Enjoy Healthy Pregnancy

What Is A Pregnancy Timeline?

Fabien Mannessier — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:19:59 +0000

A pregnancy timeline is a week by week or month by month development chart where you can base the progress of you child. It helps parents-to-be to keep track and know what is supposed to be happening during the time period. Excited parent to be can avail of a pregnancy timeline anywhere in the internet. The most useful ones are the week by week outline that show the fetuses’ development and explains what is happening at that period.

Why We Need A Pregnancy Timeline

All parents to be even if they have already experienced an earlier pregnancy needs a timeline. A pregnancy timeline helps you know what to expect and when to expect it. You can monitor the progress of the infant in your womb thru the pregnancy timeline. It will prepare you for any morning sickness or surprises that your infant may have for you like the kicking sensation you are supposed to feel faintly at around 5 months of pregnancy.

The pregnancy timeline also helps our own obstetrician keep track of your child and you. Your doctor can see if you are on the right track or if something is wrong because you are too early in your timeline or too late. This is why it is important to be able to answer the obstetrician’s questions regarding when you had your last period and if you have any notion when the baby was conceived.

What Is In The Pregnancy Timeline?

You can expect to see in week by week pregnancy outline the development of you baby in your womb. Usually, in the 1st to 4th week, the very small blastocyst attaches itself in your womb. This is the time when you start getting the morning sickness, the nausea, the dizziness and other annoying symptoms which some pregnant women seem to sail right through.

In week 5, you would have missed you period and you would have already realized you could be pregnant. In week 6 and 7, the fetus starts to form into a recognizable being with a head, eyes and spine. The arm and leg buds will also be clear at this time.

Weeks 8 – 41 will put the mother to be in many different situations where she has a hard time holding on to her urine or she can not sleep on her back any more. These are wondrous months and you should savor each and every one of them as you and the baby inside you grow with love.

The Three Wonderful Stages Of Pregnancy

Fabien Mannessier — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:58:47 +0000

The wonderful stages of pregnancy begin even before you know you are pregnant. There are three stages of pregnancy called trimesters, which last about thirteen weeks each. Each trimester has its own uniqueness, because you experience different symptoms and your baby also goes through different growing cycles in each one.

What To Expect

Here is a guide on what to expect during the different stages of pregnancy. The first trimester is joyous, but can also be mixed with different emotions because of some of the dreaded early symptoms of pregnancy, like morning sickness. The first trimester is an important time, since this is the period where your baby will begin developing vital organs. It is during this time that you should see a doctor right away to ensure you are doing everything you can to help the baby develop healthy. If the baby were to develop complications, it would likely happen during this trimester, but complications can also happen in other trimesters. You may have to change your sleeping, eating, and caffeine or alcohol habits since you body is changing and a baby is developing in your uterus.

The second trimester is next in line in the stages of pregnancy. This is usually a happier time and a well deserved reached milestone. During this time, you have begun to look pregnant, have gotten over your morning sickness, and can feel the baby move. The baby continues to grow during this time and develops his or her own sleeping habits, plus their bones begin to harden. You may experience symptoms, like backache or headaches, but this is normal. You should continue to get plenty of rest, fluids, and continue to eat healthy. If you haven’t started an exercise program, you can begin that now.

The last of the stages of pregnancy is the third trimester. During this time you may feel anxious and have mixed feeling about the baby coming. You will wonder if your ready to be a parent, what will the baby will look like, are you ready to have the baby, and in the end your main concern is just that you have a healthy baby. Your body will be physically ready to have the baby. You will more than likely experience fatigue, increased urination, and discomfort. You may also feel Braxton hick’s contractions as you come closer to the delivery date.

The three stages of pregnancy have their own milestones. You may experience all or none of the feelings or symptoms. All pregnancies are different and this is just a guide.

