Key Ways To Help Boost Your Iron In Pregnancy

May 28, 2018 by 2 Comments

 

boost your iron in pregnancy

 

 

You just found out you’re pregnant.  You’re very excited to become a mother.  You can’t wait to spend time with your little bundle of joy, and take care of him or her throughout the years.  But aside from the excitement that you’re feeling, you’re also worried because there’s now a lot of responsibilities in your hands. Your child’s life depends on everything that you do.  So, you want to be careful and nurture your child in the best way possible.

Furthermore, you want to start off ensuring that your child will grow up healthy.  Iron plays a big role in your child’s development.  As a matter of fact, your body might not be able to provide the minerals and nutrients your unborn child needs without it.  However, there are ways to boost your iron in pregnancy.

Why You Need Iron During Pregnancy

Being a mother is a fulfilling yet challenging role.  It’s imperative that you give everything that your unborn child needs.  Iron is important in your pregnancy because:

 

  • It’s a requirement for making hemoglobin, the protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen to other cells.  Remember, you’re carrying another person in your body – the more hemoglobin, the better.
  • It’s also an essential component of myoglobin (the protein responsible for supplying oxygen to your muscles), collagen (the protein found in your bones and other connective tissues), and many other enzymes.
  • It helps maintain a healthy and strong immune system throughout the pregnancy.

 

How To Boost Iron During Pregnancy

Also, iron supplies several proteins in your body, which your child needs. To help boost your iron in pregnancy, take note of the tips below:

 

iron boost in pregnancy

 

  • Take an iron supplement during your pregnancy:  There are several iron supplements available in the market.  But, before deciding make sure you ask for your doctor’s approval.  If they have a recommendation on a particular iron supplement for you, follow it. Also, inquire how many times in a day you should use it.  Ask if there are dos and don’ts while you’re taking these supplements. Remember, your iron intake should help you during your pregnancy, not complicate it.
  • Eat your spinach:   Another way to boost your iron in pregnancy is to eat your spinach.  Spinach can be bought anywhere and is a very good source of iron. Raw spinach is great in salads. You can eat your spinach with sliced strawberries, grilled meat, pasta, and cheese!
  • Keep your caffeine intake down: All of your efforts to eat iron-enriched foods and supplements will be useless if you’re consuming too much caffeine. Caffeine actually dashes the effects of iron in your body. This means that if you drink cola after eating an iron-rich steak, your body will absorb less iron.
  • Add more vitamin C: Vitamin C is known to improve iron absorption in your body. So whenever you’re taking your iron supplements, finish it with a glass of orange juice. You can also add fresh strawberries to your oat bran cereal or add a side of pepper with a shrimp dish to get your daily dose of Vitamin C!

 

Preparation Is Key

When you’re an expecting parent, you want everything to be perfect. In addition to providing for your baby in the womb, you should also be preparing financially.  A pregnancy cover from your insurance policy can help.  Knowing that you have everything covered will help you have a stress-free and easy childbirth.

 

Jessica Wilson   iron boost in pregnacy

Jessica is a professional health expert who works for some major health industry giants. She currently writes for Membersown and is dedicated to helping people learn more about health related topics along the journey. When she’s not a health advocate, she enjoys some down time traveling or talking with family

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Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy and Childbirth

January 22, 2018 by Leave a Comment

In case you’re considering getting pregnant or you are pregnant –  you probably know some essentials about dealing with yourself and the child.  Giving birth can be a physical challenge.  Preparing for childbirth causes us to face our inhibitions.  Moving through the birthing process causes us to feel excitement, fear, anxiety, and finally a feeling of ecstasy as we give birth to our child.  Here are a few more parenting tips for a healthy pregnancy:

 

 

tips for a healthy pregnancy

 

 

  • Eat healthy  

Plan to eat a solid, balanced diet during your pregnancy.  Pick wholegrains as opposed to white sugar to ensure a sufficient amount of fiber.  Daily portions of protein is important too.  For example, fish, meat, eggs, nuts and some milk and dairy are important for a balanced diet.

  • Fluids

Be sure to drink water and other nutritious drinks.  Great sources of nutritious drinks include low sodium V8 juice, fresh squeezed orange juice or nonfat milk.

  • Exercise

Staying fit is an absolute necessity for most mothers to be.  So, one of our tips for a healthy pregnancy is exercise. Standard activity will offer you some assistance with controlling your weight.  Exercise also helps clear your head and help you sleep better. Furthermore, keeping your diet in check and doing these simple exercises at home will help with delivery.  Pilates, yoga, swimming, and walking are good exercises for most pregnant women.  However, check with your doctor before beginning any physical activity program.

