What to expect when your expecting ..
Here's a few things some women wish they knew before pregnancy. Hopefully they come in handy to you and other women and help you feel at ease when it's your time to have a bun in the oven !
Clothing can fit your body weirdly for a while until you start to get a baby bump. So please don’t stress or feel down in the dumps if your clothing doesn’t fit the way you would want it to. Just show off your bump & be proud , it will get there !
You may not feel anything moving until 16/24 weeks which is half of your pregnancy! Don't be alarmed most of the time it is normal. If you are concerned speak to your nearest GP.
Everything hurts when pregnant, your muscles and joints.. It just does ! Remember to rest your body when you can.
You can get varicose veins in your private area so don’t be alarmed if it happens.
Apply cold compresses to your vulva.
These veins tend to have a low blood flow. That means even if they bleed during delivery, it usually can be easily controlled. Typically, vulvar varicosities that form during pregnancy go away by about six weeks after delivery.
Your gums can bleed when brushing teeth
Hormonal changes during pregnancy can make your gums more vulnerable to plaque, leading to inflammation and bleeding. This is also called pregnancy gingivitis or gum disease.
So just look after your teeth a little more then usual when pregnant.
Pregnancy can cause you to feels like you have allergies. Changing hormones during and after pregnancy can cause new or worsened pregnancy allergies. These changes are usually temporary, can be managed, and won't harm the baby. Experts encourage pregnant and postpartum people to seek medical help if their allergies worsen or interfere with their quality of life.
You’re already 1 month along by the time you get a positive pregnancy test. It’s calculated by your last cycle at the end of your last period 2 weeks after that when you ovulate ,then two weeks later you get a positive test if pregnant. That is the start of your pregnancy (so take one month of your pregnancy ) you only know your pregnant for 8 months
Your body can heal its self while pregnant from stuff like psoriasis or any sores ect. But you can also gain things like diabetes Later in pregnancy If the mother is unable to produce enough insulin to meet this demand then her blood glucose levels rise and gestational diabetes develops. The amount of insulin needed to keep blood glucose levels in the optimal range is 2 to 3 times higher than usual. But don’t stress once postpartum it should go away.
Your breasts grow and change colour in pregnancy. As your pregnancy progresses, your nipples and the areola (the area around the nipples) may darken in colour. The veins on the surface of your breasts may become more noticeable. You may also notice stretch marks on your breasts. From about 16 weeks your breasts are ready to start producing milk.
Hair can change during pregnancy.
Many women experience their hair feeling thicker at around 15 weeks of pregnancy. This is not because each hair strand itself becomes thicker, but because the hair stays longer in the growing phase of its cycle, which means that less hair falls out than usual. This is due to an increase in the hormone oestrogen.But hair can stop or slow down growth in other areas of the body.
Your belly button changes during pregnancy.
As your uterus pushes up and out to accommodate your growing baby, don't be surprised if your belly button changes too.
In your second or third trimester, your expanding uterus can make your belly button appear stretched or flattened. Or it may put enough pressure on your abdomen to push your belly button out.
Your brain can change during pregancy and into motherhood, your bain becomes more compassionate.
Researchers say women lose some gray matter while they're pregnant.The grey matter serves to process information in the brain.
That plays a crucial role in allowing you to function normally from day to day.
But their brains also become more efficient and strengthen women's feelings of attachment & maternal instinct.
Peeing during sneezing once pregnant and after having a baby (but you can reverse it )
Changes in your body during pregnancy make it harder to control your bladder.
You may notice you're dribbling pee when you surprise yourself with a cough or sneeze.
You may have trouble “holding it” or find yourself needing more bathroom breaks. Kegel exercises, diet changes and planned bathroom breaks can all help.
Health & Mind
People might ask you questions that you might think are rude or inappropriate when pregnant.
Because pregnancy is so visible, people can have strong reactions to it. Which makes them feel they can ask or say anything. Being pregnant also means you have heightened emotions so things people say or do will affect you more.
So try not too take too much to heart & bite your tongue if you have to.
Anxiety is high in pregnancy.
It's natural to worry about whether your baby is healthy, have fears about being a good parent, or stress about how your relationship with your partner will change.
The changes in your hormone levels that come with pregnancy can also affect your mood and emotions, making you more prone to worry and stress.
Mental health can get bad during pregnancy.
There might be excitement and joy, but also worry or uncertainty.
There are many physical changes to get used to, including hormonal surges that may trigger huge emotion and mood swings. There are also other potentially stressful adjustments to make.
Brain fog is bad.
Studies of pregnant women have related the fluctuations of progesterone and estrogen during pregnancy to attention, memory, and executive function impairment.
As the brain is sensitive to changes in hormone levels.
Receiving bad news isn’t good when pregnant.
It can cause future mental health issues.
This can have a long-lasting impact on how a child develops later in life.
A period of intense grief in pregnancy may translate to a greater chance of neurodevelopment issues for the child.
These issues could include anxiety, ADHD, and impacts later on in life.gnitive function.