The Umbrella Stroller: A Great Item for Parents

Fabien Mannessier — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:19:58 +0000

Many expectant parents place an umbrella stroller on their list of “wants”. This item is certainly one that is useful for years and can be a great shower gift for the expectant family. There are many types of umbrella strollers and they come with a range of price for different models.

The Basic Umbrella Stroller

The concept behind the umbrella stroller, is having a very light weight stroller that is easy to fold and can be stored almost anywhere. The umbrella stroller is known for its handles that are generally shaped like the end of an umbrella.

Many companies produce the umbrella stroller for parents and these are fairly easy to locate either in stores that carry baby items, or even on-line. Some well known companies include Graco, Cosco, Kolcraft and Chicco. There are many other companies that make these much desired strollers, and reviews can be seen on-line. Talk to friends and family members too to discover which models worked best for them.

Bells and Whistles

These strollers differ as to what accessories are included with them. Some have the capability to change the seat position, while others rely on one position. Sometimes, newborns have a hard time in an umbrella stroller as they are unable to sit upright and be held in proper position. Consider that when looking at such strollers. Also look at the type of harness system that is used to secure the baby into the stroller. Make sure it will work for your baby, and is easy to use. Most use either a three point system or five points. Evaluate both to determine what works best.

Some of these types of strollers also feature things like a bar that can have a tray attached so the baby has a place for toys or snacks. Some even come with a cup holder for the baby. There are sometimes even toys that can be directly attached to the bar.

Check out the height of the handle on the umbrella stroller too. Some of them have extended lengths for taller parents, while others are very low. Think about your own comfort level when pushing an umbrella stroller and the height of the handle.

An umbrella stroller is made to be convenient, and because they are so light, they are easy to store in a trunk or even on a plane. This makes them a very practical tool for a parent. Some even come in twin sizes where the seats are side by side. An umbrella stroller can be the perfect gift for many expectant families.

Everything That You Need to Know About Organic Baby Clothes

Fabien Mannessier — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:43:07 +0000

We have all heard of organic food and plants before, but not many people are aware that there are organic baby clothes you can purchase as well. Today there are actually numerous different organic baby clothes companies around the world that you can buy from, a few in particular which are especially worthwhile and which will be discussed in further detail here.

Why Organic?

There are actually quite a few different reasons as to why you should buy organic baby clothes over any other, with one of the most major and obvious being that with organic clothes you are keeping your little one away from the harsh and harmful chemicals and dyes that are typically used in the clothing manufacturing process.

Especially when you consider just how sensitive a newborn’s skin is, it makes even more sense as to why you would want only the cleanest, safest materials going near their skin, and thus why organic should absolutely be your top choice.

Not only that, but organic clothes are typically a lot cheaper, and so besides being better for your baby’s health you will also save money by going organic.

Cheeky Monkey

This is by far one of the best organic baby clothes companies in the world, and they are one that is an entirely family owned and operated business, which has been in the business for nearly a decade now. They offer a variety of products from a number of different categories, including accessories, bath time, baby gear, baby slings, big kids, breastfeeding, clothing, cloth diapers, daddy, diaper bags, feedings, keepsakes, maternity, sleeping, and toys.

Sage Creek

Sage Creek is another well known and recognized organic baby clothes company. They are a family owned company that has been in business since 1999 and organic cotton baby clothes, organic cotton bedding and yoga clothing are their specialty and passion. They use no chemicals or pesticides in the manufacturing of any of their products, and even their dyes are eco-friendly with no finishing agents used.

There are many other companies similar to these that you can choose from, but one question that often remains in a lot of people’s minds is why you should switch from regular baby clothes to organic baby clothes.

Ethic Baby

Yet another clothing store you will want to make yourself familiar with here is Ethic Baby, a socially responsible business that fosters the health and happiness of the world’s babies, and who only use the safest and natural products in their manufacturing of clothing.

