Healthy Pregnancy Centre

Archive for January 12th, 2010

Morning Sickness - Almost Every Pregnant Woman Goes Through It

January 12th, 2010 |

Author: admin

Welcome back!

What condition affects 88 percent of pregnant women and includes vomiting and nausea? If you guessed morning sickness, then give yourself a nice pat on the back.

Why is it called morning sickness? Most women who suffer from it know that it doesn’t just occur in the morning, so the name is quite misleading. It seems like the majority of women have symptoms then, so the name just stuck.

Nausea and vomiting begin anywhere within the first four to six weeks of pregnancy. At first, it might be so mild that a pregnant woman may think she ate something bad the previous night. But when it occurs day after day, most women either take a pregnancy test or visit their doctor to find out what’s ailing them.

There is a silver lining for approximately three quarters of expectant mothers: these symptoms only seem to last through their first trimester. Almost half feel completely symptom-free by 14 weeks. Isn’t that great news?

You probably want to punch me right now with that last question, but it is good news that the majority have do see a light at the end of the misery tunnel. For a smaller percentage, the tunnel seems never ending because they continue on with morning sickness well beyond the first trimester.

This statistically small population of women can have morning sickness that’s so severe they loose weight and suffer symptoms of dehydration. This condition is called hyperemesis gravidarum, also known as severe morning sickness. It affects one in three hundred pregnancies.

Technically, a doctor makes a diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum when a woman loses more than five percent of her body weight and shows signs of dehydration. Both are attributed to a pregnant woman not being able to keep enough food and water down because they are throwing up constantly throughout the day.

This is a condition that must be treated by a doctor as soon as possible. The extreme weight loss and dehydration are not good for the pregnant woman or her unborn child. Often times, fluids and nutrition are given to the woman intravenously so the baby gets what it needs to grow healthily.

What is the cause of morning sickness? The only thing anyone knows for sure is that it is caused by pregnancy. I know, it’s probably not the answer you were looking for, but it’s the only concrete piece I can give you.

There are plenty of theories of why women suffer it like if she is expecting a girl, no nausea or experienced during the time she took birth control, if she is expecting twins (or more), it’s due to the helicobacter pylori bacterium, and of course, a change in a woman’s hormone levels.

It would be nice to nail down the exact cause, but even if we can’t, there are ways to cope with the symptoms. There are treatments that would seem more conventional to most, like medication prescribed by a doctor. There are also treatments that seem very unconventional to most, like acupuncture, acupressure, and herbal remedies.

The exact cause of morning sickness is unknown and no one is even sure when it will begin or its duration. The best news about it is that there are treatments available for relieving the symptoms. What are the best methods of treatment? Each woman is different, so try them until you find one that brings you the most relief.

Mia Anderson is a morning sickness relief expert and author on the subject. To learn more about morning sickness, check out her FREE Morning Sickness Relief Secrets mini-course at http://www.morningsicknessreliefsecrets.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/morning-sickness-almost-every-pregnant-woman-goes-through-it-1700709.html

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Morning Sickness Relief - Do What You’ve Got To Do For Relief

January 12th, 2010 |

Author: admin

With all of the bad things you’ve probably heard (or experienced) about morning sickness, I’m sure you could use some positive news for a change. Morning sickness relief can be achieved. The only problem is that you’ll have to decide what’s best for you based on all of the choices there are available.

I think it would be helpful for you to know a little information about the condition you are experiencing before we get into detail about the methods of relief.

Pregnancy vomiting and nausea (a more accurate name for what you are going through) affects 88 percent of pregnant women. I know, it’s pretty hard to dodge a bullet like that. Depending on how far along you are, you are probably experiencing nausea and vomiting. If you are one of the lucky ones, you probably feel worse in the morning than any other time of the day.

If you are one of the extremely unlucky (we’re talking 1 in 300), you might be experiencing extreme morning sickness, or hyperemesis gravidarum. This is where you are unable to keep anything in your stomach because you are vomiting so much.

If you are in this boat, you need to seek medical attention immediately. The weight loss and dehydration that accompany this condition are extremely dangerous for not only you, but your unborn child, as well. Any of the treatments discussed in this article are not meant for you, and should not be considered.

For those of you with mild to moderate symptoms of morning sickness, your options for relief range from the conventional, to the unconventional. Labeling treatments conventional vs. unconventional probably isn’t appropriate because what is unconventional to some, might be conventional to others, and vice versa.

