How To-75: "How to Prepare Yourself for a Healthy Pregnancy"

How to Prepare Yourself for a Healthy Pregnancy at 35 Years Old

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Thirty-five seems to be the turning point for an increase in fertility issues, miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth, placenta previa (placenta covering the cervix), birth defects, high blood pressure, diabetes, as well as complications during labor in an expectant mother. There are ways to reduce the risks. A healthier you is a greater guarantee for a healthy baby.

Steps

Before Pregnancy

1. Get a thorough blood, urine, blood pressure, diabetes test done.
2. Have a thorough gynecological exam done and talk to your ob/gyn that you are planning to conceive.
3. Have a family history ready for your doctor. If miscarriages have taken place in the past, then share this information with your doctor. Ditto with seizures, high blood pressure, diabetes, or any chronic medical conditions. Also provide a list of all medication (short-term and long-term), vitamins, and ‘natural’ or ‘health’ herbs, pills, drinks, etc.
4. Take vitamins your doctor prescribes for 3 months before you plan on conceiving. These contain, among other things, folic acid, which is critical for the development for the fetus.
5. Stop drinking alcohol, smoking, and/or drugs, if you use any of these intoxicants. Ditto for your significant other, whose sperm quality is affected by these habits. There is no such thing as ‘moderate’ smoking or drugs. Planning for pregnancy calls for complete cessation of these activities before, during, and after pregnancy.
6. Get on a regular routine for sleeping, eating, exercising, and relaxing. Stress works against getting pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Once the baby is out, routine is out of the question for the next 18 years or so.
7. If overweight (have the doctor tell you what normal is, with body fat measurements, charts, etc.), focus on losing weight first by dieting and exercising, both in moderation. Excess weight may lead to increased chances for gestational diabetes as well as difficult labor. To make your plan foolproof, consult with a dietician to ensure you are getting the very best of nutrients in the right portions.
8. Attend yoga classes two to three times a week for both mind and body, i.e., flexibility, strength, breath control, relaxation, and focus. Get regular massages to relax further.

During Pregnancy

1. Stick to your doctor’s appointments and treat them as sacrosanct. Review with the doctor blood test results taken during pregnancy, especially the tests that cover the likelihood of specific birth defects.
2. Stick to your doctor’s prescribed list of prenatal screening tests. Being over 35, amniocentensis will most likely be recommended. To get more information on the
3. Listen to your instinct. If something feels wrong, go to your doctor’s or to the hospital.
4. Keep your visits to beauty salons to a minimum. Avoid all chemical fumes. Avoid getting your hair colored or chemically treated. Minimize the manicure/pedicure time. Request for a well-ventilated area.
5. Maintain your diet to prevent gestational diabetes, under strict supervision from a dietician. Gestational diabetes can be a precursor to diabetes later on in life, and results in bigger babies with their own health problems, not to mention a riskier labor. A dietician will also avoid which foods to avoid or reduce, e.g., fish that carries higher risk for mercury, etc.
6. Make regular appointments with a masseuse who specializes in pre-natal massage. Regular massage, especially Swedish, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, and Reflexology are out of the question.
7. Stick to a regular routine for sleeping, eating, exercising, and relaxing.
8. Enroll in pre-natal yoga classes two to three times a week. Take moderate walks up to 30 mins. a day.
9. The first trimester is immensely taxing. Listen to your body, slow down, and get extra sleep (learn to sleep on your side, not back). Weekend afternoon naps are de rigeur. You may or may not experience morning sickness or nausea. Keep nausea at bay by sticking to a 6 times a day diet in small quantities and by avoiding strong smells and greasy, fried foods. Ditch the high heels and switch to flats and supportive sneakers, preferably. Get used to getting bigger shoes to accommodate for the ‘swelling’. Avoid getting into stressful situations, if possible. Your body is slowly increasing its internal heat. Plan your wardrobe accordingly, even in winter.
10. The second trimester is the golden trimester. Keep up the routine.
11. The third trimester is again very taxing, especially the last 4 weeks. If working, and if the doctor advises that yours is a high risk pregnancy, then take off from work earlier than scheduled, as per the doctor’s instructions. Keep up the yoga, sleep, diet, light exercise.

Tips

• Don’t be shy to ask people to give up their seats in a bus, train, or subway car. Point to your belly and request politely for a seat.
• At work, have an emergency plan ready for number 1 and 2 colleagues who would stay with you throughout the trip to the hospital should you go into labor while at work. Include doctor’s name, number, hospital name, number, address, map, directions, personal contacts’ information.

Warnings

• Any thing that just feels wrong, e.g., baby not moving when he/she regularly does so.
• Sudden, sharp pain anywhere.
• Lightheadness, fainting, sudden sweating, hot flashes.
• Bleeding.
• Anybody/anything ‘bumping’ into your pregnant belly or your back. Must be avoided at all costs. This means using both arms even in a crowded subway to guard your belly and asking people for space.
• Avoid any situation that may result in your falling (even on your butt). Attempting to ‘waddle’ on icy sidewalks and on stairs is a no-no.
• If you fall or are bumped into, go to the doctor or the hospital.

Related wikiHows

• How to Get Pregnant
• How to Find out the Effects of Smoking During Pregnancy
• How to Deal With Teen Pregnancy
• How to Estimate Date of Conception
• How to Take Care of Your Twins Pregnancy

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Prepare Yourself for a Healthy Pregnancy at 35 Years Old. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Health Warnings-7: "Dangers of Junk Food"

British studies warned that eating junk food during pregnancy might cause lasting damage to the child, and that eating too much tofu could lead to dementia.

