Some old-fashioned advice (Preparing for Birth)

Member Name: kat696

Product:	Preparing for Birth
Date:	22/12/08 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: May make life that tiny bit easier

Disadvantages: hmm...well it might be a little hard to follow

It's quite comman for your first baby to arrive late. Many of my friend got well over-due with their first babies. Some even had to be induced.
However for women in my family it's very different. Fortunately our babies are on time and the birth is not always as stressful as some mothers tell their horror stories.
We have some family traditions that the older generation have kept alive for the expectant lady. These are to help her have a smooth transition from conception all the way to child birth and beyond.

I'd like to share this advice with you and hope that it will help and benefit you just as much it has to us.

During the first trimester the mother should try and rest as much as possible, especially if she has had a miscarrige before or there is a history for it in the family.
The first few months of pregnancy are the hardest for most women. Your hormones are forever changing, which will not only throw you through masses of emotions but will drain you phyically aswell. Feeling nauseous is also very common at this time.
A vicious cycle may take place here; you're feeling sick so you don't eat, hunger makes you more sick, which puts you off food even more making you more nauseous and so on. What you need to do is brake that cycle.
Try eating a dry piece of toast first thing on waking up whilst you're still lying in bed, (hopefully there will be someone to bring it to you, if not leave it nearby the nigt before). This should hopefully help with your morning sickness and wet your appetite a little so you can consume some food in order to energise you and make you feel less faint.

The second trimester is a time to help your baby. Here you should make sensible food choices that would assist your baby's growth and development. It doesn't have to be all hard and boring. All you have to do is add some fruit and veg into your diet, drink plenty of fluids and keep a check on your iron levels with appropriate foods. A supplement such as pregnacare may be beneficial to some women.

The third trimester is all about preparing for the birth. At this stage you should gradually build up your physical activities. Yes it may be difficult as you will probably be sporting your bump, but a 10 minute brisk walk each day is all that's asked.
Cutting down on cold drinks, ice-cream and similiar cold type foods is also a good idea.

When you are around 2 weeks away from your due date, try increasing your daily walks for longer.

Each morning and before you go to bed drink a mug of the following herbal tea:
add 1 ts of dil seeds to a mug of water and put to boil, once the colour starts to change, pour water into a mug (without dil seeds) allow to cool and drink.
You could also add a tiny piece of fresh ginger into your usual tea.

I hope all this helps, but the best advice i've been given is to take each day as it comes and enjoy it.

Summary: Each pregnancy is unique so make the most of it.