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| Pregnancy Information |
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Chill Out, Mama! Four Tips on Managing Stress in Pregnancy
One of the best gifts you can give your baby and yourself is a calm, clear mind and a relaxed body and nervous system. Why? Your unborn baby receives chemical messages through the bloodstream through that amazing organ we call the placenta. It’s really a neglected little miracle, that placenta; it provides nourishment for your developing baby for months on end. Make sure that the hormones you send to your little one are mainly loving and peaceful ones. This is not meant to give anyone a guilt trip! Au contraire, this brief article will clue you in on a few small steps you can take to help manage stress while expecting. 1. Physical Exercise. Getting regular exercise is a major stress buster. I know, many of us hate to work out at gyms or jog on sidewalks. Perhaps there’s even a dusty exercise contraption lurking in your garage or closet. One way to get around this is to enlist a friend to join you, to keep each other accountable. Find something you like to do—maybe it’s swimming or rollerskating (check with your health care provider before beginning any new exercise regime, just to be sure). You don’t have to take a prenatal yoga class to be fit; just be creative and have fun. 2. Dietary Supplements. Here in Southern California, we are blessed to have access to a wide variety of health food products. And thanks to the Internet, you can find quality dietary supplements wherever you happen to live. Make sure you’re getting enough B-complex and C vitamins. (Both are water soluble which means that you need a fresh supply every day; that also means that it’s much harder to overdose on them since the excess gets secreted when you urinate.) You’ve probably read about the importance of taking enough folic acid during acid (it’s one of the B vitamins). You may not have heard that we use up more B-complex vitamins when under stress (as well as while taking oral contraceptives). 3. Herbs. When correctly used, herbs can be of great benefit for pregnancy, birth and lactation—and in any phase of life. First, a word of caution: it is important to check with a knowledgeable professional if you are unsure about which herbs to use and how much. Herbs like valerian, for instance, can be quite potent. Generally speaking, however, store-bought teas are carefully labeled and packaged in safe doses. Look for a nice, soothing tea with chamomile, lemon verbena and orange peel. If you find one with peppermint, that’s a plus since the mint can calm an upset tummy. Be sure to avoid herbs that have a steroidal effect (like licorice and ginseng) and anything that causes uterine contractions, especially if you have had repeat miscarriages or cervical problems. 4. Roomy Scheduling. Does it ever seem like your day is jam-packed with activities and deadlines? Instead of rushing from one appointment to the next, try to allow for extra time in between. That way, if there’s a traffic jam or some other unexpected foul-up, you still have moments to spare. Sure, we all want to feel productive, and yet, if you are carrying a baby, you’re indeed re-productive. Your body is already working hard to bring new life into the world, so be easy on yourself. Give yourself big gaps in the day to just BE. Trust me when I say that you are doing a huge service to yourself and your baby. Again, YOU are your baby’s greatest asset. Who else will be there when your child falls and scrapes her knee? Who else will understand him and feel as close to him as you? Pregnancy is a time to celebrate new life, to connect with the awesomeness of Creation. This is also an opportunity to learn new ways to nurture your self. Reducing stress, using any of the tips above, is one way that you take care of your own needs, to the benefit of your family’s future. Christy Callahan, M.A. is a writer, educator and life coach with a gifting for nurturing babies and parents from pre-conception to early childhood. The scope of her Prenatal Coaching practice, http://www.prenatalcoaching.com, includes work with generational patterns, life challenges and future goals. Christy also coaches health practitioners, including childbirth educators, doulas and midwives-to-be. Contributing Writer for the award-winning website Helpguide.org, she began her study of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology in 2002, at the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. Christy is married and has a son who was born at home. For more suggestions along these lines, send a blank e-mail to tips@prenatalcoaching.com.
