How to Manage Weight Gain During Pregnancy

By babygetgreen

In early pregnancy you may think gaining 25 lbs. is so much you'll be completely fine with weight gain during pregnancy. But, even in the first trimester it can easily get out of hand, then onto the second and third trimesters! Here are some steps to help you manage the weight gain no matter where you are at in your pregnancy.

Step 1

Be aware of what normal weight gain in pregnancy should be.

A good average to consider is between 25 and 30 pounds. The weight is spread out between the weight of the baby, placenta, uterus, amniotic fluid, breasts, extra blood volume, fat, and tissue fluid. This starts to add up. But, at the same time, you don't need a lot of extra fat. This will make pregnancy harder as well as losing weight post pregnancy.

Adding 300 calories per day is what is recommended for a pregnant woman. This is not a ton of food. Be realistic about what "eating for 2" is really like and don't just use it as a way to eat whatever you want whenever you want...that will most likely put on too much weight quickly.

Step 2
Be healthy.

Even though there is a healthy average, there isn't an exact number for what you should gain during pregnancy and weight gain will depend on a lot of different factors - pre-pregnancy weight, your height, the weight of the baby, etc. Most importantly, you want to be healthy - with food and exercise.

Step 3
Follow the food guide pyramid. There is also a "healing food pyramid" by the University of Michigan that gives great guidelines for healthy food. Try to stick to that as much as you can to get or stay healthy in your journey of pregnancy. Check out the resource section for a link.

Step 4
Get active.

Make sure to check with your doctor as you add or increase physical activity, but usually this is a positive thing. Obviously, don't go overboard. There are certain activities that may not be safe for pregnant women...know your limits.

Step 5
Make weight gain in pregnancy gradual.

Normal weight gain in the first trimester is about 4-5 lbs. After that you gradually increase. within the second and third trimester (around 20 weeks or so) its normal to gain about 1 lb./week and then it may taper off toward the end (or you may continue with the lb. per week).

How to Safely Treat Acne During Pregnancy

By atrain7

Many women experience acne during pregnancy due to hormonal changes and increased oil production. If you're faced with this unwelcomed pregnancy side effect, you may wonder if acne treatments are safe. While it might be difficult to avoid acne during pregnancy completely, there are natural ways to treat pimples and prevent future breakouts.

Step 1
Keep your skin clean. Wash with a mild, oil-free cleanser twice a day. Avoid acne treatments that contain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and/or retinoids (sometimes listed as retinol, Retin-A, tretinoin, or retinyl palmitate). After cleansing, gently pat your face dry with a towel and follow with an oil-free moisturizer if needed.

Step 2
Before going to bed, apply fresh lemon juice to any active blemishes with a cotton ball. Leave the juice on overnight and rinse off in the morning. If your skin is sensitive, dilute the lemon juice with water before applying.

Step 3
If you wear makeup, use products that are labeled noncomedogenic, which means they won't clog your pores. Be sure to remove all makeup before going to bed. During the day, blot your skin with oil-absorbing sheets or paper to remove any excess oil.

Step 4
Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated. Also, including a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet can help with acne during pregnancy.

Step 5
Exercise daily to increase circulation. Shower immediately after working out to prevent future breakouts.

How to Exercise Safely During Pregnancy

By eHow Contributing Writer

Exercise during pregnancy not only keeps your body toned and healthy, but will also increase blood flow, help fight fatigue and prepare your body for the exertion of delivery. However, you should take some precautions and make some modifications in your exercise routine to accommodate your growing midsection and new baby.

Step 1
Start slowly. If you had an established exercise routine prior to becoming pregnant, you can continue with your same routine, making minor adjustments as the pregnancy progresses. If you are starting a routine to stay fit during pregnancy, you should start very slowly and be careful not to overexert yourself. Start with 20 to 30 minutes of slow walking three or four times a week. As you get stronger, build the intensity of your walk gradually and add pregnancy workout moves.

Step 2
Stretch your body gently before and after exercise to avoid soreness. Do some arm circles by holding your arms straight out and rotating them in circles. Do some standing side lunges to stretch your legs. Slowly bend at your sides to stretch your sides and back.

Step 3
Listen to your body. Never exercise to the point of exhaustion. If you become short of breath, your body is telling you that you lack oxygen. If you feel pain or cramping, your body is telling you to slow down and not push so hard.

Step 4
Take frequent breaks. When you become winded, stop and drink some water. Sit down until you can breathe at a normal rate.