The Dreaded Pregnancy Symptoms

Fabien Mannessier — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:25:12 +0000

If you’re not expecting to get pregnant, it can be very frightening when you begin to feel those early pregnancy symptoms. However, even if you’re planning on getting pregnant, pregnancy symptoms often aren’t pleasant. The early signs of pregnancy include morning sickness, sensitive breasts, hot flashes, feeling tired, feeling ill, and some women get very bad abdominal cramps. The pregnancy symptoms are rarely the same for every woman and some women never experience any symptoms at all. However, it’s a good idea to study up on all the pregnancy symptoms you could go through just so that there are no surprises and also to ensure that all the symptoms that you may feel are actually normal.

Talk To Your Doctor

Your doctor should be able to tell you exactly what you could be feeling from one week to the next. If you happen to be suffering from pregnancy symptoms that you feel aren’t normal, don’t be afraid to give your doctor a call just to make sure. Sometimes, pregnancy symptoms can feel as though the world is going to end but you need to realize that this is just your body changing to accommodate the new birth so it helps to become knowledgeable about the various symptoms so that you can allow them to pass without worrying about them too much.

Online Calendars

Online pregnancy calendars have become very popular with moms to be. These calendars will help you track your progress from week to week and they’ll allow you to learn about and see the progress of your baby while it’s growing inside your womb. These calendars will also help you learn about the symptoms you may be facing as the weeks progress. When you learn that you may be getting stomach discomfort or you may be getting certain cravings or that your mood swings may become worse; it will make suffering through these symptoms much easier because you’ll know what to expect.

Pregnancy symptoms aren’t meant to make you suffer. They are just your body’s way of adjusting to the new baby, and they’re your hormones changing and shifting to put your body in pregnancy mode. As long as you learn about them and know what to expect, when you do feel the various pregnancy symptoms, you won’t feel as bad as you know they will pass soon enough. You should always let your doctor know what you’re going through when you do feel symptoms so that you can make sure they’re a normal part of pregnancy.

What’s The Value of A Pregnancy Calculator?

Fabien Mannessier — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:59:17 +0000

There are several ways to calculate pregnancy due date. One is to use an online pregnancy calculator. With an online pregnancy calculator, you enter the enter on the screen the first day of your last menstrual period, then click the button. The computer will do the work for you….

But you don’t have to use a pregnancy date calculator to determine when your baby is due. You can easily do it yourself, using the same information (first day of your last period) and looking on a calendar. If you add 40 weeks (or 280 days) to that date, you will get to the approximate date your baby will be born.

How accurate is this date? Only a small percentage (5%) of women deliver on the due date that a pregnancy calculator gives, so not all that accurate. Babies are born when they are “done”. The window for an “on time” delivery ranges from two weeks before the “due date” until two weeks after the “due date” – thus, any date within a whole 4 weeks fits within the definition of “on time.”

What Other Calculations Can Be Done On A Pregnancy Calculator?

Some pregnancy calculators will tell you the gestational age of your baby. This calculation can be made manually, without a pregnancy calculator, by simply counting forward from the first date of mother’s last period. Note: gestational age is not calculated from the date of conception, as one might think! Another way to get the gestational age is to have an ultrasound. This can be done as soon as 5-6 weeks after the last menstrual period. As a test of gestational age, the ultrasound is much more accurate during the first half of a pregnancy, between weeks 8 and 18. Ideally, the gestational age is calculated using the first date of the mother’s last menstrual period, and measuring on an ultrasound for accuracy.

Many women are interested in knowing the likely date of conception. The conception date can also be found, with or without a fancy pregnancy calculator. For a typical pregnancy, you can assume the conception occurred between 11 and 21 days after the first date of their last period. While that is still a big window, for many women that is the closest to an accurate date of conception they will be able to get.

What Makes Using A Pregnancy Calculator Less Accurate?

A pregnancy calculator is only as accurate as the information given it and the baby’s own growth. For some women, their irregular periods (or if they can’t remember the first day of their last menstrual period) make it almost impossible to know accurate dates. Also, if the baby is larger or smaller than expected for their age, they can confuse the issues of dates and ages. Sometimes, too, the uterus is not the expected size or it is higher than expected. In these instances, even the midwife or doctor can be unsure, and sometimes will request an ultrasound to confirm dates and get a more accurate gestational age.

