Pregnancy is one of the most exciting, surprising, and for some, scary experiences of a woman’s life. Many women are born with innate mothering extincts, however, having a healthy and happy child requires knowledge and research. These tips can demystify what goes on when you are pregnant and makes the process a bit easier to handle.
If you are a cat owner, find a volunteer to take over changing the cat litter. Cat urine and feces contain chemicals which can cause you health problems and potentially cost you your pregnancy. If you are married, have your spouse do this job for a while, or if you are single, see if there is a neighbor or family member that can lend a hand.
Sign up for Lamaze classes. Learning in a classroom environment is a great way to ease your mind about the whole process. Use this as a chance to ask all those questions that are weighing on your mind about what’s to come.
You should be touring your birthing facilities when time is near. Comfort makes labor go much more smoothly. It is very important that you look at and inspect these places so you have a greater idea what to expect when the time comes. Check out the facilities and the staff.
Find out by using a pregnancy test or by visiting your physician as soon as possible if you suspect there is a possibility that you might be pregnant. Sometimes women neglect to do this in a timely manner and may find that their pregnancy is complicated because they didn’t get the care they needed soon enough.
It is very important for a woman in her third trimester to sleep on her left side. Sleeping in this position will provide your fetus with a good blood supply, and enable blood to flow easily to your uterus and kidneys. Stay off your back if you can help it, because this position can affect circulation in the last trimester.
Check into hiring a doula for your birth experiences and for the period right after. Doulas are mothers’ helpers who are there to provide non-medical support during the labor process and the post partum period. Having a doula will help you to have a shorter and more satisfying birth experience.
Child birthing classes are optimal if you want to learn valuable information regarding your pregnancy. If you try to put it off, you could find a scheduling conflict down the road.
Make sure to stretch your legs each night so as to avoid leg cramps from occurring while you sleep. Pregnant women often wake up with “charlie horses” in their legs. Doing some stretches before bed is a good way to stave off such cramping.
When you are pregnant, one of the things that you will want to stop as soon as possible is smoking. Smoking can cause birth defects for your baby, so stopping immediately will limit this risk. Join support groups to increase the willpower that you will need to stop this unhealthy habit. You must also insist that people who smoke do not do so in the same room as you.
When you become pregnant, make sure to tell your boyfriend or husband as soon as possible if he does not know already. It is under your discretion as to when you should tell your parents and friends as you should only do this when you feel comfortable in revealing this information.
Pregnancy is a natural part of life. By reading the experiences of others and gaining knowledge from these tips, you can be more prepared for the ups and downs of the next nine months. The birth of a child is rewarding and the months leading up to that, will be wrought full of strange, wonderful and unexpected situations.