Pregnancy is boon as well as a condition where you have to b extremely careful. Care is necessary keep your baby safe and healthy. The risks are many and so you need to take precaution and follow safety steps so as to keep your baby from being affected by the dangers.Along with your steps, you need to watch your diet. Food and beverages directly affects the baby and so you need to be careful with what you eat. Find herewith some tips which will help you to avoid the danger and keep the baby safe.

Avoid alcohol - Understand one thing- Alcohol is bad for your baby. Though it seems obvious, but it is really hard to give up alcohol. Alcohol has a different image in the society and you may find it really hard and uncool to stop taking alcohol. You may think that not having alcohol means you are not having fun. But atleast till you deliver the baby and it grows to a certain stage avoid alcohol at any cost for the safety and security of your baby.

Avoid caffeine- Caffeine is dangerous for your baby. It may affect the development of your baby. So you have to avoid caffeine. For people who are very much addicted to tea and coffee, it may seem very had to do so, but it is always better not to take any chance for the sake of your baby. You probably will not want any serious health implications in your baby, and if that is true avoid caffeine.

Smoking- Smoking is always bad whether you are pregnant or not. This is the time you try harder to avoid smoking. It is not easy, but again smoking has the highest risk factor associated with it for your baby.

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The first thing you will want to do after reading a positive pregnancy test stick is to have it confirmed. You will want to immediately call your doctor or midwife to have them confirm your home pregnancy test, if you are lucky they may be able to see you with in a day or two if not you may have to wait a week or two to have your pregnancy confirmed. You will quickly learn that patience will prove to be your friend or your worst enemy now and throughout your pregnancy. It is best to try and learn this early on. Hopefully within a day or two you will have confirmed that you are indeed pregnant.

Source:Pregnancy Guide For First Time Mommies

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Pregnancy does leave a woman with a “glowing beauty” as the life inside her begins to grow and become it’s own tiny entity. Unfortunately, the initial “glow of motherhood” often replace by the green pallor of a woman who is vomiting non-stop all day. Exhaustion becomes so overwhelming that she can hardly get herself out of bed in the morning and when she finally does find the strength to move, it is usually to run to the bathroom to throw-up. Thus begins a brand new day, at least for the first trimester.

The First Trimester is filled with Excitement and Weight Gain

Each trimester has it’s own pregnancy symptoms that are specific to the progressive age of the fetus/embryo and to the mother’s body adapting to the baby she carries. The first trimester is one that is usually filled with nausea, exhaustion, backaches, and frequent urination. Morning sickness generally begins between the second and sixth week of pregnancy and can last a varied amount of time; some end at the three-month mark and others suffer during their entire pregnancy.

During the Second Trimester, Pregnancy Symptoms Improve

The second trimester is the beginning of baby’s growth outward and the expansion of your baby belly. This is the time when you actually begin to look pregnant and feel good about it too. There are maternity clothes, baby shopping and planning for baby’s arrival. You are not as tired as you were in the first trimester so you are able to enjoy the actual “being” of pregnancy. It is during this trimester that you will actually get to hear baby’s heartbeat. These are the precious moments when your baby actually becomes real to you, rather than just discomfort and nausea. It is possible pregnancy symptoms such as backaches to increase as the baby begins to grow more outward and your center of balance becomes more awkward. Be cautious until you adjust to the physical changes of a baby belly. You will want to remain so as you continue to grow with your baby’s development.

Size is a Pregnancy Symptom in Trimester #3

The third trimester is often referred to as the “nesting phase” of pregnancy, as this is when the reality of motherhood begins becomes real. Reaching this stage is often a relief as the end is drawing near but also frightening as the idea of childbirth becomes more real. At this point, your weight and shape have become a real discomfort, but it is not a time to cut down on fluids or nutrition, as baby needs both to continue growing to a healthy birth weight. Be aware of Toxemia, a pregnancy induced hypertension that could have serious side effects if ignored. Its signs are rapid weight gain, swelling of hands, face and feet and a rise in blood pressure. It is often accompanied by nausea, dizziness and severe headaches. Another pregnancy symptom you will want to watch out for is Gestational Diabetes. This is a temporary pregnancy symptom and not everyone suffers from it. However, as a preventative measure, doctors’ offices now require a special Glucose Tolerance Test to check the blood for an increased blood sugar level.

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It is a well known fact, that nutrition is a very important part of everyday life. It is never more important for you to make sure you’re getting the right nutrition than when you are pregnant and you should be aware that every thing you eat is sent directly to your unborn child. There are certain things you should not eat when you are pregnant, and there are also other foods that will provide you the right nutrition during your pregnancy and will keep your baby healthy. First and foremost, once you find out you are pregnant; you should immediately begin taking prenatal vitamins. This will help make sure your baby receives all the right vitamins that are needed to help your unborn baby flourish. Folic acid is one of the most needed vitamins and we rarely get the right amount on a daily basis. The prenatal vitamins have an appropriate amount that you baby will need. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will insure that your baby is getting the proper nutrition during the nine months of your pregnancy and you will feel better too.

Bring on the Water

Most of us already know that drinking 6-8 glasses of water is highly recommended when you’re not pregnant. It is never more important to follow those guidelines, than when you become pregnant. Juice, soda and coffee should not be included in your daily count. It is good for you to think of those as treats. Water helps your baby in so many ways, and it will make you feel great too. Some pregnant women find it hard to drink so much water, and will have to make adjustments so that the baby is getting the proper nutrition during your pregnancy and water will achieve that. Ice is another great way for you to achieve the water intake you are trying to achieve. You can even make your own ice chips using your blender and before you know it you will reach your 8 glasses of water goal. Just add half the amount of water to your ice and blend away. Drain the excess water and you have home made ice chips. Drinking water will also help to prevent some of the ailments you deal with during pregnancy, such as nausea, constipation, and swelling.

