As Halloween gets nearer many of us start looking  for the perfect Halloween costume, finding one never used to be a problem until now.  Being 18 weeks pregnant I started looking for maternity Halloween costumes a couple of weeks ago.  Its not easy at all to find  nice looking and original pregnant Halloween costumes as there aren’t that many sites that specifically cater for pregnant women. The ones I did find all carry the same six costumes, pretty boring I believe.

I spent hours online looking for a costume that I liked and finally stumbled upon MaternityHalloweenCostumes.net a site that does us pregnant women proud!  They have made a selection of all the maternity Halloween costumes that are being sold online. What I really like about them is that they’ve got couples maternity Halloween costumes as well, so mum and dad will be two cry babies at this years Halloween party. If you’re looking for a maternity Halloween costume yourself then I would recommend you to check this place first, especially if you’re looking for an original maternity costume.

Have a Happy Halloween!

Love Allison

Prenatal care, or medical care recommended for women before and during pregnancy, has been around for centuries. Although it has differed from century to century, the overall aim of prenatal care is and always has been to detect any problems early on in the pregnancy and prevent them if possible through nourishment, exercise, and vitamin intake, along with directing the woman to the appropriate hospital or specialty if it becomes necessary.

Prenatal care is mainly vital because it plays a significant role in reducing maternal death rates and miscarriages, as well as detecting birth defects, low or high birth weight, and other preventable problems. Generally, a pregnant woman will have monthly visits during the initially 28 weeks of pregnancy, or the initially trimester, followed by two visits a month from weeks 28 to 36 and then weekly from 38 to 40 weeks, or until delivery. During these prenatal visits, the mother can guess to provide her medical history to the health care source, who will check her blood pressure, record her height and weight, do a pelvic exam, collect blood and urine samples, and question any questions she may have about the pregnancy, unborn baby, or labor and delivery.

Ultrasounds or sonograms, which are considered safe and have been used for more than 35 years for monitoring pregnancy, are performed during the second and third trimesters. Ultrasounds can be used to check for more than one fetus, determine the sex of an unborn baby, and assess any possible risks to the mother, like miscarriage, a low-insincere placenta, blighted ovum, ectopic pregnancy, or molar pregnancy. They are also used to find any problems in the unborn child, such as clubfoot, cleft palate, or spina bifida; determine if the baby is growing at an frighteningly slow or quick rate; check on the development of the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, stomach, skull, bones, and other fetal body parts; and check for low amniotic fluid and umbilical cord issues. Additionally, measurements and developmental progress found during an ultrasound are used to determine the estimated due date or arrival of the baby.

Any woman who is pregnant or wants to get pregnant is advised to take at least 400 mg of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, along with additional vitamins. Expectant parents can also take prenatal classes, sometimes called childbirth classes, to prepare them for the labor and birth process, find support with breastfeeding, and learn how to properly care for a newborn. Prenatal classes also provide pregnant women with relaxation techniques to be used during labor, how to spot the signs of labor, and discuss the partner’s role during the labor and delivery process.

Prenatal care today vs. yesterday

Prenatal care during the Victorian era used a holistic approach, relying primarily on nature to take care of their patients. Pregnant women ate a diet of “cooling foods” like fresh fruits and vegetables but were advised to stay away from “heating foods” like meat, eggs, coffee, tea, alcohol, and spices. Women were taken care of by accoucheurs, who were akin to doctors, because it was renowned even then that the mother’s health directly affected the health of her newborn baby. Bathing in seawater and drinking mineral water were also advised to increase the mother’s overall vitality and strength. Additionally, pregnant women were prescribed exercise or leisurely travel, which involved walking and other light activities without doing any strenuous exercise. If a woman had a miscarriage, she was automatically blamed for being overly active even with the exercise recommendation.

Today, prenatal care is recommended based on medical evidence that supports the suggestion’s validity. For example, women are told to eat a well-balanced diet with foods from each of the food groups, consume extra folic acid and fatty acids like those found in prenatal vitamins, take iron supplements during the last trimester, and keep coffee and tea down to three or four cups per day. Alcohol is still prohibited during pregnancy just like in the 19th century, while exercise like walking is still recommended. Swimming, stretching, playing golf, tennis, doing floor exercises, and practicing yoga are also highly recommended during pregnancy. It is best to reduce the activity level as the pregnancy progresses, and heavy lifting or strenuous exercises are supposed to be avoided.