Step 5
Never exercise in extremely hot weather.

Step 6
Avoid lying flat on your back, especially past the first trimester. Lying in the supine position will cause your expanding uterus to press against your spinal cord, limiting blood flow.

Step 7
Weight train only the upper body and arms. Avoid weight training that strains your back or pelvic area.

How to Calculate Pregnancy Due Date

By tikrit01

Did you recently find out you were pregnant and want to predict the due date of your pregnancy? Knowing the due date can help you plan for your pregnancy and makes the pregnancy even more real and exciting. Learn how to calculate your pregnancy due date quickly and easily.

Step 1
The first thing you will need to do to calculate your pregnancy due date is to determine the first day of your last period as well as your average menstrual cycle length (normally 28-35 days for most women). This information is vital to calculate your pregnancy due date.

Step 2
Once you have all of that information, you will want to find an online pregnancy due date calculator. There are hundreds out there but the to best that I have come across that match most with a doctor's answer are : http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy-due-date-calculator and http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/due-date-calculator/PR00099. Both come from reliable websites and provide the most accurate calculator to predict pregnancy due dates.

Step 3
Ultimately you will need to go to your doctor to get an exact date for your pregnancy due date. Although online calculators can give you a good estimate based on your menstrual cycles, only your doctor can give you an exact date, and even those aren't always exact :)

Eptopic Pregnancy Symptoms

By Brandi

An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs when a fertilized egg settles and grows in any location outside of the inner lining of the uterus. In 95 percent of ectopic pregnancies, the egg grows in the fallopian tube, but can also grow in the ovaries, cervix and abdominal cavities. These pregnancies result when a fertilized egg isn't able to make it through a fallopian tube to the uterus.

Significance
According to Medicinenet.com, about 1 in 60 pregnant women will have an ectopic pregnancy in their lifetime. These types of pregnancies tend to occur in women between the ages of 35 and 44. One of the major concerns with an ectopic pregnancy is internal bleeding. Extreme pain is generally the first sign that a woman may be experiencing this type of pregnancy.

Theories/Speculation
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), symptoms of ectopic pregnancies include abnormal vaginal bleeding, breast tenderness, low back pain, nausea, mild cramping on one side of the pelvis, pain in the lower abdomen or pelvic area and amenorrhea (absence of the menstrual period). If the pregnancy ruptures and bleeds, symptoms can worsen according to the NLM and cause severe and sharp pains in the lower abdomen, fainting, and severe pain in the shoulders.

Effects
Shock, as a result of internal bleeding, can also be one of the first symptoms of ectopic pregnancies according to the NLM. Shock occurs when the body doesn't get enough blood flow. It can damage multiple organs and can be life-threatening. According to the NLM, this condition occurs in about 20 percent of women diagnosed with ectopic pregnancies.

Prevention/Solution
There are a variety of causes and risk factors associated with ectopic pregnancies. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, which partially or fully blocks the fallopian tube, surgery on or near the fallopian tube, a previous ectopic pregnancy, endometriosis, repeated abortions, a history of infertility problems, taking medications to increase the chance of ovulation and an abnormal fallopian tube can all pose a risk for ectopic pregnancies, according to Medicinenet.com.

Identification
Ectopic pregnancies can be diagnosed by a pelvic exam, which tests for pain, tenderness and mass in the abdomen. In addition, pregnant women can also have their HCG levels tested. This hormone doubles every two days in the first ten weeks of a normal pregnancy. However, in women who have ectopic pregnancies, this hormone level appears to be lower than normal.

Potential
If a fallopian tube remains intact throughout the pregnancy, there is a 50 percent chance that an ectopic pregnancy will be successful. However if the fallopian tube is removed, there is less than a 50 percent chance that the baby will survive.

How to Identify Signs of Labor in Late Pregnancy

By Dennie Ho

Although television and cinema often depict the onset of labor through visuals of a woman grasping her stomach and yelling out in pain or the surprising gush of her broken water, these situations are seldom the reality. Instead, signs of labor in late pregnancy are more subtle, and often begin weeks before the baby is actually born. The following steps will assist you in identifying these subtle signs of labor during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Step 1
Experience a sense of “lightening,” or the feeling that the baby has dropped in position. Lightening can occur anytime in the weeks to days before the day labor begins. Notice whether your center of gravity has changed, as it will during lightening. Determine if there is some relief of pressure on your diaphragm and, at the same time, some increased pressure on your bladder and/or more trips to the bathroom.

