vendredi 2 novembre 2007

Kegel Exercise For A Healthy Pregnancy

With Kegal exercise, your pregnancy can be more comfortable before, during, and after your baby is born. With the proper kegal exercise, you can strengthen the vaginal muscles and allow for smoother pregnancy. Kegal exercises strengthen your pelvic muscles, which become weakened during childbirth. This could lead to bladder control problems.

To find the correct muscles to target, pretend that you are trying to stop urinating. Squeeze those muscles for a few seconds and then relax. Repeat this every few seconds. It's as simple as that. Nobody even has to know that you're doing them. Just make sure you breathe while doing the kegal exercises.

It's important that you don't overdo your kegel exercise in the first few weeks after birth. Otherwise, you may become very sore. Three sets of ten repetitions per day is probably ideal.
So, What are some other healthy exercises that can be performed during pregnancy? Some of
the best ones are listed below.

Swimming: Many doctors and fitness professionals profess that swimming is the safest exercise for pregnant women. Swimming keeps your body tone without stressing your joints. This is a safe cardiovascular exercise that can help keep you toned throughout your pregnancy.

Walking: Walking is one of the best exercises overall and especially if you are pregnant. It's safe for your body and it can keep you in great shape. Be sure to stretch thoroughly before hand. Set attainable goals and always wear good shoes.

Yoga: Yoga has a reputation for relieving the stress and pressure in your body. Most forms of yoga are safe when you are pregnant as long as you avoid the more rigorous ones. Some Yoga instructors even offer special classes for pregnant women. While doing yoga, avoid lying flat on your back and try not to over stretch.

With proper kegal exercise and safe cardiovascular workouts, you are well on your way to a healthy pregnancy.
About the Author:

GranMamma is the webmaster at the Baby Names Box - http://www.babynamebox.com - Where you can explore thousands of unique and unusual baby names. Read articles on parenting, family, home and gardening. Be sure to say hi to GranMamma!

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mardi 23 octobre 2007

Coping With Stress While Pregnant

Stress affects us everyday at work, at home, and in public places. But when you are pregnant, this stress is no longer affecting just you - it is also affecting your baby.

While there have been many studies concerning the affects of stress on pregnant mothers and their babies, scientists are still unsure how stress affects the development of the baby. But one thing is for sure, however, you should reduce the amount of stress in your life in order to make your pregnancy less painful.

Exercise

If you can, try to exercise a little bit each day.

You can check out low impact exercises that will stretch your muscles, but will not cause your heart rate to increase too quickly. To begin, you might try out low impact exercises like yoga or even tai chi. Both of these exercise routines, will slowly stretch your muscles, without causing your heart rate to rise to fast.

The deep breathing involved with yoga and tai chi will also help you take in more oxygen and prepare you for the challenging breathing during labor.

Taking short walks each day will also help. It is an easy exercise to do, without the need to attend a scheduled, class.

It is a good idea, to ask your doctor before beginning any exercise regimen.

Food

Avoiding foods that are high in caffeine are best when you are pregnant. Your pregnant body and your growing baby are already working hard. Why risk doing any permanent damage?

You should eat foods that are high in folic acid, vitamin B6 and others that will give you and your baby the vitamins and nutrients needed for development. During the first trimester, your baby will develop all of its major organs.

Eating a healthy diet will benefit your baby at this point and throughout your pregnancy.

Breathing Techniques

Slow breathing, stretching, and other relaxation techniques will help you feel less nauseous and will also help keep leg cramps, back pain, and shortness of breath to a minimum.

Reducing stressful situations in your life is also recommended. Possibly, some simple adjustments to your daily routine could make a difference now, and be great habits to start for your mothering days ahead.

Article Source: http://www.kokkada.com


Tom Straub is a successful author and webmaster of the Best Pregnancy Health website featuring online guides on over a dozen pregnancy and childbirth topics.

lundi 22 octobre 2007

Early Pregnancy Symptom - Every Reason To Be Happy

Women have always been confused about early pregnancy symptom. Confusion can lead to complacency, which in turn can lead to a miscarriage. It is a well-known fact that 75% of fetus loss at an early stage of pregnancy occurs, as women do not recognize early pregnancy symptom. Pregnancy can be confirmed at an early stage in many ways. Here are some of them.
Early Pregnancy Symptoms

Fatigue - Owing to hormonal changes in the body of a woman, most women experience fatigue during the first few weeks of pregnancy. It is very difficult to distinguish between fatigue that takes place due to a change in hormone levels and tiredness that is associated with physical exertion. However, one can understand that one is pregnant if fatigue occurs without exertion or too much travel. This is early pregnancy symptom.