If you’ve ever been 38 weeks pregnant and played the waiting game wondering how your little one is going to let you know he or she is ready to come into this world, then you know it’s important to recognize the stages of labor and delivery. That way, when it’s time, there won’t be any doubts and you’ll be able to start timing those contractions, grabbing the diaper bag and hospital bag, and talking to your husband about how and when you should call the doctor.

There are three stages of labor: the first stage involves early and active labor, followed by transition, the second stage of pushing, and finally the third stage, where the placenta is delivered. During early labor is when the cervix gradually thins out and opens, followed by a more rapid dilation with stronger, longer, closer contractions in active labor. Transition happens late in active labor: this is when a woman is experiencing the most pain of childbirth right before she is ready to push.

Although everyone’s pregnancy is different, first-time mothers are said to have the longest deliveries — averaging 10 to 20 hours — with labor progressing more rapidly for moms who are giving birth for a second time or more.

Beginning labor signs

•Bowels may empty out
•Flu-like symptoms
•Water breaks
•Back pain
•Steady contractions
•Cramping

Early labor

When the contractions are coming routinely about every 10 minutes and lasting around 30 seconds, it’s likely you’re in early labor. They’re not likely to be very painful or last very long at first, but eventually they’ll start to come very 5 minutes and last between 40 and 60 seconds as the end of early labor approaches. Painful contractions during early labor might not dilate the cervix as quickly as you’d like, but they are going to become more painful as labor progresses.

Many midwives say, “If you can talk through your contractions, they’re not painful enough” — this is an extremely easy way to recognize the stage of labor you are experiencing. A warm bath, lying down, or relaxing are the best ways to ease the pain and uncomfortableness of early contractions. Obstetricians and midwives are likely to tell you to get some rest and try to sleep through the contractions if early labor begins in the evening so that the mother will be rested enough for the next stage of labor. How long early labor lasts depends on how ripe the cervix is at the beginning stages; it ends when the cervix is dilated 4 centimeters and progress starts to accelerate.

Active labor

Things really start to heat up and speed up during active labor, the second stage of labor, when the cervix dilates from 4 to 10 centimeters quickly and then enters transition. At this point, you won’t be able to talk through the contractions and the baby will most likely start to drop into the pelvis. It’s a good time to call your doctor or midwife once the contractions are every five minutes lasting about 60 seconds each and are painful. Sometimes contractions come with less breaks than five minutes in between, but on average they last around five, even during the transition phase.

Active labor generally takes about 8 hours for a first-time mom giving birth to a baby vaginally, and during that time you will dilate to a full 10 centimeters from 4 centimeters during early labor. If you are given Pitocin to speed up or strengthen contractions or have an epidural, the time can vary widely because the epidural can slow the contractions down. If a woman has already given birth vaginally, her second childbirth is normally shorter than the first.

Transition

When the cervix dilates from 8 to 10 centimeters at the end of active labor, it’s called transition for the shift to the second stage of labor, pushing. Transition is the time when most mothers will say they want to quit or ask for an epidural or other pain medications if she has insisted on a natural childbirth up until that point. By now, the baby is in the pelvis, contractions are closer together and stronger, and you feel the urge to push.

Once a woman is fully dilated in the second stage of labor, she is ready to push her baby out, which can last up to three hours or longer and has been said to be the biggest relief after all of the pain from contractions. After that is the last stage of labor, where the placenta separates from the uterus wall and is delivered after the baby.

The most commonly known methods to induce labor are evening primrose oil, riding in a bumpy vehicle, eating fresh pineapple, drinking red raspberry leaf tea, having sexual intercourse, manual or mechanical nipple stimulation, acupressure, stripping the membranes, walking, and drinking a castor oil cocktail. They all work very differently, and not all of them can be proven.
Sex works in two ways to induce labor: first, the female orgasm can bring on contractions, and second, semen contains prostaglandins, hormones that work to help ripen and soften the cervix.

Stimulating the nipples with your fingers or with a breast pump triggers the production of oxytocin, which is the natural version of manmade Pitocin that women are given in the hospital to bring on or strengthen contractions. Oxytocin causes the uterus to contract.

Acupressure may also be used to induce labor; it works by stimulating pressure points such as the roof of the mouth, the webbing between your thumb and forefinger, and about four fingertips above the inner ankle. Some women choose to go to a professional acupuncturist, while others try the points on their own at home.

