Do you have a health pregnancy?
October 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under Pregnancy Articles
Timelines
A pregnancy is divided into three phases, or trimesters. The first trimester is from conception to the end of week 13. The second trimester is from week 14 to the end of week 26. The third trimester is from week 27 to the end of the pregnancy.
The doctor will examine you and perform a pelvic exam. He or she may also perform blood tests, a urine test, and tests for sexually transmitted disease, including a test for HIV, which is on the rise in teens. (Some STDs can cause serious medical problems in newborns, so it’s important to get treatment to protect the baby.)
The doctor will explain the types of physical and emotional changes you can expect during pregnancy. He or she will also teach you to how to recognize the signs of possible problems during pregnancy (called complications). This is especially important because teens are more at risk for certain complications, such as anemia, high blood pressure, and delivering a baby earlier than usual (called premature delivery).
Your doctor will want you to start taking prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid, calcium, and iron as soon as possible. The doctor may prescribe the vitamins or recommend a brand that you can buy over the counter. These vitamins and minerals help ensure the baby’s and mother’s health as well as prevent some types of birth defects.
Ideally, you should see your doctor once each month for the first 28 weeks of your pregnancy, then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, then once a week until you deliver the baby. If you have a medical condition such as diabetes that needs careful monitoring during your pregnancy, your doctor will probably want to see you more often.
During visits, your doctor will check your weight, blood pressure, and urine, and will measure your abdomen to keep track of the baby’s growth. Once the baby’s heartbeat can be heard with a special device, the doctor will listen for it at each visit. Your doctor will probably also send you for some other tests during the pregnancy, such as an ultrasound, to make sure that everything is OK with your baby.
One part of prenatal care is attending classes where expectant mothers can learn about having a healthy pregnancy and delivery and the basics of caring for a new baby. These classes may be offered at hospitals, medical centers, schools, and colleges in your area.
It can be difficult for adults to talk to their doctors about their bodies and even more difficult for teens to do so. Your doctor is there to help you stay healthy during pregnancy and have a healthy baby — and there’s probably not much he or she hasn’t heard from expectant mothers! So don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Be upfront when your doctor asks questions, even if they seem embarrassing. A lot of the issues the doctor brings up could affect your baby’s health. Think of your doctor both as a resource and a friend who you can confide in about what’s happening to you.
Sponsored Links
Changes to Expect in Your Body
Pregnancy causes lots of physical changes in the body. Here are some common ones:
Breast Growth
An increase in breast size is one of the first signs of pregnancy, and the breasts may continue to grow throughout the pregnancy. You may go up several bra sizes during the course of your pregnancy.
Skin Changes
Don’t be surprised if people tell you your skin is “glowing” when you are pregnant — pregnancy causes an increase in blood volume, which can make your cheeks a little pinker than usual. And hormonal changes increase oil gland secretion, which can give your skin a shinier appearance. Acne is also common during pregnancy for the same reason.
Other skin changes caused by pregnancy hormones may include brownish or yellowish patches on the face called chloasma and a dark line on the midline of the lower abdomen, known as thelinea nigra.
Also, moles or freckles that you had prior to pregnancy may become bigger and darker. Even the areola, the area around the nipples, becomes darker. Stretch marks are thin pink or purplish lines that can appear on your abdomen, breasts, or thighs.
Except for the darkening of the areola, which can last, these skin changes will usually disappear after you give birth.
Mood Swings
It’s very common to have mood swings during pregnancy. Some girls may also experience depression during pregnancy or after delivery. If you have symptoms of depression such as sadness, changes in sleep patterns, thoughts of hurting yourself, or bad feelings about yourself or your life, tell your doctor so he or she can help you to get treatment.
Pregnancy Discomforts
Pregnancy can cause some uncomfortable side effects. These include:
nausea and vomiting (especially early in the pregnancy)
leg swelling
varicose veins in the legs and the area around the vaginal opening
hemorrhoids
heartburn and constipation
backache
fatigue
sleep loss
If you have one or more of these side effects, keep in mind that you’re not alone! Ask your doctor for advice on how to deal with these common problems.
If you are pregnant and have bleeding or pain, call the doctor immediately, even if you are not planning to continue the pregnancy.
Things to Avoid in pregnancy
Smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs when you are pregnant put you and your baby at risk for a number of serious problems.
Alcohol
Doctors now believe that it’s not safe to drink any amount of alcohol when you are pregnant. Drinking can harm a developing fetus, putting a baby at risk for birth defects and mental problems.
