Phthalates are so dangerous because they either mimic or block our natural hormones and male fetuses are especially vulnerable.

According to “Theodore Schettler, a physician and science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network, an environmental advocacy group.

‘There’s a huge animal database showing how exposures to phthalates during development can have effects at levels hundreds of times lower than these needed to show any impact on an adult,’ he said.

Timing of the exposure matters, and the most harm may occur between the eighth and 15th weeks of pregnancy, when a fetus’ sexual differentiation starts, he said.

Timing of the exposure matters, and the most harm may occur between the eighth and 15th weeks of pregnancy

‘If my testosterone dropped by 20 or 30 percent for a couple of days, it wouldn’t matter,’ he said. ‘But for a developing fetus, it could matter a whole lot if there was a substantial drop in testosterone.’

Phthalates fall into a group of chemicals called endocrine disruptors because they either mimic or block the action of human hormones. Phthalates interfere with the synthesis of testosterone.

Bisphenol A, another controversial chemical that is found in plastics, can mimic female hormones. Consumers’ concerns about bisphenol A, which has been used for years to make plastics stiff, have prompted some producers and retailers to announce in recent months that they would stop using and selling it.” Physorg.com

Phthalates are found in nail polishes, hair sprays, perfumes, shampoos, deodorants, soft plastic toys and much more. There is no easy way to determine if your beauty or household product contains phthalates unless it clearly states “phthalate free”. During pregnancy, the safer the better so if you wont put it in your mouth, don’t put it on your skin.

More resources: Not Too Pretty (PDF)

Pregnancy is probably the most sensitive period in a woman’s life. You carry the responsibility of another life within you. This in itself can be the primary cause of anxiety during pregnancy and can be very difficult to avoid.

While pregnant, you undergo many inevitable biological and psychological changes, but the eternal anxiety is the undercurrent of all such changes. Headache can be one such ‘inevitable’ suffering. Pregnant women often suffer from severe headaches during pregnancy, as a matter of routine. In general terms some say that headache is a side effect of pregnancy.

What are the reasons for this type of headache? The main ones are hormonal changes, the general stresses related to pregnancy and increases in the your blood volume. In addition, the changes in the contours of your body help to contribute to poor posture. Naturally, poor posture creates stress on various parts of your body. Your brain will eventually get the signal of discomfort, often from the burden of carrying the extra weight.

The vast majority of pregnant women are very cautious about what they consume during pregnancy. Many women will avoid even a Tylenol during pregnancy to err on the side of caution. So what can you do if you are contending with a massive headache during pregnancy?

Try these steps to minimize your pregnancy headache:
Eliminate certain types of food, such as packaged and preserved foods, chocolate and spicy food. Understand your diet very well- what is good for you and for the baby growing within you. Don’t overeat. Eat several small meals in a day. Take lots of liquid diet, fruits and juices.

Improve your circulation and overall health by taking leisurely walks in the nearby park or on the lawns of your own garden. You can also improve your mental and physical state with a prenatal Yoga or Pilates DVD if you can’t find a class near you.

Try to adhere to nature’s schedule if at all possible. Wake up with the sun and get adequate sunlight during the day to regulate your circadian rhythms. Keep your bedroom as dark as possible and try not to stay up too late past dark with inactivity, packaged foods, and stressful news or TV shows. Keep electronics (especially the TV) out of your bedroom.

This is not the time to experiment with any type of strong medication to get relief from the headache. Try to understand the root cause of your headache. Try to control it with a natural process. Practice meditation or deep breathing.

Due to the fact that your symptoms may be related to poor posture or some other physical condition, you may find relief after a visit to the chiropractor or acupuncturist. You can also try your own acupressure or having your partner massage your neck, back and shoulders.

While many women avoid coffee during pregnancy, most experts do not see the harm in a pregnant woman having one to two cups of coffee a day. The caffeine in coffee is often shown to reduce or eliminate a headache. A healthier choice would be a cup or two of green tea.

If all else fails, try to remember that “this too shall pass”. Pregnancy is but a blip of time in your life and most women will put the discomforts of pregnancy and childbirth far behind them as they enjoy life with their new angel.

Author: Javier Fuller
About the author: Many Headache articles are available at Headacheupdates.com for Headache During Pregnancy.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/itsallaboutmich/775941059/

Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese method of using tiny needles to stimulate specific areas or “meridians” of the body and to rebalance the body’s energy, or chi. Because acupuncture is especially effective for chronic conditions, many pregnant women are turning to acupuncture to provide drug-free relief from many of the unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy.

