The Importance of Prenatal Care

The Importance of Prenatal Care

Have you recently found out that you are pregnant?  Whether you took a home pregnancy test or your doctor confirmed your pregnancy for you, you may be experiencing a wide array of emotions.  Those emotions may include happiness, excitement, hope, as well as fear.

When it comes to the birth of a child, particularly a first child, there are many mothers who have a number of different issues or concerns that must be dealt with. Those issues and concerns may include money, additional living space, healthcare, and needed baby supplies, like baby formula and diapers.  Although these are all issues and concerns that must be dealt with, something should come first.  That is the health of you and your baby.  The moment that you learn that you are pregnant, you should start taking steps to receive prenatal care.

Although it is important to hear that prenatal care is something that you should seek right away, there are many mothers, especially first time mothers, who wonder what is so important about doing so.  If this is a question that you have asked yourself, you are not alone.  A few of the many reasons why you should actively seek prenatal care, when pregnant, are outlined below.

What you need to know is that prenatal care is important to your baby’s health, as well as your health. Although a large focus will be placed on your baby and its development, prenatal care is also used to ensure that you are healthy as well. This often involves monitoring your weight, your blood pressure, as well as the expanding size of your stomach.  That is one of the many reasons why you should attend all of your prenatal care appointments, as it is important to your health, as well as your baby’s.

Another reason why prenatal care appointments are important is because they can be used to determine if your baby will have any medical conditions or complications when they are born. While many parents do not want to know, ahead of time, there are many others who do.  Knowing if your baby will have any medical conditions is important, as it can help you financially prepare for those complications and any life adjustments that need to be made.

The above mentioned reasons are just a few of the many reasons why it is important that you seek prenatal care when pregnant.  In addition to monitoring your health and the healthy of your baby, you should also seek prenatal care as it is a fun, exciting, and an important experience.  When attending your prenatal care appointments, whether you be seeing a family practice doctor, an OBGYN, or a midwife, you should be able to see a sonogram of your baby, as well as hear his or her heartbeat.  These things are things that parents never forget.

Despite the importance of prenatal care, there are many pregnant women who do not seek it. This occurs for a number of different reasons; however, the most common reason is associated with money. If you are currently uninsured or if your health insurance doesn’t cover prenatal care, you may be concerned with the cost of it, as you should be. What you should know is that many healthcare professionals would be more than willing to work with, like with the creation of a payment plan. There are also health centers, which can be found all across the country, that are designed for low-income women or those without medical insurance. 

As outlined above, prenatal care is extremely important to your health and the health of your baby, when you are pregnant. Whether you are having your first child or your third, it is important that you seek the recommended amount of prenatal care.  Pregnancy is one of the most important issues that you will have to deal with in your life and it is extremely important that it is dealt with in the proper matter.

Are You Ready to Have a Baby

Are You Ready to Have a Baby?

Are you a woman?  If you are, have you been thinking about motherhood?  If you have, you may be wondering whether or not you are ready to be a parent. While parenthood is occasionally unexpected, a large number of women and their partners plan and prepare for it.  If that is the approach that you would like to take, there are a number of important factors or issues that you should first take into consideration.

Perhaps, the most important factor to take into consideration is healthcare. When pregnant, you will need to schedule regular prenatal exams. Towards the end of your pregnancy, these exams may be as common as once or twice a week. For that reason, healthcare should be taken into consideration.  Do you have health insurance?  If you do, does your health insurance cover pregnancy and prenatal care?  If it does not or if you are uninsured, you may end up paying for the cost of your pregnancy alone.

In keeping the cost of having a child, it is also important to examine the costs after your baby is born.  It is no secret that raising children is expensive.  How are you currently managing, financially, now?  If you are having difficultly making ends meet, you may be unable to afford the cost of a child. Of course, there are financial programs out there to assist, but you shouldn’t rely too heavily on them.  If you would like to have a child, it is advised that you take steps to financially prepare for doing so. These steps may involve increasing your work hours or eliminating unnecessary purchases.

Another factor that needs to be examined is your current living situation.  Do you own your own home or do you rent an apartment?  Regardless of whether you are a homeowner or a renter, do you have enough space for a child?  If you do not, it may be a good idea to rethink your current living situation. Although many mothers like to keep their newborns in the same room with them at night, there will come a point in time where your child will need their own room.  If you would like to buy a larger home or rent a larger apartment, you may want to think about doing so before you decide to become pregnant, as it may save you a considerable amount of stress.

