Skin Natural : how to take care of yourself during pregnancy

Showing posts with label how to take care of yourself during pregnancy. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Pomegranate Health Drink for Pregnant Women {Pregnancy}

As I have mentioned earlier that I had severe nausea during my pregnancy so I could never eat properly. Consequently, I became very weak. Looking at my condition, my doctor husband suggested this extremely healthy, even if it sounds nauseating, juice.

Ingredients

1 medium size pomegranate
Few black grapes
Half beetroot

Method

Grind all of them in a juicer. Add pinch of black pepper and black salt and bit of sugar, if you like.

Nutritional Information

Pomegranate is a rich source of iron and folic acid (remember my post on Importance of Folic Acid) which are really important for baby.

Beetroot is a great source of iron, folic acid, anti-oxidants, calcium (again very important for pregnant women) and other nutrients including potassium, magnesium, sodium, Vitamin C among others.

Contradiction : Important

Black Grapes

I had somewhere read that this fruit should be avoided during pregnancy coz it produces heat in the body which is harmful for the mother and the baby. But, in my experience, I had this juice for whole 9 months of my pregnancy and even after delivery and it did not harm me at all, instead it improved my health.

If it causes constipation to pregnant women, one can use it after peeling the skin of the grapes (which is quite a bit of a work). Black grapes are also used as medicines to treat many diseases like cardiovascular, diabetic complications, constipation and chronic fatigue symptoms.

They help in suppressing the growth of breast cancer cells due to the anti-oxidants. They are also rich source of flavonoids and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and Vitamin C.

Results

This juice gave a lovely pink glow to my skin. This is a low calorie, low cholesterol and low fat juice. And, extremely beneficial for both mom and baby.

Punam is a mom to one and half old baby girl who is very naughty which I can make out while just talking to Punam on phone. And, she really sounds adorable too. And, another advantage Punam has is having a orthopaedics doctor as a husband. And, she has recently put up an amazing post on homemade mosquito repellant on her blog. Do check it out.

Other posts by Punam:
How to deal with nausea?
Dealing With Heightened Sense Of Smell
Importance Of Folic Acid
Using laptop and mobiles during Pregnancy
Lakme Perfect Radiance Intense Whitening Capsules Treatment

Monday, September 28, 2015

Exercising and Pregnancy {Pregnancy} [Part - III]

Read the previous part of this series here. This is the last post of this series.

Guest Post by Punam

General cautions for pregnancy exercise

While most forms of exercise are safe, there are some exercises that involve positions and movements that may be uncomfortable or harmful for pregnant women. Be guided by your doctor or physiotherapist on those positions but let me share some of the generic cautions:

Avoid raising your body temperature too high – for example, don’t soak in hot spas or exercise to the point of heavy sweating. Reduce your level of exercise on hot or humid days.

Don't exercise to the point of exhaustion.

If weight training, choose low weights and medium to high repetitions – avoid lifting heavy weights altogether.

Don’t exercise if you are ill or feverish.

If you don’t feel like exercising on a particular day – then don’t! It is important to listen to your body to avoid unnecessarily depleting your energy reserves.

Exercises to avoid while pregnant

During pregnancy, avoid sports and activities with increased risk of falling like:

Contact sports or activities that carry a risk of falling (such as trampolining, roller blading, downhill snow skiing, horse riding and basketball)

Competition sports – depending on the stage of pregnancy, the level of competition and your level of fitness

After about the fourth month of pregnancy, exercises that involve lying on your back – the weight of the baby can slow the return of blood to the heart. Try to modify these exercises by lying on the side.

In the later stages of pregnancy, activities that involve jumping, frequent changes of direction and excessive stretching (such as gymnastics).

If you're not sure whether a particular activity is safe during pregnancy, check with your doctor.

Pelvic floor exercises and pregnancy

The pelvic floor muscles are weakened during pregnancy and during normal birth (vaginal delivery), so it is extremely important to begin conditioning the pelvic floor muscles from the start of the pregnancy. Appropriate exercises can be prescribed by a physiotherapist. It is important to continue with these throughout the pregnancy and resume as soon as is comfortable after the birth.

Abdominal exercises and pregnancy

Strong abdominal muscles support your spine. The internal core and pelvic floor abdominal muscles act as a natural ‘corset’ to protect the pelvis and lumbar spine. Traditional sit-ups or crunches can be ineffective during pregnancy and may make worse the condition known as diastasis recti abdominis (a painless splitting of the abdominal muscle at the midline).

Appropriate core stability exercises are recommended during pregnancy to strengthen the muscles of the abdomen:

Concentrate on drawing your belly button towards your spine.
Breathe out while pulling in your belly.
Hold the position and count to 10. Relax and breathe in.
Repeat 10 times, as many times a day as you are able.
You can perform this exercise sitting, standing or on your hands and knees.

