Are you finding it difficult to sleep comfortably while pregnant?
This is common, but, there are some sleeping positions to help you get some sleep: using a yoga pose, a mountain of pillows, and moving yourself around – finding a comfortable spot to sleep is possible.
This video discusses several sleeping positions for pregnancy that will help you get a good night’s rest.
Share this with your tired pregnant friends. They will thank you.
Now that you have discovered the wonderful news of pregnancy you would like to know: when are you due? Depending on your cycle and the date of your last period – figuring out your due date is pretty easy to do all by yourself.
In this video you will learn how to determine what day is an expected date for baby’s birthday.
Share this information with your friends by clicking LIKE.
Every pregnancy is different and special in its own way.
Every woman has the special tree of power of her pregnancy.
The Tree Of Power™ consists your set of practical tools that you utilize during your pregnacy.
Attached is an example of my pregnancy tree of power:
The coming holidays are a great chance to take a few moments and make your own Tree of Power.
Click on the image below to download your free copy of the your Tree of Power .
Feel free to Share this with your friends 🙂
P.S.
You are also welcome to join our Facebook Page.
I want to wish you Merry Christmas, May the Christmas season fill your home with family and friends, your heart with love, and your life with laughter.
[loveclaw_buttons]
One unavoidable fact about being pregnant is you will gain weight. First of all, you’ll be carrying around up to ten pounds of baby. Secondly, your body will be producing amniotic fluid and the placenta to help nourish your little one – but the bulk of that ‘water weight’ will disappear once you give birth. Beyond that, weight gain is natural and important, and shouldn’t be considered a pregnancy problem. Of course, you may have plenty of questions, about what’s considered ‘normal’ in terms of gaining a few pounds. Although every woman’s experience is different, there are some general patterns to pregnancy weight gain.
In total, you’re looking at anywhere from 15 to 40 pounds. How much you’re recommended to gain is really based on how much you weight going into pregnancy. A woman that is considered underweight will actually be encouraged to pack on more pounds – that upper end of the threshold (40 lbs) is a safe number for you to gain. Conversely, if you’re overweight, your doctor will likely stick to the lower end of the scale. Remember that about 15 lbs of whatever weight you gain is made up of your baby and the extra tissue and fluids designed to help him or her grow. In addition, your breasts are going to be filling with milk and your uterus will be expanding and getting heavier, both which will tip the scales. It’s also likely you will be gaining some extra fat based on the extra calories you should be consuming to nourish you and your baby.
There’s a pretty typical pattern to pregnancy weight gain – although the first trimester offers the most varied results. During your first trimester, you should aim to gain between 2 and 4 pounds, although some women will actually lose weight thanks to morning sickness. Don’t worry – it’s nothing to be too concerned about as long as you steadily gain over the second and third trimesters. The second trimester is where you’ll really notice a change in your body; most women gain about a pound a week, or 3 to 4 pounds per month. Weight gain will steadily taper off in the final trimester, although you can still expect to pile on up to 10 additional pounds.
You’ll quite literally instantly feel lighter and weigh less once you give birth. Between delivering your newborn and the afterbirth (the placenta, amniotic fluid, tissues and blood your body has been piling on for baby), about half of a typical woman’s weight gain will vanish. But just because you’ve shed numbers on the scale, doesn’t mean your body will snap back into shape. Your mid-section will still be stretched out and the fat you’ve gained won’t disappear overnight. Keep this in mind: you’ve been steadily adding weight for nine months, so give it at least nine months to shed those extra baby pounds. As a bonus, if you choose to breastfeed, it’s a huge aerobic workout for your body – expect to burn off tons of calories while your baby gets stronger.
A major question many moms have while pregnant is whether there is anything they can do to keep from gaining unnecessary weight during pregnancy. The answer isn’t quite as simple as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – there are definitely ways to regulate how you gain weight, but avoiding it altogether is simply impossible.
As long as you get the OK from your doctor, you should be okay with some light-to-moderate exercise throughout your pregnancy. There are plenty of options and classes designed for pregnant women, including water aerobics, prenatal yoga, and walking groups. Establishing an exercise routine early in your pregnancy makes it easier to commit to it and minimize excessive weight gain. Just remember to avoid strenuous activity, and keep in mind that the activities you’re used to performing when not pregnant may feel awkward with a ‘bloated’ belly. An off-kilter center of gravity can also increase the risk of tumbles and falls, so tread carefully.
