Pregnancy is a complex time in a woman’s life. Since the baby is counting on the mother for the nutrients needed to grow, the expecting mother needs to eat well and make healthy choices in order to feel good, have energy, and support a healthy pregnancy. Supplements, however, can also be beneficial. A woman with child should only take supplements recommended by a health care provider. So, what supplements should an expecting woman take?  

Vitamin A and Beta Carotene

Women should include vitamin A and beta carotene to their pregnancy diet and nutrition for healthy bones and teeth, and also to promote growth. In addition to pregnancy supplements, these nutrients are also naturally found in milk, eggs, potatoes, and yellow vegetables. Be careful with liver, as liver contains high levels of a type of vitamin A called retinol, which may cause birth defects. If you’re taking vitamin supplements, look for pregnancy supplements which contain the betacarotene vitamin A. Don’t take vitamin supplements with the retinol vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a very important supplement for pregnant women. It helps the body use calcium and phosphorous, which are essential for strong teeth and bones. This vitamin can be found in milk, eggs, oily fish, and sunshine. If you can, take a walk and get some sun. A daily walk or some other form of outdoor physical activity in the early morning or late afternoon is recommended, especially in times of the year when there’s less sun.

Vitamin E

Pregnant women also need Vitamin E to help the body form and use muscles and red blood cells. As part of their pregnancy diet and nutrition, Vitamin E is present in spinach, vegetable oil, and wheat germ.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is essential for building a healthy immune system, helping the body absorb iron, and protecting tissues from damage. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits, strawberries, green beans, tomatoes, papaya, and broccoli.

Vitamin B1

A vitamin vital for regulating the nervous system and raising energy levels, it is found in whole grain, eggs, pasta, rice, and organ meats.

Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 helps maintain a good eyesight, healthy skin, and energy. They may take it from poultry, fish, meats, dairy products, and eggs in addition.

Vitamin B3

This vitamin helps promote a healthy skin, digestion, and nerves. Pregnant women may take it from high protein foods, bread, and milk.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is another very important supplement for pregnant women. It is responsible for red blood cell formation and it also helps with morning sickness. In addition to supplements, this vitamin may also be found in chicken, fish, liver, pork, bananas, beans, and brown rice.

Folic Acid

Folic Acid is very important for pregnant women. It helps support the placenta and prevents neural tube defects such as spina bifida. This nutrient may come from oranges, strawberries, spinach, green leafy vegetables, beans, pasta, and peas.

Calcium

Calcium helps create strong teeth and bones, prevents anemia, premature delivery, and low birth weight. As an added pregnancy diet and nutrition element, it may be found in yogurt, cheddar cheese, milk, dark green leafy vegetables, and canned fish with bones.

Iron

Iron is beneficial in the production of haemoglobin, and prevention of low birth weight, premature delivery, and anemia. It can be found in beef, dried beans, spinach, and grains fortified with iron.

Protein

Protein is responsible for the production of amino acids and repair of cells in pregnant women. They may take it from most animal foods, legumes, and veggie burgers.

Zinc

Zinc is essential for the production of insulin and enzymes in the body. This nutrient may be taken from oysters, dairy products, beans, red meats, and whole grains.

Written by Team Health & Parenting

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

It is estimated that nearly 6 out of 10 women experience some form of pregnancy loss in their life. Some, may not have even known they were pregnant while others knew and celebrated wholeheartedly only to be heartbroken. The reality is that whether you are trying to conceive, or conceived by accident, the loss of a pregnancy is real. In fact, it is the loss of a dream for many, and is not just the loss of a pregnancy – but the loss of a life that is felt.

Recovering can be painful. Most people don’t know what to say to you, and even if they did – it is likely they wouldn’t make you feel any better. As your body goes through the changes of being pregnant to not being pregnant, there is an avalanche of hormones that can make your emotions feel even more out of control. And often, knowing that you are not alone is not much of a consolation prize. Each woman processes pregnancy loss differently, but one thing remains the same. The little life that was inside of you changes you. And he or she had lessons to teach you, and he or she will always be part of your life whether you knew about him or her for 2 weeks or 2 months.