Stripping the membranes can only be done by your health care provider and is done by separating the bag of waters from your cervix. This is thought to encourage the start of labor.

Evening primrose oil taken orally beginning after week 30 of pregnancy can soften or ripen the cervix to help prepare for birth. A few weeks later another evening primrose oil capsule can be inserted vaginally as close to the cervix as possible to increase the effects of the pill. The capsule should dissolve by the first time a woman wakes up to use the restroom, leaving only a slightly sticky residue.

Red raspberry leaf tea, which is different from red raspberry tea, contains herbs that are said to help the uterus contract during and after pregnancy. Drinking a couple of glasses a day after your first trimester should stimulate the uterine contractions to be more regular, and red raspberry leaf tea is especially useful after delivery because it lowers the chances of postpartum hemorrhaging. A woman’s uterus needs to contract after the baby and placenta are delivered in order to shrink back to its original size, and sometimes that can come with heavy bleeding; red raspberry leaf tea is said to control the flow of blood so that a woman doesn’t lose too much blood during and after delivery.

Both walking and taking a ride in a bumpy truck are thought to put the baby into a better position for labor if the baby hasn’t dropped yet. Eating spicy foods like eggplant parmesan, something in fresh pineapple, and certain herbs are also ways that pregnant women swear brought on labor.
Finally, women and their mothers and grandmothers have talked about a castor oil cocktail for decades, and everyone seems to know someone who swears by this method. The best results are said to come if you are already in labor, because the castor oil causes intestine spasms which can cause the uterus to contract. Though it is not widely recommended, if you decide to go this route you can drink one to four ounces of castor oil mixed with six ounces of orange juice at least once. Keep in mind that the castor oil will cause your bowels to empty themselves within about three hours and with any luck true labor will follow.

Natural induction methods should not be used before being discussed with your health care provider. Anyone who is anemic, has a history of postpartum bleeding, or has high blood pressure should not try to induce labor on her own. One thing to remember is that natural induction methods will not work if the baby isn’t ready to come or if the cervix isn’t ripe. Like all interventions in birth there are risks to inducing labor, and a woman should wait until her due date to try any natural induction methods.

Time can be the best method to induce. Women are most likely to start researching and trying out natural induction methods during the last few weeks of pregnancy. This could be because they are simply tired of being pregnant and want to get the baby out in a hurry, or that the estimated due date has passed, the little one is considered full term, and they are willing to take labor methods into their own hands.

Normally, natural induction methods are used by anyone who would like to have a nonmedicated natural childbirth either in or out of a hospital.

With the birth of their first or even subsequent children women often have questions about what is an acceptable weight gain during pregnancy. Often women have misconceptions about weight gain during pregnancy, how much is healthy and also feeling as if they may be contributing to obesity.

Previously doctors believed that a weight gain of 20 –25 pounds was appropriate but now they know that the amount of weight a woman gains during pregnancy should in fact be based on her pre-pregnancy weight. Your baby will take what nutrition it needs from the woman’s body. When women don’t take in enough nutrition they are at risk for delivering an underweight baby. Babies who are born at low birth weight are at higher risk for specific health disorders that affect the lungs, neurological and gastrointestinal systems.

An acceptable weight gain during pregnancy often occurs in the third trimester because that is when the baby gains the majority of his weight and size. Your hunger increases in the first and second trimester because it takes a lot of energy for your body to grow this new little person. You should be eating a well balanced diet that doesn’t have excessive fat or sugar.

Doctors now know that how much you gain during pregnancy depends upon how much you weigh before. Those who weigh less should gain more and those who weight more should gain less. That’s not very specific. So the US National Academy of Sciences produced a table of recommended weight increases during pregnancy based on your pre-pregnancy BMI.

Your BMI or body mass index, is a way of measuring how close to a normal weight your are using a mathematical equation taking your height and weight into account. The actual equation is your height, squared, divided into your weight and multiplied by 705. If you use a metric system you divide your weight in kilo’s by your length in meters twice.

For instance if you are 5’4” and 120 pounds: 120/ (64X64) X 705 = 20.65 (BMI).
In metrics the weight 55.54 and height is 1.62 meters – divide the weight by height twice and the BMI = 21.1

The National Academy of Sciences acceptable weight gain during pregnancy table recommends a weight gain of 27-39 pounds if the BMI is less than 19.8; about 25-35 pounds if your BMI is 19.8-26; about 15-25 pounds if your BMI is 26-29 and at least 13 pounds if your BMI is over 29.

