Mother & Baby Care » Pregnancy

How will you know that you are going to give birth to twins?

Bina — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:31:03 +0000

It’s possible! Your chances of having twins are about 1in 80. Even so, more twins are being born these days than ever before. It seems that older mothers those over 35 are more likely to have twins than their younger sisters. Number of women who postpone childbearing And the number of women who postpone childbearing until that age definitely has gone up in recent decades. In addition, increased use of fertility drugs has contributed to the higher incidence of twins and other multiple births. These days, in the United States alone, 120 sets of twins are born every day! How will you know. The only way to know for sure if you’re expecting twins is to identify two separate heartbeats. They can be detected by abdominal ultrasound in your fourth month or by vaginal ultrasound as early as seven or eight weeks. Take a double look With twins, your need for calcium is doubly important. An easy way to add more calcium to your diet is by stirring a spoonful of nonfat dry milk powder into creamy soups, sauces, or beverages.

Twins are a double blessing say their mothers. But they do make a pregnancy just a little bit harder. Your weight gain, for example, will be between 35 and 45 pounds rather than the 25 to 35 pounds for a single birth. In addition to the weight of a second fetus, additional blood volume, extra amniotic fluid, and a second placenta add up to still more weight. Your due date may be somewhat fluid. Twins often are born prematurely because their combined weight may speed the onset of labor. Need of optimum nutrition You need optimum nutrition for each of your babies to arrive at a good birth weight. Make sure every single bite you eat is packed with nutrients. Also, because of the squeeze the babies are putting on your stomach, try eating six little meals throughout the day instead of three larger ones. Extra protein and extra calcium without too much additional fat also are important. Be sure to drink fat-free milk, eat reduced-fat cheeses, and buy only the leanest cuts of meat. Lunch on water-packed tuna. Skip the chips and only dream of high-fat ice cream?stick to the lower fat or fat-free versions. Daily vitamin and mineral supplement Consider taking a daily vitamin and mineral supplement. Even a balanced diet may not meet your extraordinary nutritional needs. Your doctor can help you select the right one. Talk to other moms of twins Surf the Internet for a support group. Mothers of twins and other multiples say that being able to talk to women in the same situation is a lifesaver.

The Three Trimesters

Bina — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:26:23 +0000

First Trimester:

Pregnancy is a very exciting and novel experience for any woman. It can bring both anxiety and hope. Generally the period of pregnancy is divided into three broad phases known as the 1^st Trimester, 2^nd Trimester and 3^rd Trimester.

During the 1^st Trimester, normally a pregnant woman goes through certain transformations. Her body changes, but apparently these changes are not concerned with the physical out look of the woman. These changes are mostly happening from the inside. Even by week four it may be too early to notice any bodily changes, but you may start to feel unusually tired and have some tenderness of breasts. Morning sickness and nausea is very common during the first trimester. Your metabolic rate, breathing rate, and heart rate will also increases.

By week six your pregnancy will have been confirmed. So now you need to visit your doctor and do as he/she suggests you. By week nine you should be thinking about antenatal tests. There are several screening and diagnostic tests to detect foetal ???abnormalities, but consider the implications of a positive result. By week 12 the uterus is starting to move out of the pelvis, becoming an abdominal organ, and the heart is pumping extra blood. By the end of the 1^st Trimester, you baby is fully formed, although, at just 6 cm long, there is a lot of growing still to do. Its nails and hair are starting to grow, its jaw has 32 little teeth buds, and it is starting to suck. Internal sex organs have formed.????

The first three months of pregnancy are very crucial, as you are going through physical as well as emotional changes. Therefore this is the time to relax and ??take as much rest as possible. Get enough sleep and pay special attention to your diet. Do not force yourself to exercise at this stage of pregnancy.

Second Trimester:

During the second stage of pregnancy you will be feeling very confident. As now you are fully aware of your pregnancy. By now all the initial problems have lessened. You may glow with joy. Your appetite and energy have returned.

