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Exercise During Maternity

Med — Sat, 29 May 2010 08:23:52 +0000

Exercise is considered as very essential and useful factor during maternity. It provides you relief from the pains, aches, fatigues and depressions. It also makes you flexible throughout your pregnancy and also during the labor. So, don’t wait and waste your time. Its time for you and your baby to stay active and be healthy. Exercise during maternity is very beneficial for you and your baby as well. The best suitable exercises during maternity include walking, swimming, prenatal yoga, etc.

While exercising during maternity, be careful and avoid:

* Heavy weight lifting or heavy objects.

* Activities that may involve pressurized air or falling and slipping like mountain biking or downhill skiing.

* Acute cardiovascular exercises. The heart rate should never fall below 140 beats / minute.

* Do not lie on your stomach or back while exercising during the second trimester.

Walking during Maternity: Walking is one of the best and easy exercises during your pregnancy for you and your baby. Walk at a moderate pace and keep the waking distances short. It keeps your body fit and healthy and also eases your constipation, ensuring better sleep at night.

Yoga: Prenatal yoga helps you to get in touch with your baby. Through yoga, you can concentrate on the different challenges during the pregnancy by either strengthening or improving them. It improves your flow of blood in the body. You can have an emotional bonding with your baby by feeling her very close to you and also become aware of her effects on you. Yoga exercises make your body very flexible for delivery. The pelvic area becomes very ideal for a soothing birth experience.

Kegel Exercises: Kegel exercises are the exercises for strengthening the pelvic floor in order to impart a better support to the uterus, rectum, urethra and bladder. Practicing Kegel’s regularly tones up the pelvic floor, thus preparing it fore delivery and also reduces the chances for tearing.

It is always better to consult your doctor before you start any new exercise program. If you feel dizzy or have pains or bleeding, stop the exercise immediately and see your doctor.

Problems During Pregnancy

Med — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 03:09:52 +0000

During pregnancy, the woman’s body undergoes various changes. These changes are essential for the development of the fetus inside the uterus. These changes lead to some problems and appearance of some symptoms. However, they are not serious and disappear without any treatment.

The most commonly seen symptom is nausea and vomiting. It is popularly known as the morning sickness. Feeling of sickness normally happens from the 6th to 14th week of pregnancy. It can start earlier and last for longer time. Generally, nausea and vomiting occurs in the morning. It may occur throughout the day. It is related to the hormonal changes. It doesn’t cause the serious problems.

Nausea and vomiting is reduced by the 14th week of pregnancy without any treatment. Taking the ginger capsules, ginger tea or ginger biscuits is beneficial. In rare cases, the vomiting may lead to dehydration. The condition is referred as the hyperemesis gravidarum. It requires the medical treatment.

During the first three months of pregnancy, many women experience the increased frequency of urination. It is due to the hormonal changes. The enlarged uterus puts the pressure on the bladder. As a result, the capacity of bladder is decreased. Frequent urination is common in the last four weeks of pregnancy.

During pregnancy, there is a high risk of urinary tract infections. The hormonal changes and the enlarged uterus can reduce the passage of urine. To prevent the infections, the pregnant woman should drink plenty of water and other fluids. Drinking the cranberry juice is beneficial.

If you experience any issues during your pregnancy you should be able to go rely on your Midwife or Doctor to provide you the best pre natal care as to ensure the health of your child. If you haven’t been cared for properly please contact www.patientlawyers.com to find out about a claim.

Extreme fatigue is very common during the first 12 to 15 weeks of pregnancy due to extra strain. To overcome the fatigue, the woman should take maximum rest. Make sure that it is not the symptom of the anaemia.

Another commonly observed problem during the pregnancy is the constipation. The hormonal changes slow the passage of the food through the gut. The increasing uterus puts the pressure on the rectum. Iron supplements also cause the constipation. The best solution is drinking plenty of water and eating fresh fruits and wholegrain foods.

About 20% women complain the skin itchiness. It is common in case of the abdominal skin due to the skin stretching. It can be prevented by applying the moisturizer.

Backache commonly occurs during pregnancy due to increasing weight and size of breast and uterus. It can be relieved by having warm baths, massage and having rest. The woman also complains the leg cramps, swollen ankles, varicose veins and piles.

Maternity Sleep

Med — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:07:52 +0000

You have to cope up with the sleep restlessness during maternity. This is a very common and a well known fact. Your normal schedule of sleep may be disturbed due to many reasons. Along with the increased curiosity about the new baby, there are some physical as well as hormonal changes taking place in your body that may contribute to sleeplessness. As the maternity period advances, you are unable to sleep in a comfortable position. Also it is found that very often you have to go to empty your bladder. However, don’t get discouraged. This article will probably offer you some help. There are some tips given to improve your sleep during maternity.

