To prevent these babies from being born obese, doctors are now medicating them with diabetes medicine while they are still in the womb. How do they know which babies to treat? Their mom are obese. Not so shockingly, obese moms give birth to obese babies, they then raise those children, who become obese adults.
Does being born obese make you obese? Or does being born into a family of obese people make you obese? The nature versus nurture. With the exceptions of certain diseases and metabolic disorders, we were not meant to be fat. You do not inherit a fat gene. People who are overweight since childhood, have learned how to overeat. The role models in the fat household eat too much, eat too fast, and eat with distractions like TV. Fat people with thin parents have somehow learned to eat the same way as a fat person with fat parents.
How can an overweight mom-to-be ensure that their child does not become one of the sumo babies? Well she needs to eat right, plenty of veggies and lean meats with some good fats thrown in. She needs to exercise, moderate exercise. A long walk in the woods, is not only beneficial for the body, but the mind as well. Lifting up semi-heavy things and putting them back down again with proper form will even make the birthing process easier.
Eat healthy = normal baby, it is that simple, or is it? Overweight women and even normal weight women, tend to do less during pregnancy. They also tend to eat more, because they are eating for two after all. For years doctors have told overweight moms that they need to lose weight. They are given dietitian appointments, join weight watchers, count calories and a host of other 'treatments'. They meet up with friends for a daily walk that becomes less and less daily till they aren't walking at all.
I hate the thought of medication for unborn children. However, the sumo babies tend to develop gestational diabetes. If left untreated, they will have lasting effects and they will need medication anyway.
I do not think every overweight pregnant woman should be medicated. When an overweight mom to be finds out she is pregnant, if she eats healthy, and exercises, she will have a normal weight baby without any problems of gestational diabetes. It happens all the time.
Doctors need to monitor ultrasounds closely before handing out meds. If mom and baby are gaining weight too fast, medication might be necessary for the health of the child.