An Australian study showed that women who received acupuncture treatments regularly before their 14th week of pregnancy had less nausea and shorter bouts of morning sickness than women who did not receive the treatment. Acupuncture has also been used to treat the more serious condition hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes serious vomiting that persists throughout pregnancy.

During the second trimester, acupuncture has been used to successfully treat heartburn and hemorrhoids. In the third trimester, acupuncture can provide relief from sciatica, joint pain and carpal tunnel syndrome, which many women develop late in pregnancy. Acupuncture has even been used to relieve pain during labor and delivery.

Pregnant women seeking to use acupuncture to treat conditions developed during pregnancy should be sure to visit a licensed and experienced acupuncturist. For example, although acupuncture can be used to treat edema, or swelling of the ankles, edema can be an indicator of a serious problem. An acupuncturist experienced in treating pregnant women would be more likely to recognize this problem and refer the patient back to her obstetrician.

The most serious risk of using acupuncture during pregnancy is that it may stimulate labor if it is improperly applied. Choosing an experienced practitioner reduces this risk to almost negligible levels. In fact, many women have turned to acupuncture to purposefully stimulate labor when their baby is overdue. Some women have found that labor induced by acupuncture is gentler than labor induced by drugs such as Pitocin.

In addition to benefits during pregnancy, labor and delivery, acupuncture has been used to promote fertility and to treat infertility . In a small German study, women who used acupuncture in conjunction with in vitro fertilization had a 42.5% success rate compared to 26.3% in women who used in vitro fertilization alone. Fertility specialists attribute this to the overall improvement of health that comes from receiving regular acupuncture treatments.

Finally, acupuncture may have some benefits in treating post-partum depression. Although no research has been done to support the efficacy of acupuncture treatments on post-partum depression, anecdotal evidence shows that some women do benefit from its use. Because acupuncture does not cause harmful drug interactions, it can be a useful complementary therapy.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for http://4alternativehealthinfo.com/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes articles for http://thenursingcenter.com/ and http://letsdropsomeweight.com/

Why women eat sugar during pregnancy
The biggest problem with sugar intake during pregnancy is that it is socially acceptable, unlike drugs, alcohol or smoking. Many if not most women will quit drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine as soon as they find out they are pregnant due to social pressures and concern for their baby’s wellbeing. It is not only socially acceptable for pregnant women to eat sugar, but they are often encouraged by family members to eat more sugary treats and give in to their cravings.

Women also believe they are finally entitled to eat whatever they please as a benefit of being pregnant. While they may deny themselves Krispy Kremes and Haagen Daaz normally, during pregnancy anything goes because nobody will say anything and they plan on gaining weight anyway.

In addition to the lack of social restraint, pregnant women also experience powerful cravings for a variety of foods, and sugary treats are often on the list. The reason for these cravings is not a physiological need for sugar however, but a need for regular meals and snacks throughout the day. You have a much greater blood supply and extra hormones in your body during pregnancy and that means that you feel dips in your blood sugar more so than when you are not pregnant.

Skipping meals is a no-no for non-pregnant people because they will reach for the first candy bar or soda they can get their hands on a few hours later. This is even more true during pregnancy. It may feel like an overpowering craving but it is simply your body crying out for fuel. Regular, small meals are the answer, not a piece of chocolate cake.

Why Sugar is Worse During Pregnancy
Eating foods with refined sugar is bad for everyone. Even in healthy people, sugar causes weight gain, tooth decay, gum disease, rapid fluctuations in blood sugar that tax the body, reduced immunity, displaced minerals, elevated risk for cardiovascular disease and premature aging.

The sugar story gets worse for pregnant women. During pregnancy, sugar is rapidly absorbed into your blood and in order to regulate this sugar, your body requires larger amounts of insulin which is released by your pancreas. If you are eating excessive or even moderate amounts of sugar, your pancreas is going to have a difficult time keeping up. If your pancreas falls short of its job, then your blood sugar levels stay elevated. This is a problem even if you not develop full blown gestational diabetes (which is insulin intolerance).

Excessive sugar intake and elevated blood sugar levels will also cause you to gain excessive weight while pregnant. While you should gain a moderate amount of weight during pregnancy, it should be due to the weight of your fetus, increased blood volume and uterine contents, breast size and other pregnancy related weight, not just growing a fatter butt. When you are simply taking in more calories than you need, you are not the only one who gains excessive weight. Your baby may also grow too large.