At the end of the day, pregnancy loss changes you, changes who you are.

For one thing it can change your outlook and optimism. Even though the odds are in your favor that your next pregnancy will go off without a hitch, you lose that spring in your step and your eternal optimism after such a large loss. It is normal for your next pregnancy to be outlined with worry and underlined with a constant hint of anxiety. We try to save ourselves from ever feeling that loss again, and put up protective mechanisms to ‘prepare’ us and keep us from ever being ‘too’ excited. We become careful and calculated and often fearful. The only thing you can do is do your best to stay focused on the positive in your life.

It also changes how we feel about ourselves. Typically women go through a gamut of emotions from shame and embarrassment to humiliation and denial. For many women, telling all the people who knew about the pregnancy that they were no longer pregnant was one of the hardest things to do. Not because others would be judgmental or mean, but because they may have felt like their own bodies had failed somehow. It can take many years to come to grips with the feelings about yourself and your body.

It also changes what we take for granted. As any deep loss does, pregnancy loss is no different. As humans, it is often through our pain and our losses that we grow the most – and yet this is one of the most painful ways to grow.

Anger can become a constant companion as well. At least for a while. When you lose a baby, it’s easy to become angry at everyone who has one, every pregnant woman that you feel is less deserving than you were, every woman that you see somehow can become a reminder of your loss and it is natural that it makes you angry. Even so, at some point – you have to let go of that anger in order to truly live and breathe again. But it does take time.

Pregnancy loss is different for every woman. One thing however, remains the same and that is that we have to embrace the changes and the full circle of our emotions. We have to find someone we trust to talk to about our feelings and allow ourselves to grieve and feel. None of what we feel is wrong along the way, none of what we feel is something to be ashamed of. It is part of us. And we owe ourselves the time and space to truly feel our emotions so that we can recover wholly. Even so, the loss – will have changed some aspect of who you are. The best we can hope for is that through the experience, we learn something positive that we can take forward in our lives as something to build upon.

Written By Stef, Mom of 4 @Momspirational

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

If you’re pregnant and vegan, you may have noticed people taking an increased interest in your diet. From assuming you’ll have to start eating meat, to obsessing over your calcium intake, chances are at least a couple of relatives are bombarding you with questions about your diet.

A healthy pregnancy

It’s important to eat a healthy, balanced diet during pregnancy, and – you probably already know this – a typical vegan diet is just that. If you eat a balanced mix of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and lentils, you may even be outdoing your meat-eating counterparts in the vitamins and nutrients stakes.

Important vitamins

Vitamin B12 is found in animal sources, so vegans need to be sure they’re getting enough B12 in their diet, and this is particularly important during pregnancy. Fortified soya products and cereals are a great way to incorporate B vitamins into your diet.

You must also ensure you are getting enough vitamin D. Your body can make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, so you must try to spend at least 15 minutes exposed to the sun each day. It may also be possible to add vitamin D to your diet using supplements, although it’s important to ensure the supplements are suitable for vegans first. Some supplements use vitamin D from animal sources.

Pregnant women require extra iron to meet the needs of the developing baby. For this reason, it’s important to ensure you are consuming enough iron. Baked beans, nuts and whole grains are all good sources of dietary iron. Consuming vitamin C with iron can improve your body’s intake of iron, so try to drink orange juice or eat an orange with each high-iron meal.

There are certain keywords that seem to get thrown at vegans on a regular basis, and calcium is a popular one. Luckily, there is plenty of calcium available from plant sources including green leafy vegetables, pulses and fortified soya products.

The need to supplement

Experts recommend that all pregnant women (vegan or not) take folic acid supplements during early pregnancy. There are a number of prenatal supplements available that are specially designed for vegan mums-to-be. Not only do these supplements contain folic acid, but they are also packed with B12 and other vitamins important for growing a healthy baby. Folate can also be found naturally in dark green leafy vegetables, dried beans and legumes and citrus fruits and juices. Many other foods are now fortified with folic acid, as well.

