August 2005
I was six months pregnant with my second child and after three weeks of eating cherry pie and ice cream at least twice a day I was shocked to have gained 11 pounds in three weeks. My doctor lectured me for longer then what I would consider caring. After crying for longer then I would like to admit I logged on my computer searching for how to manage weight while pregnant. Across my screen came many websites with many gimmicks. It was by luck and search engine optimization I found www.babyfit.com.
How it works
When I created an account and logged on the first time, the skeptic in me was reassured. It was free with no gimmicks, and it had everything I needed . I put in my information and it created an profile with how many calories, grams of fat, fiber, protein, folic acid and essential nutrients I needed each day. It assisted me in creating healthy goals. It created optional mealplans meeting these goals. It allowed me to track my fitness as well. Pregnancy is not an excuse to be stagnant, and I was able to start an healthy walking program. When goals are met you earn babypoints. I enjoyed meeting my goals and earning points. The goals are simple such as drink 8 glasses of water a day, but they helped me finish my pregnancy with a healthier weight gain, which I contribute to a four hour labor, and an 7 pound baby girl.
The community
The babyfit.com community is most definitely the reason that after three years and two babies I still log in daily. Numerous shared experience groups of every subject offer an unique support system which I contribute to my minimal post-partum depression. The website offers "due date clubs" broken down by month. It is extremely reassuring and enjoyable to speak to woman from all over the world going through the same stage of pregnancy. Within these forums a trained staff of experts answers many questions regarding pregnancy and health. A story recently on inside edition shared the experience of two woman who frequent the website. One lived in America, another in Europe. After the American user shared pictures of her daughter, the user in Europe thousands of miles away spotted an odd discoloration in the eye of the little girl. She encouraged the American mother to seek medical care, and the baby was found to have cancer, and able to recieve immediate treatment. It also includes a section for mothers struggling with infertility, miscarriage and newborn loss. This website is full of stories of support, love, and friendship.
"healthy babies start with healthy mom's"
The above headline is babyfit's slogan, and it is apparent in every aspect of the site. Many feel pregnancy is the time to eat everything and find themselves gaining too much weight. It is so much easier to loose "baby" weight then excess weight gained with the too common attitude that its okay to eat as much as you want during pregnancy. Many people are shocked to find you only need 300 extra calories a day for a normal, healthy, single baby pregnancy. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, struggling with infertility, trying to concieve, or a mommy in the postpartum stage I encourage you to use this supportive website. I share this not as an advertisement, but as a truley satisfied customer.