Weight gain during pregnancy should never be mistaken for obesity. The dictionary defines obesity as excessive accumulation of fat but weight gain during pregnancy is because of the weight of the placenta and baby.

Many women also mistake the weight gain during pregnancy and difficulty losing the weight after pregnancy as a reason not to gain weight during pregnancy. Unfortunately this increases the risk of babies who are low birth weight who have neurological, gastrointestinal and temperature regulation problems. Some of these difficulties are long term and last a lifetime.

Many women are excited about being able to continue exercising through their pregnancy and begin again quickly afterward. Exercise is a wonderful way to improve cardiovascular fitness, increase strength and endurance during delivery and improve strength after delivery to care for the new baby. There are several options for exercise during pregnancy but one that seems to be very popular is the Swiss ball or physio ball.
This is a large beach ball looking piece of equipment that is large enough for someone to sit on.

Old beliefs were that women shouldn’t exercise through their pregnancies but should instead sit on the couch with their feet up, relaxing. Today many women are grateful to continue exercising. There are days when exercising may be the last thing on your mind but it is the best thing for both you and the baby.

Before starting any exercise program, even one as gentle as the physio ball exercises either during or after pregnancy, should be cleared with your doctor. Although there are many good reasons to exercise during pregnancy there are also other times when exercises may be contraindicated to the health of you and your baby. Be sure you have all the answers before you start a program.

Exercise trainers are quick to point out that the physio ball is great for increasing core stability and strength which essentially means that the ball increasing strength in the abdominal muscles, back and oblique muscles. These are the muscles that hold you up straighter, make you appear toned and athletic and are needed during delivery. These balls are relatively cheap and are an easy accessory to keep in your home.

The physio ball exercises during and after pregnancy should follow other standard criteria for exercising during pregnancy. First, you should clear all exercise programs and protocols with your doctor. While exercising during pregnancy is usually a very good idea to increase strength and endurance so necessary during labor and delivery, there are some situations in which pregnant women shouldn’t exercise. Your doctor would be the one to tell you what’s best for your situation.

Secondly, you should never start an intense exercise program after you become pregnant. For the most part it’s best to have started a program before becoming pregnant but women are able to start a program through to their second trimester as long as the exercises are gentle and the intensity stays low. Even at a low intensity women will increase strength and endurance of specific muscles needed both during delivery and after the little is born.

Physio ball exercises will help women who experience significant pelvic pain as the weight of the baby presses down on the stretched ligaments. There are a couple of specific exercises that will help to alleviate pain and relieve back discomfort. In one rather undignified pose the woman should get down on hands and knees hugging the ball and resting the weight of the upper body across the ball. She can rock back and forth if desired. This will help to alleviate the pain in the pelvic region.

Bridging exercises with the physio ball exercises during and after pregnancy can help to relieve back pain and strengthen the torso and hip flexors. Some women find it more comfortable to use the ball in place of a chair or bench while sitting during normal activities. The ball provides cushioning support for the increasing weight and the instability will help with torso mobility and strength in a gentle fashion.

Physio ball exercises during and after pregnancy can be used to modify other more common exercises such as squats. Using the ball and placing it between you and the wall, then rolling down the wall with it to a squatting position will help support your back while working your legs. Other women will find some pain relief sitting on the ball during contractions.

Pregnant women get recommendations from their obstetricians and gynecologists that it is important to stretch an exercise during their pregnancy. Exercises and stretches continue to help improve overall health as well as increase strength, and endurance during labor and delivery. Women who have stretched and exercise throughout their pregnancy also are better able to ensure the rigors of early motherhood.

Stretching enhances flexibility and prevents muscles from tightening. Although the body continues to secrete relaxin, a hormone responsible for the relaxation of tendons and ligaments as the body prepares for delivery, it does not provide adequate stretching of muscles. Stretching also helps the body and muscles to handle the new postural changes the body experiences as the baby continues to grow.

Stretching also helps with coordination, increased rates of motion and prevents injuries in women who continue to exercise. During pregnancy the body is climbing a mountain every single day as it works to develop a brand-new human being. Just the act of climbing stairs is enough to cause an injury if the woman is not used to exercise and has not remained flexible.