Macrosomia is a condition where a baby grows excessively large due to a constantly high level of maternal blood sugar, generally due to gestational diabetes. This condition increases the risk of birth complications such as shoulder distocia and cesarean section. In addition, large babies of mothers with elevated blood sugar levels also have a higher risk of childhood obesity.

In addition to packing unnecessary pounds on yourself and complicating your pregnancy and birth with an overly large baby with a propensity for health problems, you will also run the additional risk of pregnancy related dental problems if you engage in excessive sugar consumption. Oral health during pregnancy is extremely important because toxins from periodontal disease have been proven to cross the placental barrier and reach your fetus, potentially causing both premature birth and birth defects. In fact, women with periodontal disease are seven times more likely to have a premature delivery than those with healthy gums.

In addition, women and society in general like to use the term “eating for two” which is actually nonsense. During your first trimester you do not require any extra calories and your body only needs an extra 300 calories during the second and third trimester, which should consist of high quality protein, vitamins and minerals because your body is literally building another human being. If you are not eating the proper nutrients to build a little human being’s bones, blood, fingernails and hair, then the necessary nutrients will be sucked out of your nutritional stores, putting you at risk for lifelong health problems, osteoporosis, postpartum depression and a number of other health conditions that are entirely avoidable by eating well before, during and after pregnancy.

In addition, it makes sense to get the sugar out of your house before your child is born. Children who regularly eat sugar experience raised adrenal levels, hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, low immunity, crankiness, sleep troubles, tooth decay, obesity and weight problems and lifelong health problems and disease. Do you think it is easier to get the sugar out of your home before they are born or when they are 10 and addicted to Fruit Loops or other such nonsense?

“It doesn’t matter what disease we are talking about, whether we are talking about a common cold or about cardiovascular disease, or cancer or osteoporosis, the root is always going to be at the cellular and molecular level, and more often than not insulin is going to have its hand in it, if not totally controlling it.” Healingdaily.com

Forms of Sugar
Sugar is more than that white stuff you put in your coffee. Sugar is everywhere and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and it is imperative that you know the sneaky forms that sugar comes in if you plan on avoiding it. First and foremost, virtually anything in a bag, box or can has added sugar. There are a very few exceptions to that rule, such as a bag of frozen vegetables, but by and large, any pre-packaged, prepared food is going to have added sugar, period.

If you insist on buying packaged foods, read the labels. Anything with a label is bound to have sugar anyway, but read for yourself. Look for any ingredient ending in ‘ose’. Fructose, dextrose and glucose are all sugars. Bread has sugar. Pizza has sugar. Sodas, pastries, cakes, cookies, and other goodies all have sugar. Almost everything has some form of sugar in it.

In addition, other foods such as dairy and starches will convert to sugar in your body more rapidly than high protein foods and vegetables. It is important to become familiar with the glycemix index if you wish to lower your sugar intake.

Sugar Alternatives
Ideally you will simply forgo fast food, packaged foods, drinks and baked goods while pregnant for high quality protein and raw produce but it may be very unrealistic for you to change your eating habits cold turkey especially if your family and friends tend to indulge in the foods you are trying to avoid.

White sugar is processed with chemicals and all the good nutrients are stripped from it. It is nothing short of poison and you should not touch it. Whatever you do, do not under any circumstances, substitute chemical sweeteners. They are even worse than sugar. Nutrasweet, Aspartame, Sucralose and Splenda. Poison, poison, poison. They are man made, chemical toxins. Do not dream of touching them while you are pregnant if you value your health and the health of your unborn child. They are linked to a myriad of long term, health conditions. Don’t even think about it. If the package says, “low sugar” or “sugar free”, run don’t walk the other way.

If you would like to still have a little bit of sweetness in your life go ahead, in moderation, by choosing sweeteners made by mother nature. Enjoy these options in their raw, natural forms and keep in mind that they are still high on the glycemic index and can also contribute to tooth decay. Blackstrap molasses is exceptionally healthy and will add delicious maltiness to coffee and baked goods. Raw, organic honey with propolis is also considered an amazing health food and is an excellent sugar replacement. Stevia is another natural sugar alternative but has not been tested on pregnant women, so you may wish to err on the side of caution. Even sugar itself is loaded with nutrients if it is raw, organic and untouched. If is is just a sugar fix you crave, get some high quality organic, fair trade chocolate. It will load you up with antioxidants and potentially keep your stress level down if you are a real sugar addict.

Women quit smoking when they find out they are pregnant. Women stop drinking when they find out they are pregnant and women should also stop eating sugar when they find out they are pregnant if they value their health and the health of their beautiful, unborn child.

