TRANSMEGA HEALTH: Pregnancy

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Giving Caesarean Section Babies the Immunity they Need

Every mother is concerned for her baby to get the best early start in life. They would buy everything needed for the nursery, from diapers to the best baby bottles to sterilizing and hygiene-promoting things to keep the baby safe from unnecessary sicknesses. Many new parents would spend hours cleaning up the nursery and sanitizing everything. But do you know there is a difference between babies’ susceptibility to diseases and infection based on the mode of delivery?
Science shows that the natural delivery process itself equips the baby with the necessary bacteria exposure to trigger a healthy immune system. If you are sure to deliver your baby normally, you would have no cause for worry. But what do you do if you find out that for some reason or another, you will need to undergo C-section to deliver your baby? After all, cesarean sections are no longer as infrequent as in the days of old. Nowadays, your obstetrician can know before hand whether you will be able to deliver your baby normally, such as measuring pelvic size and baby’s head size, determining the position of the baby in your womb using ultrasounds, as well as by other advancements in technology.
If you find out you will need to deliver your baby via c-section, do not despair. First off, it will not lessen the mother-child bond any more than delivering normally. Secondly, as for your concern about giving him the best immunity boost, there are still things that you can do. While your baby may miss out on the exposure to friendly bacteria that could trigger the strong immunity early in life, which may make him more susceptible to infections and allergies, there is still a way to catch up. Of course, you will not be able to introduce him to bacteria consciously, but understanding what these bacteria do may help you understand what you need to do. The bacteria that normally-delivered babies get in contact with through the mother’s birth canal, known as bifidobacteria, can grow and multiply in the baby’s gut. This is considered the largest organ in the baby’s immune system. This means that his immune system gets stimulated from the presence of these bacteria, which then strengthens his immune system. As such you understand that your goal is not to expose him to bacteria on your own efforts but to find a way to boost his immune system in a safe way.
Research has shown that the best way that c-section babies can get a boost on their immune system is by getting breast milk into their system as soon as possible. You may or may not already have planned on breastfeeding your baby, but if you are a working mom, perhaps understanding its importance will encourage you to stay home longer or at least purchase a breast pump for the time when you would be going back to work. Breast milk has been proven to contain all the necessary nutrients for optimal physical as well as mental development. It is also proven to support the growth of good bacteria in baby’s gut, including bifidobacteria, which is found in the mother’s birth canal, and lactobacilli. Recent research has also shown that breast milk even contains prebiotics, one of the main boasts of top brands of infant formula.
This highlights the importance of breastfeeding C-section babies, particularly during the first six months of their life. This timeframe is considered the most crucial time for the development of a strong immune response. As such, you can give your baby the best boost he needs through breastfeeding. When you breastfeed him, you will let him get the bifidobacteria he needs in order to stir up and train his immune system to be strong. This stronger immune system will definitely do most of the work required to protect your baby from being vulnerable to allergies, respiratory conditions, as well as infections.
Now you can see that preparing for C-section delivery will not only include financial and materials-preparation, but also developing the right mindset towards breastfeeding. Being ready to breastfeed before you actually give birth can spell tremendous difference for your C-section baby’s early healthy start on life. Just know that no matter what happens, your baby will be fine and you can help stimulate his immune system to ensure he enjoys good health as much as possible.

