What is dizziness during pregnancy?
A disorienting feeling of unsteadiness (vertigo) can make expectant moms feel as if they’re about to fall or faint (and sometimes they do!).

What causes dizziness during pregnancy?
Early in pregnancy, lightheadedness is likely due to the fact that your body isn’t yet producing enough blood to fill a rapidly expanding circulatory system. (The good news: Your body is gearing up to meet the needs of two bodies instead of one.)

In the second trimester of pregnancy, your growing (and growing!) uterus may put pressure on your blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to your brain, sometimes making your head spin. (By the way, that reduced blood flow is probably the reason you often forget your own name these days.) You might also feel dizzy if your blood sugar drops or you become dehydrated.

Another possible reason you're feeling lightheaded during pregnancy is that you're spending too much time in a hot or stuffy room, especially if you’re wearing clothes that are too tight or warm. Remember, your body is a baby-making oven, generating plenty of its own heat right now.

What you need to know about dizziness during pregnancy:
It's common to feel lightheaded during pregnancy, but if your dizziness persists, or if you actually faint, put in a call to your practitioner just to make sure everything’s okay.

And keep in mind that no matter how "normal" it is to feel dizzy when you’re pregnant, that doesn’t mean you should ignore the feeling. If you’re feeling lightheaded, use common sense: no driving, working out, or handling anything dangerous. If you start to feel especially woozy, sit down immediately so you don’t wind up falling and hurting yourself or your baby.

What to do about dizziness during pregnancy:
You can stop a dizzy spell in its tracks by lying down as soon as you start to feel lightheaded. Elevate your feet to increase blood flow to your brain. Second best: Sit down and bend as far forward as you can, putting your head between your knees, if possible. If there’s no place to lie down or sit, kneel on one knee and bend forward as if you were tying your shoe until the spell passes. And if you need help, don’t be shy about asking.

To keep a spell from starting in the first place:

• Don’t get up too quickly from a sitting or prone position.
• Eat protein at every meal to maintain stable blood-sugar levels.
• Make sure you're eating well during pregnancy — eat several small meals throughout the day.
• Carry healthy pregnancy snacks with you for a quick blood-sugar boost. Good options: a box of raisins, a piece of fruit, or a couple of whole-wheat crackers.
• Make sure you're drinking enough water — at least eight glasses a day; more if it’s hot or you’re working out.
• Dress in easy-to-shed layers in case you start feeling overheated.
• Don’t wear tight-fitting clothes, scarves, or hats.

If dizziness or lightheadedness persists, tell your practitioner how you’re feeling at your next visit. But if you actually pass out, call ASAP (once you come to, of course).

Questions About Pregnancy

Below I want to share 10 Question About Pregnancy you might not want to Ask your Doctor

Q1. Can I get pregnant following oral sex or heavy petting?
No. You can only get pregnant from full sexual intercourse.

Q2. How will I know if I am pregnant?
If you have had sexual intercourse since your last period and you are late for your current period, you may be pregnant. Following implantation of the fertilised egg menstruation should not occur, hence for women who have been sexually active and who have previously menstruated regularly, the absence of a period should be put down to pregnancy.
The most common way to confirm a pregnancy is to purchase and undertake a home test. These are relatively cheap and can be done in the privacy of your home. The manufacturers claim they are over 95% accurate.
If the home test has a positive result, you should make an appointment to see your doctor.

Q3. Is it safe to have sex during pregnancy?
For most couples it is normal for them to enjoy an active sex life throughout the pregnancy. Sexual intercourse will not harm the development of your baby as it is cushioned by a bag of fluid in your uterus.
Sex during your pregnancy may also help you both unwind and should help you maintain a strong bond with your partner, ready for the months ahead.

Q4. Does vaginal discharge increases during this time?
Yes, unfortunately it does. Vaginal discharge may well increase during all stages of your pregnancy and should be similar to the discharge you have previously had before a period. It is only if the discharge becomes very thick, smelly or blood stained that you need to seek medical assistance. If the cause is an infection, it can be easily treated with creams or tablets.

Q5. Will I get piles/haemorrhoids?
You may. Although people laugh and joke about piles, they are no laughing matter.
During pregnancy the walls and veins in your anus swell and blood flow becomes sluggish, causing the affected veins to throb and become painful.
There are precautions you can take to help reduce the chances of developing piles, such as:
 - Eat a high fibre diet and drink lots of fluid to avoid constipation.
 -Try to relax on the toilet and not strain.
 - Undertake regular exercise and pelvic floor exercises to help blood flow around your anus.
If you do get piles, your doctor, midwife or pharmacist will be able to suggest a suitable cream to ease the pain.

Q6. What is the best contraception to use after birth?
This will depend on how soon you wish to have another baby. If you want another baby soon (within one year), then short-term measures such as the cap or condom, ideally with the use of a spermicide, are probably the best contraception.
Long term, methods such as contraceptive injection, hormone implant and 'the pill' may be your best options.

