There are many things that you can do to improve your diet and ensure that you gain a minimal but healthy amount of weight during pregnancy.

Choosing the right foods is important because you will be able to loose weight more quickly after delivery if you manage your diet during pregnancy.

So here is what you need to do during pregnancy to ensure weight loss success after you have your baby:

Tip #1
Choose whole foods. Whole foods are foods that are dense in nutrients. Think wild rice, whole grains, and unprocessed foods. Whole foods don’t include waffles and pancakes!

Tip #2
Add calories during the second trimester. Eating for two doesn’t literally mean eating for two. In fact during your first trimester your baby is about the size of a small bean! Most women don’t actually need to start adding 300 calories a day to their diet until the second and third trimesters.

Tip #3
Be sure you get a serving of protein, carbohydrate and fat at every meal. It will help you if you break your meals into six mini meals per day. This will help rev up your metabolism. Next be sure that you eat some protein, carbohydrate and fat at each mini meal session. This will help nourish your body more completely and help prevent cravings later in the day.

Tip #4
Choose foods high in fiber. High fiber foods will help fill you up when you are ravenous during pregnancy, and they will also help relieve constipation and help you feel great! A high fiber diet is good for anyone, whether or not they are pregnant.

Tip #5
Drink extra water. You’ll be thirstier than normal anyway during pregnancy. Drinking water helps flush toxins from your system and helps prevent excessive edema. Believe it or not you can actually fight weight gain associated with edema if you drink more water!

Remember that pregnancy is a short period of time in the long journey that is your life. You should enjoy every moment of it. By following the tips above, you can gain the right amount of weight and feel great throughout your pregnancy.

About the Author
Article by Beverley Brooke, author of How To Ensure A Safe, Healthy Pregnancy And Lose Weight After Pregnancy. Visit her site for more on www.pregnancy-weight-loss.com.

There are two things that make acne in pregnancy more prevalent. One is the increase of the hormone progesterone, and the other is the mother’s level of hydration. Not only does progesterone smooth the muscles of the uterus, which can lead to heartburn, but it also causes the secretions from your skin glands to increase, which leads to the increase in acne.

Staying hydrated in pregnancy is important, but as for everyone, it is recommended to a pregnant woman to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. More if possible. The water rehydrates the body including the skin, and it also softens the other effects of progesterone in your body, like helping with constipation and helping your uterus relax.

There is no cure for pregnancy acne and very little you can do about it besides taking steps to prevent secondary infection. You don’t want to scratch or pick at your face as it could lead to scarring. Try to wear little or no makeup in an effort to not clog the pores and wash your face well every morning and night.

Some OB/GYNs will provide prescriptions for a cream to use while pregnant. Others will refer you to a dermatologist. When this is the case, your dermatologist should work closely with your doctor to assure that they are prescribing you medication that is safe for you to take during your pregnancy.

While minor nosebleeds are harmless, they can be embarrassing and often happen at the most inconvenient times. When pregnant, a woman has an increased amount of blood running through her body. Her blood vessels are more sensitive and the vessels in the nose expand. When the air is dry and the nostrils dry out, the veins are vulnerable and often a nose bleed occurs.

How to Stop One
If you get a nose bleed while pregnant, you should first attempt to stop it in the same way you would a normal nosebleed. Apply pressure to the nostril for at least 10 minutes with your head tilted forward and above your heart. You can also try putting ice in the area to help the veins close up. If after 10 minutes your nose bleed does not stop, talk to your doctor to see if there is something else you can do.

How to Prevent a Nose Bleed

• Drink plenty of fluids. Keeping your body hydrated will also help keep your nose from drying out – dehydration can cause the veins to break and a nose bleed to begin.

 

• Blow gently. If you must blow your nose, blow it easily. Blowing too hard can put extra pressure on the veins and cause them to burst.
• Use a humidifier. If the air is dry around you, try getting a humidifier to run in your home and bedroom. Keeping the air moist will prevent nosebleeds.
• Lubricate your nose. You can use a nasal lubricant to help keep your nostrils moist, but stay away from nasal sprays and decongestants as they can further dry out your nose.

