Many pregnant women seek to maintain a healthy lifestyle and exercise during their pregnancies. While exercise is probably safe for most pregnant women, you should check with your doctor or midwife to make sure it is safe for you to exercise....
Random contractions in pregnancy can be worrying when you first experience them. When you are seven months pregnant, these contractions are usually just a slight, brief tightening. You might find them uncomfortable, or you may not feel them at...
Pregnancy causes your body to go through many changes. Tissue upholding your uterus stretches, which has the ability to cause sharp, shooting pains on either side of your stomach that venture down your thigh, into your leg, according to Cleveland...
Early contractions during pregnancy can lead to premature labor. A pregnancy should last 40 weeks. If your baby is born earlier than 37 weeks, he is premature. If you are pregnant, proper nutrition is critical for your health and your baby’s...
The human body needs plenty of water to function and eliminate waste, especially during pregnancy. Drinking enough water in the early months of your pregnancy can help relieve pregnancy symptoms such as constipation, hemorrhoids and morning...
Contractions of the uterus herald the first phase of labor. The contractions prepare the uterus for delivery of the baby. Contractions, also called labor pains, are associated with gradual dilation of the birth canal. Sometimes women may mistake...
You're tired, constantly in the bathroom, and your period is missing. These are all signs that you may be pregnant. If your breasts are tender, you feel waves of nausea or your moods are all over the place, it may be the early signs of pregnancy....
In an ideal world, you can kick your feet up and relax for the nine months of your pregnancy to give your changing body a break. In reality, life goes on, even as you progress. During the final weeks of your pregnancy, however, it is important to...
At 33 weeks pregnant an expectant mother has reached her third trimester. This week her baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark, states Baby Center. Symptoms in the third trimester will vary from woman...
Both your body and the baby's body continue to grow and change in the final weeks of pregnancy, causing numerous aches and pains. Cramping in your belly that is mild to moderate doesn't necessarily mean that labor is going to start. Abdominal...
Pregnancy causes many changes in a woman's body. Pain, discomfort, nausea and fatigue are some potential effects. Some abdominal cramping is possible. There are several reasons for this discomfort, and many of which are perfectly normal. A woman...
Your body needs water to function properly, especially during pregnancy. Water helps your body cope with the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy. Proper hydration helps flush waste from the body, aids in fetal and maternal kidney...
As your due date grows nigh, you may find yourself looking for signs that your baby is ready to be born. Your doctor may notice physiological changes in your body that indicate that labor could start at any time. However, if you've kept in tune...
At five months (20 weeks) pregnant, you are halfway through your pregnancy. You are also eight weeks away from the beginning of your third trimester. Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces and is around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and...
At some point during pregnancy, your breasts will begin producing colostrum. Colostrum is a thick, yellowish liquid that will serve as the first food your baby will need, before your milk comes in. Some women will not notice colostrum until after...
The World Health Organization recommends that women breastfeed their children for at least two years. Some women become pregnant again and choose to continue to breastfeed during their pregnancy and beyond. While women who have healthy pregnancies...
Abdominal cramping is a common symptom during pregnancy. It is often a harmless reaction to all of the changes of pregnancy, but it can also signal something more serious. Being able to recognize normal abdominal cramping and distinguish it from...
If you're a first-time parent, knowing when you're ready to deliver a baby can be difficult. Every little stab of pain can make an expectant mother think she's ready to go into labor, as some of the classic pregnancy discomforts can be easily...
While nothing in life is certain, there's a good chance that your second labor will differ from your first in a number of ways. Both you and your uterus have been down this road before, so you know -- or think you know -- what to expect when labor...
You have been anticipating the arrival of your new little one for nine months, and now are starting to feel anxious about the upcoming labor and delivery. If you are like most first-time expectant moms, you are probably wondering what to expect,...
Taking care of a 1-year-old when you are pregnant with another baby isn't an easy task. Your 1-year-old may not be walking yet, and even if he is, he is likely still unstable when he walks. This means that you probably have to carry him often....
Dehydration is a potentially serious condition where your body loses too much water and it is not replaced sufficiently. Often, dehydration causes other sicknesses, especially heat-related illness like heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Dehydration...
Pregnancy causes many rapid changes in a woman's body, particularly in the uterus. Before pregnancy, it's unlikely that you feel or notice your uterus, but during pregnancy most women become acutely aware of this rapidly stretching organ. A...
Every woman's experience of pregnancy, labor and delivery is unique. Experiences even vary from pregnancy to pregnancy. There is only one sure sign of labor: real contractions, which are not to be confused with the earlier practice contractions,...
At thirty-one weeks, a mother is in her third trimester of pregnancy. The third trimester, twenty-nine weeks to forty weeks, is a time of remarkable fetal growth and maternal changes. Both mother and baby are preparing for the upcoming birth. The...
Many women love being pregnant. For some women, however, pregnancy is a time that is wrought with discomfort and pain. Back, hip and pelvic pain are all common complaints throughout pregnancy. Most cases of pelvic and hip pain during pregnancy are...
Pregnancy triggers hormonal changes and physical symptoms that can make you feel anxious, tired and irritable. Your feelings of excitement and anticipation are dampened by apprehension about the birth and the demands of a newborn, while impeded...
If you're in the third trimester of your pregnancy, you are probably getting more and more anxious about the big delivery day. After the 38th week of your pregnancy, your baby could come at any time, even if you are still a few weeks from your due...
You have spent the last nine months preparing for the time that you would go into labor. Now that you are in the last stage of your pregnancy, it is important to know what to expect as well as when it's time to call your doctor and head to the...
