May 20th, 2008 | Diet, Health, Pregnancy | No comments
Sushi
Kind of unfair to single out sushi as the main cuisine to have raw meat and fish I admit. Sickness contracted from uncooked food can be especially harmful to pregnant women. Food poisoning can cause diarrhoea which reduces your body’s ability to absorb nutrient. On the other end, it can cause severe complications and lead to foetal abnormalities.
Cold cuts
Make sure to put pre-packed lunch meat in the microwave before eating them. Pre-packed lunch meat usually sold at supermarket deli counter are known to carry the risk of containing listeria. Listeria can survive despite being heated before you buy them.
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April 19th, 2008 | Health, Pregnancy | 2 Comments
Pregnant and suffering from bowel irregularity? Tell me about it. It’s a fairly common condition that many women face during pregnancy.
When you’re pregnant, your hormones relaxes your bowel muscles. Slowing down your bowel muscles also hampers intestinal movements. Hence, limiting your muscles’ ability to push food and waste down your intestines.
Here are some tips to keep your bowel movement moving along:
- Fluids, and lots of them. Drink more water regularly.
- Keep your feet up in an elevated position whenever possible. Preferrably when you’re lying down because sitting down too much is unadvisable.
- Supplement your daily cup of hot cereal with a dash of molasses or grounded flaxseed. Adding them to hot drinks if much preferrable to drinking it straight with a warm cup of plain water.
- Being pregnant doesn’t mean you are banned from exercising. Regular, gentle exercise like walking, swimming, stationary cycling, yog a or pilates (watched by a professional trainer of course) improves bowel stimulation. You’ll find your body able to digest food better. Kegels (floor exercises for pelvic) also benefit bowel movements by improving blood flow to the bowel area.
- Go whenever you feel the urge to pass motion. Don’t wait or you’ll risk having your stool become dry and hard.
- Certain fruits and nuts contain natural laxatives. Go with olive oil, watercress, soybeans, apricots, almonds, mangos and perhaps best of all: prunes.
April 7th, 2008 | Health, Pregnancy | No comments
“Sleep on your left side” is one of the many advices I took with me on my the day I left my OB’s clinic after finding out I was pregnant. Getting into the habit of sleeping on the left side of your body while you’re pregnant is one common advice but why?
By sleeping on your left side, you’re allowing the highest amount of blood flow to your baby. At the same time, you’re helping your kidney to function more efficiently which in turn helps to reduce swelling. One of the more important organs at the right side of your body is the liver which regulates many important functions while you’re pregnant. Sleeping on your left would alleviate putting unnecessary pressure on your liver.
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April 3rd, 2008 | Breast Feeding, Diet, Health, Pregnancy | 2 Comments
Pregnant women demand adequate amount of the right vitamins and minerals before, during and after pregnancy. Consuming enough vitamins and following a nutritional diet is also very important to enable your body to keep up with the demands of breastfeeding. Below are some common types of vitamins likely to be prescribed to you by your doctor.
FOLIC ACID
Also referred to as folate, folic acid is one of the very first and widely prescribed supplement to pregnant woman. It is also given to women who intend to conceive and should be taken one month before conception until the end of first trimester of pregnancy. In fact, I was adviced to start taking folic acid when I wanted to start conceiving. A whole six months before I managed to conceive baby Clarisse.
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January 15th, 2008 | Babies, Pregnancy | No comments
You should have your bags packed 2 weeks before your due date. Here’s an idea on what to take to the hospital. Bear in mind, you don’t have to include everything that is listed. If you’re one to travel light, phone your maternity department beforehand and ask what they provide when upon admission.Do not worry too much about forgetting something. You could always send your husband or ask visiting family members to bring them.
For yourself :
January 6th, 2008 | Babies, Household, Pregnancy | 7 Comments
The following Feng Shui tips are meant to help couples who have difficulty conceiving, despite being medically fit in reproductive health.
Poison Arrows afflicting the main door and bed
Look out of your house and check if there’s any ‘poison arrows‘ pointing directly towards your main door. Poison arrows in Feng Shui refers to sharp and pointed structures which inflicts bad chi to the lives of afflicted inhabitants. It can be a sharp angle of a building, edge of a wall, pillars, trees, table corner and such.
Within your bedroom, observe and find poison arrows pointed towards the bed.
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December 16th, 2007 | Pregnancy, Videos | No comments
Wondering why pregnant women, with all that growing weight up front, easily keep their balance preventing them from tip over?
Research shows how evolution has taken place over time where the lower vertebrae in human females have become reinforced to allow the exaggerated curved position of the spine assumed by pregnant women when they are standing upright. This position allows the trunk’s center mass to remain above the hips. Video clip shows a detailed illustration.
November 29th, 2007 | Babies, Personal, Pregnancy | 2 Comments
Label me superstitious but when it comes to pregnancy, I found myself being extra wary of supertitions and taboos even after baby Clarisse was born. Lots of people say I’m old fashioned, that these old-wives tales are bogus and cause you unnecessary worries. So why bother!
I hate to say this but speaking from personal experience, minor plumbing work was carried out to repair a leaking tap a day before my premature labour symptoms were felt. I had a miscarriage two days later.
There’s never going to be scientific proof for superstitions and taboos, but for the sake of my baby, I would rather adhere by it than be sorry later. Your mileage may vary.
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November 27th, 2007 | Pregnancy | 1 Comment
Leslie Davis is a researcher at Illinois State University. She has got an online survey up for mothers who have given birth in the last six months (I missed this by one day) and expectant mothers. The feedback from the survey analyses the mood and mental status of participants during and after pregnancy. The results will contribute to a study for the development of treatments against pre-natal and post-partum depression.
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November 15th, 2007 | Babies, Health, Personal, Pregnancy | 1 Comment
It’s been decided long before giving birth to Clarisse that I will breastfeed her for at least one year. My eldest sister was a big influence in my decision. She told me that she can see the difference in general well-being between bottle-fed and breastfed children. Her daughter was breastfed for only for 2 months, whereas her son was breastfed for up to 2 years. She told me her daughter easily fall sick, unlike his son who appears to have a stronger immune system.
From what I heard so far, I really do believe breastmilk is the best milk for my baby. First of all, baby could consume colostrum from the mother’s milk produced during the first few days after giving birth. Colostrum is essential for newborns because it is high in carbohydrates, high in protein, high in antibodies, and low in fat. It is by far the most beneficial nutrition your baby could get.
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