Morning sickness is anytime of the day.
Don't be fooled by the name.
Morning sickness doesn't only happen in the morning, and it's very normal for it to last all day.
No two women experience it in the same way.
Also, some women who had morning sickness in their first pregnancy may not have any nausea at all in their second, and vice-versa.
Fatigue is high in first trimester your body is doing a lot you don’t realise.
Hormone changes play a big role in making you feel tired, especially the hormone progesterone.
This hormone rises sharply in the first trimester.
In addition, your blood volume increases to supply the developing placenta and fetal circulation.
This makes your heart pump faster and stronger.
Don’t use your core too much during pregnancy shift to your side to prevent conning.
You want to avoid any kind of crunching or twisting in the torso,” Butler says. “That promotes the splitting in the abs, and afterward it can lead to hernias.”
Which means doing sit-ups while pregnant is not a good idea—and neither is doing crunches or Russsian twists.
CMV is a virus that can be contracted in a childcare centre and can be fatal while your pregnant.
It is usually transmitted through blood, urine, faeces and saliva.
To protect you and your unborn baby you will probably need to minimise your exposure to changing nappies, toilet training, cleaning up body fluids etc.
Even if you do have excellent hygiene practices you still are at risk of contacting it.
The Baby
You can feel your baby kick in weird places.
As your baby grows and has less room to move, you may notice that the type of movement you feel changes, perhaps becoming slower but lasting longer.
After your baby moves to a head-down position in preparation for birth, you may feel kicks. In new places, like underneath your ribs on one side or the other.
Your baby drops during pregnancy 3rd trimester.
Getting ready for birth it can feel like baby is getting ready to come out but isn’t.
Also called lightening, baby dropping is a sign that a baby is nearly ready to be born.
Before dropping, the baby may rotate, so the back of its head is toward the front of the tummy, head facing down.
When the baby has settled in the pelvis, doctors describe it as engaged.
But towards the end of the third trimester, baby begins to travel downward to move into an optimal position for birth.
This process is referred to as lightening or baby dropping.
As your body gets ready for labor, the cervix decreases in length, and baby will “drop” lower.
Braxton hicks happens from your second trimester (20weeks)
What causes Braxton Hicks contractions? No one knows why some get Braxton Hicks and others don't.
Your uterine muscles are getting ready for childbirth. Some healthcare providers think Braxton Hicks contractions help to soften and thin your cervix (effacement).
Birth
An epidural is administered by an anaesthetist who will first clean and numb a small area of your lower back with a local anesthetic. Then, a thin tube called a catheter is inserted through a needle into the epidural space, just outside the spinal cord, to deliver pain-relieving medications. The needle is then removed, and the catheter remains in place to provide continuous pain relief.
1. Preparation:
You'll either sit on the edge of the bed, bending forward, or lie on your side with your knees bent. This position helps the anaesthetist access the lower back area.
2. Cleaning and Numbing:
The anaesthetist will clean the area with antiseptic and inject a local anesthetic to numb the skin.
3. Catheter Insertion:
A needle is used to insert the epidural catheter into the epidural space. You may feel pressure during this part, but it should not be painful.
4. Medication Delivery:
Once the catheter is in place, the needle is removed, and the catheter is taped to your back. Medications, like local anesthetics and opioids, are then delivered through the catheter to provide pain relief.
5. Monitoring:
You will be monitored closely to ensure the epidural is working effectively and to watch for any potential side effects, such as a drop in blood pressure.
There is 4th trimester symptoms after birth.
What Can I Expect in the 4th Trimester?
During the fourth trimester, you can expect fussiness and crying from your baby and very likely exhaustion for you,postpartum bleeding,dizziness,leaky bladder,temperature fluctuating & most likely swelling in parts of the body.
But stay strong you got this Mumma!
Your newborn baby is learning to adjust to life outside the womb where it was warm and squishy!
Restore your pelvic floor after birth and before with exercises. As you loose your muscle control to your bladder after childbirth.
Other Pregnancy Information :
You only get around three ultrasounds in your pregnancy if you are to have a healthy pregnancy. (low risk) Otherwise high risk pregnancies get around 5/6 ultrasounds.
This is of course unless you decide you want to get more scans done then you may organise with your doctor. 🙂
You get blood tests and urine samples done when pregnant around 10 weeks and 15 to 20 weeks.Around 24 /28 weeks you will do your gestational diabetes blood test. This screening involves an oral glucose tolerance test.This test includes fasting,a glucose drink and subsequent blood tests.
These tests include several blood tests and a urine test to check for anything that may cause a problem for pregnancy and birth.
The blood tests will usually consist of five small vials of blood taken from your arm, along with a mid-stream urine specimen collected in a small sterile jar at your local pathology lab.
Newborn :
You have midwife come and visit and take care of you and your baby after birth.
The midwife will visit you at home each day until your baby is five days old, or longer if needed.
It is to ensure that mother and baby are thriving, breastfeeding is going well, and that no complications develop after the birth.
