Female Care

Do pickles and ice cream count as a vegetable? If you’re pregnant, you’re likely to justify just about anything in the name of eating for two. You know you need to make more nutritious choices but it’s hard. As if dealing with morning sickness, food cravings and aversions and a list of safe and unsafe foods weren’t enough, old standards calling for five fruits and vegetables a day have recently been increased to between seven and nine servings.

Getting these extra servings in doesn’t need to be difficult. Here are a few tips to get started.

Breakfast – Add fresh fruit slices or a fistful of raisins, dried cranberries or dried blueberries to oatmeal or cereal. Make a smoothie using yogurt, orange juice and fresh or frozen fruit along with pureed carrots or zucchini and a touch of wheat germ. Freeze any leftover smoothie for a refreshing smoothie pop later in the day by pouring it in a cup and sticking a spoon or stick in the middle. In the place of maple syrup, use applesauce on pancakes and waffles. Drink your vegetables by stocking up on vegetable or tomato juice. Continue reading »

Today, with advances in science and technology constantly creating smaller and cheaper electronic devices, acquiring a home use baby heartbeat monitor is cheaper and easier than you may think. For parents that want to listen to the developing fetus of their unborn child, use of a baby heartbeat monitor provides added peace of mind and valuable information that can actually prevent complications during pregnancy. A baby heartbeat monitor is a device which is used to hear any kind of irregularity in the development of the baby, so that it can be taken care of well in time. One can find many heartbeat monitors manufactured by various companies, but to get the desired results it is essential that one chooses the best baby heart beat monitor available. Continue reading »

Every parent-to-be eagerly awaits the birth of a baby. At that time it is very rare for a new parent to worry about a life threatening illness that may afflict their baby in the distant future. However many parents now do consider saving and storing cord blood as a precaution. The decision a bout this safeguard against any future medical emergency has to be taken in advance as certain preparations are necessary.

Cord blood is rich source of stem cells which are the precursors to the various blood cells and other cells of the body. These stem cells can be transplanted just like bone marrow is transplanted. The procedure can give a new lease of life to a person suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, thalassemia or several immune system related genetic disorders. The stem cells harvested from the cord blood of a new born baby can be stored in a cord blood bank and used for the baby or members of his family if they ever suffer from any of these life threatening diseases. The stems cells can also be used to save the life of an unrelated person if the cells match. Continue reading »

Cord blood banking is a relatively new phenomenon in medicine. Umbilical cord blood, harvested from the newborn, is a rich source of stem cells. Stem cells provide the building blocks of the body’s immune system, and cord blood banking allows the family to bank these rich stem cells for use in the future. The baby itself, the baby’s parents, or the baby’s siblings may benefit long-term from cord blood banking, and finding a cord blood bank is a crucial part of preserving umbilical cord blood.

Why is cord blood banking so popular? In recent years, researchers have been able to save cord blood and retrieve it from a cord blood bank to be used to repair damaged immune systems, help chemotherapy patients to overcome cancer, and to help produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Continue reading »

Emotional changes

Pregnancy can be both unspeakably wonderful and incredibly challenging, and you have become used to handling these mixed emo tions. You may find the third trimester emotional changes different that the first and second in the following ways.

Euphoria

Some experience a natural high quite different anything you’ve ever felt, a combination of feeling special and proud, and wanting the whole world to recognize how important you are.

The need for alone time

You may feel the need for alone time, a time away from the hustle and bustle of family life. This is normal. Use this time to center and ground yourself in your pregnancy. Continue reading »

Vaginal bleeding is rather common during the initial 12 weeks (first trimester) of pregnancy. While vaginal bleeding during this period does not necessarily mean a miscarriage but any sort of bleeding should be reported to the doctor as maximum miscarriages occur in the first trimester of pregnancy. About 50 percent pregnant women experiencing vaginal bleeding in this phase will not have a miscarriage.

If anything resembling foetal tissue is passed, it should be ensured that a doctor is consulted immediately. Miscarriage maybe considered a natural process which deals with abnormalities even though a miscarriage is not avoidable. It has never been proved if exercise and sex can cause miscarriage. As a matter of fact regular exercise ensures that when a woman finally goes into labour, the woman is at ease if the exercise is carried out continuously during the pregnancy. It should always be checked with your doctor before one takes on any exercise program.

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How much weight gain is appropriate during pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). For a pre-pregnancy BMI of 18.5 to 25, the ideal weight gain should be somewhere between 25 and 35 pounds. An initial weight gain of 2 to 5 pounds is usually followed by a weekly gain of 1 pound in a normal pregnancy. If you have twins the gain usually falls between 35 and 45 pounds. Women who were overweight at the time of conception usually gain around 15 pounds and those who were underweight gain between 30 to 40 pounds. In case of obesity, your gain should not exceed fifteen pounds.

The most obvious impact of the weight gain can be seen in the form of pains and aches that you will have as your pregnancy progresses. A back ache is the most common complaint, followed by an awkward walk (thanks to your new found tummy). Another complain is of swollen legs, but that has nothing to with weight. It is a result of increased blood flow. Continue reading »

When deciding whether to stay home with your children or return to the workforce there are a lot of things to consider. Your income versus expenses, where you can cut costs and if you can do so realistically, and how well you can handle staying at home all day long are just some of the major things to keep in mind.

One important factor that many women overlook, however, is health insurance and the toll private health insurance premiums will take on their budget.

Since most stay at home mothers don’t have the resources to pay cash, if you don’t have adequate health insurance you won’t be able to visit the doctor, go to the emergency room, and you certainly can’t get sick if it requires buying prescription medication. In other words, medical care may not be an option.
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Trying to save for a new baby can be a challenge especially if all you can think about is buying new stuff. Pregnancy is a time for you to prepare even if we’re talking about financial aspects in here. There are steps you can take so you can save money during pregnancy.

1. If it’s your first time, you’re probably lost about everything that you and your baby need. Make a list of all the things you have to buy in advance by reading some blogs or joining in forums. Information is free over the internet and trust me, there is a load of valuable information out there. The most part in saving money while you’re pregnant boils down on how well you plan.
2. You don’t have to buy the most expensive crib or mittens for your baby unless your Jennifer Lopez. There are a plenty of affordable yet durable brands that will last you for years, you just have to figure out where you can find them. Go out there and start surveying stores. If you’re lucky, you will chance upon sales and huge discounts. You can also find great deals online like eBay and Amazon. Continue reading »

Early pregnancy bleeding is surprisingly common, and it is always worrying. Therefore, care must be taken, as it may be dangerous to the life of the woman. There are many causes which are included in the following:

1. Abnormalities of the cervix, such as erosion (ulceration), polyp (growth) and cancer of the cervix. In these conditions, there is a slight irregular bleeding with no pain. The woman should be referred to a doctor.
2. Abortion – in this, the woman has abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding which may be mild or severe. If this occurs in the first two months of pregnancy and the symptoms are mild, advice the woman to stay in bed until three days after all bleeding has stopped. If bleeding stops, this was probably a threatened abortion and the fetus may go on to term. Advice the woman not to go on journeys nor to do any heavy work, and to avoid sexual intercourse until about the 24th week of pregnancy. If bleeding and abdominal pain get worse, the fetus cannot be saved. This is an inevitable abortion; if possible the woman should be taken to the health centre or hospital. If this is not possible give Ergot two tablets, watch the condition and what is passed from the vagina. If a woman having an abortion develops fever, this is likely to be a septic abortion and is dangerous. She should be taken to the health centre or hospital without delay. Antibiotics or triple sulphia should be started. Continue reading »