13 Ways To Relieve Swelling During Pregnancy

Swollen ?hands and feet are very common during pregnancy. The medical term for this swelling is ‘edema’. Edema is nothing but excessive retention of water in the tissues.

During pregnancy the body tends to retain more water which gives rise to bloating or swelling of body parts. Sometimes certain changes in the composition of blood due to hormonal changes in the body during pregnancy also result in movement of fluids into the tissues.

Another reason for edema is the pressure exerted on the pelvis veins and the vena cava (the largest vein in the body that is located on the right side of the body and transports blood from the lower limbs to the heart and pressure on vena cava is also responsible for sciatica in some pregnant women) by the expanding uterus.

When pressure is applied on the veins they get compressed and take longer time to carry the blood back from the veins. As a result the blood gets accumulated in the veins and in turn pushes the other fluids in the veins into the surrounding tissues causing swelling.

Pregnant women suffering from edema will find their undergarments, ring fingers and even shoes becoming snug and tight due to swelling in the tissues.?The onset of edema is usually seen towards the end of the second trimester and by the third trimester it has fully set in. pregnant women who live in warm climate is more commonly affected with swollen hands and feet.

Fortunately, the swelling goes away within a week of your delivery. Once the body has delivered the baby it will rapidly start getting rid of the accumulated fluid. Therefore, women who suffer from edema during pregnancy often find themselves urinating and sweating in excess for a few days after giving birth.

Swollen hands and feet during pregnancy can be a very uncomfortable situation to be in. besides; edema makes the pregnant woman feel even worse about the physical changes taking place with her body. It is not always possible to avoid edema, however, there are successful ways in which edema can be prevented.

Keep your feet raised to the level of your heart when lying down. If working on a desk then simply rest your feet on a small stool or a stack of piles to prevent fluid accumulation. Don’t cross your legs or your ankles while sitting or standing because this will put pressure on the veins.

Don’t keep standing at one place for long. Take short walks after every hour to keep the fluid circulation going in your body. When going to sleep lie on your left side because the vena cava is located on the right side of the body. Resting on your right side will put added pressure on the vena cava resulting in swelling of hands and feet. Sleeping on your back or on your tummy is not recommended during pregnancy.

Do regular leg exercises especially if you spend most of your day seating at one place. Relieve the pressure from your veins by stretching the legs. First stretch your leg by pushing it away from your body and gently rotate the feet to give it some exercise. Now stretch your calf muscles. Move your ankles in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction to exercise them.

Do not give up on your regular walks in the morning or evening unless you have been put on bed rest. An increasing tummy often makes it impossible to walk. However, continue with the walking exercise by simply going for walks of shorter duration.

Do not wear heels at all. Heels are bad news for pregnant women not only because they hurt the back but also because they tend to aggravate the condition of edema. So avoid heels altogether. Instead wear comfortable shoes that can stretch easily to accommodate any swelling on the feet.

Avoid wearing socks or stockings that have tight bands. The tightness of the bands will cause the blood to pool in the particular area which will push the fluid into the tissues resulting in swelling. Get yourself a pair of waist-high maternity stockings for support. Wear them first thing in the morning so that the blood does not accumulate around your ankles and feet.

Ironically, the best way of preventing water retention is by drinking plenty of water. Water retention is often caused when the body feels it isn’t getting enough water. To avoid dehydration the body tends to stock up on the fluids. Water retention by the body causes swelling. So drink at least 12 glasses of water to keep up the proper circulation of fluids in the body.

Exercise regularly. Certain yoga postures are excellent for reducing water retention and swelling in the body. However, for pregnant women there is specific type of yoga called pre-natal yoga which effectively prevents and treats edema. If you cannot join pre-natal yoga classes then take up walking, swimming or cycling to give your body some exercise. Even water-aerobics is good for reducing the swelling caused by edema.

Eat a well-balanced diet and avoid junk foods and processed foods. Foods that contain high quantities or salt or oil are known to increase the condition of edema. Even food prepared using white flour contributes to causing swelling during pregnancy.

Keep your blood pressure in control by eating right. High blood pressure often pushes excess water into the body tissues. If you have high blood pressure then your doctor might have to treat you for prevention of preeclampsia.

The condition of edema does not affect the health of your baby in any way. Edema is not a serious medical condition unless you notice swelling on your face or you have puffy eyes; in which case it is advisable to see your doctor immediately. If you experience sudden or excessive swelling in your hands and feet then you could be possibly suffering from serious condition called preeclampsia. Any pain or swelling in one leg should also be reported immediately to your health care provider.

