How Your Child Can Suffer From Smoking During Pregnancy

Anyone who smokes knows that it is unhealthy, but smoking during pregnancy also places your baby at great risk for many health problems. Actually, there are problems right down the line including adverse risks during birth and beyond. If you smoke and learn that you are pregnant, the ideal time to quit is immediately. However, we realize that not all mothers will quit immediately which is unfortunate. The benefits of quitting for both you are your baby are tremendous. Once you've made the decision to quit seek out a support group to help you succeed. Smoking during pregnancy poses some very real risks and we will talk about those risks here.

When a woman smokes while she is carrying her baby, all systems are essentially under attack from hundreds of known chemicals added to cigarettes. The baby's immune system is compromised, and the effect of that is the general tendency to be sick more often with colds and other infections. There are known complications to the respiratory system as evidenced by a slew of potential problems positively correlated to smoking during pregnancy. Children of mothers who smoked while pregnant can also have problems with normal growth.

Infants of smoking mothers are displaying an interesting trend. The babies in this category tend to have a higher heart rate than babies whose mothers did not smoke. A baby born to a smoking mother will have a heart rate that is about 30% higher than a baby whose mother doesn't smoke. This is speaking specifically about women who smoked during pregnancy. It is difficult to know the exact cause of this condition. But it may be due in part to the baby not receiving the normal amount of oxygen because of the smoking.

More children are being diagnosed with ADHD or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. In fact, millions of diagnoses are made each year, and the figure appears to be climbing each year. Smoking at least half a pack a day, increases your child's tendency toward hyperactivity, although there are many other causes of ADHD. This increased hyperactivity increases a child's risk of being diagnosed with ADHD.

This should be a tremendous cause for concern for women who smoke while pregnancy.

The highly negative effects on her baby are enormous and incompletely understood. The issues discussed have mainly focused on the unborn baby but these problems don't disappear after birth. These consequences are far reaching and can affect the child well into adulthood. The child can be left dealing with the consequences of their mother smoking while pregnant for their entire life. This is why it is extremely important to quit smoking for the sake of both the mother and the baby.

How To Get Pregnant If You Are Struggling - Common Methods For Pregnancy and What You Are Missing

For most women, getting pregnant and having children is something they've wanted all their lives. If this describes you then you may have thought about or even began trying to get pregnant. What most women don't anticipate is how difficult it can be sometimes. There are times when nothing happens after months of trying. It can become frustrating and you may be worried about infertility.

While you see most couples who try to conceive, do so almost immediately. Here you are struggling even though you are doing everything the doctor says to do. You can't seem to figure out why you can't get pregnant. Here are a few common methods that many people use to get pregnant:

- Fertility pills - prescription and non prescription drugs that help induce pregnancy

- Pregnancy timing - having sex prior to ovulation, or during

- Eating the right foods - certain foods supposedly affects the cycle and stimulate blood cells

What most couples are missing is their knowledge on fertility. They think that just by having sex near ovulation, staying healthy and eating the right foods is all you need to do. There is a lot more to that. If you are someone who's struggling with fertility then there are some things you should know. If having a child of your own is important to you, then you need to take it a little bit further and do the proper research and find out what you've been missing or doing wrong. Sometimes doctors won't be able to tell you these things because they are not obvious. Many women have been able to have a child by simply getting the right information that will reveal things that they never knew before. The best way to learn is from someone who's been through the same situation as you have.

How To Avoid or Cure Anaemia During Pregnancy

Why are pregnant women more prone to have anaemia during pregnancy?

Pregnant women are more prone to have anaemia during pregnancy simply because they're also supplying it to their developing baby. Anaemia is also more common in women who have pregnancies close together and also in women carrying twins or triplets.

Why is iron so important in a healthy pregnancy diet?

"Iron - poor blood," an expression common in some places, is really haemoglobin - poor blood. Haemoglobin is the iron - containing oxygen - transport protein that is found in our red blood cells. Having enough iron in your pregnancy diet enables both you and your baby's blood to successfully carry oxygen.

How much iron should take to prevent anaemia during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, it is a must to make sure that you're getting at least 30-50mg of iron each day. After your 20th week, that amount becomes imperative as your baby depends on your iron supply to formulate his or her own red blood cells.

Iron - rich foods or iron supplements?

Although taking a supplement is a great way to ensure that you're getting enough iron each day and thus prevent or cure anaemia during pregnancy, natural foods should always be your first choice since they are always safer to take and more easily absorbed in our body.

What foods are rich in iron?

Food -- Amount -- Iron Content(mg)

Blackstrap molasses -- 1 tablespoon -- 5.0Raw Tofu -- ? cup -- 4.0Lentils -- ? cup -- 3.3Beef chuck -- 3 ounces -- 3.2Dried peaches -- 5 halves -- 2.6Kidney beans -- ? cup -- 2.6Wheat germ -- ? cup -- 2.6Chickpeas -- ? cup -- 2.4Broccoli -- 1 medium stalk -- 2.1Dark meat turkey -- 3 ounces -- 2.0Spinach -- 1 cup raw -- 0.8

 

Eat Up Mama! A Quick Look At Nourishment in Pregnancy

It is my firm belief that nutrition is the most important factor in predicting how well a pregnancy will go, and how both you and your baby will fare. This may seem obvious, but I have lived the medical mainstream pregnancy and I can tell you (or maybe you can tell me!) that this is not common knowledge in that world.

