During pregnancy, a female body will react by making changes and producing pregnancy hormones to support the pregnancy itself. These pregnancy hormones are useful to support the pregnancy especially for the baby to develop well. It’s good for pregnant women to know about hormones produced during pregnancy and also the functions and effects caused by them, so there will not be any misunderstandings or even turning them into pregnancy myths for the changes that happen during pregnancy. These are a few hormones produced during pregnancy, and the functions and effects caused:

Pregnancy Hormone HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin)

This hormone will only be found in the body of a pregnant woman, it’s made by embryo right after fertilization and also because of placenta tissues. The pregnancy hormone that is produced by villi choriales causes the increasing of progesterone production by the egg and suppresses period and takes care of the pregnancy. The production of HCG will increase up until the 70^th day and will decrease for the rest of the pregnancy. Pregnancy hormone HCG might have additional functions, such as; HCG affects immunity tolerant on pregnancy. This hormone is an indicator that’s detected by the pregnancy test pack via urine. If a pregnancy test pack detects any increase of HCG hormone level in urine, then the pregnancy test pack will indicate that there is a pregnancy or a positive test result.

Cause
High level of HCG in blood causes nausea and morning sickness.

Pregnancy Hormone HPL (Human Placental Lactogen)

Is a hormone produced by placenta, it’s a protein hormone that stimulates development and causes changes in carbohydrate and fat metabolisms. This pregnancy hormone is very important in breasts milk production. Low level of HPL indicates the placenta is not functioning well. 

Cause
Changes on breasts. Breasts get bigger and sore on nipples if touched.

Pregnancy Hormone Relaxin

Pregnancy hormone produced by corpus luteum and placenta. Soften cervical and relaxes the hip joint.

Cause
Relaxation on ligament and joints.

Pregnancy Hormone Estrogen

Produced by ovaries and affects the accretion of uterine endometrium, histology changes on vagina. Affects the growth of mammae gland duct during lactation, controls releasing of LH and FSH, sensitizes uterine muscles, loosens up cervix, vagina, vulva, and causes contractions on uterus. Estrogen also toughens up uterine walls to overcome contractions during labor. This hormone also softens body tissues, so body joints and tissues get weak and can’t support your body very well. Really important for the health of genital system, reproduction organ and breasts.

Cause
Might affect body fluids balance so a fluid hoarding could happen and causes swelling. Besides with the increase of this hormone a pregnant woman also feel pain on her back. Might also cause varices.

Pregnancy Hormone Progesterone

This hormone is useful for building layers in the uterine wall to support placenta in the uterus. Also useful to prevent contraction moves or uterine muscles wrinkling, so an early labor can be avoided. This hormone also helps breasts getting ready for lactation.

Cause
This hormone can “expand” veins that lowers blood pressure, that is why you get headaches often during pregnancy. This hormone also slows down digestive system, bloating or constipation. This hormone also affects your moods, increases body temperature, fasten your breathing, nausea, and decrease of sex drive during pregnancy.

Pregnancy Hormone MSH (Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone)

This hormone stimulates pigmentation on skin.

Cause
Darken the color of nipples area. Pigmentation on face, the insides and the lines from navel to below (linea nigra)

Myths about pregnancy are all around and spread in the society. Some even believe those myths. And not every myth is true. So that parents are not misled of those pregnancy myths, here are some explanations of those myths.

Drinking coconut water can quicken your labor

There are no researches yet that prove this myth, because how quick your labor is, is caused by a lot of factors. But coconut water is useful for making the amniotic fluid white and clean.

No sex during the first trimester

There are no researches yet that prove that sex could cause miscarriage. So as long as it doesn’t hurt or uncomfortable, you may do that.

Darken neck or nipples indicate you’re going to have a baby boy

Color change on neck or nipples has nothing to do with the sex of the baby. Color change is caused by the increase of progesterone and melanocyte (the hormone that controls skin pigmentation). Because darken nipples usually happens during pregnancy, either with a boy or a baby girl. Besides color change on skin and nipples, pregnant women also have blackish streaks on stomach and black lines from navel until pubis area. But all of these will disappear after giving birth.