More resources about sugar dangers:
Healingdaily.com
Pregnancy: High-Normal Blood Sugar Risky - WebMD.com
Sugar in Urine During Pregnancy - Drspock.com
Dr. Greene recommends blood test for glucose, called HgA1C

Image source: http://flickr.com/photos/pinkspleen/471510638/

“The “old wives” tale of “a tooth for every pregnancy” is based on misconceptions that oral problems during pregnancy are a normal occurrence and cannot be prevented. Even though hormonal changes are occurring, making the pregnant woman more at risk of developing pregnancy gingivitis, a mouth that is clean (i.e. good plaque control) does not develop pregnancy gingivitis.” www.umanitoba.ca

Author: Sheila Wolf

On at least three separate occasions, I can remember having the privilege of breaking the news of a young woman’s pregnancy from my side of the dentist’s chair. I use the word “privilege” with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek, however. After all, the diagnosis was only determined because of the patient’s tender, red, swollen gums. Ouch!

Talk about taking the good news with the bad . . .

Known as pregnancy gingivitis, this unpleasant condition is often assumed to be one of the natural consequences of the hormonal changes often found in pregnant women. The hormones involved, estrogen and progesterone, are secreted in progressively greater concentrations throughout most of pregnancy. While this reaction is necessary for preparing a woman’s body for the journey ahead, the resulting flood of hormones results in a variety of effects.

Hormones tell the kidneys to retain water in order to build blood volume to have enough to nourish the placenta. Thus a pregnant woman has 40% more fluid in her body. As a result, this increases the amount of fluid in all the cells in the body, including the gum tissues, which causes them to become “puffy.” Between the time of conception and the seventh month of pregnancy, hormones will triple in quantity, and then remain at that heightened level until childbirth.

Meanwhile, as if she doesn’t have enough to contend with, the pregnant patient with hormones out of whack is swollen and tender and sometimes cannot do an effective job with her oral hygiene.

I am pleased to tell you that with above standard oral hygiene, this condition can be almost entirely avoided. Remember, it is the bacteria, not the hormones, which cause the gingivitis. Despite the fact that the statistics reveal 50-75% of all pregnant women develop pregnancy gingivitis, that doesn’t have to mean you. If you are reading this article after the fact, you can be assured that this condition is reversible with proper home care, techniques, tools, and medicines.

Dr. Thomas Rams, professor and chairman of the Department of Periodontology at Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia, says, “There are hormonal shifts in pregnancy that reduce the gingival tissue resistance to infection, and there is also an increased risk that the hormones circulating will help promote the growth of certain bacteria and plaque, which causes inflammation.”

Rams also says, “In periodontitis, bacterial plaque infection not only causes inflammation of gingival tissues like gingivitis, but also progressively destroys connective tissue fibers and surrounding bone anchoring teeth to the jaws, resulting in the loss of teeth.”

“Researchers of one study who published their results in The Journal of the American Dental Association found that pregnant women with chronic gum disease were four to seven times more likely to deliver prematurely (before gestational week 37) than mothers with healthy gums. Mothers with the most severe periodontal disease delivered the most prematurely at 32 weeks.” www.webmd.com

Knowing how to minimize the bacterial biofilm in your mouth, and especially along the gum line, is the key factor in preventing pregnancy gingivitis and the escalating symptoms that often continue during pregnancy. However, a woman needs to be taught before she gets pregnant how to eliminate bacteria on a daily basis.

Because gums can be painful, puffy, and bleeding during pregnancy, the tendency is to avoid touching them. However, it is imperative that you practice good oral hygiene during pregnancy to avoid both tooth decay and gum infections. Pregnancy, with its three-fold increase in hormones, may exaggerate the body’s normal response to dental plaque.

It need not increase your risk of getting gum disease . . .

Although relatively rare, the body’s response to inflammation may produce another offset of the “joy” of childbirth: a pregnancy “tumor” (also called pyogenic granuloma). This “tumor” may develop on the gums in response to the irritating bacteria that collects there. Rest assured, however, that these growths of extra tissue are usually painless, and totally benign. However, if they get large these “pregnancy tumors” can become annoying and should be treated. Meticulous oral hygiene is the answer to avoiding the inflammation associated with these growths, and it is comforting to know that they usually subside after childbirth.

Fascinating Factoid: “Occasionally chewing sugarless gum is helpful to increase the amount of saliva in your mouth, without contributing to the risk of gingivitis. It may also be helpful in averting pregnancy related nausea and morning sickness.”

