A pregnancy calendar is a fun and informative way to keep track of your pregnancy and ensure a healthy outcome for you and your baby. For most women, pregnancy and birth is one of the key points in life and a pregnancy calendar will help you live the experience to the fullest. Detailed week-by-week information about the bodily changes happening to yourself and your baby, as well as handy advice regarding everything from nutrition to exercise, are just some of the things pregnancy calendars have to offer.
Standard features of most pregnancy calendars include: how to take care of yourself throughout each stage of pregnancy; tips on how to meet increasing nutritional needs while staying physically fit; and how much weight you should gain during pregnancy. Some may also include a detailed outline of your baby's weekly development and instructions from the experts on how to ensure that you both progress the way that you should. Many pregnancy calendars can be customized to fit your own unique personality and include spaces for a diary and a record to keep track of doctor's appointments and other important dates.
Pregnancy calendars are fun to use and, best of all, they are often free or cost a minimal amount. Many internet sources offer free downloads of pregnancy calendars and a simple online search will reveal dozens of choices. Most can be personalized and some websites will even send you e-mail alerts as important milestones draw near. Some pregnancy-related or Women's and Children's Health magazines offer a free pregnancy calendar to paid subscribers.
Huggies offers an excellent pregnancy calendar while American Adoptions has an online version accompanied by weekly updates. American Baby and Pregnancy Weekly both have calendars that are available online and can be personalized. Baby Fit features a week-by-week, development-specific pregnancy calendar while Baby Center has create-your-own pregnancy calendar options and tools. The choices are endless and the results amazing. Many people treasure their pregnancy calendars as keepsakes or use them to compare with future pregnancies.
Most pregnancy calendars are very simple and user-friendly. Anyone can understand them and the facts are presented in a clear-cut, down-to-earth manner. The hardest part for most people is calculating the due date, but this is usually provided by your physician. Even if it is not, most pregnancy calendars include instructions on how to calculate the due date that are easy to understand for even the most math illiterate person.
Pregnancy is no longer just a 9-month waiting period for the big day. With the help of a pregnancy calendar, expectant mothers can become actively involved in all the exciting changes of pregnancy, while at the same time benefiting their health. A handy source for expert advice, it can also do much to alleviate anxiety, as the due date looms closer. The truth is, a pregnancy calendar is just one excellent way to make the most of your pregnancy.
Celia Nemart writes about family and medical issues on the internet, Celia is a dedicated mother that is aware of the dangers of the lack of information about Pregnancy Calendar and pregnancy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Celia_Namart
Tuesday 24 November 2009
Sunday 22 November 2009
Weight Gain During Pregnancy, and Weight Loss After Pregnancy
How much weight gain is normal during pregnancy, and will you continue to have weight gain after pregnancy?
How will the link between pregnancy and metabolism affect how you’ll be losing weight after pregnancy?
Understand what causes excessive weight gain during pregnancy, and...
You won’t have any problems with excessive weight gain while you’ve been pregnant.
Will you get fat by having children?
Whether you’ll have weight gain during and after pregnancy is a choice, because it’s totally within your control once you understand what’s really going on, however...
Most women do have weight problems because of bearing children, and the reason is simply malnutrition. Strange but True!
The first thing you have to understand about pregnancy, is that the baby comes first. That’s a “Survival Issue”. Once you get pregnant, everything is geared for the survival and health of the baby.
If it wasn’t that way, we would not have survived as a Species!
What does the Baby Need?
In order to grow properly and be born healthy the baby is going to need lots of Nutrients, Vitamins, Minerals, Enzymes, etc...
If you provide these nutrients in order to grow a Healthy Baby, no problems, but if you don’t...
The baby will take what it needs from the mother’s body, and if that happens, you’re going to have “Two Problems”:
1. You’re going to be hungry all the time if you don’t provide the baby with what Nutrients it needs, so you’re going to overeat and have much more weight gain during pregnancy than you need to.
2. The baby is going to extract whatever Nutrients it can from your body, which is going to do a real number on your metabolism.
Now you have Two Problems!
