The “CineMama” app debuted in 2013 enabling women to create a
time-lapse video of their pregnancy while getting health tips along the way,
and to date, more than 120,000 women have downloaded it. Now, the app has added
a pregnancy weight tracker to help women know whether they are gaining a
healthy amount of weight during their pregnancy. The pregnancy weight tracker
is provided through a grant from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and based on
the scientific findings from a 2009 IOM report
that determined guidelines for healthy weight gain during pregnancy.
Women who gain too little are more likely to
have a low birthweight baby (less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces). Women who gain too
much are more likely to have a premature baby, who is at risk for breathing
problems, jaundice, and intellectual delays. Excessive weight gain also may
contribute to conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure, which can
cause problems during pregnancy.
“Many women think they can double the amount
of calories they eat once they are pregnant,” says Siobhan Dolan, MD, a medical
advisor to the March of Dimes. “But the reality is they only need an extra 300
calories a day - that’s one extra healthy snack a day.”
CineMama is part of the March of Dimes “Healthy Babies are Worth
the Wait” educational campaign, which focuses on the importance of a full term
pregnancy. The campaign encourages women to wait for labor to begin on its own
and reminds health care providers to not schedule a delivery before at least 39
weeks of pregnancy, unless there is a medical necessity. Important development
of the brain, lungs and other organs occurs during the last weeks of pregnancy.
Additional information is available at marchofdimes.org/39weeks.
About March of DimesThe March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs.
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