Expecting Twins: Double the Effort, Double the Joy

Nobody can share the joy of the expectant mother, and even more so when she finds out she is carrying twins. One baby is already a great blessing, how much more when you find out that there are two of them inside your growing belly! Of course, once the excitement starts to wear off and reality sinks in, you will most likely find yourself feeling overwhelmed at the task ahead of you: not only will you be taking care of one baby, but two! Surely, the joy is doubled, but so is the effort!
In order to help you prepare for that day when you bring your beloved twins home from the hospital, here are some principles that you need to understand on how to take the best care of your pair of babies:
1. All parenting naturally calls for organization and planning, and this is even more important when you are expecting multiples. For example, if having one baby could allow you to “wing” it for a time, you will most likely have a greater difficulty winging it twice the amount of time. As such, while you are waiting for D-day, it is best to brush up on your childcare knowledge ahead of time and start organizing the nursery for two growing babies.
2. One of the most important things you need to admit when you are expecting a multiple birth is that you need help. Some mothers assume they are up to the challenge of handling two babies on their own. While the desire is admirable, this is hardly ever realistic or practical. If money is an issue and you do not want to pay for outside help, perhaps you can ask a family member or a relative to lend you a hand, particularly over the first few months. This is because you will not be able to rest as the average mother of only one baby can, since you do not know when the other baby would wake up and fall asleep!
3. Breastfeeding is very possible for twins, although it can get much harder if you have triplets. The key is to ready yourself for developing a routine for feeding them, as it would be easier to feed them one after another than at random intervals. This is particularly important because it prevents the possibility of forgetting which baby has been fed and which has not! If breastfeeding both of them every time gets too exhausting, you can opt to rotate breast milk and formula milk in a bottle for your twins.
4. Diapers will definitely be mountain loads when you have twins! As such, you need to plan early on about whether you can afford disposables, or if you have the energy to deal with washables! Thankfully there is a middle ground: you can opt for a diaper service, which allows you to save on disposable diaper cost while also helping you avoid the added strain of washing daily loads of diapers from two growing babies.
5. Sleeping wise, it is even more crucial to get your baby twins into a routine of healthy sleep as soon as possible, because they can very well keep you awake the whole day if there is no routine. You can do this by making sure each one gets a full feeding at each meal, so that they will start falling into a predictable routine. You will not have to worry about their sharing a crib in the first few months, since they will not even wake each other up if they get used to each other’s crying.
6. Remember that each twin is still a separate individual and they may have different preferences. You will surely enjoy getting to know each baby, and when they have grown a few months, be sure you and your husband set a private time to focus on each twin for a personal bonding experience with either of you.
Now that you understand these basic things about what you can expect when you deliver your twins, you will be better equipped to care for them in the best way possible. When you get their routine started early on, it will also translate into greater peace for you as a mother, which means you will be able to give them your full attention. Then you will see that raising twins is not only double the effort but surely double the joy!

Different Feeding Philosophies For Babies

As you are getting closer to D-day, you have probably been reading up on a lot of material, ranging from how to change a diaper to how to breastfeed properly. Among the things that you need to decide before you actually give birth is the kind of feeding philosophy you want to adhere to. This is the perfect time to learn about your options, as if you try to decide when you are already holding your baby, you might already be too pressured or tired to think clearly.
There are numerous philosophies for how a mother takes care of her baby, and the most popular ones include attachment parenting, demand feeding, clock feeding, and parent directed feeding.
Attachment parenting is one philosophy popularized by many baby care experts, and firmly believes that it is the mom’s responsibility to stay as close to the baby as possible. The belief stems from a premise that the baby underwent some sort of trauma when he left the womb, and as such the mother is recommended to recreate the womb environment as much as possible.
This includes using a carrying sling to carry the baby wherever the mom goes in order to give the baby a similar environment to the womb. The mother also typically sleeps with the baby and is never allowed to leave the baby with any other caregiver. This is a faulty premise, because after all, the baby came out at the time when he was designed to leave the womb, so it does not make sense to make everything similar to the womb. Also, mom and baby will most likely benefit much more if the mom is given some time to rest.
Highly connected to attachment parenting is demand feeding, which means that every time the baby cries, the mother is required to nurse him. The extreme is that she has to do this regardless of whether the baby is actually hungry or is crying for something totally different. As a result, the mother typically gets exhausted beyond measure, which also results in a poor milk flow.
Clock feeding on the other hand is much more mechanical. The mother usually sets a time in which to feed the baby, such as every two hours. While this gives some routine to the mom and baby, it does not always meet the right needs of the baby as well, which is crucial especially for the first few months of life.
Parent directed feeding is considered the compromise between the two. Although there is some routine designed, the mom takes into account the child’s actual needs and then decides the best route to take. For example, if the baby is crying, the mom may learn that he only needs to have his diaper changed. Perhaps the baby only wants to be held.
When that kind of consideration is thought out, the parent decides when the feeding takes place. Also, the mom aims for a full feeding every time so that the baby is full at every meal, which results in a more predictable routine. This kind of feeding assumes that the baby does not know better and the mom knows best for the baby. Under this philosophy, not only feeding is parent-directed, but basically everything the baby undergoes will be guided by the parent as the child is still unable to make decisions for himself.
These main philosophies will form the basic framework of how you will be dealing with your baby after delivery. You can pick which one seems to be most reasonable to you and which one suits your lifestyle best. But based on numerous mothers’ experiences, the parent-directed feeding philosophy will most likely result in a more manageable schedule, giving the parent ample time for rest in between feedings versus demand feeding wherein every cry will mean the mom has to nurse the baby.
This is considered crucial, because a mother can only give the best care when she herself is well-rested and can give her best for the baby and for the entire family, too. Remember, as a mother, your health and well-being is very important, too, and should not be compromised. After all, there is a balance that can be struck between taking care of your baby and taking good care of yourself.