Expert advice

If you feel worried about your weight gain or vitamin intake during pregnancy, speak to your healthcare provider or to a registered dietician. A vegan diet is more than adequate to meet the needs of a growing baby. Eating a balanced diet rich in fresh fruit and veg, taking a vegan prenatal supplement and keeping up-to-date on the latest expert advice can help you to eat a healthy prenatal vegan diet.

Are you following a vegan diet during pregnancy, and have you faced any opposition from friends and family?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

Is it safe to have a tattoo during pregnancy?

If you’re a fan of body art, you may feel like celebrating your pregnancy with a new tattoo, but you’re unlikely to find a tattoo artist willing to do it. Though the ink itself is safe for use during pregnancy, you have an increased risk of infection and so pregnant women are advised to avoid tattoos for the duration of pregnancy. If you got a tattoo before you found out you were pregnant, don’t worry – there’s nothing you can do about it now so just keep an eye out for any signs of infection.

What if I already have a tattoo?
An existing tattoo won’t cause you any problems during pregnancy, though depending on its location it may stretch as your body changes. If the tattoo is on your tummy, you may find it grows with your bump.

Is it safe to have a body piercing during pregnancy?
Pregnant women are advised against new body piercings during pregnancy, again because of the increased risk of infection.

What if I already have a piercing?
Your existing piercings won’t cause any problems for your developing baby, however some may begin to feel uncomfortable as the pregnancy progresses. The advice differs for each piercing, so read through the list to find out how to look after your piercings during pregnancy:

• Belly rings – if your belly ring begins to feel tight as your bump grows, you may wish to take it out. If it’s a newer piercing (less than four years old), you may wish to use some Teflon body jewellry to stop the hole from closing.
• Nipple rings – If you have had your piercing for 12-18 months before becoming pregnant, chances are it is healed enough to not cause any problems with pregnancy or breastfeeding. During pregnancy, the ring may feel uncomfortable and should be removed or changed to a teflon type to help the hole remain open. When breastfeeding, you will need to remove your nipple ring as it would be a choking hazard.
• Genital piercings – some women find pregnancy causes extra sensitivity that means their genital piercing is no longer comfortable. If this is the case, remove the piercing. If it’s not bothering you, you can leave it in until closer to your due date. You should remove it before your due date, because it could cause problems during the baby’s birth.
• Other piercings – for any other piercings, use a common sense approach. Some women find that they become ultrasensitive during pregnancy and experience problems with existing piercings. If you notice an existing piercing become red or sore, speak to your health care provider for advice.

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.

Breast tenderness may have been one of the first clues you were pregnant. Though many women experience sore breasts at some point during this cycle, this discomfort may be heightened during pregnancy.

Your breasts may feel sore from as early as three weeks into the pregnancy – that’s just one week after conception. They may feel sensitive, tender, sore and even tingle, during early pregnancy. Not all women experience breast soreness, but many do. Accidental knocks, nudges and brushes can feel unbearable.

Breast soreness is most common during the first trimester, and most women find the discomfort eases as the pregnancy progresses. Though you may still have some unusually sensitive breasts for the rest of the pregnancy, the discomfort should pass after the first 12 weeks.

What causes breast soreness?
As usual, it’s those pesky hormones causing trouble again. As your hormone levels increase rapidly during early pregnancy, you may find yourself suffering from all kinds of symptoms. The hormones progesterone and oestrogen cause breast tenderness during early pregnancy.

As your body prepares for pregnancy, your breasts are changing. They are probably growing, and are also preparing to produce breast milk for when the baby is born. Your breasts are likely to change size during pregnancy, and this can be uncomfortable while the growth is occurring.

How to cope with sore breasts
Unfortunately, for many women, breast tenderness comes hand in hand with pregnancy. While there is no magic cure to this problem, there are ways you can minimise the discomfort:

• maternity bras – a maternity bra is designed to properly support the growing and changing breasts of pregnancy. Your pre-pregnancy bras may not offer the right support once your breasts have grown
• avoid underwire – experts advise avoiding underwired bras during pregnancy because they may cause further discomfort
• get measured – make sure you are wearing properly fitting bras, and this means being measured by a professional. During pregnancy, it’s more important than ever to wear bras that fit properly.