Now, in much of the slightly alternative pregnancy/birthing world, that is not the case. In my first pregnancy (which was OB-hospital based) not one person, ever, who was caring for me, asked what I put in my mouth on a daily basis. For my third pregnancy I had the people who were caring for me asking all of the time! I filled out diet sheets, counted protein, kept tabs on my blood sugar-it doesn't have to be even that complicated, but if you haven't thought about exactly what you need and why to grow a healthy baby, here it is!

Here's a very amazing pregnancy fact: by the time you are about 28 weeks pregnant, your body will have made 50% more blood!! This extra blood allows your baby and placenta to grow, so that there is enough blood to bathe the placenta, without neglecting your needs as well. The catch is this: your body can only manufacture this extra blood with enough protein and calories. That's about 2,500 calories a day (yes, really!) and anywhere between 70-100 grams of protein daily. It is a lot of food, I agree. But if the food you eat is from whole, healthy, food sources then you will be providing your body with the fuel it needs.

And here's another little known fact: the protein and calories are supremely important, but your body also needs salt in the right proportions to help with this expanding blood volume. Good quality salt, like sea salt, is a pregnant woman's friend because it can help keep blood pressure and swelling down, while providing just the right fluid balance in your body. So, salt your food to taste and balance it out with enough fresh water to drink-about 1 quart per 50 lbs. of body weight.

So, what are the risks if you don't eat this way? It varies from woman to woman, but anything from pre-eclampsia/toxemia, preterm birth to poor fetal growth to placental abruptions are possible. The good news is that providing your pregnant body with exactly what it needs puts you so much less at risk for all of these kind of complications, which unfortunately are pretty common. So, even if your doctor isn't asking you what you're eating, you can keep track yourself and just get a feel for what you consume on a normal day. Nobody's perfect, but even the "best" eaters usually find some room for improvement. Most importantly, you should feel a positive difference from eating this way relatively soon. Eat up, mama!

 

Best iPhone Pregnancy Apps for Mom and Dad

I admit that I'm sort of a geek also. . but not extremely geeky to the extend of wearing geeky glasses and holding laptop wherever I go. I'm an Application Support Engineer with also a background of Software Engineering so I do honestly loves anything to do with computers and technology gadgets. Me and my wife we both own an iPhone and today I thought of sharing a couple of applications for iPhone that we personally uses and some others as well for all future/current expecting parents. So here we go. (I personally have them all on my iPhone as well).

1. iPregnancy - This app is one of the famous and most recommended app for pregnancy. I personally use this with also Baby Bump which I will cover next. This app is really extensive and very useful. You can have all your baby information in there as well as your Obstetrician visits information, reminder, important contact numbers, storing baby names suggestions, week to week information for you to know on the pregnancy (General), and you can also share your information to Facebook & Twitter. The only downside for me is the interface is kind of plain and lack the 'baby theme' that's all but it generally does what it's suppose to do. You can't expect much (in terms of design) when it's coming from a pediatrician.

2. Baby Bump - What I like most about baby bump other than the usual must-have functions is the interface and also the theme of the app, It really captures the true nature of the app. It has week to week information on pregnancy, journal, photo album, kick counter, contractions, database of baby names, and one feature called 'Birth' where in there you can set your birth plan, newborn essentials checklist, and also a neat feature of 'Birth Announcement' where as soon as your baby is born you can set all the details (name, weight, gender, D. O. B, length) and send the 'Announcement' by email, twitter, and also Facebook. I really recommend this app!!

Preconception Apps

1. iPeriod - For those planning to have baby or just keeping your period information, this is one of the apps that my wife uses.

2. Period Tracker - Another apps for the ladies out there which is also used by my wife. We use it both to keep track on her period and also for us to keep track on the best date to try an conceive.

 

7 Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms a Father Should Know

I'm going to share with you today on 7 signs of pregnancy and symptoms in hope it will be useful to couples who plan to have a baby. Why I'm saying this is that, it is more to precautions to not overdo yourself after knowing that you're pregnant to avoid miscarriage or worse, this goes to the partner also, It's good to be alert especially if you're planning. I've heard a lot of miscarriage stories because they didn't realize that they were pregnant. So for those planning to get pregnant, this would be a good read. This list is derived from my wife's symptoms when she get pregnant. To all the daddy's out there, this is a very good information for you to take note of.

1. Fatigue/Exhaustion
This normally happens on the early stages of pregnancy and also towards the end. The cheerful and energetic wife of mine became weak and easily exhausted.

2. Missed Period
This is a very obvious sign for those on a regular period cycle but not in the case of irregular period cycle like my wife. It's best to avoid any physical activities once you've passed your regular period cycle to be safe.