Smoking
The risks of smoking during pregnancy include stillbirths (when a baby dies while inside the mother), low birth weight (which increases a baby’s risk for health problems), prematurity (when babies are born earlier than 37 weeks), and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant who is younger than 1 year old.
Drugs
Using illegal drugs such as cocaine or marijuana during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, prematurity, and other medical problems. Babies can also be born addicted to certain drugs.
Ask your doctor for help if you are having trouble quitting smoking, drinking, or drugs. Check with your doctor before taking any medication while you are pregnant, including over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies and supplements, and vitamins.
Unsafe Sex
Talk to your doctor about sex during pregnancy. If your doctor says it’s OK to have sex while you’re pregnant, you must use a condom to help prevent getting an STD. Some STDs can cause blindness, pneumonia, or meningitis in newborns, so it’s important to protect yourself and your baby.
Taking Care of Yourself During Pregnancy
Eating
Many girls worry about how their bodies look and are afraid to gain weight during pregnancy. But now that you are eating for two, this is not a good time to cut calories or go on a diet. Both you and your baby need certain nutrients so the baby can grow properly. Eating a variety of healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and cutting back on high-fat junk foods will help you and your developing baby to be healthy.
Doctors generally recommend adding about 300 calories a day to your diet to provide adequate nourishment for the developing fetus. You should gain about 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, most of this during the last 6 months — although how much a girl should gain depends on how much she weighed before the pregnancy. Your doctor will advise you based on your individual situation.
Eating additional fiber — 25 to 30 grams a day — and drinking plenty of water can help to prevent common problems such as constipation. Good sources of fiber are fresh fruits and vegetables and breads, cereals, or muffins that have lots of whole grain in them.
You’ll need to avoid eating or drinking certain things during pregnancy, such as:
certain types of fish, such as swordfish, canned tuna, and other fish that may be high in mercury (your doctor can help you decide which fish you can eat)
foods that contain raw eggs, such as mousse or Caesar salad
raw or undercooked meat and fish
processed meats, such as hot dogs and deli meats
soft, unpasteurized cheeses, such as feta, brie, blue, and goat cheese
unpasteurized milk, juice, or cider
It’s also a good idea to limit artificial sweeteners, and drinks that contain caffeine and artificial sweeteners.
Exercise
Exercising during pregnancy is good for you as long as you are having an uncomplicated pregnancy and choose appropriate activities. Doctors generally recommend low-impact activities such as walking, swimming, and yoga. Contact sports and high-impact aerobic activities that pose a greater risk of injury should generally be avoided. Also, working at a job that involves heavy lifting is not recommended for women during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about whether particular types of exercise are safe for you and your baby.
Sleep
It’s important to get plenty of rest while you are pregnant. Early in your pregnancy, try to get into the habit of sleeping on your side. Lying on your side with your knees bent is likely to be the most comfortable position as your pregnancy progresses. Also, it makes your heart’s job easier because it keeps the baby’s weight from applying pressure to the large vein that carries blood back to the heart from your feet and legs.
Some doctors recommend that girls who are pregnant sleep on the left side. Because of where some of your major blood vessels are, lying on your left side helps keep the uterus from pressing on them. Ask what your doctor recommends — in most cases, lying on either side should do the trick and help take some pressure off your back.
Throughout your pregnancy, but especially toward the end, you may wake up often at night to go to the bathroom. While it’s important to drink enough water while you’re pregnant, try to drink most of it during the day rather than at night. Use the bathroom right before going to bed. As you get further along in your pregnancy, you might have a difficult time getting comfortable in bed. Try positioning pillows around and under your belly, back, or legs to get more comfortable.
Stress can also interfere with sleep. Maybe you’re worried about your baby’s health, about delivery, or about what your new role as a parent will be like. All of these feelings are normal, but they may keep you up at night. Talk to your doctor if you are having problems sleeping during your pregnancy.
Emotional Health
It’s common for pregnant teens to feel a range of emotions, such as fear, anger, guilt, confusion, and sadness. It may take a while to adjust to the fact that you’re going to have a baby. It’s a huge change, and it’s natural for pregnant teens to wonder whether they’re ready to handle the responsibilities that come with being a parent.
