Pregnancy Week by Week – The Final Stages
A pregnancy is usually an expected happy event in a family, anticipated much like Christmas day to a young child, yet even so it is fraught with hormonal upheavals and emotions that affect the entire family. From before the moment a woman discovers she is pregnant to months after she delivers her body is being changed in many ways physically as well as emotionally and outside influence greatly affects the entire pregnancy.
In the third trimester of pregnancy a woman's hormones have pretty much stabilized and the mood swings have subsided by a substantial degree. Unfortunately, other mental and emotional problems may creep in during this final stage of pregnancy. The ability to focus mentally on a subject seems to be greatly diminished in many women making her job more difficult and in turn cause more concern and worry. Forgetfulness and just being mentally off is a common complaint that woman often share but is also something that many woman feel and because of fears never share with others. The fear of losing a job or being rejected is often high among women in the third trimester of pregnancy and she may begin to withdraw hoping to fade into the background and go unnoticed.
At this time nutrition and exercise becomes increasingly important. By getting the right foods, avoiding foods high in sodium and iron, particularly if taking iron supplements and getting moderate exercise will help to ease fears and anxiety as well as just making the physical and mental body feel well. Maintaining an exercise plan many emotional problems are lessened as well due to the endorphins that are released during exercise causing a feeling of well being. Always make sure the exercise is approved by the health care provider and is done in a safe way. Ensuring plenty of sleep and rest is a huge factor in curbing those emotional upheavals; take the time to center.
Allowing ones self to feel uncertain or fearful about the pregnancy in general is a helpful tool. Not every woman feels happy and excited as the approach to motherhood happens, sometimes they may feel uncertain about if this was such a good idea after all. They may feel a little resentful that their life will be changed more drastically then their partners. They may feel concern about their career and how it can be managed with a family, these are normal and common feelings and allowing them to be felt and experienced is helpful in letting them go.
When it comes down to it though, finding others to share in this is often the best advice. Seeking out others who have experience the same feelings or are currently experiencing them can be just what is needed. Books and videos, web sites and message boards, today's pregnant woman has the world at her fingertips and no matter the time of day or night she can connect with others and take comfort in the fact that what she is feeling is normal and she is not alone but most importantly it will pass. Father's too are seeking information and support more so than ever before and they are taking a more involved role in pregnancy, delivery and child rearing. Men too want to know what to expect in the various stages of pregnancy development and get support for the fears they have as well as the comfort in knowing that others are experiencing this too.
Brian G Potter is researching and writing on the different stages of pregnancy and will be adding more on this subject soon. Meanwhile however, if you would like more information and advice on your pregnancywhy not visit http://3trimesterspregnancy.com/ where you can obtain most of the help and information you need.
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8 Ways to Control Labor Pain
By Jenna Garvin
Recently giving birth to my third daughter, I learned the 8 ways to control labor pain. Having had given birth 2 times previously, I know how my body functions during pregnancy and I knew it was unlikely for me to go before my due date (but I will admit to hoping I would). My due date was Monday, September 1st and starting Sunday night, I began having lots of contractions. I contracted every few minutes for hours that night, and didn't get more then about 2 hours of sleep. When I woke my contractions had pretty much stopped and I was so upset. At my appointment the week before I had been 3 cm dilated and thought for sure that when my contractions started that that was it and that I was going to be one of the lucky ones to give birth on their due dates. But I wasn't.
The next day, Tuesday September 2nd, I had my 40 week doctor's appointment. My doctor checked me to see if any progress had been made the day before when I was having "false labor" (which is a very deceptive term because it does do more then keep you awake) and to my delightful surprise it had! I was nearly 5 cm dilated and 70% effaced. Not too bad for a woman NOT in active labor. After my appointment I had a few scattered very real labor pains, but they didn't get into an active pattern until later that evening. As soon as we knew it was the real deal, my husband and I were off to the hospital.
I got there and got checked in and the doctor did an internal to see how far along I was. I was 5 cm dilated. So the doctor left and the nurse popped her head in every now and then to see how I was doing, but for the most part they left us alone, which for me was a blessing. Once labor began I turned all of my focus to myself, my body, my mind, my needs, and tried to shove every other thought from my head. During my contractions I would close my eyes and breathe deeply and with control, not panting and hyperventilating like you see in the movies. After I got the green light to roam the halls, my husband and I did. We walked several laps and I told him I didn't like it and we went back to our room. Walking can be an aid in helping labor to progress, but to me it felt really weird and gross, and didn't allow me to properly relax, so I stopped.
We went back in our room and I sat in the rocking chair, hoping that would help. It was okay and I did it for about an hour, but I kept getting these really, really bad contractions all of a sudden, and would have to empty my bladder to ease the pain. About 45 minutes before my baby girl was brought into the world, the nurse came back in the room and told me the doctor would be in, in about an hour to check me again and break my water. At that point I decided to get in the birthing tub and try to relax for the next hour or so. I filled up the tub with lukewarm water (so I wouldn't overheat) and turned on the jets. I sat there, sitting up, not laying back, and allowed my mind to get lost in the sound of the water being blasted out of the jets. I kept trying to take myself to a happy safe place...I chose my honeymoon. I kept imagining I was in our honeymoon suite and trying to recall the smells and sights of the room. How warm and cozy it was, the smell of shampoo from the shower, the lovely wall paper and decorations. With eyes closed, and body totally relaxed (not one muscle was tense) I would mentally talk my way through the labor pain. One would come and I would relax my body even more, and go to my honeymoon suite. The only movement and sound to be seen or heard was my head moving side to side with the pain of the contractions and the water coming out of the jets. About 40 minutes after getting into the tub, I got a really, really bad contraction. It hurt so bad it forced me to stand up, and that is when I realized my water had broken in the tub and the baby was coming out!