Protect Yourself against Gestational Diabetes

Out of ten pregnant women, there are three who are at risk of developing gestational diabetes. This is why it is very important for every female who are having or wants to have children to know about this type of diabetes, its causes and how it can be prevented.
Gestational diabetes can only be acquired during pregnancy. If a pregnant woman is suffering from this disease, it just means that her body is not able to produce the right amount of insulin that a person needs to control blood sugar and prevent it from shooting up. The disease can be passed on to the fetus and may gravely affect its health.
Gestational diabetes is detected during the 24th to 28th week period of pregnancy through what they call an oral glucose tolerance test. It is a diagnostic test wherein the patient is advised to fast from food for four to eight hours to clear the blood. Then, her blood sugar level will be measured to get the normal sugar count.
After this, she will be asked to take a sugar drink, only to be tested again after two hours to detect if there is an abnormal increase in blood sugar level. If the patient registers a blood sugar level of below 140 mg/dl, then she is safe. But if the patient gets a higher count, then she is identified with gestational diabetes.
Women who has a family history of diabetes or who have experienced this disease in prior pregnancies may develop gestational diabetes. Women older than 25 years old and are obese before and during pregnancy is also facing a greater risk of having this disease. Other factors considered are past deliveries of an abnormally big baby or giving birth to a baby with defects. Having excess amniotic fluid may also leave a woman prone to having diabetes. If you are at high risk, have yourself glucose tested as soon as possible.
To consider yourself at low risk, you must be below 25 years old, you must have a normal weight before and during your pregnancy and there must be no cases of diabetes in your family. Your medical history should also be clear from abnormal glucose tolerance and poor pregnancy results.
This disease may not produce any symptoms. However, if you belong to the high risk group, you must watch out for more than the usual feeling of thirst or hunger, increased urination, weakness and recurring urinary tract or vaginal infections.
Keeping your blood sugar levels normal is the main point in preventing gestational diabetes. But, the first step would be is to find out if you belong to the high risk or low risk margin. This will help you and your medical practitioner create a plan in terms of the diet you must undergo, lifestyle changes you must follow and certain medicines you have to take (if there are any).
Regular exercise and eating the right foods are the best ways to achieve a healthy and active lifestyle. Especially for pregnant women, it is not only yourself that you would want to protect from this disease but the innocent one’s life growing inside you. During pregnancy, it will be extremely helpful if you enroll in soon-to-be-moms workout classes or buy instructional DVDs for safe pregnancy exercises. Spending thirty minutes a day thrice a week doing these light to moderate movements will give you energy, help bodily systems work properly, increase your metabolism and can even help you give birth more easily.
Lastly, you are what you eat and following a special diet plan is extremely beneficial for the mother and the growing fetus. There is no standard when it comes to gestational diabetes meal planning. It depends on several factors such as age, weight, eating habits and lifestyle of an individual. Its only aim is for that person to gain maximum nutrition for her condition through a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, meat and other foodstuff rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. It also includes the avoidance of foods with too much sugar, fats and complex carbohydrates.
By knowing and heeding this information, you will have bigger chances of preventing and protecting yourself and your child against gestational diabetes.

