Pregnancy
Pregnancy FAQS
Q: When will I show?
A: You should show around 12 weeks, or between months 3-4. Gas, bloating, etc., may have you looking pregnant before then. If you’ve been pregnant before you may "pop out" earlier.
Q: Is there any way I can tell if it is a girl or a boy?
A: Yes, ultrasounds are pretty accurate (surprisingly not 100%). Other prenatal tests provide DNA analysis that will be right on the dot. The other pre-delivery methods of deciphering the sex are myths, fun and games.
Q: How long will the morning sickness last? I’m so nauseous!
A: Morning sickness should occur less and less by the second trimester/4 months. Maybe sooner! On rare occasions it will stick around. Rare!
Q: How much weight will I gain?
A: If you are in your ideal weight zone you should gain 25-35 pounds. If you are overweight or obese, expect to gain around 15 pounds. If you are underweight, you will gain more like 30-40 lbs. Be sure to ask your doctor how many calories you should be consuming. If you take pregnancy as an OK to eat as much as your want, you could gain twice as much.
Q: When will I feel the baby kick? Can I interact with him?
A: Between 16 and 20 weeks you should feel that first noticeable kick. Babies respond to touch by week 26. Ask your doctor to show you the amount of pressure you can use to interact with your unborn child. In examination, he or she may be able to help you feel the head. Some parents have claimed they taught their unborn child to kick on request, by using a verbal cue whenever the baby would kick on its own.
Q: In what month does the baby start to see or hear? Can we interact?
A: Around week 29 the baby can turn its head to find the source of a bright light. Some research has shown reactive "listening" as early as 14 weeks gestational age. The baby should be able to hear the mothers voice at 20 weeks, certainly by 30. You can play music for your baby, talk to your baby and have hubby talk to your baby - long before month 8! It is good for you too.
Q: Is spotting normal?
A: Spotting can be normal in the first trimester. Warning signs to call your doctor: cramps, heavy bleeding, passage of clots or tissue, increase in pain and/or fever, red spotting (instead of brown or pink). Otherwise don’t panic, but be sure to mention it on your next visit.
Q: How can I help my labor along?
A: There are many tips online that can be dangerous if you’re not being monitored, such as prolonged nipple stimulation. The best way to help your labor along is to relax during that first stage. Talk a shower, a walk, have an energy packed meal, and breathe. Stay upright so that gravity can help you. I’ve seen much disagreement on what helps, what is unsafe... You’re body will do most of the work on it’s own.
Q: What dangers should I watch out for? Is there anything unsafe in my house?
A: Avoid strenuous, rough exercise: be kind to your joints and don’t overdo it. No scuba diving or riding rollercoasters! But please exercise at a moderate level and often. Avoid drugs and alcohol, second hand smoke, and always check with your doctor before taking any kind of medication. Check the labels on your dandruff shampoo, lotion treatments, etc. I was shocked when I read the small print on a free shampoo sample I got in the mail, "may cause birth defects".
Avoid eating raw fish, high-mercury fish, soft cheeses, uncooked or old deli meats, shellfish, unpasteurized milk and juice, undercooked meats, raw sprouts (because of bacteria), left out foods, ’fake’ sugars, excesses of Vitamin A, and as always too many junk foods.
Have someone else change the cat liter. Take precautions when you clean, wear gloves, check labels just to be sure of safety. If you’ve ever thought to switch from the chemical cleaners to greener products like baking soda and vinegar, you might as well go for it now. Stay away from chemicals, car exhaust fumes, and other potentially toxic fumes when possible.
Basically, with few exceptions, if it is healthy when not pregnant it is probably healthy while pregnant. Likewise anything unhealthy when not pregnant will be that much worse when pregnant (especially smoking!).
Q: What can I do about my fatigue?