Why do some women have loose stools? In most pregnancies, women will experience times of both constipation and diarrhea. Loose stools are obviously easier to tolerate, considering the condition doesn’t cause pain and hemorrhoids or lead to hours sitting on the toilet trying to get relief.

Loose stools in pregnancy can symbolize different things at different times. During early pregnancy, it can be a sign you are pregnant, as your uterus starts to grow and pushes out the waste. It can also be caused by your prenatal vitamin, just as constipation can be caused by the prenatal vitamin. All pregnancies and women are different.

Loose stools after the 37th week of pregnancy can signify the onset of labor. As your baby shifts and begins to drop, taking pressure off of your intestines and colon, you may begin experiencing diarrhea. It doesn’t mean labor will start that day, but it is a good sign that labor will start soon!

Some people even complain of smelly stools while pregnant. This can be caused by hormone changes and the food you eat, but it might also be caused by a virus. If you have smelly stools you should talk to your doctor. Likewise, while some women will have diarrhea throughout their entire pregnancies, if you are bothered by it, bring it up to your care provider and see if they have any options for you.

Linea negra is more commonly found in women who already have darker skin pigmentation. It is caused by an increased production of the pigment melanin during pregnancy. Prior to a dark line, some women might see a lighter, white line called “linea alba”.

Linea negra normally starts appearing during the second trimester, and may last for several months after your baby is born. For some women the line will never completely go away. Some doctors believe that there may be a connection between a woman’s insulin level and her getting linea negra, or even not getting enough folic acid.

Linea negra has a myth associated with it as well. It is an oldwives’ tale that if the linea negra stops at the belly button, the woman is having a girl, and if it goes all the way to the bottom of the rib cage then the woman is having a boy.

There is no danger to mom or baby from the linea negra; however it does bother some women. There are a few things you can do to help reduce the color and site of the line.

• Stay out of the sun
• Increase your intake of folic acid
• Try using makeup to cover up the line

When a woman gets pregnant, her placenta starts producing more of the hormone progesterone than what she normally has in her body. The progesterone coats the lining of her uterus, helping the muscles in the uterus relax in order to carry the baby. It also however, relaxes the valve between the stomach and esophagus that is intended to keep food and stomach acids down in the stomach. When this spincter muscle is relaxed, it allows the acid from the stomach to travel back up the esophagus, causing heartburn. This can also be called acid reflux.

Later during pregnancy, as your baby gets bigger and he starts pushing more on your organs, his position is likely to make the heartburn even worse! There are several things you can do to help ease the reoccurrence and discomfort of heartburn.

1. Try to stay away from foods that cause problems in the first place. These foods can include caffeine, chocolate, carbonated beverages like soda, citrus fruits such as oranges, and highly seasoned or fatty/fried foods.

    

2. Try not to eat large meals only once or twice a day. Your body needs time to digest little amounts of food in order to help keep the heartburn from starting. Eat small amounts several times a day.

    

3. Try not to eat and then go straight to bed. Take your last meal several hours before bedtime so that your food has time to digest while you are sitting up. This will lessen the chance of the acid travelling back up your esophagus when you lay down.

    

4. Don’t wear tight clothing that presses down on your belly. Keep it comfortable and loose so that you don’t have the extra pressure on the baby which can put extra pressure on your stomach and contribute to heartburn.

    

5. You should not be drinking alcohol and smoking during pregnancy anyway, but if you are, stop! Alcohol and smoking can cause heartburn on their own.

    

6. There are over the counter antacids that you might be able to take, but be sure to ask your doctor or midwife before you take them, to make sure they are safe for you in your pregnancy.

Remember, every pregnancy is different. Some women may never experience heartburn; others may find that they have terrible heartburn caused by foods they are eating that are not in this list. If you are unable to find relief, be sure to check with your health care provider as they may have a suggestion for you that will relieve your heartburn once and for all.

Early in pregnancy, constipation is caused by a change in your hormones which can make your digestive system sluggish and often uncooperative. Later in pregnancy, the constipation can be aided by the increased size of your uterus and the baby pushing down on the intestines and inner organs, not allowing as much room for food to pass.