Stretching also helps women to focus on their body and stay in touch with how it is moving and feeling. This greater awareness allows for adjustments as the pregnancy progresses and also improves their perception of labor and delivery. However, before starting any new exercise program or stretching a woman should consult with their obstetricians in order to ensure that she is not otherwise negatively impacting another underlying medical condition.

Stretches can help a woman to cool down after a workout or just help to relax when she’s feeling stressed. Stretching during pregnancy should also be used only when the woman is taking deep and regular breaths in order to regulate the stretching that is occurring.

Although other forms of exercise may require special kinds of equipment or clothing, stretching can be done anytime throughout the day and in the privacy of your own home. Stretching can be done at home, at work or any time you feel stiff and achy, which includes during shopping excursions or at the grocery store.

Just like when you were not pregnant it is important to stretch after doing cardiovascular exercises. This is because the muscles are sufficiently warmed up in order to stretched to their capacity. Focus on the muscles that were used specifically during your exercise routine. For instance, if you were taking a long look then it is important to stretch the major muscles of the legs which include the hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and hips.

One of the biggest complaints that would pregnant women have is of back pain. 80% of women who become pregnant will experience some type of back pain at some point during their pregnancy. The severity will range between a mild discomfort to debilitating pain that interferes with daily life. In most cases it is a result of changes that are happening within the body. However, it can be a sign of a more serious condition and may be a sign of labor. Any time a woman experiences back pain that has not been experienced before she should contact her obstetrician.

During stretching the stretches should be held for 20 to 30 seconds and repeated three separate times. Women should never bounce in order to stretch their muscles because they are increasing tears in the muscle and decreasing the benefit to themselves as well as increasing the risk of injury.

You can incorporate your stretches throughout the day to help with lower back pain, aching legs and stress. If your job includes you sitting down all day at a desk set an alarm to get up each hour, stretch to get out the kinks and move around to get the blood moving. Some very effective stretches can be done while standing next to the desk and holding your chair.

Neck stretches can be done sitting down, back straight and arms relaxed. Gently bend your chin toward your chest, roll it to the right and then the left. Avoid going backwards. Your calves can be stretched in the seated position also. Sit up straight with one leg out in front of you. Using a towel or resistance band around the bottom of the foot gently pull the toes toward your chin.

Stretching your back will be more difficult at the office but if you can find a quiet spot where you can get to your hands and knees for a short time you’ll be in good shape. On your hands and knees with abdominal muscles tight move the hips back toward the feet while keeping hands in the original position, resting the belly between the thighs. This effectively stretches the lower back muscles that can tighten sitting in a chair with poor posture for any length of time, especially as your abdomen begins to grow.

Years ago physicians recommended that women spend the majority of their pregnant months resting on the couch in order to protect the health of the new baby. However, after years of research physicians now recognize the need for adequate exercise during pregnancy in order to prepare the mother’s body and the baby for delivery. Exercise helps to reduce the perception of pain, increases the likelihood that the delivery will be easy and increases the endurance of the mother to withstand sleepless nights after the baby has been born.

Traditionally strength training is safe during pregnancy as long as the woman follows some specific precautions. Weight lifting used to be presumed to be too stressful or cause injury during the pregnancy. With modifications it provides an outstanding benefit to a woman’s overall prenatal physical and mental well-being as well as increasing her ability to function well in the postpartum period.

Pregnancy is not a time to lose weight, train for an athletic event or begin intense exercise programs. However, strength training will help to control excessive weight gain and reduce or avoid common discomfort, especially with lower back pain. Strength training also helps to build strained for lifting and carrying a baby after they are born and helps a woman to decrease her stress levels.

If a woman has been using weight lifting prior to becoming pregnant she can most likely continue with her program with some modifications. In either case, if she had been weight lifting or is starting a program after becoming pregnant, a woman should work with a fitness trainer for at least a short time who is knowledgeable about pregnancy and can help the woman to counterbalance the alignment changes and muscular imbalances that happened throughout these next nine months.

During the months of pregnancy the body releases larger amounts of progesterone and relaxin, both hormones, in preparation for delivery. These hormones relax the ligaments and tendons and cause them to stretch more easily. Unfortunately, while this is a positive effect for delivery a woman who over stretches or lifts too much weight can cause an injury.

For these reasons it is important for a woman to work with a fitness trainer who can help her work on proper posture during strength training that will hopefully extend to her time outside of the gym. The fitness trainer can also assist her with finding the right amount of weight and the correct exercises that will help her strengthen her body.

