Health Care and Mothers To Be

The Bible elevates motherhood to a sacred position. Being a mother can be at once both exciting and scary. New life growing inside a pregnant female can be a cause for joy and celebration. And, depending on the situation causing the pregnancy, a young girl or woman who did not expect the news and is not pleased with the prospect of raising a newborn may not be happy about the eventual outcome. However, pregnancy should be a reason to rejoice regardless of the reason it came about. The new fetus who is growing inside the mother will have every bit of potential to be a successful man or woman as anyone who has ever lived. Recognizing the part each of us plays in the 40 weeks leading up to delivery is an important part in the overall health of the unborn child.

Getting ready for pregnancy can be very important. The following tips are offered on the website Pregnancy.org:
1.) Improve your diet--a balanced diet of at least three meals a day, nutrients for a healthy pregnancy including calcium and folic acid, a good prenatal/multiple vitamin, and cutting back on caffeine.
2.) Healthy weight--Get down to your ideal weight for your height before attempting to conceive as underweight mothers tend to have low birth weight babies.
3.) Exercise-- You can improve your mood and energy level and achieve a healthy pre-pregnancy weight with exercises including walking, jogging, running, swimming, and aerobics. You'll also be less vulnerable to the hormonal swings.
4.) No alcohol, recreational drugs, smoking--these habits are connected to low birth weight babies, miscarriage, SIDS, and behavioral problems later in life.

According to Healthology, pregnancy can be the most exciting (and scary!) time of a woman's life. Millions of women have gone through successful pregnancies in the past and much of what we know is based on their experiences. A few simple preventative measures can help to ensure that your pregnancy goes as smoothly as possible and that your child is born as healthy and happy as can be.

Author Ann Douglas states that feeling good about yourself as a woman is the key to making the most of the childbearing year. A woman who feels good about herself will celebrate the changes that her body experiences during pregnancy, look forward to the challenge of giving birth, and willingly accept the physical and emotional changes of the postpartum period. Unfortunately, not all women embark on pregnancy with a healthy self-image. Feeling good about themselves as their bodies experience extraordinary changes can be extremely difficult for these women, and they may require a great deal of support from friends and family during this challenging year in their lives. Women tend to fall into one of two camps during their pregnancies: those who feel very negatively, and those who feel very positively about their situation.

When it comes to pregnancy, most first timers immediately think about morning sickness, cramps, mood swings, weird cravings, and a mortal fear of your bodies not being the same ever again according to the folks at Pregnancy-Period.com. But ask any woman who has been through pregnancy and she will remember it blissfully. Pregnancy may be a harsh change but it is also the initiation of a woman into the realms of divinity. Pregnancy is the "potter's wheel of creation", and it is a joy to be cherished. A happy, healthy pregnancy is the path to a lifetime of maternal bliss. In certain parts of the world, pregnancy is equated to rebirth. This is the time you face the most physical and emotional changes in yourself, not to mention social changes. You are actually going to be nurturing another life inside your own body. You'll soon realize that your capacity for love for this life is unlimited and unconditional. It is very important to understand exactly what to do and how to look after yourself during your pregnancy. It is going to be a wonderful journey that you will remember as long as you live. Right from the time when you recognize early pregnancy symptoms to the moment when it is time to give birth, you must be aware of all the choices and options you have, so that you can make the right decisions.

Pregnancy is a life-changing time in the life of any woman. There are many options that must be considered about the 40 weeks of gestation, about the delivery, and about postpartum life. During the 9 months while the baby(ies) is growing, new mothers should think about how they want to deliver, and the newborn will need lots of love and attention after the birth. Childbirth classes and books can provide loads of choices; and, in addition to learning about natural pain-relief techniques, c-sections, and pain medications, it would be a good idea to pre-register at the hospital well in advance of delivery. Also, try to ignore any childbirth horror stories people want to share as your child's birth will likely be significantly better than what your imagination can dream up.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development says that expectant moms need to have regular visits with their healthcare provider. If you are pregnant, these pre-natal care visits are very important for your baby and yourself. Some things you might do when you are pregnant could hurt your baby, such as smoking or drinking. Some medicines can also be a problem, even ones that a doctor prescribed. You will need to drink plenty of fluids and eat a healthy diet. In early pregnancy, you may get morning sickness, or nausea. You may also be tired and need more rest. Your body will change as your baby grows during the nine months of your pregnancy. Don't hesitate to call your health care provider if something is bothering or worrying you.

More than 4 million babies are born in the United States each year, and the details of how, when, and where they arrive are always shifting.The news from the final 2005 report and preliminary 2006 report on births from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that America continues to boast climbing birth rates, following the baby decline of the 1990s. In fact, we're experiencing a little baby boom of sorts, with an increase of 3 percent from 2005 to 2006 — the largest single-year increase in the number of births since 1989 — and the largest total number of births (4.27 million) since 1961.Births rose for all ethnicities in 2006, with a record high of over 1 million births reported for Hispanic women according to a report released on Babycenter.com.

As a mother to be, it really is the most exciting thing in the world to observe all the changes that your body is experience during pregnancy. Maintain a journal – it can be really useful every time you visit your doctor. Your pregnancy can be divided into three stages – the first trimester, the second trimester and the third trimester – even though it can seem like an entire lifetime that you won't miss for anything else in the world. As mentioned above, the right nutritional and well balanced diet can go a long way in helping you. Find out what you ought to avoid and what is good – know all about pregnancy weight gain, the right kind. Read up on medications to take and avoid. A pregnant woman must relax; get good sleep and exercise to have a healthy pregnancy.

To be a mother can be a blessed experience. Ask anyone who ever gave birth and raised a child. The time between conception and delivery can be a period of learning about yourself and your baby. Use the months during pregnancy to grow spiritually, emotionally, and socially. Learn to make right choices that will continue through the early childhood years and beyond. Be thankful for the opportunity to create a life for the life created in you. As a father, I can recommend that the joy that a mother feels about her newborn child is the greatest feeling in the world.

Until next time. Let me know what you think.