Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and staying away from bad habits is definitely one of the most important things every individual should take seriously. For pregnant women, however, it is much more important to break bad habits, even if they find it very difficult. Now that you are pregnant, it is no longer about your health only; it is your baby’s health at risk, as well.

Many of your bad habits may cause harm to your baby, resulting in disease, growth issues and brain damage. So, if you want your baby to be healthy and strong, work to control the following habits to have a healthy pregnancy:

Smoking

Of all bad habits that can harm your baby during pregnancy, smoking is probably the worst one. It can inhibit the required amount of oxygen from reaching your baby as it affects the circulation of blood in your body. Lack of oxygen to your baby can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, possible lung infections, or a weak heart for the baby. No alternatives in the form of patches are any less damaging so this is one habit you need to give up completely when you get pregnant.

Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol during pregnancy is also dangerous. Alcohol has the ability of passing through your placenta and reaching the baby directly. It is like your baby is consuming alcohol already and that can cause various developmental issues with him or her. It’s much better to be safe than sorry and keep alcohol at bay while pregnant. In addition, drugs of any type that are not approved by your doctor can be outright dangerous to your pregnancy.

Eating Junk Food

While you may be having weird cravings at all times of the day, sticking to a healthy diet is very important during pregnancy. Junk foods that have high levels of fats and sugar are related to several birth defects. Improper foods consumed during pregnancy can cause blood pressure issues, elevated cholesterol levels, and high sugar levels.

Consuming Caffeine

Too much caffeine taken during pregnancy can be harmful for your baby as well. It can increase the chances of miscarriage and may also cause low birth weight. The highest level of caffeine you can consume each day is 200mg but it is still recommended for you to avoid it. The most common sources of caffeine include coffee, tea, chocolate, colas, energy drinks, and some pain killers.

Lack of Sleep

During pregnancy, it is very common for women to feel extra sleepy all the time. Even if you didn’t sleep much before, you will feel the need to take a nap more often now that you are pregnant. So, when one of these urges occur, listen to your body’s signals and abide by them. Resting and taking occasional naps during pregnancy can leave you feeling more energized and refreshed. Usually, you are only going to experience this during the first trimester, so take it easy.

Have a healthy lifestyle if you want your pregnancy to progress smoothly and if you don’t want any harm to come to your baby. It is better to be safe than sorry, especially when it’s the health of your baby on the line.

Written by Manal, first time mom and writer

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.

It may be a missed period or sudden rush of nausea in the morning that pushes you to buy a pregnancy test. When you see those two pink lines, you’ll need a moment to let it sink in. Congratulations, you’re pregnant! Pregnancy is one of the most significant times in a woman’s life. It is a time of change and new beginnings. It is also a time of reflection and planning as a new parent.

After the reality of pregnancy has set in, and you’ve experienced a range of emotions, from excitement to shock, you’ll want to start planning. The best thing to do is to get proactive and start working towards a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. By contacting your doctor or midwife, exercising safely, and enjoying a well-balanced diet, you will be well on your way to having a fun-filled nine months and a gorgeous baby at the end of it.

First Things First: Doctor or Midwife?

If you haven’t already thought about it, you’ll want to decide whether you want to be treated by an obstetrician gynecologist (ob-gyn) or a certified midwife. Choosing who to take care of you and your baby during pregnancy is a very personal matter and is a decision you should be completely comfortable with. Relying on your medical history or personal beliefs can help make the most appropriate choice for you.

Avoid Harmful Habits

Your lifestyle has to change when pregnant, whether you like it or not. Things that can be potentially harmful to you and your baby should be avoided such as, smoking cigarettes, taking narcotics, drinking alcohol, consuming too much caffeine, and eating certain foods. You’ll also want to avoid heavy lifting or activities that are too strenuous. If you continue to exercise, make sure it is safe and not too intense. Face it, you will lose a certain amount of mobility after being pregnant!

