Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Reduce Stress During Pregnancy



Many mothers during pregnancy face extremely stressful circumstances. Pregnancy is a nine month journey for both you and your baby. Pregnancy typically lasts 40 weeks (about 9 months). Stress-related changes in a pregnant woman's heart rate and blood pressure, along with chronic anxiety, can affect the heart rate of her developing fetus, a new study concludes. Maternal stress during pregnancy is also found to cause of asymmetry in coordination of ears, fingers, feet, elbows, etc. Maternal stress is also linked with imperfections in the developing nervous system which can lead to problems of perception, thinking, and memory. These mothers experience constant stress, shame, loneliness and, sometimes, clinical depression during pregnancy or after giving birth. Their partners or families may not encourage them to seek help because the problem it is not seen as a medical one. There are many negative side effects of stress during pregnancy. Very high levels of stress may contribute to an increased risk of premature delivery or low birth weight babies. Still other studies suggest that overly high stress levels can increase your heart rate, blood pressure and produce chronic anxiety.

Maternal stress during pregnancy is also found to cause of asymmetry in coordination of ears, fingers, feet, elbows, etc. Stress doesn't have to be bad especially when you take care to manage the stress you experience during your pregnancy. Eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Eating well will provide you the energy you need to get through the day, especially when you feel tired or overworked. Exercise has huge stress reducing qualities. Walking is another activity you can do in order to keep fit and reduce stress. Shortness of breath is pretty common among pregnant women, so if you feel like you've pushed yourself too far, take a rest then move at a slower pace. Water is highly important for more reasons than keeping your body hydrated. A common reason for headaches is a lack of water in the system. Try not to drink beverages in excessive amounts right before bed. Try some natural stress reduction techniques including biofeedback, yoga or meditation. Reduce your workload. If you find you are doing too much in a day find ways to delegate certain tasks to others.

Reduce Stress During Pregnancy Tips

1. Eat a healthy, well balanced diet.

2. Drinking lots of water.

3. Regular exercise makes you feel great and is a wonderful way to limit anxiety in your life.

4. Relaxing by meditating, listening to music or writing in a journal.

5. Resisting any urges to drink alcohol, smoke or take herbal products or drugs.

6. Staying away from stressful people and stressful situations, when possible.

7. Try some natural stress reduction techniques including biofeedback, yoga or meditation.

8. Reduce your workload.

Juliet Cohen writes articles on diseases and conditions and women health care.


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Alleviating Morning Sickness

Most women don't think of morning sickness as helpful, but it can be an excellent indicator of pregnancy. Morning sickness usually begins between the fourth and sixth week of pregnancy. This is often the first sign most women get that they are actually pregnant. Therefore, morning sickness is a clue to start taking better care of your health for you and your baby.

No one knows the exact reason pregnant women experience this time of nausea and vomiting. When you become pregnant, your body is going through many hormonal changes, which are normal. The pregnancy hormone, "human chronic gonadotropin," is believed to be the cause of morning sickness, although not much research has been done on the subject. Low blood sugar is also believed to be a contributing factor of nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy.

Morning sickness does not mean you will be sick and vomiting every morning. Morning sickness can occur at any time of the day or night. It varies from woman to woman and can be brought on by many different things. Knowing what can cause your morning sickness to worsen can be helpful in preventing severe symptoms. Unfortunately, in some cases, nothing can be done to lessen the severity of morning sickness. If you are vomiting more than twice a day or think you may be losing weight, contact your doctor. He or she may prescribe medication that can lessen the symptoms of morning sickness.

Morning sickness can occur regardless of your lifestyle, but there are many factors that may contribute to causing morning sickness to be more severe. Here are some things to do that may help prevent the onset of nausea and vomiting:

" Do not let your stomach get empty. An empty stomach can lead to severe nausea.
" Move slowly when getting out of bed in the morning.
" If possible, eat a few crackers before getting out of bed.
" Drinking plenty of fluids during the day can prevent dehydration.
" Get lots of rest, taking naps during the day if possible.
" When cooking, keep your kitchen well ventilated to avoid lingering odors.
" Get a light amount of exercise, which will help you sleep and get rest.

