Pregnancy Informations

Yoga For Your Pregnancy

A 45 minute DVD broken up into two segments, Yoga For Your Pregnancy, is designed to limber up women who are expecting a child and revitalize their energy level. Yoga Journal’s DVD is great for beginners, featuring alternate poses for women who can’t stretch, and doesn’t expect you to be a Yoga guru.

The first section, entitled “Energizing and Stretching,” is 30 minutes long and is designed to create strength and stamina. The goal is, of course, to prepare you for the intense efforts required during labor. It is also, however, meant to help you cope with your constantly changing body.

Section Two, “Relaxing and Rejuvenating,” is focused on meditation and concentration. It is designed to help you relax and learn how to breathe in preparation for labor. This section also contains a Lamaze interview.

While this DVD is likely to disappoint regular Yoga practitioners, it is great for women who are looking for physical relief during their pregnancy and labor. With clear explanation and a relaxing teacher, Yoga For Your Pregnancy is a wonderful way to reduce the pain and stiff muscles you experience as a pregnant woman. However far along you are, you are certain to find some poses and techniques that relieve some of your problems.

Prenatal Yoga

A fantastic Yoga DVD designed for women experiencing pregnancy. This video is broken up into three 45 minute sessions, each corresponding to a trimester of your pregnancy.

Each session is hosted by a different women and is set to some nice, flowing music to really get you in the Yoga mood.

The poses are specially modified for your changing body, so you’ll be able to follow the DVD through without worrying about hurting yourself or your baby.

If you’re an experienced Yoga master, this DVD might not be your cup of tea. For those pregnant woman who are looking for a way to keep fit and relieve some of those new aches and pains, give this DVD a try.

Ian Byrd runs yogaondvd.com, a resouce for helping you find the perfect Yoga DVD for you. Read more reviews of Yoga DVDs for Pregnancy.

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Vitamins are an important part of a health diet. Unlike carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, vitamins do not directly provide building blocks or energy for your body; vitamins function as assistants to your body in creating and breakdown down building blocks and storing and releasing energy.

Vitamins come in two basic types: water-soluble and fat-soluble (see the table on the website below)

Quick-Guide to Vitamins by Shoppe.MD Online Pharmacy

If your diet generally follows the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, you will get the recommended daily allowances of vitamins (the amount people generally need). But there are many reasons why these guidelines might not get us the vitamins we need.

* Day-to-day living: In the rush of daily life, it may be hard to eat a consistently balanced diet. Sometimes we skip meals or buy them from sources (like fast-food restaurants) where we do not have easy access to information about nutritional value.

* Pregnancy: If you are pregnant (or breastfeeding), you may need to significantly change your vitamin intake. Folic acid is crucial to the brain and nervous system development of, but at the same time an excess of other vitamins (including vitamin A) can cause serious fetal injury.

* Seniority: Seniors often have difficulties eating or digesting certain foods, including those that can provide vitamins

* Diets: Being on low-calorie diets or diets that restrict certain types of food can significantly impact getting enough of all kinds of vitamins.

So for many of us, vitamin supplements will be helpful in getting and staying healthy. But like anything else we do for our health, it’s as important to know the risks as the benefits.

* The “Too Much of a Good Thing” Trap: Vitamins in the proper doses are good for you. But many vitamins are toxic in large quantities, so taking more than enough may be a bad idea. Excess vitamin A can lead to nausea, vomiting, and peeling skin, and over the long-term can lead to significant damage to bones, brain and nerves. It can also be very dangerous for a developing fetus. Vitamin E can cause a rise in LDL (”bad”) cholesterol, and like all fat-soluble vitamins, is stored in the liver, so if you take a little bit extra every day, the impact can show up over time. Even vitamin D, the bone-building vitamin, can actually encourage bone loss if taken in excess.

* Vitamins are not food: Vitamins are sometimes called “micronutrients.” Small doses can keep us healthy. However, they are not a substitute for the food that your body needs to make energy and rebuild damaged tissue. Diets that severely restrict or eliminate proteins, fats, or carbohydrates can impair functioning, and vitamins cannot make up for that.