Eating Right

When you become pregnant, your body starts changing and directing most nutrients and minerals to your baby to help him or her grow. It is necessary for you to replenish your supply and take in more vitamins and nutrients when pregnant. You will need to increase the intake of calcium, folic acid, iron, etc. Prenatal vitamins along with a balanced diet can help you remain healthy throughout your pregnancy and ensure your baby gets the nutrients he or she needs.

Stress-free Preparation

Always remember to stay calm and breathe when pregnant. It is a time of change and can be scary, with appointments to remember, a nursery to set up, a baby App to read every day, etc. So it is important to take things step by step. Buy a planner and write things down so you don’t forget appointments or to buy specific baby items. A great way to stay organized is by downloading our app on your phone so that you are up-to-speed when on the go. Help yourself stay organized and you’ll be well on your way.

If you have any tips on how to stay organized during pregnancy, let us know what they are.

Written by Manal, first time mom

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.

In early pregnancy, rapidly increasing hormones cause a whole host of changes in your body as it prepares to carry a pregnancy. You may not notice some of the changes taking place, but others will be more noticeable. For many women, a missed period is the first sign of pregnancy, but for others that may not be a reliable indicator. Below is a list of the common early pregnancy signs, you may experience some, all or none of these symptoms. All women, and all pregnancies for that matter, are different.

Missed period
If you usually menstruate like clockwork, a missed period may be your first symptom of pregnancy. Absent periods can also be caused by illness, severe weight loss, stress and anxiety, so an absent period isn’t a definite indicator of pregnancy.

Sore breasts
Your breasts may feel tender and swollen early in the pregnancy. This symptom is very similar to the tender breasts experienced pre menstruation. This can be one of the first symptoms of pregnancy.

Nausea
Morning sickness and nausea tend to kick in around week six, however it can start as early as week four. Morning sickness can occur at any time of day. You may vomit or feel nauseous. Not all women will experience morning sickness. For those who do, the nausea usually subsides around the end of the first trimester.

Frequent urination
Needing to wee excessively is probably one of the most famous pregnancy side effects, but people often mistakenly assume it doesn’t start until later in the pregnancy. While the third trimester can be filled with toilet breaks, this is usually because with an expanding uterus and baby, there isn’t much room left for your bladder. Frequent urination can start as early as six weeks into the pregnancy, as your pregnancy hormones combine with your growing uterus, causing you to wee more.

Tiredness
Fatigue is a common early pregnancy symptom. As your body uses lots of energy for the pregnancy, and your deluge of hormones leave you feeling sleepy, it’s no wonder you’re crashing out on the sofa at 7pm. If you are experiencing fatigue, try to get as much rest as you can.

Food cravings/aversions
It’s not uncommon for women to experience strong aversions to certain foods or smells early in the pregnancy. Aversions and cravings can even occur before a missed period. Some women find that they go off tea or coffee, and become hypersensitive to cooking aromas.

Shortness of breath
If you suddenly find yourself out of puff after climbing a flight of steps, you may be experiencing the early pregnancy symptom shortness of breath. As your hormones surge during the early weeks of pregnancy, progesterone increases the amount of air taken in with each breath.

If you think you may be pregnant, the best way to find out for sure is to take a home pregnancy test. Pregnancy tests are most reliable after a missed period, so ideally you should wait until then to take one. If the home pregnancy test confirms you are pregnant, you should contact your healthcare provider.

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.

The reality is that not every pregnant woman looks like Kate Middleton prior to, or even one month after pregnancy. In fact, according to the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), around 61% of all pregnant women are overweight at the onset of pregnancy. What does this mean? Are there more risks for overweight women than there are for their average or underweight counterparts?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a woman is overweight if her BMI is above 25. New research also suggests that a woman is overweight (even her actual scale weight is appropriate) if her waist measures more than 36 inches. Of course, we all know that ethnicity, genetics and a bunch of other things play a part in your weight. During pregnancy, there is quite simply a lot of emphasis placed on your weight and many practitioners will encourage already overweight women to not gain in excess during pregnancy.