Missing A Period - Missing a period is another sign of pregnancy. All women have a period every month if they are not pregnant. If in a particular month a woman misses a period, then it is an obvious early pregnancy symptom. In most cases, this is a sure indication of pregnancy. Missing a period is also sometimes associated with cramping in the legs with a feeling that periods may start anytime. Back pain accompanies cramping in most cases.

Nausea and vomiting - Also known as 'morning sickness', nausea is considered as one of the earliest early pregnancy symptom. Women usually fear it as a bout of food poisoning or an attack of cold! It is also the most annoying symptom of pregnancy. Most women start to experience this very common complaint, after a month of pregnancy. However, morning sickness can attack as early as the first week of conception in some women too.

Frequent Urination - Frequent urination is another annoying early pregnancy symptom. It usually starts soon after conception, due to the reducing size of the urinary bladder, as the uterus grows larger to accommodate the baby. It can also be the result of the release of the pregnancy hormone progesterone, which stimulates the bladder muscles to give a feeling of fullness, which in turn prompts one to urinate more often.

Constipation - This is an irritating sign of pregnancy. Constipation is usually followed with an urge to eat large quantities of sour and spicy food.

Even though you might experience one or all of the early pregnancy symptoms as given above, it is advisable to consult a doctor and take a few pregnancy tests to confirm a pregnancy. One of the first tests to confirm pregnancy is the HCG test of your urine. This test not only confirms pregnancy but is also a signal to remind you that you need to take an appointment with your health care consultant soon. You can take this test conveniently at your office or you can take it at any other time during the day too. Moreover, this test is usually 100% accurate and hence quite dependable to confirm good news.

Article Source: http://www.kokkada.com


Alien writes for Pregnancy signs & symptoms . He also writes for makeup tips and aloe vera

dimanche 21 octobre 2007

How To Prevent And Cure Your Back Pain

Cause:

Intervertebral disc dislodged, bulges and presses on nerve, result of turning, twisting whilst carrying a weight - either your own body weight or and external weight such as a heavy bag..

Prevention:

Bend at knees when lifting. Keep spine straight. Above all, do not turn whilst lifting, especially when your back is bent forwards. Test the weight before lifting. If you feel it is too heavy for you to lift it, don't do it. Get someone to help you lift it.

Strengthening and Rebuilding your Back:

Lie on your back on an exercise mat. Draw your feet inwards by bending your knees at right angles. Gently lift your back off the floor, Hold for 6 counts and lower.

You may not be able to lift much at the beginning, but don't worry. Just tense your back muscles and try lifting.You will gradually be able to lift a little, then a little more until you can pass a tennis ball under your body.

Gradually increase the lift until you can pass a small football under your body.

Always hold for 6 counts only until you are able to hold up to 20 counts without strain. In time you will be able to lift to the maximum height and count up to 30 counts, again without feeling any strain.

When you can do the 30 counts easily and without strain, it is time to lift and lower your back continuously, starting with 3 lifts, then increasing to 30 lifts.

If you do the 30 lifts without resting you can rest assured your back is in good shape. Your back pain will be a thing of the past. Make sure you do your exercises daily.

These exercises will take about 5 to 10 minutes a day, but it will be worth it. If you're busy, do it at least three times a week, and for at least 6 lifts, each for 6 counts.

Do these exercises faithfully and you will be free from back ache.

Please Note:

These exercises are for those who are fit and otherwise healthy and do not suffer from any disease or injury or are unfit to perform any kind of exercise. If in doubt please consult your doctor. These are my person experiences and have given me back my life when I once thought I would be semi cripple all my life.

This is my first article submission. Will submit more articles in various catogories

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Chew

jeudi 18 octobre 2007

Food To Avoid During Pregnancy

Many women have questions about the types of food that are safe to eat during pregnancy. It is actually easier to discuss the types of foods you should avoid during pregnancy than it is do discuss the foods that are safe to eat.

There's a lot of food to avoid during pregnancy because they may be harmful to you or your developing baby.

Food To Avoid During Pregnancy

* Deli and Processed Sandwich Meats – these meats might be contaminated with Listeria, a potentially deadly bacteria that can result in miscarriage or even a stillbirth. While listeria is relatively harmless to most ordinary people, it can be life threatening for your unborn baby. Pregnant women are more susceptible to listeria because of their lowered immune system. If you want to eat deli meats, be sure that you cook them until they are steaming hot, which will help kill any bacteria that might be present.

* Raw meats – much lie deli meats, raw meats should be avoided because they can carry bacteria that are harmful for both mother and baby.

* Certain types of fish – while most fish is healthy, there are certain kinds of fish that contain high levels of mercury, which is harmful for your unborn baby’s brain. Consuming too much mercury during pregnancy can result in developmental problems and even brain damage. The types of fish that contain the highest levels of mercury include: swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tuna, sea bass and tilefish.

