Penelope Cruz

I was watching television today and caught a few minutes of the popular TMZ show. A picture of a black bikini clad Penelope Cruz was shown during one segment and the ‘reporter’ said something to the effect of ‘that’s not normal’. He was inferring that Cruz, who is believed to be in her 7th month of pregnancy, isn’t representative of most pregnant women who he believes usually are heavier. In fact he mentioned his wife! I wouldn’t want to be going home to his house tonight.

This will be the second child for the 38 year old spanish actress and it was said that ‘she’s still hot’. I’m sure she cares what he thinks.

So is Penelope too thin? Should she have gained more weight? The answer is NO!

The truth is that many women gain far too much during pregnancy. Sorry friends, these are the stats. On average most women should only gain between 15 and 30 pounds MAXIMUM. This is of course dependent on the size of each woman with smaller women gaining less while larger ladies may gain a bit more. So when we see a person who looks nearly the same with literally just a bump in her belly, it seems like they haven’t gained enough weight.

For anyone out there that thinks it’s ‘normal’ to gain 50, 60, 70 or more pounds when carrying an 8 pound baby, I’m sorry you’re misinformed. Is it common? Yes. Is it normal? No. And it’s certainly not healthy for mom or the baby to gain such large amounts of weight. Many health problems similar to obesity can arise in this situation. There’s the risk of gestational diabetes, edema, high blood pressure and whole host of complications. Plus lets not forget about stretch marks from excessive weight gain. Even if all of the weight is lost, usually the skin never regains it’s elasticity and returns to it’s former self.

It’s estimated that an expecting mother only need consume an extra 200 – 300 calories per day to support a developing fetus. Yet we know that for many reasons, whether it be from hormones, cravings, nerves etc. women routinely far exceed their needed calorie amounts and as a consequence gain a lot of unnecessary bodyfat. I can tell you that when my ex wife was pregnant with my first son I gained 30 pounds!

I’m not judging women who gain excess weight. I’ve never been pregnant and have no clue what it feels like. So I can’t possibly understand how they feel or how irresistible those feelings of cravings are. But I do know that many women who were once a normal weight end up struggling post pregnancy, often times for years, because of how much they gained. And statistically the more weight a woman gains in pregnancy, the more likely she’ll be to become obese later in life.

Back to Penelope; she looks great! Cruz appears healthy, still having fun wearing a bikini at 7 months pregnant and I bet within months of giving birth she’ll return back to her former figure. That’s what is so great about gaining only the weight that’s needed – the time it takes to recover your figure is less. I think of all the women who have 2 or 3 year olds that are still trying to lose pregnancy weight and I feel badly. I’m sure they regret not planning a bit better.

It has nothing to do with money, being a celebrity or living a lavish lifestyle. It has everything to do with making smart choices for you, your baby and your future.

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