If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, it is essential that you learn what to expect during pregnancy - from prenatal care to the changes your body will undergo as your child grows inside you. Learning all that you can about pregnancy will help you make the wise decisions and increase your chances for a happy and healthy outcome.
. . . Lifestyle . . . When you're pregnant, you're no longer responsible for just one person but two. The little one growing inside you depends on you for nutrition and a safe resting place for the next nine months. So the lifestyle choices you make during pregnancy will not only affect your health, but also your baby's.
To increase your chance of carrying a healthy baby to term, remember to get extra rest, eat healthier foods, and maintain some kind of exercise routine. Not only will these habits make you feel better, it gives you a better chance of having a better pregnancy. Don't forgetto avoid indulging in bad habits - like alcohol, smoking, and drug use - as this may harm your baby.
Abusive relationships are bad in general, but it is essential that you escape abuse when you are pregnant. Abuse often gets worse during pregnancy, which will put both you and your baby at risk.
. .Pregnancy Symptoms. . You're feeling icky and your period is late. Could you be pregnant? Before you rush to the nearest drug store to pick up your pregnancy test, check and see if you have any of the early signs of pregnancy. These include a missed period, spotting (or what appears to be a very light period), feeling queasy, tender or swollen breasts, fatigue, needing to pee more often, feeling bloated, and being moody. You may not have all these symptoms, but you are most likely going to experience at least one.
As your pregnancy progresses, you can also experience more unpleasant symptoms-such as nausea, vomiting, and back aches.
Symptoms vary for different women, but it is important to recognize the signs of pregnancy so you can mentally prepare yourself for this huge responsibility.
. . . Prenatal Care . . . Prenatal care is essential to the health of you and your baby. Throughout your pregnancy, be sure to have regular appointments with your doctor or healthcare provider. These visits will allow your doctor to keep a close eye on your health as well as the baby and his/her development. Although pregnancy and childbirth are a natural part of life, problems and complications can happen so it's important to get prenatal care as soon as you know you are pregnant
In addition to access to medical care, these prenatal visits give you a forum to ask questions and advice about the change that your body will be going through as your baby grows. You will also be able to gather important information to make informed choices.
Prenatal care is more than a doctor's visit. You can also get access to education on the process of pregnancy and childbirth, counseling services and support that you may need.
Healthy Diet
Maintaining a well-balanced diet is important during pregnancy. To meet the demands of your growing baby, you have to pay attention to your nutrition and the foods that you consume. As the old saying goes, you are eating for two! Your diet should include a combination of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and fat. These will fuel your body, make you feel better, and nourish your growing baby.
Pregnancy also brings on food cravings in some women. Most often, giving into your cravings isn't harmful. It only causes problems when you eat too much of one thing and abandon the rest of your diet.
As you become more pregnant, your body changes to adjust to your growing baby. As a result, some women can suffer from body-image issues. Be sure to consult your doctor or get counseling to help you deal with these issues. Pregnancy is not a time to diet or worry about losing weight.
Vitamins & Minerals
In addition to eating healthy food, many women should take prenatal vitamins to make sure that they get enough nutrition in their diet. Certain vitamins are very important for your baby's growth - such as folic acid, iron, and calcium.
Both iron and folic acid aid your body in making the extra blood your body needs to keep you and your baby healthy. Folic acid is probably one of the most important nutrients you need during pregnancy. It reduces your baby's risk of neural tube defects - birth defects that happen due to incomplete development of the spine - and it decreases your chances for vascular problems, like heart disease.
Both iron and folic acid aid your body in making the extra blood your body needs to keep you and your baby healthy. Folic acid is probably one of the most important nutrients you need during pregnancy. It reduces your baby's risk of neural tube defects - birth defects that happen due to incomplete development of the spine - and it decreases your chances for vascular problems, like heart disease.
To help prepare you for the arrival of your new baby, we will guide you through your entire pregnancy week by week. Each week provides insight and helpful information about your baby's development and the changes you'll be experiencing, as your belly grows larger and larger. In addition to covering many critical topics that you'll want to know, we will answer common questions and concerns mothers-to-be have.
NORMAL PREGNANCY CHANGES
To put it simply, pregnancy changes your entire life. Not only do you have to be more aware of the foods you eat, the activities you do on a daily basis, and the environment that you surround yourself in, your body and emotions go through a huge change. For the next nine months, your life is focused on keeping yourself and the life growing inside you healthy.
. . .Physical Changes. . .
Your body goes through some amazing changes when you are pregnant. Many mothers delight in watching their tummy grow bigger and bigger, as their baby grows within them. You can find joy and excitement in feeling your baby kick for the first time, too. The miracle of life, unfortunately, does sometimes come with some uncomfortable physical changes. Backaches, acne, insomnia, nosebleeds, swelling, leg cramps, and varicose veins are only a few changes you may experience during pregnancy.
These physical changes are normal during pregnancy and should not be a spot of concern. You can relieve some of these through exercises, your body position, maternity apparel, creams, and over-the-counter medications.
. . .Health Changes. . .
Pregnancy can be such a wonderful and exciting experience for many couples. But not all parts of pregnancy are great - like the health changes it brings. Although it would be ideal for nothing to change except our growing belly, typically this is not the case.
