6 Things That Can Make Labour More Painful

 6 Things That Can Make Labour More Painful
Labour can be a real pain. And for women who choose to be brave and go for a natural delivery without the help of pain relief, labour pains can be unbearable. However, there are times when some simple things done in a wrong way Can Make Labour More Painful

So, lets cut to the chase – Here 6 Things That Can Make Labour More Painful

1. Lying on your back
When you lie on your back, the baby’s weight presses down on your spine, and cuts off your blood supply. It also puts you in a position that is against gravity, making it harder for you to push. Instead, choose upright or forward-leaning positions, and rest on your side when you get tired.

2. Fear
What has fear got to do with it? When we’re fearful, we tense up. When we’re tense, we don’t breathe deeply, our body is tight and and we feel more pain. So, how do you combat the fear? I believe the best things a woman can do for herself (and her partner) to help prevent fear is get informed and educated with good quality information and surround herself with great support.This includes: 

• Getting independent birth education
• Reading books that give you great information
• Considering a homebirth 
• Look into Calmbirth/Hypnobirth classes 
• Join pregnancy or birth groups that are supportive of your choices

3. Shallow breathing
This automatically follows fear. Usually, when you are afraid, you breathe from your chest and not your belly. Consciously try belly breathing by taking a deep breath and holding for a second before breathing out. More the oxygen you take in, more relaxed your body is and more you are capable of fighting pain. Also, oxygen will help produce more oxytocin that will help move the labour along.

4. Being dehydrated
If you’re dehydrated, your uterus cannot contract as efficiently as it normally would. Dehydration affects every single cell in your body, so you will also feel tired sooner and will not be able to focus or concentrate. Try to sip on water throughout your labour, to keep your system working at optimal levels. It’s a good idea to keep bendy straws with you, so that your partner can hold the glass and you can drink the water easily

5. Not knowing any natural pain relieving techniques
Labour is painful, with or without pain relieving techniques. You should make it a point to learn some natural techniques that relieve pain, like breathing exercises, or visualisations. They will help relax you and give you something to focus on apart from the pain. You can also opt for a water birth, to make the birth more soothing and less painful.

6. Giving birth in a stressful environment
During your pregnancy, screen the nearest hospitals, before you decide where you want to have your baby. Talk to other people who have given birth at those hospitals and ask them about their experience. If the environment around you is stressing you out, you will tense up, and that will make your labour more painful. Ask them questions like the number of people in the birthing room, whether there were unwanted people around, whether it was chaotic and noisy or calm and peaceful, etc.

Kind of Foods That Can Help You to Get Pregnant Quickly

When you are trying to get pregnant, you want to try everything which is safe for the health and is effective too! Often pregnant women are advised to be cautious with their diet and avoid foods which are unhealthy or dangerous for the baby. Did you know there are few fertility foods which can help you get pregnant fast?

Here are kind of foods that can help you to get pregnant quickly :

1.   Low-Fat or Full-Fat Dairy
Dairy products are essentials for preparing your body for pregnancy because you’re getting calcium and protein. To increase your chances of getting pregnant, you might want to swap one skim milk serving for a full-fat one, because women consuming a serving of full-fat milk each day decreased their chances of a certain kind of infertility

you shouldn’t make all of your dairy sources full-fat, but it’s a good idea to swap a few fat-free servings for low-fat or full-fat dairy once in a while. “Try to get a little fat from dairy to get more of those essential nutrients that will help prepare your body for a baby

2.   Olive Oil
Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat that helps increase insulin sensitivity and decrease inflammation throughout the body (inflammation interferes with ovulation, conception, and early development of the embryo). Use it on salads with some balsamic vinegar, or use it for cooking, in place of butter.

3.   Food rich in folic acid helps get pregnant fast.
Folic acid increases the production of eggs in the reproductive system therefore making it easy to conceive. Soy products, split beans, egg yolk, potatoes, wheat flour, cabbage, asparagus, beetroot, bananas, broccoli and Brussels sprout are rich in folic acid.

4.   Fruits and VeggiesIf you’re already slacking on getting enough fruits and veggies in your diet now, adding them to as many meals and snacks as you can is a good practice to help prepare your body for a baby. It’s a good habit to get into because once you become pregnant you’re going to want to be eating more of those every day, says Palinski-Wade. Fruits and veggies provide a host of essential nutrients and antioxidants and help decrease inflammation in the body.

5.   Wild Salmon
This cold-water fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may help to regulate reproductive hormones and increase blood flow to the reproductive organs. Salmon is also lower in mercury than other fatty fish. Look for salmon burgers in the frozen foods section of most grocery stores. Note: Stay away from shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish, which the United States Environmental Protection Agency warns against if you're trying to get pregnant.