Brushing, flossing, and irrigating daily (all done gently but deliberately) are important in preventing gingivitis, during pregnancy and anytime in your life. In addition, it is important to pay attention to eating more healthfully for yourself and your baby, by substituting fruits, cheese, nuts, and vegetables for those sugary foods you might have enjoyed before becoming pregnant. If your gums are tender and brushing is painful, try ice, or several helpful over the counter products that will soothe painful gums. These include:

*Gly-oxide
*Peroxyl mouth rinse
*Amosan oral rinse
*Anbesol liquid
*Orajel Mouth-Aid

(Please be sure to ask your doctor if she has objections to any of these products.)

Sheryl’s comment:
There are a number of additional ways you can prevent gingivitis:

• Use plaque disclosing tablets so you don’t miss anything
• Use an electric toothbrush to brush long enough
• Use a water pik to rinse away bacteria in hard to reach spaces
• Always drink a bit of water after eating
• Eat raw. Raw food does not stick to your teeth
• Skip the bread,sugar and soda This is critical during pregnancy anyway
• Some studies show that antacids could prevent gingivitis
• Listerine and Viadent are proven to reduce plaque
• Massage top and bottom gums daily with your thumb and forefinger
• Brush or scrape your tongue as often as you brush your teeth
• Skip commercial toothpastes. Fluoride is toxic as are many of the fillers, chemicals and additives found in common toothpastes. Learn more about toxic toothpastes (and check out your brand) at www.ewg.org.
• Neem and Tea tree oil both have properties which helps prevent and even reverse gingivitis without the toxic chemicals found in drugstore toothpaste.

Buy the book: Pregnancy and Oral Health

About the Author:
Sheila Wolf, RDH, affectionately called “Mama Gums,” has been a registered dental hygienist since 1971. She is currently retired from clinical practice but enjoys writing, speaking, and consulting on various oral health issues. She has authored two award-winning books, Pregnancy and Oral Health: The critical connection between your mouth and your baby, and Your Mouth Could Be KILLING You. Both are available on her website, www.mamagums.com
Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/awesomejoolie/367809895/

“Do you dissolve into tears at the slightest provocation? Is your husband starting to call you “Mariah Scary”? Do your friends say you’re a “diva” and you know they don’t mean the operatic kind?” – You Know You are Hormonal When…… An I Village Top Ten

Author: Belinda Johnson
Finding out that you are pregnant is usually a very emotional experience - you are either delighted, terrified, or somewhere in between. However you felt when hearing that you were pregnant, the chances are that you were not surprised to be a bit emotional about it. Such things are to be “expected”. What does surprise many women -and their partners- on the other hand is the ongoing emotional changes which may occur during the course of the pregnancy. This is perfectly normal, but understanding what to expect, and why, will help both you and your partner get the most enjoyment out of this amazing experience.

Hormones
During your pregnancy your body is going to undergo some tremendous changes in hormone levels. Mood swings are very common because of these hormone changes - it is not something you have much control over. Nearly all pregnant women are prone to emotional ups and downs. Common “side effects” include bouts of feeling unsure and panicky, extreme reactions to minor things and even crying.

The important thing to realize is that all of this is perfectly normal, and has nothing to do with you as a person. As soon as you and your partner accept this, the low points become so much easier to deal with. Some women suffer from terrible guilt or feelings of inadequacy because of these mood swings, which just makes it harder for your “moods” to pass. There is no need for you to feel guilty at all! Accept that you will feel down from time to time, make sure your partner knows this, and look forward to the “up” part of the mood swings.

Self Image
As your body shape and size changes during your pregnancy, you may begin to feel very strange about yourself. At times you may even feel that you are trapped in someone else’s body, or worry that you are getting “fat” and unattractive. We live in a very image conscious world, so these concerns are natural. However, pregnant women are in fact extremely sensuous, and there is no more potent symbol of womanhood than being pregnant. You should feel proud of the obvious signs of your fertility! You should remember, too, that pregnancy gives you some advantages from a looks point of view. The increased blood flow normally improves your skin and gives you that healthy “glow” that pregnant women have.

Your image of yourself while you are pregnant is very important. If you feel good about being pregnant, you will probably look good too.

“Anxiety in regard to how a woman may feel about herself and the way her body is changing is normal, and her concerns regarding her own health and the health of the fetus are paramount. Anticipation of the new role of being a mother and the changes a new baby will bring to the family may be overwhelming. The pregnant woman should be encouraged and supported by her spouse, family, and health care providers in all her concerns.” Expectantmothersguide.com

Anxiety about the baby
It is normal for pregnant couples, but especially the mother, to spend a lot of time worrying about the health of their baby: What if there is something wrong? Will he or she be “normal”? Keeping up to date with all your checkups and visits to your health care provider will help calm you. Making sure that you follow a decent diet plan and keep yourself physically well will also be reassuring.

