Tips for Staying Helthy During Your Pregnancy

Healthy eating - Try to eat a healthy diet that contains whole grains, lean meats (or other foods high in protein), fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy items.

Try to avoid processed foods, canned meats, and certain fish containing mercury (shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish).

Exercise - Regular exercise will help you feel better and look better during your pregnancy. It will also help you to prepare for labor.

Talk with your doctor about what exercises are safe during pregnancy. Walking and swimming are generally good for pregnant moms.

Rest- Make sure you are getting enough sleep. You will probably be more tired than normal during your pregnancy. Try taking a nap during the day or resting after you come home from work. At night try to sleep on your left side. This will help with blood circulation to the placenta. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol - This might seem like a no-brainer but approximately 11% of women smoke during pregnancy and up to 12% of women have admitted to drinking at least one drink during pregnancy. Smoking increases your risk of having a low birth weight baby, placental problems, and premature labor. Alcohol is known to cause physical and mental birth defects. Even light drinking can be dangerous to your baby. It is best to avoid alcohol completely during pregnancy.Don’t be afraid to call your doctor- If something doesn’t feel right or you are worried, don’t be afraid to call. Your doctor’s office is used to answering questions.

Looking Great During Early Pregnancy
You may be looking forward to having that cute little bump that comes with pregnancy. A lot of women look forward to looking pregnant and wearing maternity clothes. Others get depressed with the changes that come along with pregnancy. During the first few weeks of pregnancy, you may not look pregnant yet. Others may notice your growing belly but not realize why it is growing. You may not be ready to announce your pregnancy to the world yet or you may just want to look good in regular clothes as long as you can.Here are a few tips for looking good during early pregnancy.

Purchase a few pairs of pants that are a little bigger than your normal size instead of buying maternity. You may want to have these around for after you have the baby anyway. Wear loose fitted shirts until you are further along.
Try using the rubber band trick with your favorite pair of pants. Take a rubber band loop it through the button hole and then wrap it around the button. You can wear your non-maternity clothes longer with this trick.

Wear your husband’s button down shirts. If you need something comfortable to wear, try wearing your husband’s t-shirts or button down shirts.
Wear makeup. Makeup will help make you look and feel better. Pregnancy is not the time to be down about the way you look. Makeup is an easy way to feel better about the way you look.

Natural Childbirth Tip for Moms & Dad

Natural Childbirth Tips for Moms
Here are some tips for achieving a natural childbirth.

• Make sure your doctor or midwife is supportive of natural childbirth. Talk to her about your childbirth goals. You can normally get a good read on how your doctor feels about natural childbirth by listening to his or her reactions to you. Having a supportive doctor or midwife is very important when trying to have a natural childbirth.


• Hire a doula. Doulas, as discussed in an earlier newsletter, help coach and assist you during childbirth. Having a doula with you during your childbirth will greatly increase your chances of doing things naturally.


• Get your nurse on your side. Talk to your nurse about your goals. Your nurse can be your best friend during childbirth. Tell her that you want to have a natural childbirth as soon as you meet with her. She can help you by encouraging you, making your more comfortable, or just being close by if you need help.


• Change positions during labor. Try walking, leaning, rocking or getting on all fours. You may find one position feels more comfortable than another. You may be advised to give birth on your back. Even though a lot of hospitals still use this position, this is not the best position for birth. A semi-sitting position is similar to being on your back, but much more comfortable and effective.


• Don’t tense up. Yes, we know. This may be easier said than done. You may find yourself tensing up during contractions. Clenching your fists or curling up may make your contractions feel more intense. Try to breathe and relax as much as possible during contractions.


• Don’t panic. A lot of moms do really well during the first part of labor and start to panic once contractions start to get stronger and more painful. You may start to feel like your labor is never going to end or that you are not making progress fast enough. Try to focus on making it through one contraction at a time and not to get into panic mode. Panicking or getting hysterical will make your contractions seem more painful and feel as though they are lasting longer. If you find yourself getting into panic mode, regroup and try to breathe and relax through a few contractions. Once you can get back into a calm state of mind, your contractions may be more manageable.

Natural Childbirth Tips for Dads
Here are a few tips for dads:

Be supportive. Don’t worry if you are doing or saying everything right. One of the best things you can do to help your partner is asking her what she needs from you. Usually she just wants your support and encouragement. Some things you can do to be supportive are feeding her ice cubes, rubbing her back, or just giving her a gentle hug or kiss between contractions.

Don’t get too excited or carried away with your coaching. It can be distracting or annoying to have too much cheering on or coaching during labor. Remind your partner to breathe during contractions but don’t count with her or breathe with her unless she asks you to. Listen to what she wants and tries to follow her lead.