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Overcome Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome With Proper Diet

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a condition seen in women in which ovary produces multiple follicles but none of them releases egg after maturation. Normally an ovary produces about five follicles during a menstrual cycle of which at least one will release an egg after maturation.

About 5 to 15 percentage of women in reproductive age gets affected with polycystic ovarian syndrome and this happens when a woman’s hormonal system goes out of balance. The root cause for polycystic ovarian syndrome is resistance to insulin hormone. Usually the food breaks down to produce glucose which is then absorbed by the cells with the help of insulin.

But in certain cases the cells becomes de-sensitive to insulin and hence it becomes difficult for the body to absorb glucose from the blood. The glucose is then sent to the liver which then converts glucose to fat which leads to weight gain and obesity. In order to get glucose, body produces more insulin than normal and it increases the level of insulin within the blood.

Excess insulin in the blood affects the hormonal level of the body and instead of producing follicle stimulating hormone, it encourages the production of luteinizing hormones which makes the follicles in the ovaries to produce more male hormone called testosterone than the normal female hormone called estrogen. It also affects the adrenal glands and promotes the production of testosterone. The matured follicles do not release egg in the absence of sufficient estrogen.

In addition ?if polycystic ovarian syndrome is left unattended then it increases the cholesterol level, blood sugar level and leads to cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Usually women came to know about their polycystic ovary only when they try to get conceived. Since ?eggs do not get developed during ovulation, the sperm can’t unite with an egg to produce an embryo. Those who are suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome have irregular menstrual cycle and are more likely to have nine or even lesser cycles per year.

Most of them have heavy or light bleeding during their cycle accompanied with moderate abdominal discomfort. They may also have excessive hair growth on face, lower abdomen and chest, skin acne, skin tags etc because of the excessive testosterone level in the body. Weight gain or obesity is another symptom of this disease and all these ultimately result in infertility.

Since polycystic ovarian syndrome is caused by insulin resistance it has to be dealt with multi-faceted approach of well balanced and nutritious diet and regular exercise. If the diet is specifically designed to lower the testosterone and insulin levels and the associated cholesterol and weight gain, then it improves the fertility status of the women ?as it lead to the restart of ?ovulation. There are hormonal treatments and drugs to correct hormonal imbalance but before trying fertility drugs most of the doctors prescribe the natural methods of lifestyle changes and dieting to regain the fertility.

Losing about 5 to 10 percentage of the body weight can correct the menstrual cycle irregularities, skin problems, insulin resistance and even fertility. But a low calorie, low fat diet is not enough for this rather a low glycemic index diet that releases glucose slowly to the blood provides better response. Patients who have regular periods, non-obese nature and have insulin resistance and infertility problems can take their 50 to 55% calorie intake from complex carbohydrates, 20 to 30 % calories from protein.

However an obese patient with insulin resistance should limit their calorie intake from complex carbohydrate to 40% and the carbohydrates can be replaced with monounsaturated fats. The diet plan should be customized as per the individual requirement and the level of insulin resistance and the effectiveness of the diet can be determined only after having improved menstrual cycle, decreased insulin level and weight loss.

The dieter should include low glycemic index foods in her diet like pearl millet, whole wheat, sorghum and green vegetables as they increase the blood sugar level slowly and insulin gets sufficient time to act on the glucose produced after the breakdown of the low glycemic index and thus it helps to maintain a balance between glucose and insulin within the blood. Change the habit of consuming white bread, maida or rice naan etc and rather prefer whole wheat bread, wheat roti, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, cereals, quinoa, beans etc.

Also substitute the fruit juice with fresh fruits with low glycemic index. Most of the low glycemic index foods have high fiber content. Space the intake of complex carbohydrates evenly throughout the day. Also take care to have small and frequent meals that balance the blood sugar level instead of three large meals.

Women under polycystic ovarian syndrome diet should restrict the intake of simple carbohydrates that have high calorie ingredients and sugar such as candies, pie, pizza, chocolates, sweets, ice cream etc as they trigger the craving and hunger by increasing the blood sugar level all of a sudden and then drops it down drastically and causing craving for food. Protein constitutes another part of the diet and protein obtained from plants is ideal. Lean meat taken from pork and chicken, seafood etc is also good substitutes for carbohydrates.