Lean animal protein. Let’s talk (lean) turkey…and lean chicken and lean beef. All these protein sources are chock-full of iron — an important nutrient that helps beef up fertility. In fact, studies show that women who pump up their iron intake during the preconception period have a higher fertility rate than women who are iron-deficient. A couple caveats: Steer clear of high-fat cuts of meat (bring home the pork tenderloin, but not the bacon), and don’t overdo any kind of animal protein (stick to no more than 3 servings).

6.   Nuts such as almonds, walnuts and apricots

7.   Whole Wheat Bread
Complex carbs take longer than refined ones to digest, helping to keep blood sugar (and insulin levels) stable. What does that have to do with getting pregnant? Increased insulin levels can disrupt reproductive hormones. A Dutch study that looked at 165 couples trying to get pregnant found that when women had high levels of blood sugar, they were only half as likely to have gotten pregnant during the six-month study. When you're trying to conceive, always choose dark bread over light, brown rice over white, and whole wheat pasta over white.

Better Sex Position To Get Pregnant

Some sex positions are better than others for getting pregnant.

If you are trying to get pregnant, the first thing you need to know is which days are the most fertile days to conceive. After you determine that, you need to know the sex positions which can help you penetrate deeper and hence help conceive.

here are Some Better Sex Position To Get Pregnant :
1.   Missionary Position

The woman lies on her back, with the man is on top. The fact that her pelvis is not tilted to face downwards helps the sperm move closer to the cervix helping in conception and the man has a great leeway to achieve better penetration. While there is no real evidence, some people say placing a pillow below your hips helps the sperms to travel faster

2.   Spooning 

Another common position with great benefits. With the man behind the woman as they lie down, this pose ensures that the sperms reach the cervix as the woman’s pelvis is tilted at the right position. You can try variants of this pose where the woman’s legs are spread open and rest on the outer surface of the man’s thighs.  This not only adds to the spice of this position it helps you hold her really close.

3.   Woman on Top

Sure, you’re working against gravity here, but some experts say that may not matter, with the whole fast-swimming thing. Plus, for some women, this is the most pleasurable position, and that may actually be what’s most important. “We tell our patients the best positions for conception are the ones that are most comfortable for the woman,” say The Mommy Docs Allison Hill, MD; Yvonne Bohn, MD; and Alane Park, MD — ob-gyns who practice in Los Angeles.

4.   doggy style 

A great position – and most men will agree they love it – the doggy style is great for baby making. Doggy style helps increase the amount of penetration and opens up the cervix just a little bit more than other positions

Early Signs of Pregnancy : Every Couple Should Know

Pregnancy is one of the long-awaited moment by the couple, was so much wanted to have children, a wife who nausea and vomiting in the morning already say that it became the signs of pregnancy.

Even though it's indeed one of the sign, but the conditions are not that simple. There are still many other pregnancy symptoms can be observed.

1.   Swollen and tender breasts 
Soreness or tingling in breasts is one of pregnancy’s most common symptoms. Early in pregnancy breasts will fill out and change shape as they prepare to produce milk.

2.   Mood swings
It's common to have mood swings during pregnancy, partly because of hormonal changes that affect your levels of neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain). Everyone responds differently to these changes. Some moms-to-be experience heightened emotions, both good and bad; others feel more depressed or anxious.

3.   Urinary frequency or constipation 
When you’re pregnant, your uterus presses directly on the bladder leading to more frequent urination. The added pressure and intestinal changes may also cause constipation. Of course, the more a baby grows, the more the uterus presses against the bladder and other organs.

4.   Fatigue
Feeling tired all of a sudden? No, make that exhausted. No one knows for sure what causes early pregnancy fatigue, but it's possible that rapidly increasing levels of the hormone progesterone are contributing to your sleepiness. Of course, morning sickness and having to urinate frequently during the night can add to your sluggishness, too.

5.   Smell Sensitivity 
No, the smells on the bus are not in your head: Many women have a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. This symptom is one of the most common early signs that you could be pregnant. “Some researchers have speculated that it might be to protect women from eating ‘spoiled’ or tainted foods, thus protecting the baby from any harmful toxins,” says Pitman.

6.   Nausea
For some women, morning sickness doesn't hit until about a month after conception, though for others it may start a week or two earlier. And not just in the morning, either: Pregnancy-related nausea (with or without vomiting) can be a problem morning, noon, or night.

About half of pregnant women with nausea feel complete relief by the beginning of the second trimester. For most others it takes another month or so for the queasiness to ease up. A lucky few escape it altogether.