First of all, you’re going to have excessive weight gain during pregnancy, which means that instead of gaining the normal 25 to 30 Lbs, you could gain up to 50 Lbs or more, and...
The extra weight, is weight which will be very hard to get rid of after pregnancy, because...
Secondly, your body has been drained of stored nutrients, which means that now, you probably have a slow metabolism, so instead of easily losing the weight after pregnancy...
You’ll probably continue to have weight gain after pregnancy also.
Heaven forbid if you get pregnant again.
The answer is very simple!
Just eat only healthy food so that you provide all the nutrients which your baby needs and you’ll have no problems.
You need to have good variety in your diet, and just get the healthiest food that you can buy. That’s a Win-Win situation, for both you and your baby, otherwise you both suffer, because...
Your baby could be unhealthy, and you could get fat for the rest of your life, or at least have a real hard time getting rid of the excess fat.
What’s Normal Weight Gain During Pregnancy?
In a normal pregnancy, you should have a weight gain during pregnancy of about 25 to 30 Lbs or a little more depending on the situation.
Lets say that you give birth to a baby that’s about 7 to 8 Lbs. Increased blood volume can be another 3 to 4 Lbs, and increased fluid volume can be another 2 to 3 Lbs.
Then the Amniotic fluid and a larger uterus can add an extra couple of Lbs each, plus larger breasts can weigh an extra 1 to 3 Lbs and the Placenta can weigh 1 to 2 Lbs.
On top of that, your body could store away anywhere from 6 to 8 Lbs of fat. (That’s a survival feature in case of famine).
Add it all up and you could have a weight gain during pregnancy of anywhere from 24 to 32 Lbs, but that’s nothing to fear, because very little of that is fat, and...
If you nourish both you and the baby during pregnancy, then your metabolism will remain normal, and you’ll have no problems with weight loss after pregnancy.
What’s Healthy Eating During Pregnancy?
This subject could cover many Volumes all by itself, but to keep it simple...
Eating healthy during pregnancy is no different than when you’re not pregnant, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (organic if possible), and stay off the “Junk Foods”.
It’s not Rocket Science!
Go easy on the meats, and especially stay away from the cultured meats because most of them contain lots of Sulfites and Nitrites as preservatives and these are very unhealthy for adults let alone your baby.
Read the ingredients in all processed foods for these preservatives also, because they are very pervasive.
Take Top Quality Supplements
Since most of the foods available in the supermarkets today, are very deficient in nutrients, it’s important to take top quality supplements which your body can absorb.
However...
Only about 3 to 5% of most Vitamin and Mineral Supplements available on the market today are absorbed by the body and are a total waste of money.
The same Super Supplements which we recommend to our weight loss students are great for when you’re pregnant, because these are not weight loss products, but general Supplements, which...
Help people to become more nutritionally satisfied. If you’re more nutritionally satisfied, you’ll eat less automatically, and that’s why people lose weight while becoming healthier.
By giving better nutrition to you and your baby, you won’t have nearly as many cravings, and you’ll eat a lot less junk. This way, not only is it better for your baby, but you won’t have so much excess weight gain during pregnancy.
Don’t Diet Whatsoever
We don’t recommend dieting whatsoever, even for weight loss, but it’s especially important that you don’t go on a diet to try and prevent weight gain during pregnancy, because...
Your baby needs all the nutrients it can get in order to develop a healthy body.
Even if you’re overweight, when you’re pregnant is not the time to try to lose weight. Losing weight after pregnancy is the best.
Eating healthy and taking top quality supplements during pregnancy will help to keep your metabolism normal so that you won’t have abnormal weight gain while pregnant.
Register for the Slim America Project!
Even if weight loss is not an issue for you right now, do register for the Slim America Project, because you’ll learn how to eat healthier, what supplements to take, and just as important...
How to have your baby, without excess weight gain during pregnancy. That way, you won’t have a problem with weight loss after pregnancy.
Your baby deserves the very best that you can give it, and you are the only one that is in total control of its Future Life.
Armand Dupuis is a Personal Trainer, Lecturer, Teacher, & Permanent Weight Loss Specialist, who has been a Serious Researcher into Human Consciousness for 5 Decades.