If this is your first pregnancy you will probably feel a bit of anxiety about how good a parent you will be, and whether or not you will cope with the strain of caring for your newborn child. Again, this is perfectly normal - most women worry about accidentally harming the baby or not being able to deal with the day to day baby care. Having a good support network (partner and family) in place before the birth will go a long way towards making you feel confident that you can do it, so make sure you discuss your fears and worries with them. Try and learn as much as you can about caring for a newborn baby, and speak to other mothers that you know. Having this knowledge will make you feel more equipped to “do the right things” when the time comes.

You may find yourself having bad dreams or nightmares about your baby. This is just your subconscious dealing with the fears you are probably trying hard not to think about while awake. It’s important to remember that no matter how disturbing these dreams are, they are not reality. Try and think of them as your subconscious mind blowing off steam.

Concerns about Labor
Almost all women worry about childbirth and how they will handle it. Fear about the pain and worries about whether or not you will embarrass yourself are common. You will find yourself thinking of this more and more as your pregnancy comes closer to full term. Learning about labor and childbirth, and practicing your exercises and breathing techniques will go a long way towards making you feel confident about the birth process. You will be more aware of what is going on around you, and you will likely feel less pain too.

Final Words
Although it might sound like your pregnancy is going to be nothing but a long string of emotional crises, this is not the case for most women. You will have various ups and downs, but for the most part this will be perfectly manageable, especially if you have a supportive and involved partner. Just remember that all the emotions you experience are felt by most pregnant women, they are perfectly normal and you shouldn’t allow yourself to be stressed by them. Pregnancy is a wonderful experience, so don’t allow normal emotional changes to ruin that experience for you!

Finally, remember that one of the main tasks for you during the nine months of your pregnancy is to mentally prepare yourself for motherhood. Your future planning and lifestyle are going to have to include this new human being. For most people, these are big changes. You might even find yourself having second thoughts at some stage during your pregnancy. Having these thoughts does not make you a poor mother, or a bad person. If you are to successfully prepare yourself for becoming a mother (or father), you and your partner need to be completely honest about these feelings. Very often just talking abut your concerns will make them easier to deal with.

Sheryl’s comment:
If stress in your life is contributing to your rollercoaster of emotions during pregnancy, then try to take every opportunity to relax. Take a walk each and every day to tone and strengthen your body for childbirth. Sign up for a prenatal yoga class or get a DVD. Drink chamomile, raspberry or nettle leaf tea which can help you relax while providing many fertility and pregnancy benefits.

(Learn more about herbs for pregnancy
Pregnancy Calendars

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/speakslyrics/121123232/

Congratulations! You’re pregnant! One minute you’re overjoyed with your news, the next you’re brought back down to earth with a thud. Often with the pregnancy news comes the rude awakening that soon after conception, your body begins undergoing a series of major changes to help prepare it for your baby’s growth and development.

Mother Nature loves irony. How else to explain taking the happiest time in a woman’s life and causing her to become physically ill and miserable? And, what’s with using the term, “morning sickness“? Actually, the correct term is “nausea and vomiting of pregnancy“. Which is closer to the truth since the condition can and will occur anytime of the day.

Some quick facts about the morning sickness:
1. 50-95% of pregnant women suffer from it
2. Dehydration can happen in extreme cases
3. Occurs in first month of pregnancy
4. Continues until 14th-16th week
5. 50% of women will suffer for another month

Although nobody will say for sure what the definite causes of morning sickness are, the theories are:

• Estrogen level increase
• Low blood sugar
• Increased sensitivity to smells where many odors instantly trigger the gag-reflex
• Rise in progesterone level . This hormone helps relax the uterus in order to prevent early labor but it also relaxes the stomach and intestines which cause excess acids in the stomach and slower waste removal.
• Eating unhealthy foods. Seems the body has a sure-fire way to make sure you don’t ingest anything not good for you or baby.
• An increase in human chorionic gonadotropin. Now you know why they prefer to call it (hCG) This is a peptide hormone produced by the embryo soon after conception and later on by the placenta. It’s role is to maintain crucial levels of progesterone production vital in human pregnancies.
• Excess salivation which nauseates some women

It’s difficult to spend time on the causes morning sickness when all you really want is relief. As with anything to do with the human body, there’s no one-size-fits-all remedy. There will be a period of trial and error as you find what works for you. Of course it goes without saying, you will be consulting with your doctor/care-provider.

