Signs Of Pregnancy

Mothers-to-be have many questions about pregnancy nutrition and exercise. The tips and advice below will help you get started on a healthy pregnancy.

A diet containing the essential nutrients and vitamins are vital to the development of both mother and child. Vitamins are imperative to the health of a developing baby and the well being of the mother. Choosing foods that are rich in vitamins and other nutrients are a critical part of a healthy pregnancy nutrition plan and supplemental vitamins are necessary as well.

Stretch marks. Striae Gravidarum. The marks of pregnancy. Call them what you will. But they are the one thing that all women dread will occur as soon as they get pregnant.

• But what are stretch marks anyway? And why do they occur? Well, the reason lies in the anatomy of the skin. The skin has two layers - a thin upper layer called the epidermis, and a thicker, lower layer called the dermis. Scattered in the dermis are fine protein filaments called elastin that, like a piece of rubber band, are capable of stretching on being pulled. But just as a rubber band can stretch only so far and no further, these elastin fibres can also be stretched only to a certain extent. If stretched further, they snap. The increasing bulk of the uterus during pregnancy causes the skin to stretch to a great extent and the elastin fibres are torn. The torn elastin produces scars on the skin called Stria Gravidarum or stretch marks.

Of course you should check with your doctor, but many studies have shown that exercise is not harmful during pregnancy. Some have concluded that women who exercise vigorously during pregnancy give birth to smaller but otherwise healthy babies, and one study showed that vigorous exercise during pregnancy can help to prevent preterm birth.

Marathon runner Ingrid Christianson, a former world record holder, gave birth to a healthy baby after winning the Houston Marathon when she was five months pregnant. Sharon Wood climbed Mt. Everest while she was pregnant.

Pregnancy brings some unavoidable problems with it - backache, fatigue, queasiness, and, almost invariably, stretch marks. As the term of childbearing progresses (usually during the 6th or 7th month) something like 80% of all women can expect to find red striations to appear on the skin of the abdomen. Depending on the degree of change in weight gain, stretch marks can also develop on the upper thighs and waist.

There are times that you are wondering whether you may be pregnant or not. It may be difficult to tell at times especially if you have not been pregnant. There are signs and symptoms that are very common to all pregnant women and these signs have long been unfailing and proven to be manifested by pregnant women.

Newborns need to fight against disease and infection from the moment they come into the world. But nature, which provides life, provides mothers with a weapon to help their babies survive. And that weapon is colostrum.

Usually, colostrum begins in the breasts of pregnant mothers in the third month of pregnancy. In some, it may not appear until after the birth. Both are normal circumstances.