Because I was able to control my mind and relax my body during labor, I was able to go completely non-medicated and had a quick, relatively easy labor. My daughter was born with only 3 pushes and the doctor nearly missed the delivery because of how quickly it all happened. My best advice to give birth naturally would be:
1.) Keep your bladder empty
2.) Focus all of your attention on yourself, you mind, your body, your needs.
3.) Use a birthing tub with jets
4.) Use lukewarm water in the tub so you don't overheat
5.) Have your husband rub you, comfort you, talk to you (if you want)
6.) Focus your mind on a place where you feel most comfortable
7.) Relax every single muscle in your body during contractions
8.) Do not talk and keep your eyes closed while they are happening.
Jenna Garvin is the owner and founder of The Pregnancy Health Center, the #1 online resource for pregnancy and conception health. Learn more about inducing labor naturally and easing labor pain Don't forget to get your FREE book!!!
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When Can You Get Pregnant? – Getting Pregnant Faster & Easier
Have you thought about becoming pregnant or wondered "When can you become pregnant"? In order to understand when exactly you will be able to become pregnant we need to talk about the female body. This is how you will know when the best time for conception is.
The obvious answer to this has to do with when a woman hits puberty. Once a female starts to have her monthly cycle she can become pregnant at any time after that. This usually happens between age 12 and 14, and there are many visible signs that a woman has hit puberty.
Each month, during your cycle, there is a specific time that you can get pregnant easier than others. At this time your body will be very careful and with build a lining of blood vessels and nutrients in your uterus. This is in preparation for when you actually do become pregnant so your body does it each month.
Once the lining of the uterus is ready your body will release an egg. If you are to have intercourse at this point, then you stand a very good chance of becoming pregnant. This is the stage that is known as "ovulation". This just means that your body has released the egg and you are ready.
If you are unable to conceive during ovulation, then the egg will die and your body will flush both the egg and the lining of your uterus out. This is what is known as your "period". It is very difficult, but not impossible to get pregnant at this time of the month and you will most likely have to wait until next month.
There are things you can do and certain foods you can eat to give yourself a better chance of conceiving during ovulation and even after or before ovulation. This information is very useful and you can find it in a few different books and guides that you will have to purchase, but your future baby is worth it.
Click Here to discover the "Secrets" to Getting Pregnant and making it Easier to Conceive!
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When Can You Get Pregnant With a Girl Baby?
By Sandy Dean
I often write about and have a few blogs outlining naturally becoming pregnant with a baby girl or daughter. One of the most common questions that I'm asked is "when is the best time to conceive a girl?" or "when can I become pregnant with a girl baby?" I'll answer these questions in this article as well as outline some other considerations you should address if you are trying to conceive a baby and you want it to be female.
Your Fertility Window: Most people understand that there is about a five day period when you are most likely to become pregnant. You may already know this, but I'll briefly go over the timing of conception. Your egg is released (ovulation) during one day during your menstrual cycle. When your partner's sperm chromosomes successfully fertilize this egg, you become pregnant. But, which chromosome (X or Y) ends up doing the job will determine which gender you conceive. And, these sperm can can live in your vaginal tract for various lengths of time. (Girl (or X chromosome sperm) can live for much longer than the Y (or boy) chromosome sperm.)
This is why timing your conception is so important. If you are a little bit late, or a little bit early, then the sperm will have died off by the time the egg is ready to be fertilized.
Why Knowing When You Ovulate Is Vital (And How To Best Accomplish This:) Since timing is so important for pregnancy, it's vital that you know exactly when your egg is ready to be fertilized. There are many ways to accomplish this, but, in my opinion, some ways are far superior to others. I never had any luck with the basal temperate or cervical mucus monitoring. These things leave too much room for incorrect interpretation. I believe ovulation predictor kits are much better and I prefer saliva over urine. I believe that the saliva kits are second to none for accuracy and you can reuse them over and over which makes them much more cost effective and convenient because you never have to worry about running out of the sticks the way that you do with the urine variety.
So, What Are The Best Days To Get Pregnant With Or Conceive A Girl Baby: Well, the girl sperm are very hardy, but the boy sperm are not. And, your best case scenario is to make sure that all of the boy sperm are out of your vaginal tract when your egg can be fertilized. The best way to accomplish this is to conceive three days before you actually ovulate. This is enough time for most boy sperm to make their grand exit. However, precise timing is vital here. Being even a little bit late here can throw this whole thing off. So, as I said above, make sure you have a very reliable way to know when ovulation is coming and plan to conceive before this.
Other Considerations: Timing your conception correctly is important when you are trying to conceive a girl, but there are other things you can do to raise your chances even higher. You'll also need to raise your vaginal PH and acidity because doing so creates a hostile environment for boy sperm. Using shallow penetration sexual positions can also give the boy sperm a longer, more difficult trip. It's important to address all of these things because doing so will give you pretty good odds (said to be over 90%) for being successful.
Conceive A Girl is a website I put together to offer step by step instructions, hints, tips, and resources for couples wishing to conceive a baby girl. You'll find resources for changing your PH, predicting your ovulation, and using the correct intercourse positions. Take a look if you like at http://conceive-a-girl-baby.com/
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