Special prenatal exercises like squatting and Kegels help with childbirth and can possibly shorten the labor time. Yoga and a massage are great ways to relax and help ease contractions during labor.

  • No smoking, alcohol or caffeine

If you smoke, now is a great time for you to quit.  Also, do not allow yourself to be exposed to second hand smoke. Additionally, eliminating alcohol is advised as well.  An occasional glass of wine may be allowed.  Consult your doctor before consuming any alcoholic beverages or caffeine.  Both could possibly affect the birth weight, development hindrance and premature delivery.

  • Stay at home for as long as possible

Staying at home allows you to move freely and comfortably until your contractions are strong and coming every 3-5 minutes apart.

  • Think positive and Stay focused

Just thinking of your new baby will help give strength to bear the labor pains and the process of childbirth.

This tool is used for relieving labor pain and can be used through childbirth to reduce pain awareness by stimulating the production of endorphins.  Consult your doctor before using this machine.

  • Hydrotherapy

If you are considering an epidural for pain relief, you may try a birth pool instead. Soaking yourself in warm water increases oxytocin production, encouraging dilation.  Consult your doctor for options.

We hope that you enjoyed our tips for a healthy pregnancy.  Again, consult your physician before starting any exercise routines, concerns about your diet or labor desires.

 

 

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How to Enhance Conception: 5 Lifestyle Changes

November 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment

 

 

Conception can be tricky sometimes. Trying to get pregnant can be a hassle at times. Our bodies are not created equally, and may take extra work to get there for some.

When it comes to conception, most of us disregard important lifestyle choices.  This includes diets, habits, lack of exercise, vitamin intake and so on. Not only do these factors improve overall health in both men and women, but they also regulate bodily functions, general mental health and promote fertility.

If you are having difficulties trying to conceive, here are a few lifestyle changes to enhance conception:

  1. Keep a Healthy Diet

Keeping a healthy diet and maintaining a normal body weight is crucial.  Especially, when you’re trying to conceive. For example, being overweight can impair your insulin.  Which also interfers with your normal production of egg cells.  So, you need to consider all the factors that might interfere with your hormonal balance and could possibly prevent you from ovulating.

Next, don’t assume that men have a free pass when it comes to a healthy lifestyle.  Being overweight directly hampers testicles and can lead to poor sperm production. Also, excessive fat contributes to high estrogen levels and low testosterone levels.  This can impact sperm growth.

Numerous studies have linked processed meat with poor semen quality.  Consider this: according to a Harvard School of Public Health study, women who had the highest intake of animal protein were 39% more likely to struggle with infertility.  Whereas women who held a plant-based protein diet were substantially less likely to suffer from infertility.

If you want to promote fertility, try removing processed foods from your diet.  Replace one or two meals per day with vegetable-based proteins.  However, stay away from soy since it has a high concentration of estrogen. Choose beans, chickpeas, lentils, mushrooms, nuts and broccoli.  Additionally, swap that bag of chips with a bowl of roasted almonds.

You should also cut back on trans fats (replace butter with avocado or high quality extra virgin olive oil), coffee, and alcohol.   Drink lots of water, and most importantly give up smoking.

  1. Exercise

What is a healthy diet without exercise? Being active not only improves your overall quality of life, it helps keep your weight under control.  Also, it enhances your mood and regulates your bodily functions. Working out lowers your risk of heart diseases, improves your circulation, tones your body, and alleviates depression.  Most importantly, an active lifestyle lowers the risk of ovulatory infertility in women.

According to www.dunyaivf.com, people who want to conceive should watch their weight and live an active lifestyle. These two simple changes alone could significantly impact your chances of conceiving.

  1. Get to Know Your Cycle

In order to enhance conception, you must understand how your cycle works.  It is essential if you are looking to conceive. The first day of normal flow represents day one of your menstrual cycle. Most women who have a normal cycle of 28 to 30 days ovulate around 13 to 14 days before their next period.

Using an over-the-counter ovulatory kit can be extremely useful.  Especially, if you have an irregular cycle and are not sure when ovulation will occur. The kit will let you know 12 to 24 hours in advance when your chances of conceiving are the highest.

Once the kit turns positive, have sex that same night and the following two. Be aware that sperm has a longer life-span than an egg cell.  Hence, good advice would be to start having intercourse five days before you start to ovulate.

Useful signals that can tell if you are ovulating are abdominal cramping and clear vaginal discharge that resembles the consistency of an egg white.