* Raw eggs – like raw meat, raw eggs have the potential to carry bacteria, particularly salmonella. Believe it or not raw eggs are in a number of various products including some forms of Caesar dressing, mayonnaise and even ice cream. If you are uncertain about whether or not something you are eating contains raw eggs, avoid it unless you can find out for certain whether or not it is harmful.

* Unpasteurized soft cheeses – some chesses that are imported also have the potential to carry life threatening Listeria if they are not pasteurized. The most common types of cheese that carry this risk include certain forms of Brie, Camembert, feta, Gorgonzola and Mexican cheeses like queso. If these cheeses are pasteurized however they should be safe to consume.

* Unpasteurized milk or juices – remember that any type of milk product or juice that has not been pasteurized has the potential to carry Listeria and other bacteria that may be harmful for you and your baby during pregnancy.

You should also avoid alcohol during your pregnancy. There is no known safe amount of alcohol that can be recommended during pregnancy. There are numerous fetal abnormalities and birth defects as well as developmental problems that have been associated with alcohol use during pregnancy. Alcohol should also be minimized or avoided during breastfeeding, because it can pass through the breast milk.

Article Source: http://www.kokkada.com



Alien writes for Pregnancy tests . He also writes for best cosmetics and women health blog

mercredi 17 octobre 2007

10 Pregnancy Risk Factors That Every Pregnant Woman Should Be Aware Of

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Many factors affect the development of a fetus into a healthy child, some which are beyond your control and others that are within your control. Here are ten of the most common pregnancy risk factors that can be controlled or influenced:

1. Smoking - Smoking is not only bad for you, but bad for your baby as well. Smoking during pregnancy reduces the amount of oxygen that the baby receives and increases the risk of miscarriage, bleeding, and morning sickness. Chemicals inhaled while smoking may lead to other health problems with the baby. Reduced birth weight, premature birth, increased risk of SIDS, and stillbirth are other possible consequences. Pregnant women should also avoid second hand smoke.

2. Alcohol - Drinking can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, including symptoms like low birth weight, medical problems, and behavior abnormalities. As soon as you know you are pregnant, stop drinking. For more detailed information on problems that can be caused by alcohol, visit http://www.nofas.org.

3. Caffeine - There are many conflicting studies about caffeine and pregnancy and some believe that caffeine is not as harmful as it was once thought to be. Nevertheless, the FDA warns against caffeine consumption during pregnancy and suggests quitting or reducing consumption at the very least. Caffeine has been shown to affect fetal heart rates and awake time (fetuses grow when sleeping). Decaffeinated coffee can also be harmful since producers often add additional chemicals to remove the caffeine. Caffeine can also increase risk of stretch marks. Suddenly quitting coffee intake can cause headaches; so most experts recommend gradually reducing the amount consumed.

4. Drugs and Herbal Remedies - Always be careful about drugs or herbal remedies that are not prescribed by a doctor. These substances may affect the development of your unborn child.

5. Nutrition - Good nutrition is crucial to a developing child, particularly getting enough folic acid. Lack of folic acid can cause birth defects. At least 400-1000 micrograms of this B vitamin is suggested (about ten times more if you've already had a child with neural tube birth defects) starting one month before pregnant and throughout the entire pregnancy. Leafy vegetables, orange juice, and beans are some natural sources of folic acid. Many stores sell vitamins with folic acid.

6. Exercise - Moderate exercise is helpful as it improves the mother's mental state and can increase oxygen flow to the fetus. However, over-exertion can be dangerous. Most experts recommend reducing your exercise intensity during pregnancy. Activities like walking, swimming, and yoga are popular for pregnant women.

7. Prenatal Care - Regular doctor visits are important to your baby's development. The body undergoes many changes during pregnancy. Some side effects may be completely normal, whereas other may not. Regular monitoring by a professional will help ensure that your baby will be born healthy.

8. Multiple sex partners - Multiple sex partners can increase risk of STD's, which in turn may lead to birth and pregnancy complications, like low birth weight or premature birth.

9. Exposure to chemicals - During pregnancy, reduce exposure to unnatural chemicals, particularly pesticides in food. Many people now eat organic produce, which is grown without chemicals. The simplest precaution to take before consuming vegetables or fruits is to wash them thoroughly. Also, removing the outer surface of vegetables can be helpful since most pesticides will rest on the outside of the vegetable or fruit.

10. Other factors - Many other factors can affect fetal development, including heart disease, the mother's age (before 15 years and after 35 years is riskier), asthma, excessive stress or depression, diseases, and bleeding. Consult your physician if you are affected by any of these conditions.


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About the Author:

Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mother topics. For baby shower supplies, information, and more baby related articles by this author, visit My Baby Shower Favors (http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com) and for more articles visit Baby shower ideas (http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/articles).

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