Discomforts During Pregnancy
Discomforts During Pregnancy
One of the most universal discomforts of pregnancy is, nausea: Nausea usually occurs when the stomach is empty. Thus it is generally felt in the early mornings on waking up from sleep. Sometimes it also occurs late in the morning just before lunch or prior to the evening meal. If you can prevent your stomach from remaining empty, you will, probably find that the feeling of nausea has disappeared. On waking up in the morning, have someone bring you a glass of fruit juice. Drink this while lying in bed and remain in bed for another half an hour or so. But if you do not like fruit juice in the morning, then eat one or two biscuits in bed. Continue to eat small amounts during the day. After a small breakfast have some fruit in the middle of the morning. A small lunch should be followed in the afternoon by tea, coffee or soup. If you notice that nausea occurs at a particular time of the day, you should make an effort to eat or drink something half an hour before the nausea occurs. Experiment and see what foods seem to agree and disagree with you. Avoid the foods to which you have taken a marked dislike and also avoid heavy, fried and greasy foods. Along with the right diet, take enough rest and relaxation to overcome nausea and vomiting. But this condition usually lasts for the first three months of pregnancy and once this is over you should eat a more adequate and balanced diet to get the necessary food elements which you and your baby will need.
If inspite of all the above measures your vomiting persists, then you should consult your doctor about it. He might give you some vitamins or hormones. If vomiting becomes severe, then either suck cracked ice or a sour lime which is cut in half, sprinkled on top with pepper and salt and heated over fire. This gives relief. In the early part of pregnancy, some women develop a tendency towards constipation. If not treated, it gives rise to a number of embarrassing skin blemishes. To cure it, drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
Include laxtive fruits like figs, prunes and beetroots in your daily diet. If you find that these measures are not sufficient, then you can take a mild laxative but before taking it consult your doctor about it.
During pregnancy many women experience a vaginal discharge for the first time. Some others find that their usual discharge is markedly increased and is yellowish in color. A certain amount of discharge is perfectly normal during pregnancy, but if it becomes irritating or itchy, consult your doctor immediately.
Towards the later months many women develop vericose veins. Vericose veins is a disease in which the veins enlarge and protrude out of the skin. This condition mostly develops in the legs. Women who develop this condition are usually those whose occupation requires standing or sitting for long periods. It is wise that during pregnancy you do as much of your work as possible in a sitting position with your feet propped up. When you have to be on your feet it is better to move around to stand still. If you develop this condition, wear elastic stockings before you get up from your bed. Report your condition immediately to your doctor. Besides you should lie at least for one hour daily in a body-slant position. This position can be achieved by lying flat on your bed with your feet elevated 30 centimetres higher then your head. Start with 10-minute routines and gradually work up to 1 hour. Hemorrhoids, commonly known as piles, are vericose veins of the rectum. When they become enlarged they protrude from the rectum and are apt to bleed, itch or hurt. To prevent these, you should see that your bowels move without straining and the stools are not hard. For the bowels to move without straining, insert a glycerine stick in the rectum in the night before going to bed; also eat a lot of non-constipatory foods.
Some women experience numbness of the- fingers and toes during the middle period of the pregnancy. This is the result of circulatory deficiency. The demands of the growing baby requires a large supply of blood to the womb at all times; as a result, the circulation to the fingertips and toes may be relatively sluggish bringing on numbness. Frequent massage of the fingers and applying heat in some form will aid in speeding up circulation. Sometimes, swelling of legs, ankles, feet, fingers and face too may appear during the last months. The cause of swelling is the retention of water in the tissue spaces of the body; a high intake of salt favours the retention of water hence you should eliminate or use very little salt in your diet and reduce the intake of liquids.
The pressure of the body on the, large blood vessels in the later months may give rise occasionally to bouts of light headedness and sometimes fainting. If this occurs you will feel better if you will lie down for a few minutes. This is mainly due to deficiency of iron in the body. Sometimes your sleep may be disturbed by hard muscular cramps in the calves of your legs. Increase the intake of calcium tablets which should be about six tablets daily. Massage the cramped areas vigorously for a few minutes and apply hot water bottle or a heating pad.
Heartburn and flatulence are the other common disturbances of pregnancy. Heartburn is a kind of burning feeling which is noted at the lower end of the breastbone (therefore the name heartburn). To prevent this, eat smaller meals at regular intervals rather than bigger ones. To prevent formation of gas in the stomach, eat light and nourishing food rather than rich and heavy foods. During the last few weeks, your baby will settle down into the pelvic bowl in the position of labour. Lightening usually occurs a few weeks before delivery in the woman who pregnant for the first time. Thus, it is a very important sign by which your doctor will determine the exact date of your delivery. During the last weeks you might experience shortness of breath when you attempt to do any heavy work or when you climb staircases. Occasionally you may feel that you just cannot breathe. In order to forestall such a sensation, lie down with your arms extended by your side. Slowly raise your arms until they lie on the floor above your head. In this position your ribcage is least expanded, and you will have some previously unused lung tissue with which to breathe. Remain in this position until you have satisfied the urge for a few deep breaths. This can be done as often as necessary. During the last one month of your pregnancy, it is very important that you abstain from INTERCOURSE. This is necessary to prevent the opening of the birth canal to infection. For the same reason, tub baths should be discontinued and showers or sponge baths should be taken instead.