Your body needs extra calories during pregnancy to help feed your little temporary tenant. One trick to controlling your weight gain is to get those calories from healthy, whole foods like vegetables or fruits. Just because you’re pregnant and weight gain is considered ‘normal’, doesn’t mean you should gorge yourself on chocolate cake and chips. Avoiding junk will ensure your body is gaining the right kind of calories (and the kind that are easier to take off after you give birth). That being said, it’s still okay to indulge those cravings every now and again.
Any doctor will tell you that starting a true diet during pregnancy is a bad idea. You should be consuming an additional 100 to 300 calories per day to help your baby grow healthy and strong. But if you’ve never counted how many calories you’re eating, now might be the time to start. First, speak with your doctor about the amount of calories you should be consuming – whether or not you were pregnant. Give yourself a buffer of up to 300 calories, and make a point at looking at what you’re munching on and jotting down your daily calorie counts. There are plenty of apps both online and on your smartphone that can help you keep tabs on what you eat – just don’t get obsessed over every last morsel of food or start cutting back! Remember, just about anything in moderation is okay.
Pregnancy health is all about researching what’s right for you and your body. Here are some ideas to help you build a plan to manage healthy weight gain during pregnancy:
To maintain a healthy diet and keep your weight gain under control, check out this great book:
“Pregnancy Diet: A Practical Guide for Busy Women“
The wonderful book Pregnancy Diet: A Practical Guide for Busy Women
We all know that doing the deed is what leads to pregnancy – but just because you’re knocked up, doesn’t mean you won’t want to keep on getting some ‘practice’ in while your baby is growing. With that healthy and attractive pregnancy glow, being more in tune than ever with your body, and hormones ramping up your sex drive, don’t be surprised if you seek a little company between the sheets.
That being said, many women have fears whether it’s safe to have sexual intercourse during pregnancy, or simply don’t feel up to the task when they’re already inundated with the side effects of carrying a child. But remember – it takes two to tango both in making that baby, and keeping your family happy and strong going forward.
Without being too much of a downer, the honest truth is (particularly for first-time parents): enjoy your alone time while it lasts. Once baby enters the picture, the fatigue and overwhelming changes in your life will have a ripple effect that likely won’t have you planning to make another little one in the immediate future. In other words, don’t be shy about your sex drive while you’re still (somewhat) easily able to act on it.
Of course, there are some upsides and downsides to sexuality during pregnancy. Although many men find their pregnant partners exceptionally attractive, you might not be feeling the same. With pregnancy hormones wreaking havoc on your inside systems and outside appearance, it can be hard to see past all of the changes you’re feeling or seeing, and recognize that you’re still the sexy woman that your partner wanted to have a baby with in the first place.
Those same pregnancy hormones will also cause dramatic swings in your libido during different points in your term. You may alternate between going through periods where you’re too exhausted or nauseous to even begin to contemplate having sex, while at other times you’ll be raring to go. The tricky part is balancing your wildly vacillating sex drive with your partner’s – who, let’s be frank, is typically open to sex whenever. After all, they don’t have hormones and rapid body changes to contend with.
Whether you’re feeling frisky or frosty, many women question, ‘Can I have sex while pregnant?’ because they’re unsure whether having sex will hurt their baby. The short answer is no, at least not if you’re having a ‘normal’ pregnancy. If you’re considered high risk for a miscarriage or delivering pre-term, your doctor may advise against any kind of vigorous activity, including sex. In addition, you’ll also want to steer clear of sex with anyone who carries or is at risk for carrying a sexually transmitted disease – it can potentially be transmitted through intercourse onto your baby, with serious health risks. But beyond those situations, sex can be a great stress reliever through any stage of pregnancy, and can even help stimulate labor once you’re close to your due date.
Staying intimate with your partner is an important part of any relationship, particularly during times of high stress and change. Think of your alone time as an opportunity to reconnect and stay close as you weather these dramatic shifts in your life, together.