Mr. Dupuis has presently specialized his Teachings, into a powerful permanent and “free” Weight Loss System, and Information is available on his Web Site. http://www.slimamericaweightlossproject.com/ea
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Armand_Dupuis
How will the link between pregnancy and metabolism affect how you’ll be losing weight after pregnancy?
Understand what causes excessive weight gain during pregnancy, and...
You won’t have any problems with excessive weight gain while you’ve been pregnant.
Will you get fat by having children?
Whether you’ll have weight gain during and after pregnancy is a choice, because it’s totally within your control once you understand what’s really going on, however...
Most women do have weight problems because of bearing children, and the reason is simply malnutrition. Strange but True!
The first thing you have to understand about pregnancy, is that the baby comes first. That’s a “Survival Issue”. Once you get pregnant, everything is geared for the survival and health of the baby.
If it wasn’t that way, we would not have survived as a Species!
What does the Baby Need?
In order to grow properly and be born healthy the baby is going to need lots of Nutrients, Vitamins, Minerals, Enzymes, etc...
If you provide these nutrients in order to grow a Healthy Baby, no problems, but if you don’t...
The baby will take what it needs from the mother’s body, and if that happens, you’re going to have “Two Problems”:
1. You’re going to be hungry all the time if you don’t provide the baby with what Nutrients it needs, so you’re going to overeat and have much more weight gain during pregnancy than you need to.
2. The baby is going to extract whatever Nutrients it can from your body, which is going to do a real number on your metabolism.
Now you have Two Problems!
First of all, you’re going to have excessive weight gain during pregnancy, which means that instead of gaining the normal 25 to 30 Lbs, you could gain up to 50 Lbs or more, and...
The extra weight, is weight which will be very hard to get rid of after pregnancy, because...
Secondly, your body has been drained of stored nutrients, which means that now, you probably have a slow metabolism, so instead of easily losing the weight after pregnancy...
You’ll probably continue to have weight gain after pregnancy also.
Heaven forbid if you get pregnant again.
The answer is very simple!
Just eat only healthy food so that you provide all the nutrients which your baby needs and you’ll have no problems.
You need to have good variety in your diet, and just get the healthiest food that you can buy. That’s a Win-Win situation, for both you and your baby, otherwise you both suffer, because...
Your baby could be unhealthy, and you could get fat for the rest of your life, or at least have a real hard time getting rid of the excess fat.
What’s Normal Weight Gain During Pregnancy?
In a normal pregnancy, you should have a weight gain during pregnancy of about 25 to 30 Lbs or a little more depending on the situation.
Lets say that you give birth to a baby that’s about 7 to 8 Lbs. Increased blood volume can be another 3 to 4 Lbs, and increased fluid volume can be another 2 to 3 Lbs.
Then the Amniotic fluid and a larger uterus can add an extra couple of Lbs each, plus larger breasts can weigh an extra 1 to 3 Lbs and the Placenta can weigh 1 to 2 Lbs.
On top of that, your body could store away anywhere from 6 to 8 Lbs of fat. (That’s a survival feature in case of famine).
Add it all up and you could have a weight gain during pregnancy of anywhere from 24 to 32 Lbs, but that’s nothing to fear, because very little of that is fat, and...
If you nourish both you and the baby during pregnancy, then your metabolism will remain normal, and you’ll have no problems with weight loss after pregnancy.
What’s Healthy Eating During Pregnancy?
This subject could cover many Volumes all by itself, but to keep it simple...
Eating healthy during pregnancy is no different than when you’re not pregnant, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (organic if possible), and stay off the “Junk Foods”.
It’s not Rocket Science!
Go easy on the meats, and especially stay away from the cultured meats because most of them contain lots of Sulfites and Nitrites as preservatives and these are very unhealthy for adults let alone your baby.
Read the ingredients in all processed foods for these preservatives also, because they are very pervasive.
Take Top Quality Supplements
Since most of the foods available in the supermarkets today, are very deficient in nutrients, it’s important to take top quality supplements which your body can absorb.
However...