Health wise, the risks of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia are higher if you are overweight. Even so, experts agree that with a careful diet and routine management and prenatal visits, these two diseases can be avoided and controlled during pregnancy. More important is your personal health history of diseases such as high blood pressure – that may be made worse by pregnancy.

According to author Van der Ziel, coauthor of Big, Beautiful, and Pregnant: Expert Advice and Comforting Wisdom for the Expecting Plus-Size Woman, “You can be overweight and have a fit pregnancy. Any obese pregnant woman can modify her risks by eating well, exercising, and adhering to weight-gain guidelines.” And, even more important is that your pre-pregnancy weight, if managed well during pregnancy can be non-issue. The presumption that a woman will not have a healthy pregnancy just because a woman is plus size and pregnant is simply NOT true.

Certainly, pregnancy is not the time to diet or minimize your caloric intake. Instead, it is important for ALL pregnant women – not just plus sized ones – to eat for health, choosing foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals rather than in calories because this is what your growing baby will need to be healthy. Additionally, make sure that you have a practitioner who is both understanding and non-judgmental about your weight, as this is supposed to be a happy time in your life.

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, taking in the right amount of nutrition is essential for the health and safety of you and your baby. The food you are eating is not just a source of nutrition for you, but for your growing baby as well. To make sure you have a healthy baby, here are some nutritional guidelines to follow for your pregnancy diet.

What Nutrients Do You Need?

During pregnancy, there are certain nutrients that you will need more than others. Following the US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) ensures you do not overdo anything. Here are some nutrients you need to add to your diet:

• Choline (minimum RDA 450 milligrams)
• Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) (minimum RDA 200 milligrams)
• Potassium (minimum RDA 4,700 milligrams)
• Riboflavin (minimum RDA1.4 milligrams)
• Vitamin B6 (minimum RDA 1.9 milligrams)
• Vitamin B12 (minimum RDA 2.6 micrograms)
• Vitamin C (minimum RDA 85 milligrams)
• Vitamin D (minimum RDA 15 micrograms)
• Zinc (minimum RDA 11 milligrams)

Foods You Should Add To Your Diet

During pregnancy, you need to add more sources of protein and calcium to your diet in order to strengthen your child’s tissues and bones. Similarly, folic acid can help protect your growing baby from birth defects. More iron can help cells carry adequate oxygen to your baby. Considering all these factors, here are some types of foods you should add to your diet when you are pregnant. Remember to indulge, but not over-indulge!

• Whole Grains and Beans: Eating whole grain bread and cereal can help you keep up the levels of folic acid and iron in your body. Moreover, they have more fiber compared to white bread and rice. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, and whole grain bread are the best ways to incorporate whole grains into your diet. Beans are a source of various nutrients such as protein, fiber, calcium, zinc, folate, and iron. Beans that you should commonly use include soy, lentils, black-eyed peas, garbanzo, kidney, pinto, white and black beans.

• Eggs: Eggs also contain a number of essential proteins, minerals and vitamins, most importantly choline that helps the brain development of your baby. Therefore, you should make eggs a necessary part of your diet during pregnancy. However, you should take your eggs well-cooked and avoid eating undercooked or raw eggs completely.

• Berries: You can add berries in your diet regimen as the best possible snacks because they are a rich source of vitamin C, folate, potassium and fiber. Raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are the ideal choice for you to have during pregnancy

• Salmon: Fish – specifically salmon, light tuna and trout – is a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, protein, and other important nutrients. However, fish that is high in mercury should be completely avoided including shark, swordfish, tilefish, and mackerel. If you eat a lot of seafood, you can consult your doctor in regard to what is healthy for you and your baby.

While you should add these items to your diet, you will need to cut back on the amount of caffeine you take every day as it can be harmful for your baby. Moreover, make sure that everything you eat is well-cooked and avoid eating under-cooked food items. With these few dietary changes, you can keep yourself and your baby healthy.