Even before the physical signs of pregnancy begin - the growing belly and enlarged breasts - you will feel differently than you did when you were not pregnant. You may not have the same levels of strength and stamina that you used to. Your energy level might decrease. Your balance may be affected; you might experience dizziness or light-headedness. Many women experience morning sickness (nausea and vomiting) during their first trimester.
. . . Exercise . . . If you are an active person, you won't need to change your exercise program too much. For those who are not normal exercisers, now may be a great time to start. Women who exercise during pregnancy can have more energy, have higher spirit, feel more relaxed, and sleep better at night. Certain exercises can even relieve you of some of your pregnancy aches and pains.
Walking, cycling, swimming, aerobics, yoga and Pilates, jogging, golf, and bodybuilding are some safe exercise options. During pregnancy, you should avoid activities or exercises that increase your risk of falling, as these may put the safety of your baby at risk.
Make sure you speak to a doctor before you begin any kind of exercise program. Be careful not to overdo it. It is time to stop exercise if you get a headache, start to feel dizzy or faint, experience vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking out, or have chest pain.
Emotional . . .Rollercoaster. . .
Pregnancy doesn't just change your body; it can also affect your emotions. You may be happy one moment, sad and moody the next. The whirlwind of emotions that you're feeling is completely normal. Share how you're feeling with your partner and loved ones; ask them to support you while you're going through this life-changing event. Remember to rest and relax as often as you can, as this will help you feel better and to stabilize your emotions.
As your due date approaches, it is common for you and their partner to feel a bit anxious. You may worry about having a healthy baby, the pain of childbirth, being a good parent and knowing how to take care of a new infant.
You can calm your fears by educating yourself on what to expect. Massage may also help.
. . . Travel . . . Your life doesn't have to stop just because you're pregnant. Unless your doctor has warned you against it, you can still travel and take vacations during pregnancy. A majority of pregnant women can still travel safely until very close to their due date, but the best time to take longer trips is during your second trimester (14-28 weeks), when your morning sickness is over and you have more energy. It may be more difficult to travel during the third trimester (after 28 weeks) of pregnancy due to your bulging belly making it hard to move around or sit for long periods of time.
The fastest way to travel is often the best, but remember to take safety precautions when you do travel.
Every expectant mother wants to have a healthy baby and an easy pregnancy. In a majority of pregnancies, everything goes smoothly without any problems. Unfortunately, complications can happen sometimes. In these cases, you may need immediate medical attention or specialized care to ensure a safe pregnancy.
. . .Medical Complications. . .
Even the best doctors cannot predict when thing may go wrong with your pregnancy. Although certain risk factors - such as advance age of the mother and pre-existing medical conditions - can predispose you to trouble, medical complications can happen to anyone, even the healthiest of mothers.
You may be at risk for gestational diabetes (a type of diabetes that you get during pregnancy), preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), or miscarriage, but you could have no risk factors and still succumb to these issues. Many of these medical complications can be managed, and your pregnancy can progress without danger to your baby.
Infections can happen to anyone, and most can be treated without any problems. But getting an infection when you're pregnant can complicate matters. For example, certain infections can harm your baby, while others won't hurt the baby at all. Certain medications to treat infections can put your little one in harm.
The recommended way to keep you and your baby safe is to avoid getting exposed to infections and to be properly vaccinated before and during your pregnancy.
"Is it time?" This is a question posed by many couples. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if you are experiencing a true labor or a false labor. But rest assured, when it's time to have your baby, you will know. When true labor begins, it may progress rather quickly - your water might break, then your contractions come faster and closer together, and your baby may be born a few hours later.
Knowing more in advance about the labor and delivery process will help you be better prepared when your baby is ready to be born.
There are three stages of labor. The first starts when your cervix begins to dilate, or open up. This is the stage when you start to feel contractions - pain that starts in your back and moves to your lower abdomen. The second stage is the actual birth of your baby. The cervix is fully dilated, and you begin to push your baby out. The third stage of labor is the delivery of the afterbirth. The placenta and amniotic sac, which has protected your baby all these 40 weeks, is expelled from your body.
Congratulations! You have a newborn baby! As wonderful as it is to finally have your child in the world, being a new mom comes with its own joys and issues. Besides learning the ropes of parenthood and taking care of your bundle of joy, you still have to heal from your delivery - both physically and emotionally - and deal with the social effects of your pregnancy. Many body-conscious women may also worry about weight loss and getting back into shape after the birth of their baby.
While you are dealing with these issues, don't forget to communicate with your partner about your feelings and ask for help if you need it.
Back pain during pregnancy is an almost universal nuisance that many pregnant women experience. It is caused by hormones and your shifting center of gravity as your baby grows bigger. This back pain can be so painful that it makes it difficult to sleep. Pregnancy pillows can help manage this pain. Because laying on your left side is the best way to sleep during pregnancy, you need some kind of support for maximum comfort. Pregnancy pillows are perfect for side sleeping - they offer a place to rest your head and your knees. Resting comfortably will definitely ease your back pain during pregnancy.
Congratulations! You have a newborn baby! As wonderful as it is to finally have your child in the world, being a new mom comes with its own joys and issues. Besides learning the ropes of parenthood and taking care of your bundle of joy, you still have to heal from your delivery - both physically and emotionally - and deal with the social effects of your pregnancy. Many body-conscious women may also worry about weight loss and getting back into shape after the birth of their baby.