So here are some corrective measures used by many women:

1. Eating small, frequent meals. An empty stomach produces an acid which aggravates the stomach lining.

2. Foods should be high in proteins and complex carbohydrates such as yogurt, cheese and eggs or whole-grain breads and cereals. Don’t make the mistake of thinking of whole-wheat as being whole- grain. You want the product label to say ” 100% whole-grain”. There is a big difference for mother and baby.

3. Drink fluids. Dehydration makes everything worse. Extreme cases of morning sickness require hospitalization. If you can’t stomach fluids, try eating fruit which has high water content and low acid like grapes and watermelon

4. Ginger (zingiber officinale) This is an age-old remedy for upset stomachs. Try either capsules, ginger tea or ginger- snaps, candy. Try to get ginger ale made with real ginger and not the supermarket brands. You may have to try the health-food section in your grocery or an actual health-food store.

5. Brushing teeth after vomiting will decrease excess saliva and lessen stomach turmoil. It also prevents tooth decay and makes you feel somewhat better.

6. Get proper rest. Fatigue and stress will cause morning sickness to worsen. If able to, nap often.

7. Stay away from fatty, spicy, rich, acidic and fried foods

8. Eat crackers before getting out of bed. Get up slowly.

9. Take food based prenatal vitamins later on in the day

10. Try vitamin B6

11. Microwave cooking produces less odors. Better yet, have someone else do the cooking while you, lucky girl, stay away!

12. Go smell lemons. Believe it or not, relief may be found by sprinkling essential oil of lemon on a handkerchief and holding it to your nose.

13. Warm places can trigger nausea. Try to stay cool. If not in air conditioning, install fans around you. Even a battery-operated hand-held fan can bring relief.

14. If your stomach agrees, eat what you want when you want it. Your special cravings are trying to tell you something.

Although it can be downright annoying when well-meaning friends and family tell you, “This too shall pass” , especially when you feel miserable. Usually after the first trimester, you will again be concentrating on happy, future events.

Again, Congratulations!

(c) 2006 Karen Cook

Reference Sources: Wikipedia and Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine

Author: Karen Cook
About the author: Karen Cook works the main desk at her town’s Public Library. The most rewarding part of her job is researching self-help information for the patrons. Visit the weblog: http://happilypregnant.blogspot.com

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/maryhodder/23919127/

So you think you might be pregnant? Find out if you are pregnant by checking out the 18 common pregnancy symptoms below.

1. Nausea or morning sickness:
Morning sickness is the nauseating feelings and possibly vomiting many women experience during pregnancy. This occurs in approximately 50% to 95% of all pregnant women as early as the first week of pregnancy. Although the name suggests that this is a condition experienced in the morning, it may strike at any time during the day whenever your blood sugar levels get too low.

2. Headaches:
If you have never experienced regular headaches before pregnancy, be prepared for some throbbing pain in your head and neck during pregnancy. Changes in your body’s hormonal patterns is the primary cause of headaches during pregnancy. Other conditions like lack of sleep, poor posture, stress, dehydration and low blood sugar levels may also worsen of cause headaches.

3. Dizziness and fainting spells:
Due to the lowered blood pressure in your body during pregnancy, blood flow to the brain may cause dizziness and fainting spells in serious cases.

4. Mood swings:
With your hormones raging, it is common for women to feel cranky during their pregnancy. It takes some time to settle into your new life by adjusting to all the changes in your body and lifestyle.

5. Fatigue
If you feel exhausted and experience some or all of the symptoms mentioned in this article, you have a good chance of being pregnant. Hormonal changes are usually the main cause of fatigue followed by the additional weight you have to carry around.

6. Food cravings:
Craving for food that you normally would not eat could be a sign that you are pregnant. Normally, women report cravings for salty and sweet food during pregnancy while others report a peculiar desire for spicy or fatty food.

7. Weight gain and bloating:
The combination of your baby’s growth and your increased food intake will cause you to put on weight and your clothes to fit tighter than usual. As most women put on weight mainly on their hips and thighs, an mysterious increase in the size of your waist could indicate that you are pregnant.

8. Heartburn:
Hormones created during pregnancy may relax the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which opens the valve to allow stomach acids to flow up into the esophagus causing a burning sensation.