A: Try to get 9 or so hours of sleep per night. If you’re having trouble getting to sleep, get up and do something sleep inducing like watching late night TV or reading, until your eyes get droopy. If your mind is racing, get a note pad and write it out so you’re mind can relax. Try to take 20-minute power naps during the day. Make sure you’re eating well and exercising. Don’t forget to relax!
Dispelling Old Wives’ Tales
Myth: I’ve heard that you can take a pregnant woman’s urine and mix it with drano to tell the sex of the baby. I hear that it’s 100% accurate.
Fact: The drano test supposedly can detect something in a pregnant woman’s urine that will change the color of the drano to indicate the gender of the baby. However, this is absolutely false.
Myth: I have heard that you can predict the gender of your baby by using the heart rate of your baby during pregnancy. It was said that 140+ beats per minute (BPM) was a girl and under 140 BPM was a boy. Is this true?
Fact: A study was actually done to test this theory. The study actually shows that there is no correlation between gender and fetal heart rate. Although they did find a correlation between heart rate and gestational age prior to 9.2 weeks
Myth: I’ve heard that if you don’t drink a lot of water that the baby will be dirty.
Fact: Amniotic fluid is an amazing product! It completely replaces itself every three hours, even after your water has broken. What mom drinks can help or hinder its production, but it is definitely not all about her hydration.
Myth: You shouldn’t hold your hands above your head or the baby will become wrapped up in the cord and die.
Fact:This is not true. The incidence of the baby’s cord being around the neck, called a nuchal cord, is about one third of all births. It has to do with the twists and turns your little gymnast makes rather than whether or not you’ve held your hands up over head
Myth: I heard that you’re not to take baths because germs could get into your vagina and be passed to the baby.
Fact: This is false. Baths are very good for pregnant women. The problem is more the temperature than the actual bath. Be sure that you avoid the use of hot tubs and hot baths (above 100 degrees F).
Dad’s Guide to Pregnancy
Getting involved early and "at every level," not only makes things easier for the mother, but it also keeps you from feeling left out.
Preparing Your Home
When people talk about the changes that happen in pregnancy, they tend to say a lot about changes in the mother’s body and her moods. Less tends to be said about changes in your home, which may interest you just as much as your pregnant partner’s swelling bosom. Now that you’re soon to be a family, your home also will contain a lot more stuff. In come the crib, changing table, nursing rocker, bassinet, swing, stroller, and car seat, plus all the baby toys and gadgets that you never knew existed, but which you now must have. If you thought about setting up a nursery, be prepared to decorate.
Things will also change in the bedroom. The bed you share may seem less cozy as she becomes more uncomfortable because of her making frequent trips to the bathroom in the night. You can help by accommodating her with a body pillow, for example. You may even lose your bedmate for a while because she may prefer to sleep in a reclining chair, which is normal.
Doctor Visits
Today, dads are encouraged to go to prenatal care appointments. If you can make time to join your partner at all or most appointments, she will likely appreciate it, and you will benefit from knowing what is going on. Two visits in particular are especially worthwhile: the first appointment, and the prenatal ultrasound exam.
Labor and Delivery
At some point, the mom-to-be will draw up her birth plan, which is a detailed description of how she wants to do labor and delivery. This usually includes where to go, who will attend the delivery, how she intends to labor, whom she wants in the room, and what your role will be. Due to the fact that there are so many different ways for labor and delivery to play out, it is difficult to describe a typical experience for a father-to-be in much detail. Also, there is no way you can predict it, but on average, for a woman having her first baby, labor lasts 12-24 hours from her first contractions to delivery. Your partner may be in the early phase of labor for many hours before the hospital will admit her. If at all possible, spend this time together and help to keep her feeling at ease. When itis time, proceed calmly to the hospital. As labor progresses, it gets increasingly painful. Even with pain control measures, it hurts a lot. To you, it might seem like not much is happening as the hours pass. The key is to stay focused on her. Do whatever you can to keep her as comfortable as possible. In the end, the birth of a child is a life altering event that opens a world of new opportunities, but you must remember that you are not the star of the show and are there for suppport.
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