1. Mood Preparation- You can get your mood prepared well by using a soft light, a warm beverage, having a hot water bath or reading a good book. Find out what helps you to become relaxed and happy.

2. Massage- A warm massage is the best preparation for sleeping. Get it done by your friends or your partner before you go to sleep to have a peaceful sleep.

3. Exercise in Water- Get yourself surrounded in water upto the neck, sit there and perform exercises at your own pace. The water pushes the fluid below the skin back in the intravascular space. This decreases edema and swells of the legs that frequently contributes to poor sleeping.

4. Use Comfort Aids- You can use the unique portable air bed during the maternity period that is specially prepared for the expecting mothers who have lost their sleep and are unable to get adequate rest. This uncommon air bed lets the pregnant woman sleep on her stomach or the either sides.

5. Reduce Anxiety- You experience stress at every stage of your life that disturbs you in one or either ways. This results in lack of sleep. If you have such problem that worries you, take the help of a friend or a professional to solve the problematic issues. Reducing the levels of stress will make your night sleeps more comfortable.

6. Exercise- Contact your doctor before you practice any exercise. Exercise, no doubt, helps to improve the circulation levels. It decreases the cramps in your legs at night, thus improving your sleep. You can also practice pre-natal yoga’s to sleep comfortably and peacefully at night.

Maternity Beauty

Med — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:55:52 +0000

Maternity is a period where to some extent women loose their beauty or are unable to give extra time to look after themselves. This is because they are already disturbed with the different changes, physical and hormonal taking place in their body.

Stretch Marks- A number of women develops stretch marks during their maternity period. Stretch marks are seen as raised purple or red lines on the stomach. Drinking plenty of water during pregnancy and eating a nutritionally rich diet helps to reduce the stretch marks. This is so because the healthy skin is very elastic and so it is fit for stretching as your body grows.

Under Eye Circles- It depends on the amount of exercise that you perform daily. Exercise increases the circulation in the body, which is one of the causes of eye circles. You can apply potato slice everyday on the affected area. Wrap an ice cube in a towel and rub the area under the eye slowly for puffy eyes.

Spots- You can use tea tree oil or a solution of benzoyl peroxide. Apply an ice cube for decreasing the swelling and also the redness before you apply the solution with a brush.

Dull Skin- Use a face scrub every week for removing the dead cells of the skin that clogs the complexion of your skin. A facemask applied weekly also benefits greatly.

Blotchy Skin- Apply the skin products, that are specially designed to reduce the sensitivity of the skin. They can be used in the morning and at night for soothing the redness and the swelling.

Pigmentation Marks- Any dark spots or the patches are going to disappear after the birth of the baby. However, they will fade quickly if they are well protected from the sun. It is suggested to apply sun protection creams to these visible marks regularly.

It is very important for you to cleanse and moisturize your face before you go to sleep, no wonder how tired you are. When you are asleep, the natural oil of the skin gets mixed up with the dirt and the dead cells. The result is blackheads, inflammation, blocked pores, etc.

Maternity Air Matresses

Med — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:21:52 +0000

Maternity air mattresses were first introduced and designed by a prominent obstetrician and gynecologist. It has been proved clinically that maternity air mattresses offer extra comfort and health benefits to both baby and the mother. It has proved that air mattresses improve the circulation of the blood in the body thereby enabling the fetus to get adequate supply of blood from the mother. Increase in blood flow also helps mother to maintain health during the maternity period. Air mattresses are not heavy they can be carried anywhere as they are portable. Pregnant women feel it as the greatest gift as they feel very comfortable while sleeping on the air mattresses. Air can be inflated in to the mattresses within two minutes of time.

Pregnant women will suffer from insufficient and restful sleep. Women sleeps normally on their stomach or back as a result sleep becomes very challenging. Sleeping on the back is not recommended by the doctors and obstetrician as it results in compression of large blood vessels on the uterus and intestines. This in turn will tend to decrease the blood flow and supply to the baby. Due to the decreased blood supply the baby will be denied of oxygen.

Cavity is provided in the maternity mattress just to make the pregnant women to accommodate the bulging abdomen as she lies upon the surface of the mattress in a frontally downward position. Mattress is made up of foam core which extends enough comfort to the fetus and the mother. Straps are provided on either ends and are attached to the foam core. Cavity is also present in the foam core which will be comfortable and suitable for the enlarging abdomen. Device can be removed according to the desire of the pregnant women. Inbuilt attachment and adjustable features have added credits to this mattress.

