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The Importance of Taking a Little Time For Yourself

Sometimes, you can be overextending yourself without even realizing it until someone else brings it to your attention. I had no idea that I was doing it until I had an appointment with my midwife today. We are actively working on preventing my blood pressure from going up during this pregnancy because that was an issue with my first pregnancy, and we are approaching the issue from a few different angles. I’m exercising regularly, I have made some dietary changes, and I have incorporated some vitamins and supplements into my daily routine. Anyways, today she asked me to describe a … Continue reading →

Another Reason Not to Diet

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Pregnant women are bombarded by advice about gaining too much weight during pregnancy. While there are many good reasons for this advice, it sometimes has an unintended consequence. Women may feel under pressure to avoid gaining weight and some will even diet in an attempt to avoid putting on too much weight. In general, diets are considered a bad idea during pregnancy and a new study has offered additional insight. The study was conducted at University of Nottingham. Like many studies, this one was conducted using animals, sheep to be exact. The reason is the similar length in gestation to … Continue reading →

The Importance of Zinc in Pregnancy

Once you become pregnant, you begin to pay a lot more attention to your diet than ever before. Mom and baby need a broad range of nutrients for health and proper development. One important and often overlooked nutrient in the prenatal diet is zinc. Zinc is important for every stage along the road to parenthood, including conception. Zinc is an essential nutrient for sperm production in the man and healthy and regular ovulation in the woman. Once pregnancy is achieved, zinc is important throughout the development of the baby for cell growth and for the immune system of mom and … Continue reading →

The Importance of Folate

Folate is an important nutrient for the developing baby. A synthetic form of folate used in prenatal vitamins and as food supplements is folic acid. Studies have shown folate can help prevent neural tube defects affecting the brain and spinal cord. The most important time period for baby to reap the benefits of folate in the diet is when the neural tube is forming in the early weeks of pregnancy. In many cases, this is happening before a woman even knows she is pregnant or just after she discovers the pregnancy. For this reason, increasing the intake of folate in … Continue reading →

The Importance of Calcium for Your Pregnancy

During pregnancy, a variety of nutrients are vital to the development of the baby and health of the mother. One important nutrient is calcium. Calcium is important to both mother and baby and not getting enough can have serious consequences, particularly for mom. Calcium is vital for the development of the bones and teeth. This is how calcium is best known by most people. But that’s not all it does to aid in fetal development. This nutrient is also used in muscle growth in the baby and is important for maintaining a regular heart rhythm in both mom and baby. … Continue reading →

Health Risks Related to Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy continues to be a problem around the world, despite lower teen pregnancy rates. There are health risks specific to teen pregnancy that pregnant teens and parents should discuss with the doctor or midwife. In addition, teen mothers need to be educated about the risks and the importance of nutrition and prenatal care. According to the March of Dimes, teens are at a higher risk of preterm birth, compared to older mothers. The March of Dimes reports that between the years of 2002 to 2004, the preterm birth rate for women 20-29 years old was 11.7 percent. For women … Continue reading →

The Pregnancy Blog Review April 9-20

In the Pregnancy Blog, I try to cover a variety of topics related to all aspects of pregnancy, conception, birth and the post partum period. The review is a great place to see all the recent blogs in one place. Do You Wear Your Seatbelt? Many pregnant women don’t buckle up, usually due to a fear the seatbelt could injure the baby in the event of an accident. However, wearing a seatbelt can save the lives of both you and your baby. Learn how to wear it correctly in this blog. If you are trying to get pregnant or have … Continue reading →

The Importance of Diet Before Pregnancy

You probably already know that good nutrition is vital to your growing baby. The foods you eat nourish your baby and provide nutrients needed for organ and tissue growth. Did you know that nutrition before pregnancy is critical to your baby’s health? There have been studies to show the diet of the mother impacts the baby as early as at the time of fertilization and in the early weeks of pregnancy. These studies resulted in the current guidelines which suggest women get extra folic acid and take vitamin supplements if they are trying to conceive. Newer studies have shown the … Continue reading →

What is Preeclampsia?

With pregnancy, it is important to remember that things may not turn out the way that you had intended. I learned this during my first pregnancy, and I experienced it again during my most recent pregnancy. When I was pregnant with my first son, I developed preeclampsia towards the end of the pregnancy. I began to show signs of it before I was to term, but fortunately the symptoms did not present fully until about ten days before my due date. Preeclampsia is a medical condition where a pregnant woman’s blood pressure rises suddenly and other symptoms including protein in … Continue reading →

Spina Bifida Awareness Month

One of the most frequent pieces of advice you hear when you are pregnant is about the importance of getting enough folic acid. Folic acid is really one of those things you should get before you are pregnant, while you are trying to conceive. By the time you find out you are expecting, your pregnancy has already progressed beyond that crucial stage when folic acid is so important. That is why a good prenatal vitamin is so important; and that is why you should start taking prenatals as soon as you stop using birth control. Why am I talking about … Continue reading →