Step 2
Ask your doctor about the thinning, or ripening, of your cervix during one of your routine pelvic exams in the third trimester. The softening of the cervix, or effacement, will occur as it prepares for birth, thinning from an inch or more of thickness to paper thin. Ask your doctor how thin it has become, or percent effaced, during your exam: 100 percent is complete effacement.

Step 3
Ask your doctor to also check the dilation, or opening, of your cervix. Dilation occurs gradually and is measured in 0 to 10 centimeters: At 10 centimeters the baby can be born. Expect dilation to begin (1-3 centimeters) during the last weeks of the third trimester, with the remaining dilation to occur on the day labor begins.

Step 4
Look for any pink or blood-tinged stringy mucus or thick discharge; this is the loss of the mucus plug. The mucus plug blocks the cervical opening during pregnancy, and prevents bacteria from entering the uterus. As the cervix thins and relaxes, however, the mucus plug can be discharged. Expect labor to begin soon, from minutes away to a week away, should you notice that the mucus plug has been discharged.

Step 5
Experience a trickle or gush of warm fluid; this is the breaking of waters. The amniotic sac that has cushioned the baby has ruptured its membranes releasing the amniotic fluid. Expect ruptured membranes and breaking water to be a definitive sign that labor is to begin within hours and prepare for the hospital: if more than 24 have elapsed with no onset of labor, your doctor will intervene to induce labor.

Step 6
Take notice of any unexplained digestive disturbances, such as diarrhea or nausea. Digestive disturbances during late pregnancy are often a response to increased hormone levels of prostaglandin, which occurs at the onset of labor.

Step 7
Notice any unexpected feelings of energy, anxiousness, or restlessness to do something. Such spurts of energy are known as nesting behavior. Anticipate this sudden, overwhelming need to clean, organize and arrange often occurs in the final weeks to days before the onset of labor.

Step 8
Notice if you are having any consistent back pain, cramping (high abdomen), or painful contractions. True labor pain radiates throughout the high abdomen and lower back (false labor pains are concentrated in the lower abdomen and groin areas). Measure the frequency of contractions by timing from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next one. Measure the duration of each contraction as well. True labor contractions will last 15 -30 seconds, progressing to longer durations, and develop into a regular pattern. Contractions also indicate the beginning of labor.

Teen Pregnancy Symptoms

By Sheila C. Wilkinson

When a teenager is sexually active, there is always the possibility of a pregnancy, even when using a diaphragm, a condom or the pill. Although it's rare to conceive while on the pill, it does happen. The earlier that the pregnancy is detected, the faster teens can get prenatal care to ensure a healthy pregnancy and infant. There are several hotlines available to teens who need to talk about their questions concerning pregnancy and the options available to them.

