Do I Look Like A Boy Grandma?

Do I Look Like a Boy Grandma?

So, we started 2024 with all three of our daughters (two daughters and one daughter-in-law) pregnant! Since then, our 2nd grandson arrived in February with due dates for our 3rd and 4th grandsons in August and September. They will join our 4-year-old grandson, who can now put together his new “boy cousin” gang.

As a mom and grandma, I am thrilled and feel blessed beyond belief.

Lots of conversations, laughter and questions have taken place since this good news. I thought it would be a great time to share some of the precious moments and provide personal insight.

Guess what? Men’s “pre-pregnancy” health is just as important as moms.

When employed as Health Research Director for the California Walnut Commission, I worked with Wendie Robbins PhD, professor at the UCLA School of Nursing and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences Department. Her research was focused on male infertility as related to diet. Interestingly, she found a link between what dad eats (among other factors) and positive pregnancy outcomes. General findings from recent research share a correlation. “Increasing fish and reducing sugary drinks, processed meats and total fat may improve male fertility, while consuming healthy diets, fish, fats/fatty acids, carbohydrates and dairy and reducing processed meat can improve sperm health”. Dr. Robbin’s and other research show that nuts and walnuts specifically may improve the quality and quantity of sperm. You are what your dad eats!

Bottom-line: listen up guys… eating well as you prepare for starting a family is key to a positive outcome.

Sugar substitutes or low and no calorie sweeteners (LNCS) during pregnancy?

Hmmm, what to do? Pre-pregnancy you drank diet sodas, Splenda® with your coffee, and yogurt with stevia. Now that your pregnant, can you still consume LNCS? A recent webinar, “Breaking Down the Basics and Biological Fate of Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners” sponsored by the International Food Information Council shared updates on consumption of LNCS including aspartame, monk fruit sweeteners, saccharin, stevia, and sucralose. Recent research reveals consuming small amounts of LNCS during pregnancy is not harmful. Sadly, the webinar revealed that, “a large body of scientific literature has addressed LNCS safety concerns, yet International Food Information Council (IFIC) consumer research has found that most people do not rely on scientific journals to inform their opinion of LNCS safety, instead preferring to do their own research”.

Review this chart from the Food and Drug Administration which shows the safe limit for each sweetener and the amount a person would need to consume to equal that limit based on its sweetness intensity. It is surprising.

Bottom-line: Make sure you review science-based facts so you can make an informed decision on what you are comfortable with when it comes to consuming LNCS.

Well-intentioned comments

Every pregnant woman carries differently. My advice to those making comments to the mom to be, such as “Wow you’re so big” or “You don’t even look pregnant”, “You’re having a girl cause your carrying high”, You’re having a boy cause your carrying low”, “How much weight have you gained”, “Can I touch your stomach? “Or worse, touching the stomach without asking. You can think about these comments or say them elsewhere, but don’t voice them to the mom-to-be.

Bottom-line: I am guilty of most of these, but now know and am reminded once again to keep my mouth shut.

Oh, and by the way, we love being Grandma and Grandpa…it is an honor to be called these names that some feel are old-fashioned or for “old” people. Guess what, being a grandparent means you are getting older, but wiser too.

References:

Cox CM, Thoma ME, Tchangalova N, Mburu G, Bornstein MJ, Johnson CL, Kiarie J. Infertility prevalence and the methods of estimation from 1990 to 2021: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Open. 2022 Nov 12;2022(4):hoac051. doi: 10.1093/hropen/hoac051. PMID: 36483694; PMCID: PMC9725182.

Strasser MO, Dupree JM. Care Delivery for Male Infertility: The Present and Future. Urol Clin North Am. 2020 May;47(2):193-204. doi: 10.1016/j.ucl.2019.12.006. PMID: 32272991.

Cardoso BR, Fratezzi I, Kellow NJ. Nut Consumption and Fertility: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Adv Nutr. 2024 Jan;15(1):100153. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.100153. Epub 2023 Nov 17. PMID: 37977328; PMCID: PMC10704322.

Tully CA, Alesi S, McPherson NO, Sharkey DJ, Teong XT, Tay CT, Silva TR, Puglisi C, Barsby JP, Moran LJ, Grieger JA, Mousa A. Assessing the influence of preconception diet on male fertility: a systematic scoping review. Hum Reprod Update. 2024 Jan 17:dmad035. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmad035. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38237150.

Martyn D, Darch M, Roberts A, Lee HY, Yaqiong Tian T, Kaburagi N, Belmar P. Low-/No-Calorie Sweeteners: A Review of Global Intakes. Nutrients. 2018 Mar 15;10(3):357. doi: 10.3390/nu10030357. PMID: 29543782; PMCID: PMC5872775.