Parenting Blog

Things have started changing as soon as you got the news of becoming a dad. This phase will require much effort from your side too. Discussions will be there always but at this crucial phase when your wife is already worried and curious about her pregnancy, it is the would-be dad who should handle the situation in a smart way.

1. You will find your wife bombarding you with questions like, “Does my jeans look very small?” or “Have my butts become very heavy?” and other such weight related depressing discussions. Do not comment. This question if tackled without care, they may make blunders and you may make your wife upset. This is the time to pamper her and make her feel good.

2. You need to understand that at certain times, your wife may not feel like cooking and doing the regular work. Never argue with her. Buy a cookbook and look for some easy to prepare meals that would be nutritious for her and the baby as well as it will make you both much closer. When you will cook, actually this food will be consumed by your baby too. Include enough of minerals and vitamins in her diet.

3. Do not complaint that after she has got pregnant, there is nothing you can both do together. Take out some time and go for a walk. This walk will help her as well as you will get some quality time with her.

4. Never say to her that she exercised before and now what has happened. The pregnant women may need some kind of emotional support and motivation for exercising regularly. You make your routine such that you both exercise together. Take her to the doctor and ask about what kind of exercises will be good for her pregnancy and health.

5. Pregnancy may have caused some mental stress on her. She needs your emotional support, your gentle touch and some words of love. Never say any negative things about her and the baby. Tell her how special she has been, say that she looks beautiful as a mother and fill the environment around her with positive vibes.

6. She expects that you will be actively interested not only in getting her pregnant but throughout during pregnancy and baby birth. This is the magical and most incredible phase of your life. Enjoy these special moments and cherish them. Make some plans for taking her out on a date. Watch some movies and read some parenting stuff sitting together. Make plans for the baby. Avoid arguments and discussions on small things.

7. Mostly men are not able to show their inner feelings out. Never remain quiet. Your silence can make her more tensed. This is the time to open up and show her that she is not alone; you are there to protect her.

If you are one of those women who are addicted to alcohol and got pregnant then life will no more be same for you. You will have to control your cravings towards alcohol as it is not only harmful to you but to your baby as well. When you take alcohol it is absorbed by the blood first and starts to circulate through out the body until the liver breaks it down. For breaking down the alcohol contained by a glass of bear or wine the liver takes approximately an hour and till this process completes it remains in your blood. It is harmful to drink during pregnancy as the alcohol in the bloodstream also passes through the placenta and the baby absorbs it as much as you do.

The children are susceptible to a wide range of defects due to your addiction towards alcohol. If you keep taking alcohol during pregnancy you are increasing the chances of your baby to have FAS or the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. A child having FAS may be exposed to several physical and mental disorders.

One of the most common defects in children suffering from FAS is lack of growth. They generally weigh less than the normal babies, their height is shorter and the size of the head is small as well. They also typically have thin upper lips, narrow eyes and suffer disorders of hearts and joints as well as other internal complications.

Whatever you eat or drink during pregnancy has a direct impact on your baby. The same rule applies for alcohol as well and the baby can get hurt. The physical and mental disorders could stay with him or her for the entire life.

If you think that you may drink some kind of alcohol that may be safe for your and your baby then you are wrong and all types of alcoholic drinks are unsafe for the baby in the womb. Sometimes, the children are lucky enough to escape through the hazards of alcohol during pregnancy. Women who give multiple births may think that as nothing happened in their first term the result will be repeated the next time as well. But, you must know that every pregnancy is different in itself. You may have been lucky to have a child without any disorders in spite of your carelessness but the consequences of alcoholism may be even worse on the second child. It is always safe to avoid drinking and give your baby chance to live a healthy life.

None of the problems that occur in the baby are temporary and you should not wait any further to get rid of your alcohol drinking habit. As soon as you are aware of the fact that alcohol is harmful for your baby the best decision will be to stop drinking.

There are a lot of questions that may come to you as a first time mother of what may happen inside the delivery room. It may look scary to a lot of people but it is actually not. Although, the delivery day may be one of the most important days of your life, it is pretty routine stuff for the nursing staff and doctors. Let us walk through the process of what goes inside the delivery room.

When you are brought inside the delivery room you may first observe a lot of action around you. There might be nurses coming to check if you are dilated. You may be allowed to walk till your water is broken and then they will keep you on the bed. Once they feel that you have reached to a level when you can deliver a baby you may be then hooked to the machines and doctors will keep an eye on your progress through them. When its time for the baby to come out you will be asked keep pushing until she comes out. The baby may then be rubbed, dried and covered with a towel or a blanket and kept besides you. In some cases the baby is also taken to a warmer place.

Since the baby is not able to retain its body’s heat it is important to take care and keep him warm. A dose of vitamin K will be given to help clotting of the blood and then to prevent any kind of infection to the eyes an antibiotic ointment is applied which not irritating to the baby and she can see through it. The footprints of the baby will be taken and for identification, some bands or tags may be placed on his hands and legs.