Only about 3 to 5% of most Vitamin and Mineral Supplements available on the market today are absorbed by the body and are a total waste of money.
The same Super Supplements which we recommend to our weight loss students are great for when you’re pregnant, because these are not weight loss products, but general Supplements, which...
Help people to become more nutritionally satisfied. If you’re more nutritionally satisfied, you’ll eat less automatically, and that’s why people lose weight while becoming healthier.
By giving better nutrition to you and your baby, you won’t have nearly as many cravings, and you’ll eat a lot less junk. This way, not only is it better for your baby, but you won’t have so much excess weight gain during pregnancy.
Don’t Diet Whatsoever
We don’t recommend dieting whatsoever, even for weight loss, but it’s especially important that you don’t go on a diet to try and prevent weight gain during pregnancy, because...
Your baby needs all the nutrients it can get in order to develop a healthy body.
Even if you’re overweight, when you’re pregnant is not the time to try to lose weight. Losing weight after pregnancy is the best.
Eating healthy and taking top quality supplements during pregnancy will help to keep your metabolism normal so that you won’t have abnormal weight gain while pregnant.
Register for the Slim America Project!
Even if weight loss is not an issue for you right now, do register for the Slim America Project, because you’ll learn how to eat healthier, what supplements to take, and just as important...
How to have your baby, without excess weight gain during pregnancy. That way, you won’t have a problem with weight loss after pregnancy.
Your baby deserves the very best that you can give it, and you are the only one that is in total control of its Future Life.
Armand Dupuis is a Personal Trainer, Lecturer, Teacher, & Permanent Weight Loss Specialist, who has been a Serious Researcher into Human Consciousness for 5 Decades.
Mr. Dupuis has presently specialized his Teachings, into a powerful permanent and “free” Weight Loss System, and Information is available on his Web Site. http://www.slimamericaweightlossproject.com/ea
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Armand_Dupuis
Friday 20 November 2009
Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy
Giving birth will no doubt be one of the most magical moments of your life and to ensure that your child is strong and happy, it is important you do all you can to have a healthy pregnancy. To help you and your baby on your way, this article has compiled a number of tips that are guaranteed to make those nine pregnancy months the best they can be!
The first thing you must do when you find you are pregnant is to visit an obstetrician/gynecologist (OBGYN). They will give you an ultrasound to see how far along you are and whether your pregnancy appears to be normal. This stage is crucial and it is important not to leave this too late.
After this, you must begin to change your lifestyle. Remember, you are no longer eating and exercising for yourself but for two! Firstly, if you are a smoker or a drinker, you must quit. Cigarette smoke can lead to low birth weight in babies as well as miscarriages and tubal pregnancies so try to avoid second hand smoke as it is not conducive to a healthy pregnancy. The same can be said for alcohol and other toxic chemicals and substances such as paint fumes. These items are both damaging to the mother and to the pregnancy.
Another part of changing your lifestyle is your diet during pregnancy. Make sure to drink plenty of water - about 6 to 8 glasses a day. It is not healthy to be overweight or underweight during a pregnancy but do remember that you shouldn't diet during pregnancy. Pregnancy is not a time to be worrying about your weight! Don't skip meals as you and your baby need as much nutrition and calories as possible, although not the fattening kind so make sure you get a balance. Junk food is great to satisfy those crazy pregnancy cravings but try not to go overboard!
If you are worried about weight gain during pregnancy, a great alternative to dieting is light exercise. You may not have loved it before your pregnancy, but learn to love it now as it will definitely pay off in the long run by keeping your baby healthy and your body fit. Light exercises will not harm your pregnancy so try swimming, yoga and walking.
An additional healthy pregnancy tip that those with busy schedules tend to forget is the importance of sleep. Make sure to get plenty of rest so that you and your baby can recuperate and to ensure that your immune system is as strong as possible. It is advised that you rest on your side to reduce swelling and generate the best circulation to your baby.
To recap: avoid damaging substances such as nicotine and alcohol, don't diet during pregnancy, drink plenty of water, practice as much exercise as safely possible, and get plenty of sleep! Following these pregnancy tips will make certain that you have a healthy pregnancy and have a happy and fit child.
