Whether you’re just thinking of having a child, are going through pregnancy for the first time or are having another baby, this article will help you with tips on how to handle your situation. Each situation is different and each pregnancy is slightly different.
Plan your water intake around your small bladder if you want to sleep easier while pregnant. Be sure that you’re taking in enough water throughout the day, but take it slow after you eat dinner and before bed. This will allow you to sleep without getting interrupted by the need to go to the bathroom.
Make sure to keep all doctors appointments so you can stay on top of any developing situations earlier. The appointments are at important times during your pregnancy.
Take your prenatal medical records along with you, so that you’ll have them in an emergency.
As long as you are eating healthily, feel free to give into a craving once in awhile. You might need the nutrients from whatever you are craving as cravings happen for a reason. While pregnant, you need more nutrition and energy, so do not feel bad about succumbing to your cravings.
Cleaning solutions are a huge problem, so be sure to purchase safer alternatives. Once you have had the baby, consider keeping chemicals from the home to make it safer.
Don’t touch your cat’s litter box while you’re pregnant. Soiled kitty litter can contain chemicals that are known to harm fetuses. If you are married, have your spouse do this job for a while, if single ask a neighbor, see if there is a neighbor or family member that can lend a hand.
Educate yourself on when you need to pick up the phone and call your doctor when dealing with premature labor. With luck, you will never have to actually use this information. But having this knowledge can help you stay calm should something out of the ordinary occur. When you can avoid preterm labor, you can save your baby’s health.
Tell your doctor if you notice your feet after becoming pregnant.While this might just be a side effect of your pregnancy, it’s a possible symptom of preeclampsia, which is a dangerous condition of high blood pressure that afflicts expecting mothers. This condition must be treated so that you have a healthy birth.
Do not change cat litter while pregnant. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can be contracted by pregnant woman through handling cat boxes. Cats happen to be the host for the life cycle of toxoplasmosis, and if it passes to an unborn fetus it can cause stillbirths, the consequences in pregnant women can lead to miscarriage, birth defects or stillbirth.
Dehydration can be a big concern during pregnancy if you have excessive nausea, or if you get sick with an illness that causes vomiting and diarrhea. While diarrhea can lead to dehydration, this is especially dangerous for women who are pregnant and may require hospitalization.
Don’t wait a long time to schedule the dates since babies don’t always control when the appointed time.
Pregnancy can intensify the sense of smell, even smells that are in your life on a daily basis can make you sick. If you encounter this problem frequently, you can carry a scented handkerchief to counteract the offensive smells. You can use the scent as a buffer against odors that cause you pass anything which smells badly enough to nauseate you.
Swimming is a wonderful exercise when you’re late into your pregnancy. Swimming is a great exercise to do in the last trimester because you stay active, and you also deal with the pains and aches that you are experiencing. The weightless feeling can be very soothing.
Look at thrift stores and consignment shops when shopping for maternity clothes. There is no need to pay full price for clothes that you will only wear for a short amount of time. You will be saving money and help the environment by decreasing the environmental effects resulting from producing and shipping all new clothes.
Birth Plan
Your olfactory sense will most likely be heightened during pregnancy, which means that certain smells can make you feel very nauseated. Carrying a handkerchief with a soothing scent like lavender oil can be helpful. When you encounter strong odors in your day-to-day routine, you can use your scented hanky for a whiff of something pleasant to help you through.
Write a plan for the birthing time. This should also include tasks for other people to do on your behalf while you are at the child. Pack your bag with the birth plan, a camera, registration forms, the birth plan and some clothes for your baby to come home in.
Don’t stop exercising when pregnant, unless instructed by a doctor.
To decrease joint swelling and inflammation while pregnant, mothers should avoid sitting down for too long. Like many expectant moms, your feet and ankles may swell in the evenings. This is due to the strain on the circulation in your lower body during pregnancy. If you sit for too long, the swelling may get worse. Swelling can be reduced by sleeping on the left side of your body, raising your feet and avoiding salty foods.
Wear well-fitting pregnancy clothes during your body. Many women don’t want to wear maternity clothes because they are embarrassed. Wearing clothes that fit your body will only add to the new found discomfort you may already be experiencing due to a changing body.
As you can see, many opinions exist on how best to handle pregnancy. You may not need some of this information now, but you may need it in the future. Educate yourself and be ready when you get pregnant.
Take a childbirth class. This is especially important if you are pregnant for the first time. Whatever kind of birth you are having, these classes have a lot of information about what you can expect when you give birth. Most childbirth classes also allow you to tour the hospital’s maternity wing, which will make you more comfortable when the big day comes.