Search Results for: blog symptoms of pregnancy

The Importance of Pregnancy Support Groups

If you’re pregnant and feeling uncertain, or even if you feel great about pregnancy/childbirth, I still have an important recommendation: try to find a support group.  Not necessarily one called “pregnancy support group,” but try to find a group of other veteran, new, or expecting moms to spend time with. The support that’s offered just from spending time with others in the same boat, or who have been through it recently, is invaluable.  A lot of the weird things about pregnancy can be less alarming if you have others to talk about them with, who can say: “oh yes, that … Continue reading →

More Fun Pregnancy Symptoms: Leg Cramps

In the middle of the night a few weeks ago I woke up with a terrible pain in my leg.  I cried out about it, and immediately began trying to rub and move my leg.  My more-than-half-asleep husband drowsily watched me do this.  He watched me try to bend my leg, to rub it, to put weight and hobble around the room on it.  When I made it to the bathroom he followed me, and asked me if I thought I was just having Braxton-Hicks.  In my leg.  Now we know that if I go into labor in the middle … Continue reading →

Five Weird Pregnancy Symptoms

There are a number of weird, though perfectly normal, side effects to pregnancy that no one tells you about.  You might get all or none of these, and it could vary from one of your pregnancies to another. 1. Bloody Gums.  Early in the second trimester I began noticing a bit more blood than normal when I flossed.  I went to my routine dentist appointment, and the hygienist confirmed that yup, that’s just something that can happen when you’re pregnant.  Chalk this one down to hormones; they’re making your gums (and other parts) more inflamed than usual.  Pregnant women are … Continue reading →

Acupuncture Could Help Alleviate ADHD Symptoms

Acupuncture has been used to relieve pain, to alleviate allergy symptoms, and to help with a variety of other health issues. Some have found that acupuncture helps children who have ADHD, by reducing some of their symptoms. It is not a “cure”, but it can be a useful, additional, treatment for ADHD. Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that has been around for more than 2,000 years. The National Institutes of Health have done studies that show that acupuncture can be effective for certain types of health problems. They specifically focused on people who were receiving acupuncture for back … Continue reading →

Reflections on Morning Sickness During the Second Pregnancy

Morning sickness is one of those things that punctuates pregnancy. While the universal experience of morning sickness varies from woman to woman and from pregnancy to pregnancy, most women do experience some form of morning sickness during pregnancy. As much as I wished I would be different than the average pregnant woman, my morning sickness experience seemed fairly typical. With previous experience and a wealth of knowledge I thought that I could change the outcome (and perhaps I did but to a much smaller degree than I had hoped). Morning sickness is very much like a roller coaster ride; there … Continue reading →

Pregnancy the Third Time Around

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I am in the stage of life right now where I could easily talk myself out of having another child. As I have blogged about before, it’s hard to know when to have another baby. But, I do know that I want another one. But, there are a few things that worry me. * Three seems like a crowd. While I have plenty of people in my life that have 3 or more kids, it just seems like a lot of little people to tote around. I envision myself trying to make a simple trip to the grocery store with … Continue reading →

Boy or Girl? Can Your Symptoms Tell You?

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All the time you hear people say things like, “I can tell you’re having a girl by the way you are carrying.” or “Heartburn? Oh it must be a boy!” Can you really guess the sex of your baby based on your symptoms? I have had a girl and a boy. My pregnancy with my daughter was pretty uneventful, but uncomfortable nonetheless. I had nausea during the first trimester, but no vomiting. My sickness always came on during late afternoon. Never in the morning. I was starving when I woke up in the morning, and had no problem eating breakfast, … Continue reading →

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 →

Morning Sickness During Pregnancy Linked to Genetics

Did your mother have severe morning sickness when she was pregnant with you, or with your siblings? Do you have sisters who were plagued by bouts of morning sickness during their pregnancies? If so, it turns out that you are likely to experience symptoms of nausea during your pregnancy as well. Studies show that morning sickness is linked to genetics. This means it can run in families. If I remember correctly, one of my cousins suffered through severe morning sickness with all of her pregnancies. She has a daughter who may very well grow up and experience the same severe … Continue reading →

Finding Support During Pregnancy

Pregnancy has the potential to be a very emotional and stressful time. There are so many things to learn, to prepare, to accomplish and to arrange. You must deal with your changing body, your changing wardrobe, your changing job situation and your changing family. Your stomach is growing, your appetite is growing, your wash load is growing and your wallet is shrinking. There has never been a more important time to surround yourself with positive support. Where I found support when I was pregnant: My mom(s): My mom and my mother-in-law were both so supportive during my pregnancy. They took … Continue reading →