Women’s Health Blog

It’s all great to hear advice during your pregnancy, especially unwelcome advice. I’m sure you’ve been told by one person or another how to live. Am I right? It only gets worse the further along in your pregnancy you are. Someone will want to tell you that you shouldn’t bend, or walk a certain way, not to pick up a baby in case you hurt the one in your stomach or put yourself in labor. As the pregnancy gets closer to the due date you’ll be told many different home remedies of how to put yourself in labor. Got a headache? Someone can tell you exactly what to drink to get rid of it without any medication, remember it is important to ask a doctor before trying to take something you’ve never tried before doing it. But the most fun I have during the course of the 9-10 months stretch is hearing all the wives tales, also known as myths.

I’m pretty sure you aren’t going to even care at this point what sex the baby is, all you want is for the morning sickness to stop. You may even be counting down the days until the first trimester is over. Chances are if you morning sickness someone is bound to tell you what sex of the baby is. One wives tale is if you are having severe morning sickness is a sign you are having a girl.

Here’s a wives tale that is a lot of fun and you can test it on everyone in your household. Take a thin piece of string or your hair, slide your ring down it, hold it above your belly and let the ring dangle above it. If the rings spins in a circle it is a boy, but if it goes from one side to the other, it is a girl. Once you’ve tried it out on your tummy, get someone in your house and do it above their hand. Does the ring spin in a circle above your husband’s hand? Hmm, is it really and old wives tale or is there really something to it?

Many women claim to suffer from bouts of heartburn during the pregnancy, according to the old wives tell this would mean your baby will be born with a head full of hair.

Right before the end of your first trimester your doctor will listen to your baby’s heart rate, this is to make sure the baby is doing alright. The wives tale goes, if the heart rate is high it is a girl and a low one is a boy.

Ever have someone tell you that you are carrying high or low and wonder what that really means? Basically if you are carrying your baby low it is closer to your abdomen, a high baby is closer to your chest. Look at yourself in the mirror. How is your baby sitting? The old tale says that if you are carrying high it is a girl, carrying low is a boy.

Wives tales can be a lot of fun but keep in mind these arent fact. Dont go preparing your childs room just because one of these told you, you were going to have a girl.

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Morning sickness can be one of your first signs that you are pregnant. This doesnt always mean that youll get sick only in the morning. This can happen, morning, noon or night. It will normally occur in the first trimester or your pregnancy and end by the second, this isnt the case in all pregnancies though. Some women will continue with it until the very end of term.

Nausea can happen immediately or you may get lucky and have no morning sickness at all. No one is for certain what causes morning sickness, it is a change in the body that happens during pregnancy. Many women seem to get sick after taking the prenatal pill, try taking it later in the day. Your doctor may even advise you to take some other form of vitamin instead of the pill. Always find out first with your doctor before taking anything new or taking yourself off medication, even prenatal pills.

There are a few ways to minimize the sickness, but they dont work for everyone. Try keeping crackers on hand, I prefer saltines for some reason. Try drinking some ginger ale, it calms the stomach down. Dry cereal is another good thing to eat, your stomach may just be a little bit hungry and trying to tell you. Remember to take small portions, this way you know if it is all going to come up or not. Sleeping is another good way to avoid it, however it will wake you up. Keep yourself hydrated, not only can this make your sickness come but you can become dehydrated and need to go to the emergency room if you arent careful.

Smells is another thing that seems to cause morning sickness. Imagine walking into a restaurant and the first thing you smell is grease. Yes, this can easily set it off. Bad smells and even certain tastes, get the feel for your body during the pregnancy and figure out just what sets it off. Knowing how to avoid it, can make a world of difference.

A few reasons you should go to your doctor would be if you begin losing weight because you are constantly sick. If you become dehydrated, faint, look pale, confused or throw up more than four times in a day. Your doctor may be able to prescribe something that will stop it.

Try slowing down a bit, sometimes your body is just exhausted from all the errands you are running and it tries to give you a break. Listen to your body, take a nap, relax and watch a television showtake some time off. If you are looking for remedies for your morning sickness, you may try buying some pregnancy pops. Or if youd prefer to stay away from the sweets you can wear a bracelet designed to stop morning sickness, they are just like the motion sickness bracelets. They dont work for everyone but they could work for you.

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Starting off your with a healthy well
balanced diet is the best thing you do for yourself
and your baby. This way, you’ll only need to make
a few adjustments during your pregnancy.

Your first trimester
If you find it tough to maintain a balanced diet
during your first trimester, you can rest assured
that your not alone. Due to queasiness, some
women will eat all of the time and gain a lot of
weight in the process. Other women have trouble
getting food down and subsequently lose weight.

Preventing malnutrition and dehydration are your
most important factors during first trimester.

Calories
When you are pregnant, you need to consume around
300 calories more than usual every day. The best
way to go about doing this is listening to your
body when you are hungry. You should try to eat
as many foods as possible from the bottom of the
food pyramid.

If you gain weight too slow, try eating small
meals and slightly increase the fat in your diet.
You should always eat when you are hungry, as you
are now eating for 2 instead of one.