You will start to notice the development of a bump and look pregnant apparently. As the uterus starts to grow rapidly. By week 16 you may be aware of a quickening, the baby?s first tangible movements. These feelings will be obvious by week 20. A couple of weeks later you?ll be able to detect cycles of activity and sleep. Therefore you should have an ultrasound scan at about 19 weeks. Do take care of your back while getting up, bending, and lifting.

Common problems that tend to occur in the second Trimester are heartburn, anaemia, backache, symphsis pubic pain, sciatica, migraine, headaches, constipation, varicose veins, cystitis and depression. But you need not to be worried as these diseases are part of this stage of pregnancy. Therefore it is advised to eat healthy food, which comprises of vitamins and minerals. Your baby takes what it needs from you, so it is important to replenish your own stocks of vital nutrients. You need extra iron to prevent anaemia. Eat both iron-rich foods and sources of vitamin C, which assist iron absorption. You also need to eat plenty of fibre to prevent constipation. Eat several small meals a day to avoid heartburn.

By week 24 you will be gaining 225-450g (1/2-1 lb) a week in weight. This may increase further at week 27 as your baby puts on a growth spurt. The increased weight of the baby together with the softening affect of hormones on joints and ligaments will alter your sense of gravity. And you will also experience backaches and other such pains related to joints.

Third Trimester:

The last 12 weeks of pregnancy are of great importance. This is the period in which you are supposed to prepare yourself for the birth of your baby. During this stage the metabolic rate becomes more efficient in order to provide extra nutrients for the baby and to prepare your body for labour.

You need approximately about 200 extra calories a day and protein requirement will also increase. It is important to drink plenty of water to prevent low energy level and in efficient digestion.

Take rest whenever possible, because while you are resting your muscles around the uterus relax, thus increasing the blood and oxygen supply to your baby. In this period the blood volume increases by 40 percent, pelvic joints expand, breast tissues develop further and the baby grows faster than at any other stage. Therefore plenty of rest will help to alleviate some of the ailments that occur in the third trimester as well as prepare you for the birth.

You are expected to see your doctor every two weeks from 29 weeks and every week from 36 weeks. Keep record of your baby?s movements and if they seem to stop consult your doctor immediately.

The possible ailments during the third trimester are respiratory problems, raised blood pressure, backaches, leg cramps, disturbed sleep, oedema, skin problems, breach baby, carpel tunnel syndrome and anxiety.

You should begin antenatal classes at about week 32. In 57 percent? of pregnancies the baby will turn after week 32 so that it is head-down; a further 25 percent turn after week 36. At any time from then on the head will engage in the pelvis. Engagement is a preparation for labour but it does not mean that the birth is imminent. Some babies do not engage until after labour has begun. By week 37 weight gain will be slowing, although some women may suffer from water retention. By week 38 you will be feeling large and uncomfortable, and Braxton Hicks contractions may be strong and frequent. The baby is ready to be born. Its development has taken 38 weeks from the moment of conception. Forty weeks of pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your last menstrual period. The baby is plump and only just fits inside the uterus. The head will now descend into the lower part of the uterus and press through the softened, partially opened cervix, ready for the birth.

Sleeping Positions During Pregnancy

Bina — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:08:40 +0000

During pregnancy it is best to avoid sleeping on your belly or on your back. As you grow, sleeping on your belly will put obvious pressure on your belly and may lead to complications down the road. Sleeping on your back not only puts a significant amount of pressure on your low back (which can lead to back pain), but also may put pressure on your intestines, and the blood vessels in the surrounding area. In addition to causing or aggravating back pain, sleeping on your back may lead to such things as hemorrhoids, indigestion, poor breathing and circulation and low blood pressure.

