The first few months may be tiring with the morning sickness, the second trimester may bring out the beautiful glow in you but as you go along, pregnancy can start seeming like a burden if you are not particular about your health. You may experience constant heart burns, have stretch marks, swollen feet, back pain, and varicose veins, you start beginning to wonder why people call being pregnant a beautiful thing.
A few ideas that can help every pregnant woman deal with the challenges that the pregnancy period brings with it are listed below:
Fatigue
Try and avoid getting tired by taking a half an hour nap every day. When you sleep, try and make sure that your feet are raised a little higher that your heart, this helps take the pressure off one’s legs. When you do find the need to rest, do not feel bad, as making a baby is hard work indeed.
Your body needs some exercise; however, make sure that you consult your doctor first. Walking, swimming and other kinds of aerobic activities help give your body more energy and it also makes giving birth easier.
Swollen Feet
When you are pregnant you will have aching feet that are swollen as well. You can help improve circulation in them by taking hot and cold footbaths. Hot water brings blood to your feet and cold water will make it back out. Put your feet into hot water for about 3 minutes and then into cold water for about 30 seconds. Carry out this process at least six times. Make sure that your feet are propped up for at least ten minutes after your footbaths.
Heartburn
Pregnancy can cause pressure on your abdomen, and this cause stomach acid to come into the esophagus. Almonds are a great way to avoid heartburn, as the chemical compounds in these nuts will help keep stomach acid in one’s stomach as they help strengthen the valve that lies in between the esophagus and stomach. Almonds are very high on calories though, so make sure that you sacrifice on some other calorie rich food. Also, be sure to consult your Holistic Nutritionist before you start following a new diet. Foods that relax this valve should be avoided such as fried foods, citrus juices, coffee, tomato products, alcohol and peppermint.
Back Pain
If you want to beat back pain during your pregnancy, you have to try and avoid standing for long periods, especially during the last few months of your pregnancy. As the baby starts growing, joints in your pelvic area are going to start to soften, leading to increased tendency for backaches; standing for long is only going to increase pain.
If you do have to stand for a long period of time, learn how you can balance your weight evenly between both feet. When you are sitting in a chair, try and sit up straight. Make sure that your lower back is pressed against the back of the chair, and this should be done everyday, many times so that the back muscles are strengthened. When working at a desk make sure that your feet are slightly elevated with the help of a footrest.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Many women during pregnancy are troubled with tingling sensation or numbness in the fingers. This happens because there is water retention that causes pressure on the nerves in one’s wrist. To avoid this kind of discomfort, pregnant women should exercise both their arms and wrists for at least five minutes once every hour.
Don’t try and bend your wrist to find relief from the discomfort, doing this will make it worse.
Stretch Marks
Most pregnant will develop stretch marks during pregnancy. They are streaks on one’s skin that turn from being red to white. This cannot be avoided, as women’s skin will stretch when the belly and breasts expand. The stretching takes place in the layer beneath the skin, which is the collagen layer. Therefore, no skin care products will help. Avoid putting on too much weight to keep stretch marks to a minimum.
Varicose Veins
Varicose veins during pregnancy tend to develop because they are building up more blood in order to feed the fetus. Supportive knee high socks should be worn to keep these from developing. Using a cold compress on one’s legs can also help.
Constipation
Pregnant women may sometimes get constipated. This can be avoided by increasing one’s fiber intake. This means including high fiber food in one’s diet like bran, beans, whole grain breads, cereals, leafy vegetables, ground flaxseeds and broccoli.
In order to stay healthy during your pregnancy, which means also protecting the child that is growing inside of you, it is important that you take care of yourself and try and stay as comfortable as you can. Always remember one should prepare for pregnancy 6 months prior as many birth defects and discomforts can be prevented. Get in touch with a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and let him design you a diet that can help you stay comfortable and string during your pregnancy months and through your delivery as well. Speaking with a Homeopath too can help you learn about some great ideas that can help you stay strong without affecting the health of your child.
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