Food is a big factor for most women when dealing with morning sickness. From eating the right foods to smelling the wrong ones, food of all kinds can either help or prevent morning sickness. Some tips for dealing with food and morning sickness are:

1. Eat many small meals throughout the day. Eating too much at one time can make you feel sick, but not keeping something in your stomach will bring on nausea.
2. Take your prenatal vitamins with food. Some vitamins may cause your stomach to become upset if not taken with food.
3. Try to avoid spicy and acidic foods. These foods can irritate your delicate stomach and make your symptoms worse.
4. Stay away from high-fat foods. These can also worsen morning sickness symptoms.
5. Eat foods high in protein, as they can help lessen your symptoms.
6. Drinking fluids thirty minutes before and thirty minutes after eating can help with symptoms, try not to drink during meals.
7. Eat whatever foods you feel like you can keep down. Pregnancy is not a time to start or continue on a diet, unless advised by your doctor.
8. Avoid hot foods if your sense of smell is very strong. Cold foods do not smell as strong as hot foods.
9. Eat anytime you feel like you want to.
10. Certain foods seem to help most women alleviate morning sickness symptoms. Eating these may help: dry crackers, Melba toast, whole wheat toast/bread, fruit, baked potatoes, pasta etc. These are easy to digest foods and are light on your stomach.
11. Some women find relief in drinking carbonated drinks.
12. Ginger is believed to help relieve symptoms of morning sickness. Try eating ginger snaps, drinking ginger ale or ginger tea.

Morning sickness can range from making you a little queasy to very sick and unable to get out of bed. The good thing is it usually only lasts through your first trimester of pregnancy and should start disappearing after the twelfth or thirteenth week. Just keep in mind it is a normal part of being pregnant, and you are enduring it for a great cause.

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Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P. is a speaker and award-winning author of two books, Adopting Online and Adoption: Your Step-by-Step Guide. Mardie is also the talk show host of Let's Talk Adoption.com with Mardie Caldwell. For more information email Mardie Caldwell

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Pregnancy Diet and Nutrition Tips

Pregnancy nutrition is of the utmost importance.it affects not only the health of the mother, but the health of the baby as well. Pregnancy nutrition is easy when you are armed with the knowledge and power necessary to make smart choices.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy places substantial demands on the availability of iron in the body. Pregnancy diet plans give your baby the best chance for a healthy beginning. Pregnancy diet plans provide the extra nutrition and calories needed by your body and the baby. The fetus takes nutrients from the mother; therefore if the mother does not eat properly, both may suffer the consequences. Pregnancy Nutrition refers to the intake of nutrients as well as the planned diets that are usually considered before, during and after pregnancy sessions.

Nutrition

Nutrition experts agree that the best place for the mother-to-be to get all the essential nutrients, including ample amounts of vitamins and minerals, is from her diet. Nutrition is a focal point throughout the nine months a woman carries her child and continues to be important after labor and delivery.

Health

Healthy eating is also as important as fitness and exercise during pregnancy. Healthy eating and a good nutrition plan takes very little of your time but is the single most important thing you can do for your health. Nutrition and exercise are two of the most important factors in determining the healthy growth and development of a child.

Pregnant

Pregnant women should consult a health professional when using Spirulina or any other supplements.

Women

Women need to choose their meals wisely to make sure they’re getting the vitamins and minerals they need without packing on the calories. Women carrying a single baby are advised to add 300 calories to their daily diet. Women who might be pregnant need to eat a well balanced diet and start taking prenatal vitamins as soon as possible. Women who are under five feet two inches tall may aim for the low end of the weight gain range; adolescents and African-Americans, however, should strive for the high end of the recommended range.

Weight

Weight gain is desirable for all women since it is essential for normal fetal growth. Weight gain should be around 28-40 pounds for women that are underweight at pregnancy. Weight gain should be around 2-4 pounds the first trimester and 3-4 pounds a month for the remaining time. Weight gain recommendations average from 25-35 lbs.

Foods

Foods from animal source such as milk or eggs often contain all these essential amino acids while a variety of plant products must be taken together to provide all these necessary protein components. Foods rich in iron include many meats, fish and poultry (especially red meat and liver). Foods that are high in folic acid include liver, dark green leafy vegetables, lean meat, oranges, grains and legumes (lima beans, black beans, etc.

Birth

Birth defects happen before you even know you’re pregnant so always take a multivitamin with folic acid during child bearing age.


Read out pregnancy diary . Also check out for acne during pregnancy and chalazion

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