In your third trimester, your baby was old enough to start getting a taste of the foods his or her mommy likes.   Now that your baby is here and you’re breast feeding, your baby will get an even better taste of your favorite food.

Typically if you are nursing your baby you should produce anywhere from 23 to 27 ounces of milk a day. In order to do this, you need to increase your calorie intake by about 500 more a day.

You also have to increase your water consumption to at least 2 1/2 to 3 quarts of water a day.  You may notice that you are thirstier during nursing session.  This is because the water you drink goes right to milk production.    Try not to drink more than 3 quarts of water a day.  Anything more than 3 quarts can reduce the amount of milk your body produces.

As stated earlier, you need to up your calorie intake. Plan to take in about 2500 calories a day or more if you are planning to nurse for longer than three months. These extra calories should not come from junk food. Junk food and sweets are just empty calories and offer no nutritional value to you or your baby. Eat more protein.  A good rule of thumb is to eat 1 gram of protein each day for every pound you weigh. If you weigh 150, aim to eat 150grams of protein a day.

If you were not doing so during pregnancy, adopt the six meals a day program. Eat breakfast, a midday snack, lunch, a mid afternoon snack, dinner and a night time snack. Your body is going to be making milk continually so it is a good idea to keep it charged with calories through out the day.

There are some foods you might want to avoid during pregnancy. Pretty much everything passes through breast milk and to the baby. This is why the first thing pediatricians advise nursing moms to do when their baby has colic is to look at what they are eating. Chocolate has been blamed in many cases of colic and can cause an upset tummy for most babies.  f you have a baby with a tummy ache think back to see if you had a candy bar or even a cookie in the hours before you nursed. The best advice is to stay away from chocolate while you are nursing.

Stay away from greasy and spicy foods while you are breastfeeding. Greasy foods sometimes upset adults stomachs, imagine what it  would do to your baby’s immature stomach?  Wait until your baby is older and no longer nursing before you start making trips back to McDonalds.

You may also want to stay away from garlic and onions while you are breast feeding. Both of these can flavor the breast milk and you may find that your little one  will not nurse if you have eaten these. Your little one may be just a tad too young to appreciate the taste of garlic and onions anyway. Remember it takes a few hours for the food you eat to make its way into your breast milk. You may have eaten one of these foods right before you nurse and see your baby is fine but by either the following nursing session or the one after you might find your baby having a reaction then.

Your breast milk does not only taste like what you eat, but also what you drink. Just as with pregnancy, you should stay away from a lot of caffeine while breastfeeding. You might need some coffee or caffeine filled soda to keep you functioning and a cup or two will not hurt you or your baby, but too much could have disastrous effects. Just as we experience the jitters and shakes from too much caffeine, your baby does also. Keep your caffeine down to a minimum.

You have made an excellent choice breastfeeding your baby.  Keep it up by making good choices as to what you eat.

Interview on the NBC Today Show on pregnancy and birthing. … pregnancy pregnant birthing birth coaching self help

www.productgator.com/pregnancy – FREE Comprehensive Pregnancy Guide Book For Instant Download! FREE Pregnancy Guide For Woman Who Wants To Know What It Takes To Be Pregnant In The 21st Century.

Throughout your pregnancy you are going to experience a number of aches and pains. While Doctors and midwives used to disregard these as normal pains of pregnancy in our days they know better and that is why they recommend you eat a well balanced diet throughout your pregnancy. In this article I will show you just a few examples of how having proper nutrition during pregnancy can help you have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

For instance, having problems with teeth and gums is a frequent problem you may experience. In order to avoid this you need to insure that you have enough calcium and vitamin C in your diet.   You can easily get the added calcium and vitamin C from a piece of cheese, nuts or even a piece of sugar free gum.

Another common aliment during pregnancy is dizziness or lighheadedness; this can be increased when meals are too far apart. This is why it is essential to eat several small meals throughout the day as opposed to three large meals. You will also want to eat as healthy as possible and refrain from junk food whenever possible as to avoid the dreaded sugar rush.

Yet another complaint during pregnancy is swelling. For the most part a certain amount of swelling is common severe swelling could be a sign of preeclampsia.  Actually, swelling is common that over seventy five percent of all pregnant women experience will actually experience swelling to some degree. Swelling during pregnancy is mostly commonly caused by water retention. You can avoid unnecessary water retention by refraining from eating salty foods and drinking lots of water.

Although some of us may be blessed with vibrant and shiny hair during our pregnancy it is rather common for our hair to fall out or become brittle. This is mostly caused by deficiencies in vitamins A, B and C therefore it is imperative that you have proper nutrition during your pregnancy that includes eating healthy and taking vitamins.