Tips to Relieve Pregnancy Back Pain

According to research, there are 70% of pregnant women who experience back pain during their second and third terms. Back pain is just one of the many hardships women have to face while on their way to motherhood. There are several ways to relieve this and the following tips will help support back muscles, strengthen it and soothe it until baby is ready to come out.
First, you must maintain good posture. Usually, a woman’s baby bump alters her gravitational axis from the body. A lot of times, a pregnant woman lets her lower back get into a swayback position where there is an increase in the inward curve resulting to tightness and pain. Maintaining correct posture helps the muscles stretch. When you’ve been slouching all day long and your back hurts, it’s time to stand up and do this simple drill – chin up, shoulders back, stomach in and chest out. Standing with slightly flexed knees will help in giving you the right balance and support.
The second tip is performing lower back extension exercises early in the pregnancy. Since this is a floor exercise, you’ll need an exercise mat for support and comfort. Get on your hands and knees on the floor, bending your elbows slightly while keeping your back straight. Now, stretch your right arm forward with the same level as your shoulder. Then, stretch your left leg backward with the same level as your hips. Make sure that you contract your abdominal muscles while holding this position for 5 seconds, 10-20 repetitions for both arms and feet. This routine works because during pregnancy the abdominal muscles tend to relax causing back muscles to work double time. This pregnancy-safe exercise helps the back muscles become strong enough to carry the additional work passed on by the abdominal muscles.
Next, go swimming. This activity sounds more like a vacation rather than a back pain relief, especially if you plan to go to the beach or water park with your family and friends. Water has the ability to support your entire weight thus allowing you to have a full-body exercise while relieving back and joint pressures. It’s time to change into your cute and sexy maternity bathing suit and swim, float around or perform some water aerobics. This will give your back a much needed “R and R” and your mostly hot-feeling skin a cool down. If you can’t afford a vacation, you can just inquire with your insurance company if you are qualified to enroll at YMCAs or health clubs who offer prenatal swimming classes at a discount price.
Also, a pregnant woman needs to have a sleep environment that helps support her growing body. One of the most common causes of back aches is bad sleeping position. If you are used to sleeping on your back, then you must train yourself to lie on your side during pregnancy. This will help avoid body pains and will also mean a good night’s rest. There are a few things to remember to get this sleeping position right. First, you must lie on your left side and use a not-so-soft pillow to rest your head on which will help align your neck to your spine. To relieve back and pelvic pressure, put a pillow between your legs and use a small pillow to create a cradle for your stomach to prevent its heavy weight from pulling your back forward. Experts say that a wedge-shaped pillow works wonders.
Aside from pillows, you may want to invest on a maternity support belt too especially if you need to stand for long hours at work. Maternity support belts are thick and stretchy bands that are worn under the tummy and around the hips to sustain lax muscles in your abdomen. This simple pregnancy solution is extremely helpful in improving posture and decreasing pressure on the lower back. It comes in different sizes, shapes and features. A simple one is just a single band that you wrap around your hips. The more complicated ones come with a shoulder and breast straps to give the whole of your back a complete relief.
Lastly, engage into regular pregnancy-safe workouts like prenatal aerobics, riding a stationary bike and brisk walking. Doing this will not only strengthen your back and prevent aches and pains; it will also tone and condition your whole body. It will also help you burn some calories and help you maintain a healthy weight gain during pregnancy.