What You Can Do
There are several things you can do to help ease or prevent the occurrence of constipation.

• Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated has been proven to help keep your system regulated, both while pregnant and not pregnant. Doctors recommend that both pregnant and unpregnant women drink at least eight glasses of water a day. 
• Get more fiber. Fiber in your diet will help your bowel movements remain loose and regular. You can get fiber in fruits and vegetables, as well as grains. If you don’t feel like you are getting enough fiber, ask your doctor about taking a fiber supplement. 
• Watch the calcium. Too much calcium while pregnant can cause your bowels to harden and lead to constipation. Try to avoid eating more than the recommended amount of dairy foods. 
• Keep active. Exercise can help keep your system regulated. Keep up a walking routine, swim if you can, or lift some light weights if your doctor says it is safe.

If you are trying all this and the constipation still is not letting up, ask your doctor or midwife about the possibility of taking extra supplements or laxatives. There may be additional remedies that your provider can recommend to help bring you relief.

The toughest bit of the 1st trimester of pregnancy is morning sickness and any woman who has gone through or is going through it, knows the first signs usually develop during the month following the first missed menstrual period, when hormone levels increase. It may range from mild, occasional nausea to severe, continuous, debilitating nausea with bouts of vomiting. In most cases, symptoms may be worse in morning, albeit they can strike day or night.

Despite all advances in medicine, there is no way of predicting how long your morning sickness will last even if you have suffered it before. Generally, nausea and vomiting last till about 12 – 13 weeks of pregnancy. However, some women continue to feel ill beyond their 22nd week as well.

However, some studies show that mild to moderate sickness is a sign of a good pregnancy, and less risk of miscarriage.

There is no simple treatment. The best course of action is home treatment. The following tips work wonders not only when you wake up feeling nauseous but also work when you get that queasy feeling during the day.

Changing what, when and how much you eat coupled with certain changes to the way foods cooked helps.

During morning or for that matter all day sickness, you may find that eating five or six small meals, rather than the usual three large ones, is easier on the body. Make sure each meal contains some protein and carbohydrate, like whole wheat bread with grated cheese and a slice of tomato, rice or wheat preparation with some easily digestible / light cereals, orange juice and a whole wheat biscuit. Be creative; choose low fat health foods you know will tempt your appetite. Aversions to food because of nausea are perfectly normal and understandable.

Try not to miss meals

Eat small, dry snacks.

Don’t jump up out of bed immediately. Lie quietly for a while and ask you husband to bring you a slice of fresh lemon or orange or a dry, bland biscuit.

Avoid large drinks, have frequent small one between meals.

Spicy, fried foods, and fatty foods like very rich sweets, are best avoided.

Avoid excessive consumption of pickles or chutney, which is rich in salt.

Don’t spend much time in the kitchen and avoid the strong smell of certain foods when shopping.

Prepare food when feeling least nauseous.

Taking lemon or orange juice in the morning and before meals relieves nausea of early pregnancy.

Suck an ice cube till the nausea passes off.

Sip on cool water.

However, if you have severe, persistent nausea and vomiting, see your doctor. This not so common complication of pregnancy can lead to dehydration and malnutrition, sometimes calling for prescribed medication and in some cases even hospitalization. Although drugs are best avoided in pregnancy, especially in the early months, there are some that have been in use for many years with no apparent danger to the developing baby.

About the Author
Ashely Farrar also writes on Home Remedy for Kidney Stone. More info: http://www.symptoms-kidney-stones-treatments.com.

One of the biggest signals of being pregnant is that awful feeling of morning sickness. How can you describe it? Unless you have been pregnant, it’s impossible for anyone else to really know how if feels. Doctors describe morning sickness as that nauseated feeling a pregnant woman gets during her first trimester of pregnancy. While that is kind of a vague definition, it’s true that many women experience morning sickness for their entire pregnancy, while others rarely have it at all. Some women will actually experience morning sickness in the morning, but the term “morning sickness” is a misnomer, as some women experience it during the afternoon as well as in the evening hours.