Considerations
1. Unprotected sex is the leading cause of teenage pregnancy so if you have had sex without any method of birth control , you are at risk. If you've missed your period or you've had a fraction of what your normal monthly blood flow is, you could be pregnant. If you're on birth control pills, but you missed one or more pills-especially if it's at the beginning of your cycle-you could be pregnant. No birth control, including the pill which is the most reliable, is 100 percent effective, even when no pills have been missed. Birth control pills should be taken each day at the same time each day for the greatest effectiveness.
Identification
2. Get a pregnancy test if you have any reason to suspect that you could be pregnant. These tests are the most accurate when taken about a week after you miss your period. Follow the directions on the box exactly. Some test sticks are held under the stream of urine and others are dipped into a small container of urine. When reading a pregnancy test for results, lines can show up that are called evaporation lines. When the urine evaporates, these lines often show up right where a positive sign would be. These, however, are clean, colorless lines and are very faint, unlike the true positive test lines which can be different colors but will easily be seen. If the results are not clear and easy to read, get another brand of test and do it again. Some are much clearer than others. Some even spell out the words "pregnant" or "not pregnant" for you.
Warning
3. Don't rule out other factors when trying to ascertain whether you're pregnant. Many of the signs of early pregnancy can also occur during periods of high stress or illness. Also, although there's a high accuracy rate for pregnancy tests bought over the counter, there are some things that can cause a false reading. If you let the test sit around and you read it later than the directions indicate, you can get a false positive reading. If you had what's called a chemical pregnancy you can read positive. This happens when a pregnancy occurs and doesn't last until your period comes. It sometimes can change your body's chemicals long enough for a false reading. Any drugs containing Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or hCG, which are used primarily in infertility treatments, can throw off accurate results .
Effects
4. Test again to be sure. If you're uncertain about your pregnancy test results, wait a couple of days and test again, being very careful to follow the directions exactly. Consider the emotional factors involved as well. A false or hysterical pregnancy which occurs when a woman wants very badly to be pregnant but has an unusually hard time conceiving, can raise the HCG levels in the body and cause a false reading on a home pregnancy test. These false pregnancies can also cause a woman's period to stop, her breasts and abdomen to grow and have even been known to mimic labor pains when the nine months have passed.
Identification
5. Know the signs for a teenage pregnancy. Some women have signs of pregnancy really quickly-within days of conceiving-but this isn't often the case. Usually the earliest signs of pregnancy seen are missing a period, feeling sick to your stomach or vomiting, urinating more frequently than usual, sore and fuller breasts and unusual tiredness and changes in appetite, which can mean you are much more or much less hungry than usual. Some women can tell they are pregnant because they just feel different; achy, lightheaded or moody. Most of these signs, including moodiness, sore breasts, nausea, tiredness and a slightly distended stomach, can occur before your period starts and stress can mimic some of these signs as well. Know that the signs of pregnancy will not always show up early in all women. Some women will even have relatively normal periods while they're pregnant. Sometimes, signs of pregnancy can show up much later. As pregnancy advances, some women feel bloated and they'll gain weight. They may have frequent heartburn, constipation, low back pain, an elevated body temperature, a sudden sensitivity to smells and they may feel irritable and moody.
Warning
6. Get a blood test if you are relatively certain that you are pregnant. This is a much more accurate test than the over the counter tests because blood is a surer indication of the chemical changes that occur in pregnancy. These can also give a false positive reading, although this is not common. Certain drugs, including anti-convulsants, some tranquilizers, some diuretics (water pills) and drugs used in treating Parkinson's disease can interfere with accurate readings of blood tests. In most states, you can go into a clinic or doctor's office without parental knowledge or consent and get a free blood test for pregnancy.
Expert Insight
7. If you need to talk to someone there are lots of hotlines available with trained staff to help you. Call America's Pregnancy Helpline at 1-888-672-2296, Planned Parenthood at 1-800-230-PLAN or CTIS Pregnancy Risk Information at 1-800-532-3749. This last number will help you with information about any substances that may be harmful to an unborn child, such as street or prescription drugs, alcohol, infectious diseases and any other substances that could harm a baby. These lines are toll free and confidential, so don't hesitate to call if you need help. The school nurse or any doctor will also see you with confidentiality, so don't wait if you think you're pregnant. Get the care you need right away. For more information about teen pregnancy, see the URL listed below.

How to Plan a Pregnancy Labor Bag

By Julia Wooldridge

To ensure that you have everything you need during your labor and delivery pack a labor bag in the final month of your pregnancy and have it ready to go at a moments notice. Pack these essential items in your labor bag.

Step 1
Include these Mom essentials:
~A toiletry bag ~ include lip balm, hair bands, soap and shampoo, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste.
~Nursing breast pads ~ the washable kind are the best but disposable ones may be easier whilst at the hospital.
~Glasses/contact lenses, case and solution
~Clothing for yourself ~ include a couple of nightgowns and a light robe and comfortable, loose casual clothes to come home in. If you are breastfeeding you should pack nursing nightgowns and a couple of nursing tops and two nursing bras.
~Pads
~Wash cloth.

Step 2
Don’t forget to add these delivery/post delivery items:
~Birth Plan
~Camera/video camera/chargers
~Cell phone loaded with phone numbers of close family and friends and your breastfeeding support person (contact the La Leche League or your lactation consultant).
~Insurance/medical information
~Sibling gift
~Baby care/breastfeeding book
~Baby book or journal
~Focal point, if you have one.

Step 3
Include food for light snacks during labor (check your hospital's policy regarding this) or after the baby is born:
~Lights snacks ~ such as energy bars, fruit and mints.
~Energy drinks or bottled water

Step 4
Pack baby supplies for coming home:
~Going home outfit ~ depending on weather; onesie, socks, hat, one piece outfit and blanket. Keep the clothing simple but bring double supplies in case of messes!
~Diapers
~Wipes
~Car seat ~ don’t forget to bring the instructions!

Step 5
Dad or your birth partner may want to add a few of their own supplies or even bring a small bag of their own:
~Change of clothes
~Snacks ~ they may not be able to leave the labor room for many hours.
~Bottled water
~Book or magazine
~Toiletries
~Money ~ loose change for phones, vending machines or the hospital cafeteria.