Archive for November, 2008

From this week onwards, any time you need to rush to the hospital.

So, make advanced reservations, this helps in dealing with any unpleasant situations at the end moment. By this time, the child is almost well developed and there are very few changes to take place.

Here are the changes that occur in you and your baby during this week:

What are the physical changes that occur in your body during pregnancy week 33?

Leg cramps are the most serious condition that you will suffer in this week. In order to eliminate the condition, try following tips:

• Exercise greatly helps to get relief from the condition. Get up and walk during the lunch hour.
• Don’t stand or sit in the same position for longer hours.
• Increase the intake of calcium through diet or supplements.
• While you are lying down, try to keep your legs elevated.
• Whenever you feel the cramps, flex your toes upward to get relief from the spasm and make use of the hands for applying pressure to the affected area.

Still you will experience the same difficulties like backaches, feeling too hot, leg cramps, headaches, or trouble during the sleep.

Most of you think prenatal vitamins are very important during pregnancy, but fail to take them appropriately.

Prenatal vitamins are very crucial to keep your pregnancy healthy and most memorable for you.

So, here is the list of vitamins that you have to essentially take during pregnancy.

1. Vitamin A: Vitamin A is very crucial for cell growth and also improves resistance of your body against infections. It also helps you to keep your mucous membranes and skin healthy throughout your pregnancy period.
2. B Vitamins: B vitamins are very important for both baby and mother as well. They play very crucial in the development of your baby’s brain, bones and also muscles. So, be sure to take enough B vitamins to promote healthy vision and skin.
3. Vitamin C: This particular vitamin helps you to prevent various infections during pregnancy and increases resistance of your body to fight with various Infections. It also repairs various tissues and wounds and also helps to make your bones strong for pregnancy. It also helps for the healthy growth of bones and teeth in your baby. In addition, it also improves your body’s ability to absorb iron.

A course of water aerobics classes has been shown to reduce the amount of pain-killing medication women request during labor.

Research has shown that, as well as being safe, the gentle exercise has the benefit of making it easier to give birth.

Rosa Pereira led a team of researchers from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Sao Paulo, Brazil who investigated the effects of the aquarobics class on a group of 71 expectant mothers.

About half of the women were randomly allocated to attend three 50-minute sessions a week over the course of their pregnancy, the others did not take part in the water aerobics.

According to Pereira, “We found no statistically significant differences in the duration of labor or the type of delivery between the two groups. However, only 27% of women in the aquarobics group requested analgesia, compared to 65% in the control group. This represents a 58% reduction in requests.”

Exercise during pregnancy has been the subject of much debate, the main concern being that it may interfere with fetal/placental demands, increasing the risk of abnormalities or compromising fetal development or growth.

The researchers found that there was no harmful effect on the cardiovascular health of the women who practiced water aerobics.

For many years, Lamaze method has been related to a particular type of breathing during the labor process.

This method is developed by Dr. Ferdinand Lamaze. Around 1950s, most of the American women had begun using this technique.

From then, the Lamaze method has developed from birthing method to birthing philosophy.

Basic principles behind Lamaze philosophy include:

• Birth is natural, normal and healthy.
• Birthing experience profoundly affects women and also their families.
• Every woman has the rights for giving birth free from usual medical interventions.
• The confidence level and the ability of giving birth in every woman is either improved or diminished by the practitioner and birth place.
• Inner wisdom of every woman guides through birth.
• Birthing process can take place safely at homes and birthing centers.

According to the above principles, one can understand that the Lamaze classes are not just about breathing; instead they help you to feel confident in your natural ability of giving birth.

The practitioners of Lamaze method help to learn all about birthing process. The practitioners believe that through this awareness, you can better able to make informed choices about your baby’s birth so that you will become an active member of the labor process.

Women and girls who’ve had an unplanned pregnancy in the past are at risk of future

Researchers found that of 542 women and teenage girls enrolled in a study to encourage contraceptive use, those with a history of unplanned pregnancy were twice as likely as other women to have another unplanned pregnancy over the next two years.

Age and education emerged as the strongest risk factors for an unplanned pregnancy; teenagers were three times more likely than women older than 24 to have an unintended pregnancy, and women with less than a high school education had a similarly elevated risk.

But even with those and other factors considered, a history of unplanned pregnancy remained linked to a heightened risk of future ones, the researchers report in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

About half of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, a figure that represents a “serious public health concern,” write the researchers, led by Lindsay M. Kuroki of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

For example, they note, compared with other pregnant women, those with unintended pregnancies are less likely to get early prenatal care and more likely to smoke, drink or use drugs. As a result, their babies are at greater risk of problems like low birthweight and prematurity.