It sounds simple, but as you get further along in your pregnancy, you might find it a little uncomfortable to have intercourse with your partner. Instead of dwelling on how things aren’t like how they used to be, have fun with it – invest in a cute pair of belly-accommodating pajamas or experiment with different positions you might not otherwise try. Don’t think of sex as an obligation, but simply enjoy the intimate time you get to spend together when the mood strikes.
If the idea of having everyday sporadic sex just isn’t turning you on, consider adding a little spice to the mix. Schedule specific date nights so you can really anticipate and build up excitement for doing the deed, and consider pampering or prepping yourself for a fun evening together. A word of caution? Don’t hinge all of your money or energy into a single evening. The changes you go through during pregnancy may derail your plans on occasion, so it’s best to schedule dates and nights alone with a little bit of flexibility built in.
You’re feeling unsexy; he’s feeling frisky. You’re ready to go; he’s exhausted after a day of work. You’re dealing with a pregnancy symptom; he’s turned on by your pregnancy glow. It can be hard to find compatibility between your sex drives when you’re pregnant, but a good talk (instead of snapping at one another) can clear the air. Consider exploring other options – like massage or kissing – while you’re pregnant, and help set realistic expectations for your sex life after the baby is born. The main thing to keep in mind here is compromise – both you and your partner need to be respectful of what the other one is going through. Unless health risks call for it, not having sex isn’t the best option for either of you.
If you’re ready to keep the fires burning while your little one is blossoming in your belly, here’s some ‘home’ work for you to get cracking on:
This could be a nice gift for your partner: “The Man Behind the Bump T-Shirt”
Drinking water is especially important during your pregnancy, but getting enough liquid can be difficult. Some women dislike unsweetened drinks such as water, but they know they shouldn’t be drinking a lot soda during their pregnancy. Events during the day (such as road trips) can also make us forget to drink enough water. Sitting in an air-conditioned office lessens thirst but you still need to drink a certain amount.
During your pregnancy, there is no arguing about the importance of drinking water. You need more fluids to support the larger volume of blood in your body. Drinking helps your circulation, which assists your immune system in fighting against illnesses and ensures your baby gets the nutrition and oxygen it needs.
If you are constantly dehydrated in the first trimester of your pregnancy, you may end up suffering from a low amount of amniotic fluid, which can cause limb deformities in your baby. It is especially important to drink plenty of water if you suffer from morning sickness, since vomiting can lead to significant liquid loss.
Dehydration during your second or third trimester can cause your body temperature to rise due to poor circulation, which in turn can cause damage to your child. You may also suffer from muscle cramping due to severe dehydration, as well as fatigue, or even preterm labor.
Alexia didn’t like to drink water, so most of her liquid intake came from sodas. During her pregnancy, she learned that she should no longer drink soda, for health reasons. She decided to switch to drinking water. It all went well until the final months of her pregnancy. She lived in a warm part of the country and was due in the middle of the hottest month of the year.
Although she did drink some water, she always seemed to forget to do so (possibly because the taste did not appeal to her). Her contractions came almost a month early and she was lucky to deliver a healthy child. The doctors were concerned about her state of dehydration, attributing the cause of the preterm labor to her low intake of fluids. She was horrified and began drinking water regularly, which helped her general well-being as well as her breastfeeding.
It is recommended that you drink 8 to 12 glasses of liquid every day. This amount contributes to your alertness and vitality. It is generally not recommended to drink sodas or juices, which contain lots of sugar, or regular tea and coffee, which contain caffeine.
Mary had always been doing a lot of exercise, and she didn’t slow down during her pregnancy. Eating healthy was never a problem for her, but she would forget that she needed to drink more water now that she was pregnant. During exercise, she would sweat a lot and lose fluids that way. Now she began to feel faint after every workout and gradually began to get weaker and weaker. Her doctor ran many different tests but found nothing wrong with her – until they both realized Mary had a simple case of dehydration. She began drinking more water and regained her energy in a matter of weeks.
The signs of dehydration:
Looking for a good place to start reading up on healthy eating habits for you and baby?
Try “Pregnancy Diet: A Practical Guide for Busy Women“ for simple and easy tactics to prepare nourishing meals during your pregnancy.
If you found this information helpful, click below and share your feelings.
[loveclaw_buttons]
t