There are visible advantages when the maternity air mattress is used. The production cost is not very high when compared with the devices present earlier. It is very simple to use. Varied depths and lengths are provides easy adjustments with help of the straps. Mattress can be maintained with hygiene as the covers are easily removable. This mattress is not filled with fluids and certain limitations due to fluid filling can be avoided.

Tips For Buying Maternity Clothes

Med — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:32:52 +0000

Pregnancy is a wonderful phase in the woman’s life. It gives a great pleasure of creating a life. It causes many changes in the body. The size of the belly increases with development of the baby. There is increase in the size of the breasts. The pregnant woman requires specially designed, comfortable maternity clothes.

During the second trimester, the woman feels the need for the maternity clothes. As the body undergoes the changes, the regular clothes start to feel tight and uncomfortable. Shopping for maternity clothes becomes essential. While purchasing the maternity clothes, some things should be kept in mind.

You should prefer the comfortable and lasting clothes. A wide variety of maternity clothes is available ranging from the affordable maternity clothes to trendy maternity clothes. They include the maternity dresses, pants and jeans, shorts and beachwear, swimsuits, evening wear, coats and jackets, tops and blouses and night gown. The stylish maternity clothes include the trendy party wear and office wear items.

The maternity clothes that suit all budgets and all sizes are available. There are long skirts, casual trousers, wrap-around cardigans, capris, adjustable tab jeans and twill pants and a variety of stretch jeans.

Maternity shopping requires the careful selection. They should comfortably fit to your body. They should not be too tight or too baggy. The shape of the body increases every month. Hence, it is better to buy new clothes every month rather than buying too many clothes at a time.

Always buy the maternity clothes according to the weather. Buy the clothes that will keep you warm and comfortable during winter and select the light, breezy clothes for the summer. Select the lingerie of a bigger size. Select the clothes that are easy to maintain. Buy the comfortable pairs of maternity jeans and bigger sized T-shirts.

During the 8th month, it is better to buy the delivery kits and nursing clothes. You can have a fun by buying and wearing the funny maternity clothes. You can also select the trendy maternity clothes.

It is very important that the expected mother should be in relaxed and cheerful mood. The maternity clothes offer the relaxation and help to keep the mother in the happy mood. Buy the appropriate maternity clothes and make your maternity experience memorable one.

Maternity Clothing

Med — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:59:52 +0000

Clothing during maternity period must be given importance and pregnant women should select proper clothing so that no discomfort or inconvenience is experienced during the maternity period. There are several garments available to suit the growing belly.

Maternity garment is divided in to two sections so that it could provide extra support. Lower section of the garment is connected with the upper section with the help of elastomeric band. Band is extended around the lower section of the body.

The position of the band can be moved from the lower position to the upper position so that it can accommodate and suit different sizes. Outer covering of the band is made with a fabric material and the inner layer consists of belt material with elasticity. Band is attached to either side of lower and upper sections of the body.

Garments for maternity wear are generally designed to suit the constant change in the shape in the body of the women during pregnancy period. This is done to so that the need for maternity clothes could be reduced. Pants and skirts are unfastened to the upper end so that confirmed adjustments could be made according to the enlarging belly size and waist line. Top has also a similar shape with an elastic band attached to it. This helps in overlapping of the skirt and pant that is unfastened so that it could be trained firmly.

Band is made up of material that is stretchable and flexible. It has a cylindrical shape so that it could be stretched and worn comfortably around the belly and at the waist. Due to the presence of the elastic band appearance of the dress will be neat and attractive.

Fabric made of Lycra and cotton material will be convenient and comfortable. Dresses added with nursing support will be helpful for the mother to nurse the baby without any discomfort. Waist band extender will also be helpful to suit the changing size of the belly. Pants will be zipped at the side and buttons will be provided on the sides so that adjustments could be made whenever required.

Diet During Maternity

Med — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:18:52 +0000

Pregnancy is a period that demands most of the nutrition in the period of woman’s life. Adequate supply of calcium, vitamins, minerals, folic acid and iron are required for supporting the increasing growth of the fetus and developments of different organs.

Diet during maternity must include fruits and vegetables everyday that are rich in minerals, vitamins and fiber.

Starchy foods like rice, potatoes, bread, and pasta contain carbohydrates and they make you feel fuller for a long time and also provide you energy. However, consuming them in excess leads to weight gain during your maternity period.

