Prenatal Nutrition: The Effects Of Caffeine and Green Tea

Pregnant women would be wise to limit the amount of green tea they drink during pregnancy, and should be careful about taking any green tea supplements. Green tea is rich in antioxidants and has a host of health benefits relating to dental health, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and weight loss. But researchers have found, whilst examining the active constituent of green tea, the epigallocatechin's, or EGCG for short, that it may affect the way the body uses folate. Folate is important for pregnant women as it prevents neural tube birth defects in babies.

The problem of green tea during pregnancy is that the EGCG molecules are structurally similar to a compound called methotrexate. Methotrexate is able to kill cancer cells by chemically bonding with an enzyme in the body called enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Healthy people have this enzyme also - it is part of what is called the folate pathway, which is the pathway, or steps, the body takes to transform nutrients like folate into something that can be used to support its normal functions. 

But this chemical similarity means that the EGCG in green tea also binds with the enzyme DHFR, and when it does this, it inactivates this enzyme. When this enzyme is inactivated, the ability of the body to use folate is going to be affected. How much green tea is able to be consumed, or precisely how much folate absorption is affected, is unclear. Though the research article did say that drinking 2 cups of green tea a day can stop cancer cells (which is what methotrexate is targeting) from growing. 

The good news on caffeine drank during pregnancy, from coffee and tea, is that a moderate amount is fine. Two studies, one by Danish scientists who interviewed more than 88,000 pregnant women, and the other by the Yale University School of Medicine, had similar findings on caffeine during pregnancy. 

The concerns over caffeine were that it would lead to low birth weight or miscarriage. And this is still true of a very high daily intake of coffee. The Yale team found that drinking about 600mg of caffeine a day, which is about 6 cups of coffee, would reduce birth weight to levels that were clinically significant. The rate at which birth weight was reduced was established at being 28 grams per 100 mg, or 1 cup, of coffee per day. But they emphasized that this would not be significant for moderate caffeine consumption.

The Danish study found that drinking 8 cups or more of coffee per day (this would be about 16 cups or more of tea), would increase the chances of miscarriage, or stillbirth, by 60% compared to women who did not drink caffeine. They also found that moderate coffee or tea drinking did not pose significant risks. For those drinking half a cup to 3 cups of coffee a day, the risk of fetal death was 3% higher compared to non-caffeine drinkers. And for those drinking 4 to 7 cups of coffee a day, the risk increases to 33%. One cup of coffee equals about 2 cups of tea when comparing caffeine levels. 

The recommended amount of coffee drunk is up to 3 cups daily, or 6 cups of tea, by the UK food agency.

A Beautiful Kind of Love, Emily & Sam, Waterton Park Hotel

My first Wedding of September saw me at Waterton Park for the Wedding of Emily & Sam. I started with Emily and the bridal preparations with her bridesmaids, flower girls, and a hive of hair and makeup under way. Everything was going to plan and I kept commenting on how chilled out everyone was, including Emily herself!

Before Emily, her Dad and Bridesmaids came downstairs, I headed into the ceremony room to see Sam, his Best Man Cory, and gorgeous little pageboy Finley. Before a highly emotional Sam got ready to see his beautiful bride walk down the aisle.

The ceremony was beautiful and personal with three readings given by family and friends.

After the ceremony, we headed off outside for Emily & Sam's confetti photograph before we headed over the bridge to continue the drinks reception and photographs.

Sometimes, families are no longer together, and people worry how it will affect the dynamic of their Wedding Photographs. I ask all couples for a photograph list which means I am well prepared for these situations and it also means that the couple get the photographs that they want - but that the parents also get images that they'll be able to proudly display on their wall.

We finished off the group shots before getting some shots of the gorgeous new happy couple together before the Wedding Breakfast. The weather played ball better than some of my August Weddings which meant it was great for Emily & Sam!

Speeches were held before the Wedding breakfast, a decision made by Emily & Sam as Sam is not a big public speaker. I think it was definitely the best choice! Lots of nervous speakers end up worrying about their speech too much to not enjoy their dinner, or they get so super drunk that they can't remember it anyway!

