Medical Questions & Answers » womens health

Lactating mother diet

medicalquestions — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:00:45 +0000

Question: Is a special diet necessary for the lactating mother? Is there anything particularly harmful?
It is not necessary for a lactating mother to have a special diet. An ordinary, middle-class vegetarian meal with the daily consumption of 3 glasses of milk is good for the health of both, the feeding mother and her sucking infant. Various communities all over the world are rife with superstitions and beliefs regarding food requirements of delivery and breast feeding — avoid sour food, take less ghee, take more ghee, avoid cold drinks and many others. Certain substances in the mother’s diet enter the milk and thereby reach the child’s stomach. Keeping this in mind, it is beneficial to take dill seeds, bishopweed seeds, garlic and dry ginger over and above regular meals. These, indirectly exert a good influence on the child as well.
Any food which causes indigestion and gas or does not suit the mother’s system may, similarly affect the child and, cause diarrhea, stomach ache, cold and other ailments.
In short, a routine, square meal with fair amounts of pulses and vegetables, in addition to adequate consumption of milk ensure proper lactation and prevents weakness. It is the practice in many families to give porridge, gruel and similar preparations to the feeding mother. It’s fine to take these if possible. Remember, any medicine taken is going to reach the child in greater or lesser proportion and should not be taken without medical advice.

‘BLISSFUL’ SLEEP ROUTINES

medicalquestions — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:00:39 +0000

Pregnancy often brings on a multitude of sleep disturbances including nausea, heartburn, restless leg syndrome, and snoring. These sometimes unavoidable problems may be aggravated by bad sleeping habits that you established before you were pregnant.
During the initial three months of your pregnancy you are likely to feel surprisingly drained and fatigued. During this time your sleep-inducing hormone progesterone starts surging through your body. You may notice that you need more rest during the day and more sleep during the night. This is due to the new demands pregnancy is making on your system. Your body is trying to cope with the dramatic changes in the hormone levels. During the second trimester, your body will get more used to the changes.
In the third trimester, again, particularly from about six weeks before your baby is born, you will feel quite exhausted and will feel the need for more rest, although your physical strength might have increased progressively, remember that your baby is now becoming heavier, it is growing and developing all the time, and its movements are more noticeable now. That is the reason for feeling fatigued as also the need for additional hours of rest and sleep.

Why Sleeplessness Happens ?

medicalquestions — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:00:07 +0000

It is quite common to have sleep difficulties during pregnancy. There are several reasons for this.
Increase in metabolism — Your baby is growing and developing inside your womb all the time—around the clock. So its metabolism doesn’t slow down when evening comes—or when it is time to sleep for you. Your body needs to supply food and oxygen all the time for its regular growth. Your wakefulness could be a result of that.
Indigestion – Whether you are pregnant or nor, indigestion always creates sleep problems. So, during pregnancy you need to be more careful about it as indigestion and heartburn are very common during this period.
Frequent urination – Your growing uterus puts pressure on your bladder because of which you feel like peeing more frequently. This also makes you wake up in the middle of the night.
Cramps – Many women complain about leg cramps that are bad enough to disrupt sleep.

Changes in Body during Pregnancy

medicalquestions — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:00:36 +0000

1. Size of breasts enlarges and milk starts oozing. Nipples thicken, enlarge and elevate and areola also gets dark brown or blackish.
2. Blemishes and spots appear on face.
3. Abdomen becomes bulky, pendulous, loose and spots may also be visible thereon.
4. In certain cases Navel may also protrude.
5. Waist and hips get bulkier.
6. Thighs put on more flesh.
7. Due to constriction of uterus, there may be felt some pain or ache but gradually uterus attains its normal shape. It takes about 6-8 weeks for the uterus to reshape to its formal shape. If a mother breast-feeds her child, her uterus will contract more as a result of which she may have continuous pain, though bearable, in her lower abdomen and pubic area. So, pain is a natural consequence.
8. After delivery, bleeding from vagina is a normal symptom which disappears after 3-4 weeks. There is a gradual decrease in flow which, in lactating mothers, abates quite early. If there is a continuous flow with pain and/or foul smell, some sort of infection may be suspected, and attended to without any delay.
9. Avoid coitus if there is pain, swelling or foul smell from vaginal flow. It may be remembered that a woman can conceive again, despite absence of menses.
10. The lactating mother’s breasts won’t enlarge upto 48 hours of delivery but, when milk is there, breasts will enlarge and will assume former shape after the child has stopped breast-feed.
11. It takes about 2-4 months to attain weight which existed prior to conception. Rise in weight is caused by weight of the child as also enlargement of body organs of mother.

