There is nothing more stressful than to have something go wrong during pregnancy. It doesn’t matter if it is your first time being pregnant or your fourth. There are many things to be concerned about during pregnancy, and it is easier when you know what they are.
Vaginal bleeding is also known as spotting, but make sure that is what is going on. There is a difference between actively bleeding and spotting. Spotting is lightly bleeding like your period. The blood can be red, pink, or even brown. If you are bleeding actively with any pain, call your doctor. If you can’t get a hold of them, immediately go to the emergency room. Bleeding can be many things from implantation, ectopic pregnancy, labor, infection, or even miscarriage. Always let your doctor know so that everything can be ruled out; you’ll feel better too.
Stomach pain or cramping- It may be hard to decipher between a growing pain and actual stomach pain/cramping during pregnancy. However, if you do get pain of any sort, rest. After a few minutes, if it doesn’t subside, call your doctor and describe the pain to them. Don’t worry about if you find out you only had gas or were having Braxton hicks contractions. At least you know everything is okay with the pregnancy.
A gush of liquid- This could mean you are in labor and that your water broke. However, it can be something else if it isn’t close to the time of birth. Call your doctor immediately and head for the emergency room.
Dehydration- While pregnant, it is easy to become dehydrated, especially if you have morning sickness or don’t drink those 8 glasses of water. If you find yourself pale, dry mouth, or dizzy, you could be dehydrated and should be seen by a doctor. Dehydration can cause premature labor and/or distress during the pregnancy.
Painful urination - This could be a urinary tract infection, also known as UTI. These can be easily treated with medication or by drinking lots of fluids and cranberry juice. A urinary tract infection isn’t something to be embarrassed about; it is very common amongst pregnant women. The growing belly pushes against your ureters and makes it harder for things to flow through. Which, of course, can cause infection. Another way to find out if you have it is if you have a foul odor when you pee.
Pregnancies can be scary enough. There is no reason to add to it. If you are ever in doubt or have a concern, talk with your doctor. Commonly, first-time moms are worried about the many pains that they feel. Never fear calling because you are afraid of waking the doctor up or because you feel silly. Being silly might save the baby. While you are worrying, you are only causing stress on you and the baby. Find out what is wrong and relieve your anxiety.
Staying Fit During Your Pregnancy
Keeping fit during your pregnancy is great. Not only will it help you keep your body toned, but it also helps when it comes time to push that baby out. Every pregnant woman wants to be able to go back to her pre-pregnancy weight after the baby is born, but the only way to do that is to make sure you can. By exercising or working out every day, you make sure you don’t add fat to your body. It’ll be much easier to push the baby during labor if you’ve been strengthening your leg and stomach muscles. Who knows, it may even make labor a little bit shorter. Isn’t that what we all want?
Plus, when you are tired and just feeling a little blue, just by exercising, you actually increase your energy.
Here are a few quick things you can do to stay fit during pregnancy without really having to break out a sweat. I’m sure by now you’ve heard of yoga. This is a very good thing for you to practice, especially if you haven’t always been in the best of shape. Not to worry, there are beginning levels here; you don’t have to jump into the human pretzel right away. Try purchasing a set of small weights that you can use throughout the house, like hand weights or wrist weights that you can use while walking. Instead of just laying on the couch while you rest, you can be lifting small weights.
Get a chair and try doing a couple of crunches, 5 to 10, in the beginning, to make sure you don’t pull anything. Don’t worry; you can always add to it as the weeks go on.
Try running, walking, or jogging outside. Not only will this boost up your energy, but it’ll also help get your spirits up, especially if youíve been inside all day. Remember, if you are going for a walk to always bring a drink with you. You don’t want to dehydrate out there. Always make sure that you are wearing comfortable shoes before you leave the house. If you don’t always run, ask your doctor if you can. Sometimes a doctor may suggest you walk around the block at first and increase it from there if you didn’t always do it before you were pregnant.
If you can, you may want to try going for a swim or try bicycling. However, if you are accident-prone, you may want to stay away from the bike. A bike accident is something that can easily happen, even when you’ve always ridden a bike. Swimming can help you relax and stay cool. Take a dip in the pool near you. They may even have a swim class for pregnant women in your area. This would be a great way to meet other moms.
Whenever you are doing exercises, make sure you aren’t overdoing it. If you believe you could be. Stop immediately and take a break. You never want to do anything that’ll harm the pregnancy.
Pregnancy’s Beautiful Stretch Marks
The minute you find out you are pregnant, you know things will be changing, from your waist size to those little stretch marks that pop up. Stretch marks are exactly that, red or purple marks left in your skin because it has stretched. The most common areas for it to appear in the buttocks, thighs, stomach, breasts, and even arms. 90 percent of all pregnant women will get them. Whether they get a lot or a few depends on the body and how they are preventing them.
Many lotions claim to help prevent stretch marks, such as scar serum, cocoa butter, or Mederma. Make sure your skin is always moist; this helps in stretching the skin and not tearing it. There are discoveries every day; ask your doctor what they recommend. Try them out yourself first and see if they work for you. This isn’t something you just put on one time during your pregnancy. You’ll have to make this a daily effort for it to work. That’s where most women fail. They stop doing it.
During your pregnancy, try to eat healthily and stay in shape. This can help to keep off any access weight. The recommended weight gain for the average 25-35 healthy pregnancy is 25-35 pounds. Make sure you drink plenty of water; staying hydrated helps keep the skin healthy. The moment your skin dries out, you can begin getting stretch marks.
If you’ve had one or more children, your chances of getting more stretch marks will increase. Your skin has already been stretched out, and you are about to do it again. Large babies and multiple babies can increase your chances of getting stretch marks too. Begin using preventing creams and lotions with vitamins A and E; as soon as you find out you are pregnant, try to lessen your chances of getting them.
After the pregnancy, you may still have a few stretch marks, even after all the care you took. These do fade over time, so don’t worry about the way you look. If they are unbearable to you and you’ve waited a while, you can choose to have a tummy tuck or laser removal. Make an appointment with a dermatologist to see what they have to tell you. You may discover that you can live with them after all.
Besides caring for your skin daily and eating right, there isn’t much you can do to prevent these beautiful pregnancy marks. However, this doesn’t mean you don’t have to try. Take comfort in knowing that half the woman you know has been pregnant probably has a mark or two; they may even have a little road map. Think about it as you’ve just been initiated into the gang of motherhood. No woman should ever feel ashamed of her stretch marks, they may not be the prettiest thing in the world, but they represent one thing - your child. Remember that the next time you are getting disgusted by them.
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