After dinner when everyone was a little more relaxed Emily & Sam headed out with me for some more photographs when they were a bit more chilled out. Where Emily had removed her veil and Sam removed his suit jacket.

They are both such a lovely down to earth couple its been such a pleasure to photograph and spend their day with them and their family and friends.

After this everyone went inside before the evening reception started. With lots of fun, dancing and partying to be had!

Thank you Emily & Sam for choosing me to be your Wedding Photographer and allowing me to share your special day.

Grey Bridesmaid Dresses under £100

Grey is such a popular colour in the Wedding industry at the minute, as well as a popular colour in life for a lot of people. it’s a highly requested colour for newborn sessions as lots of people have varying shades of grey adorning their homes.

I’m seeing a lot of grey at Weddings, started off with suits, and now making their way to bridesmaid dresses. I think because its such a versatile colour it works wonders.

So I’ve had a look around and found some “off the peg” bridesmaid dresses for under £100 so you can stay on trend, and on budget!

The absolute bargain of Bridesmaid Dresses was this one from Lindy Bop. The  gorgeous Gracie May Dove Grey Dress is currently available in sizes 6-14 and is only £13 a dress! Amazing!

This first dress up is from Quiz and is classed as a Grey Sequin Crochet Bow Chiffon Maxi Dress at £39.99 available in sizes 10-18 adding a touch of style to your Wedding without breaking the bank! And our other choice is this Grey Embellished Mesh Maxi Dress from Little Mistress at £39.99 available in sizes 6-14.

Can you stretch your budget a little more then the rest of these dresses are still under £75!

This Grey and Silver Embroided maxi dress from Quiz at £74.99, it currently is only in stock online in a size 8 but would be worth checking stores and asking when stock will be re-delivered. Its at full price and not discounted so I would expect more stock.

This one-shoulder number from Little Mistress is £68 and available in sizes 12-14 currently.

And if your budget can stretch a little further this beautiful chiffon beaded dress would look lovely for a winter Wedding at £90 each available from Little Mistress in sizes 6-18

Hope you have fun shopping and remember that sometimes bridesmaid dresses can be bought from high-street shops - just think outside the box! :)

Pregnancy And Hair Loss

One of the major changes is change with the hair like other parts of the body. It could thin or fall out, or it could also thicken. Understanding why this happens during pregnancy and what you can do to help the problem will help you in fighting the thinning and loss of your hair or with extra hair growth.
Hormones have lot of effects on your hair. The main reason your hair will change during pregnancy is the change in hormones. Estrogen plays a large part in the way that your hair is shaped. If your hair begins to grow faster and becomes thicker, it is most likely because there is an increased amount of estrogen that is moving through your body. Estrogen moves to the hair follicles in your body to increase the growth rate. There will also be extra nutrients that are provided from the estrogen increase, which will also increase hair growth. This is usually a result of the estrogen allowing the metabolism to move faster, which then supplies extra nutrients throughout the body.
Another change that you may notice from pregnancy is a change in the style. Your hair may not only be fuller or thinner, but may also change from straight to curly, or have the opposite effect. This is usually attributed to the hormone changes as well. The hormone increase that you experience will automatically move into the cortex, where hair begins to grow and add the texture to it. Usually, this will not change back until the hormones return to normal after pregnancy.
These same changes also occur after your baby is born. You may realize that your hair is thinning or falling out. Usually, the first three to six months after pregnancy will cause a change in your hair. This should be expected and is normal after a pregnancy. This usually occurs because the estrogen levels are able to move back to normal and slow down the nutrients that are moving through your body.
If your hair falls out during pregnancy, it’s because of not receiving the nutrients your body needs. Without those essential nutrients, your body is unable to produce the amount of estrogen it needs. One of the things to be aware of is if your hair falls out during your pregnancy. If this occurs, it is most likely a result of not receiving enough nutrients for your body to produce the right amounts of estrogen. This is especially a problem within the first trimester because of morning sickness and nausea. It is important to make sure that you are getting the right amounts of nutrients during this time to allow your body to stay balanced.
Knowing what changes your body goes through during pregnancy will help you adjust your hair routine to keep it healthy. Additional vitamins and other supplements will help your hair and scalp healthy and your hair beautiful.