Tips to manage your weight gain during pregnancy

Weight gain during pregnancy is one of the major concerns of women all over the world. The fear of not being able to shed the pounds gained during pregnancy prevails as soon as women get pregnant. But right there we need to incorporate some important measures that would lead towards a healthy weight gain. There is absolutely an average and appropriate amount of weight that women should gain during pregnancy. Gaining too much results not only in a complicated delivery but can also be problematic onward.

The healthy weight gain during pregnancy is 12.5 kg more than what you weighed before pregnancy. This may be different for different women. You can calculate your weight gain through pregnancy weight gain calculator. This helps you keep a check on the average weight that you should gain during pregnancy.

WEIGHT GAIN DURING PREGNANCY:

Gaining weight during pregnancy is a natural phenomenon. A number of expansions and additions inside body make up for a greater body mass. Women all around the globe fear this natural phenomenon that makes them bloated during pregnancy and afterwards. Pregnancy weight gain is due to a number of reasons during different stages.   Here is a detailed overview of how much weight a woman should gain during her three trimesters of pregnancy:

FIRST TRIMESTER:

Alright! So it is just the beginning and the crucial time when you are dealing with all those initial pregnancy tantrums. Eating to your full maybe the last thing on your list these days. Morning sickness, heart burns and nausea may leave you hungry or push you towards a complete range of unhealthy processed junks or fats. There are chances that you may lose weight due to reduced eating or meal skipping. There are also chances of you gaining weight with all these unhealthy snacks. 

 If you manage to maintain a balanced diet, you may gain up to 1-4.5 pounds of weight which trust you me is sufficient initially! You don’t need to panic and start eating obsessively as this is just the beginning and you DON’T ACTUALLY need to stuff enough for two.

However, keep a check on yourself and make sure that you consult your doctor in case you are under weight or overweight.

SECOND TRIMESTER:

By the second trimester you may begin to feel at ease with all that morning sickness and nausea. These horrifying situations may begin to ease by now. You may feel that you have got a good start on those pregnancy cravings. This could be the hardest time for you as you have to be really careful while making choices to kill your cravings. Go for smart healthy alternates that can prove beneficial for your baby as well.

Your average weight gain for second trimester should be 1-2 pounds per week. This should not be all food or don’t think that it’s all that your baby weighs. During pregnancy your weight gain is divided into a number of things such as Placenta, amniotic fluid, uterus, increased blood volume, extra fluid, bigger breasts and fat stores.

THIRD TRIMESTER:
During the third trimester of your pregnancy your average weight gain every week should be 1-2 pounds. By this trimester, you may have already gotten over your weight phobia as bloating is something you cannot resist now. You might be having a clear baby bump by now, swelling may have taken you up and things like “weight gain” may not bother you much.

This is the time when you would fall for food regardless of the calorie count. If you get a good control on your eatery during this week than week gain may not be a monster as huge as it could possibly have been. Make sure you intake around 2200-2600 calories.

Weight gain during pregnancy is as normal as breathing. However, it is not an excuse to get yourself stuffed without keeping a check on your diet.

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5 SIGNS THAT SHOW YOU’RE PREGNANT!

Getting to know that you are pregnant in the fourth week of your pregnancy maybe really annoying, but that is how the pregnancy calculator works! Are you looking for the first few signs of pregnancy that can tell you as soon as you expect? Well! That is practically difficult! Biologically you become pregnant on the very first day of your last menstrual cycle. Your pregnancy due date is 40 weeks from the first day of your last period! 

It will probably be the fourth week of your pregnancy when you can receive a confirmation. This is mainly due to the reason that you will miss your period which clearly indicates that there is this good news or probably the most awaited news that you are expecting! Despite this there may be few signs of pregnancy that may indicate the chances of you being pregnant.

There may be a variation in these signs as well as the duration in which they appear may vary from woman to woman. Some woman have their early pregnancy signs as late as during the 6^th or 8^th week of pregnancy. So the early symptoms are something not all women would experience!

1. NAUSEA: 
   
   
   The nightmare of every women getting pregnant! The feeling of throwing up due to a stimulus from anything (food, smell, object, scene or it can be anything alien) that was least capable of causing nausea. The special thing about nausea is that it may or may not cause a vomiting but would leave you helpless boundless of the time. It can take away your peaceful sleep or the feeling of enjoying your favorite food!
   
   
   Some women may become a very serious victim of nausea during the first trimester others may not even experience it at all. Though this feeling of nausea gradually disappears during the second trimester. 
   
   
   Feeling nauseous? Go get a pregnancy test done. Maybe the most awaited news is here!
2. FREQUENT URINATION:
   
   
   This is something I still dread the most. It is funny but it is really painful to get out of your bed in for multiple times especially when you are having a really peaceful sleep. Getting out of bed to pee again and again? CONGRATULATIONS! Here is a check on your “might be expecting” checklist. 
   On my curiosity our doctor told us that this frequent urination is due to the changing hormones in your body. These hormone change in response to the ovulation that is taking place inside you and will later show up through a positive strip test or a beta HCG test.