Courtesy: Harper’s Weekly, July 8, 2008 (Chantal Clarke)

Article on “Junk Food” from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food

Grateful thanks to Chantal Clarke, Harper’s Weekly and Wikipedia.

How To-38: "How to Stay Fit While You’re Pregnant"

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Here’s how to do it safely.

Steps

1. Maintain. This is a time to maintain your fitness level with modifications. This is NOT the time to push yourself.
2. Add some variety. Pregnancy is a great time to mix up the routine with some low-impact activities such as yoga.
3. Know your limits. You should be able to carry on a conversation during your entire workout. Your heart rate should not exceed 140 unless your OB says it’s fine.
4. Communicate with your doctor and a certified fitness professional. Be sure to ask questions and let consultants know that you are pregnant. Often there are modifications to regular exercises that make them better for pregnancy.
5. Keep moving. You must workout at least 2 times a week to get the benefits from exercise. And keep it going throughout your entire pregnancy.
6. Watch your weight. Remember that your goal is to stay fit, not to lose weight. Losing weight during pregnancy is a big no-no.
7. Stay hydrated. It’s key to drink a lot of water before, during and after exercise. Remember, you’re drinking for two. Consider carrying a water bottle while you work out.

Tips

• Get outside.
• Find a workout partner.
• Find a certified fitness professional.
• Keep it fun.
• Eat healthy.

Warnings

• Ask your doctor first.
• Never exercise to exhaustion.
• Do not exercise in the heat.
• Know the warning signs for serious complications.

Related wikiHows

• How to Prevent Pregnancy Stretch Marks
• How to Be Pregnant Gracefully
• How to Stay Fit at Home
• How to Create a Pregnancy Memory Album
• How to Prepare Yourself for a Healthy Pregnancy at 35 Years Old
• How to Create a Flash Photo Album

Sources and Citations

• Delivering Fitness
• Baby Fit
• Exercise and Pregnancy

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Stay Fit While You’re Pregnant. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-37: "How to Prevent Pregnancy Stretch Marks"

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Steps

1. Eat a very healthy diet to nourish your skin (and your baby) from the inside out. Take your prenatal vitamins and eat the right amount of calories from healthy foods which provide plenty of calcium, protein, whole grains, and vitamin rich fruits and vegetables.
2. Drink eight or more glasses of water and/or other fluids daily to hydrate your skin and maintain elasticity.
3. Follow guidelines for gradual weight gain, in the recommended amount. This should be about 25-35 pounds if you’re a healthy weight, slightly more if you’re underweight or expecting twins and slightly less if you’re overweight. The faster you gain weight during pregnancy, the more likely it is you will get stretch marks.
4. Moisturize your breasts, belly, sides, lower back, thighs and anywhere else you think you might get stretch marks at least morning and night if you wish. Creams and lotions have not been medically proven to prevent stretch marks as they cannot penetrate to the deep skin layer where stretch marks occur, but they can help your skin to feel less dry and itchy. Cocoa butter, almond oil and shea butter are marvelous choices. Also wheatgerm oil. If you can find pure Lanolin, it works very well. If you notice itching where your skin is being stretched, that is a sign to add more moisturizer in that area.
5. Continue regimen after you deliver until you’re back to your target weight — rapid weight loss can also result in stretch marks!

Tips

• Your moisturizer should be safe and all natural, for your health and your baby’s. Try moisturizers like those by Blooming Body, or make your own pregnancy stretch mark cream with cocoa butter, olive oil, and vitamin E cream (just squeeze the contents into the other ingredients, mix and apply!).
• Consult a specialist; your OB/Gyn or a Dermatologist (skin specialist) may have some suggestions.
• Wheat germ oil may help.
• Avoid sun exposure and tanning booths. Also, it is unclear if the ingredients in sunscreen can harm your baby as it develops, so if you are going to be outside, use clothing as your sunscreen.
• Avoid allowing your skin to dry out. Cold weather and hot showers or baths will dry out your skin. You may need to moisturize your skin two or three times as often as you normally would during winter or if you take hot showers.
• Even if you are prone to getting stretch marks (you already have them, or women in your family have them), don’t get discouraged. You may still be able to avoid getting them to some degree by taking care of your body and skin.
• Purchase pure cocoa butter from a health food store. Common brands found in regular retailers are not usually pure–check the label. The cocoa butter will be rather hard and solid, so grate some with a microplane or cheese grater, then heat it in a double boiler or a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Once the melted cocoa butter has cooled to just warm, gently smooth it over your belly. This is very soothing, smells wonderful, and helps Mom’s belly feel better if nothing else!
• You can only minimize the appearance with the constant and regular use of creams and other applications. The marks will only fade but they are still there if you look closely or touch the skin. All those expensive creams, oils and ointments can do is improve the tone and appearance of your skin and make the stretch marks less noticeable.

Warnings

• Avoid using certain high tech stretch mark products while pregnant. You will find there are several well-known brands that say “not for use by pregnant or nursing women.”
• Similarly, if you are using lotions or creams to prevent or minimize breast stretch marks, be careful when you’re nursing. You don’t want the baby ingesting the chemicals.

Related wikiHows

• How to Stay Fit While You’re Pregnant
• How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks
• How to Receive a Massage

Sources and Citations

• Post Pregnancy and Stretch Marks
• Shea Butter For Stretch Marks

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Prevent Pregnancy Stretch Marks. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.