There is really no single cause for it, but physicians have concluded that there are a number of things that can contribute to morning sickness which include increasing hormone levels, sensitivity to odors and the enhanced sense of smell and a sensitized gastrointestinal tract. There are also other reasons why a woman may have morning sickness. Some of these include a pregnancy that involves twins or triplets, if the woman has had morning sickness with a previous pregnancy, and if the woman is susceptible to motion sickness or suffers from migraine headaches prior to becoming pregnant.

Since it is a widespread, common problem in pregnancy, there has been much research and study conducted related on how to best alleviate it. While there certainly isn’t a cure for morning sickness, there are ways in which it can be managed. Some of these are avoiding foods whose scents cause nausea, avoiding fatty foods, eating many small meals instead of three regular sized ones throughout the day, taking prenatal vitamins with food, drinking plenty of fluids between meals, and taking regular naps, which will allow the body to rest.

Although there is no medical backing for such things, ginger and peppermint seem to alleviate nausea and morning sickness for some women. Other alternative remedies that have been handed down from generation to generation as ways to quell morning sickness include bananas, vitamin B, cloves, cola syrup, honey, ice, lemons and red raspberry leaf tea. Before using any of these remedies, it is wise to first check with ones physician. There are also acupressure bands available that are worn on the wrist over a pressure point that sometimes alleviate morning sickness. If one has tried all of the aforementioned and there appears to be no relief in site, a physician may be able to prescribe an anti-nausea medication that will help. There are many types of these prescription medications available that are safe to use during pregnancy that will offer relief from morning sickness.

It may or may not occur with pregnancy, but if it does, there are numerous ways to manage it. The physician will be able to offer advice concerning this symptom that is a nuisance for so many pregnant women, and who knows, maybe in the near future the medical community will come up with a cure for it. But for now, try not to let morning sickness keep you down.

About the Author
You can find out more about Morning Sickness as well as much more information on women’s issues at http://www.surviving-pregnancy.infofroma-z.com.

How fast you lose weight will depend on a number of factors, including the amount of weight you gained during your pregnancy.

Most women will lose anywhere from 10-14 pounds within the first 2 weeks of delivery. This weight may be attributed primarily to the loss of excess fluid in the body, the baby’s weight, the placenta and amniotic fluid. Some women might lose a little bit less, and others might lose a little bit more.

As the uterus shrinks back down to its normal size and your hormone levels continue to fall, you will lose weight. Most women gain at least 7 pounds of fat during pregnancy. This fat is meant to help women store energy while breastfeeding. How fast this weight comes off will depend on a number of factors including: genetics, your overall health, diet and exercise.

You should expect that it will take a little bit of time to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy. It did after all take you nine months to put that weight on! Many women have successfully lost weight however, in just a few short months after a delivery.

Some women will hang on to the last few pounds they have to lose until they stop breastfeeding. Your body may want to cling to a few extra pounds to ensure you have enough energy to provide adequate milk for the baby. Every woman’s experience is unique with respect to this.

The good news is that with a solid nutritional program and with moderate exercise, you can expect to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy within a reasonable time frame.

Most women will be back to their pre pregnancy weight within nine months of delivering IF they follow a regular exercise program and eat healthily after delivery. That said some women will lose their pregnancy weight in as little as six to twelve weeks!

About the Author:
Article by Beverley Brooke, author of How To Ensure A Safe, Healthy Pregnancy And Lose Weight After Pregnancy. Visit her site for more on www.pregnancy-weight-loss.com.

Unfortunately, fatigue is part of the postnatal period. Although sleep deprivation is almost inevitable, utter exhaustion is avoidable. Here are a few tips and recommendations on how to manage your energy levels in the weeks and months after childbirth.

