Am I Pregnant?

Am I Pregnant? By Maria Gonzalez

Am I pregnant? This is often one of the most important questions a women can ask. If you suspect you are pregnant, getting good prenatal care early is very important, so finding out as soon as possible is vital.

Am I pregnant? Have you missed a period? Are you bloated? Are your breasts tender? These may be early symptoms of pregnancy. Have you spotted, but never gotten your period? Do things smell and taste differently? Are you tired?

If you can answer yes to at least one or two of these questions, you may be pregnant. However, some women never suspect that they have conceived. As soon as your period is late, you can perform an at-home pregnancy test inexpensively and privately. These tests can be found at your local discount or drug store. The at-home tests claim 99% accuracy, and false positives are rare, so if you test positive you are most likely pregnant. Since these tests measure the level of pregnancy hormone (HCG) in your urine, it’s important to follow the instructions carefully and repeat a negative test a few days to a week later just to be sure. Sometimes hormone levels don’t rise high enough to be detected right away.

If you suspect you are pregnant, refrain from smoking, drinking alcohol and using illegal drugs until you are sure. These substances are harmful to a developing baby. Stay away from x-rays and try to eat healthy until your pregnancy is confirmed.

Maria writes for Pregnancy Due Date, a site that tries to information for expectant mothers. For more great pregnancy articles, visit our Pregnancy articles archive.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Pregnancy 101 - The Real Basics


Pregnancy 101 - The Real Basics
By Nicky Foote

"You are pregnant!" Maybe you are waiting to hear these words or you have recently heard them. The whole getting pregnant and being pregnant process is one that brings a huge range of emotions and experiences for each individual.

Talk to any mother and you get a host of stories about their experiences both good and bad. For the first time parent it can be a time of great joy and of anxiety as you try and understand what is happening to you.

I can remember going shopping for my niece about a year before I had children. She had just been born and I wanted to buy a present for her. Now I have to admit I had not had much to do with young children up to that point so going to the baby section of the shop was a whole new world. All the clothes were in different sizes with choices of zips, buttons or press studs. Then there was all manner of 'accessories' from bath seats to chew toys to fluffy toys etc. From memory I think I ended up going for bibs which I thought was a relatively safe choice. They were still using them with their second child so I guess I did OK.

Now with two children of my own I am much more with it when it comes to baby stuff but I can still remember the ups and downs of being pregnant and the value of having a basic guide to what to expect as time goes on.

In this article I will be looking at some real pregnancy basics, the type of stuff that by the end of your pregnancy you forget that you never knew, like a typical pregnancy is 40 weeks.

Your pregnancy is divided up into three trimesters:

Trimester 1: Weeks 1-13.

This is where you can suffer nausea, backache, stress, fatigue and mood swings. It is where the morning sickness can get you. Some say ginger or dandelion tea will help the nausea.

Trimester 2: Weeks 14-26

For most this trimester is easier, the nausea and fatigue goes and you often experience the 'glow'. Your abdomen will grow and sometime during this time you get to feel your baby move for the first time.

Trimester 3: Weeks 27 - birth

Things can start to become uncomfortable as the baby grows and does things like pushing on your bladder so it's off to the toilet frequently. For some finding a comfortable position to sleep can become a real challenge.

Of course once you get through all this there is the birth. This is another whole area to get educated in, the symptoms of labour, the stages of labour, how to prepare and so on.

For some pregnancy can be a relatively easy time with little discomfort or complication, for others one or more symptom can create problems whether it be extreme morning sickness, fluid retention, heartburn or any of the other multitude of issues that pregnancy can produce. In a short article like this I cannot cover all the issues or problems that can occur. I thoroughly recommend obtaining a comprehensive resource like a book or eBook that you can refer to instantly as issues arise.

Having this sort of resource behind you helps you relax, knowing that the answer to your questions is just seconds away, you don't have to wait until you next see the doctor.

It is important to not only understand what is happening to your body but also what effects things like smoking, alcohol or drugs have on you and your baby during this time and what you should be eating.

A comprehensive guide to your pregnancy should include some information on getting pregnant, how to know when you are pregnant, stages of pregnancy (including changes happening to you, fetus development and possible problems), labour and birth plus how to look after yourself.

Check who the author is and what their qualifications are, ideally someone who has had lots to do with pregnancy and its issues e.g. doctor, midwife, nurse etc. Go with an expert and ideally one who has been there themselves, that is they have children of their own.

One ebook that meets this criteria is A-Z of Pregnancy at Top Line Publications. It is written by a doctor and mother in a way that is simple to read and understand. Grab yourself a copy of this or a similar publication to help you along, also read my other articles on pregnancy which will be published over the next few weeks. Good luck!

Nicky Foote is a successful publisher of quality eBooks and software, giving practical information for practical living. Information to help you enhance your life, lifestyle and family, assist in your business and improve your leisure time. Visit http://www.toplinepublications.com today to instantly download ebooks of your choice.

Go to http://www.toplinepublications.com/prods.php?cat_id=9&prod_id=25 to download your complete guide to Pregnancy.



Posted by Hotel at 11:27 AM  

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