Pregnancy – The Facts
Finding out that you’re pregnant can be one of the happiest days of your life. You’re going to be bringing a new person into the world and adding to your family. However, with pregnancy comes a lot of responsibility for the health of you and your child. To be sure that the both of you have an eventless three trimesters, you will want to learn all that you can.
During the first trimester, you might not know that you are pregnant until you’re just about halfway through. However, if it’s possible that you could become pregnant, you will want to start taking a good multivitamin each day that contains folic acid. Folic acid has been proven to prevent certain birth defects while also adding to your overall health. Take more time to rest during this period, though you should continue any exercise plans that you already have in place.
The second trimester usually marks the end of the dramatic fatigue and nausea of the first few months; however, it does not mean that you shouldn’t be vigilant about your health. Making sure to drink plenty of water and eating balanced meals is the best advice for anyone, but especially during pregnancy. At this point, you will want to avoid any exercise that involves putting pressure on your lower back, as this can cut off the blood flow to the uterus.
In the final trimester, your fatigue may return, so it’s time to be sure that you’re resting as much as you can. Proper eating should be continued and gentle exercise is also going to help ready your body for birth. This will be the time when you begin to consider what birthing methods you might want to use during delivery day and attend childbirth classes and parenting classes, if they are available. You might start to feel Braxton Hicks contractions as your body begins to practice for the actual birth, and this is completely normal.
Most mothers are worried about problems that they might want to be aware of when they are pregnant and when they should call their doctor. Things like bleeding and cramping are usually not serious in nature, but a call to the doctor never hurts either. Your doctor may want to examine you just to be safe. If you are accustomed to your baby moving around a lot and they suddenly stop moving, you might also want to alert your doctor. But following your mother’s intuition is generally the best advice – if you think somethings wrong, call the doctor’s office.
By: James Beckett
