[ mammi words ]

There is nothing so well known as that we should not expect something for nothing - but we all do and call it Hope.

~Edgar Howe~

[ tips : 50 tips for a healthy pregnancy ]

• See your practitioner before becoming pregnant.
• Start changing your food habits to include a healthy variety of foods.
• Exercise! Starting now will help you stay in shape during pregnancy, can lower your risk of miscarriage, and has been proven to help reduce labor complications and length.
• Educate yourself!
• Eat a new vegetable you've never tried.
• Check out a book on pregnancy.
• Figure out what to do about chemical birth control, like the birth control pill.
• Stop smoking. There are many programs to help you.
• Take a prenatal vitamin. They can be prescribed by your practitioner or you can buy them over the counter. Ensure it contains 0.4 mg of folic acid.
• Ask your partner to join you on your new healthy habit changes.
• Track your cycles. Learning what you can about your cycles will help determine when you ovulate and when you conceived. These make for more accurate due dates.
• If you need a new practitioner, interview before you become pregnant.
• Ask your friends about pregnancy and parenthood.
• Avoid chemicals that could possibly harm your baby. You can find these at work, in your home, and just about anywhere, be environmentally sensitive.
• See your dentist before you get pregnant and brush your teeth daily.
• Tell any medical professional that you may be pregnant if you are trying to get pregnant. This can prevent exposure to harmful tests and chemicals if you are pregnant and don't know it yet.
• Stop changing cat litter.
• Remember, it can take up to a year to become pregnant. If you have been actively trying for a year or more than six months if you are over 35, see your practitioner.
• Act pregnant. This includes not drinking alcohol, even while trying to conceive. There is no known safe level during pregnancy and alcohol can cause birth defects.
• Announce your pregnancy when you are ready.
• Talk to your parents, what do you want to take from their experiences? How do you want to be different?
• Rest when you can. Nap!
• Start a journal.
• Use non-medicinal remedies for problems like nausea, heartburn, and constipation.
• Drink six - eight eight ounce glasses of water a day.
• Read yet another book!
• Join a prenatal yoga or exercise class.
• Keep your prenatal appointments with your midwife or doctor. This will help ensure that if you have any problems that they are caught early and kept to a minimum.
• Take an early pregnancy class.
• Remember to add 300 - 500 calories a day while pregnant.
• Tour your selection of birth facilities before making a choice if you are not having a home birth.
• Review the signs of premature labor and warnings signs for when to call your practitioner.
• Talk to local doulas and start interviewing. Doulas can help you have a shorter, safer and more satisfying birth.
• Keep a food diary to ensure that you are keeping up with your daily requirements.
• If you are decorating your house or a nursery remember to avoid fumes often associated with paint and wall paper. Perhaps have friends do the heavy work while you help make snacks for them. Keep the windows open!
• Baby sit a friend's baby and learn a bit about caring for a newborn.
• Take a childbirth class. Sign up early to ensure you get the class and dates that you want.
• Swimming is great in late pregnancy. It can help relieve a lot of aches and pains and makes you feel weightless.
• Take a breastfeeding class to help prepare you for the realities of breastfeeding.
• Stretch before bed to help prevent leg cramps.
• Continue to exercise, even if you have to slow down. This will help you recover more quickly.
• Write a birth plan. Something to help you clarify what you want or need for your birth experience. Share this with your practitioners and those you have invited to your birth.
  Have film and cameras ready!
• Practice relaxation whenever you can. Try for at least once a day.
• Do pelvic tilts to help with late pregnancy back pain. It will help relieve your pain and even encourage the baby to assume a good birth position.
• Pack your bags if you are going to a birth center or hospital. Don't forget your insurance cards, pre-registration forms, camera, birth plan, etc.
• Review the signs of labor and warning signs.
• Take a picture of yourself before the baby comes!
• Read birth stories.
• Kiss the baby!

source: pregnancy.about.com

[ getting pregnant : preconceptional planning ]

More than fifty percent of all pregnancies in the USA are unplanned.


This is a scary fact when we know the good that preconceptional planning can do for a baby. So, I thought I would take some time to discuss what constitutes good preconceptional planning.


When you are planning a pregnancy there are many considerations that you must make. These generally fall under two categories: Psychological and Physical Readiness.


Psychological


Having a baby will create a lot of changes in your life. Not only will you lose sleep and spontaneity, your relationships will change with nearly everyone from your partner to your parents and friends. Some of the changes will be for the better, while other relationships will crack and strain, even breaking apart with a new baby. There will also be new friendships that are made. Good communication is a key element in maintaining these relationships.


You will also need to discuss parenting styles. How do you plan to handle raising a child? Child care? Discipline? What did your parents do that was good? What could you change? Do your answers seem compatible with one another?


You will also need to consider things like the costs of raising a baby. Take a look and make adjustments to your insurance, and your wills. What about your living arraignments, will they need to be altered before the baby? Will your transportation be adequate?


Physical


There are many aspects involved in the physical preparations to have a baby. Here they are with a brief explanation:


Physical examination:

This will provide you with the opportunity to discuss your medical history, gauge any chronic health problems and their effects on a pregnancy, medications you are currently on, routine exams for infections, particularly sexually transmitted diseases. You should also discuss your current birth control method. Many methods need to be discontinued at least three months prior to conceiving, like Depo Provera. You may also inquire about genetic counseling if you have a family history or your age indicates the appropriateness.


Weight:

While many people know that being underweight while pregnant can lead to a low birth weight baby, causing serious complications to the newborn. Many people do not know that being obese can have a negative effect on pregnancy as well. Obesity adds to the likelihood of complications occurring and increases the possibility that your baby could have spinal problems.


Nutrition:

Start watching what you eat. This means cutting out the bulk of junk food, and empty calories, including caffeine (which has been linked to birth defects and miscarriage). Begin eating more fruits, vegetables and high protein foods. When you become pregnant this diet can be continued. You will not be eating for two, but eating twice as well.


Drugs and Alcohol:

This does include over-the-counter medications. Check everything before you take it and consult your practitioner. Recreational drugs, alcohol, and other chemicals can harm the sperm and eggs prior to conception, so not only should you avoid these while you are pregnancy, but prior to conceiving as well. Quit before you become pregnant.


Exercise:

Start a program now, even if it is walking everyday. Avoid raising your body temperature over 101 degrees Fahrenheit. A healthy body makes your pregnancy and birth, and recovery much easier.


Smoking & Second hand smoke:

While smoking is never good for you it is even worse during pregnancy, even the second hand or passive smoke. This would increase the likelihood of placental problems, low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and more.


Workplace & Environmental hazards:

If you work in an environment where you are exposed to X-rays, lead dust, chemicals etc. Start taking extra precautions and consider options for moving to a different area.


Vitamins:

Taking a prenatal vitamin is a great idea. Your practitioner can prescribe on or they are available over the counter at most drug or grocery stores. You want to ensure that they contain 0.4 mg of folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects.


The first twelve weeks of pregnancy are very critical periods, preconceptional planning helps make the transition a smooth one.


Good luck with getting pregnant! And have fun!


source: pregnancy.about.com