Bed Rest during Pregnancy

Every pregnancy is unique, just as each woman and each baby is unique. Some women breeze through their pregnancy without feeling a thing while others are forced to take a leave off work for some time during pregnancy. If you have just learned you are pregnant, you might be worrying if you would wind up like the former, who can continue with just about any task that any non-pregnant colleague can do, including heavy tasks, or if you would have to stay out of commission for several months. This might be a very difficult thing to imagine for someone who has led an active lifestyle, although of course, no price is too high to pay for keeping the baby safe.
Before you jump to conclusions, though, what are the factors that result in a lady’s being required to undergo bed rest during any trimester of pregnancy?
1. The trimester of pregnancy that a lady is in has a lot to do with the possibility of being required bed rest. Doctors will tell you that the most crucial time is the first trimester, when miscarriage is most possible. The second trimester is considered the most stable, and this is the time that most women who may even have undergone bed rest during the first three months, are allowed to get up on their feet again. Meanwhile, the last trimester, should there be any high risk detected by doctors, are watched carefully in order to prevent the possibility of premature birth.
2. Some women have symptoms so severe that they feel confined to bed even without the doctor’s orders. For example, extreme nausea might keep a lady in bed for most of the day. This typically occurs during the first trimester, but is usually no cause for alarm. As each lady is unique, her reaction to hormones will be entirely different from her friend. If you happen to experience severe nausea or dizziness and are worried if anything is wrong, feel free to consult your obstetrician. Typically, though, as long as there is no spotting or bleeding, it should be fine.
3. Meanwhile, bleeding is the most visible symptom that calls doctors to require bed rest. This may manifest in spotting that ranges from light to heavy. Light spotting typically does not require strict bed rest, although the obstetrician would likely prescribe medication. Some ladies experience spotting that resembles their period, but if the pregnancy test says they are pregnant, they need to have themselves checked by the doctor immediately. If the spotting continues or increases, she will likely prescribe bed rest. An ultrasound may reveal the location of the bleeding, too, and the closer it is to the implanted fetus, the higher the risk involved, and the greater the chances that the doctor will require bed rest.
4. Lifestyle may be part of what determines whether the doctor will implement bed rest. For example, if the lady mainly stays at home and does not necessarily undergo heavy activities during the day, the doctor might not be too worried as to specify bed rest. But if the woman happens to be physically active in terms of her job or overall lifestyle, the doctor might feel it necessary to require strict bed rest.
Overall, being required to undergo bed rest during pregnancy might feel like a bad thing, but in reality, it may be viewed positively. For example, instead of worrying about the risk of losing the baby that required the bed rest, perhaps you can view it as a time when you can take a rest from your busy life and reflect on things. It might also be a good time to catch up on things you might never have had the chance to do, such as reading a good book or watching a favourite movie. For some, it is also a good time to bond with the unborn baby, as the mommy-to-be gets to talk to him or her as they are left at home all alone.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Being pregnant is one of the most anticipated events in a woman’s life. During this stage, the woman should start to think not only of herself but of the baby she is carrying in her womb as well. It is also during this time that the woman’s body becomes very delicate. If you are expecting a baby, you should understand that there are things you used to do that you cannot do anymore now that you are pregnant. There are many cases that women miscarry or give birth to sickly babies simply because they failed to do the things every woman should do during the nine months of her pregnancy. One of these things is living a healthy lifestyle. If you desire to have a healthy pregnancy, then you should give up unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking.
One of the first things you should be doing once you find out that you are pregnant is to have a medical checkup. Set an appointment with a good OB gynecologist and make sure not to miss your monthly visits. A good doctor should check you and your baby’s health condition, and provide you with tips of what and what not to do while you are pregnant. Most of the time, you will be given a list of vitamins that you are to take the whole nine months of your pregnancy to ensure your health and health of your baby. Take note of these vitamins and make sure you take them on a regular basis because they are essential not only for your health but for your baby’s development. According to experts, a pregnant woman should have a varied diet that includes foods rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fat. To ensure your baby’s health, make sure your multivitamins include folic acid/folate, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B1 or thiamine, vitamin C, D, and E.
Aside from a having healthy diet, pregnant women should also take vaccines especially those that help prepare her for giving birth. Such vaccines include the ones for Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Influenza. These vaccines are considered safe and should have no harmful effect to the baby at all. However, pregnant women are advised to avoid vaccines for Hepatitis A, Varicella, Measles, Pneumococcal Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) because they can be potentially transmitted to the baby and may result to birth defects or miscarriage.
Regular physical activity is also advised to women who are pregnant. Not only does exercise help boost the immune system but it also helps ease swellings in body parts such as the lower back and the legs which are commonly affected by your weight during your pregnancy. Since pregnancy is not the right time for weight loss exercise, focus instead on light to moderate exercises such as walking, stretching, and even swimming. These are considered safe exercises and should help improve your cardiovascular health and eliminate stress as well. Meanwhile, avoid high-risk physical activities that involve running and jumping as these forms of exercises can increase the risk for miscarriage.
During your pregnancy stages, it’s normal to experience mood swings as a result of fluctuating hormones. However, you should understand that negative emotions such as depression can affect your baby’s mental development. Too much feelings of stress also carry the same effect to your unborn child. Therefore, see to it that you maintain not just your physical health but your emotional and mental health as well. How do you do that? Surround yourself with people who will understand you and support you during the nine months of your pregnancy. In addition, get as much needed sleep, rest, and exercise to combat stress.
While it can be very exciting, being pregnant can also be risky, that’s why you need all the information you can get to have a healthy pregnancy. However, you should also be careful as from whom you get your information. As much as possible, listen only to experienced professionals, because while there are sincere people who would want to help you, only your personal OB gynecologist should have the final say.

