Category Archives: feelings during pregnancy

Keeping a Pregnancy Journal

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Keeping a Pregnancy Journal – Creating a Keepsake of Memories for You and Your Baby to Be

When you first find out that you are pregnant, it can be hard to keep it quiet, especially when you want to tell the world. That’s ok; you’ll remember everything from the day you found out you were pregnant to when you give birth right?

Those nine months do usually go so fast though, and with the excitement of expecting a new addition to the family coupled with tiredness, nausea and weird food cravings you may just forget what it was like.

That’s why many moms-to-be decide to keep a pregnancy journal, so that not only will they remember the journey, but also it makes a beautiful keepsake to give their child as they grow. Continue reading →

Tips For Dealing With Pregnancy Nausea

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Being pregnant and nurturing a little one inside you is the most wonderful feeling of all. But more than seventy percent of the women experience nausea in their first trimester, in some the morning sickenss and even vomiting carries over to the next trimester and in a very few it keep on till the very last minute of pregnancy.

The real reason behind the nausea and fatigue associated with pregnancy is not yet known, although hormonal changes, drops in blood sugar levels, an empty stomach and dehydration are thought to be among the reasons. Getting rid of nausea altogether is not possible but some tips are found to work in reducing the number of times you feel sick each day.

Here are a few tips you can try to get relief from pregnancy associated nausea. But always remember, that if you get dehydrated or feel weak, then you will have to take the advice of a medical practitioner.

Here are some tips that will help give you some relief:

Keep munching
Expectant mothers are advised to have a number of smaller meals rather than having three full meals a day. This helps to keep the sugar level in the body steady and does not give a chance of trying to function on an empty stomach.

Healthy snacking
Though snacking in between meals is advised, don’t go for snacks with too much refined sugar or simple carbs, as they tend to raise the blood sugar too fast and then it comes crashing down. Try a multi grain cracker, fruit or a complex carb rich snack that helps to maintain the sugar levels by slow release of glucose.

Breakfast in bed
Most mothers to be get morning sickness just when they are about to begin their day. Having breakfast before you even get out of bed has been shown to reduce the problem in many cases. If your hubby or anyone can bring you breakfast in bed – then great, otherwise you can keep some crackers at your bedside and start your day with those.

Sip drinks often
Nausea and vomiting will leave you dehydrated and tired. So sip a little bit of water or fresh fruit juice every now and then; don’t wait for you to feel thirsty, keep yourself hydrated all the time.

Stay away from strong smells
Certain smells are found to trigger the feeling that you are about to throw up in most pregnant women.  It’s the smell of meat in some women, and others can’t stand the smell of any food cooking. Sometimes even the smell of detergent and perfume that you used to love can induce the feel of sickness at this time. So the best thing to do is to stay away from any such smell that can make you feel ill, if possible. Having cold food can also work as they don’t give of as much whiff as heated food.

Ginger and lemon
Sniffing ginger and lemon is also found to help many women. Including ginger in your food or taking a ginger drink (such as ginger beer) or lemonade once or twice a day can also help. So carry a lemon or a piece of ginger with you if you can.

Fresh air
Fresh air and a stroll in the garden can also help to overcome the feeling of nausea, open all the windows to your room and take a walk once in a while and keep yourself feeling fresh and happy.

All these tips have been found to work for most women so just try them out and have a happy pregnancy. But if the nausea gets frequent, DO visit a doctor as dehydration can affect your little one.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neema_Malik

Pregnant and Depressed – What to Do?

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When you first find out you are pregnant it can be a rush of emotions, from excitement to nervousness to fear.  All are very normal emotions that you can experience when you first find out, but there is one emotion that many women feel that isn’t talked about much – so what happens when you are pregnant and depressed?

First the pregnancy blues is actually quite common.  With the rush of hormones and the changes that are taking place in your body and your life it’s very normal to get a bit down.  It’s only when things get worse such as sleep problems, crying all the time, lack of interest in actives and feelings of hopelessness where the issue becomes more serious.

So many women have heard of postnatal depression but not of prenatal depression and are often too embarrassed to ask for help.  Especially when all of those around you keep congratulating you and expect this to be a joyous time for you.

So if you are feeling depressed first try and determine the level of sadness that you feel.  Some degree of the pregnancy blues is perfectly normal due to the rush of hormones around your body, but if you are crying constantly and it is interfering in your normal life it might be time to visit a doctor or your ob-gyn.

Mild to moderate symptoms can be treated quite easily, but if your symptoms are severe then y ou might be referred to a mental health professional.

There are some things that you can do at home to help improve your mood if things are not too bad.  They include:

  • Eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of rest. 
  • Exercising – while this may be the last thing you feel like doing, exercise actually reduces the hormone cortisol which is linked to depression.
  • Keep your expectations realistic – during the nine months that you are pregnant your body will be changing and you won’t be able to do many of the things that you used to.
  • Keep in contact with friends and family.  It’s proven that being around others will help lift your mood.