While some mothers feel “back on their feet” after just a few days home from the hospital, medical studies show that fatigue generally reaches its peak two to four days after you return home. Many women also go through a slump between the eighth and tenth week after childbirth when the accumulated lack of sleep really begins to cause damage. Only 50 percent of women feel that they have regained their usual energy levels within six weeks postpartum. Twenty-five percent more feel that they are back to normal only after six months. This means that a quarter of new mothers are still suffering from fatigue and low energy more than six months after childbirth. But then, remember also that two-thirds of babies aged six to twelve months, and a third of toddlers have trouble sleeping through the night…

Most mothers find that their biggest problem is lack of sleep. A sleep cycle is made up of four phases, which in total last about 90 minutes. The last phase, deep sleep, when physical recuperation takes place and the immune system works hardest, occurs mostly early in the night. Only after the full sleep cycle is complete can the body go into REM (rapid eye movement) sleep when we dream and process all the mental stimuli accumulated during the day. If a mother is woken during any stage of her sleep cycle, she will go back to its very beginning when she falls back to sleep, thus missing out on precious REM sleep. So even if you are sleeping the same number of total hours within a 24-hour period, you may still suffer from REM sleep deprivation.

Elevated hormone levels are notorious for disturbing sleep during pregnancy. These persist for the first weeks after childbirth. Add in a newborn’s erratic sleep patterns as well as the habits of your older children, and it seems that you can’t escape the burning eyes, chills, hunger for sweets, irritability, lethargy, difficulty in concentrating, and even depression that accompany “sleep debt.”

Fortunately, it takes just two or three nights in a row of uninterrupted sleep to cure these symptoms. Most importantly, fatigue is managed through prevention: by building up energy reserves that can be called upon in times of stress and by never letting yourself become completely exhausted.

Managing your time to make rest your top priority usually means a total reorganization of your normal routine. This must be planned well ahead of your delivery. Building a network of friends and family to whom you can assign tasks (household chores, baby-sitting, shopping/cooking/washing up after a meal) ahead of the baby’s birth is the most important step you can take. The secret to surviving the postnatal period is to delegate, delegate, delegate and to forget about what you cannot delegate.

About the Author:
Sylvia Brown wrote The Post-Pregnancy Handbook: The Only Book that Tells What the First Year After Childbirth is Really All About — Physically, Emotionally, Sexually in response to her own frustration at the lack of comprehensive information for the mother in the weeks and months after childbirth.

Hello my name is Sara and I am the proud Mommie of 2 beautiful boys. I enjoy my job very much. I can say that now with much confidence, but there was a time that I couldn’t. There was a time that I despised being a Mommie. I can remember that just the touch of my children sent me into a rage. This made me feel very sad and empty. Although I had these negative feelings, somewhere deep inside of me I still wanted, with all my heart to be the Mommie I was meant to be to my two little boys. I didn’t know what was going on with me. I read up on Postpartum Depression prior to the birth of my boys but what I was going through did not match up to what I had read.

I thought I would be a little flighty, weepy, and sad, but I also thought that it would go away soon after it came. Another thing I didn’t know is that Postpartum Depression can happen anytime within the first year after the birth of your child. (I didn’t experience postpartum depression with my second child until about 3months postpartum.)

Many people, like myself, think they know what postpartum depression is but, unless you have lived it, you will never know. Most women experience the “baby blues” which is crying and a little mood swings. They usually occur anywhere between 3 days to 2 weeks after she has the baby. It soon subsides and she starts to feel like herself again.

Postpartum Depression is something completely different. It is like a deep hole that you sink into and can’t get out of. It is feeling like you are unworthy to be a mom or to be alive. It is feeling like everything you say and do is wrong. It is not being able to care for your hygiene needs or the needs of your baby. It is not being able to get out of bed in the morning; the afternoon, the evening, and pretty soon, you’re just not getting out of bed. It is thinking that your children/husband/partner will be better off without you in their life. It is wishing you did not have this baby to care for. It is feeling like running away. It is angry outbursts and loving caresses. It is not wanting to hold the baby, hear the baby, or love the baby.

Sometimes it is intense fear of going outside, paranoia, or fearing someone is trying to take your child away from you. It could also be overly obsessing over the cleanliness and health of you and your child, to the point where you do not feed or care for the both of you properly.

Sometimes someone may look like a “together” Mommie, doing all the “things” she is supposed to be doing, but on the inside she is a wreck about to explode. All of these and more go on inside the head of a Mommie experiencing Postpartum Depression. More than likely, she is not aware of these feelings or does not completely understand what is going on inside of her. Is it normal? Should she tell someone? What if they think she is crazy? Or worse, What if they think she is a bad Mommie and take her baby away?