Remember proper nutrition during pregnancy doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated just follow some simple guidelines and your baby will have a happy and healthy pregnancy. After all when you eat healthy during your pregnancy so does your baby.

Proper nutrition during pregnancy is one of the best gifts you can give to your unborn baby. But don’t forget, eating well healthy for your unborn baby means eating well for you. Many moms to be forget that they too benefit from proper nutrition during pregnancy.  After all what you put into your body while pregnant directly effects how your unborn baby copes with and recovers from all the physical and emotional changes you go through during pregnancy.

Truth be told, most pregnant women do not walk around the rosy glow all nine months. During the first trimester we are walking around in a fog a not so nice shade of green from morning sickness and exhaustion. Thing tend to clear up in the second trimester as far as tiredness and morning sickness are concerned but we now have to deal with leg cramps and back aches

By the time we reach the third trimester, we are back to walking around in a fog due to the lack of sleep, as well as more back aches, swollen feet and heartburn.  Eating foods with complex carbohydrates can help reduce your fatigue and staying away from foods filled with fats and can help reduce heartburn.

Research has shown that pregnant women who maintain proper nutrition during pregnancy usually have a safe and simple pregnancy.  Other studies have proven that common pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia or high blood pressure can be directly related to deficiencies in our diets.

Perhaps one of the greater benefits of proper nutrition during pregnancy is that it could help you during labor and delivery.  In fact a well balanced pregnancy diet has been said to help prevent preterm labor. Labor  occurring prior to 37 weeks of gestation.  Any woman who has given birth knows the amount of enegery required to last through the hours of contractions and pushing.   Having proper nutrition during pregnancy will ensure that you have the necessary energey and strength needed for delivery.

It is especially necessary to continue healthy eating after delivering your. During the period following delivery, your body will need lots of resources to recover the shock of child birth. Therefore, eating well following your delivery is just as vital as it was when you were pregnant.

Another bonus of proper nutrition during pregnancy is that you may never stop eating healthy.  This will help to set the basis for a lifetime of eating healthy for your children.  For your complete guide to Nutrition During Pregnancy as well as tips and advise on Pregnancy visit www.YourMaternityResource.com

Some women understandably wish from time to time that a baby could be delivered by Fed Ex. After nine months of hormonal changes, carrying extra weight and reduced movement many will want to just get it over. But the race is won at the final leg and Lamaze, Bradley or other options can help carry you over the finish line in optimal shape.

Women, obviously, have been giving birth for hundreds of thousands of years. The basic process has changed little over that time. But medical knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds.

During the mid-19th century that knowledge consisted of a growing set of tools and drugs to minimize pain. By the mid-20th century, though, birth was almost something that happened to a woman and her baby, rather than something they did. Contemporary knowledge can help the expectant mother take more active control of her birth and deliver with the highest chances for her baby’s health.

The Bradley method was devised by Dr. Robert Bradley in the 1940s. The emphasis was, and is, on a set of techniques to deliver without the use of drugs. There are pros and cons to the approach, since anything a mother receives will affect the baby. With the drugs designed today, and the dosages low enough, the odds of harm are very low. Completely drug-free births are not entirely without risks either.

The uncontroversial aspect of the Bradley method is its use of breathing techniques that aid the woman during periods of non-contraction. Relaxation techniques are helpful at those moments to prepare for more active moments. The deep breathing taught in Bradley classes is a positive benefit.

Lamaze has its own proponents and detractors, and more similar reasons. Developed by a French physician and popularized in the 1960s, it too emphasizes ‘natural’ childbirth. It discourages use of pain control drugs, in favor of hot and cold packs, positioning and breath control.

The Lamaze breathing techniques, like Bradley, are helpful – more so during the more active parts of delivery. The rapid, in-out-in intake of air helps fully oxygenate tissues and control pain. The focus required to maintain that breathing, while also focusing on the need to push in the proper way helps keep the mother’s mind off the pain and onto the process.

Both Bradley and Lamaze classes emphasize the importance of having a birth partner to assist in delivery. That can be a friend, spouse or even a midwife. Having that person there is an emotional comfort. Either professionally, or thanks to the classes, they’ll have an (at least theoretical) understanding of delivery. They help maintain focus, provide physical assistance in positioning and offer a friendly face in what might be an emotionally cold environment.

Mothers should consider carefully all their options. There’s no need to rule out modern medical technology. Being aware of the risks and benefits of anesthetic and some of the common potential problems can help you prepare. The more information you have, the better you can rationally examine options ahead of time. That helps you make better decisions at a time when you have other things on your mind.

