By Angela Johnson

Photo by Karen Haberberg

When California native Latham Thomas first arrived in New York, she couldn’t help but feel that the city could use a little of the warmth she was used to back home.

“There were no trees and people were so much less open. I was like, ‘Oh, I’m needed here!’” Latham recalls. “So I decided to stay.”

After graduating from Columbia University and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Latham thought she’d be using her skills in a laboratory. Instead, this vibrant Manhattan mom is coaching women through one of the most important times in their lives: pregnancy.

To read the full article, please visit newyorkfamily.com.

In New York City, many people assume that the battle for reproductive choice takes place in “flyover states”—and certainly not in our own backyard! Yet these assumptions were proven incorrect again just a few days ago.

Last week, the Daily News reported on the closing of a surgical center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, reportedly due to anti-abortion protests. Dr. Terry Lazar, an owner of the surgical center, told the Daily News, “It was getting more and more difficult. Doctors were getting harassed, and patients were getting harassed. It was a decision we finally had to make.” Although Dr. Lazar was later quoted by WNYC as stating that the closure was for “economic reasons” and was unrelated to protests, the bottom line is that this surgical center has closed, while another surgical center, under out-of-state ownership, will not provide abortion services. The protesters held a celebratory mass at a church located down the block.

Reading this story led me to flash back nearly 20 years, back to the spring of 1994, when Lincoln Women’s Services was denied a renewal lease at 1995 Broadway, in the old Jamaica Savings Bank building. Then, like now, the landlord denied that the protests had anything to do with the decision. I was the newly elected president of Community Free Democrats, and our Democratic club activists worked closely with then-Assembly Member Scott Stringer, then-District Leader Eric Schneiderman and others on this issue—first, to raise public awareness and to bring public pressure on the landlord to reconsider its decision; later, I worked with the owners to assist them in seeking alternative space on Manhattan’s West Side.

Earlier this year, just weeks after Rush Limbaugh labeled Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” for daring to speak up about health insurance coverage for reproductive choice, I was among a handful of men who worked with Unite Women New York to organize a march and rally in support of reproductive rights along with other issues such as education, workplace equality and protecting women and children from domestic violence. Thousands of activists of all ages marched from Washington Square Park to Foley Square as part of a national call to action.

The brazenness of the anti-choice forces across the nation cannot be underestimated. This year, we have seen a Virginia governor who wants to deter abortions by requiring medically unnecessary and invasive procedures, a vice-presidential candidate who sponsored legislation to define life as beginning at conception, and a U.S. Senate candidate in Missouri who believes that rape victims cannot get pregnant. Still, when we see medical clinics closing here in New York City because abortion is one of the medical options offered to patients, we are reminded that the struggle to protect reproductive rights must begin here at home.

Marc Landis is a candidate for New York City Council and an Upper West Side Democratic District Leader.

Once a woman discovers she is pregnant, everything changes, from what she can do to what she can eat. When it comes to dietary changes, the goal is to try to eat the types of food that are beneficial for your growing baby.

With such a wide variety of foods to choose from, it may be difficult and confusing to find out what food is best to eat.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HSS), pregnant women should add foods that contain protein, iron, calcium and folic acid to their diet, because this is the time when their bodies need those nutrients the most.

Everyone has heard the saying that pregnant women are “eating for two,” but that should not be taken as an excuse to eat huge quantities; instead you should try to consume healthier foods that will be valuable for your child as well as you. During pregnancy, women will gain weight, but the amount varies depending on how much the mother weighed prior to being pregnant.

“Most women need 300 calories a day more during at least the last six months of the pregnancy than they do pre-pregnancy,” says WomensHealth.gov, an HHS project.
There is a special food pyramid that was created to show what foods women are encouraged to eat to supply themselves with the proper nutrients.

Starting off with grains, foods in this category include bread, cereal, rice and pasta. For both vegetables and fruit, as long as they are fresh, they will be healthy for both the mother and child. In the dairy section, low-fat yogurt, skim or low-fat milk are recommended. Finally, in the meat and beans category, a selection of cooked beans and peas, lean beef, shrimp and others will be beneficial.

There are some foods that pregnant women should be cautious about eating: refrigerated, smoked seafood and meat; store-made chicken, egg or tuna salads; some seafood; and herbs used as medicine unless prescribed by a doctor. Moms-to-be are warned to stay away from such foods because they can be contaminated with salmonella and other harmful substances. Seafood—shark and swordfish, for example—can have high levels of mercury, which can damage the child’s development.