Protein obtained from egg and milk is also good for women trying to regain their fertility. For reducing the weight and to regain the health the dieter should limit the intake of saturated and trans fat like whole milk, red meat, butter, desserts rich in fat, fried and processed foods etc. Instead of that choose monounsaturated fats which can be obtained from canola oil, olive oil, nuts, omega 3 fatty acids, flax seed etc, which are heart healthy foods.

Along with this diet the dieter should take at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day because the high fiber carbohydrate foods may cause dehydration. Besides this a woman trying to conceive can supplement herself with 1000 to 1500 mg calcium per day and multivitamin tablet that contain folic acid. Regular exercise should be a part of your daily routine as it not only reduces the weight but also improve the insulin response of the cells and regains the functioning of pituitary gland that regulates the hormonal level in the blood. ?A properly followed diet and exercise can help you to have a baby which you are longing for.

Photo Credit: Subhblog.blogspot.com

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Removing Stretch Marks From Pregnancy

After you have given birth, you can face the problem of how to remove the stretch marks from pregnancy. While it is difficult to remove the stretch marks from pregnancy entirely, there are many effective treatments, which can greatly diminish their appearance.

You should apply cocoa butter during your pregnancy. Cocoa butter keeps your skin moist. This, in turn, allows your skin to remain elastic. As a result, the stretch marks that are formed will not be too severe. All you have to do is massage the cocoa butter over your stretch marks from pregnancy.

You can apply vitamin oil on your stomach after your baby has been born. Vitamin E is known to help in the reduction of scars. The stretch marks are scars that are caused when your skin rapidly expands during pregnancy. Vitamin E is particularly effective if you apply it after you had a warm shower. It works very well when your body is damp.

An effective way by which you can remove the stretch marks from pregnancy is by using Aloe Vera gel. Aloe Vera contains natural healing properties. When you use Aloe Vera gel, you will be able to heal your skin very well. You should use Aloe Vera gel, which is free from dyes and fragrances. If the Aloe Vera gel contains some added components, then it could have a corrosive effect on your skin.

You must avoid exposure to the sun if you want to get rid off your stretch marks from pregnancy. Like most scars, your stretch marks from pregnancy will become a lot more noticeable if they are exposed to the sun’s rays during the process of healing. You should try not exposing your stomach to sunlight or other radiations for at least six months to about one year after you have given birth to your child. If you wish to expose your stomach to sun then make sure that, you apply a heavy layer of sunscreen. Also, make sure that you keep reapplying the sunscreen from time to time.

If you follow a balanced and healthy diet, then you will be able to successfully remove your stretch marks from pregnancy. You should ensure that you consume food items which are rich in vitamins E, A and C as well as zinc. Foods that are rich in such items can help your skin to maintain its natural elasticity as well as its firmness. In addition to following a healthy diet, you should keep your body as well as your skin hydrated at all times by drinking plenty of water.

An easy way by which you can remove your stretch marks from pregnancy is exercising regularly. When you exercise regularly, it will help to tone your muscles and this could reduce the stretch marks from pregnancy. Exercising could also help you with weight management and weight loss. You should maintain a healthy weight for preventing and removing stretch marks from pregnancy. This is because rapid gain in weight is one of the crucial causes for the formation of stretch marks from pregnancy.

When you exfoliate your skin, you will be able to remove your stretch marks from pregnancy. You can use a loofah for softly scrubbing your skin while taking a bath. This will promote circulation. When you scrub over your existing stretch marks from pregnancy, the scrubbing will also decrease dead skin, which exists over these marks. As a result, the appearance of the stretch marks from pregnancy will be much minimized.

You can try eliminating the stretch marks from pregnancy by using over the counter creams. A very good over the counter cream, which you can use for the removal of your stretch marks from pregnancy is Strivectin SD. However, as the stretch marks usually occur in the dermis of your skin, the over the counter products are not effective in removing these stretch marks. You should also educate yourself before you use over the counter creams for reducing your stretch marks. The results of these products have not been thoroughly proven and they are very expensive as well.

You could opt for prescription creams like Retin-A for removing your stretch marks from pregnancy. This is a very effective cream as far as stretch marks are concerned. It is especially effective when the stretch marks from pregnancy are between one and two years old. You should not use the Retin-A cream, when you are still pregnant or when you are breastfeeding. It is unlikely that your medical insurance will cover the cost of Retin-A cream as it is used primarily for cosmetic purposes.