General Guidelines for Ladies

medicalquestions — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:00:19 +0000

Following symptoms are quite common in pregnancy.
* Water-brash
* Cramps, particularly in the lower extremities
* Varicose Veins, especially on and around abdomen, legs, feet etc.
* Dribbling of urine, or even scanty or suppressed urine.
* Constipated bowels and heart-burn.
* Lack or loss of sleep and general restlessness.
Diarrhea, dysentery or constipation can even cause abortion, in addition to disturbing the whole digestive system. Never take any food item that may cause any of the above-mentioned problems. Her diet, as a rule, should be light, bland, easy to digest, be helpful to her and her baby, consist of milk, iron, folic acid, calcium which should be derived from foods that are rich in these substances.
Before taking meals, ensure that your hands are thoroughly clean, nails properly clipped and trimmed. Your food should be freshly prepared—it should not be stale, exposed to dust, flies and other harmful bacteria and germs, should not give foul smell. Never eat your meals in a hurry nor cultivate the habit of every-now-and then or whenever desired. You should take your meals at nominated and fixed time. If you are ever mentally disturbed or mentally agitated, no meals should, then, be taken.
A pregnant lady requires a high-calorie diet. Your attending physician will guide you in this respect, but, a dietary plan, based on daily calorie intake, could be as follows (as per generally accepted norms of dietary and calorie requirements.)

Coitus (Coition) During Pregnancy

medicalquestions — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:00:44 +0000

Any coitus which exerts pressure on the abdominal area must be avoided—rather totally ruled out. During first three months of pregnancy, there are greater chances of abortion and resultant bleeding. Similarly, during last three months, when pregnancy reaches its last stage, coitus must be avoided. It implies that coitus can be had during 4-6 months but, even during this period, caution should not be thrown to winds.
Moreover, during her confinement period, a pregnant lady also does not relish coitus, for the simple reason that sexual urge takes a downward trend and also that she dwells more on the welfare of her off-spring. But it is rather difficult for a man to control his passions and restrain his desire. In such a situation, coition should be from the hind side so that chances of abdominal pressure are ruled out and also that no pain or complication should ever occur as a result of coition. If it is not possible to restrain him, the wife should cause ejaculation of her husband by deep kissing, vaginal friction, holding the penis in her hands, exerting gentle and squeezing pressure on his glens penis, or orally sucking the same or through masturbation. Man’s sex genitals are external; hence it won’t take much effort and time for the wife to cause ejaculation.
No artificial device/means should be adopted to satiate sex urge, as the same may cause irreversible complications. It is in the interest of both the partners to agree to a mutually agreed course so that desired ends are achieved, of course without any hassles.

Precautions During Pregnancy

medicalquestions — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:00:43 +0000

The need of the hour is complete care, proper guidance as to complications and problems, constant sympathy, balanced diet, periodical check-up and corrective and preventive measures to pre-empt odd and agonizing symptoms.
* When menses do not appear, after last cohabitation, it is considered to be a sure sign of onset of pregnancy. But, menses may also not appear due to other causes which need to be investigated. Stoppage of menses is not a firm indication of pregnancy. Hence, in order to be doubly sure, a pregnancy test may be had by examining urine of the pregnant(!) woman, which will confirm (or otherwise) taking place of pregnancy. Nothing should, in fact, be left to chance and conjectures, the reason being that when pregnancy is confirmed, through urine test, the prospective mother is required to be given special care, diet etc.
* If there is confirmed pregnancy, the lady would not like to work, will get a bit inactive, prefer to have rest-in-bed, discharge more saliva.
* There may be occasional nausea and a tendency to vomit, tendency to yawn which symptoms last upto 3rd or even 4th month. Though nausea, vomiting and yawning are natural consequences of pregnancy, and no medicine is called for to quell such symptoms which often subside /disappear after the 3rd/4th month but, when vomiting persists and there are repeated vomits, the same must be controlled, otherwise there is every likelihood that she may even abort at a premature stage.
* It there is premature abortion, the lady should be given complete rest-in-bed and if there is bleeding, it must be controlled within the minimum possible time, apart from attending to other fallout symptoms.
* After two months breasts start enlarging and there is slight pain and tenderness also. Even an ordinary touch/ contact will be painful.
% Nipples and areola (area around nipples) will get darker, that is there would be redness around them.
* Some sticky white fluid may emerge when nipples are pressed, but the same would disappear during last days of pregnancy.
* The lady does not feel presence of uterus during first three months but, in the fourth month, it could be felt under the pubic region. In the sixth month uterus touches the navel portion. Thereafter, the navel also erects, smarts and protrudes, with gradual increase in weight, size and shape of abdomen whose veins get distended and abdominal pressure tends downwards.
* In ordinary course, pregnancy period lasts for 280 days (that is, roughly 9 months and 10 days) but child may be born 2-3 days earlier or later than span of 280 days, which is not considered unnatural or abnormal. But, if there is too early delivery, the born child may be weak and underweight, or else if there is an inordinate delay, the doctor may have to affect delivery through an operation; the reason being life of mother and child ought to be saved at any cost, lest there is danger to life of either or both.
* If, for any reason, a child is born in the seventh month, the same does not survive in most of the cases, but a child born after the seventh month often survives.
* It is not easy to predict and pin-point exact day of child’s birth. General rule is that the date should be reckoned from the day of stoppage of last menses. For example, if a woman had her last menses on 10th of January, the exact date should be reckoned from 11th January and 280 days added to the said date—though actual delivery may take place ahead of the scheduled time or may take place even slightly later. This variation can also be attributed to the fact that the lady might have forgotten the day when her menses had ceased. But, all such rules are merely of academic interest due to certain variations.

