Pregnancy tips for the parents to be and new mother

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The Ins and Outs of First Trimester Pregnancy

March 6th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Congratulations, you are pregnant! Perhaps these are the words you have recently heard from your doctor. Or maybe the home pregnancy test you performed this morning was positive. No matter how the results came to light, you are now ready to embark on your first trimester of pregnancy. You probably have many questions and even more concerns as you will be seeing a host of changes in your body over the next few months.

What can you expect During First Trimester Pregnancy?

Fortunately, there are many resources available to educate you about what is coming. The first trimester of a pregnancy can often be the most difficult, because of the risk of complications and the uncomfortable symptoms you may experience. Take heart, because the first trimester pregnancy only lasts about twelve weeks, and the second trimester is generally found to be a little less symptom-filled.  If you can, take it a little easier on yourself and your body during these first weeks of adjusting to being pregnant.

Some of the symptoms of first trimester pregnancy include fatigue, nausea, light-headedness and breast tenderness. This is a good time to try to squeeze in a little extra sleep if possible. Your body will definitely benefit from some extra rest right now.

It is also a good time to begin developing some good nutrition habits that will help you throughout the pregnancy. Although feelings of nausea may curb your appetite right now, you will probably start feeling better in a few short weeks, and a good diet will help you get through the rest of your nine months.

During the first trimester of your pregnancy, you may only see your doctor every four weeks. Your doctor will screen you for potential risks and complications, and make sure the early development of your baby goes smoothly. After the first trimester pregnancy, you will probably be scheduled for many other routine tests to ensure that both you and your baby progress normally. If any problems are detected, it will usually be early enough to alleviate the risk to mother and child.

While nine months may seem like a long time, there are things you can begin to do during the first trimester of your pregnancy to prepare for the birth of your baby. There are many pregnancy books you can begin reading to inform yourself of what is coming. You can begin window shopping for maternity clothes, you can plan a budget for a larger family, and work travel plans around your pregnancy.

Most of all, you can try to enjoy this time of your life. While the first trimester of a pregnancy can be trying with its symptoms and anxiety, it is also a wonderful time of anticipation and excitement.

Do You Need a Pregnancy Calendar?

January 7th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

This article will outline two different types of pregnancy calendars.  One type is used by those couples who are wishing to conceive.  In this pregnancy calendar, one tracks the days during which each component of the couple is most fertile.  The other pregnancy calendar is one used to track the forty weeks of pregnancy and what is expected to or what has occurred during each day of that time period.

Trying to Conceive

Parents who are trying to conceive may choose to track the woman’s menstrual cycle on a pregnancy calendar to identify her most fertile days and, on that same calendar, may track a variety of other factors that could heighten the chance toward pregnancy.  If a woman has a regular cycle, usually, it is easy to find out when she will be most fertile.  It is simply a matter of counting forward a specific set of days after the woman’s last period.  This can easily be tracked on this pregnancy calendar.  However, even beyond this inclusion, the hopeful parents may choose to track a variety of other contributing factors.

On this pregnancy calendar, the couple may choose to track health habits that could help their cause.  For instance, if the future father imbibes alcohol, they may choose to track his intake to ensure that it does not interfere with his sterility.  Also, the mother may like to exercise.  It may be a good idea to monitor her habits in this arena to study how this might be altering her menstrual cycle, her sexual appetite or any other of a variety of things, and such a pregnancy calendar is perfect for such notes.

Once Pregnant

Couples who have achieved success, may choose to keep track of the pregnancy on a pregnancy calendar.  Many things can be tracked in this pregnancy calendar so the parents-to-be can reflect memorably and fondly on the pregnancy at a later time.  A parent may like to look back on this calendar and remember the first time the baby kicked, the first time they could see the wiggly baby from outside the mother’s tummy or even the times when the mom had heartburn!

Couples may also like to keep track of medical-related issues or simply pregnancy-related body changes for various reasons.  On this pregnancy calendar, the parents may like to note, for instance, the measurements of the belly during each stage of growth.  Of, perhaps, they may want to keep track of any bouts of ailments such as indigestion or nausea.  There are many things to keep track of and observe that can be written into a pregnancy calendar.

The Home Pregnancy Test: A Convenient Option

January 5th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

When a woman suspects that she is pregnant, the first place she will often go to confirm her suspicions is the home pregnancy test. It is much more private and convenient to obtain these results at home before making an appointment with the doctor. These tests come in a variety of packages and price ranges, but nearly all home pregnancy tests work on the same principle.

The key to the home pregnancy test is the detection of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin - more commonly known as HCG. HCG will make an appearance in a woman’s body at the time that an embryo implants into the uterine wall. This process generally occurs anywhere from six to twelve days after ovulation takes place. During the first few days and weeks of pregnancy, HCG levels will multiply in a woman’s body at a rapid rate. The higher the levels of HCG in a woman’s system, the easier it is for the home pregnancy test to detect the hormone in a woman’s urine.

