Posted by admin | Posted in Pregnancy | Posted on 20-06-2011
Early pregnancy and its different stages make a mother out of a woman. But before reaching the destination of motherhood, she has to journey through the rough terrain of the early stages of pregnancy, which can be quite eventful. No two pregnant women have same problem, some sail smoothly while others may have to be bed ridden for the next nine months. Some may feel like eating all the time and others might have nausea by just looking at food.
Morning Sickness and other problems
The pregnancy period is divided into three trimesters with the body going through different changes in each stage. The first trimester or the early stage of pregnancy is the most difficult and dangerous. A little mistake can lead to miscarriage or other disastrous complications. There are discomforts one has to endure, mainly morning sickness. It is perhaps the most common problem of pregnant women. The pregnant woman may feel nauseated, lethargic and her vomiting tendency might increase. A slight strong smell (which might have been alluring to her before) can trigger a vomit.
There are many old wives’ tales to counter morning sickness and some are useful like smelling a stale bread first thing in the morning. If the problem becomes acute, the doctor can prescribe medicines which are quite remedial.
Some women with history of breathing problems may find themselves breathless from time to time and should consult their doctor if the period of breathlessness increases. Chances of Urinary tract infection increases during this period and this can lead to vaginal discharge. Consultation with the doctor is necessary if the discharge is pale yellow in color and foul smelling.
Eating Problems
In the first few weeks or the very early stages of pregnancy, a pregnant woman might vomit at the mere sight of some food and gorge on other foods. But as the baby grows, pressure in the abdominal cavities is increased leading to indigestion which causes heartburn. Constipation is another major problem troubling her as her pregnancy progresses. To counter it, one must eat in moderation but frequently and avoid spicy and oily foods. Consumption of green vegetables and fibres are a must as they help to keep the bowels clean.
Hormonal Problems
The whole body and mood of a woman is controlled by hormones and during early pregnancy they take more control of the body than before. Mood swings are common: she may feel on top of the world one moment and very low in the next. She becomes more sentimental and the slightest reason can trigger an outburst. It is the time when family can play a great role, especially her partner. He has to be sympathetic and empathetic so that her mood swings can be controlled.
All these problems which are more pronounced in the early pregnancy stages fade by the next trimester and can be considered as a necessary hardship in return of the prize of a baby in the arms. When after nine months of hard labour, a woman holds her baby for the first time, its innocence and smile allows her to forget all the trouble she had undergone in the early pregnancy period. That is the ultimate joy of motherhood.
Posted by admin | Posted in Pregnancy | Posted on 04-06-2010
In early pregnancy, discharge is quite normal. In fact some women notice this discharge before they even know they are pregnant and mistakenly believe it to be a yeast infection. Vaginal discharge is one of the early symptoms that you are pregnant even before it is possible for the pregnancy to show up in a blood or urine test or in a home pregnancy kit. While you can expect to have some vaginal discharge all the way through the pregnancy, it is more so in the early weeks. This is because the walls of the vagina are becoming thicker and so some of the mucous leaks because of the turnover in the cells of the lining.
The lining starts to thicken because the brain starts producing more of the female hormone estrogen . This causes an increased blood flow to the vagina. This cervical mucous is also a sign later in your pregnancy that you are close to delivering the baby with an increase in the discharge around this time. This may come out as one lump, often referred to as the mucous plug, or you may just notice that your have more discharge than usual.
You do have to be careful with a discharge early in the pregnancy and at all times throughout the forty weeks. If you notice that the discharge has a foul smell to it or is discoloured, rather than being white, this is a symptom of a bacterial or yeast infection. The discharge is often accompanied by itching and burning. When you see your doctor about this problem, the results of a urine test can tell whether there are any yeast cells present. The doctor will prescribe a cream for you to use externally and cream or capsules that you can use internally by means of a special applicator. You can also purchase this type of treatment over the counter without a prescription and is safe to use during pregnancy.
Although having a yeast infection while you are pregnant will not harm the baby, it will make you feel really uncomfortable, especially at night. If you scratch this area too much, this can lead to a vaginal infection, which could spread to the uterus. Another problem that you could encounter is that if you leave the yeast infection untreated, as the baby passes through the vagina during the birthing process, it could easily pick up the infection.