Coition After Pregnancy

medicalquestions — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 06:00:01 +0000

It is imperative that the lady, after she has delivered the child, should have complete rest in bed for, at least, three weeks. In post-delivery period, child’s care is the major concern, hence she may not be able to support and respond to her husband’s sexual advances as heretofore, even though she is now in a far better and healthy mental frame but, even then, may lack in attending to her husband’s sex needs. The method, as suggested in the foregoing paragraphs, may be adhered to. Any act, overt or covert, must not be construed as a signal of hatred or neglect otherwise it can cause long lasting feud between them.
Once there is reemergence of menses, the lady will herself invite her husband. But, I feel, a sex holiday for at least six weeks is all the more necessary. Such a recess will augur well for the lady’s general health. Further, if another conception takes place soon after first child’s birth, mother’s health won’t stay in normal condition, apart from adversely affecting new-born’s rearing up process and also putting a family’s financial resources under strain. The lady has to be more selective, discreet and prudent in working out priorities with regard to her own self, husband and child—rather family as a whole, as she is the sole pivot of all the family activities and virtues.
It has been rightly said that family is the eternal home of civic virtues—rather it is in the family that one learns dynamics of various relationships, interaction parleys, behavior and temperamental attitudes, social behavior etc. Let us not overlook and forget role of a mother who is a prime instrument in molding a child’s multi-faceted personality. There cannot be a better teacher than a mother who, sadly, is a neglected lot and not much has still been done, cogent and useful, to salvage her lost prestige and status in India, at least. If we wish to have a healthy nation, let us first of all, take care of lady of the house, in whose absence/illness, entire house and all members go into disarray. Most of the Indian women are not assertive like their western counterparts—rather the former are much more submissive, relenting, yielding and prefer to play a second fiddle.
Let us not forget that ‘gods live there, where women are worshiped’ which saying seems to be merely a euphoria and not a reality. If men folk desire to enjoy a happy and healthy family life, they must ensure that lady of the house is cared/looked after well. If anything is done to the contrary, there is nothing ahead, except a total calamitous devastation. The ladies, too, have to ensure that they also contribute their mite in this respect, as total well-being and health is their concern too. The ladies have to themselves create a niche for themselves. Remember the old good maxim ‘If you laugh the world will laugh with you but, if you weep, you weep alone.’ Then the simplest and easiest bargain is to laugh and create situations wherein others also could laugh and, still better, laugh with you and share your happiness and joy.

General Information on other Aspects of Pregnancy

medicalquestions — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:11:35 +0000

Enlargement in size of breasts, uterus and abdomen is quite natural and it is nature’s own way to accommodate the child’s growth, size and movements. There may be occasional cramps in calves, swelling of feet, tenderness, discomfort feeling while defecating, making water, bathing, walking, breathlessness, black blemishes/spots on skin, tendency to eat chalk, clay, calcium or such other objects, aversion to coitus, flatulence, slight pain in back and/or loins, knees, anemia, general malaise and aversion to physical activity.
Read the following information on various points and try to adhere to the suggested methods. Some of the points might have already been mentioned, as such repetitions are not out of place or irrelevant when an important phase of such an important event in a lady’s life is being discussed. It is the sacred duty of all the members in a family to look after her health and general well-being. Try to keep up her cheerful spirits, do not let her suffer mentally or physically or any other way.

WHAT FACTORS CAUSE A PREGNANCY

medicalquestions — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:05:15 +0000

The most eventful and momentous occasion for a married woman is to be proud mother of a baby for which she has to sacrifice nine months of her youthful life. But she forgets the ordeals when she becomes a mother. In fact both the parents, in order to have a healthy baby, are required to subscribe to certain norms and self-discipline and how to achieve the desired end, they should know some basic factors which account for the birth of a healthy and happy baby. It is a pity that most of the couples do not know as to how, a woman conceives, what is the most appropriate time when she could be impregnated, what precautions and safeguards both the parents (more particularly the prospective mother) are required to take, what food is best suited, how to keep up mental health of the mother, problems during and after pregnancy and, above all, how to ensure ideal health of the mother and her baby, apart from dealing with some of the disorders which can be easily managed at home.
I wouldn’t have touched upon this topic, had there been reasonable awareness among majority of married couples even in this modern age about the said basic facts. Let it be borne in mind that if a pregnant lady is looked after well and all rules are observed, the child will also be a healthy one and wouldn’t pose any health problem to his parents; as far his general health and progressive growth is concerned. For an instance, a tense mother’s child will be of an agitated and angry disposition, a malnutrition mother’s child will be lean, weak, rickety and frail. A mother suffering from any V.D or/and any chronic disorder will, in all probability, pass on symptoms of her ailment to her offspring, and sometimes with damaging or fatal consequences.
It is a pity that most of the couples do not know about process of menstruation, the days which are considered most suitable for conception, what precautions should be taken by both during the period of pregnancy, regular medical check-up, requisite diet, general health-care, problems during delivery and after child birth. Following details will, hopefully, serve as a valuable guide for the young couples.