Because of the time frame involved before HCG becomes easy to read, it is usually recommended that a woman waits to take a home pregnancy test until the time that her menstrual period would normally be due. This will ensure the most accurate reading of the test.

Some home pregnancy tests are developed to be even more sensitive to detecting HCG, and can be performed earlier. Some even advertise a detection of HCG as early as seven days after ovulation. Keep in mind that accuracy of results does go down the earlier in the pregnancy that the test is performed.

How to Use a Home Pregnancy Test

In order to ensure the most effective testing process, manufacturers will recommend following the package instructions very carefully. Some will advise a woman to hold the test stick under the urine stream, and others will work better if the stick is held in a cup of urine for a few minutes.

Most will advise a woman to perform the test first thing in the morning, since HCG levels may be higher at this time. A woman using a home pregnancy test can usually have results as quickly as two minutes after the test is done. A test window on most sticks will show the user that the test has been completed properly.

Once a positive result is read on a home pregnancy test, a woman should confirm the results with her doctor. This ensures accuracy as well as allowing the woman to begin prenatal care as soon as possible.

Recognizing the Early Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms

January 4th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

There are certain signs and symptoms that a woman is able to recognize during the early pregnancy stages, and these signs and symptoms should be taken greatly into consideration, as learning about and understanding them will help you to recognize earlier on if you are pregnant.

What are the Early Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms?

In regards to the most common early pregnancy signs and symptoms, this would include such things as nausea, heartburn, fatigue, bloating, weight gain, and breast and nipple soreness, for example. Early pregnancy certainly has its share of discomforts, some of which are almost universal, such as that of mild nausea and fatigue.

Basically what happens is that soon after you conceive, your body begins going through a series of minor and major changes, of which will enable it to sustain your baby through the required amount of growth time. The glands of your endocrine system and placenta, for instance, begin to step up the hormone production and your blood volume increases and your uterus expands as well.

Generally, by about the fourth month of pregnancy you will probably be beginning to feel much more like your old self, as many of the early pregnancy signs and symptoms will have weaned off by now, and because your body has at least somewhat adjusted to these dramatic changes that are taking place both inside and outside of your body.

There are certain methods that you can use in order to help relieve some of these symptoms, such as in regards to morning sickness, which is one of the most commonly reported; in order to manage morning sickness you can: munch on a few crackers before getting up in the morning, eat several small meals a day so that your stomach is never empty, avoid anything that causes nausea, drink plenty of liquids, try wearing a motion sickness band, suck on hard candy, or try ginger as it has proved effective in combating morning sickness.

Constipation is another commonly reported symptom of pregnancy, and there are ways that you can manage this as well, including: try to eat on a regular schedule, drink plenty of liquids, get some exercise every day, eat high-fiber fruits and vegetables, and try fiber supplements such as psyllium powder or Metamucil.

Although some of these methods may not work perfectly for you, at least attempting them will surely help you overall at least a little bit, and the more help you can get the better.

Ups and Downs of Pregnancy

January 3rd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Many of us plan for a baby’s arrival much in advance and many women plan on being a mother for as long as they can remember. Many feel that being a mother is what makes life meaningful and complete. However, what we all don’t know and cannot plan in advance for is pregnancy and what will happen during that period of time.

Prepare for Pregnancy

The best thing about being pregnant is the fact that you will bring your child to this world and nothing can be a better experience than that/ The feeling of having a human life grow within you is something you will wonder about everyday and enjoy every single moment of it. There are unfortunately some discomforts that may come along with pregnancy as well and for which you should be prepared before hand.

The most important thing is the change in your taste buds and this is something you will notice probably in the very first month of your pregnancy. You will have a never ending appetite and most of the time for the foods that you never had a liking before. You may also experience mood swings due to the hormonal imbalance that will occur during pregnancy and usually it manifests itself with huge inexplicable highs and lows.

Your body is yet another place where drastic changes will occur during pregnancy and for which no matter how prepared you are before hand you will still wonder about with each passing day. The question that every pregnant woman asks herself everyday is – how can my stomach stretch so much – well, it does and unfortunately it could also leave stretch marks after the baby is born.

The Changes that Come with the Arrival of a Baby

A baby is a responsibility for life; it will not stop once the pregnancy is over or once he or she learns to walk or goes to college. This is probably something all parents must consider preparing themselves for – a lifetime commitment.

Pregnancy brings the greatest of joys but also the greatest of responsibilities there will ever be so, prepare yourself mentally, physically and financially because you will need all three area and many others along the way to work in coordination.

There are many ups and downs of pregnancy but, the truth is the ups always will always out number the downs as, having a baby is the most wonderful experience that there can ever be.

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