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 2017. All rights reserved.

The pelvic floor is made up of a collection of muscles and ligaments that stretch from the pubic bone to the end of the backbone. The pelvic floor is a supportive hammock and gets put under a lot of strain during pregnancy as it stretches to accommodate the growing baby.

Why do I need to do pelvic floor exercises?

The pelvic floor comes under a great amount of strain during pregnancy and childbirth. By exercising the muscles, you can strengthen your pelvic floor. This reduces your risk of suffering from stress incontinence after the pregnancy. With weak pelvic floor muscles, you may find that you leak urine when you laugh, cough or sneeze.

How to do pelvic floor exercises

1. Tense your anus as if you’re holding in a bowel movement.
2. At the same time, tense your pelvic muscles as if you are holding in a wee or gripping a tampon.
3. Release.

The pelvic floor workout routine:

• Repeat the above steps quickly, eight times.
• Then repeat the above steps again, but this time hold step two for 10 seconds before releasing. Repeat this eight times.
• Tighten the muscles (in steps one and two) in stages. So tighten a little bit, hold for 10 seconds, then tighten a bit more, hold for 10 seconds, then tighten fully and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat this staggered process as you relax the muscles too. This exercise is the hardest of the three, so be warned! Repeat this eight times (you might want to build up to this number slowly if you’re a beginner).

Try to repeat your pelvic floor workout three times a day for the full length of your pregnancy. Many women find they forget to do the pelvic floor workout, so try to incorporate it into your daily routine. You do your workout while you sit down to enjoy your three meals of the day, or you could do them each time a particular advert comes on the TV. Find a routine that works for you, and stick with it.

When should I stop?

You can continue these exercises right up until the very end of your pregnancy, unless told not to by your healthcare provider.

Don’t give up your pelvic floor routine at the end of the pregnancy, you should continue these exercises for the rest of your life. Not only could they help to heal and strengthen the muscles after the birth, but they could reduce your risk of suffering incontinence in the future. Pelvic floor exercises can also help to reduce your risk of suffering from a prolapsed uterus or bladder.

Over the last few years, whether or not to practice pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy has become controversial. Pelvic floor exercises, however, do seem to be the most useful when they are part of an overall fitness routine and when they are done correctly. So be sure you are getting the recommended amount of exercise each day (most experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day for pregnancy) and learn more about the best methods to exercise your pelvic floor muscles.

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.

It can sometimes be hard to differentiate fact from fiction. Just because you’ve been told something more times than you can remember doesn’t mean it’s true. In fact, a lot of the popular old wives’ tales about pregnancy are false. Here are five widely believed (but definitely not true) pregnancy myths:

1. Your bump can give clues as to the sex of your baby – if you’ve decided to wait until the birth to discover the sex of your baby, you probably hear this one a lot. Friends, family and strangers will be using the size and position of your bump to guess the sex of your developing baby. According to legend, a high bump indicates you are carrying a girl, while a low bump is a sure sign you’re having a boy. Sadly, there is no truth to this myth, so you can keep the gender a surprise if you wish.

2. If you suffer from heartburn, your baby will be born with a full head of hair – heartburn has little to do with your baby’s ‘do, and more to do with the foods you eat and with your slowing digestive tract. Whether you suffer from heartburn or not is really no indication of how much hair will be atop your baby’s head at the birth.

3. Having sex while pregnant could harm your baby – don’t worry, you can continue to have a sex life during pregnancy. Unless your healthcare provider has advised you to go on ‘pelvic rest’, sex during pregnancy is perfectly safe. Your mucus plug will keep your uterus closed, and your baby safe from infection during pregnancy.

4. You should be eating for two – this is something you have probably heard a lot, but it’s factually incorrect. During the first and second trimester, you shouldn’t need to eat any extra calories. By the third trimester, you will need an extra 200 calories a day, but this amounts to two slices of wholemeal toast with a thin spread of butter. It’s hardly eating for two.