If over the counter drugs or prescription creams do not help you to remove your stretch marks from pregnancy you could opt for surgical methods. Laser surgeries are known to improve stretch marks that are white in color. The cosmetic laser treatments are very expensive and are not generally covered by the health insurance companies. Some of the well-known options are laser therapy using pulsed dyes and fractional photothermolysis.

The first treatment uses a non-ablative light for rejuvenating the dermis and encouraging collagen and elastin growth. The second method uses light wavelengths for encouraging the growth of collagen as well as elastin. Both these methods work very well on the new and dark stretch marks from pregnancy. However, these therapies can also be conducted on older stretch marks from pregnancy.

You can choose between various ways to remove your stretch marks from pregnancy. If you follow these methods for removing your stretch marks, then your stretch marks from pregnancy are going to disappear in absolutely no time at all. Consequently, the area around your stomach will begin to look much better and you will not have to face continuous embarrassment because of the stretch marks.

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Authoritative Parenting For Proper Results

It is commonly believed that authoritative parenting, which is devoid of physical punishment, has positive impacts on the psyche of children. Children who are raised in authoritative parenting households score higher on social developments, competence, mental health, and self-image.

This difference is evident in varied aspects like psychosocial development, better behavior modification and academic achievement. Authoritative parenting usually sends a positive message. It leads to nurture the confidence level of kids and results in proper grooming of attitudes and skills.

The first step to authoritative parenting is to be demanding but also responsive when your child needs you. You should be flexible with your children but also ensure that they get their chores done. You can tell your children to complete their chores first and then become involved in leisure activities. By doing so, you will allow you children to exercise their own choices and teach them time management as well. You do not need to involve any kind of punishment in such a method of authoritative parenting.

When engaging in authoritative parenting, you must learn to control your children without being restrictive. You should give your kids a choice between a set of activities, which are very similar in nature. If both the activities have to be done, you can ask them which activity they would prefer doing first. This is an authoritative parenting method, which will yield fruitful results.

You need to be involved in your child’s activities if you are going to conduct authoritative parenting with success. You should go shopping with your children or consider making dinner for them on a regular basis. If you are bringing your work home, then you should do it in the presence of your children while they do their homework. You should utilize the time that you have with your children to impart values. This is a crucial authoritative parenting method. You should also ask them about how they spend their entire day and what new incidents are occurring in their lives.

When taking part in authoritative parenting, you should show your children that you are very interested in what they are doing. You should try to attend the extra curricular events and activities in which they take part in school. You should check their homework on a regular basis. If you take interest in your children’s lives then they will also take note of this fact. This will have positive results on both the home as well as school front.

You must teach your children how to make the most of their own potential. Authoritative parenting involves discussing problems and finding solutions together. You can talk to your children about how you make your own decisions in this process. You can for example, reveal your thoughts when you are negotiating play time versus homework time, during authoritative parenting.

You need to tell your children what you want in order to arrive at a fair solution. You have to tell them what they need to do and the deadline by which they have to finish it. You can ask your children how they are going to accomplish their goals, guide their decision-making process, and remind them when they need to change their activities.

The art of authoritative parenting requires keeping the communication channels open. Authoritative parenting involves listening to the viewpoints of your child and letting him explain how or why he did something. This will help you to build a communication with your child that is guaranteed to last for lifetime. When your child’s reasoning or explanation does not appear to fall within the behavior rules you set for him, then you can give him a better choice, which he can exercise the next time.

You have to teach your children how they should focus their passion. This is a very important aspect of authoritative parenting. When your children begin learning rules, they will spend their entire childhood testing these rules. So you have to be alert as to what sort of rules are being tested when they occur. You have to help your child build acceptance, trust as well as a fantastic self image.

You need to enable your children to go ahead and explore new things. A few of these new things could be your choices and a few could be their choices. As your children grow up, more and more choices ought to be theirs. You must prevent them from committing themselves to these activities for the long term. You will not really teach them to stand by something. Rather, you will teach them to do things that they do not really feel like doing.

You must teach your children to respect themselves. Authoritative parenting involves teaching your child personal safety. Your children must be able to tell what clothes a particular person was wearing, how family members can be reached as well as the time by which they are expected to be back in their homes. This is quite easy, given the wide range of modern communication devices that are available.

You should live by what you say. This is an integral part of authoritative parenting. You cannot talk about how you fooled your boss and then expect your children to be upright and virtuous in their ways of live. If you are experiencing particularly difficult choices, you need to talk about why you followed a specific path.

