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Common Problems of Early Pregnancy Get enough sleep at night. Rest whenever you can during the day. Make sure you are eating well; inadequate food intake can make you tired. The tiredness usually ends in about three months. This is most likely to occur if your stomach is empty. Eat small meats, possibly six, instead of three large meals daily. Some people like to eat three meals, plus a mid-morning snack. Don't let your stomach get empty. Don't eat greasy, fatty, or spicy food. Drink small sips of liquid before or an hour after meals, not with meals. If you do get nauseous, lie down with your head on pillows and open a window to get fresh air. Be sure to let the clinic or doctor know if your nausea or vomiting doesn't go away or seems to get worse. Remember, your baby is very tiny and you need to eat so that your baby can grow. Eat high-fiber foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables; whole-grain breads; high-fiber cereals; and beans, such as kidney and pinto beans. Drink plenty of liquids. Try to increase your activity, such as walking. Don't use laxatives. Having To Urinate a Lot Tell your doctor or clinic if you have any pain or bleeding when you urinate. Report any of the following to the doctor or clinic, or go immediately to the hospital where your baby will be born.
If you have any of these danger signs, CALL your doctor or clinic at (972) 981-3535. REMEMBER: Pregnancy is an exciting time of change. The staff here want to help you have a healthy baby. The rise in female hormones during pregnancy causes a normal fluid retention. Every pregnant woman has some swelling, especially in the hands and feet. Anything more that mild swelling, however, can be a sign of complications and should be reported to the doctor immediately. Diuretics ("water pills") and eliminating salt from the diet are not the answer. Ask your nurse or doctor to advise you about a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet. Mild, frequent exercise, such as swimming and walking, also helps. Avoid tight clothing, and remove rings if your fingers get puffy. Avoid standing in one position for too long, and elevate your legs whenever possible. Varicose veins have two combined causes: (1) the increased fluid in you system, and (2) the pressure on the veins in your legs from the growing uterus. Varicose veins are hereditary and will decrease after the baby's birth. Do not wear stockings with elastic bands on the legs because they cut off circulation. You may find that wearing support hose is helpful. Elevate your legs when you are sitting and put a pillow under your feet when you are lying down. Also, try not to stand in one place to long. Muscle cramps are due to the slowing
of you blood circulation. Shooting pains down your legs can be the
result of pressure of the baby's head on certain nerves. Make sure
you are getting enough calcium (milk products) and potassium (bananas,
grapefruits, oranges) in your diet. Keeping your legs elevated and
avoiding the pointing of you toes when stretching can help prevent
leg cramps. A heating pad, hot water bottle, or massage of the muscle
can also help. Backaches are the result of the increased weight you are carrying, as well as the changes in shape your body is undergoing to make room for the growing baby. Don't stand in one place or position too long. Good posture also helps. To bend down, bend at the knees, not at the waist. A footstool or box under your feet while you're sitting can relieve backache, as well as heating pads on the sore area, back rubs, and plenty of rest. Sleep on a firm mattress, and put a small pillow under your side at waist level to keep your shoulders and hips even while you're asleep. Also, ask your nurse or doctor about exercises you can do to help relieve backaches (e.g., "pelvic rock:) Hemorrhoids are caused by the increased pressure on the veins in your anus (similar to varicose veins in your legs). Avoid constipation because straining and pushing make them worse. Sit only on hard surfaces if you have hemorrhoids; sinking into a soft chair cuts off circulation in your lower intestine. 1. Lower
back/ buttock pain-This is the most common type of problem. The
laxity of pelvic joints, changes in posture, increased weight-bearing
forces, and altered mechanics all contribute to problems in this
area. The main sources of pain are the pelvic joints, the ligaments
that protect them, and the surrounding muscles: the erector spinze
(vertical spine muscles), and the lumbodorsal fascia, which is a
band of tissue across the low back. 2.
Sciatica-Sciatica is a general term for any pain that is
referred into the leg from the back/buttock and can come from a
number of sources.
Some lower extremity pain is actually caused by the low back or pelvic problems that refer pain to a distal site. In other words, you may feel pain in your thigh or shin when the problem actually exists there, similar to the sensation of jaw or left arm pain during cardiac arrests. Most true sciaticas are inflammations
of the sciatic nerve, which is make of nerve, which is made of nerve
roots from three different levels in the spine. Sciatic pain may
be a numbness or a tingling, burning or cramping sensation that
is located in the posterior thigh and calf. Sciatica may come and
go depending on activity and is frequently very painful. 3. Upper back/neck pain-This pain is influenced heavily by posture. Breast weight increases and low-back changes cause an increase in the rounding of the upper back. The muscles that control the shoulder blades and head, consequently, are frequently overworked. Tightness or soreness in the neck or mid-back, burning between the shoulder blades, tension headaches, a stiff neck feeling, and mid-back muscle spasm are all common occurrences.