Maintain Proper Nutrition and Avoid These Foods during Pregnancy

There are several foods that should be avoided when you are pregnant. Raw eggs are definitely restricted. This means no licking the spoon when you are baking a cake, or drinking non pasteurized milk. The chance of coming in contact with salmonella is extremely high. This can cause damage to your unborn baby. Unwashed vegetables are very bad, always make sure you wash them thoroughly before eating, your baby needs the vegetables, but not the pesticides and bacteria unwashed vegetables can carry. Caffeine has been shown that when you take it in moderation can be safe. Pregnant women should keep their intake to about 300mg per day.

Absolutely No Alcohol

There is no amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy; this will cause irreparable damage to your unborn child. Prenatal exposure can interfere with the growth of your growing baby. If you have consumed alcohol before you became aware of your pregnancy stop now! You can give your baby fetal alcohol syndrome, and this can affect them for years to come.

Tags: pregnancy nutrition, pregnancy care, pregnancy

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When you are 26 weeks pregnant, you are in the second trimester of the pregnancy and almost at the third trimester stage. By this time, you are noticeably pregnant and your normal clothes no longer fit properly. Your stomach is starting to protrude and you may even be having slight contractions in your uterus. These contractions are called Braxton-Hicks contractions, sometimes referred to as false labor, but you are nowhere near going into labor yet. You probably don’t even notice the contractions unless you are sitting or lying down and are feeling relaxed.

Source:What to Expect at 26 Weeks Pregnant

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The most common early pregnancy symptoms are easily recognized. The most recognized, thanks to Hollywood, is morning sickness. Movies have made morning sickness as synonymous with pregnancy and the word baby. Yet, in reality, there are really many different early pregnancy symptoms that will help an expectant mom recognize her condition.

The Most Recognizable Early Symptom of Pregnancy

In addition to morning sickness, a woman who has missed her monthly cycle should be aware of the possibility that she is pregnant. It is best to monitor her cycle to see if it is just a few days late (which would indicate her not being pregnant) or if it is in fact delayed for over two weeks. If her monthly cycle does not resume after a two-week delay, it could be an early symptom of pregnancy indicates that she is pregnant. Of course, there are other factors that may be at work here, such as stress or excessive weight gain or loss, so a visit to a medical professional would be in order.

Other Recognizable Early Symptoms of Pregnancy

Another early symptom of pregnancy is tender or swollen breast. This generally occurs about one to two weeks after conception and is a sign to recognize if other early pregnancy symptoms are also occurring. However, it could be due to the birth control pill, impending menstruation or a hormonal imbalance, so watch it closely but don’t be alarmed immediately. A woman that is feeling exhausted and extremely tired could be experiencing an early sign of pregnancy. In the initial phase of pregnancy or first trimester, the baby is developing at a rapid rate and as the baby develops, the mother’s energy is depleted at a rapid rate. Resting often will take care of this fatigue, which should only last for the first six weeks after conception. Some women experience powerful food cravings when they become pregnant. As an early sign of pregnancy, this sign can begin in the beginning of the pregnancy and continue throughout the entire nine months. Often times, the cravings change immensely from craving sweets with an aversion to sour tastes and then switching to the exact opposite.

There are many early symptoms of pregnancy that can alert an expectant female to the fact that her body has become the home for another living being. It is important to understand and recognize exactly what signs indicate pregnancy and to respond immediately if the pregnancy is real. The developing embryo needs special care, nutrition from its mother from the moment it is conceived and the earlier she can begin providing that care the better.

Tags: early pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy

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There are many different folklore and wives tales pregnancy tests that abound on how an expectant mother can tell the sex of her unborn child. While everyone scoffs about the results, I don’t know of one expectant mom that hasn’t tried them just the same. These old fashion pregnancy tests use a variety of methods to determine the sex of an unborn child.

How High or How Low, Do You Really Know

The oldest and most common is the belief that how high or low you carry your baby is a pregnancy test to determine the sex of the child. It is generally agreed that if a mother is carrying her child low, then the baby is a boy. Alternatively, it the baby is carried, then the belief is that a baby girl will arrive. There is nothing to document this as a proven theory or pregnancy test, but most women will hear time and again the “experienced observation” of mothers and grandmothers about whether their child is a boy or a girl

The Heartbeat is a Strong Indicator of a Healthy Baby, but not it’s Sex

Another popular pregnancy test is the rate of the baby’s heartbeat. This is one test that has had some recognition from the medical community but nothing that is proven as medically sound. The pregnancy test predicts that the fetal heartbeat of boys an girls is different and that is a baby girl is due to arrive, the fetus will have a heartbeat above 140 and a baby boy will have a heartbeat below 140. However, in recent studies, many medical professionals are stating that this information is not as valid as it was once believed to be.

There are other pregnancy tests that families do for fun and enjoyment and allow for a lot of laughs once the baby actually arrives. There is a pregnancy test that makes a comparison of the right and left breast; a larger left breast means a boy while a larger right breast indicates a girl. Another old wives pregnancy test uses a pendant held over your hand or belly can indicate which sex the baby is going to be; if the pendant swings back and forth you are having a girl and if it swings in a circular motion, it is most defiantly a girl.

These types of pregnancy tests are a considerable amount of fun and added humor when a pregnant woman is well beyond the laughing phase of pregnancy. Keep in mind that none of them are scientifically based or proven and are intended for fun only.

Tags: pregnancy tests, pregnancy

Source: pregnancy