Calcium
By the second trimester, you’ll need around 1,500
milligrams of calcium each day for your bones and
your baby’, which is more than a quart of milk.
Calcium is something that’s missing from many
diets. Along with milk, other great sources for
calcium include dairy products, calcium fortified
juices, and even calcium tablets.

Fiber
Fiber can help to prevent constipation, which is
a common pregnancy problem. You can find fiber in
whole grains, fruits, and even vegetables. Fiber
supplements such as Metamucil and Citrucel are
safe to take during pregnancy.

Protein
Unless you happen to be a strict vegetarian, your
protein intake is not normally a problem for women
who eat a healthy diet.

Iron
A lot of women will start their pregnancy off with
a bit of iron deficiency. Good sources of iron
include dark leafy green vegetables and meats. Iron
supplements should be avoided, as they can cause
internal symptoms such as cramping, constipation,
or diarrhea.

Vitamins
Seeing as how you get a majority of the vitamins you
need in your diet, you may want to discuss prenatal
vitamins with your doctor. Folate is one of the most
important, and if you are getting enough of it, you
may be able to avoid vitamins all together – just ask
your doctor to make sure.

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A woman who becomes pregnant for the first time should look for childbirth education information as soon as possible.  Learning everything she can about the childbirth process can help equip her to make the best choices for her prenatal care and childbirth preparation.  It may be an overwhelming time emotionally but education will help you prepare for the unknown.

Childbirth education can come from many different sources.  It can come from books, from the Internet, from pamphlets at your medical center, or via asking questions of your doctor, midwife or doula and talking to other people.  The childbirth education process should be an informative and fun part of pregnancy.  Learning about what’s to come and making choices should all be part of the joy of pregnancy.

Whether your pregnancy is planned or whether it is of great surprise to you , the almost nine months ahead should be a joyous time. Learning about parenting, educating yourself on the choices you have and talking to people about your upcoming bundle of joy are all part of the
childbirth education and parenting education process. While you may go through periods of feeling unwell in your first trimester, your second trimester may be a healthly and vibrant time for you. 

Plans for how you will go through childbirth may be on your mind.  There are childbirth education websites and books that will tell you all about the various birth processes you can choose from. You might have options of a midwife, a family doctor or an obstetrician. You might choose a home birth, a water birth or a traditional hospital birth.  You may want to try to have natural childbirth.  Perhaps you’re going to plan to take Lamaze classes or hire a doula to help you prepare.  There are many choices open to you and the more childbirth education you have, the better equipped you will be to make choices.

Beyond childbirth education, you want parenting education as well. Whether it’s a parenting class or just talking to other pregnant women on forums and reading books about childbirth and pregnancy, learning and educating yourself is a smart thing to do in preparation for your baby’s arrival. 

If you don’t have constant access to the Internet at home, most public libraries will lend you books and you’ll find an entire section devoted to parenting and childbirth education. Most libraries also have free Internet use as well.  Also, talking to other women who have had babies will likely result in their sharing books, resources and information with you about their experience as well.

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Pregnancy is one of the most exciting and anxious times in a woman’s life.  She contends with alternating feelings of joy and feelings of fear.  The changes taking place in a mom to be’s body are often confusing and sometimes uncomfortable.  Early pregnancy symptoms can be lessened using some tried and true methods used by mothers for generations, not to mention some of the more modern methods for feeling normal during a very unusual period in life.  The important thing to remember is that like everything else, this too shall pass and the result is a beautiful new member of your family.

Morning sickness that often includes nausea and vomiting is one of the classic early pregnancy symptoms.  This symptom’s name is a little misleading as morning sickness can and does occur at any time of the day.  Some methods to try to alleviate the discomfort are eating saltine crackers and drinking lemon lime soda and drinking peppermint or ginger tea may help.  Another idea is to eat a small snack high in protein before bed.  Fortunately morning sickness usually fades after the first trimester.

Another one of the early pregnancy symptoms that affects many pregnant women is fatigue and a lack of energy.  The reason this occurs is because of all of the hard work the new mother’s body is doing to support the growing life inside her.  Normal hormonal changes attribute to this symptom as well.  The only real fix for fatigue is to get plenty of rest.  It sounds easier than it is and mom will need the help and support of her partner and other family members to get the rest she and the baby needs.  Even a 20-minute nap or down time can do wonders for getting more rest and energy.

Luckily this symptom of dizziness is less common than some of the others, but still affects a large number of women.  Of all of the early pregnancy symptoms, new moms need to watch carefully for this one.  A dizzy spell could result in a fall or even fainting.  The biggest reason dizziness occurs is due to a shortage of sugar in the blood.  This is baby’s primary food source and a pregnant woman uses it more quickly than in a non-pregnant state.  Eating regular, healthy meals and not skipping meals and snacks is the best way to protect against feeling dizzy or faint.

Focusing on what a pregnant woman’s body needs to stay healthy is key in controlling many early pregnancy symptoms.  With the symptoms controlled, the new mom to be can focus on what’s important, having a healthy, happy pregnancy.

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