7.   Unusual hunger or cravings 
Pregnant bodies are working hard to grow that baby, and need about 300 extra calories a day. Some women find themselves craving food they would never normally dream of eating, while others simply feel hungry all day long.

Symptoms Of Gestational Diabetes When Pregnant

 Symptoms Of Gestational Diabetes When Pregnant

Gestational diabetes usually does not cause symptoms, it is necessary to test to make sure. Sometimes a person is not aware if it has suffered diabetes before.

Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes When Pregnant may include:

•    Blurred vision
•    Fatigue
•    Frequent infections, including those of the bladder, vagina, and skin
•    Increased thirst
•    Increased urination
•    Nausea and vomiting
•    Weight loss despite increased appetite

Pregnancy causes many women to urinate more often and feel more hungry. So having these symptoms does not always mean that a woman has diabetes. Talk to your doctor if you have these symptoms, so you can be tested for diabetes at any time during pregnancy.

How To Treat Gestational Diabetes In Pregnancy

Because gestational diabetes can hurt you and your baby, you need to start treatment quickly.

Treatment for gestational diabetes aims to keep blood glucose levels equal to those of pregnant women who don't have gestational diabetes. Treatment for gestational diabetes always includes special meal plans and scheduled physical activity. It may also include daily blood glucose testing and insulin injections.

The goals of treatment are to keep blood sugar (glucose) levels within normal limits during the pregnancy, and to make sure that the growing baby is healthy.

WATCHING YOUR BABY

Your health care provider should closely check both you and your baby throughout the pregnancy. Fetal monitoring will check the size and health of the fetus.

A nonstress test is a very simple, painless test for you and your baby.

• A machine that hears and displays your baby's heartbeat (electronic fetal monitor) is placed on your abdomen.
• Your health care provider can compare the pattern of your baby's heartbeat to movements and find out whether the baby is doing well.

DIET AND EXERCISE

The best way to improve your diet is by eating a variety of healthy foods. You should learn how to read food labels, and check them when making food decisions. Talk to your doctor or dietitian if you are a vegetarian or on some other special diet.

In general, when you have gestational diabetes your diet should:

• Be moderate in fat and protein
• Provide your carbohydrates through foods that include fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates (such as bread, cereal, pasta, and rice)
• Be low in foods that contain a lot of sugar, such as soft drinks, fruit juices, and pastries

If managing your diet does not control blood sugar (glucose) levels, you may be prescribed diabetes medicine by mouth or insulin therapy.
Most women who develop gestational diabetes will not need diabetes medicines or insulin, but some will.

How Gestational Diabetes Can Affect Me and My Baby

Gestational diabetes affects the mother in late pregnancy, after the baby's body has been formed, but while the baby is busy growing. Because of this, gestational diabetes does not cause the kinds of birth defects sometimes seen in babies whose mothers had diabetes before pregnancy.

All pregnant women should receive an oral glucose tolerance test between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy to screen for the condition. Women who have risk factors for gestational diabetes may have this test earlier in the pregnancy.

Once you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you can see how well you are doing by testing your glucose level at home. The most common way involves pricking your finger and putting a drop of your blood on a machine that will give you a glucose reading.

Untreated or poorly controlled gestational diabetes can hurt your baby. When you have gestational diabetes, your pancreas works overtime to produce insulin, but the insulin does not lower your blood glucose levels. Although insulin does not cross the placenta, glucose and other nutrients do. So extra blood glucose goes through the placenta, giving the baby high blood glucose levels. This causes the baby's pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat.

This can lead to macrosomia, or a "fat" baby. Babies with macrosomia face health problems of their own, including damage to their shoulders during birth. Because of the extra insulin made by the baby's pancreas, newborns may have very low blood glucose levels at birth and are also at higher risk for breathing problems. Babies with excess insulin become children who are at risk for obesity and adults who are at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Call your health care provider soon if you are pregnant and you have symptoms of diabetes

What Is Gestational Diabetes And Who Is Most At Risk ?

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar (diabetes) that starts or is first diagnosed during pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia

Pregnancy hormones can block insulin from doing its job. When this happens, glucose levels may increase in a pregnant woman's blood.