Article written by Sarah Mitchell of NamesToBe.com. Over 10,000 baby names and meanings. Read more articles like this at our baby articles database. Article free for reprint as long as this author bio is present and all hyperlinks remain active.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Mitchell
The first thing you must do when you find you are pregnant is to visit an obstetrician/gynecologist (OBGYN). They will give you an ultrasound to see how far along you are and whether your pregnancy appears to be normal. This stage is crucial and it is important not to leave this too late.
After this, you must begin to change your lifestyle. Remember, you are no longer eating and exercising for yourself but for two! Firstly, if you are a smoker or a drinker, you must quit. Cigarette smoke can lead to low birth weight in babies as well as miscarriages and tubal pregnancies so try to avoid second hand smoke as it is not conducive to a healthy pregnancy. The same can be said for alcohol and other toxic chemicals and substances such as paint fumes. These items are both damaging to the mother and to the pregnancy.
Another part of changing your lifestyle is your diet during pregnancy. Make sure to drink plenty of water - about 6 to 8 glasses a day. It is not healthy to be overweight or underweight during a pregnancy but do remember that you shouldn't diet during pregnancy. Pregnancy is not a time to be worrying about your weight! Don't skip meals as you and your baby need as much nutrition and calories as possible, although not the fattening kind so make sure you get a balance. Junk food is great to satisfy those crazy pregnancy cravings but try not to go overboard!
If you are worried about weight gain during pregnancy, a great alternative to dieting is light exercise. You may not have loved it before your pregnancy, but learn to love it now as it will definitely pay off in the long run by keeping your baby healthy and your body fit. Light exercises will not harm your pregnancy so try swimming, yoga and walking.
An additional healthy pregnancy tip that those with busy schedules tend to forget is the importance of sleep. Make sure to get plenty of rest so that you and your baby can recuperate and to ensure that your immune system is as strong as possible. It is advised that you rest on your side to reduce swelling and generate the best circulation to your baby.
To recap: avoid damaging substances such as nicotine and alcohol, don't diet during pregnancy, drink plenty of water, practice as much exercise as safely possible, and get plenty of sleep! Following these pregnancy tips will make certain that you have a healthy pregnancy and have a happy and fit child.
Article written by Sarah Mitchell of NamesToBe.com. Over 10,000 baby names and meanings. Read more articles like this at our baby articles database. Article free for reprint as long as this author bio is present and all hyperlinks remain active.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Mitchell
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Very Early Symptoms of Pregnancy - Do You Know These Very Early Pregnancy Signs?
Very early symptoms of pregnancy -- what are they? If asked, most women remember their very early pregnancy signs if they have been pregnant before. Some women can detect the moment they begin ovulating, while many women cannot tell when or if they have ovulated. Often, women can detect when the fertile days of their cycle have ended. Some women can detect the moment they have become pregnant. And for others, one of the more accurate inexpensive home pregnancy tests is the only reliable way to know that the very early symptoms of pregnancy you are having mean you really are pregnant.
Here are the earliest of the very early pregnancy signs:
• Missed Period - missing a menstrual period is regarded as the most obvious very early pregnancy symptom. However, many women have missed periods for other reasons and conditions. These reasons include illness, stress, hormone imbalance, adverse reactions to foods and ingestion of substances that result in some level of adverse reaction. For missing a period to be related to the very early symptoms of pregnancy, it should be confirmed by other means.
• Morning Sickness - a feeling of nausea in the mornings can be another of the very early symptoms of pregnancy. But this very early pregnancy sign needs to be experienced for several days to be considered reliable. And nausea can have other causes that are not pregnancy related.
• Tender and Enlarged Breasts - very early in pregnancy, the body begins making a series of changes in the normal hormone levels. However, the woman’s body is unprepared for these changes when they first occur. There are several changes that will happen in the body in reaction to new hormone levels. One of the most noticable changes occur in the shape of and feelings of tenderness in the breasts. The good news is that these feelings of tenderness go away fairly quickly as the body becomes accustomed to the new hormone chemistry.