Your first technique for relief is avoidance. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It’s not as easy as you think. Many of you lead lives outside of the realm of your pregnancy. (big shocker, I know), and because of this, avoiding the triggers of your nausea and vomiting will be extremely difficult.

You can’t tell the guy that gets on the elevator with you at work that he has to get off because his cologne is making you sick. You can’t ask the chefs at the restaurant you are dining in to stop preparing the filets in the kitchen. You can’t get each and every person you come across on the street to wear more deodorant to mask the body odor emanating from them.

All of those scenarios are out of your control, so don’t even try to change them. Just be sure to avoid triggering smells as much as possible and it will help your symptoms, even if it’s just a little bit.

Now, on to some real treatments.

Your first option is medication. This would be considered “conventional” by most because it is a treatment that is prescribed by your doctor. She could possibly prescribe a combination of vitamin B6 and doxylamine, which seems to be the most common anti-nausea and vomiting medication.

Many women fear that taking any kind of medication will harm their unborn child. This is an entirely legitimate concern. My philosophy: if you’re afraid it will harm your child, don’t take it. You have enough to worry about without adding that anxiety on top of everything else.

One alternative to the “conventional” route is acupuncture. A licensed Acupuncturist places small needles (they’re more like flexible pins) in designated areas on your body. Correct placement of the needles is essential to relief, so it is important to have it done by someone experienced in this form of medicine.

Another alternative is acupressure, which is acupuncture without the needles. It involves deep pressure in areas similar to those you’d have pins placed in acupuncture. If your symptoms are more on the mild side, this will probably be an effective treatment for you. If your nausea and vomiting are more moderate, you will probably have to go with the acupuncture.

Morning sickness relief is available for you, but you need to decide if the conventional route is right for you, or whether you are more of an alternative medicine type of person. Either way, test them out and used whatever method fits you and gives you the most relief.

Mia Anderson is a morning sickness relief expert and author on the subject. To learn more about morning sickness relief, check her FREE Morning Sickness Relief Secrets mini-course at visit http://www.morningsicknessreliefsecrets.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/morning-sickness-relief-do-what-youve-got-to-do-for-relief-1700720.html

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Preparing for Pregnancy: Careful Planning is the Key

January 12th, 2010 |

Author: admin

If you are planning on having children, planning before you get pregnant is very important. The healthier you are as you are planning your pregnancy, the better the chances that you will have a healthy baby. There are no sure fire methods for giving birth a healthy baby but there are most certainly some things that you can do that will improve the outcome.

It is a good idea to begin to take a multivitamin that includes folic acid every day before you become pregnant and you should also be sure to eat healthy food and maintain a healthy weight. If you smoke, you should definitely stop smoking and also cut back on drinking alcohol. Be sure to incorporate some form of daily exercise into your routine and get plenty of rest and try not to subject yourself to situations that cause stress.

A great tool to use to know when you are most likely to become pregnant is an ovulation calculator which will tell you the approximate dates when you are fertile. You can easily find this type of tool online and you need to only enter the date of the first day of your last menstrual period and the tool will give you an estimated ovulation date as well as the expected due date if you do indeed become pregnant.

Most of us thin of morning sickness when we think of pregnancy symptoms, but in reality there are also other symptoms to watch for during the early stages of pregnancy. Backaches, heartburn and leg cramping are also early signs of being pregnant as are having leaking breasts and restless leg syndrome (RLS).

You can purchase an over-the-counter pregnancy test at your local drug store that will tell you in a matter of minutes whether or not you are pregnant. These tests are considered to be very accurate and many women rely on them in order to find out if they are carrying a baby. If you use an at-home pregnancy test and get a positive reading, it is recommended that you make an appointment with your doctor to have it confirmed.

Once your pregnancy is confirmed, then you must be sure to continue eat correctly, stay fit and eliminate toxins from your body which include alcohol and tobacco smoke. Giving birth is very tough on your body so you must do all you can to ensure that you are as healthy as possible.

A great tool to use to know when you are most likely to become pregnant is an ovulation calculator which will tell you the approximate dates when you are fertile. Most of us thin of morning sickness when we think of pregnancy symptoms, but in reality there are also other symptoms to watch for during the early stages of pregnancy.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/preparing-for-pregnancy-careful-planning-is-the-key-1701629.html

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