Don’t eat in front of her, argue with her, or minimize her pain. Your partner probably won’t be allowed to eat anything during labor. Although she probably won’t be hungry, that doesn’t mean she wants to watch you eat. It is not uncommon for couples to argue during childbirth. She may be more irritable than normal, but try not take this personally.

Sometimes dads try to relate with their partner’s experience and pain. Try not to minimize her pain by comparing it to your own experiences. Listen and encourage without trying to relate.

Intervene for your partner. Try to be her voice. You can help your partner by reminding the nurses and staff that she would like to do things naturally.

Encourage her to try a little longer. It is very difficult for dads to see their partner in pain. A lot of dads want to do something to take away the pain. Sometimes dads inadvertently are unsupportive, not because they don’t care, but because they don’t want their partner to be in pain any longer. Encourage her to try a little longer. She may ask you what you think or look to you for guidance in regards to getting pain medication or an epidural. Try to put the decision back in her hands or encourage her to try a little longer before she makes a decision.

Conception and the sign of Pregnancy

Working out your ovulation cycle

If your health and nutrition MOTs are up to scratch, then it’s time to learn more about when your body releases your egg – otherwise known as your ovulation cycle. This helps you know the time when you’re most fertile.When do you ovulate?: Your periods happenaround every 23 to 35 days and you're most likely to ovulate roughly two weeks before your period, although it varies, woman to woman. Most women have a 28-day cycle and ovulate around day 14.

Ovulation signs: When you're ovulating you might notice your vaginal mucus increases and becomes gluey or like egg white. Recording your temperature: Important ovulation signs also include clear changes in your body’s temperature. You can predict your ovulation cycle by taking your temperature. It drops just before and rises after ovulation has taken place but you need to record it at the same time every morning, before drinking, eating or getting out of bed.Buy a predictor kit: You can buy ovulation predictor kits at large chemists and most large supermarkets. They contain sticks that you use to test your urine, a bit like a pregnancy test.Have sex regularly during your fertile period: When you think you’ve spotted all your ovulation signs, it’s time to have plenty of sex! This will boost your chances of conceiving, especially as sperm can survive for up to 7 days so are more likely to connect with the egg, which only survives unfertilised for up to a day.

How healthy habits can help you conceive
Getting your body ready for trying for a baby needn’t be too complicated or stressful – for you it’s mostly to do with looking after yourself and preparing your body to create and carry new life. For your partner, it’s all about making sure his sperm are healthy enough to make it to their final destination! Get your partner involved tooOf course, how quickly you get pregnant isn't all down to you. Your partner has a very important role to play too! He should try to:Stop smoking and avoid any excessive intake of alcohol.Reduce caffeine intake too.Reduce his stress levels.Stay away from hazardous work environments: some chemicals can affect his sperm.Keep his testicles cool: make sure he's got some roomy, cotton underpants and ensure his trousers aren’t too tight.Encourage him to eat well: plenty of fruit and vegetables will provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals including Vitamin C - essential for producing healthy sperm. Foods high in Zinc are good for virility so he should be eating foods such as seafood, wholefoods, meat, eggs and rye bread. Lots of calcium rich dairy foods and iron rich red meat and pulses should also be on the menu.Stay relaxed and enjoy the practice!
The best advice for any couple trying for a family is to relax and enjoy the practice! Mother Nature often doesn't want to feel rushed or pressurised.It's a good idea to keep having a fun and loving sexual relationship all month – so you don't begin to only associate sex with making babies and pile the pressure on each other.

Give your body a Check-up

Before you start trying to get pregnant, it's a good idea to give yourself a check-up:
Smoking: Smoking will severely reduce your chances of actually conceiving, not to mention be potentially harmful to your baby's development and give you a higher risk of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancies. If you smoke, try and give up now. Your doctor should be able to help you.
Diet and exercise: Being too over or under weight may affect your fertility. Exercise and a well balanced diet will also help you get your body in tip-top shape for trying for a baby.
You should cut back on processed foods and foods containing high levels of fat and sugar. But also, make sure you’re getting plenty of fruit and vegetables- at least 5 portions a day and use a variety of colours plenty of starchy foods - like bread, pasta, rice (preferably wholegrain which contains more folic acid), oats and potatoes protein with each meal - such as lean meat and chicken, fish (twice a week), dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds and pulses

Vitamin supplements: If you're having a balanced diet you probably don't need extra vitamins but if you are taking supplements, make sure they're suitable for women trying to conceive. Regular vitamin supplements often contain Vitamin A which could be harmful in too large a dose.