It is wise to note that PPD can happen anywhere from 3 days after the baby is born to 1 year postpartum. A mom can do well for the first 5 or 6 months postpartum and fall into a deep depression. Also, if you have had PPD with previous pregnancies, there is a chance that you will have it in subsequent pregnancies. Make sure you let your care provider know if you have had PPD in the past and they can curtail the symptoms before they cause deep depression. There are medications available today that are safe to take while breastfeeding. So don’t let that keep you from taking care of you. After all, if you take care of you, you’ll be able to care for your baby!

Although this is a dark place, with help, the time you are in the “hole” is lessened with medication and talk therapy things can and will get better. PPD affects a lot more women than most are willing to admit. It is very normal. It is a sickness and needs to be treated right away at the first signs. For a preliminary test to see if you are risk for Postpartum Depression, visit http://postpartumstress.com/ppd_risk__assessment_during.html

It is also helpful for husbands/partners to read the questions because sometimes it is they who recognize the signs first. Contact your doctor or therapist when you feel these symptoms. Sometimes all you need is talk therapy and a support group. Other times medicine may be necessary to get your hormones to balance out. For help online go to http://www.ppdsupportpage.com

Another illness likely to appear after the birth of the baby is Postpartum Psychosis. (Andrea Yates is the most recent publicized case of Postpartum Psychosis recognizable by most American.) This is a very dangerous disorder. It can occur from 3 days to about 2 weeks postpartum. Its symptoms include paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU GET THE MOTHER TO A DOCTOR OR AN EMERGENCY ROOM. This is nothing to take lightly. She could harm herself or others, including her children.

Having said all this, I would like to add, that PPD is very treatable. The sooner it is noticed and treated the sooner the mom will feel better. You can get past it. You can see the light at the end of the “hole” and you can get out. I am an example of this.

One more thing before I close, most women, about 80%, have baby blues and they go away within 2 – 3 weeks. Some even experience a heightened time of awareness and clearness. They feel Good and Happy with Mommiehood.

Something that you may want to keep in mind when preparing for the birth of your child is a Postpartum Doula. What is a Postpartum Doula you may be asking? Well, it is someone specially trained to support, encourage, and educate the Mommie during her postpartum period. You can check out the National association of Postpartum Care Services NAPCS for recommended certified doulas.

A postpartum doula will provide the Mommie with physical support, emotional support and household support. Unlike the Baby nurse, who is there for the babies needs, a Postpartum Doula is there for the Mommie. However, Postpartum Doula’s do not diagnose medical conditions for the Mommie or the baby, but they will refer them to a healthcare provider. Postpartum Doula’s do not take over the care of the baby, but assists the Mommie, in learning to care for her and her baby’s needs. To better understand the differences between the “baby blues”, “Postpartum Depression” and Postpartum Psychosis, visit http://www.geocities.com/mommie_care/defineppd.html where you will find my Definition of Terms.

References for further Study:

Postpartum Education For Parents
Wings of Support
Center for Postpartum Adjustment
Just For Dads
Postpartum Recovery: Things to Know Before You Give Birth
Postpartum Depression and Breastfeeding
Depression After Delivery
California Postpartum Health Alliance
Mood Disorder Questionnaire
Building A Support System

Personal Stories:

Ruth Rhoden Craven (March 9, 1966 – December 5, 1999) – http://www.ppdsupport.org
Karen’s Story – http://www.bcrmh.com/womens_voices/karen.htm

Postpartum Doula’s:

DONA, Doula’s of North America:
CAPPA, Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association

About the Author:
Sara Duggan is the proud Mommie of Noah and Jonah. She is the wife of Terrence, her best friend. She owns MommieCare, a place for Mommies to turn to when they need information or products to enable them be the BEST they can be. She is a Volunteer Doula and plans on opening a Volunteer Postpartum Doula Practice in the Near Future. For more information visit http://www.geocities.com/mommie_care/index2.html – sara@raisingason.com