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Fears of Pregnancy

Confession time: you’d think that the thought of getting pregnant again wouldn’t scare me, because I’ve already done it once, but it does a little! The first time around I had no idea what to expect. I read books and forums online, but you don’t really know what it is like until you go through it yourself. Everything that came along, I took in stride. I wasn’t afraid of giving birth because I was very optimistic about handling the pain. But recently I have thought about what it would be like to get pregnant again and I realized the thought … Continue reading →

Reduce Your Stress for Your Baby’s Health

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Recent research conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical Center revealed that stress during pregnancy increases the child’s risk for asthma. Stress in the mother triggers an immune response, evidenced in the cord blood collected at birth, possibly later heightening their response to inhaled antigens. It stands to reason, therefore, that reducing stress during pregnancy can only have a positive effect on both the baby and the mother. Most of us immediately want to remove the source of the stress. Sometimes it is simple enough as hiring a babysitter for a few hours or telling someone to mind … Continue reading →

Prenatal Stress and Schizophrenia

Researchers have now uncovered a conclusive link between extreme stress during the early stages of pregnancy and the development of schizophrenia in the children of those mothers in later life. Schizophrenia is a complex disorder of the brain and is commonly passed down through the family chain, thus indicating a genetic link for the condition. Drugs usage and life stresses can also promote the development of schizophrenia in susceptible adults. But a recent study at New York University’s School of Medicine has proven conclusively that wartime stress is a trigger for the development of the condition in later life. Other … Continue reading →

Moms-to-Be: Work Stress Can Be Harmful to Your Baby

A Dutch study published in the American Journal of Public Health took a look at work stress in the first trimester of pregnancy — and the impact it can have on an unborn child. More than eight thousand pregnant women participated in a survey focused on employment and working conditions — they were asked about the number of hours worked per week and their stress levels (among other things). More that seven thousand women continued in the study, and were in contact with researchers again after giving birth to report the weight of the newborns. The results? Women who worked … Continue reading →

Laugh at Stress

Studies have shown that laughter is a GREAT way to deal with stress. In the short term: Laughter enhances your oxygen intake. That in turn stimulates your heart, your lungs, and your muscles. Laughter makes your brain release endorphins — happy chemicals. Laughter can ease digestion problems. Laughter can stimulate blood circulation, which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress. Laughter also activates — and then cools down — your body’s stress response. It can rev up your heartbeat and boost your blood pressure, leaving you feeling more relaxed as things calm down again. In the long … Continue reading →

Stress and Women

A recent survey from the American Psychological Association found that more than eighty percent of women experience physical symptoms of stress like fatigue and headaches on a regular basis. Are you one of them? The thing is, most women think they’re managing their stress well. In the survey from the American Psychological Association, eighty-one percent of women said they were managing their stress “extremely well” or “somewhat well”. Despite that, eighty-one percent of women complained of physical symptoms of stress. How do you know if you’re stressed? Physical symptoms like headache, fatigue, and muscle tension. Impaired ability to focus or … Continue reading →

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Pregnancy

Carpal tunnel syndrome is named for a tunnel like structure that runs through the bones of the wrists. A nerve also runs through that tunnel. When this median nerve becomes compressed, carpal tunnel syndrome is the result. This syndrome is common in people who work in computer related fields, such as programming or data processing. It also tends to be more common in pregnant women. The excess fluid and increase in swelling may contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome. Fluid and swelling increase the pressure in the carpal tunnel. This increases the pressure and causes the median nerve to become compressed. … Continue reading →

Pregnancy and Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder can vary enormously in both severity and type of symptoms between person to person. Therefore the assistance of a psychiatrist will be necessary to help you manage your bipolar symptoms during pregnancy. Lithium and epilum are two of the drugs of choice used to manage the bipolar state and it is best for your baby if you can be as drug-free as possible during pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester. Pregnancy can be a physically stressful time, so ensure that your diet is excellent and you get plenty of exercise. The latter can both help with lowering stress … Continue reading →

Dealing with Migraines in Pregnancy

Whether you have suffered with migraines for years or only began having them during pregnancy, the pain can be difficult to deal with. Some women find that their migraines get worse when they become pregnant, while others experience fewer and less severe headaches. Still other women experience their first migraine during pregnancy. Migraines are not like other headaches. These are caused by the blood vessels in the brain dilating. The pain of a migraine is different from other types of headaches. The pain starts out as a dull ache, which gradually becomes a constant, throbbing pain. Nausea, vomiting and seeing … Continue reading →

The Effect of Stress on Fertility

Infertility is a major life event for nearly all couples who experience it. As the months slip by without a baby, the disappointment is devastating. The six years my husband and I spent trying to conceive our first baby remains the most stressful period of my entire life. In most cases, stress does not cause infertility or make it worse. Your mother, friends and grandmother keep telling you to relax and you’ll get pregnant. Although this is meant to be helpful, it can make you feel more stressed and even blame yourself. This is not productive and not true. If … Continue reading →