All Entries in the "Pregnancy & Birth" Category

Postpartum Abdominal Muscle Pain

Many women experience abdominal muscle aches even after delivering the baby. In some the pain lasts for only for a few days following the delivery; some on the other hand experience the pain for weeks or even months. Experiencing such muscle pains is normal for a new mother; however, even then such pains must be reported to the midwives or doctors for ensuring that onset of serious conditions can be avoided. After birth pains in the abdominal muscles of a new mother occur with contraction of the uterus. The pain is generally maximum in intensity when the mother breastfeeds. However, within 3 to 4 days of childbirth, the pain starts subsiding gradually. However, as abdominal muscles of a woman get significantly weak and stretched due to the tension caused during the 40-weeks of pregnancy,  [...]

Infections after a Miscarriage

Statistics suggests that around 3% women undergoing miscarriage during the 1st trimester develop infections while recovering after the incident. Infections after a miscarriage generally can be treated easily; however, detecting the infection early helps in avoiding further complications. For early detection, it is important to be aware of the signs of miscarriage related infections. A fever causing body temperate more than 100 degrees just after experiencing the miscarriage can be an indicator of infection. This fever can come with our without chills and shivers. Pain is a common sign of miscarriage; but pain occurring due to miscarriage is mostly not severe. So, if you are experiencing severe pain in the lower abdomen or back after the miscarriage you should report it to the doctor immediately  [...]

Negative Anatomical Changes after Childbirth

Pregnancy is a woman's delight and childbirth changes her life completely offering some exciting new experiences. However, a new mother often becomes victim of certain negative anatomical changes following the childbirth. In this article, we have discussed about the 3 most common physical changes experienced by women after delivery. Flabby belly: The uterus of a woman becomes more than double its original size during pregnancy. For accommodating this expansion, the abdominal skin and muscles of the pregnant woman also experience significant stretch. As a result, after delivery the deflated abdomen of the new mother lacks the muscle tones she used to have before pregnancy. There are certain exercises, which when performed during and after pregnancy helps in minimizing this problem. According  [...]

Vascular Changes Experienced by Pregnant Women

A pregnant woman experiences a number of changes in her body; majority of these changes occur for allowing the fetus in her womb to grow. The cardiovascular system of a pregnant woman also experiences a lot of changes; many common signs of pregnancy occur due to the vascular changes occurring in the body of the expecting woman. Majority of these signs subsides as time passes by; but there are also certain changes that stay back permanently. The volume of blood in a pregnant woman’s body is almost 50% more than the volume of blood present in a woman who is not pregnant. The vascular system of pregnant women thus needs to undergo certain natural transformation for accommodating this excess blood. If no such transformation would have taken place, the expecting woman would become a victim of  [...]

Fish Oil Supplements for Pregnant Women

Fish oil is a rich source of 2 omega-3 fatty acid types namely EPA or eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA or docosahexaenoic acid. Other than the fatty fishes, you will only come across few food items acting as rich sources of EPA and DHA. Pregnant mothers are particularly asked to consume DHA supplements as DHA promotes development of the nervous system and brain of the growing fetus during the first 2 trimesters of pregnancy. Women, who are not fond of fish, can go for fish oil supplements after consulting her supervising gynecologist. A number of fish oil supplements available in the market contain both EPA and DHA. However, physicians might not want to prescribe supplements containing EPA to the expecting women; this is because taking additional amount of EPA might spoil the balance between EPA  [...]

Loose Stool during 1st Trimester of Pregnancy

Pregnancy comes with a number of mental and physical disorders. Majority of these pregnancy related conditions can be managed without any serious medical intervention. One of the most common discomforts experienced by women during the 1st trimester of pregnancy is loose stools. Women experiencing such condition might become concerned about the health of the growing fetus as well as their own health. There is no need to visiting the doctor after having loose stool once or twice; however, if you find that the frequency of such stool is quite high, it is advisable that you seek immediate medical assistance. What are the factors that might cause loose stools during the 1st trimester of pregnancy? One of possible causes of this disorder can be fluctuating hormonal levels. The other common causes  [...]

Pregnancy after 35: What Are the Complications?

According to obstetricians, a woman reaches an advanced maternal age after crossing the age of 35 years. However, today, many women are getting pregnant after reaching 35. Statistics show that 1 out of every 5 first time moms has crossed 35 years of age. Getting pregnant after crossing 35 is quite possible, but these mothers are more likely to face pregnancy complications compared to a younger mother. Pregnancy complications associated with advanced maternal age include the following: Increases rate of miscarriage: Women above 35 years of age are more likely to have miscarriage during early pregnancy as remaining eggs often possess abnormal chromosomes. Close to 50% of all 1st trimester miscarriages occur due to chromosomal abnormalities. Women have all their eggs right from the time of their  [...]

Can Pregnant Women Use Insulin Injection for Treatment of Diabetes?

Diabetes during pregnancy is often referred by the medical name, gestational diabetes. This medical condition is observed among more than 7 per cent of pregnancies, especially during the beginning of the second or thirst trimester. There may be a few complications in case the condition is not checked on time. The best way to counter elevated sugar level during pregnancy is the timely administration of insulin. Unlike, the popular beliefs, certain old insulin medications are regarded safe for consumption during pregnancy. The newer genre of insulin medications are tagged under category C for pregnancy which clearly means that these medicines may or may not be safe for the health of the growing fetus in the womb. However, along the administration of this drug, sugar levels can be well monitored  [...]

How Ayurveda Helps in Managing Women Health during Pregnancy?

Motherhood is considered the most divine part of a woman's life. A mother is equated to God in Indian philosophy. As you prepare for this divine stage in your life, you should give special care to yourself and the child growing in your womb. You could consider Ayurvedic care, as Ayurvedic antenatal care is said be one of the best in the world. There is an elaborate regimen to be followed that makes you physically, mentally and emotionally fit. Ayurveda promises a strong, healthy and well-nourished child to a mother who adheres to the Ayurvedic regimen. A mother should never get anxious or agitated. You should relax and get sufficient sleep during the night. As the fetus grows in your womb and your body changes, Ayurveda advises different treatments. Each month of pregnancy is treated differently.  [...]

Subchorionic Hemorrhage in Pregnant Women

The blood clots forming within a woman’s uterus is medically referred to as subchorionic hemorrhage or subchorionic hematomas. Although the thought of any such condition is quite frightening, majority of the medical experts suggest that subchorionic hematomas can occur in any woman during the initial weeks of pregnancy. Subchorionic hemorrhage or subchorionic hematoma is a condition characterized by blood coagulation in the region between the expecting mother’s gestational sac (the portion of the mother’s womb having the developing fetus) and uterine wall. Recently the doctors have come to the conclusion that subchorionic hemorrhage occurs more frequently during the initial weeks of pregnancy than what they actually thought. Earlier a large share of the cases of subchorionic hemorrhage  [...]