* Fetuses and children are not grown-ups: Children have special vitamins for a reason - their bodies need different things than adults do. Treat children’s supplements like any other medication; they may taste like candy, but letting your child take more than the recommended dose can have significant consequences. To keep a fetus growing steadily and correctly, a vitamin discussion should be part of your regular prenatal care.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines

U.S.D.A. ” Food Guide Pyramid,” www.usda.gov/cnpp/pyramid2.htm

“Getting enough vitamins. Do you need to supplement a healthy diet?”
Mayo Clinic Womens Healthsource. Volume 3, Issue March 7, p 4-5, 2003

Kmietowicz , Z. “Food watchdog warns against high doses of vitamins and minerals,”
British Medical Journal Volume 326, Issue1001, 2003

Oakley, GP and Mandel JS, “Folic acid fortification remains an urgent health priority,”
British Medical Journal, Volume 329, Issue 7479, p1375-1376, 2004

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD, your source for Online Prescription Medications, drug information and support forums.

Ian is a fat-to-fit student of health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.

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Every woman experiences huge changes to her body during pregnancy. Hormones go haywire and she never knows what to expect. One of these major changes could be her skin.

While some women experience healthy “glowing” skin, others experience red blotchy patches known as acne. Every woman undergoes unique changes.

If you are you pregnant or are trying to get pregnant, there are a couple things you should know about how your skin will be affected:

1. If you already have acne, your skin could either break out more during pregnancy, or simply clear up (hopefully it does!).

2. If you’ve always had clear skin, you could develop acne.

Both the above situations are quite common. In fact, women are prone to acne during pregnancy because of unstable hormone levels. The following Q&A will tell you what you can do about it. If you find that you are having persistent problems with acne consult with your doctor on safe acne treatment during pregnancy.

Why does acne develop or get worse than before?

First, if you break out, or break out worse than before, it’s because of an increasing level of hormones in your body. Androgenic hormones like progesterone stimulate your oil glands to produce more oil, which leads to more acne. Secondly, there are changes in hydration in your body. If you don’t drink enough water, the hormone secretions won’t get diluted and won’t pass through the body as quickly.

When does acne typically develop?

Usually during the first three months (first trimester) when hormone levels are fluctuating. However, it is possible to experience breakouts at any time during pregnancy, or after pregnancy.

Will my acne go away?

As your pregnancy progresses, your acne typically improves, possibly because of higher levels of estrogen. After the first trimester, progesterone is produced by the placenta instead of the ovaries. For some women, their skin can return to normal a couple months after they give birth. For others, however, the breakouts can return after they’ve had their baby because of a sudden decline the production of estrogen. Sometimes their acne will disappear after a few months, and in other cases, it may not. Everyone is different.

What type of acne will I get?

Typically, women develop cysts, pustules and blackheads. Body acne can also develop.

Will my baby develop acne if I get acne during pregnancy?

No. There is no correlation between developing acne during pregnancy and your infant having baby acne. Neither is there a correlation between pregnancy acne and children developing acne at later stages in life.

Is there any way I can prevent acne during pregnancy?

No. You can’t predict it and you can’t prevent it. In most cases, the skin clears up after the first trimester, or after giving birth. In the meantime, there are things you can do to take care of your skin safely.

When should I seek treatment help?

You should seek a dermatologist’s help before you consider buying any acne treatment, since your acne at this time due to hormonal changes. Although you might be desperate about your skin condition, be extra careful at this time about any creams, medications, or treatments. Herbal remedies, although often promoted as natural treatments, may contain ingredients that could affect you. Even over the counter pimple treatments are drugs that should be discussed with your doctor first.

How can I care for my skin without using medicated treatments?

Here is a list of things you can do to minimize acne flare-ups without causing harm to your baby, and maintain your health:

-Exercise daily to increase blood circulation to your whole body.

-Eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

-Drink lots of water keep your skin hydrated, and to expel hormone secretions.

-Don’t over-wash, this can stimulate more oil.

-Don’t touch your pimples.

-Use disposable sponges or cotton balls for toners or makeup.

These are some basic tips on how to deal with acne during pregnancy. For more tips and information on this topic, please visit www.your-best-acne-treatment.com

Yvette Chau is a freelance writer based in Edmonton, Canada. She writes and publishes articles, and provides carefully researched information on acne on http://www.your-best-acne-treatment.com/

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