Tag: morning sickness

Pregnancy and Nutrition

You are besides yourself with joy as you see that your pregnancy test is postive. You find yourself already caressing your stomach in hopes that your little one can feel you. The next nine months are going to be an exciting time for you and your baby. You are going to have a human life grow inside of you and feel them move as they get bigger. Your baby is going to go from a single sperm and egg into pounds of adorable flesh that you can’t help but kiss over and over again. It truly is a miracle.

In order to help this miracle along, it is essential for you to eat as good as you can through out most of your pregnancy. The first three months might be a little difficult to eat balanced meals when you are dealing with food aversions and morning sickness. If you are one of the rare lucky ones whose stomach doesn’t so much as move during your first trimester, then you can take full advantage of eating healthy right out of the gate.

Making sure you eat balanced nutritious meals is laying down the foundation for your baby. A diet of junk food is not going to help your baby with bone development and organ formation. Potato chips will not help with brain development. Your baby and your body need calcium and vitamins to achieve all of this.

Eating well during pregnancy is going to help your baby eat well after it is born and on solid foods. As your pregnancy progresses, some of what you eat will cross the placenta and the taste will be in your baby’s amniotic fluid. Babies swallow this fluid and their taste buds are so develop that even in the womb they are able to taste the flavors. Doctors believe that babies who are exposed to a wide variety of fruit and vegetables while in utero have less of a chance of being a fussy eater later in life. They believe that these are the babies who will eat their fruit and vegetables without putting up any fight.

Doctors also believe that moms who drink their milk through out their pregnancy have an easier time weaning their babies from formula or breast milk to regular milk. This however is only one benefit, the other benefit of drinking milk throughout your pregnancy is all the calcium you will be giving your baby’s bones. Many doctors recommend that you drink at least one eight oz glass of milk, usually fat free a day. Calcium is a must have your baby’s bones and his teeth, even though you won’t see his teeth for at least a few months.

This isn’t to say that you have to stay away from all sweets all the time. You can indulge every now and then and thanks to cravings you may find yourself wanting sweets more often than not. You do have to keep it in moderation. Being pregnant should not be looked at as an excuse to eat whatever you want for nine months. Both you and your baby could pay a dear price.

How to Use Essential Oils During Pregnancy

Those who have used essential oils before becoming pregnant will probably want to use them during their pregnancy. Some people will want to try them for the first time while expecting. However, it’s important to know how to use essential oils safely during pregnancy.

There are many essential oils and blends of oils that just aren’t safe to use during pregnancy. Some herbs that are used in cooking should be avoided in their essential oils forms during all nine months of pregnancy. These include basil, bay leaves, sage, thyme, and oregano. Others are clove, marjoram, and wintergreen. Some of the essential oils are safe for use after the first trimester. There are remedies for many of the discomforts of pregnancy. For example, women often have morning sickness that lasts beyond the first trimester. If so, they can breathe in oil of peppermint, spearmint, or lemon.

It is easy to end up feeling tense and full of muscle pain when you are pregnant. If this happens, a massage could be just the thing you need. With the essential oils of lavender and chamomile mixed with vegetable oil, your partner can help ease away that tension.

Commonly, women suffer from swollen ankles and feet during pregnancy. If lavender, cypress, and juniper oils are mixed with vegetable oil, they can used for massage oil. This blend of essential oils can cause the swelling to decrease.

Pregnant women also have muscle cramps in their legs at times. For this, massage oil can be made from the essential oils of lavender and chamomile, just as for any muscle pain. However, with this pain and any pain of the feet and legs, it is important to be careful when doing the massage. Activating pressure points in these areas can induce labor.

Carrying around all that extra weight can make a woman feel quite fatigued. She may have given up coffee and caffeinated soft drinks for the health of her baby. To energize herself, she can mix essential oils of lavender, grapefruit, and orange with vegetable oil. This can be inhaled or rubbed on the solar plexus. Skin eruptions are common during pregnancies. They are uncomfortable and distressing to many women. Several different conditions can be helped by putting a mixture of essential oils and vegetable oil on the affected areas.

The essential oils you should use for dry skin are geranium, lavender, and rose. For inflamed skin, use chamomile. For itchy skin, use a combination of chamomile and lavender. These remedies should soothe the skin and make it smoother. There’s just no getting around stretch marks. If you are getting them, though, you might like to have a way to soothe them and keep them from itching. Just put lavender, geranium, and rosewood essential oils in your vegetable oil for massaging.

Do your homework if you are pregnant and wanting to use essential oils to relieve some of the discomforts associated with pregnancy. After the first trimester, there are certain essential oils that are safe to use. If in doubt, consult an expert. It’s important to take the safety of you and your baby into account.