By doing so, you will help your children to see the ethical and moral decisions that you make along the way. You can discuss the songs that you listen to with your children and the movies that you watch with them. You can discuss the content of the movies and the lyrics of the songs that show models of bad as well as good decisions.

Thus, various ways are there by which you can go about the task of authoritative parenting. If you keep these authoritative parenting tips in mind, then you will be able to raise your children successfully. Your authoritative parenting methods will result in your kids becoming balanced and well-developed individuals.

Photo Credit: All-about-motherhood.com

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Tips To Follow For Successful Single Parenting

The task of raising a child all by your self is very challenging. You might feel intimidated when you realize that you do not have another support system for helping you with the various demands of bringing up a child.

However, bringing up a child all by your self is not an impossible feat. It is something, which you can do successfully if you have faith in your parenting abilities. When you are raising your child on your own, you need to keep certain important tips in mind.

An important single parenting tip is accepting that you do not have enough time to participate in other activities as when you were not single. However, you also need to realize that you now get to spend more time with your child.

Spending time with your child alone could be a fantastic experience as no one is likely to distract you from paying attention to your child. You can spend quality time with your child by singing, dancing, talking, playing games and anything else that you feel like. You have to embrace the opportunity of being able to do fun things together with your child.

You must speak with your child about how you spent your entire day and ask him to tell you about his day. When you are single parenting, you can plan out daily rituals with your child such as evening dinners and talk to him about the best part of the day. Also, allow your son or daughter to do the exact same thing.

Sharing is believed to create a strong bond especially if you are a single parent. By sharing each other’s experiences, you can become really good friends with your child that bad days are a part of life and should be taken with a pinch of salt. The two of you will also be able to give each other support through communicating. At the end of the day, both of you will end up feeling much better and much more lighthearted.

To be a stern disciplinarian is very important for single parenting. When you are single parenting, you will need to respect your child but also avoid being a bit too easy on him. You should refrain from feeling guilty for having to bring him up alone. There are many parents who try to compensate for the mistakes that they have made by giving their children free reign. They try to give their children everything they wish for.

This is not an advisable thing to do when single parenting, as the child can become thoroughly spoiled. Consequently, he will be very difficult to handle. You must realize that it is all right to discipline your child when single parenting, even though your child has gone through a lot. Some of the common forms of punishment that you can use to discipline your child while single parenting, are taking away rewards, grounding your child or enforcing time outs. In the process, you will help your child transform into a well-rounded and strong individual. You will not be a bad parent because you will not be giving into your child’s demands.

A good single parenting tip is to talk to your friends and other single parents. You can get them to give you advice about how you should handle certain situations. When you talk to other people who also are single parents, you are able to relieve a few of the fears commonly associated with single parenting. You should not feel weak or inadequate just because you are speaking with other single parents. It is important to reach out and take help from others in order to carry out the task of single parenting.

When you are a single parent, you have to make peace with the fact that you are not perfect. This is a very vital single parenting tip. Parents do not hurt their children when they make minor single parenting mistakes. It is right if you have raised your voice unnecessarily or forgotten to pack your child’s school lunch, or bought your child the wrong shoes. What matters at the end of the day is your love for your child and whether or not you are making your best effort at single parenting.

Your child will turn out fine if you are deeply motivated to impart a proper upbringing to your child. You need to cut yourself some slack and come to terms with the realization that you are not super human. In addition, when accepting your own mistakes you will train your child to accept his mistakes and help him to move on.

You need to have complete faith in yourself when you are single parenting. You need to take good care of yourself and eat right, do fun activities and get lots of rest. Good health is very essential for the task of single parenting. When your child is able to see you feeling healthy and happy, he too will be able to feel happy.

Kids are usually a lot happier when they see that their parents are happy. You should not feel you are selfish for looking after yourself. You have to understand that there is not really anyone to care for you when you are engaged in single parenting, other than yourself.

One of the most important single parenting tips is to draw up a to-do list. This can be a good reminder for whatever needs to be done during the day. You can attach your to-do list to your kitchen door or to your refrigerator. You must write on your to do list all the appointments, events and bills which require being paid.

By doing so, you will not forget to pay your bills or miss any important appointments. You can wipe your to do list clean every day in the evening and draw up a fresh one. Thus, there are several effective single parenting tips, which you can consider for single parenting. If you keep these single parenting tips in mind, you will be able to conduct your task of single parenting extremely well.

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