Pregnancy usually lasts 9 months, or 40 weeks. Labor lasts less than 1 day. The following information can help you understand and prepare for the final few hours before your baby arrives. The most important thing to remember when you believer labor has begun is that this is a normal process. So be alert, but don't panic. This is simply the time you've been expecting and preparing for. The following instructions can help you do what's best for you and your baby. When contractions begin, you should start to time them from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next contraction. If, during the contractions, you become hungry, you should eat lightly. Tea and clear soups are recommended. Your stomach will not digest food well during labor, and a heavy meal can cause nausea or vomiting. When contractions are 10 minutes apart or less and have been regular for 1 hour, you should call your doctor or midwife. Either a gush of fluid from your vagina (with or without continuing leakage) or steady trickle of fluid that you cannot control is a sign that you water has broken. The fluid can be clear, slightly pink, or green in color. Even if contractions are not present, you should come to the hospital after calling your doctor. If bleeding is more that just light spotting on your panties or if you have a heavy flow, you must come to the hospital at once. Warning Signs of Possible Medical Problems Check the list below. If you experience any of these warning signs, you must call your doctor right away. Warning Signs
What You Should Know When You Arrive At The Hospital You can help make sure that you and your baby receive the best care possible by knowing the following when you come to the hospital in labor:
Following the birth of a baby, a wide range of emotions is possible. Often, there are the expected feelings of excitement and joy, along with the relief that "It's all over!" Mothers can also feel overwhelmed, uncertain, frustrated, or anxious. Caring for an infant is hard work. Regardless of how prepared you were or how much you looked forward to your baby's birth, this first year will include some unexpected "highs" and "lows." Time, patience, and support from family and friends are all helpful during this period of adjustment. Sometimes, in spite of help and support, women feel bewildered and concerned about themselves. These more confusing emotions can be classified into three categories: the blues, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis. The blues is an extremely common reaction occurring in the first few days after delivery, usually appearing suddenly on the third of fourth day. This feeling of letdown after the emotionally charged experience of birth is experienced by 50 percent to 75 percent of new mothers. Symptoms can include crying for no apparent reason, impatience, irritability, restlessness, and anxiety. This is the most common, the least severe, and most well known of the postpartum reactions. Symptoms of the blues are briefly unpleasant and usually disappear on their own, sometimes as quickly at they came. Postpartum Depression Symptoms Although one in ten new mothers experience
various degrees of postpartum depression, it still remains one of
the least well-known postpartum reactions. It can occur within days
of the delivery or appear gradually, sometimes up to a year later.
Symptoms can include:
Postpartum psychosis is the most severe and fortunately, the least common postpartum reaction. It occurs in about 1 in 1,000 women, usually within the first two weeks after the birth. Symptoms are very exaggerated and severe. They can include insomnia, hallucinations, agitation, and bizarre feelings or behavior. Postpartum psychosis is s serious emergency and requires immediate medical help.
Your menstrual period is the five to seven days during the month that a small amount of bloody fluids flows from your vagina. The flow begins slowly-it doesn't squirt or gush-and is heaviest during the first few days. The flow gradually lessens and then stops. Although it may seem as though you are losing a lot of blood, you're really not. The total amount of the flow over an entire period is only about one-half cup. Most women have a monthly menstrual period until they are about 50 years old. Then the periods stop. Pregnant women usually do have any bleeding. Women who are breastfeeding their babies usually do not have periods during that time. There are times, too, when a woman misses a period. This may happen if she is sick, upset, or very nervous about something, is she hasn't been eating right; or if she has been exercising a lot. Your Monthly Schedule Once you start having your periods, you may see just a few spots of blood one month and then have a normal period the next month. Also, you may skip a month or have two periods in one month during the first year. Your body needs a little time to get on a set schedule. If a woman has had sex and misses a period, though, she should see a doctor as soon as she can, because she may be pregnant. You may want to use a calendar to keep track or your periods. Put an "x" on the first day of your period. Count the first "x" as day 1, and keep counting the days until you have next period. If you do this every month, you'll be able to tell how many days there are between you periods. For some girls, it will be every 28 days: for others, it may be anywhere from 23 to 35 days; and for others, it may change from month to month. Even when your periods start to come after the same number of days each month, you may miss a period or be a few days early or late. How To Prepare Once you know when to expect your next period, you can be ready. You should try to keep a supply of sanitary napkins or tampons. Napkins and pads that are worn inside your panties to catch the blood flow. They are held in place with a sticky backing. Tampons are small absorbent tubes made of cotton. They are placed inside the vagina to catch the blood flow.
The Lingering Myths of Menopause "Even though menopause seems to
be discussed everywhere now that baby boomers are coming of age,
I'm amazed by how misinformed people still are about this time in
a woman's life".