How a girl feels often depends on how much support she has from the baby’s father, from her family (and the baby’s father’s family), and from friends. Each girl’s situation is different. Depending on your situation, you may need to seek more support from people outside your family. It’s important to talk to the people who can support and guide you and help you share and sort through your feelings. Your school counselor or nurse can refer you to resources in your community that can help.
School and the Future
Some girls plan to raise their babies themselves. Sometimes grandparents or other family members help. Some girls decide to give their babies up for adoption. It takes a great deal of courage and concern for the baby to make these difficult decisions.
Girls who complete high school are more likely to have good jobs and enjoy more success in their lives. If possible, finish high school now rather than trying to return later. Ask your school counselor or an adult you trust for information about programs and classes in your community for pregnant teens.
Some communities have support groups especially for teen parents. Some high schools have child-care centers on campus. Perhaps a family member or friend can care for your baby while you’re in school.
drizharnium@gmail.com, Bangalore India
Hi
Eating to Beat Pregnancy Fatigue
Consult any pregnant woman who is in her first or third trimester how they are feeling and the answer would almost usually be “tired”. One of the 1st clues that several women have that they may be expecting a visit from the stork is the fact that they obtain themselves droopy eyed in the middle of the day for no use.
You may find that doing a simply job as walking around the block leaves your desperate for an afternoon nap. The energy you purpose to have is today faced by the challenge of growing a infant & your body is complicated at work. You’re also producing extra blood, using more water and nutrients & have a higher heart rate & metabolism when you are pregnant. When the excellent defensive against the weakness you would face is to accomplish more sleep. There are also several healthy foods options you could create that would help you get by your day if you don’t have the opportunities to select naps.
1st, adjust the size of your meals. Everybody who eats a large food is aimed at feel tired afterwards regardless of if they’re pregnant or not. Being pregnant is going to make the result of a big meal that lots of worse. Lots of of your energy is heading for be applied towards digesting the meal therefore of course you will feel sluggish & drained. Eat smaller meals & eat extra often. Eating six small meals a day would help you combat tiredness.
Eating a great breakfast is the good track to begin your day. You’re refueling your body as soon as a long foodless night by a good breakfast. A great breakfast isn’t a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. You wish to stick to not easy carbs & protein. Whole grain cereal & a banana for sample. These foods will stay through you & remain your blood sugar & energy level up for quiet a when.
Don’t skip lunch. There are a number of persons who skip lunch thinking they would produce up for it by having a big dinner. This’s bad while you’re not pregnant but it’s although worse while you’re pregnant. You want that midday meal to assistance refuel your body. As by your breakfast, you must keep it filled by whole grains & protein. Have a whole grain pita and stuff it through chicken salad and add a side of grapes or an apple.
Program to eat most of your calories during the day. A pregnant woman wants an more 300 calories a day throughout their second and third trimester. The first trimester those are not needed yet. You must eat these more calories through out the day in the form of healthy snacks such as nuts, cheese, veggies & dip. Do not save your biggest food until the end of the day. Your body requirements these calories to assistance you achieve with your day. Steer clear of the fast sugar fixes like candy and soda. In the end these would only make you extra fatigued.
Lastly, make certain you’re getting adequate iron. Eat iron fortified food such as spinach and lean red meat to keep your energy up. There are moments when drastic tiredness can be the symptom of an iron deficiency and you might want an iron supplement also.
Besides eating well, make sure you achieve plenty of relax though if this means pushing your bedtime up & supply up those late night TV discuss shows. Whether any parents of newborns would tell you, accomplish your relax while you still can. Read more other FREE articles about life insurance for elderly, military car insurance and classic motorcycle insurance
Do Pregnant Women Exercise Enough?
December 31, 2009 by Victoria Isabel
Filed under Pregnancy Exercises
Being physically active during and after pregnancy aids in the recovery from childbirth, postpartum weight maintenance, prevention of preeclampsia (1), gestational diabetes and severe complications of the musculoskeletal system (2).
The ACOG or American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorses moderate-intensity exercise for at least 30 min on most, if not all days of the week for pregnant women. Examples of moderate-intensity exercise are brisk walking, low impact dance aerobics, and biking.
One of the study authors, in Petersen et al, Terry Leet, Ph.D. said, that pregnant women should exercise unless advised otherwise by their physician because of medical or obstetric complications observed during their pregnancy. Women beginning an exercise program during pregnancy should perform moderate, non-weight-bearing activities, such as brisk walking, swimming, or cycling. She said that women who exercised prior to their pregnancy should continue their activities, except for activities that might possibly cause abdominal distress such as contact sports and scuba diving.
