Tag Archive | "third trimester"

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Gaining Weight During the First Trimester — Is it possible?

Posted on 22 September 2008 by admin

Moving through pregnancy often raises some tricky questions. In fact, sometimes there just seem to be too many. There are often some common questions like - do you gain weight the first trimester of pregnancy and similar questions. What can I say - read on and we’ll try and help you with this one.

Recapping; Do you gain weight the first trimester of pregnancy? Is a common question among expecting mothers so we thought we could offer some insight on this.

When you are pregnant, you have to be careful with a lot of details if you want to have a healthy baby (and of course you want this!). One of this is the weight you have to gain during pregnancy. If you are an expecting mother, you probably know that an adult normal-weight woman must gain something between 25 and 35 pounds, by the ninth month. You must also know that you have to gain weight mainly in the second and in the third trimester, but many of you ask yourselves: do you gain weight the first trimester of pregnancy?

The first trimester is the beginning of this important journey that is pregnancy. Even if it won’t get obvious that you are carrying a baby from the outside, you will feel different and you will notice many changes in your body. These include breast changes, you will urinate more often, you may be much more tired than usual, and you may have nausea, heartburn, headaches. Besides these, some women reclaim feelings of depression, anxiety, fear and mood swings. You might also feel the weight gain (that will most probably occur from the first trimester) as one of the important changes in your body, especially if you’ve had constantly swinging weight gain over the past few years.

It is recommended to gain about 3 to 5 pounds in the first trimester of pregnancy. Sometimes it’s difficult to gain weight during pregnancy, even if you want to. You might even lose weight in the first trimester, because of the morning sickness, lack of appetite and tiredness. How risky might this be for your baby? On the other hand, it is possible to gain much more than the normal amount of weight in the first trimester. This is also not healthy for either of you. Let’s discuss these two situations separately.

Do you gain weight the first trimester of pregnancy if you eat barely anything? Perhaps not, but you don’t have to worry about this. During the nausea-prone first trimester, few women manage to eat “by the book”. That’s why it is important to enter pregnancy with enough nutritional reserves to provide for you and your baby.

If you didn’t manage to gain at least 2 pounds after the first trimester of pregnancy, or even lose some weight you don’t need to panic, this is not a reason for the baby not to develop normally, but you should consult a specialist in nutrition. If you didn’t have healthy-eating habits before, pregnancy is the time to develop these good habits. Even if you don’t have an appetite and you feel a little sick, make sure that what you eat , at least, is high-calorie but healthy food. You don’t have to exaggerate with eating junk food and having endless desserts, even if you didn’t manage to gain the proper weight in the first trimester. This may be harmful for the baby.

On the other hand, excessive weight gain can lead to health problems for the mother, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and varicose veins, and will increase the difficulty of delivery. Besides these, it might become difficult for you to manage your weight properly after delivery. You probably know that much of the extra weight goes to your baby (7-8 pounds), the extra blood and fluid volume (8 pounds), amniotic fluid (2 pounds), uterus, placenta, breast enlargement, and extra fat stores (7 pounds) in case of illness or “hard times.”

But in the first trimester of pregnancy the baby and her “housing” are still yet very small, and your pregnancy weight gain needs are covered with 5-6 pounds. The extra pounds you gain above these 5-6 are yours only. Don’t even consider compensating them with gaining less in the second or in the third trimester. Anyway, it gets physically improbable; even if you starve yourself you could gain weight.

The question “do you gain weight the first trimester of pregnancy?” is usually posed by mothers who are concerned about their baby’s health and proper development.

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The Pregnancy Guide… for men!

Posted on 16 September 2008 by admin

So – you’re an expecting couple, aye? There are many books and guides out there on pregnancy, but most of them are targeted at the woman. This article is a very basic guide to pregnancy, targeted at men, so you can support your wife / girlfriend through the process and be involved in the pregnancy.

The pregnancy is divided up into three periods of about three months each. They are called the first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester. Here is what you can expect in each trimester.

The first trimester is the first 14 weeks. During the first trimester, your baby will grow from a microscopic size to the size of a small melon. By then end of the first trimester, the baby will have defined facial features and you will be able to determine the sex of the baby with an ultrasound.

During the first trimester, the mother may begin experiencing morning sickness, and or unstable emotions. Be loving, supportive, and communicate as well as you can with your wife / girlfriend.

The second trimester is the 14th to 28th weeks of the pregnancy. During the second trimester, the mother will generally have much less morning sickness and nausea. The baby will be growing rapidly – weighing in at about two pounds by the 28th week.

The third trimester is from week 28 to birth. During the third trimester, the baby is nearly completely formed, and can live with specialized care, should it be born early. The mother will likely have various physical discomforts due to the growing baby, such as backaches, trouble sleeping, heartburn, etc. As throughout the rest of the pregnancy, communication, support, and love are very important.

As the baby’s due date nears, you’ll have many decisions to make with your wife / girlfriend, with help from your doctor. Of course, you’ll want to pick out name(s) too!

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Yoga in your third trimester

Posted on 13 September 2008 by admin

Chances are that if you are in your third trimester, you are also on maternity leave.
This is perfect, since now you will have time to get started with some prenatal yoga. By simply doing gentle stretches and poses, your body and your baby will reap benefits. Always be sure to let your doctor know beforehand that you are interested in starting a prenatal yoga program or if you have any health concerns. Also, if you are taking a yoga class, be sure to inform your instructor that you are pregnant so that he/she can adjust the poses accordingly.

Yoga is all about forming a mind-body connection, so be sure to listen to your body. If something feels uncomfortable or hurts, stop doing it! Also try to focus on your breathing while practicing your yoga, as this will come in handy during labor.

Some third trimester approved poses include Pigeon, Warrior II, Triangle and Knee to Ankle. These are good for loosening up your hips. By practicing all four of the Cat and Cow positions, you are also helping to position your baby properly for birth.

Keep in mind that certain poses that were okay during your second trimester must be done with more caution. You should avoid jumping, belling twists, deep back bends and any abdomen stretches. Also steer clear of any poses that require you to lie on your belly.

While the physical aspects of yoga are great for your pregnant body, it is also beneficial to learn to control your breathing. This will help with your breathing exercises when you go into labor. Try slow, long inhales through your nose and then slowly exhale through your mouth. This is a great way to increase the oxygen flow to your body, as well as reduce stress and anxiety. Another wonderful thing about doing prenatal yoga is that it will make loosing your baby weight easier.

It doesn’t matter if you are in the early stages of pregnancy or at the very end, yoga is a great tool for preparing your body and mind for the realm of motherhood.

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