The amount of food to consume varies depending on the trimester that a woman is in. During the first trimester, a woman should eat 6 ounces of grains daily, but when she enters her second trimester the amount changes to 8 ounces daily.

Other than making sure the mother is well fed, it is important to remain hydrated during pregnancy. It is suggested that women drink 10 cups of fluid a day. A common belief is that pregnant women shouldn’t drink caffeine, but in reality it is safe to drink small amounts that are less than 200 mg of caffeine a day.

On top of healthy eating habits, it is important to take vitamins during pregnancy. Following the recommended guidelines will allow the mother to properly care for their child and make sure he or she grows and develops properly in the womb.

By Keysha Whitaker

Many women worry about how to take the weight off after a pregnancy, but according to many doctors, taking the weight off before a pregnancy might increase fertility, promote healthier pregnancies and healthier babies. Men could also increase their fertility by losing weight.

A study recently published in the British Medical Journal found a link between obesity and sexual behavior and adverse sexual outcomes. Obese men were more likely to report erectile dysfunction and less likely to report as many sexual partners as normal-weight men. Obese women were less likely to seek healthcare services for contraceptives and more likely to report unintended pregnancies.

Dr. Joel Batzofin, of Batzofin Fertility Services in Midtown, recognizes the gravity of conceiving when a mother’s body mass index—a metric calculation of mass according to weight and height—is too high.

“Getting a potential mother prepared for pregnancy is a big issue. If someone is too heavy, I don’t like to help them get pregnant, until we help them get ready to be pregnant,” said Batzofin, who encourages patients to lose weight by referring them to counseling and weight-loss services, which he also offers in-house.

Batzofin said pregnancy while obese can be plagued with a number of problems—including a high miscarriage rate, premature births, higher rate of neo-natal deaths, gestational diabetes, blood-clot formations and birth complications such as shoulder dystocia (when the baby’s head passes through the vagina but the shoulders get stuck behind the mother’s pubic bone). According to Batzofin, the latter occurs because the babies are often too large.

Batzofin said new studies show that children gestated in obese women may suffer Metabolic Syndrome in their adult life, an altered metabolic state which predisposes them to obesity and other conditions such as “diabesity,” a new term that explains the strong association between diabetes and obesity.

Overweight men also experience fertility challenges, including erectile dysfunction, low sperm count and low quality sperm due to hormonal imbalances or elevated scrotal temperatures that are not good for sperm production.

Dr. Carson Liu, a UCLA-trained bariatric surgeon, explained that obesity increases the production of an estrogen-like hormone, called estradiol, converted by peripheral fat in the body. In men, the change results in larger male breasts, loss of hair on the arms, legs and chest.

“They [men] basically have a lot more estrogen-like compounds circulating in their body that could decrease their libido and testosterone level,” said Liu. “Testosterone allows men to handle more pain and be more aggressive. In that sense they cannot handle discomfort as well.”

In women, a hormonal imbalance may trigger polycystic ovarian syndrome resulting in insulin resistance, a stop in ovulation and abnormal facial hair growth. “If the body is too thin or too heavy, it does not ovulate,” explained Liu.

Obesity offers health challenges outside of fertility issues. Liu said obese persons have a higher risk of co-morbidity, the presence of two or more disorders, often high blood pressure, diabetes and knee pain.

“It has been studied that the higher your body mass index is, the higher incidences of cancer and a lower rate of survival,” said Liu. “We think if you can treat the obesity you can prevent a lot of these medical illnesses.”

Batzofin said many obese people suffer from a number of mental challenges such as low self-esteem and depression, and focus all their energy on getting pregnant rather than becoming healthier. “A baby will make them feel better in a certain place, but a baby will not fix their weight problem,” said Batzofin, who acknowledges that addressing obesity is more than just telling a patient to slim down. “It requires treatment and working with professionals who are going to help them with their nutrition and their exercise, and maybe some people even need surgery to lose weight.”

According to Liu, people who diet only have less than a 1 percent chance of keeping the weight off. “All the randomized studies show the Lap-Band is more effective in getting weight off and keeping it off,” said Liu, referring to the adjustable gastric banding device that requires surgery.

But surgery is only the first step to reducing weight and increasing fertility. “The surgery takes 40 minutes, but if they don’t change their lifestyle—diet and exercise—it is highly likely they will fail,” said Liu.