For centuries giving birth was strictly an affair between the pregnant woman and a midwife. Though not always present, a mid-wife would frequently aid in the birthing process. The role was often performed by an older woman who had previously experienced birth herself. She gave comfort, medical knowledge based on real experience and a second pair of hands at a critical time.

With the rise of obstetrics in the 19th century, midwifery became much less common, almost disappearing from birthing practice in the U.S., except in circumstances of deep poverty or geographic isolation. In recent decades, it has risen again in a new form in which midwives are often licensed nurses with considerable traditional medical experience.

Though midwifing was historically carried out in the home, modern practitioners carry out their work in hospitals almost entirely today. Many women want to have the services of a midwife, but still avail themselves of the advantages of modern medicine in a traditional hospital setting.

In the overwhelming majority of births, the midwife has to take little active part in the process. She provides assurance, a hand to hold and ‘insurance’ in the form of letting the woman know that, should the need arise, an expert is at hand. But their presence and practice goes far beyond or rather before labor.

Midwives are available for pre-natal visits, and they offer one-on-one advice, much as an obstetrician will do – though frequently at lower rates. They are often there for much more of the time during the entire process, too, once labor starts. Many obstetricians have more patients than any single person can care for, even working 14 hour or longer days (as many of them do). A midwife can usually devote exclusive attention to a woman during labor.

They will be there at the beginning of the birthing process, continuously up to and after the completion of birth. Having a trusted and experienced medical expert at the bedside for the entire time is a great comfort to many. That’s especially true for first time mothers, for whom the experience can be naturally a bit scary.

Midwives have the medical knowledge and the available technology to handle any situation. Breech births, preclampsia and other potential complications are nothing new to a good midwife. They can carry out needed tests – for iron levels, blood pressure and the like. And they can seek additional help, acting as an expert liaison when a woman may have other things on her mind. All midwives have an active working relationship with an obstetrician.

Midwives can be found through recommendations from friends or you can seek one by contacting the American College of Nurse Midwives in Washington, DC. The ACNM website (http://www.acnm.org/) is a good place to start your search.

online diary of sort, mostly for myself. I thought it may be kind of theraputic. I’m ready to move on. Part 2 of 5. Sorry, I’m having probs uploading the rest. Be up soon. … Vlog Blog Online journal Self Help Ectopic pregnancy miscarriage Pregnancy loss Blighted ovum Tubal Personal Loss Grief Panic disorder panic attack Anxiety anxiety help healing anti medication mental health illness lack of sleep insomnia body tingling depression hormones psychiatric suicidal thoughts ativan high blood …

It can be difficult to know exactly when labor begins in earnest. But some signs are unmistakable. One such occurs when your new baby’s head exerts pressure on the amniotic sac and it breaks. When your ‘water breaks’ (the liquid isn’t just water, but amniotic fluid), labor is imminent.

Unfortunately, ‘imminent’ doesn’t mean ‘will occur within 10.5 hours’ or any exact amount of time. The time to the beginning of regular contractions and actual delivery, can vary enormously from woman to woman and even child to child.

Nevertheless, when you feel that trickle or gush of colorless fluid flow down your leg, it’s time to get ready. On average, labor will begin within 12 to 24 hours later. For some, the time is much sooner.

Note the time, wipe away the fluid and clean the vagina to minimize the risk of infection. Don’t bathe. Look for any green or brownish fluid, the meconium, which is from your baby’s bowel movement. That’s an indicator of fetal stress and should be reported to your physician immediately.

Contractions will follow shortly.

The uterus is a muscle and one of its roles is to force the baby out into the world through the birth canal. The contractions you feel are that muscle tensing. They will usually be preceded by dull cramps in the lower back or pelvis. When they happen regularly for an hour, lasting at least 30 seconds each, gaining in intensity, actual labor has started.

Since they can vary from woman to woman, try to verify that the contractions are labor by varying your position. Move around and sit. See if they still occur. Remember to keep a close eye on the clock or your watch. Timing the events is important.

First pregnancies will often take a little longer, so try to avoid any sense of panic. When contractions are coming five minutes apart for an hour, it’s time to head to the hospital. Err on the side of caution, though. The number is just an average and it’s best to avoid complications by being too early, rather than too late.

Severe pain, rather than regular (even if uncomfortable) contractions can be a sign of placenta previa. This is a condition in which the placenta can block the exit from the uterus. Or, the pain can be the result of placental abruption, where the placenta separates but limits the baby’s oxygen supply. Call your doctor.

Almost all labors proceed without incident. Stay calm, execute your plan and get ready for a healthy baby.