During pregnancy there are specific muscles that become weaker just due to the way in which the baby grows. The first muscles are the gluteals, or more commonly called the buttocks, the hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh and some of the muscles along the upper back and shoulder girdle are all at higher risk for becoming weaker and causing muscular imbalances.

When strength training or resistance training is done correctly, with proper observation and assistance by a fitness trainer, current research indicates that women will continue to perform weight-bearing exercises and will be at or above 50% of their pregnancy level of gain, will feel better and have shorter and less complicated labor.

Many of the exercises that are recommended for women who are pregnant address the upper and lower back and leg muscles. These help to prevent backaches, maintain good posture and support the extra weight throughout the pregnancy. The abdominal and lower back muscles are used to maintain posture and gait and all of this changes with the center of gravity changes on a woman’s body.

When putting together a strange training program for yourself remember to keep in mind frequency, intensity, time and type of exercises you’ll be doing. The frequency addresses how often you should do strength training. Anyone who does any strength training should always rest between 24 and 48 hours between sessions. This allows for two to three sessions per week. Women who are pregnant should shoot for two times per week in order to help build muscle.

The intensity addresses how much weight or resistance a woman should use. The amount used should challenge the individual without excessive strain. You want to feel a small degree of muscle fatigue but do not want to lift to fatigue because of the danger. Women who are pregnant should avoid maximal static lifts because they can place strain on the lumbar spine and other areas. If training causes undue muscles soreness should reduce the amount of weight you’re lifting but not the number of repetitions.
Most individuals lift between eight and 10 repetitions which equals one set. You can do between one and three sets of a particular exercise and rest between 30 and 90 seconds between each set. Aim to work every major muscles group including the arms, chest, back, core and legs. After the first trimester women should not lie on their backs even while doing resistance training. And, even after making modifications to it just for your altered center of gravity is a particular exercise causes pain or discomfort it must be stopped.

Remember that doing weight training and properly can actually cause or aggravate back problems and increased soft tissue injuries. Do your exercises with caution and under the guidance of a fitness trainer who is familiar with working with pregnant women. Women who are pregnant should use strength training machines and leave free weights until their postpartum period when they’re center of gravity is back to normal.

Weight training helps women to improve their endurance and strength, both of which assist during pregnancy, during delivery and throughout their postpartum period. Physicians recognize the benefits of exercise and strength training but, before beginning a program, a woman should check with her obstetrician and received clearance from them in order to adjust for their individual and specific needs.

At one time or another, all women who are pregnant will probably suffer from some degree of back pain. In the early months of pregnancy backaches are caused by hormonal changes and a shift in the center of gravity. As the pregnancy progresses these hormones continue to be secreted that helped prepare the body for childbirth by loosening ligaments and tendons that attach the pelvic bones to the spine. The combination of increased weight, weakened abdominal muscles, change in posture and decreased stability combined to increase the risk of pregnant women suffering from back pain.

But, even though each of these factors increases the risk that a woman will suffer from pain, women do not have to grin and bear it. With the right treatments most women are able to decrease their discomfort and some are able to prevent it.

The idea is to provide support to the lower back to decrease the strain on the musculature and ligaments as your belly begins to grow and use continue to do your daily living tasks. This support can take the form of an external addition to your clothing or an internal change in the way in which you do things.

For instance, women should practice good posture to help compensate for the way in which their body is continuing to grow. The baby will change the center of gravity and shifted forward which can cause lower back pain. By tucking in the buttocks, pulling the shoulders back and standing straight and tall (the way in which we should all be standing!) The altered posture can help to support the lower back muscles.

It is also important to sit at your desk or stand with extreme care. Feet should always be slightly elevated in a chair in the chair should support the back. If there is no longer our support to the chair placed a small pillow behind the lower back. Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time and if you must stand then rest 1 foot on a low step stool to relieve the stress on your lower back.

This is a time in your life when it’s important to learn how to sleep on your side. Many people are back sleepers or stomach sleepers but because of the weight of the baby it is next to impossible and should not be attempted. Keep one or both knees and bandits in order to decrease the strain on the lower back. It may be helpful to put a pillow between the knees and another under the abdomen or the belly.

Women should wear a low heeled shoes with good arch support. This is not the time to try out those stiletto heels. When lifting any object squat down and list with the legs. Do not bend at the waist or lift with your back and do not lift anything that is either moderately heavy or heavy.