How to Handle Exhaustion after Giving Birth

Exhaustion after giving birth is a very common complaint among new mothers. After delivery, you can hardly expect to get real rest. More possible than not, you will still feel exhausted even several weeks after. This is understandable because your body is still recovering from nine months of carrying a child inside you and the childbirth process itself, not to mention the challenges of taking care of a newborn and the household.
Just to set your expectations, this feeling of physical exhaustion or fatigue can go about for months but there are several factors to consider as to how long it will last. Some of the factors include your ability to cope with your baby’s schedule, your baby’s sleeping habits, the amount of help you’re getting from family or friends and other responsibilities that you have to take care of like your job.
But there are other possible reasons for postpartum fatigue. There is a small line that links it to postnatal depression. Anemia is another possible cause and this would be possible if you were diagnosed as anemic while you were pregnant or you’ve lost too much blood during childbirth.
But if it’s a simple case of exhaustion, then you should know that the best thing you can do at this time is to slow down. You can only do much and you very well know that you don’t have extra energy to handle everything. But, there is no doubt that you can survive all of these without succumbing to postpartum fatigue. There are many simple ways that you can do that will help you recover needed strength to keep you on your toes until your newborn sleeps normally.
First, you have to remember that you are not superwoman – you simply cannot do everything on your own! This is the time to call for help. Work with your team, which is your family. This includes your husband, your other kids, if you have them, your immediate family and close friends. They are the ones you can rely on most during these times and they would be more willing to help than you think. With extra hands, it will be more possible for you to find time for rest while others attend to your baby or your house. You may also ask your husband to help you out with the chores or with the baby when he gets back from work. Making a schedule will help avoid miscommunications or confusion.
Next is you must learn how to prioritize. Of course, your baby should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about less important things and just focus your energy on your child and your fast recovery. There are household chores that can take the backseat for now like cleaning, shopping and even cooking. Instead of cleaning the house everyday, you can opt to cleaning twice a week or just once over the weekend when both you and your husband don’t have work. For your laundry, you can look for laundry shops who offer pick-up and delivery. There are a lot of online shops that sell virtually almost everything from food to diapers and other household needs. Take advantage of these online services that will deliver your orders right at your doorstep. A good shopping tip online is to buy in bulk to save on shipping charge.
Last but not the least, learn how to adjust to your baby’s habits. In other words, you must eat when your baby eats, sleep when baby sleeps and drink at the same time as your baby does. Don’t take baby’s sleeping time as an opportunity for you to finish all the chores in the house. Instead, take this chance to take a rest yourself. You’ll find out that your mind and body will be more energized when you’ve had a quick nap. This same goes for eating well and being well-hydrated with plenty of water. Following these tips will help you get back on your feet in no time and kiss postpartum fatigue goodbye.

