Tips For A Healthy Pregnancy

Giving birth will no doubt be one of the most magical moments of your life and to ensure that your child is strong and happy, it is important you do all you can to have a healthy pregnancy. To help you and your baby on your way, this article has compiled a number of tips that are guaranteed to make those nine pregnancy months the best they can be!

The first thing you must do when you find you are pregnant is to visit an obstetrician/gynecologist (OBGYN). They will give you an ultrasound to see how far along you are and whether your pregnancy appears to be normal. This stage is crucial and it is important not to leave this too late.

After this, you must begin to change your lifestyle. Remember, you are no longer eating and exercising for yourself but for two! Firstly, if you are a smoker or a drinker, you must quit. Cigarette smoke can lead to low birth weight in babies as well as miscarriages and tubal pregnancies so try to avoid second hand smoke as it is not conducive to a healthy pregnancy. The same can be said for alcohol and other toxic chemicals and substances such as paint fumes. These items are both damaging to the mother and to the pregnancy.

Another part of changing your lifestyle is your diet during pregnancy. Make sure to drink plenty of water – about 6 to 8 glasses a day. It is not healthy to be overweight or underweight during a pregnancy but do remember that you shouldn't diet during pregnancy. Pregnancy is not a time to be worrying about your weight! Don't skip meals as you and your baby need as much nutrition and calories as possible, although not the fattening kind so make sure you get a balance. Junk food is great to satisfy those crazy pregnancy cravings but try not to go overboard!

If you are worried about weight gain during pregnancy, a great alternative to dieting is light exercise. You may not have loved it before your pregnancy, but learn to love it now as it will definitely pay off in the long run by keeping your baby healthy and your body fit. Light exercises will not harm your pregnancy so try swimming, yoga and walking.

An additional healthy pregnancy tip that those with busy schedules tend to forget is the importance of sleep. Make sure to get plenty of rest so that you and your baby can recuperate and to ensure that your immune system is as strong as possible. It is advised that you rest on your side to reduce swelling and generate the best circulation to your baby.

To recap: avoid damaging substances such as nicotine and alcohol, don't diet during pregnancy, drink plenty of water, practice as much exercise as safely possible, and get plenty of sleep! Following these pregnancy tips will make certain that you have a healthy pregnancy and have a happy and fit child.

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Ovulation

Childbirth is a momentous occasion, whether a first born or the seventh. The health and upbringing of a newborn is dependent on mother's preparedness on how she handles this delicate issue. We can read or watch videos of childbirth but it is experience that carries weight.

The first step is to understand female anatomy and how it works during different phases of childbirth. Ovulation is one such phase of the menstrual cycle, when an egg or ovum is released from ovaries. If this ovum meets with male sperm in its journey down the fallopian tube conception takes place. It does sound simple, but Ovulation depends on the interplay of glands and hormones. This may be one reason why some women cannot conceive. The gland that affects Ovulation is the Hypothalamus, using its hormones for communication with the pituitary gland, referred to as the master gland of the endocrine system. In turn, the pituitary gland produces luteinizing hormone (LH) and FSH. High levels of LH cause Ovulation within two days. The cycle continues with mature follicles releasing ovum into the peritoneal cavity and then into the fallopian tube, and from there to the uterus. If the ovum does not encounter a sperm within 24 hours it dies.

Ovulation occurs two weeks before the onset of the menstrual period once every month till menopause, or break in between for child birth and pregnancy. Certain changes occur in the cervical mucus, which gets slippery and slick, accompanied by general or localized pain. Sometimes there is delay or deviation from 24 to 35 days in the menstrual cycle, or slight fever in women who follow natural family planning methods. This persuades them to mistake Ovulation for premenstrual symptoms, if accompanied by pain and changes in body. Instead of playing guessing games, Ovulation should be confirmed with kits available in market or through blood tests or pregnancy ultrasound. Once sure, it is advisable to take precautions to avoid miscarriage or bleeding. Motherhood is something nature intended us to enjoy, and we should welcome it in all its cycles.

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Pregnancy Week By Week: Week #1 & #2

Week #1

The most wonderful experience that can happen to a woman is to be pregnant. It is a truly amazing process of life and being able to go through 9 months of carrying another living, breathing person inside of you will change you forever.

When you think about pregnancy, you think about 9 months. But you actually have to start from the first day of your last menstrual cycle. Women have no idea when they ovulate or conceive, but they do know when the first day of their last menstrual cycle occurred. Ovulation won't take place for another 2 weeks, so you may actually conceive during week 3.

If you are planning on becoming pregnant, now is the time to start getting your body ready. You need to start taking prenatal vitamins, which contain folic acid and iron (two very important nutrients for fetus development early in pregnancy).

Also, start tracking ovulation by taking your basal body temperature and watch for the signs. Check out the article called "So You're Ready to Have a Baby….." to see more information.

Make sure to check back next week to see what happen in week 2. Until then, happy baby making.

Week #2

This is around the week of ovulation. You are now at the midpoint of your menstrual cycle (if you have a regular 28-day cycle), about to ovulate and are most likely to get pregnant. Your uterus has shed its lining and is preparing itself to house your fertilized egg. Your egg is ripening in one of your ovaries and is getting ready to be released.

A woman is truly fertile for about 4 days a month and this is determined by when she is ovulating. You need to keep track of your menstrual cycle, your basal temperature and the consistency of your cervical mucus. These will give you the best signs of when you are about to ovulate.

Prepare to have fun trying to make your baby.

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