chatwithketch

Eating for Two?

I’m sure everyone has heard the ‘eating for two’ fable 😀 It is indeed, an old wives’ tale because if you were eating for two, the assumption would probably be that you should double your calorie requirement for a day….so for a woman that probably means you can get away with taking in as much as 4000 calories per day!!! That’s a recipe for disaster.

Pregnancy is associated with increased cravings and of course growth of the baby, but you do not need significantly more calories to cope with this state. The recommended weight gain for pregnancy is 8 – 16 kg in all (with an average of 12kg).

Let me break it down for you.

During your first trimester, you actually do not need more calories than when you were not pregnant. You can continue with the activities you used to do before including exercise. However, exercise should be toned down from vigorous to moderate. Moderate exercise is any physical activity that you perform that but you’re still able to carry on a conversation without running out of breath…that’s as simple an explanation as it goes 😀 It includes walking, swimming, dancing, pregnancy exercises (these are taught in some antenatal classes), stretching and relaxation exercises. Remember that you must never start on any exercise regimen without discussing with your doctor who knows your specific medical history.

Please remember that you should never exercise to the point of exhaustion, not to over-heat yourself and not to carry on any jumping etc…partly because you are prone to injuries of the ligaments (like sprains)and because, it’s just not safe at the time. I always used to know I was pregnant whenever I sprained my ankle…it happened in 2 out of 3 pregnancies! It may not be an exact science, but it worked for me :D. Just kidding…don’t try this at home 😉

During your second trimester, your calorie needs start to increase. The recommended increase in calorie intake is about an extra 300 calories per day over the pre-pregnancy requirements.

Want to know more about the requirements for third trimester, twin and other multiple pregnancies, how many meals to eat per day during pregnancy etc? Get details from the book, Just For The Health Of It. You can get a copy via the shop now link on our facebook page. Or you can get it through:

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

Q: Hello Dr, my friend said her breast discharges. What could be the cause because I know she has no baby in her hand right away?

Q: That reminds me too Dr. Please reply to this one. Breast discharge without being pregnant…is this normal for a young lady?

A: I’ve received a couple of questions on this issue…many which I cannot reproduce to conserve space 😀 These two will serve as the template for all related questions.

There are different issues that can cause nipple discharge. The discharge can be bloody, milky, clear etc. The colour may not tell us much as to whether the discharge is normal or abnormal.

Milky discharge from the breast is called galactorrhea and is usually the symptom of a problem. For more on this please click on the link: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/04/18/daily-health-tips-why-do-i-have-nipple-discharge-when-im-not-pregnant/

Causes of breast discharge include:
• Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding: The release of milk may also persist for a while even when breastfeeding has been stopped.
• Stimulation of the nipples during sexual foreplay or even pressing the nipple by people who are worried about the nipple discharge or friction between fabric and nipple can lead to nipple discharge.
• Breast abscess or infection
• Hormone imbalance
• Injury to the breast
• Some medications
• Cancer of the breast

To determine cause, the doctor may do a scan, take tissue sample to examine (biopsy) etc
Treatment depends on cause. If due to pregnancy or breastfeeding, it will eventually stop. If due to stimulation, the discharge will continue as long as the stimulation is present. If due to injury, it will also stop with healing. If the discharge is due to medication, stopping the medication is sufficient to bring this to a stop.

Bloody discharge, discharge from one breast only and discharge that happens spontaneously without the breast being touched or pressed is likely to be abnormal. These should be checked out as soon as possible in the hospital.

If the discharge is present during a menstrual period and persists into the next cycle, please see your doctor too.

Have a great night, everyone. If you’re in Nigeria, I hope you had a great Democracy Day and enjoyed the inauguration of the new Government.

Awesome days ahead! Let’s all play our parts.

Q: Good morning Dr. I have a problem…I don’t know why my hands are always cold. Please help me out

A: Thanks for writing in!

Cold hands may not necessarily signify a problem. For instance, if the weather is very cold, in order to conserve warmth especially for the vital internal organs, the vessels on the skin constrict (become smaller) and thus allow less blood to pass through to the skin…locking the warmth on the inside around your key organs. This leads to cold extremities.

Some people respond to temperature changes more than others and so would also have this situation occur. However, cold extremities accompanied by colour changes ( like blue fingers) could signify a problem with circulation or the nerves. It may also point to tissue damage. Other symptoms in these cases may include numbness or tingling sensation.

Conditions that may lead to this include Raynaud’s Disease (which may be caused by smoking, injuries to the hands and feet, surgery etc), deficiency of iron or Vitamin B12, hypothyroidism (low levels of thyroid hormone in the body), Diabetes etc.

So, if your hands are persistently cold…and you don’t live on the North pole  please see your doctor to rule out other conditions. In the meantime, ensure that you drink sufficient water daily and try to increase your activity levels.

