doesn't care anymore and seemingly doesn't want to evolve his game; you'll see that this is not a benefit for anyone involved. Have him fight the final time on his contract and let him go. Throw him in against a mid-tier fighter on the undercard (like they did with Arlovski years ago) and move on. -- Ryan Wahl

Although I used to be a huge fan of Rampage and am less so these days, reading Quinton's words makes me consider if what he wants is the same thing I think certain other fighters want: Big fights with no title implications. I think there are a handfull of fighter who just want to hammer checks and generally not worry about rank or title. In other words fighters may be hunting for financial security for what they do and not a title shot where some of their limitations could be exposed. I say the UFC should have Quinton fight guys with great stand up, let him makes some money, put on some great stand up fights and everyone wins. Sometimes you just give the baby his bottle until he grows out of it. -- Mark Jimerson

With nearly every UFC belt on the line this summer, will any change hands?

I love this current batch of champions. I think it's good for the sport to have dominant champs. That being said, I think the one most likely to lose in his next fight is Benson Henderson, but I think that JDS has less of a gap on the field in his weight class (Mir is a mismatch.) But Ben Henderson became somewhat of a superhuman to me after his last fight when he told his corner man he could go another five rounds, and seemed perfectly able to do so. In a way, that was one of the most impressive things I've seen watching years of MMA. -- John Wilcox

Cagereaders tuned into Invicta FC's all-female card.

Shows there are a lot of different weight classes that are competitive. Not just the Strikeforce 135! Great show, lots of heart by the women warriors! -- David Feinblatt

And onto the most important point of discussion: Should Louis Gaudinot cut his hair?

God yes. Every second that a fighter has to spend getting hair out of his eyes is a second in which he is losing the fight. -- Bruce Garrison

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