Q7. How soon can I have sex after birth?
It is advisable to wait a few weeks after a normal delivery, and up to three months after a caesarean, as healing may take this length of time. It is important however that both you and your partner agree: neither should feel pressured into it.
Be aware that you may feel dry; though by using water-based lubricants there is no reason why sex should not be as enjoyable as before.

Q8. How will the midwife measure cervical dilation?
The midwife will measure how dilated (or open) the cervix is by gently inserting two fingers into the vagina. She assesses how open the cervix is by opening her fingers and feeling around its perimeter. She will also be feeling the position of the cervix and how soft it is.
She will always try to be gentle but sometimes the process can be slightly uncomfortable. Try to stay as relaxed as possible: the tenser you are, the more uncomfortable the procedure will be. Hold your partner's hand while the midwife examines you and ask him to try and distract you.

Q9. How will the hospital staff break my waters if they need to?
The midwife will discuss with you why you might need your waters breaking. Remember though, if you are not comfortable with this you can decline. If you fully understand the need to have your waters broken, and are happy to go ahead, the midwife or doctor will perform a normal vaginal examination then insert a long thin plastic hook that is a little bit like a crochet hook. The hook will be brushed over the bag of waters, which will usually be enough pressure to break it. The cervix does, however, have to be sufficiently open for this to be carried out.

Q10. If I have an episiotomy or perineal tear, how will it be repaired?
It is not always the case that your perineum (the area between the vaginal entrance and the rectum) will tear or need to be cut. Moreover, if it is, there is no way of knowing if you will require stitches. Some studies have shown that perineal massage can help prevent trauma. Your midwife will be able to advise you on this. Sometimes if a small tear has been sustained, it will be left to heal naturally.
If the area does require stitches, the midwife who has been looking after you will usually do it. You will be given local anaesthetic to numb the area before the midwife starts and she will check that you are unable to feel any pain before commencing. These days, stitches are almost always dissolvable and will not need to be removed.

 

The Early Signs Of Pregnancy(Questions about pregnancy)

Questions about pregnancy

Signs of pregnancy differ from women to women. Some women may experience early signs of pregnancy within days of conceiving while other might experience the signs much later. There is nothing wrong with experiencing early signs of pregnancy right away or later.

The most common early sign of pregnancy is missing the menstrual period. This is when most women go for a pregnancy test to determine whether they have conceived or not. However, many women bleed while they are pregnant and this bleeding is generally lighter and for a shorter duration than the normal periods.

Another early sign of pregnancy is the implantation bleeding. This happens when the embryo implants itself on the uterine wall after fertilization has taken place. Implantation bleeding is generally pink in color and it is not bleeding per se. It is spotting and is accompanied by cramps.

Some women complain of frequent urination and this occurs even before they miss their periods. Usually frequent urination happens because of the changes in hormone levels. Many women also check their body temperature to determine whether they are pregnant. An increase in body temperature is an early sign of pregnancy.

If you experience one or all of the sign listed above, it is time to do a pregnancy test. You can either do the test at home or visit a doctor. Even if your home pregnancy test is negative and you are still having the early signs of pregnancy, make sure you visit a gynecologist to be on the safer side.

About Author:

Pauline Go is a professional writer for many website like newbiemommy.com. She also writes other great articles like Choosing Cute Baby Names Tips, Signs Of Miscarriage, Sex After A C Section

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pauline_Go

Questions about pregnancy

What Are The Early Signs Of Pregnancy

What Are The Early Signs Of Pregnancy

Just as body reaction differs so are pregnancy signs. Some women may experience signs of pregnancy within some days of pregnancy but some stay up to weeks before such experience may occur while in some women pregnancy signs may not occur at all.

Early pregnancy signs differ from one woman to the other and from pregnancy to the other. For you to understand the signs of your pregnancy is very important in the sense that the signs you are having may be related to something else other than pregnancy.

However, missed menstrual period is one of the most common pregnancy signs that lead a woman to undergo test of pregnancy. When you conceive, you will not expect to see your next period though many women bleed while they are pregnant but if you fall into this category you will find out that the bleeding will be lighter and shorter than your normal period.

Implantation bleeding is also one of the early signs of pregnancy meanwhile the embryo implants itself into the uterine wall after conception thereby causing you to experience some cramping and spotting which may be pink in colour.

Frequent urination as one of the early pregnancy signs occurs in some women even before they missed their period. This happens because the changes in hormone levels that is produced by implantation of embryo. Also, increase in body temperature is also one of the early pregnancy signs.

All things being equal, if you begin to experience any of the signs listed above, you better confirm if it is pregnancy by going for urine test or carryout home pregnancy tests yourself. After all these and you still test negative, try again the test again or to be in a safer side, see your gynecologists.

Recommended: Visit Baby Making Issues And You for more information on how to manage your lifestyle to enhance your rate of conception.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Precious_Chinwe_Chibuzo

What Are The Early Signs Of Pregnancy