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Alternative Medicine How do Pregnancy Tests Work? Pregnancy tests identify a special hormone in the blood or urine produced during pregnancy. This hormone is called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), often referred to as the pregnancy hormone. There are two basic types of pregnancy tests, blood and urine. Things You Should Avoid During Pregnancy Pregnancy is a time where you have to be careful with yourself. Many factors affect the development of a fetus into a healthy child. Whether you like it or not there some activities you should avoid for the sake of your healthy baby. There are pregnancy risks that you have to aware of. Pregnancy Planner - A Quick Guide Weeks 1 to 3 are the first weeks of pregnancy. Week 1 begins on the first day of your last menstrual period. You will have no pregnancy symptoms yet, it's too early right now. By week 4 nearly all of the organs and structure of the fetus have formed, you will start to feel the first pregnancy symptoms which will feel a bit like period symptoms such as tiredness and tender breasts. What Would I Do Without My Doula? By the time my husband and I finally got pregnant the first time, I had done a lot of reading about birth options and we had already decided to have a midwife instead of a doctor. We believe that pregnancy is a healthy state of being, and unless something came up, a midwife was the best way to go for us. Besides, where we live, a midwife can deliver babies at hospitals, so I felt that was the safest way to go. (Although, now, I feel I could have had my babies at home... but that is a whole other article!). Problems Associated With Teen Pregnancy Pregnancy is one of the pivotal moments of a woman's life but not when you are young with a bright future ahead. Teen pregnancy is one of the most difficult experiences any young woman can go through. The stress of pregnancy, revelation of pregnancy to parents, and moving on despite the shame and worry can be nerve-racking. Indeed pregnancy especially during teenhood will never be easy. Stress And Pregnancy Stress Relief During Pregnancy If you truly want to ensure a great pregnancy, you should work on keeping a healthy and positive physical, mental and spiritual state. There is substantial evidence which suggests that a mother's physical and mental wellness during pregnancy can affect not only the outcome of their pregnancy but the well being of their child later in life. You relationship with your baby begins at the moment of conception. Kegal Exercises During Pregnancy You probably became familiar with Kegel exercises during your pregnancy. Kegel exercises are equally important after pregnancy to help restore the tone and strength of your vaginal wall. Vacation Is One Way To Run Away From Stress During Pregnancy What should you do to have a happy pregnancy? Many things you could do, but what most pregnant women rarely do is having a vacation. Get a life and try to relax a little bit. Or take an extended weekend just to refresh and recharge your batteries. Feeling Sexy During Pregnancy Some people think that the word sexy and pregnancy do not belong together. I have to disagree. In fact, I have heard many men say that a woman is her sexiest and most beautiful when she is pregnant! Is a Healthy Pregnancy Possible After Gastric Bypass Surgery? When a woman in the child bearing years undergoes gastric bypass surgery to lose weight one of the first things she will hear from the nay-sayers is that after surgery she cannot have a healthy pregnancy because of presumed nutritional deficiencies. The contrary is true. Morbid obesity results in a high rate of complicated pregnancies and a high rate of miscarriage. Women who become pregnant after achieving weight loss with gastric bypass generally have lower risk pregnancies than morbidly obese women. Baby Essentials - A Guide For First Time Mums Are you a first time expectant mum wandering around the shops wondering do I really need that, or what is all this used for? If you answer yes to this question then you may find the following article useful. Eating Healthfully When A New Baby Arrives A new baby can be overwhelming for the whole family. The last thing on your mind is cooking for yourself or eating a healthy diet. However this is the time you really need to eat right. Whether you are breastfeeding and need the extra calories, want to increase your stamina against the sleep deprivation or are starting to think about losing the "baby weight" - a healthy diet can really help with your energy level and overall outlook. Here are a few tips for how to eat healthfully during this exciting time. Pregnancy Symptoms There are many early signs that you may be pregnant. The obvious one is a late period but this can be caused by a number of things, an excessive weight gain or loss, a change in birth control methods, or just an imbalance of hormones. The Myths of Fitness During Pregnancy - The Straight Facts on the ACOG Guidelines The American College of Obstetics and Gynecology (ACOG) guidelines are often misquoted or quoted with outdated information. In fact, two of the myths listed in this article were just printed in a current (Spring 2005), large national publication catering to expectant mothers. The latest and correct information on exercise during pregnancy needs to be widely distributed. Hopefully, this article will help to remedy some of the misinformation. Why Shouldnt I Smoke During Pregnancy? There are a lot of good reasons to quit smoking, but isn't your baby the most compelling? Researchers agree that smoking during pregnancy can be a leading contributor to a range of health problems, both for the mother and the baby. What You Need To Know About Pregnancy And Tanning Booths If you are pregnant, there are things you should know about pregnancy and tanning booths. Tanning beds safety while pregnant has become very questionable. A better choice might be to use the sunless tanning spray booth equipment to keep your golden tan. Your Role as an Expectant Father Quite often expectant fathers get bent out of shape over what they should be doing during the pregnancy. The pregnant woman is often the focus of all attention. She's the one carrying the baby. She's the one doctors examine. She's the one with oodles of books written especially for her. She's the one who has to push when the time comes and they put the baby on her belly when it is delivered. So, the question is: Are you only along for the ride? Yes, you really are only along for the ride. Expressing Breast Milk: Pumping for Your Preemie The shock and stress of having a baby born prematurely is difficult in and of itself to deal with. The frequent trips to the hospital are exhausting. And the worry you feel about the health of your son or daughter can be overwhelming. If you had hoped to breastfeed your baby, you will no doubt want to use a breast pump to initiate and maintain your supply until your baby is strong enough and developed enough to start short attempts at breastfeeding and hopefully eventually transition to exclusive breastfeeding, but until this point, a breast pump will be a necessity. The requirements of expressing breast milk in the early days and weeks post-partum can add additional stress to what is already a difficult time, but having good information on how to best establish your milk supply will assist you to build a strong milk supply and provide the best nutrition possible for a pre-term baby: mother's milk. Infertility and Pregnancy When a couple is unable to conceive a child, it is the couple's problem, and not the "fault" of one partner or the other. Female issues are the most common reasons cited, but some studies suggest that up to 40% of infertility is caused by one or more reasons originating with the male partner. Pregnancy and Pre-natal Vitamins Pre-natal vitamins are important to the health of a growing baby. They are also important to pregnant mothers because their bodies are going through so many changes.
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