3. LOSS OF APPETITE:
   
   
    Do not panic if your favorite grilled cheese burger is no more your favorite and all you feel is nausea after seeing one! Yes! Welcome to the clan ladies. This is one of the first few signs of pregnancy. You may feel totally repulsive to some of your favorite foods. You may experience a complete loss of your appetite during the initial days of your pregnancy! This condition may not last longer more than a first few weeks according to your pregnancy calculator. 
   You may recover your appetite in a few weeks but there would still be a list of things that would compel you to throw up as soon as you catch a sight or smell of them. Beware of such stimulus.
   For me it was the dairy line that I was repulsive to! 

4. MORNING SICKNESS: 
   
   
   Ladies forget about waking up to flowers and surprises from your partner. There is this gift of MORNING SICKNESS that your little one has for you. The feeling of waking up with a heavy heart. Or waking up on the urge of throwing up is what you call morning sickness. 
   
   
   A lot of women may have this feeling throughout their pregnancy. Whereas few may experience it as the first few signs of pregnancy that vanish later on. However a handful of lucky ones may not experience it at all! 
   I came under the second category, it was probably the second trimester, according to my pregnancy calculator, that I got rid of it.

5. INCREASED BASAL BODY TEMPERATURE:
   
   
   An easy way to figure out if you are pregnant or not is to monitor your basal body temperature for two weeks. If it increases or stays higher than normal than more likely you’re pregnant!
   
   
   All these symptoms MAY indicate that you MIGHT be pregnant but wait until you can find it out through a proper pregnancy test or bets HCG!

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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome symptoms and causes

Every 10^th mother in society bears the loss of her child due to sudden infant death syndrome. Here are some important facts that you need to know about this disease.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome refers to the sudden, unexpected death of an infant younger than 1 year of age. It indeed is tragic event for parents and loved ones especially when the death is totally unexpected.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has no specific reasons. It may happen as a result of some factors that lead to the death of the new born. Sudden Infant death is also known as “Silent Death” as the baby doesn’t cry or makes a voice. In fact the baby appears in good health and may not show even a slightest sign of being unwell. The death is totally sudden and may leave a deep mark on the family and loved ones but one thing should be clear that nobody is responsible for this sudden death of the infant.

There are some development factors that may lead to sudden infant syndrome such as:

Improper Brain Development of a child. This may adversely affect some portions of the brain leading to a failed functionality. Such as a baby’s ability to wake up from sleep may fail and cause expiration. The part of brain, that controls breathing, may not function properly leading to infant’s expiration.

Respiratory Infection may be a major cause of infant death. A lot of SIDS victims have been reported to have a major cold or flu that resulted in irregular breathing during sleep. A blockage of respiratory tract by mucous may have caused suffocation leading to death.

Premature Delivery may lead to incomplete development of brain that causes immature development of brain. As a result the baby fails to have a control on processes such as heart rate and breathing.  It may become difficult for him to cope up sleep arousal and maintaining a regular heart beat while asleep.

Some other factors may also become the cause of SIDS such as the way your baby sleeps.

Sleeping Conditions play a major role in factors leading to SIDS. Your baby may have a problem in breathing if he is sleeping on stomach or on sides. Baby sleeping on soft surfaces may experience a problem too.  A soft crib with a lot of obstacles around may cause suffocation to your baby.

If your baby is wearing clothes that are too warm to cause suffocation it may lead to the expiration or SID.

The Sex of the baby may play a major role in the factors supporting SIDS. Males are slightly more likely to die from SIDS.

Family History may affect the rate of SIDS.  If there had been SIDS previously in the family, the newborn is at a higher risk of SIDS too.

Passive Smoke in the house may also lead to the factors that aid SIDS. Babies who live with members who smoke are at a higher risk of SIDS.

Apart from these factors there may also be some factors from the mother’s side that may lead to the risk for baby getting into SIDS such as:

·         If the mother is younger than 20 years of age she might not be able to provide all the necessities that the baby in her womb needs to grow fully.

·         If the mother had been smoking during her pregnancy or had been taking drugs or alcohol, there are greater chances of the baby being prone to SIDS.

Prevention:

SIDS cannot be completely prevented but the risk of their occurrence can be minimized. Make sure you take care of a few things during pregnancy and after Birth of your baby:

During Pregnancy:

·   Make sure you take proper diet to prevent any deficiencies leading to improper functionality of baby’s brain.

·         Develop healthy habits and quit smoking, alcohol and drugs.

·         Avoid factors that lead to premature birth.

                        After Birth:

·    Take care of your baby’s sleeping positions. Prefer laying your baby on her back instead of sideways.

·       Keep your baby in a crib that has a hard surface. Avoid putting too many toys or stuff  in the crib.

·         Keep the baby light and make sure the environment is properly oxygenated.

·         Avoid smoking around your baby.

·         If you have a family history of SIDS, consult your pediatrician

Taking a few measures can reduce the risk of SIDS but they do not promise a cure. Remember that SIDS is unexpected and no one is responsible.

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