The Issue of Hormone Replacement Therapy Women need to ask their health care
providers about the health risks associated with horomone replacement
therapy (HRT), about which risks will by helped or worsened, and
whether HRT should be considered for short-term relief of symptoms
and/or for prevention of conditions associated with aging.
An excellent reference that addresses many frequently
asked questions regarding HRT is as follows: A Host Of Changes
Declining estrogen during menopause brings on a host of bodily changes with accompanying symptoms, including vasomotor instability (hot flashes), and vaginal and genital atrophy. During a woman's thirties and forties, bone loss occurs and accelerates rapidly when estrogen levels plummet in the first 10 years after menopause. Most women are unaware of the bone loss until a hip, vertebral, or wrist fracture occurs and osteoporosis is diagnosed-sometimes as late as 20 to 30 years after menopause. The development of heart disease increases dramatically with declining estrogen, and quite like the development of osteoporosis, often goes unrecognized until the first heart attack. Progesterone and testosterone also
decrease with declining ovarian function, which affects a woman's
moods, energy levels, and libido. Estrogen deficiency also contributes
to neurodegenerative brain changes associated with aging and AD
(Sherwin, 1996).
What is Osteoporosis? Osteoporosis literally means "porous bone." Osteoporosis does not cause the outer form of the bones to change. However, the bones become less dense and more susceptible to fracture. A fall, blow, or lifting action can easily break one or more bones in someone with osteoporosis. What Bones Are Most Commonly Affected by Osteoporosis? The spine, wrist, and hip are the most common sites of osteoporosis-related fractures, although the disease can affect any bone of the body. When the bones of the spinal column (the vertebrae) are weakened, a simple action, such as bending forward to make a bed or lifting a heavy roast pan out of the oven, can be enough to cause a crush fracture or spinal compression fracture. These vertebral crush fractures often cause back pain, decreased height, and a humped back (: dowager's hump"). Wrist fractures also occur commonly among people with osteoporosis. For example, an otherwise healthy, vigorous woman in 50's or 60's slips on ice, falls, reaches out to catch herself, and is taken to the emergency room with a broken wrist. Osteoporosis is often the underlying cause of broken hips suffered by more that 200,000 Americans over age 45 each year. A fall from a standing position can fracture a hip weakened by osteoporosis. In cases of severe osteoporosis, a change of posture or weight distribution alone can actually break the hip, and the fracture will then cause a fall. What is the Role of Calcium in the Development of Osteoporosis? Living bone contains a protein framework
in which calcium salts are deposited. In fact, the bones and teeth
contain about 99 percent of the calcium in the body. Calcium makes
bones hard. Bone, like many other tissues of
the body, is constantly being rebuilt or "remodeled".
Old bone is torn down, reabsorbed and replaced with new bone in
much the same way that people remodel buildings by tearing out and
replacing walls.
This process of bone reabsorbtion and remodeling serves two purposes; it keeps the skeleton well tuned for it's mechanical uses, and it helps maintain the body's balance of certain essential minerals, such as calcium. The body keeps a relatively constant level of calcium in the blood because important biologic activities, such as contraction of muscles, beating of the heart, and clotting of blood, require quite constant blood levels of calcium. When the blood calcium level drops,
more calcium is taken out of the bones to maintain the appropriate
level, when the blood calcium level returns to normal, increased
amounts of calcium are no longer taken from the bones. As a person grows during youth, bones
are metabolically active and calcium is deposited into bone faster
than it is taken out. The deposition of calcium into bone peaks
at about 35 years of age in men and women. At the time of peak bone
mass, the bones are most dense and strong.
During a person's late 30's, calcium begins to be lost from bones faster that it is replaced and bones become less dense. Nutrition Guidelines for Preventing Osteoporosis and Minimizing Bone Loss A balanced diet with adequate calcium can help to avoid bone loss that occurs with age. Experts recommend 1,500 mg of calcium each day for women after menopause and 1,000 mg for younger women. Foods high in calcium include milk and other dairy products; sardines; and salmon, canned with the bones; oysters; and dark-green leafy vegetables. Milk processed to be more digestible is available for those who have problems digesting milk; soy or acidophilus milk also can be used. In addition, calcium supplements, especially calcium carbonate, are frequently prescribed. Getting enough vitamin D is also important because it is needed by the body to absorb calcium. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 400 units (International Units) daily. Vitamin D is provided by such foods as fortified milk, egg yolk, liver, tuna, salmon, and cod liver oil. Vitamin D is also produced in the body after exposure to sunlight. Only a short period of exposure each day is sufficient. To further minimize bone loss, some
doctors suggest that women eat less red meat and avoid certain carbonated
soft drinks. These contain high levels of phosphorus (a mineral
normally present in almost equal amounts in bone and teeth) and
might contribute to a phosphorus-calcium imbalance that has been
associated with osteoporosis.
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