Archive for General Health
Water for you, your baby, your life!
Posted by: | CommentsAgua, voda, vesi, eau. 
Anyway you say it, it’s water. Have you ever noticed that so many things go wrong when you don’t get enough water? You get dry skin, dry mouth, dry eyes, dry mood!! Water is important to our bodies in so many ways.
Think about it, almost 70% of our body is made from water.
It would only make sense that we need to drink it to keep everything working the way God designed it to. When you are pregnant, water is even more important. It is so easy to become dehydrated and being pregnant, that can just cause a mess of trouble. When you get enough water, it also keeps you from being too hungry. This will keep you from eating sugary snacks, sodas, and just over eating in general.
The water will also help you flush out unwanted toxins building up in your body. By staying nice and hydrated, it will help you to be in a good mood and have clarity in your thoughts. That’s always a nice help when you have hormones going crazy and putting you in a rollercoaster of moods.
So, long story short… pregnant or not, the best drink is water!
I’m not sure where I remember reading this, but it went something along the lines of “A nutrient can be defined as “a substance needed for the regulation of energy production or growth”. It is normally not produced by the body. Water is certainly important in this respect. In fact, “there is no basic biochemical bodily function that occurs without water.”
Therefore, that baby you are growing needs water. He doesn’t need juice, milk, tea, soda, coffee…. any of that other stuff… Similarly, water is a component of other body fluids and lubricates our joints. Water also provides a cushion for the spinal cord, brain and babies in the womb. Pregnant women need more water than others. They need the water for the amniotic fluid and keeping their joints lubricated. Breastfeeding women need even more! Breast milk is over 80% water!
One of the best things you can invest in is a stainless water bottle. It is best to avoid bottled water. The plastic bottles can have Phthalates. Phthalates mimic human hormones and that’s not only bad for you, it’s certainly not good for baby either. Not to mention, plastic water bottles are not environmentally friendly and the costs sure does add up!
With a water bottle, you know how much water you getting. I know if I drink 2 bottles, I have reached my daily minimum. Notice, I said minimum.
If you don’t like water try adding some fresh fruit to it. It will make it sweet and pretty! You will eventually start preferring water over anything else if you stick to it. Maybe you are addicted to sugar and that’s why you don’t like water?
So, what do you say? Put down the soda and grab a nice refreshing glass of water!
Dee Stafford
~Dee Stafford is a freelance writer and the content contained here is her opinion from research. Check her resources page for background data.
Pregnant Smokers, What Damage Are You Causing?
Posted by: | CommentsOne thing that drives me INSANE is when a woman is pregnant and she lights up a cigarette! I am sure she is addicted to it and she has tried to quit a thousand times. Yea, yea, yea, I’ve heard it all before. Aside from the fact that it is known that cigarettes cause cancer in the person smoking them, sit back and think for a minute what it is doing to that baby. Nicotine is a stimulant, a very addictive one at that. Again, another addiction for sweet helpless baby.
Pregnant women should avoid cigarettes, first hand and second hand. Have you read the Surgeon General’s warning on the side of your cigarette pack lately lady? It clearly says it could cause complications. IF you don’t have a miscarriage from it, your baby is very likely to be underweight. It is also cutting of the oxygen your baby is getting. Your blood is filled with nicotine instead of oxygen and nutrients that your baby needs. By smoking during your pregnancy, you are also increasing your child’s chance of having addictive behaviors when they are older. Their bodies easily accept the addictions because it’s what they know.
The pharmacologic and behavioral processes that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
Even after the baby is born, moms should stay away from the cigarettes. They should certainly keep their baby away from the second hand smoke. The baby is at an increased risk of having SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and many health problems. Things like ear infections, asthma, allergies, bronchitis, and general illnesses are the ones that come to the top of my mind.
Did you know that smoking ‘could’ also cause you to have a difficult time in conceiving? Does it mean you won’t? No. Trust me… I’ve known a few smokers that had no trouble at all getting pregnant. However, if you are already having a hard time, this may not be helping you any. During the preconception period, maternal exposure to secondhand smoke can potentially affect female fertility by altering the balance of hormones that affect oocyte production, including growth hormone, cortisol, luteinizing hormones, and prolactin (Mattison 1982; Daling et al. 1987; Mattison and Thomford 1987), or by reducing motility in the female reproductive tract (Mattison 1982; Daling et al. 1987)
To find out more about smoking and the affects it has on you and your child, go to my resource page for a few links to check out. Don’t forget to subscribe to learn more ways to get your body ready for baby!
Dee Stafford
~Dee Stafford is a freelance writer and the content contained here is her opinion from research. Check her resources page for background data.
