So, you have prepared your hospital bag and got a birthing coach with you. Still feeling the jitters? Well, you are not alone. It’s a known fact that almost every mommy-to-be gets nervous before the labor and are looking for techniques to help. Here’s a list of three simple things you can do to ensure that your child enters the world in a smooth manner and your pain is reduced. Remember to try these tips when you are in the third trimester.
1. Try Eating Dates
A recent study revealed by the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has found that women who eat dates before labor often don’t require medications to initiate the birthing process. These women were also more dilated when compared to non-date eaters when they reached the hospital. While speaking for Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Melinda Johnson said that Dates have a compound that’s just like hormone oxytocin which plays a key role in initiating contractions during childbirth. You may want to eat 6 dates daily if you want the best results.
2. Be A Sleepyhead
Another study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has stated that women who had less than 6 hours sleep during the last month had a labor that lasted 11 hours. It also added that the sleep-deprived women had Cesarean sections four times more than the women who got ample amounts of sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, you can try sleeping alone, using body pillows or you can even sleep on a recliner for extra comfort.
3. Exercise Those Legs Mommy!
An Australian study has exposed that if you stay vertical during the labor, the birthing process will become easier. To ensure that you use your legs properly during labor, strengthen them with leg exercises like squatting. If you have a problem doing simple squats, you can try this modified squat exercise shared by Erin O’Brien, who is the maker of The Complete Pregnancy Fitness DVD (acacia) as well as a prenatal exercise expert. Put an exercise ball between your lower back and a wall. Keep your feet out as far as they go, rotate your hips and toes outward and then try three sets of at least 15 squats. It will prepare you for the big day.
Pregnancy is one of the little miracles that life has given us. Growing a child inside a body is incredible and every mother loves this wonderful phase of her life.
Sure there are bad parts associated with it like weight gain, morning sickness, swollen ankles but it all becomes a vague memory when you hold your child for the very first time. When he or she looks at you with the gorgeous eyes, every pain, every discomfort is forgotten.
It is a sad fact that most people associate pregnancy with details like a huge body, bad labor experience and painful cramps. They are so involved in the bad aspects that they often forget the extraordinary changes that occur due to pregnancy. Here’s a list of 10 mindboggling things that really happen when you are pregnant. Some of them are unbelievable but they are all true.
1. Your Uterus Gets Up To 500 Times Bigger
A woman’s body prepares for the birthing in unbelievable ways. Your uterus can enlarge 500 times its usual size and its weight can be 1 to 2 pounds. Amazing, isn’t it? After the birthing, it will retract to its normal size automatically.
2. Your Heart Gets Bigger
Apart from filing with the love for your child, your heart actually grows in size. When you are with a baby, the heart has to work overtime and beat at a rapid pace to ensure that you and your baby get ample amount of blood. The blood volume also increases by up to 50%. Woah! It seems unbelievable right!
3. Your Shoe Size May Change
Yes, it’s true. The relaxin hormone also loosens the ligaments of your feet and the weight gain due to pregnancy stretches your ligaments further. As a result, you may see that your feet’s length and width increase and your shoes no longer fit. Some women even grow one full shoe size. Don’t panic and buy loads of new shoes as the shoe size would reduce after birthing when the ligaments tighten up and you lose the extra weight.
4. Heightened Sense of Smell
Your body produces more estrogen and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) which allows you to smell things from a far distance too. It can be good when you get to smell all the good food cooking in the kitchen but it can be bad when you smell the garbage too. So, be sure to use this special power wisely.
5. YOUR JOINTS SOFTEN
To ensure that your baby gets out of your body (pelvis to be precise) smoothly, your body produces a hormone relaxin that softens your ligaments and helps the baby to enter into the world easily. Here’s the proof that your body actually changes for your little ones comfort.
6. FULLER HAIR, YAY!
When you are pregnant you might have fuller hair. It is due to the production of estrogen in your body that helps reduce the hair fall at its normal rate. Women may also lose a lot of hair after the birthing because so little fell off when they were pregnant. So, don’t panic when you lose a bit of extra hair after your baby arrives, your body is just making up for the less hair fall during pregnancy. All will be well in the end.
7. Cravings are a Signal
All expectant mothers have different cravings. While some cravings may be harmless, other might be a sign. For example, if you crave salt, ice or even dirt (yes, women feel that), it means your body has fewer nutrients. Hence, you should always share your craving details with your obstetrician.
8. Baby Comes First for Mommy’s Body Too!
This is the most amazing thing about pregnancy. Whenever you eat, your baby gets the nutrients from the food first and the nutrients that are not needed by the baby are passed on to the mom. It’s a classic example of the special bond between a mother and the baby. You must eat for your baby when you are pregnant otherwise, your body will take the nutrients from you to keep baby healthy and you might lose your health.
9. Tall Women Are More Likely To Have Twins
If you are tall, you are more likely to have two kids at one time. It was revealed by a study conducted by Dr. Gary Steinman in 2006. He is an obstetrician at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
10. You Won’t Believe Who Else Feels Pregnancy Symptoms
Your partner or the father of your baby will be with you every step of the way. Some expectant dads even feel pregnancy symptoms like cravings. It’s been documented and it’s named as the couvade syndrome. Dads can feel the symptoms from the first trimester till the birthing. You must not laugh at them and help them get through it because men need more help with pregnancy symptoms, don’t you agree?
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR CRAZIEST PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS?