Protein should form an important part of your diet. Meat, fish, beans, cheese, pulses, etc provides you with the proteins and other minerals like zinc and iron.

Dairy foods such as cheese, milk, yoghurt has calcium, but at the same time also have a higher proportion of fat in them. So, if you are very conscious about weight gain, you may go for low-fat food. Consume these foods in fewer amounts as they are just nourishing.

Fatty and sugary foods just add to your weight as they contain high proportion of calories and are nutritionally less active. But, at the same time, they add choice and pleasure to your food if consumes in smaller amounts.

VITAMINS- Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium efficiently in your body. You can get vitamin D either from the sunlight or the food that you eat. Foods such as eggs, enriched spreads, margarine and oily fish like salmon are rich in Vitamin D. see that you have enough exposure to sunlight, eat Vitamin D rich food or take supplements of Vitamin D, if needed to satisfy the requirements of Vitamin D in your body.

Foods to Avoid during Pregnancy

* It is found that high levels of caffeine are associated with the risks of still births and miscarriages. You may prefer decaffeinated drinks either.

* Avoid eating oven-made meals which are either undercooked or uncooked and also raw or partly cooked eggs.

* Mercury affects the nervous system that is yet developing in the newborn baby, so limit its amount. Also you should completely avoid shark, swordfish, marl and blue-veined cheeses.

Maternity Guidelines

Med — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:00:52 +0000

This article will provide you with proper guidelines for the staff and the managers of the exact procedure to be followed and proper calculation of the individual entitlements. This process will apply for all the pregnant employees who are working, either part time or full time, depending on their length of their service.

Eligibility- an employee who is working either part time or full time is subjected to either paid or unpaid leave if: if she has continuously given 12 months of service and if she informs her employer in writing prior to the leave period.

Notification- the employee has to notify her manager and the Human Resource Department of her Pregnancy in written about her maternity leave. If she wants to make changes in the leave dates, notify this to your manager atleast 28 days before.

Application of the Maternity Leave- after you submit your notification to the manager, you will receive a maternity leave application form for the necessary details. Fill this form completely mentioning the dates clearly. Forward it to the Manager, who will forward it to the Human resource Department 28 days prior to her leave.

Form MATB1- Medical certification of the expected date of the birth of the child has to be given in the form of a maternity certificate. You can get this from the doctor after completing about twenty-six weeks of pregnancy.

Commencement of Maternity Leave- the employee can begin her maternity leave after the 11th week before the expected week of the child birth. She can also, if she wishes work till the expected date, if she has no health or safety risks noticed during the risk assessment period.

Sickness during Pregnancy- the maternity leave starts immediately from the day she remains absent on her work due to some illness related to pregnancy. If the sickness is not linked with her pregnancy, she can receive the sick pay till the date of birth of the newborn for satisfying the regulations related to the sick pay. Other days of illness due to pregnancy will not be considered in this period, if the employee is going to continue to work upto the maternity leave starting date by previously informing the employer.

Employee Maternity Benefits

Med — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:08:52 +0000

Employee is entitled to maternity leave and the employer at his own discretion may sanction additional maternity leave and benefits. It is the statutory right of the employee to avail maternity benefits. If the expected due date of the baby is before the month of April than the employee is entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave whereas in rest of the cases it is only 26 weeks of leave. Certain conditions have to be fulfilled by the employee to avail additional maternity leave of 26 weeks.

Maternity allowance is eligible only for pregnant woman who is an employee and is not entitled to statutory maternity pay. In case if the baby is born early before the starting of maternity allowance benefits will start immediately after the baby’s birth. If lady falls sick due to some complications four weeks before the due date the patient can choose the date of starting of maternity allowance.

Maternity benefits are mainly divided in to two categories. They are statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance. These benefits have been structurally formed to facilitate the employee both before and after the birth of the baby. Statutory maternity pay is the benefit received from the employer based on the weekly or monthly earnings as per the employment conditions.

If the pregnant woman is not entitled to SMP maternity allowance may be sanctioned. This may be from the job centers and weekly payment is granted. The maternity benefit act has also been passed by the government to ensure that pregnant women are not denied of any statutory rights and benefits during the time of maternity. Pregnant women must have worked in the establishment for at least a minimum of 80 days during the period of 12 months immediately preceding the date of delivery to enjoy the maternity benefits.

The employee should furnish the employer with necessary details about her leave before and after the birth of the baby. Employee cannot be denied of the maternity benefits or maternity leave on failure of furnishing the required details to the employer. Women are entitled to medical bonus in addition to the maternity benefits.