Folic acid: Folic acid is important as it helps prevent some developmental defects, such as spina bifida. Folic acid occurs in some foods, such as fortified breakfast cereals, bananas and leafy green vegetables but it's difficult to get enough every day to match the 400 micrograms recommended for women planning and starting a family. That’s why it’s recommended you take a folic acid supplement during pregnancy. So if you’re not already taking it, it’s a good idea to start now and continue until your 12th week of pregnancy.

Medications:

Some medicines can lower your fertility levels, so check with your doctor if you are taking any, and if you've been recently using an IUD, Depro-Provera or Norplant, or have been sterilised. If you've recently been taking the pill it may be a good idea to allow your body to adjust for a couple of months before you start trying to conceive but again, that's something to talk to your doctor about.

Stress:

Our modern lifestyles can often be stressful and it'll help your chances of conception if you try to keep stress to a minimum – although it's often easier said than done!

How to Pregnancy process

How to pregnancy process :

Normal Course Of PregnancyPregnancy is exciting, but it is also a time of waiting. The events of pregnancy progress at their own pace and in their own time. No one can rush the process. In the beginning, cells simply divide. By the end of 3 months, organs have developed. During the last 6 months of pregnancy organ systems continue to refine themselves, but specialization of cells and growth in size become the main thrust of the process underway. At the end of nine months the incredible events are complete. A child is born.

1st Month

The fertilized egg multiplies into many cells. Some cells develop into the embryo and some cells develop into the placenta. About 8 days after fertilization the embryo will attach to the uterine lining.The embryo is only 1/8 inch long by the end of this first month, but has already begun to develop the early stages of a heart, liver and digestive system. Tiny buds form which will later develop into arms and legs.

2nd Month

All of the major organs are forming. The embryo's heart is pumping blood. The head is relatively large compared to the rest of the body and brain development is well underway. The eyes are distinctly visible. The hands and feet look like little scalloped paddles at this early stage.By the end of the second month the embryo is a little over an inch long.

3rd Month

The embryo is now called a fetus. Kidneys are producing urine which the fetus excretes into the amniotic fluid. The amniotic fluid is cleansed via the umbilical cord then out through the mother.Bone is replacing cartilage, and muscles are developing. Fingers, toes and eyelids have formed. Testicles have formed in boys and ovaries in girls.By the end of the third month the fetus is about 2 1/2 - 3 inches long and weighs about 1/2 ounce.

4th Month

All organs have developed. The fetus just needs time to grow and mature. Beneath the gums, teeth are forming. Fine hair begins to grow all over the body. Fingernails form. The baby sucks and swallows.The baby actively kicks its legs and moves its arms, but not with enough strength for the mother to be able to feel the movement.By the end of the fourth month the baby is 5-6 inches long and weighs 3-4 ounces. The uterus is now about four inches in diameter and the mothers tummy may show a slight bulge.

5th Month

The baby has been busy growing and is now big enough for the mother to feel her fetus moving about inside of her. A thumb may find its way to the baby's mouth for sucking. Hair is growing on the head.The baby can hear muffled sounds. A protective fatty substance called vernix covers the baby's skin.By the end of the fifth month the baby is 8-10 inches long and weighs 8-12 ounces. Still under one pound!

6th Month

Finger prints are visible. The eyelids will part for the first time this month and the eyes will open. The lungs begin to mature, getting ready for a healthy first breath.Bones are hardening as calcium deposits. The baby's movements become more vigorous. Until now, no body fat has accumulated, that occurs mostly in the third trimester.The baby has reached a length of nearly 11-12 inches and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds.

7th Month

The brain is enlarging. Body fat is accumulating. There is less room for the baby to move around now. Taste buds are forming and the baby's senses are becoming more acute. The baby hears the voices of those nearby.By the end of the seventh month the baby could have a good chance of survival if born prematurely, but would require intensive medical care.The length has reached about 13-15 inches, and the baby now weighs close to 2 1/2 to 3 pounds.

8th Month

The lungs are maturing further. Continued rapid growth is occurring. Kicks may be visible by watching the mothers abdomen move. The baby occasionally gets the hiccups.If delivered prematurely, the baby has an excellent chance of survival.The baby is about 16-18 inches long now and weighs 4-5 pounds.

9th Month

The baby deposits body fat at a rate of nearly 1/2 ounce per day. The lungs are mature. In these tight quarters the baby may seem a little less active.The normal position for the baby to be in as it prepares for birth is head down and facing the mothers back. The head engages in mother's pelvis. Mother carries the baby lower, making it easier for the mother to breath.At birth the average baby weighs 7-1/2 pounds, but weight can vary between 6 to 9 pounds. Average length is 17 to 22 inches.