Have a good night y’all 😀

Hello Dr Ketch, what’s your advice for a woman who had surgery for ectopic pregnancy? How possible is it for her to get pregnant?

Hello; thanks for writing in. Well  it depends on the extent of fallopian tube damage and other factors surrounding the surgery.

I had written a detailed post on this a while back. Please click on the link below for the details:

Daily Health Tips: What Are My Options After Ectopic Pregnancy And Failed IVF?

Have a good night y’all 🙂

Here’s to a healthier you!

Daily Health Tip: Weight loss (facts and fiction)

There’s so much to talk about and I’ll also try to weigh in on some facts and fiction too.

I have a lot of people who write in and tell me that they don’t know why they add weight because they hardly eat! Now, I have never seen anyone who stays off food and actually gains weight. That would be an interesting study! For this group, the main problem is what is actually eaten when they do eat. Sometimes, people tell me, the only thing I’ve eaten all day is biscuits and a bottle of soft drink. The thing about biscuits and soft drinks is that they contain empty calories which give you a quick feeling of fullness, quickly followed by more hunger pangs…and then you find yourself reaching for more biscuits. If however, you were to eat a complex carbohydrate or even fruits, they keep you feeling fuller for longer…and so you avoid the temptation to eat more.

Some people also write in to ask me about slimming pills or green tea or any of those wonder drugs that make you shed weight on ‘seconds’ and instruct you never to eat of specific classes of foods. Let’s use green tea as an example. Green tea is great and studies have shown that it speeds up metabolism and so helps you break down all the food you’ve taken in, faster. However, weight gain is a function of what you’ve taken in and what you’ve taken out. If you take in 3000 calories and you’re able to burn only 500 calories, then clearly, there is some excess that will get converted to fat et al. Remember that some of our ‘snack’ like some burgers pack as much as 500 to 600 calories in one serving….and that’s just one meal (or maybe even snack ) with 3 more meals and perhaps another snack to account for. And so, if you are loading your system with more food than you need, then even the purest of green teas is going to have a hard time keeping up with your metabolism…there’s just too much work to do what with all that food! :D. Remember that generally, women are entitled to 2000 calories intake in a day and men are entitled to 2500.

Some ask, can I lose weight without exercise? And then some ask, I eat only once a day, how can I possibly add weight with that? Others want to know, how many meals should I eat in a day?

Want the answers to this? Get details from the book, Just For The Health Of It. You can get a copy via the shop now link on our facebook page. Or you can get it through:

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

Have a great day, people 😀

Ever wondered why one person’s cold seems to become everyone’s problem as sooner than later, every other person starts sniffling? Well, here are some tips to help you avoid this problem.

Take a look at this:

Q: Hi, Dr Ketch, what can stop a pregnant woman from vomiting? In this case my wife she pregnant for 1 month then she’s vomiting almost every day. So what the health advice?

A: Morning sickness during pregnancy can be really trying! I know…I suffered through it! Oh boy! Thank God I’m over all of that now…I’m a grandmother in waiting 😀

Now, for the rest of you who still have to go through this, I’ll share some tips.

The standard teaching is to try eating some bland foods like Crackers biscuits or dry toast. That personally didn’t work for me. I preferred tart things…which some may want to avoid. I loved lemons during my pregnancies. They were the one thing guaranteed to ‘wake up’ my mouth and chase nausea far away. I also had a particular brand of very tart bubble gum, I indulged in 😀 These were key for me because, though I didn’t have the real bad case of morning sickness that sent you to the hospital, brushing my teeth in the morning always sent me into a bout of retching/vomiting. So, I always had a ready supply of the gum or lemon/lime to pop into my mouth once I was done brushing/retching! Not a very pleasant memory ;D

So, if lemons work for you to prevent nausea, go for it. Remember that moderation is key. A few drops (one or two) in a glass of water are enough to provide that tart kick that sends nausea far away. There is a catch here though…remember the heart burn associated with pregnancy. The acid content of lemon might make the heart burn and any pre-existing gastro-esophageal (stomach and esophagus/gullet) problems worse. So, this is all the more reason to be very moderate or stop if it exacerbates an already bad case of heart burn. Wherever and whenever in doubt, please be sure to see your doctor.

Other tips:
• Eat little amounts of food frequently as an empty tummy increases the likelihood of throwing up. Remember this is not an excuse to binge and over eat 😀
• Avoid fatty and greasy foods.
• Avoid smells that trigger nausea
• Cold foods may be preferable to hot as the former does not give off smells that may cause you to feel queasy.
• Get loads of fresh air and rest
• And drink sufficient fluids daily

More importantly, your wife needs your love and support more than ever. If she can’t stand cooking now, because of this, be supportive. Help out or ensure she has help. Knowing you’re on her side will most certainly help her cope with this.

Have a good night everyone 😀