Answers to Common Pregnancy Stretch Mark Questions

Besides gaining too much weight, having stretch marks is one of the aftermaths of pregnancy that women wish to avoid. If you are an expectant mother, you might be wondering if there’s a way for you to get exempted from acquiring these ugly marks. Perhaps, you are one of those who are finding some answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about pregnancy stretch marks.
Probably the most commonly asked issue is how you can avoid having stretch marks during pregnancy. But before that question is answered, you may want to ask first: what exactly causes these stretch marks? Studies say that 6 out of 10 pregnant women get stretch marks. This is brought about by genetics, which means developing it runs in the family. Next is rapid or too much weight gain during pregnancy. Ideally, women should acquire less or maximum 35 pounds for the full term through a slow and gradual manner. If not, then quick changes in weight would force the skin to keep up with the growth and result to tears in the skin, which are called “striae”. However, if a woman is bearing large babies or having multiple babies, she is more likely to have stretch marks.
Other causes include skin color wherein fair-skinned women show more development of marks as compared to dark-skinned women. Having dry skin is also vulnerable to pregnancy scratches because of its lack of elasticity. Knowing the causes of stretch marks will help answer the most asked question about pregnancy stretch marks – how to avoid it! But, you have to know that there are no proven ways to prevent this from happening. However, there are certain precautions that you can try so you won’t end up wallowing about what you could have done to avoid it.
First off, you have to keep your skin healthy and moisturized. One of the most popular and experts swear to be very effective in preventing belly marks is cocoa butter. Palmer’s brand of cocoa butter has specially created stretch marks cream and lotions that you can buy at any drugstore. Apply this cream every day after taking a shower on all spots that are prone to stretch marks like the belly, butt, thighs, breasts and hips. You will get better results if you apply the cream using a circular massage motion. It will not just keep the skin moisturized, but it can also relieve the itch and encourage cell reproduction. Most stretch mark creams contain other ingredients as well like collagen and elastin that make the skin more pliable.
A great way to avoid rapid weight gain and somehow prevent striaes from forming is for you to strictly follow a diet plan. Getting the right food and nutrients is important for you and your baby’s health. This will also make sure that you are gaining weight in a safe and gradual manner. If you follow this well, you will have lesser chances of getting belly scratches. In terms of creating a pregnancy meal plan, consult your practitioner or a pregnancy nutrition specialist. Your doctor may also recommend food supplements that will help you gain the right amount of vitamins and minerals that you cannot get alone from the food that you eat. These supplements can also benefit your skin especially Vitamins E, A and essential fatty acids.
There are also a lot of available stretch mark creams in the market today that claim to be effective in keeping the skin smooth and stretch mark-free. But, you might want to know if these creams contain ingredients that are safe for expectant moms. Some of these stretch mark removal creams contain Retin-A but in small amounts that may not be harmful for the baby. But, in any case, consult your physician first before using any of these products.
However, if all these precautions fail and you still end up with stretch marks, there are cosmetic treatments available like non-invasive laser treatments and retinoid creams. You have to remember though that there is no absolute way to fade marks completely. These cosmetic procedures are meant to lessen the appearance but not actually remove the pregnancy marks. They are also quite expensive and needs several sessions for you to get the best results.

Early Signs of Pregnancy

Many couples who are hoping to have a baby will likely react to the very slightest discomfort that they hope might signal that the woman is finally pregnant. Of course, pinpointing pregnancy so early on is typically difficult, as some of the discomfort that the lady feels may be attributed to something other than pregnancy. The following symptoms may be present but they may not necessarily be caused by a pregnancy:
1. Tiredness or fatigue – Extreme tiredness can happen as early as a week following conception. But this is more difficult to use as a gauge because fatigue can be caused by many other things, such as lack of sleep or a general physical exhaustion from a busy week or weeks.
2. Breast tenderness – You may notice your breast starting to feel tender, swollen, or simply more sensitive than usual. Although this also happens just before you get your period, as a sign of pregnancy, it can happen about one to two weeks following conception.
3. Irritability or moodiness – Hormonal changes can cause mood swings that are more pronounced than usual. Of course, you need to remember that you may also feel moody when your period is approaching. As such if this is a symptom of pregnancy it is usually disregarded in the absence of the other symptoms.
4. Headaches – Raised levels of hormones may cause headaches; as such, some women experience headaches early on in a pregnancy. But this symptom is a little too common to attribute directly to a pregnancy, as it can be caused by any myriad of factors.
5. Food cravings – Although cravings are generally joked about around someone who is pregnant, it may not be an accurate gauge of pregnancy minus other confirmation. After all, a woman may just happen to have a mood-directed choice of food, such as yearning for comfort food like ice cream during a particularly depressed moment. Women happen to be among the most emotionally-driven eaters, so this may not be too accurate.
6. Frequent urination – Some women experience a need to empty their bladders more frequently than usual. However, this is usually not noticed as a sign as many women feel it to be too normal a change.
However, there are also early signs that are more definite in telling you that you are indeed pregnant. Among these are:
1. Missing a period – This is typically the main sign that women take before they buy a pregnancy test. Of course, an important thing to remember is that you may also miss your period, if you have it regularly, due to hormonal changes in rare cases, such as if you suddenly lost a lot of weight. It may also happen when you are taking anti-pregnancy pills, as some of them curb the production of egg cells, which eventually result in amenorrhea.
2. Morning sickness or nausea any time of the day – This is the most commonly portrayed symptom for pregnancy in movies and books. This is because you don’t normally undergo this when you are about to have your period, except for severe cases of dysmenorrhea. This can happen at about two to eight weeks following conception as your hormone levels reach higher levels than usual.
3. Implantation bleeding – When the fertilized egg cell is implanted onto the uterus, some women experience implantation bleeding. This typically happens between six to twelve days following conception, and the bleeding is not as pronounced as a period. It is aptly described as spotting.
Although these are typical early signs of pregnancy, with the exception of a missed period, not all women experience them, as every pregnancy is unique. So if you find yourself experiencing most, if not all, of these symptoms, it might be the best time to buy yourself a pregnancy testing kit. If you don’t and yet confirm yourself to be pregnant, do not worry, as these signs are in no way an indication of a healthy pregnancy. In any case, just celebrate the new life growing within you and enjoy every step of the journey as you welcome a new member into your family.