9. Lower back pain:
Lower back pain occurs because your growing baby causes your spine to be thrown out of alignment as the additional weight constantly pulls on your back. This is why proper posture, regular visits to the chiropractor and prenatal yoga are especially important during pregnancy.

10. Constipation:
Hormonal changes during pregnancy slows down the movement of food through your digestive system which results in constipation. This could be a sign of pregnancy if you do not experience constipation frequently.

11. Constant urination:
Your growing baby in the uterus puts a lot of pressure on your bladder and you may find yourself visiting the ladies room more frequently than usual.

12. High Basal Body Temperature (BBT):
If your BTT stays in the high range for 18 days or more, it is very likely that you are pregnant.

13. Cramping:
Your growing uterus stretches to accommodate your new baby and this causes menstrual-like cramps to occur.

14. Spotting:
Slight bleeding occurs when the fertilized egg begins to implant itself into the uterus any time from 3 to 6 days after fertilization. A lot of women confuse this with their period but this happens usually before the period starts and the discharge is lighter than normal.

15. Darkening of the areolas:
Your areolas could darken and increase in diameter during pregnancy. This is a natural process by which your breasts are preparing themselves to produce milk for your baby.

16. Tender or swollen breasts:
It is common for women to have sore, tingly, tender or swollen breasts during pregnancy. This feels like a amplified version of how your breast feels before your period.

17. Missed periods:
If you have been sexually active and you missed a period, it is a good indication that are you are pregnant. A pregnancy test should be taken to confirm if the missed period is really caused by your pregnancy.

18. Positive pregnancy tests:
Pregnancy tests like urine and blood tests are a good way to find out if you are pregnant. However, these tests are not 100% accurate all of the time, therefore you might want to visit a doctor to conduct further tests.

It is possible that you may have some of the symptoms above and not be pregnant. Only a positive pregnancy test and a doctor’s examination (or childbirth) can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are pregnant.

About the author:
Visit Natalie’s Pregnancy101.net to find out what are the top eBooks on pregnancy to help you get pregnant, stay slim during pregnancy, lose weight after pregnancy and have an easier birth.

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The thyroid gland is located at middle part of the front of the neck. Hypothyroidism is underactive thyroid gland which means that the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones. These hormones play an important role in body metabolism.

There are a number of ways that hypothyroidism can manifest during pregnancy. This includes; having Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, thyroid nodules or goiter, elevated TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone) etc. If you have had radioactive iodine (RAI) or any kind of surgery of the thyroid or are now receiving any kind of thyroid hormone replacement then you probably have hypothyroidism.

If you suffer from hypothyroidism then you are lucky to become pregnant in the first place as is prevents egg production. Once pregnant, hypothyroidism can affect your pregnancy in many ways. You have a higher risk of miscarriage. You are also more likely to develop high blood pressure and premature delivery if the hypothyroidism if left untreated through the pregnancy.

There are certain “red flag” symptoms that you should be on the lookout for such as: dullness, droopy eyelids, abnormal weight gain, constipation, muscle cramps, thickening of skin, swelling around neck etc. These changes are usually spotted during pregnancy during the normal course of prenatal care.

Babies born to mothers who had untreated or partially treated hypothyroidism prenatally, may never reach their full intellectual potential. The study was published in 1999, New England Journal of Medicine stating, “Women with untreated thyroid deficiency during pregnancy are four times more likely to have children with lower I.Q. scores”.

If you are pregnant and diagnosed with hypothyroidism, it does not need to take the joy out of your pregnancy. Once hypothyroidism is diagnosed, the thyroid hormone replacement therapy is started by doctor. The dosage is an important factor during pregnancy and is decided by your specialist. The treatment is safe and also essential to mother and fetus. One should not stop the medications by any means as this may have irreversible consequences.

For the baby, it is quite rare that your baby will “inherit” your hypothyroidism. Congenital hypothyroidism appears in one of 4 to 5 thousand infants. But be sure to have your thyroid treatment started as early as possible (like in first trimester) because untreated thyroid will not only affect the mother but will also impair the child’s physical and mental development.

After pregnancy, your doctor will probably advise you to continue the pills. As far as breastfeeding is concerned, trace amount of thyroid hormone medication are excreted in breast milk but if your thyroid is not functioning properly then you might not be able to breastfeed at all.In fact, you must be having proper thyroid functioning and normal level of thyroid hormone to ensure enough breast milk to baby.

If you are pregnant and diagnosed with hypothyroidism them make sure to receive a nutritionally balanced diet with adequate iodine salt, iron, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Ryan is a publisher of Hypothyroidism causes, symptoms and treatment information

The Thyroid Diet

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