After a woman’s baby is born the advice you will probably most often hear her give is, “Sleep while you can!”, however this is really easier said than done. Most pregnant women are awakened at least once or twice during the night from the beginning of their pregnancies to a bladder that is calling and just can’t wait till morning. If they are lucky, this will slow down during the second trimester as their body adjusts to the pregnancy and the baby grows.

Unfortunately, the second trimester doesn’t last long enough! Once the third trimester comes, so does the yelling of the bladder, as well as other problems making a good nights sleep become something most pregnant women just dream of.

For the women who sleep on their stomachs or backs when not pregnant, they will find that by the third trimester they will have to find a way to get comfortable in a new position. With a big belly, there is now no way to sleep on your tummy and it gets painful to lie on your back, putting all the weight of your belly on your back. This leaves 2 choices for most women, the right side or the left side. Still getting comfortable isn’t as easy and some might think.

As the belly gets bigger, it also gets heavier. You might try to lay on your right or left side, only to discover that the baby is rolled up on that side of your belly and that he doesn’t like this position. The lack of support to your belly and heaviness of the belly might cause you to have to roll over. Then there is another problem you might encounter. While asleep, laying on one side or the other, the baby might decide to start poking and kicking you on that side waking you up, and making the comfort you finally found go away.

Some women have increased back and leg pain while pregnant which doesn’t help with the night time comfort. One solution that works for many women is easy and cheap. Pillows! You will often see pictures of pregnant women at the end of pregnancy surrounded by pillows as they lay in bed, taking up so much room that sometimes their husband looks very crowded. The most popular places for a pillow are between the knees and under the belly. The pillows help support and prop up the belly and legs so that MAYBE comfort can be found. Sometimes women will put on behind their back as well. Some pregnant women will make use of body pillows during the last weeks of their pregnancy to give their whole body extra support.

Tossing and turning is a sure sign that the end of pregnancy is near. Between the frequent bathroom trips, the comfort level (or lack thereof), and the constant thoughts, questions and worries running through a woman’s head, you might as well give up the idea of an uninterrupted, peaceful nights sleep for at least the next several months.

During the first trimester, especially if you are dealing with morning sickness, you might find that you don’t have any appetite and can go hours without eating. You might find that unless you force yourself to eat, you could go all day and it wouldn’t bother you. This is not healthy as your body needs food for energy to help your baby grow.

The opposite can be true in early pregnancy as well. If you are one of the lucky ones, feeling fantastic and enjoying the pregnancy glow with very little or no morning sickness, you might find that your appetite is huge, or at least, that it is bigger. You may find yourself wanting to eat everything in sight. It is important to watch how much food you eat, especially the amount of sweets as you do not want to gain an unhealthy amount of weight during your pregnancy.

A pregnant woman should eat extra calories during her pregnancy, but contrary to popular belief, she should not “eat for 2” or double the amount of calories that she normally takes in. A woman only needs an extra 300-500 calories a day to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, and most experts say these extra calories aren’t needed until after the first trimester.

As the second trimester begins you may find that your appetite comes back (if you lost it during the first), and that you are more interested in food again. Use this time to eat healthy and gain back any weight you have lost. If you had a large increase in appetite during the first trimester you may find that it normalizes and stabilizes during these 13 weeks.

As you enter the third trimester when your baby will do most of its growing, you are likely to feel an increase in your appetite. Your baby will put on the majority of his weight during these last 13 weeks and your body will need more food to feed your baby. Try to make sure you are making healthy choices, and try to stay away from desserts and sweets as much as possible.

As the end of your pregnancy nears, you may once again see a decrease in your appetite. The baby has gotten so big he is probably pushing on your stomach and not giving it as much room to expand. You may find that you are getting fuller faster, and that certain foods once again do not appeal to you. If this happens try to eat smaller, healthy meals as a way to get the calories and nutrients to your baby, while not making yourself fill up so much that you want to skip meals.

Importance of Tummy Time
Until recent years, doctors used to ok the practice of placing babies on their bellies to sleep. Having so much time on their bellies, babies would learn easily to lift their heads, push themselves up, and roll over. All which are the basics of later actions such as sitting, crawling and standing.

However, when it was discovered that having a baby sleeping on his back reduced the occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in babies, tummy sleeping became a no-no, and tummy time became very popular. It is important that a baby has time on his belly in order to strengthen his neck muscles, and work on the essential developmental milestones. 

Enjoying Tummy Time
Unfortunately, not all babies enjoy tummy time. Many times your baby will cry as soon as you place him on his belly, fighting this time when he is supposed to learn. He won’t embrace the concept of playing, and will instead just want to be held. This time may get frustrating for you as a parent, but it is important to not let your frustrations show.