• get remeasured – your breasts will continue to grow and change throughout the pregnancy, so make sure you are remeasured every couple of months

• night time bra – if you are being kept awake by the discomfort, invest in a soft night time bra.
• no touching – if your breasts are sore, ask your partner not to touch them
• be careful – accidental knocks and brushes can be reduced, if not avoided, so try to take extra care when your breasts are sore

Are you experiencing breast tenderness during pregnancy, and have you tried any of the above tips to reduce the discomfort?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

When you discovered you were pregnant, you may have wanted to share the good news with friends and family. Perhaps you even imagined what their reactions might be – happy tears, heartfelt cuddles and, of course, congratulatory shrieks. But what happens if the pregnancy announcement doesn’t go to plan? How do you cope with bad reactions to your good news?

What causes negative reactions?

There are lots of reasons why an individual may react negatively to your news, and most of them have nothing to do with your news, and everything to do with the person reacting negatively.

If the news is unexpected, it could have been shock that caused a less than positive reaction. If taken by surprise, people might react to things differently than if the news was expected. Of course, that person should have been polite and masked their shock, but give them time to get used to the idea and see if they change their tune.

If you notice a slightly frosty reaction from friends and family, perhaps unbeknownst to you, the friend you told has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get pregnant for a number of years, and couldn’t help but feel disheartened at your news.

Alternatively, your bad reaction may have been from your fun-loving best friend. Perhaps she’s worried about losing you as a good friend as you settle down into the role of mother.

How to cope with bad reactions to your good news

Most importantly, don’t let it ruin your good news. You are excited and happy, and that’s all that really matters. Of course, you want your friends and family to be supportive, but try not to fixate on their negative reactions.

Talk to your supportive friends and family about the negative reactions. Talk openly about how it made you feel, and make sure to communicate all of this with your partner. If you are struggling with your emotions since the reactions, talk to your healthcare provider. They may be able to offer some support or advice to help you deal with the unexpected negativity.

Try not to obsess over the bad reactions, and instead focus on the good. Continue to plan for and look forward to the birth. Give your friends and family time to come round, often people feel more positively once they start to plan for the arrival of the new baby.

Give them a chance

Don’t preempt bad reactions, you may be surprised. While you be convinced your parents will be disappointed in you for falling pregnant, in reality they may be over the moon about becoming grandparents. Share your news, and give people the chance to react.

How did your friends and family react to the news of your pregnancy?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

During the first trimester of your first pregnancy, you may feel a bit like a human pincushion as your healthcare provider carries out tests to ensure you and your developing baby are both healthy.

At your first appointment, you will be given a full physical. This will involve answering lots of questions about your medical history, talking about your lifestyle and how the pregnancy is going. You may be offered a pelvic exam including a routine culture to check for chlamydia and gonorrhea. If it has been a while since your last PAP smear, you may be offered one to check for abnormal cells.

Blood tests
Samples of your blood will be taken to identify your blood type and Rh status. Blood samples will also be taken to test for anaemia, syphilis, Hepatitis B and HIV. Your blood will also be checked for immunities to certain illnesses including rubella, toxoplasmosis and chickenpox. Speak to your healthcare provider to determine what your blood is being tested for, as this can vary between providers.

Urine samples
At each appointment, your healthcare provider will ask for a sample of your urine. A dipstick test will then be performed on the sample to determine sugar and protein levels in your urine. High levels of these may be indicative of conditions including urinary tract infections, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. If you are at a high-risk of developing gestational diabetes, your healthcare provider may check for this at your first appointment.

First trimester screening
A first trimester screening test may be carried out between weeks 9 and 14. This test combines the use of ultrasound and blood screening. This test is used to identify the risk of your baby having Down syndrome, congenital heart problems and some other chromosomal disorders. This test will not give you a definite result, but it can highlight an increased risk that may lead you to investigate further testing.

Depending on your ethnic and medical backgrounds, you may be offered a carrier test to determine your baby’s risk of developing genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and Tay-Sachs disease.

Chorionic Villus Sampling
You have the option of a Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) between weeks 11 and 12. This test is invasive and should only be performed if necessary due to the slight risk of miscarriage associated with this procedure. CVS checks for chromosomal and genetic disorders. During the test, cells will be removed from the placenta and sent to a lab for testing.