Carrying Multiple Babies During Pregnancy

Finding out you are pregnant is always wonderful news, but can you imagine the joy multiplied when you learn that you are carrying twins or other multiples? Of course, after the initial shock wears off, you might be filled with mixed emotions, from excitement to worry: will you be able to take good care of, not one, but two babies at a time?
These recent years, the occurrence of multiple pregnancies has skyrocketed, largely as many artificial forms of conception have sprouted in the name of science. Some hormonal pills that women take reportedly also ups the chances of getting a multiple pregnancy. What are the things you need to know when you are pregnant with multiples?
1. If it is important for anyone pregnant to be in constant contact with her obstetrician, it becomes doubly important for someone carrying twins. This is because the doctor needs to trace the development of each baby, and she has to make sure that one is not growing at the expense of the other. This is usually why doctors request a pre-natal check-up twice as often for the expectant mom of twins compared to that of an individual baby.
2. Symptoms from pregnancy have the possibility of occurring in multiples, too. For example, morning sickness can be doubled in intensity and frequency, although it still varies from person to person. As such it would be best if you and your husband are warned so neither of you would be surprised at the turn of events.
3. You have to be ready for a premature delivery. Some twins can be delivered full-term, but triplets and higher numbers of multiples are usually delivered prematurely. This also warns you of having to care for, not one, but two, preemies.
4. In addition to preparing yourself for taking care of preemies, you should also prepare for a caesarean section. Some twins can be delivered normally, but others may require a c-section especially if any one twin is in danger. In any case, you need to be ready for that possibility both emotionally and financially.
5. As you get near your due date, be sure to enlist all the help you can get, both in terms of taking care of baby as well as running the household. Even if your husband is very supportive, the two of you still would not have it in you to get everything done. It becomes particularly more complicated if you already have slightly older children.
If you have relatives living nearby, you can ask them to stay with you for the first couple of months. If not, you can check options for laundry services or other household chores, or even hire a stay-in house help, although that might be very expensive. Another option is to check with local organizations such as churches or schools that might have babysitting services available.
6. Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. Having two new babies is indeed a great joy, but it will also be more taxing to you as a mother. It would be best if you and your husband already discuss your options when the babies are born, such as having a weekly night out to unwind from the responsibilities of baby care.
7. In terms of logistics, you also need to prepare for the arrival of two bawling babies with unlimited need for diapers. Before you give birth, you and your husband can discuss the possibility of using disposable diapers or a diaper service, as well as decide where you can get two cribs and two of nearly everything. This may cause a major strain on the family budget, so it would be best if you can borrow some baby furniture from friends and relatives. Also, be ready to delegate other household chores so you would not have the added burden, particularly for the first few months.
Despite these challenges, becoming the parent of multiples is a rewarding and unusual privilege. Rest assured, despite the multiplied exhaustion, the satisfaction will also be multiplied, and you can spend many nights just enjoying your sleeping babies—assuming neither of them wakes up!

TRANSMEGA HEALTH