First, let your baby think it is no big deal. Introduce tummy time as a new game; something fun that your baby can do. Remember that your baby’s attention span is very short, so as soon as he starts fussing, showing he is bored, pick him up cuddle him.

Second, get down on the floor with your baby. You can sit on one side of him, opposite of his face and call to him, encouraging him to turn his head to face you. You can even lie down on your belly next to your baby and talk to him, keeping your face between 8 and 12 inches away so you know he can see you.

Third, applaud when your baby reaches a milestone. Children, even this young, thrive on praise. Whether your baby is lifting and turning his head, or rolling over for the first time, let him know you are proud of his accomplishment.

The best time to start getting your child accustomed to tummy time is when they are first home from the hospital. Before they get too used to any one way of “being”, whether that be in a swing, on their backs, or in your arms. Starting your baby with even 15 minutes of tummy time a day when you bring them home is sure to make both of your lives easier down the road.

Today SIDS is much less prevalant in society than it was 25 years ago. In 1980 1.53 of every 1000 births ended in the death of the baby blamed on SIDS. By 2001 that number was down to just .56 deaths which is great news for parents and doctors like.

Most commonly, a parent would put their baby to bed at night, only to wake up in the morning and check on him, finding him cold and not breathing. This situation is the worst that a parent can find themselves in and often leads to the feeling of anger and self-blame, or in some cases one parent blaming another. That can lead to the demise of relationships which can then hurt other members of the family.

What Causes SIDS? The answer to that question is still being searched out. No one really knows what exactly causes SIDS or how to keep it from occurring. Researchers found a link to babies sleeping on their stomachs and the occurrence of SIDS but other than that, no link links or exact causes have been discovered. There is some evidence that babies who are born premature are at a higher risk for SIDS because they aren’t as strong as babies who are born at term.

Prevention
Why did the numbers go down and how can you prevent SIDS from coming into your home. Once the researchers discovered the link between SIDS and belly sleeping, they began suggesting that babies only be placed to sleep on their backs. It is called the “Back to Sleep” campaign and it gains strength every year. There are other things that can help prevent SIDS.

1. During pregnancy, make sure you get regular medical care helping to avoid the chance of having a premature birth.
2. Stay away from alcohol and drugs during pregnancy.�
3. Avoid pregnancy during the teen years. As a woman gets older the chance that she will have a baby that suffers from SIDS drops drastically. The highest number of SIDS cases happens to teenage moms.�
4. Wait at least a year after you have a baby to get pregnant again.�
5. Always place your baby to sleep on his back.�
6. Make sure your baby has a firm mattress without pillows, comforters, blankets and stuffed animals.�
7. Keep light clothing on your baby and the temperature at a comfortable level to avoid overheating.�
8. Avoid exposing your baby to people who smoke or environments where tobacco smoke is prevalent.�
9. Breastfeed your baby if possible. Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of SIDS.�
10. If your baby was a preemie, exposed to any substances while in the womb, was born to a teenage mother, or had a sibling who died of SIDS, consider getting a monitor that keeps track of your child’s breathing.

If you are concerned about your baby’s health or want more information about SIDS call your pediatrician or mention it at your next well-check.

Now it seems as if scientists have discovered a possible cause of SIDS that involves more than just a baby sleeping on their stomach or back. There are new tests that link a brain abnormality to some babies who have died of SIDS. It involves the part of the brain that controls breathing, arousal and other essential parts of awakening for a baby.

The abnormality is found in the base of the brain stem involving cells that creates the chemical serotonin. Serotonin transmits messages between the brain and nerve cells, and helps to tell the body when to breathe, as well as helping control blood pressure and body temperature. It is thought that when a baby has an abnormality in these cells they are not as quick to respond and it is not as easy to do things like turn their head when they are asleep which is where the increase of SIDS while babies sleep on their belly appears.

It is assumed that when a baby sleeps face down or is covered by blankets that they breathe back in exhaled carbon dioxide that they have just breathed out. Normally this would trigger the nerve cells in the brain stem and stimulate the respiratory and arousal areas of the brain to help the baby turn their head or uncover themselves. When the abnormality is present babies nerves are not triggered and they can then not adjust so that they can breathe clean air. It is thought that too much carbon dioxide in their system causes their little bodies to shut down.

The finding of this new possible cause of SIDS in babies is a huge encouragement to parents and experts around the country. Once a definite cause of SIDS is discovered then it will be possible for tests showing who is at risk to be created and a possible cure to be discovered for this terrible aspect of parenthood. Not having the fear of your baby dying while you sleep would surely help many parents, and babies sleep better and feel more rested in the long run.