3. Heartburn & Gastric
This happens to my wife right now and I can tell you that it's not an easy feeling looking at your wife having the pain due to the higher amount of acid in the stomach. The enlargement of the uterus puts pressure on the stomach causing acid build-up. This can be avoided by drinking milk and avoiding spicy and oily food.

4. Frequent Urination
Enlargement of the uterus not only puts pressure on stomach but also the bladder causing the feel of going more often.

5. Soreness of the Breasts
Although this sign is also very common for an impending period but the soreness in this case is caused by the tissue changes preparing for pregnancy. You will also experience the breast became larger and the nipple will become bigger and darker.

6. Strange Cravings
Yup..I'm having more Chicken Rice now than ever in my entire life due to my wife's craving of it. Strange cravings for food is also a very normal sign of pregnancy.

7. Dizziness
This is because of the low blood pressure due to pregnancy, it do become worse at times if you are having the symptoms even when you're not pregnant like my wife.

So guys...that's 7 of the signs and symptoms that you can look into while planning. Remember future daddies, DO NOT allow your partner to do heavy physical works when they're pregnant, keep them happy & smiling all the time, be there when they need you, and do your share of house chores;-) Happy Planning!

 

Early Stages In Pregnancy

If you think you are pregnant, it is a good idea to purchase and use a home pregnancy test. They are easy to use, easy to read, and very accurate. If you receive a positive result, make an appointment with your gynecologist. If he or she is not also an obstetrician, seek a recommendation for one.

Do your best to attend every scheduled visit with the obstetrician. If you miss an appointment, it is best to reschedule. Make sure you tell the doctor everything about your medical history, especially any issues that could affect your pregnancy and the health of your baby. You will undergo tests from time to time, but these are routine.

If something goes beyond routine, the doctor will explain why it is necessary. You are always free to seek a second opinion, but you should trust your doctor. If you are uncomfortable with your obstetrician, find another one, since this is a very intimate relationship, in which you need to feel secure. Your doctor will prescribe prenatal vitamins, which are specially formulated to insure that a pregnant woman and her baby receive the proper nutrients. Take your vitamins as directed. You might want to have a bite to eat before taking them, as they make some women feel nauseous when taken on an empty stomach.

Prenatal care is a very important part of your pregnancy. It allows your doctor to measure progress and make sure that your baby is developing properly and is healthy. You will see the obstetrician once per month at first, and once each week as you get closer to your due date. It is important to keep these appointments so your doctor knows what's going on. This way, if something isn't just right, your doctor can take action to help make sure you carry your baby to term and deliver a healthy baby. If you experience morning sickness, which many women do in the first three months of pregnancy, try eating a healthy snack before going to bed or nibbling on crackers when you wake up in the morning. Pregnancy is a very exciting time in life, but it also requires you to take very good care of yourself and ultimately your baby.

Healthy Pregnancy Diet - Eating Well During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a stage that is associated with a number of important anatomical and functional changes, which include the increased requirements of some nutrients that are important for the proper development of your baby.

Therefore, it is very important to take preventive measures to ensure the best possible health for you and your baby. So, one of the most important considerations is to have a healthy pregnancy diet.

It is important to meet the nutritional requirements recommended during pregnancy, since the specific deficiency of certain elements can cause major complications to your pregnancy.

Some nutrients of vital importance during pregnancy are:

Folic Acid

Folic acid deficiency, for example, is associated significantly with certain birth defects in your baby, so it is of vital importance to increase its consumption, even before starting the pregnancy. The recommended intake must be increased to 147% to prevent the defects associated with deficiency.

Vitamins C and B12

During pregnancy the levels of vitamins C and B12 decrease gradually. That is why the recommended intake of these vitamins must be increased by 67 and 40% respectively.

Iron

Iron deficiency is a major cause of anemia that can occur during pregnancy.

Healthy Food Choices:

Tell yourself that making smart eating choices is non-negotiable. You have to eat healthy food. End of discussion!

There are some foods where you can find the nutrients needed for your pregnancy and are important for maintaining a balanced diet. These foods are based on vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, protein (milk, fresh cheese, red meat-preferably fat-free as chicken and fish), and reduce the intake of sugars and fats.

The deficiency of vital foods during pregnancy may have important consequences, either because of the loss of nutrients, or because they are not consumed in the proper amount to satisfy the demand of your pregnancy.

Healthy food is essential to avoid gaining massive amounts of weight during pregnancy. If you do, you are putting your baby at risk and setting yourself up for a long road of dieting after the baby is born.

Tell yourself that you and your baby are worth it, so you have to go to the store and stock up on healthy food.

Here you have a basic guide of foods for your pregnancy:
Fruit (2-4 servings): Remember that a serving is half cup of cut fruit, one medium fruit (like a pear or apple) or three plums.Cereals (6-11 servings): one serving equals one slice of bread, 150 gr. cereal or 100 gr. rice or pasta.Dairy (3-4 servings): A serving is a glass of milk, two yoghurts, 150 gr. of cheese or a pudding.Meats (2-3 servings): A serving is a fillet of beef, chicken, fish, or two eggs.Vegetables (3-5 servings): one cup of raw vegetables or half a cup of cooked vegetable.