Another issue that needs to be discussed is your partner or spouse’s feelings on having a new child.  Although it is more than possible for you to be a single mother, by way of a sperm donor, many women make the decision to have a child with a man that they love. Despite being more than possible to raise a child as a single parent, it is important that you seek assistance from the father. That is why the decision to have a child is one that you and your partner should make together.  If you are married or if you have been with your partner for a long period of time, there is a good chance that they will be just as excited with having a baby as you are.  If, at this point in time, you realize that you both have difficult goals and aspirations in life, the issue needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

When deciding if you are ready to become a mother, the above mentioned issues are all ones that should be taken into consideration. As a reminder, many women have children unexpectedly, but many take the time to plan and prepare for pregnancy and childbirth. If you would like to thoroughly examine your decision before getting pregnant, it is advised that you do so.  You can research pregnancy and raising a newborn baby by speaking with your healthcare professional and other parents or by buying a collecting of birthing and parenting books, as well as by using the internet to your advantage. 

Fun Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy

Fun Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy

Whether you just found out you’re pregnant or you’ve known for a few months, announcing your pregnancy to family and friends can be a lot of fun. Some may want to wait until a certain time during their pregnancy, while others want to call everyone immediately after finding out themselves.

Telling The Father
Have a romantic dinner for two with candle lights, it may be your last time for a while, between morning sickness and raising your little one. Serve up baby carrots, baby back ribs and anything else you can think as baby. At the end, pour apple juice instead of wine and hand him a present. Inside you can have a tiny baby bib that says, “I heart My Daddy”  
or a pair of baby booties.

If you can’t tell the father right away because he’s away on business, or deployed try sending him a care package. Inside the box place a few baby items, everything in blue and pink and a baby naming book in the center. Place a note on top of the book with, “I need a name soon, I’ll be here by June.” Or whenever the baby is due.

You can also see how long it takes him to figure it out. Go to the dollar store and pick up a bunch of small baby items, a bib, rattle, bottle, booties, etc. For a week, leave an item laying around the house where he is bound to find them. At the end of the week if he hasn’t figured it out yet, prepare the big gift. Have a large teddy bear sitting at the dinner table in the seat beside him, make sure there is a bib wrapped around him and maybe a sign that says Hi Daddy. 

Telling Family and Friends
Show up to a family gathering wearing a shirt that announces your state. These days there are a ton of shirts out there with clever sayings, “Baby on Board,” “A Bun in the Oven,” or something related to the pregnancy. The moment you walk in or take off your jacket everyone will figure it out without you ever having to say a word. Now, get ready for the tears and excitement. You’ll be answering a ton of questions.

If you already have children you may want to call the grandparents up and tell them that the next Christmas they may want to add one more to the list.

If this is the first grandchild, you may want to get a bracelet link for your mom that reads, “#1 Grandma” or grandparent t-shirts. This will not only be a great present for them but something they will cherish and love forever.

No matter when you spread the news it can be a lot of fun, just think creative and let the pieces fall. You may even want to try catching all of it on video, so think ahead and prepare for the BIG moment, and I’m not meaning the birth.

Breastfeeding While Pregnant

Breastfeeding While Pregnant

Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to stop breastfeeding your child. Long ago doctors believed it actually took nutrients away from the baby inside you, however that is not the case. Even today we have people that believe this and they will argue with you the entire time.  Only you can decide if you should stop breastfeeding your toddler or not. Don’t let someone else make that decision for you.

Reasons to Stop
A few reasons you might want to stop breastfeeding may be if you are feeling constantly drained of energy. Or maybe your child has started to bite. Sometimes your milk will just dry up, this is your body’s way of telling you that it has had enough and to take a break.  Mastitis could play a big role in making you stop immediately as well. Mastitis is an infection in the breast when it isn’t expressed enough and gets engorged.

Stopping or Weaning
If you do plan on stopping because you are pregnant, make sure it is for the right reasons. If your child has reached a certain age, it might be best. But never just yank it away from them.  Your child could wonder why it is being taken away. Wonder if they had done something or become discouraged about the new baby coming. Some children decide to wean themselves, which is a big help to you and you won’t feel so guilty about it. You can choose to do it cold turkey, or slowly wean him/her off. Cold turkey can have some bad results.  Try limiting his/her feeding times to certain hours and gradually as time passes take away more. Your child will quickly stop on his/her own and it won’t be a traumatic event.