By staying fit and exercising you also help to keep your back strong and may actually relieve back pain by doing so. Check with your obstetrician to be sure that your exercise program is approved for your particular individual circumstances. Women who are pregnant often get great benefit from walking, riding a stationary bike, swimming and the practice of yoga.

There are actually two different kinds of back pain that pregnant women can experience, and sometimes are experienced simultaneously. Lumbar back pain happens in the area of the lumbar vertebra in the lower back and pelvic pain is felt in the back of the pelvis. Pelvic pain hits the back a little lower than lumbar pain, somewhere around the tail bone or size. Sometimes a woman may feel pain over the pubic bone in the front as well. This kind of pain is worse than dork triggered by walking, climbing steps, rolling over twisting, lifting and holding positions where the hips are bent. Lumbar pain feels more like pre-pregnancy backaches with pain around the waist of the spine and radiating downward to the legs.

Another way in which women can support their lower back is to purchase a maternity support belts. Means our belts that help to reduce lower back pain, reduce the pressure on the bladder and decrease the potential for varicose veins and swelling of the veins in the lower legs. Proponents of maternity support belts also believe that it helps to prevent preterm contractions and gives women a greater comfort during exercises.

The objective of a maternity support belt is to lift the abdomen slightly higher on the body and provide support to the lower back. These support belts can be purchased at maternity stores, Amazon.com and at other online maternity shops.

Be sure to discuss your lower back pain with your primary care physician or obstetrician in order to get their advice on how you may treat this condition. If your health provider believes that your back pain is initiated from another source, such as sciatica or a displacement of your sacroiliac joints, they may recommend that you see a physical therapist several times in order to be educated on and stretches and exercises to help relieve your pain.

Lower back pain is a common occurrence in women who become pregnant. Because of years of experience, and trial in air or many different options are available to help both treat and prevent this type of pain from occurring. Do not suffer in silence but instead seek out ways in which you can help your body to function without pain.

Kegel exercises were developed by Dr. Arnold Kegel to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. These muscles support the urethra, bladder, rectum, vagina, penis and uterus. They are used when you have a bowel movement or urinate and during orgasm. These muscles are also used during delivery of your baby.

Kegel exercises will strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, lessen and prevent bladder control problems and will help if you have a loss of control over bowel movements.

These exercises are basically tightening and relaxing the pelvic floor but here are how you can use Kegel exercises how to improve them. First you must locate the muscles you are trying to exercise. Kegel exercises won’t do any good if you are exercising the wrong muscles. Think of tensing the muscles around the opening of the urethra and pulling them upward and inward. Pretend you are urinating and stopping a stream of urine. You can practice this while you are on the toilet and actually stopping a stream of urine.

Notice how pulling those muscles feel. You can also contract the rectal area as though you were attempting to stop the passage of gas. This also uses the same muscles. Now it’s time to exercise those muscles three times each day.

The next step in Kegel exercises how to improve them is to tighten the muscles by squeezing them slowly to a count of four and then relaxing them slowly to a count of four. If your muscles are weak you may only be able to hold the muscle tightening for a count of two. You should repeat the cycle 10 times three times each day.

You can check your technique in the mirror or using your hands to be certain that you are not using accessory muscles in the abdomen and buttocks to accomplish the same task. Your hand shouldn’t feel your stomach or buttocks tighten if you are doing the exercises correctly.

What can cause your pelvic floor muscles to weaken? Like other muscles without use they weaken. When they are stretched they can also weaken. More specifically age, childbirth, menopause, diabetes, extreme overweight, frequent heavy lifting and recurrent urinary tract infections.

Kegel exercises how to improve them will give you good results within just a few weeks. However, it may take 3 or 4 months to see a lot of improvement after doing these exercises daily. They take only 4-5 minutes three times each day and they can be done when no one knows. You can do them while driving in your car, typing on your computer, before you get out of bed in the morning, while changing the baby or eating dinner.

While you are doing the exercises be sure not to tighten other muscles in your buttocks, stomach or legs because this can put more pressure on your bladder control muscles and actually do more harm than good. Also, do not hold your breath while doing the exercises. When done correctly no one has any idea that you are doing them.

You can also protect yourself and your pelvic muscles from more damage by bracing yourself during a sneeze, before jumping or before lifting something. Think ahead before sneezing, lifting or jumping. Sudden pressure from these actions can hurt the pelvic muscles. So, squeeze your pelvic muscles tightly and hold on until after you sneeze, lift or jump.