  1. Use a Sperm-Friendly Lubricant

Many over-the-counter lubricants contain spermicides such as nonoxynol-9, which decrease sperm motility and affect conception. Look for a sperm-friendly lubricant that will facilitate the process instead of hindering it.

  1. Relax and Meditate

Another way to enhance conception, is to learn how stress can affect you.  Couples that are trying to conceive tend to become more stressed, worried and anxious.  If you feel like stress is affecting your health or your relationship, try talking to a therapist or counselor.  Activities that relieve stress and help you get more in tune with your mind and body are yoga, meditation, and massage.

Lifestyle changes alone might may not help with conceiving if you or your partner is suffering from a medical condition. If you have tried to get pregnant for more than one year or you are over 35 years old, you may want to check with a doctor for fertility tests.

If you are having problems conceiving, we hope that you try a few of our suggestions to enhance conception .

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Body Changes After Pregnancy

March 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment

body changes after pregnancy

First, being pregnant (and the bliss that comes after) is probably one of the most beautiful times in a woman’s life. While not all pregnancies are the same.  Nor does every woman experience the same set of symptoms.  However, all of the mothers-to-be seem to have the same incredible glow and inexplicable beauty.

Most women are unaware of what they’ll be experiencing after giving birth. While everyone’s ready for sleepless nights, are they really ready for hair loss, tooth decay, melasma, spider veins, stretch marks, sagging breasts, and weight gain.  Furthermore, many experience postpartum depression.  Luckily, these days virtually everything is easily solved with a few preventive measures and treatments.

Here are some after pregnancy changes you may experience and a few tips on how you can survive them:

Hair Loss

It isn’t unusual for women to start losing large amounts of hair weeks after delivery. Normally, a person loses 100 hairs a day.  But pregnant women normally lose less because of raging hormones.  Once the pregnancy is over and your bundle of joy is delivered, your body has to compensate and lose extra hair.  Usually for the first six months after delivery.  The bad news is you will lose more hair than you expect. The great news is that your hair will soon return to its normal growth cycle.  Keep it shampooed and conditioned regularly.

Skin Discoloration

Melasma, or the so-called “mask of pregnancy” is that tan-colored area around your eyes, mouth, chin and nose. Patches may develop over time but shouldn’t be big. Beyond the cosmetic discoloration, melasma does not cause any other symptoms. Melasma usually disappears spontaneously over a period of several months after giving birth, so don’t worry.

Incontinence

When you are pregnant, it feels like you are urinating constantly. However when the baby is born, they are no longer pressing on your bladder.  As a result, it frees you from running to the bathroom every second. However, the pressure on the urethra during delivery can make urination difficult postpartum. Also, new moms may also suffer from incontinence or a urinary tract infection.  It can cause a burning sensation during urination.  See your doctor immediately.

Back Pain

Prepare to be extra patient as your stretched abdominal muscles will take time to regenerate and become strong again. Until the abdominal muscles tighten up again, you may feel discomfort.  Your back may also ache as a result of your back being strained. Back pain can also be caused by poor posture during pregnancy. Generally, the first six weeks after giving birth are when these problems normally clear up.  If not, you may want to see a chiropractor, masseuse or your doctor.

Stretch Marks

Additionally, the first thing to understand is that your body will change.  One of the changes is getting stretch marks.  They often appear sometime after the sixth or around the seventh month of pregnancy according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Furthermore, it is interesting to learn that genetics play a role in getting stretch marks.  If your mother has stretch marks, you’re more likely to have them too.  If you have a lighter complexion, you will tend to develop pinkish stretch marks.  Darker-skinned women tend to get stretch marks that are lighter than their skin tone.

While stretch marks can’t really be stopped from happening altogether, they can be reduced to a bare minimum. It’s advised to use a healthy organic stretch mark oil throughout your pregnancy.  However, avoid chemically processed stretch mark products.  No matter how promising the ads are, they can be harmful for the baby and you.

Dear new moms, frit not. Most of the changes happening to your body after pregnancy will disappear within a year of delivery.  You will be absolutely fine.  Take good care of yourself and the baby.  Everything will work out for the best!  We hope you enjoyed our after pregnancy changes and tips on how you can survive them.

 Author BIO:

Sophia Smith is Australian based fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger. She is very passionate about yoga, organic skincare and healthy food choices. Sophia writes mostly in beauty and fashion related topics, mainly through blogs and articles. She is regular contributor at High Style Life.

 You can find out more about her writing following her on: Facebook  Twitter  Google +

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