5. You shouldn’t start exercising during pregnancy – this isn’t true at all. Even if you’ve never exercised before, pregnancy is the perfect time to start. It’s more important than ever to look after your body, and keep fit in preparation for the birth. If you are a bit of a couch potato, break yourself in gently with some walking, swimming and prenatal yoga. If you’re a keep-fit fanatic, you can keep up your exercise routine, but be wary of any potentially dangerous activities such as extreme sports.

What pregnancy myths have you heard?

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.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Early pregnancy can be an overwhelming time, and your head may feel busy with a mix of emotions, questions and worries. One of the first things you’re probably desperate to know is your due date. So, while I can’t help you with the morning sickness, or the sleepless nights worrying about whether you’re ready to be a mum, or the almost obsessive urge to blurt out the news to everyone you meet, I can help with your due date.

How to calculate your due date – if you want to calculate it yourself, other than using our Application.

It is important to note that this method is more effective for women with regular 28 day cycles. If you have an irregular cycle, the date given by this method will be less reliable.

1. Determine the first date of your last menstrual period. If you keep note of your cycle, or use a smartphone app to keep track of it, this will be easy enough. If you don’t keep records of your periods, try to remember events around your last cycle. For example, did you stay at a friends, or go swimming? Information like this may help to remind you of the timing of your last cycle.
2. Add 40 weeks to the date above (280 days). This is your calculated due date.

Don’t permanent marker that date into your diary just yet though, remember this is just an educated guess. The calculated due date is used as a rough estimate to ensure the dating scan is scheduled in the correct window. Dating scans are most reliable when they occur between the eleventh and thirteenth week of pregnancy, which is why your date scan usually happens around week 12. By calculating your due date using the above method, your doctor can book your dating scan correctly and give you the best chance at an accurate due date.

You should bear in mind, however, that only five percent of babies are born on their due dates. Unfortunately, without access to your diary, Junior won’t know when he’s expected to make his grand entrance. Try not to get fixated on your due date, because you may end up disappointed when the day passes without incident.

You may even like to keep your due date relatively private, only telling close friends and family. The due date is bad enough when you spend it grumpily bouncing on a birthing ball while eating a vindaloo and staring at the clock. It’s made a whole lot worse when you start getting text message from colleagues, old friends and people you barely know asking if the baby is here yet.

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.

Acetaminophen, the drug used in Tylenol, has long been heralded as the one medication that pregnant women could turn to, to help with their hormonally induced aches and pains. In fact, if you call your doctor, or search online how to cure a backache when pregnant, aside from the standard rest, ice, and elevation, you will get acetaminophen (Tylenol) as the answer.

Even so, knowing everything that goes into your body also goes into your growing baby’s body, it is only normal to question whether Tylenol use is as safe as it is assumed during pregnancy.

Recently, as reported by NBC News, a study — the first of its kind to look at young children of mothers who took Tylenol during pregnancy — found that frequent use of the pain reliever appears to be linked to “poorer language skills and behavior problems.”

According to the report:
“using Tylenol or its generic form (acetaminophen) for a total of 28 days or more — total, not consecutive — during pregnancy upped the risk by 70% of a child developing “poorer motor skills… [and they] also tended to start walking later, have poorer communication and language skills and more behavior problems.”

Of course, the important aspect of the study is the indication that TOO MUCH acetaminophen, or acetaminophen in HIGH DOSES can cause problems. Generally speaking, if you MUST take a pain medicine, then acetaminophen is definitely the best choice over other pain-killers, like ibuprofen (Motrin / Advil). But, it is probably best to treat the aches and pains without medications, if you can do so.

Taking medications during pregnancy is never really advised. That being said, there are many instances where the benefits of the medication greatly outweigh the risks to your baby. If you must take either prescription or over-the-counter medication,  be sure to clear it with your doctor first, and make sure you take as little as possible.

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.