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

One of the first, and most telling, signs of pregnancy is a definitive change in your breasts and nipples. Chances are, from the moment you first found out you were pregnant, your nipples were already changing and you experienced some degree of breast tenderness. These changes are just the beginning, and many women are quite frankly surprised how immensely pregnancy changes one of their most intimate body parts. Pregnancy nipples. What exactly is happening here?  Read on….

Not only will your nipples darken as you progress through pregnancy, but they will also get larger. In some cases, much larger and much darker. This can be alarming to go from dime sized nipples to suddenly looking down at what seems like saucers for nipples.  But it’s completely natural and normal. Just remember, your body is intuitively preparing you for breastfeeding regardless of whether you are planning to or not.

Another change is that you may develop some bumps around the areola. Called Montgomery or areolar glands, they secrete an oily substance that keeps the areola from becoming chapped and may serve as a locator signal for your baby’s fine-tuned sense of smell.

Occasionally, women have ‘extra nipples’ they never noticed before or they simply thought were moles. Nearer to the end of pregnancy, these nipples may expel some liquid, and after childbirth, they often lactate. Sounds strange, but in some cases, women develop several lactating nipples in the arm-pit or even on the belly area.  This occurs in fewer than 5% of all pregnancies, but can surely be disconcerting if it happens for you. If you have any concerns, your best bet is to simply check with your doctor or a qualified lactation professional.

So now that you have quarter sized, darker nipples that may or may not have developed extra lactating spots – you are wondering if your boobs will ever return to normal, right?  For most women, the answer is no. Pregnancy and the hormones related to pregnancy definitely change the shape, size and look of your breasts – whether you breastfeed or not. While the darker color may fade and your nipples may reduce in size, they will probably never go back to the way they looked before.

The good news is that you will come out on the other end of pregnancy with a deeper respect and admiration for your body – nipples included. The changes in your body during pregnancy – both the permanent and temporary ones – are definitely a tribute to just how amazing and awesome your female body is.

Written By Stef, Mom of 4 @Momspirational

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice.  All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

During pregnancy, you will have a number of blood tests to screen for a variety of conditions. At your very first appointment, your blood will be taken to determine your blood group. There are four possible blood types: A, B, AB and O.

Each blood type then has a subcategory: positive or negative (for example, your blood type may be O negative). This second category refers to your rhesus factor. If your blood is rhesus positive, you have a protein known as D antigen on the surface of your red blood cells. If you don’t have this D antigen, you are rhesus negative.

Rhesus negative and pregnancy
15 percent of women are rhesus negative. It isn’t usually a cause for concern during a first pregnancy, but extra care may be needed to prevent problems arising during a later pregnancy.

A rhesus negative mother can carry a rhesus positive baby. Babies have their own blood supplies, but it is normal in pregnancy for a small amount of the baby’s blood to leak into the mother’s blood supply. Bear with me because it’s about to get a bit scientific. In this instance, there is an 80 percent chance that the mother’s rhesus negative blood will produce anti-D (the antibody to the D antigen carried in rhesus positive blood) to destroy the D antigen present in the baby’s rhesus positive blood. This transfer could also potentially occur during birth or injury.

Will it harm my baby?
In a first pregnancy, the production of anti-D isn’t too troubling, but the anti-D will stay in the mother’s body. If the mother later becomes pregnant with another rhesus positive baby, the anti-D may pass through the placenta and attack the baby’s red blood cells. This could cause haemolytic disease which leads to jaundice and anaemia in newborn babies. Luckily, the chances of this happening today are very small thanks to science and medicine.

Treatment
You will be tested early in the pregnancy to determine your blood type. If you are found to be rhesus negative, you will be offered an anti-D injection. This injection reduces your chance of producing anti-Ds, and destroys any anti-Ds already in your bloodstream. The injection is usually administered around the 28th week of pregnancy. Each pregnancy will require a new anti-D injection.

After the birth
A cord blood sample will be taken after the birth to determine the baby’s blood type. If the baby is rhesus positive, you will be offered a second injection to destroy any anti-D cells produced during the delivery.

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.