Warning signs for exercising during pregnancy

If you experience any of the following during or after physical activity, stop exercising immediately and see your doctor or physiotherapist:

Headache
Dizziness or feeling faint
Heart palpitations
Chest pain
Swelling of the face, hands or feet
Calf pain or swelling
Vaginal bleeding
Contractions
Deep back or pubic pain
Cramping in the lower abdomen
Walking difficulties
An unusual change in your baby’s movements
Amniotic fluid leakage

And, finally, Things to remember

Exercise during pregnancy offers many physical and emotional benefits. While exercise during pregnancy is usually encouraged, you may feel it’s not right for you.

Talk to your doctor, physiotherapist or healthcare professional to make sure your exercise routine won’t cause harm to you or your unborn baby.

Any illness or complication of the pregnancy should be fully assessed and discussed with your doctor before commencing or continuing an exercise program.

What do you say? Do you think it is good to exercise during pregnancy? Did you doctor recommend it to you? Or, did they cite reasons for it being unsafe for you?

Punam is currently busy with her second baby and I wish she will soon come on board with more articles like these. She blogs at be beautiful with Punam.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Using laptop and mobiles during Pregnancy {Pregnancy}

What are we pregnant women not warned against - drinking, smoking, eating, stress? And now, add to the list, its mobile and laptops. All electronic devices and gadgets produce heat and radiation which are harmful for us but, imagining a life without mobiles and laptops is kind of difficult today. But, unfortunately, laptops produce intense heat that is harmful for all of us and especially for pregnant women.

Do's & Dont's

Pregnant women should not keep laptops on their laps or stomach.
If you are working on laptop or desktops, take more breaks and relax your body more often.
Blink your eyes more often to stay away from strain.
Try to use the best comfortable position for your body and neck.
Minimize your use of cell phone and get shifted to old tring tring :)
Don’t keep your cell phones near your bed.

If you have a bad habit of keeping your laptop on your lap (yes, I know its meant to be that), then avoid it. Doing it a lot can lead to toasted skin syndrome, an unusual-looking mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat exposure. You can also see some dark skin coloration on your thighs. I know its difficult to do but if you are pregnant, try to use laptops and mobiles a little less. You will be troubled not only from the heat produced but also, hunching on laptops can lead to muscular pain, back and neck ache.

Similarly, mobile phones are even more harmful than laptops for pregnant women. My hubby hated when I used to talk on phone during my pregnancy. He always asked me to use the landline instead. Well, when I googled about the harms of mobile for pregnant women then I was shocked!! Research says women using mobile phone often are more at risk of giving birth to a baby with behavioural problems. Using a mobile two to three times a day is also enough to raise emotional and hyperactive problems.

And, this advise can as well be taken by everyone coz laptops and mobile phones are equally harmful for one and all. How long do you stay glued to your laptops and mobiles? I, for one, am not a mobile person but I do stay glued to my laptop :(

Thanks for such a great post Punam :) And, hope you all find this helpful. Btw, I would like to tell you all about Punam's blog as well - be beautiful with Punam.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Exercising and Pregnancy {Pregnancy} [Part - II]

Read the previous part of this series here.

Guest Post by Punam

Changes associated with pregnancy

There are many changes that take place during pregnancy. Some will affect your ability to exercise.

Hormones such as relaxin loosen ligaments which could increase your risk of joint injuries (for example, sprains).

As pregnancy progresses, weight increase combines with changes in weight distribution and body shape. This results in the body’s centre of gravity moving forward, which can alter balance and coordination.

Pregnancy increases your resting heart rate, so it is not recommended to use target heart rate to work out the intensity of your exercise. In healthy pregnant women, exercise intensity can be monitored using a method known as Borg’s Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE). This measures how hard you feel (perceive) your body is working.

Your blood pressure drops in the second trimester, so it is important to avoid rapid changes of position – from lying to standing, and vice versa – so as not to experience dizzy spells.

General exercise suggestions during pregnancy

It is important to discuss your exercise plan with your doctor, as each pregnancy is different. In general, healthy women who have uncomplicated pregnancies can continue their previous exercise program after consultation with a doctor. It is also now considered safe to start a new exercise program during pregnancy if given the all-clear by your doctor.

If you have been cleared to exercise, it is recommended that you:

Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (according to the Perceived Exertion Scale) on most, if not all, days of the week.

Do no more than three sessions per week of vigorous exercise by the third trimester.

Let your body be your guide. You know you’re at a good intensity when you can talk normally and not become exhausted too quickly.

Be guided by your doctor, physiotherapist or health care professional.

Suggested exercise activities during pregnancy

Activities that are generally safe during pregnancy, even for beginners, include:

Walking
Swimming
Cycling – outdoors or on a stationary bicycle
Exercise in water (aquarobics)
Yoga
Stretching
Dancing (this was my favorite activity)
Pilates
Pregnancy exercise classes (they help the most because you get expert advise and exchange experience with other pregnant women)

Some activities like running and strength training are safe when done in moderation by pregnant women, especially if they had been actively participating in these activities prior to pregnancy.

What do you say about pregnancy and exercising?