One way in which you can prevent a yeast infection from developing is to always keep the genital area clean and dry. You also have to keep in mind that yeast cells occur naturally in the body and can even bloom into an infection as part of your body reaction to foods or even scented soaps and lotions. Yogurt is especially effective in helping to treat and prevent a yeast infection and is part of a healthy diet whether you are pregnant or not.
If you are not sure whether the vaginal discharge you have early in your pregnancy is actually a symptom that you are going to have a baby, you can contact your doctor for a check up just to make sure.
Posted by admin | Posted in Pregnancy | Posted on 05-04-2010
If you know what to look for the symptoms of ovulation are very easy to spot. Ovulation usually occurs 12-16 days after the first day of your last period. During ovulation your body will make some slight changes such as a change in vaginal secretions, slight cramping, elevated body temp, and sometimes it may be accompanied by some very light spotting. You have most likely seen or felt these changes before but paid no attention to them, as they are very subtle in nature. Noticing these changes are not difficult you just need to pay close attention to your body.
The first step to noticing changes in your body is to know your body very well; this is usually extremely simple for women as we are very intuitive by nature Just another plus of being a woman. The first symptom of ovulation is your vaginal secretions will increase and become almost the consistency of raw egg whites, this occurs because of a change in hormones.
Two to three days before ovulation you will notice this increase of clear slippery vaginal discharge, during these days you are fertile but, the last day of the vaginal discharge you are most fertile. This is because it is on this last day of discharge or the day after, that ovulation actually occurs. Remember, sperm can live up to five days in the vagina so even if you have not ovulated having intercourse on these days is very beneficial.
The second symptom of ovulation is slight cramping; this cramping you may feel is often called mittelschmerz which means middle pain in German. Middle pain is usually felt on the side you’re ovulating on. This is caused by the release and movement of the unfertilized egg down the fallopian tube. For me this is not a constant pain it is usually just one of those “ouch what was that?” and then it is gone however, and this may occur several times during the day.
Pain associated with ovulation may occur every month but, for some reason usually occurs every third month. In most women the pain disappears within 6 to 8 hours but, can persist for 24 to 48 hours. You may also experience nausea, bloating, frequent urination, and pain during intercourse however, this is uncommon.
It is at this time you may also notice a slight pink tint in the vaginal secretions, don’t worry this is completely normal. These signs and symptoms may vary from woman to woman but, one way to surely tell is to check your basal body temperature. After ovulation a woman’s basal body temperature will rise 0.4-1 degrees.
As well as the symptoms listed here, many women report that during this time they actually have an increased desire to have sex. This is simply your body’s way of making sure all of its hard work does not go to waste. After all you know what they say it takes two to tango!
I know this may seem like a lot to take in right now but, in the long run becoming more familiar with your body and all its working structures will not only help you identify the symptoms of ovulation but, can also help you get pregnant in the shortest period of time.
Posted by admin | Posted in Pregnancy | Posted on 08-08-2009
Everyone knows about morning sickness being a sign that you could be pregnant and the most well-known and obvious indicator of pregnancy is a missed menstrual cycle, right? Did you also know that vaginal discharge could likely be a sign of early pregnancy? If not, then read on for the details.
The vaginal discharge that you might see in your underwear or when you wipe yourself after urinating could range in color from milky white to pinkish-brown. It is caused by the increase in your estrogen levels and more blood flow to your vagina. It could look like you are spotting especially if you see it around the time your normal menstrual cycle would begin. The pinkish brown color is a little bit of blood that could be left over from your previous menstrual cycle and is nothing to become alarmed about.
Not every woman experiences this type of vaginal discharge either, so not seeing the discharge does not mean that you aren’t pregnant! You could very well be pregnant and not have this particular sign of early pregnancy. The surest way to determine whether you are pregnant is to see your doctor for a test.
The vaginal discharge is sometimes called a mucous plug because it blocks your cervical opening in order to protect your child from infections. As your pregnancy turns to labor your body will expel the mucus plug because of your dilating cervix.
As long as the vaginal discharge you are experiencing has no odor, and is not accompanied by burning or itching, it may be one of the first signs of early pregnancy. If the vaginal discharge you are experiencing is foul smelling and itchy, you should see your gynecologist immediately. Your doctor will need to examine you because you could have a viral or bacterial infection or a sexually transmitted disease that must be treated.