Women who get pregnant after weight-loss surgery tend to be healthier and less likely to deliver a baby born with complications compared to obese women, researchers said.

An obese woman who has weight-loss, or bariatric, surgery also may increase her chances of getting pregnant in the first place by normalizing her menstrual cycles and hormone levels, the researchers found.

Obese women are more likely to have difficulty getting pregnant, but after the surgery “there is some suggestion of increased fertility,” Dr. Melinda Maggard, a surgeon and researcher at the Rand Corp think tank in Santa Monica, California, said in a telephone interview.

Bariatric surgery alters the digestive system’s anatomy and reduces the volume of food that can be eaten and digested.

The most common form is gastric bypass, which makes the stomach smaller and permits food to bypass part of the small intestine.

While losing weight naturally is preferable, weight-loss surgery does reduce the risks of pregnancy-related problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure that can harm the mother and her newborn, said the RAND researchers who analyzed data from 75 earlier studies.

By this time, you enter into the phase where any indication or pain can be the labor pains.

So, from this week onwards, you should be very careful in each and every thing that is happening with you.

There are some changes that take place in you and your baby during this week.

What are the physical changes that occur in your body during pregnancy week 32?

You must be very careful about lightheadedness during these last weeks of pregnancy.

Your blood tends to pool in your lower limbs thus resulting in low cranial blood pressure. So, it is better to watch out for the head conditions and get up for small walk after sitting for prolonged periods.

Are you beginning to waddle? Relaxin is the pregnancy hormone, mainly responsible for the softening of hip joints that make you to move differently. Large uterus does not support your walk and it discards your posture and causes you to have swayback look.

During this period, you should be aware of some potential complications such as placenta previa. This is a very serious condition, but it is most common in pregnant women who have more than one child. In this condition, the placenta blocks or slightly blocks the cervix.

Most of the pregnant women experience heartburn at some point or other during their entire pregnancy period.

Heartburn during pregnancy takes place due to number of reasons like increased levels of body hormones, poor diet and many more.

However, it is quite possible to avoid it during pregnancy. Just follow these simple tips.

1. Avoid foods that trigger heartburn. These foods include citrus fruits, tomatoes, mint products, spicy foods, fatty and fried foods and also chocolate.
2. Don’t rush to complete your meals faster. Chew thoroughly and take your own time to eat food.
3. Smaller and frequent meals are highly recommended during pregnancy. It can help your stomach to feel full and also prevents heartburn.
4. Drink a glass of milk after having meals because calcium has amazing soothing properties and potentially prevent heartburn after eating meals, particularly at nights.
5. Alcohol should be completely avoided at all costs, as it is very harmful for you and also for your unborn baby as well. It also leads to heartburn and potentially puts at various health risks.
6. Avoid tightly fitted clothes and prefer loose clothes.

When you are pregnant, physical fitness is essential for your body and mind, but you should be very careful that you will not cross the limit.

Physical activity and exercises makes your delivery easier and also makes child care less tiring for you.

However there are some restrictions that you have to follow during pregnancy. Some of the most common physical activities that you should avoid include

Don’t start new exercise routine

Usually for pregnant women, it is not recommended to begin new exercise routine, particularly during first trimester because overheating of body can have effect on fetus development.

Avoid activities that cause physical harm

Any type of physical activity that can possibly put you at risk of physical harm is not recommended. Skiing, horseback riding, kayaking and all other extreme sports are obvious no’s for pregnant women.

Avoid activities that involve high altitudes

Activities such as mountain climbing, skydiving, rock climbing, etc involve high altitudes and they should be essentially avoided by pregnant women.

This is because of the reason that high altitudes alters the oxygen level in your body and possibly triggers premature child birth.

Stay away from rides at fairs

Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who gain more than the Institute of Medicine-recommended amount of weight are at increased risk for undesirable outcomes, including preterm delivery and cesarean delivery, research shows.

These women are also more likely to require medical therapy to control their diabetes.

A “paucity” of information exists about the association between pregnancy weight gain and outcome in women with GDM, diabetes that develops during pregnancy and resolves after delivery, the study team notes in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

To investigate, Dr. Yvonne W. Cheng, from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues performed a study in which they reviewed the medical records of 31,074 women with GDM and single pregnancies.

The women were enrolled in the Sweet Success California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program, which provides comprehensive educational, nutritional, psychosocial, and medical services offered by a multidisciplinary team.

One third of the women had weight gain below the IOM guidelines, based on their prepregnancy weight; one third gained weight within the guidelines, and the remaining third gained weight above the guidelines.

According to Cheng and colleagues, the women who exceeded the recommended weight gain, were more likely to have a primary cesarean delivery compared with the women in the other two groups.