All About The Healthy Pregnancy Weight Gain

Fabien Mannessier — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:34:55 +0000

When it comes to having a healthy pregnancy weight gain there are so many factors to consider. Doctors want to make sure that you and your baby are both healthy and safe so that no one ends up in any medical distress because of not having a healthy nutrition pregnancy. This is more important then most mothers to be realize and it is important that more information is put out about having only a healthy pregnancy weight gain. In order to make sure you are doing the absolute best for both you and your baby it is important to make sure that you are always following the orders of your doctor.

There are a lot of things that women who are pregnant have to be worried about and weight gain is something that can be somewhat of a touchy subject for these women. The body is going to gain weight no matter what and because of this, a lot of women have panic that sets in. But as long as you have a healthy pregnancy weight gain then you will be okay in terms of your overall health and the health of your unborn child. It is very important that you make sure that a healthy pregnancy weight gain is a top priority on your list so that everything runs as smooth as possible.

Tips For Staying Healthy

There are a lot of things that you can do to make sure that you have a healthy pregnancy weight gain such as watching what you eat and maintaining an active lifestyle. If you never did exercise before you became pregnant then you will not want to overdo because this could put too much pressure and strain on your body. Of course, this does not mean that you cannot exercise at all but you do have to be careful on how much you do. Talk with your doctor about your concerns for a healthy pregnancy weight gain and see what he or she can suggest you do as far as exercise is concerned.

You also want to try not to put too much focus on the scale because that is enough to drive anybody insane. Your doctor will be weighing you enough and will be more then happy to advise you if something seems out of place or if you are starting to fall away from a healthy pregnancy weight gain. If your doctor does end up expressing such a thing to you it is important that you do not take offense to it because he or she is simply trying to help and protect you and the baby. Follow their advice and do whatever you can to make sure that you have an overall healthy pregnancy weight gain.

Finding Sweet Baby Clothes for a Newborn

Fabien Mannessier — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:41:17 +0000

One of the most fun things to do for someone that is having a baby is to shop for baby clothes. Often, people are searching for sweet baby clothes that will not only look adorable but will be durable and long lasting too.

Brands of Sweet Baby Clothes

There are many stores and even the internet can be used when looking for sweet baby clothes. Often, there are so many choices in baby apparel that it can take a lot of time to decide which would be the best for the baby.

Gymboree

Sweet baby clothes can be found for both boys and girls. Gymboree has a line of clothing that often not only has sweet baby clothes but also clothes with rich colors and coordinating accessories. This line of clothing is a great choice for many parents, as the colors are eye catching and can be great for use during a photo shoot. This line of clothing is also known to be very durable and has a reputation for not fading when washed. Both things are important to parents with new babies.

Little Me

Another clothing line that has a good supply of sweet baby clothes is the brand Little Me. This brand can be found in many department stores and this type of sweet baby clothes is often perfect for the newborn. They feature sleepers, onsies, rompers and other types of clothing for the newborn. The colors range from bold and bright to soft and muted. Both choices are good for newborns and are very attractive.

Often sweet baby clothes can be located at second hand shop. As infants rarely wear out their clothing, newborn styles are often still in very good shape. Second hand stores carry many well known brands of baby clothes, which in many cases look almost new. Shopping second hand stores is a great way to get a good deal on sweet baby clothes, which look new and are a good value.

Second hand stores can be located through the internet or by checking out local advertisements to find a store in your area. Second hand stores are also great when looking to resell any sweet baby clothes that you are now done with and feel that the clothing is still in good shape and worth trying to sell. Many stores will sell items on consignment for people.

Sweet baby clothes are a gift that parents with a newborn will appreciate and look forward to receiving.

What Causes A False Positive Pregnancy Test?