The ideal position is to be sleeping on your side (ideally on the left), with the top leg crossed over the bottom leg, and with a pillow between them. This position will allow maximum flow of blood and nutrients to the placenta, while minimizing the amount of pressure on your low back. Though this position may feel a little uncomfortable the first few nights, you will eventually get used to it and will find that you fell better in the mornings.

Stress During Pregnancy can Affect a Child’s Health

Bina — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:06:00 +0000

Seeds of health? are planted even before you draw your first breath, and that the nine short months of life in the womb shape your health as long as you live.” These words of Sharon Begley and William Underhill in a Newsweek article Shaped By Life In The Womb eloquently describe the importance of the gestational period on an individual for his or her life-time. Some scientists now believe that the effect of the life in the womb on emotional and physical health may be greater than that of the genes we inherit. The conditions in the uterus, ranging from mother’s hormones to the nutrients supplied through the placenta, may significantly determine how a baby’s liver, heart, kidneys, brain and mind will function during the adulthood. In the Seventies and the Eighties, we learned that if mothers during pregnancy ingested such substances as the alcohol, cocaine, caffeine, and tobacco, they could harm their babies’ physical and mental health, notably, lower the birth weight, height, and head circumference, and impair attention, memory, intelligence, and temperament. Likewise, we have known for a while that if a mother experiences excessive stress or suffers from an emotional trauma, her baby may be born with certain deficiencies which may persist into adulthood and cause more complications.

In the Nineties, we are beginning to understand how the stress and mother’s emotional state affects her unborn baby. Take, for example, a stress hormone called Cortisol. When we are under stress, we manufacture cortisol. If you experience occasional stress, cortisol doesn’t create a problem. However, if you remain under stress for a long time, cortisol may be too much for your body to handle. Cortisol can cause high blood pressure problems. A mother’s excessive Cortisol can reach the baby in the womb and raise the baby’s set point for blood pressure forever. This baby, when reach adulthood, is likely to suffer from high blood pressure. Many mothers during pregnancy face extremely stressful cir*****stances. They are confronted with such unhealthy situations as the break-up of their marriage, physical or emotional abuse, open infidelity or simply disinterested and uninvolved partners who prefer staying out to staying home and supporting their pregnant partners. These mothers experience constant stress, shame, loneliness and, sometimes, clinical depression during pregnancy or after giving birth. The babies of these mothers are exposed to a variety of stress hormones, toxins and malnutrition inside the womb. Some of these babies will continue to live in the same or often worse noxious environment. No wonder some will later become hyperactive, underactive, inattentive, or temperamental and exhibit poor self-control. Many of these children are later medicated with Ritalin or antidepressants. Not everyone understands that the problems a child exhibits today may have resulted from events that occurred several years ago. Most of the gynecologists and obstetricians I have talked with are psychologically sensitive and recognize when their patients need psychological support. However, when referred for therapy, many feel embarrassed and hardly ever show up for psychological consultation. Their partners or families may not encourage them to seek help because the problem it is not seen as a medical one. Doctors are understandably reluctant to prescribe psychiatric medications because of pregnancy or breast-feeding considerations. Thus, a woman in such a situation suffers alone and remains isolated from her support system. She is expected to transcend all such adverse cir*****stances, and some do. Others don’t have the emotional strengths to cope. Some have struggled with depression and anxiety all their lives. Moreover, even when they are seemingly coping with the excessive stress, they might still be constantly producing stress hormones and toxins and some will reach the baby in the womb. Maternal stress during pregnancy is also found to cause of asymmetry in coordination of ears, fingers, feet, elbows, etc. As a result, I.Qs of such children are found to be lower. Maternal stress is also linked with imperfections in the developing nervous system which can lead to problems of perception, thinking, and memory. All of us want happy children. Happy children grow out of happy babies. Happy babies are born to happy mothers. Therefore, partners, families and friends of expectant mothers should do their best to make an expectant mother happy and relaxed. If she is depressed, nervous, or tense, encourage her to seek help.