In the meantime your placenta will have to be delivered and it may take from thirty to sixty to slide out. You may still feel cramping when the placenta is delivered even if it is very small in size, soft and without any bones. Now, the uterus should contract back to its original shape and to help you in this process Pitocin may be injected to your body. It is can also be supplied with the help of IV fluids to your body. To get the same effect the uterus may also be massaged externally, or nipples may be rubbed, or the baby may be brought to suck them.

If you did not have a normal delivery and undergone a c-section or episiotomy the area will be once again inspected and if there is a need to repair it may be done with a little dose of local anesthesia.

That will bring you to the end of the process of your delivery but you may still be kept in the delivery section for sometime for any postpartum issues. Lastly, you will be taken to a postpartum room to regain your energy and within a day or two will be released from the hospital.

Weight gain is acceptable to all women when they are pregnant. But, it does not mean that you keep stuffing junk food. It’s the time when you have to become even more conscious about your eating habits. There is life inside you but then if you double your diet it is not going to help. What will help is eating a proper and healthy diet. In, the last stages of your pregnancy it may also help you to take small portions so that the abdomen is able to keep it inside.

Food that provides all the ingredients necessary for the development of the baby should be taken. Let’s go through the items that should be compulsorily included in an ideal diet during pregnancy.

Grains

Grains are the primary source of carbohydrates providing energy to the body. You should especially include whole grains in your diet as they provide fiber and prevents the main problem constipation during pregnancy.

Fruits & Vegetables

Fruits and Vegetables constitute of many nutrients and vitamins needed by the body. Fruits helps in absorbing iron and help in building the tissue of the baby. Instead of frozen foods, you should take green and leafy vegetables in your diet and instead of canned fruits take fresh fruits. Expecting mothers should also eat citrus food products that are rich in vitamin C.

Protein

As everybody knows, proteins are the building blocks for the body. Food such as fish, meat and beans are rich in proteins. Even eggs and peanut butter could be a high source of protein. If you are a vegetarian than you can fulfill your daily needs of protein by taking tofu, split peas, dried beans, soy and soy related products like soy milk, soy burger etc.

Dairy

Milk and milk products are a rich source of calcium and very important to build the teeth and bones of the body. Foods such as yogurt, natural or processed cheese are also rich in calcium. When taking dairy products one has to be careful about a bacterium called listeriosis commonly found in unpasteurized cheese like feta, Brie and Camembert which can be dangerous during pregnancy.

Fats

Fats are also important for the body but the approach of taking them should be the same as it was when you were not pregnant. You should take minimum amount of food like butter, fatty meat products, dairy products made of whole milk and try to take more of healthy fats like olive oil and fats present in fish.

A good diet is an essential part of pregnancy and if you are aware of the kind of food you should eat during pregnancy it will certainly help you sail easily through the process of pregnancy.

New research from Britain shows that women who quit smoking when they become pregnant have happier, less fussy babies when compared to women who smoked during pregnancy and even women who have never smoked. This is a surprising discovery, and scientists are certain that it’s not just a coincidence. The babies of women who smoke heaviest during pregnancy proved to be the fussiest, while the babies of women who have never smoked made up the middle ground. The researchers suspect that this is because mothers who quit smoking to do what’s best for their baby have certain easy-going characteristics themselves and their babies have inherited these genes. Other studies show that women who quit smoking when they become pregnant also lead happier lives and have healthier relationships. Researchers believe these women possess certain traits that enable them to quit smoking for their babies and that it’s these traits that are the root cause of the babies’ happier temperament.

Smoking during pregnancy can cause many complications. Sometimes a mother who smokes will give birth to a healthy baby, but when you look at the possible risks, this isn’t a good incentive to smoke during pregnancy. Smoking inhibits the growth of the fetus because it will receive less oxygen and fewer nutrients, which can also cause brain damage, and smokers have a higher rate of miscarriage and premature birth. Many premature babies’ lungs are underdeveloped and they will suffer from life-threatening breathing difficulties. A smoker’s unborn child will be exposed to all of the carcinogens, carbon monoxide, nicotine and tobacco that the mother inhales, and these things deprive the baby of food and oxygen. These carcinogens are also present in the mother’s breast milk, so if a mother begins smoking again after she gives birth, her baby will still be in danger. Smoking increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, which is often related to respiratory troubles. Second-hand smoke is also dangerous to an unborn child, so if a woman’s partner smokes while the woman is pregnant, he poses a threat to the child. Many women find it easier to quit when they are or will become pregnant because they have an added reason – their child – to do so. There are simply too many risks involved with smoking during pregnancy. If you choose to become pregnant you have taken on the responsibility of doing what is best for your baby, and that means kicking the bad habit.