You are at greater risk for gestational diabetes if you:
•    Are older than 25 when you are pregnant
•    Have a family history of diabetes
•    Gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds or had a birth defect
•    Have high blood pressure
•    Have too much amniotic fluid
•    Have had an unexplained miscarriage or stillbirth
•    Were overweight before your pregnancy

Sex Position During Pregnancy

When did sex become unsafe done during pregnancy?
The gynecologist will advise not to have sex during pregnancy in case of some of the things below:

• At risk of preterm delivery before 37 weeks' gestation

• Your experience vaginal bleeding. It usually occurs in a twin pregnancy

• Your placenta previa. The condition when the placenta covers the cervix opening

• Certain infections

• Certain medical conditions that put you at risk of miscarriage

Sex Positions during pregnancy
Right position will make pregnant women feel comfortable and not interfere with pregnancy. Here are some positions that you and your husband can be selected :

• Woman on top position (woman on top). This position allows you to control the penetration.

• Husband sitting and you sit on his lap. This position helps you set the rhythm during intercourse and reduce the pressure on the wall of the uterus.

• Spoon position (lying on the side of your husband to one side, you are back to the husband). This position is safe because it does not put pressure on the stomach.

• Doggy style position (propped on elbows and knees). Penetration from behind, so do not put pressure on the stomach.
   

Sex During Pregnancy Okay To Do Or Not

In addition to physical changes, pregnant women also increased high sex drive and a powerful orgasm during several stages of pregnancy. For some women, Sex During Pregnancy is Okay To Do.

When increased sex drive in pregnancy, you may need to make some adjustments to your comfort sex, such as:

• Open communicate
  Communication takes important role in achieving sexual satisfaction. Especially during pregnancy. You and your partner may have different ideas about how often to have sex and what is the preferred style of each. If sex during pregnancy becomes very difficult to do, especially in late pregnancy, may give massages and loving hug could be instead. Therefore, communicate openly obstacles you feel with your partner, and find solutions together.

• Try new sex position                                                                                                              Experiment with new styles. Perez say, as the belly, try skewed sex position or position the woman on top in order to control the depth of the penis. It could also ask a your couple sat back and you sit on his lap. Pregnant women should not perform sex position lying on your back, especially during late pregnancy. Because the weight of the baby and the couple can put pressure on the inferior vena cava, a large vein that carries blood back to the heart. This can lead to dizziness and increase heart rate.

• Safety First
  If you have a history of infectious disease or even the possibility of exposure to HIV, you should use a condom during sex. HIV can be transmitted to the baby. Oral sex is also allowed. Blowing air into the vagina during oral sex is not recommended, cause water embolism (a state in which blood vessel is blocked by air bubbles) which can be life-threatening. Doctors also do not recommend anal sex during pregnancy because it can lead to exposure to the bacteria from the anus to the vagina triggers infection. In fact, this habit also trigger hemorrhoids during pregnancy.

Kinds of Foods That Should Be Avoided By Pregnant Women

When you're pregnant you're should not be carelessly indeed consume food for health of the mother and baby. There are foods that may be consumed for pregnant women and some are not

many questions among the pregnant women about what foods are allowed and which should be avoided (which is the risk) and also why the food should and should not. For a mother there are several types of food taboos for pregnant women, because it can cause infections such as: Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella, Toxoplasma, which can harm the fetus in the womb of pregnant women. which can be bad for babies

       Here are some foods that should not be eaten by pregnant women:

• in early pregnancy prohibited to eat foods made from raw meat or undercooked. This is because raw meat contains toxoplasmosis and E. coli bacteria that can cause serious infection in the fetus of pregnant women. Avoid eating a salad that has not been or is not washed with clean. Bacteria Toxoplasma also abundant in cat feces. So, pregnant women should avoid to play with the cat.
• At the present time a lot of the seas and oceans that have been contaminated by metals mercury. It is therefore highly recommended for pregnant women to avoid eating large fish such as tuna, sharks and sea bass.
• You should avoid to consume coffee because coffee contains caffeine. caffeine substance may cause increase in fetal heart rate, low birth weight, reduces the ability to absorb iron and causing miscarriage.
• A pregnant woman is prohibited to consume chicken meat raw and undercooked eggs. This is because raw chicken meat and boiled eggs contained salmonella bacteria that can causing heavy diarrheal in pregnant women. It is also necessary to attention the plate and utensils that have been contaminated by raw chicken meat or soft-boiled eggs, so it can be washed with soap to sterile.
• Alcohol should be avoided by pregnant women because it can cause birth defects. Paul D.Connor from the University of Washington, USA, in 2005 researching pregnant women who drink alcohol since the first trimester prove children born from mothers who drink alcohol, the level of intelligence of 2-7 points lower than peers.
• some cheese products is forbidden for pregnant women because it contains Listeria bacteria,like a brie and camembert, blueveined cheese, cheese from goat's milk (and sheep), and milk that is not pasteurized. Listeria is a type of bacteria that can cross the placenta and infect the fetus. Listeria bacteria can causing blood poisoning, premature birth and fetal miscarriage