In a study reported by Borodulin et al. (2008) 71.6% white, 17.3% African American, 11.1% other of 1,482 women, a majority of them reported some physical activity during the second (96.5%) and third (93.9%) trimester. The level of intensity and total volume of exercise decreased between the second and third trimester. The physical activity reported consists of care-related responsibilities, household indoor related and recreational activities.
Sadly, a majority of the women did not reach the activity recommendations set by ACOG. Age, lower-socioeconomic status, and those who smoked were all markers for a passive lifestyle during pregnancy. Pregnant women meeting the moderate to vigorous physical activity recommendations were more likely to be non-Hispanic white, more educated, younger, non-married, non-smokers, and with higher incomes.
What is surprising is that despite its benefits, exercise seems to be losing its appeal. Pregnant women who worked out at least three times a week declined from 9% in 1994 to 6% in 2000. The same goes for non-pregnant women. Activity levels decreased from 17% in 1996 to 14% in 2000. Worse, pregnant women who needed to exercise were the same ones who were not getting enough exercise when they were not pregnant. Therefore, they would be less likely to start exercising in the first place.
According to Dr. Raul Artal of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, obstetricians are hesitant to recommend exercise to pregnant women. He believes that it is rooted in the old-fashioned notions of pregnancy as a time of rest and accouchement.
Fitness professionals, physicians and personal trainers should educate pregnant students and clients of the benefits of remaining physically activity during pregnancy. They should point out to pregnant patients that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has embraced the Center for Disease Control exercise guidelines. This guidelines states that every pregnant woman with uncomplicated pregnancies and who does not have a medical history or a history of obstetric complications should get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day for most days of the week.
References:
Borodulin, K.M., Evenson, K.R., Wen, F., Herring, A.H., and Benson, A.M. (2008). Physical activity patterns during pregnancy. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 40(11), 1901-1908.
Petersen et al, Correlate of Physical Activity among Pregnant Women in the United States, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise; Nov. 2005; p.1748-1753.
Definition of terms:
1) Preeclampsia – abnormal state of pregnancy identified by fluid retention and hypertension
2) Musculoskeletal complications – pain in the pelvis, back and weakness of the lower extremities.
Rochester Athletic Club, Rochester Health Club and Rochester Personal Training dedicate their services to fitness and health.
Air Travel During Pregnant – First, Second and Third Trimester
September 3, 2009 by Julie Xillion
Filed under Pregnancy
As you move through pregnancy, the challenge of flying when pregnant becomes greater and greater. In the first trimester, remaining motionless in an airline seat is much more comfortable. Traveling in the second trimester of pregnancy is in fact a bit safer than traveling all through the first or third trimester. Your risk is a bit lower, and depending how many weeks pregnant you are, your degree of comfort can be okay. The larger challenge comes when you are traveling during the third trimester of pregnancy. If you are flying when pregnant during your third trimester, not only do you carry a higher risk of premature birth, but just squeezing into the seat may very well be a challenge. Flying When Pregnant
There are challenges and risks associated with air travel, but both can be managed with a little planning and preparation. The air travel rules vary from airline to airline, but most have a particular cutoff after which you must not fly. The restrictions on flying while may appear like a hassle, especially if you have somewhere to go, but the travel restrictions are there to look after the health of you and your baby as well as protect the airline from increased liability.
Flying During the First Trimester
In looking at the statistics, travel all through the first trimester of pregnancy is more risky than other trimesters. Although you may not be far along, variations in pressure, stillness for long periods, turbulence, and other factors may provide challenges to a pregnant mother.
Traveling During The Second Trimester
Statistically speaking, air travel during the second trimester is the safest. Even though you are required to get up and walk around, both to keep good circulation in your legs as well as get to the bathroom, traveling when pregnant in the second trimester should not be a problem.
Travel During the Third Trimester
In traveling while pregnant, air travel during the third trimester is a challenge that increases as you approach your due date. In addition to the discomfort of fitting into your chair and having to sit for an extended period, your risk of birth is at the forefront of your risks. In fact, most airlines will not let you travel after you reach so many weeks of pregnancy. Unless it is absolutely mandatory, you should adhere to the airlines pregnant travelers’ policy and not fly when they tell you that you shouldn’t.
Bloom’en Nutrition Chewable pregnancy Vitamins were created by a nutrition industry professional who could’nt find an appropriate pregnancy vitamin that she could eat and keep down.