Fabien Mannessier — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:18:42 +0000

When women suspect that they are pregnant, they usually get a home pregnancy test kit to determine if their suspicion is true or false. The process of home testing is usually to try and catch some of your urine, preferably the urine from when you just woke up, on the small plastic indicator. The indicator will then color up to show if you are pregnant or not.

A false positive pregnancy test means that your initial pregnancy test shows that you are pregnant. Doctor or obstetricians often do another pregnancy test when you consult them, just to be sure that the home pregnancy test was not a false positive pregnancy test. To avoid a false positive pregnancy test result, doctors advised women to conduct the test after they have missed their period. False positive pregnancy test results are rare but can happen.

Causes Of A False Positive Pregnancy Test

One reason for a false positive pregnancy test may be what is called a chemical pregnancy. This means you may have had an early miscarriage which manifests itself as your period when the time comes. Some pregnancy tests are so sensitive that they can catch the earlier chemical composition of a pregnancy. This is why doctors often advise women to test for a pregnancy if they have definitely missed their period. Testing before you have missed a period may lead you to believe that you are pregnant only to have your hopes dashed when you get your period a few days after.

Chemical interference may also cause a false positive pregnancy test result. Some women need shots of the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin to treat infertility. Make sure that the hormone is fully gone from your system before you take a test to avoid false positive pregnancy test results.

Evaporation lines in the indicator stick may also deceive you that you have a positive pregnancy test. This is not technically a false positive pregnancy test but it can lead you to believe that you are pregnant. Make sure to follow the instruction son the home pregnancy kit to fully utilize the kit and to have no doubts regarding the results.

Home pregnancy test kits are nor foolproof and that is why you need to check with a licensed obstetrician to confirm your pregnancy. It I always best to consult a doctor if you suspect that you are pregnant and not just rely on the home pregnancy kit.

Different Types Of Home Pregnancy Tests Available

Fabien Mannessier — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:50:31 +0000

If you are trying to conceive or think that you might be pregnant, chances are that you have already thought about buying and taking a home pregnancy test. Home pregnancy tests are relatively new devices that can tell you in the comfort of your own home whether or not you are pregnant. Years ago, a woman had to go to a doctor in order to learn whether or not she was pregnant. The term “the rabbit’s dead” as a pregnancy announcement is in reference to the fact that early pregnancy tests used to include rabbits: if the rabbit died after the procedure, the woman was pregnant. The only options were to wait it out or go to the doctor. Now, however, home pregnancy tests are popular, cheap, and very useful.

Digital Versus Traditional

Traditional pregnancy tests are probably some of the cheapest tests available. You can purchase these at any pharmacy, department store, or even online. With these tests you urinate directly on the test strip, close the cap, and wait for the lines to appear. These tests have one control line that will always show up. Depending on the test, the non control line that shows whether you are pregnant or not is a horizontal line making a cross on the window or a parallel line making two parallel lines in the window. Whichever way the line goes, these traditional home pregnancy tests have a second line that shows whether or not you are pregnant.

Digital home pregnancy tests, however, are slightly different. These tests are also home pregnancy tests where you urinate on the test strip, close the cap, and wait for a response. However, these tests take the difficulty of reading the lines out. With traditional tests it is common to get an evaporation line that appears after the allotted time limit or sometimes even before the time limit. Some women can interpret this to be a positive pregnancy test. However, with a digital test you will have either “pregnant” or “not pregnant” (or sometimes “yes” or “no”), so you will absolutely know whether or not you are pregnant.

Cheap Pregnancy Tests

Cheap home pregnancy tests are also available. Instead of spending ten or fifteen dollars on a pregnancy test at the pharmacy or department store, you can simply go to the dollar store and get a home pregnancy test for a dollar. Some people think that these tests are subpar or not equal to the other tests, however, there really is no best pregnancy test and they are just as good and register just the same amount of the pregnancy hormone as the more expensive tests.