Milk :
Formula storage :
24 hours - in the fridge
2 hours - at room temperature
1 hour - once baby has had some of the bottle
storing breast milk :
Room temperature - 4-6 hours at 66C - 78F
Contents should be covered and kept as cool as possible.
Insulated cooler bag - 24hours at 5C - 39F
Keep ice packs in constant contact with milk containers.
Refrigerated - 72hours at 5C /F
Store milk in the back of refrigerator.
Freezer - 3-6 months at 0F
Store milk in the back of the freezer away from the sides.
Deep Freezer - 6 - 12 months at - 4 C / F
After thawing do not freeze.
Clothing
Only get a few newborn outfits as they grow out of the newborn clothing quite fast.
Zippers & foot onesies avoid socks and buttons is the best advice until they get a little older.
Sleep
Track naps and when awake from the start.
Many experts recommend new parents to start monitoring their baby's sleep as early as possible.
By keeping track of when and how much sleep they get during the day and night.
So you can ensure that their little ones are getting enough sleep and are better prepared to handle Baby’s sleep can be mixed up (long nights ,short days) have your baby’s naps in daylight and noise.
To prevent confusion of day and night.
Sleep schedule guide :
0-3 months - usually later bedtime 8-9pm with 5 + naps daily
3 - 8 months - 5:30pm / 7:00pm with 3-4 naps daily
7- 12 months - bedtime shifts to 6-7pm to accommodate longer awake times and naps drop to 2x daily
12 + months - optimal bedtime is 6:30/ 7:00pm ,babies usually drop to one nap by 15months
Tips
Labour needs :
(411 baby will come) contractions four minutes apart pain is for a full minute for the duration of an hour. Contractions are happening every 4 minutes,each lasting for 1 minute, and this pattern has persisted for at least 1 hour.
(411 baby will come ) contractions four minutes apart pain is for a full minute for the duration of an hour. contractions are happening every 4 minutes, each lasting for 1 minute, and this pattern has persisted for at least 1 hour.
health card/ID and hospital paperwork (prenatal record) know your prenatal doctor.
- tip : eat before your water breaks as you may not be able to after.
- tip : Have baby's car seat already installed ready to go
here's a guide of what you may need :
- epidural
- Room essential oils
- pillow from home
- Tv or music to draw the attention away
- Exercise ball
- Shower
- Colouring in book
- Snacks and drinks
- Drink water and electrolytes
- Heating pad / hot water bottle
- Massage roller or tennis ball rolled on back
- Tension machine
- Water spray with lavender essential oil
- Clary sage essential oil drops
- Witch hazel
- Hypno birthing
- Prenatal yoga
- Analgesia
- Frankincense
- Labour combs
- Sensory toys
- Tea light candles
- Electric hand fan
- Lipbalm
- Hair ties
- Sippers
- Grip socks/compression socks
- Dressing gown
- Nursing friendly loose clothing
- Nursing bra or tanktop
- Maternity underware
- Toothbrush/toothpaste/
- Deodorant
- Face cloth/wipes
- Hairbrush
- Dry shampoo or normal + conditioner
- Pads
- Bag of essentials for baby
Partner labour needs :
- Jumper
- Change of clothes
- Flipflops
- Sneakers
- Pillow
- Blanket
- Board shorts
- Drink bottle
- Snacks
- Head phones
- AirPods
- Loose change
- Power bank / charger
these things can be said to help soften your cervix for birth :
- raspberry leaf tea
- prime rose oil pills
- pineapple
- Asian squats
- walking
- dates
- castor oil
- pelvic tilts
- birthing ball
Breast milk fixes everything !
Cuts, Minor Burns, and Small Wounds: Breast milk has been used for cuts, burns, and wounds to help wounds heal and prevent them from becoming infected.
If your baby becomes unwell, your body springs into action and makes specific antibodies to help your baby fight off what is needed to fight off the illness.
So, it really is true breastmilk is medicine -Booby milk fixes everything when in doubt, whip them out.
Breastfeeding makes you hungry.
Why do I feel so hungry while breastfeeding? Breastfeeding requires energy, and our bodies need to burn calories to create this energy.
The extra energy used each day to create milk is around 500 calories and can be even higher during the first few weeks.
Don’t stress when they cry it doesn’t always mean something is wrong.
Babies cry for many reasons, including to tell you that they're tired, or hungry, or have a wet nappy.
Sometimes your baby cries because they want to be held or played with – or, sometimes, they're simply overstimulated and need a little quiet time.
It can take time to connect and build a bond with your baby.
Studies have found that about 20% of new mums and dads feel no real emotional attachment to their newborn in the hours after delivery.
Sometimes, it takes weeks or even months to feel that attachment.
If you haven't begun bonding with your baby, don't feel anxious or guilty -- it should come with time.
You have to find pockets of time for things after having a baby as your baby comes first now.
But it is still important to get that much needed parter and also me time!
A baby's nap time is no doubt the best time to catch up on housework.
If your baby has trouble staying asleep during naps, try a white noise machine or a vibrating mat.