Continuing to Feed
If you do plan on continuing to breastfeed while you are pregnant, talk with your doctor about it. Not all the time will the doctor agree with your decision.  Sometimes he/she may see something in your health that you don’t. Listen carefully and find out if it is a health reason or simply his/her own belief.  If it is the doctors belief, you can always seek out one that agrees with you.  Being pregnant is hard enough at times, knowing you have someone in your corner will only relieve the stress.  Don’t be surprised if your family and friends want to say something about it and they will probably give you all kind of advice on how to stop and what they’ve read. Nicely explain to them it is your decision and you’ll do what you think is best for your children. Try finding a support group in your area so you have someone to vent to or talk about these issues. Check out if there is a La Leche League near you or online that you can join.

Remember that as long as you take proper care of yourself and your body, you’ll be able to safely breastfeed while pregnant. 

A Guide To Your Pregnancy

A Guide To Your Pregnancy

The first step of your pregnancy, after seeing the little positive stick should to have it confirmed. Call immediately to have a pregnancy test done with your local doctor, you may be in luck and get in that same day or have to wait about a week or two. Patience will become your best friend during this time or your worst enemy, waiting can become a very hard thing when you want to know for sure whether you are or aren't pregnant. More than likely you'll get a phone call a few days later to confirm it.

Set up an appointment to see your OB/GYN or midwife as soon as possible, chances are you'll be meeting his/her staff before you ever meet them. This is the first appointment where your doctor/midwife will want to know all your medical history. If you’ve been pregnant, what types of sicknesses run in your family, etc. If you can, try making sure you know all of this ahead of time, maybe even have it all down on paper so when he/she asks you are prepared. During the days or weeks leading up to this meeting you may have concerns, write them down and ask them. Believe it or not doctors are there to help you, and they’ve been asked every question you can possibly think of. Before leaving your doctor may even give you a bag full of goodies all about being pregnant. Read these, they may prove beneficial and not to mention they’ve got coupons. Your doctor will either give you another appointment or have you set one up before leaving. There are some great books out there if you are really worried about what will happen next or how birth is going to be, check them out at your local library.

Make sure that you get your prenatal vitamins, they are very important during pregnancy. If for some reason you can’t take them, talk with your doctor he/she may be able to prescribe a lower dosage or something else.  You’ll get your first ultrasound, also known as US around week 20, this is normally when you find out what sex the baby is.  However some doctors like to call it safe and give you an ultrasound around 10-12 weeks just to make sure the baby is in the proper location and all is going well. You will also be asked to take an orange drink that you must drink in five minutes. You’ll wait around for an hour to three hours, at which point your blood gets drawn and you can go home. The test determines if you have or have a chance of getting gestational diabetes.

At first your appointments will be about 4 weeks apart until you hit the 36 week and at that point it’ll be two weeks later and a week later after that until the baby is born. By now you should be preparing to have the baby.  Yes, I’m sure you’ll have some anxiety towards the end of your pregnancy. You’ve went this far, it’s time you see your reward.

Staying Fit During Your Pregnancy

Staying Fit During Your Pregnancy

Keeping fit during your pregnancy is great for you, not only will it help you keep your body toned but it also can help 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 excising or working out every day you are making sure you don’t add fat to your body.  During labor it’ll be much easier to push the baby 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 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 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 you’ve 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 didn’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 find that 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 road 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.

Concerns During Pregnancy

Concerns During Pregnancy

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 your pregnancy and it is easier when you know what they are.

Vaginal bleeding- This may 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 kind of 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 him go immediately to the emergency room. Bleeding can be a number of things from implantation, ectopic pregnancy, labor, infection or even miscarriage. Always let your doctor know, so everything can be ruled out, you’ll feel better too.

Stomach pain or cramping- During the pregnancy it may be hard to decipher the difference between a growing pain and an actual stomach pain/cramping. However, if you do get a pain of any sort rest. After a few minutes if it doesn’t subside, call your doctor and describe the pain to him. Don’t worry about it if you find out you only had gas or were having Braxton hicks contractions, at least you know everything is okay with pregnancy.

Gush of liquid- This could mean you are in labor and that your water broke, however if it isn’t close to the time of birth it can be something else. Call your doctor immediately and head for the emergency room.

Dehydration-  While you are pregnant it is easy to become dehydrated, especially if you have morning sickness or just 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 on the pregnancy.

Painful urination - Could be a urinary tract infection, also known as UTI. This 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 it 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’s no reason to add to it. If you are ever in doubt or have a concern talk with your doctor. It is common that first time moms are worried about 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 just save the baby. While you are worrying, you are only causing stress on you and the baby, find out what’s wrong and relieve your anxiety.