• Frequent Trips to the Bathroom - having to urinate more often is one of the very early pregnancy signs. Many women experience more frequent urination even before a missed period. The reason, as with tender and enlarged breasts, is a change in hormone levels produced by the implantation of the embryo. In this case, a hormone called "human chorionic gonadotropin" (hCG) is produced, which has the side effect of causing more frequent urination. This is another of the very early symptoms of pregnancy which can be mistaken for some other condition, or as a reaction to the consumption of various foods or other substances. Pregnancy needs to be confirmed by the results of a pregnancy test.
• Fatigue - the lack of energy as one of the very early pregnancy signs is sometimes hard to distinguish from other kinds of exhaustion. Again, health professionals attribute this fatigue to the change in hormones in the body, which usually disappears as the body adjusts to the new hormone levels.
These are the most common very early pregnancy signs that most women agree on. Some women will experience only one of these signs, and some will have several or all of these very early symptoms of pregnancy. Once the very early pregnancy signs are experienced, confirm pregnancy by using one of the better home pregnancy tests (there are major differences in the reliability of the home tests for pregnancy). And the health of the baby begins with the mother's health and habits before conception as well as during pregnancy. Becoming pregnant and enjoying a successful pregnancy is a complex but wonderful experience. Learn as much as you can about fertility, pregnancy and your health so the brand new person will have the very best beginning to life possible.
Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing
Olinda Rola is President of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com - visit the website for more information on pregnancy, ovulation and fertility, prenatal vitamins and the reliability of very early pregnancy tests.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Olinda_Rola
Here are the earliest of the very early pregnancy signs:
• Missed Period - missing a menstrual period is regarded as the most obvious very early pregnancy symptom. However, many women have missed periods for other reasons and conditions. These reasons include illness, stress, hormone imbalance, adverse reactions to foods and ingestion of substances that result in some level of adverse reaction. For missing a period to be related to the very early symptoms of pregnancy, it should be confirmed by other means.
• Morning Sickness - a feeling of nausea in the mornings can be another of the very early symptoms of pregnancy. But this very early pregnancy sign needs to be experienced for several days to be considered reliable. And nausea can have other causes that are not pregnancy related.
• Tender and Enlarged Breasts - very early in pregnancy, the body begins making a series of changes in the normal hormone levels. However, the woman’s body is unprepared for these changes when they first occur. There are several changes that will happen in the body in reaction to new hormone levels. One of the most noticable changes occur in the shape of and feelings of tenderness in the breasts. The good news is that these feelings of tenderness go away fairly quickly as the body becomes accustomed to the new hormone chemistry.
• Frequent Trips to the Bathroom - having to urinate more often is one of the very early pregnancy signs. Many women experience more frequent urination even before a missed period. The reason, as with tender and enlarged breasts, is a change in hormone levels produced by the implantation of the embryo. In this case, a hormone called "human chorionic gonadotropin" (hCG) is produced, which has the side effect of causing more frequent urination. This is another of the very early symptoms of pregnancy which can be mistaken for some other condition, or as a reaction to the consumption of various foods or other substances. Pregnancy needs to be confirmed by the results of a pregnancy test.
• Fatigue - the lack of energy as one of the very early pregnancy signs is sometimes hard to distinguish from other kinds of exhaustion. Again, health professionals attribute this fatigue to the change in hormones in the body, which usually disappears as the body adjusts to the new hormone levels.
These are the most common very early pregnancy signs that most women agree on. Some women will experience only one of these signs, and some will have several or all of these very early symptoms of pregnancy. Once the very early pregnancy signs are experienced, confirm pregnancy by using one of the better home pregnancy tests (there are major differences in the reliability of the home tests for pregnancy). And the health of the baby begins with the mother's health and habits before conception as well as during pregnancy. Becoming pregnant and enjoying a successful pregnancy is a complex but wonderful experience. Learn as much as you can about fertility, pregnancy and your health so the brand new person will have the very best beginning to life possible.
Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing
Olinda Rola is President of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com - visit the website for more information on pregnancy, ovulation and fertility, prenatal vitamins and the reliability of very early pregnancy tests.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Olinda_Rola
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