If your Belly is round, then you’re going to have a baby girl

The shape of a pregnant woman’s stomach is oval or round depends on the fetus position in the womb. If the fetus lies athwart, your stomach will look wider. But if the fetus is lengthwise, then your stomach will look elevated. Besides, the stomach shape of a pregnant woman also depends on muscles elasticity and the volume of amniotic fluids. At a first pregnancy, the stomach will look round because the muscles are still tight. But after the first pregnancy, the muscles will loosen up. If a pregnant woman has a lot of amniotic fluids, her stomach will look bigger and rounder.

Eating too many oranges will increase slimes on the fetal lungs and risk of being yellow when born

This myth is false. Orange is a source of vitamin C and has fiber that is needed by a pregnant woman. Consuming oranges during pregnancy is much recommended.

If you want an intelligent baby and a smooth labor, have a lot of sex during pregnancy

It’s not true that sperm contains fertilizing substances and that if a fetus is exposed to the bursts could grow healthy and intelligent. The health of the baby in the womb has nothing to do with sperm and frequency of sex. Health and intelligence of the fetus are not affected by the sperm quality, but the genetic factors from both parents. Intelligent parents are also likely to give birth to an intelligent kid also. For mom to be that has had pregnancy damages, like miscarriage, placenta previa and others, it is better to not have sex for a while. Sex will increase the contraction of uterine muscles so a miscarriage risk or a premature baby born will also increase. Besides there is also risk of bleeding for the mom.

This myth came allegedly because people connect love and affection of the parents, where the mother’s psychological condition might be calmer and pleasant with often sex. The mother’s psychological also affects the baby she carries. A calm and happy mom to be will also support the growth and development of the baby, and the labor will also go well. But the opposite could also happen if the mom to be doesn’t enjoy the sex because she feels compelled or for duty only.

Drinking ice will make the fetus grow big

Drinking ice during pregnancy will not cause the fetus grows big, unless if you put excessive syrup, honey, or sugar into the ice. Carbohydrate that contains in the sugar will make the baby weighs more.

Besides excessive sugar, the size of the fetus also depends on the genetic factor and nutrition. Big sized parents will potentially have big sized baby either. Good nutrition will affect the physical development of the fetus, so that the fetus can develop well. Some certain diseases, like diabetic, could also cause a bigger sized baby.

Pregnant women are not allowed to eat bananas, pineapples, and cucumbers

They believe that pineapple could cause miscarriage. Consuming bananas, pineapples, and cucumbers are even recommended because they are rich of vitamin C and important fibers to keep your body healthy and expedite the digestive disposal process.

Whitish discharge is not always dangerous. During pregnancy and even after giving birth, it is normal if the mother gets whitish discharge. Unless if the discharge is infected by bacterium, fungus, and virus which usually are hinted by itchiness, odor, yellowish, greenish or brownish.

Green coconut water can nourish the baby’s hair

Drinking green coconut water has nothing to do with the baby’s hair. But green coconut water is healthy because it contains electrolyte, so everybody, including pregnant ladies may drink green coconut water to keep healthy.

Pregnant women are not allowed to eat lamb meats

Pregnant women are allowed to consume lamb meats in normal portions, unless if the pregnant woman suffers from cholesterol or heart disease. Lamb meats contain high level of saturated fat so it might affect uric acid metabolism that is dangerous for people with high cholesterol or heart disease.

Massaging pregnant woman’s stomach

A lot of people believe in this myth. But massaging the stomach of a pregnant woman can increase the risk of miscarriage and fetal disorders, such as stress or pressure on the fetus. If a fetus is stressed or pressured, the development is also disturbed.

Getting pregnant is such an immeasurably gift from The Almighty. Pregnancy is something that needs to be taken care of and maintained very well so that you will give birth to a healthy and superior baby. But there are times when a pregnant woman doesn’t know very well about things that should and should not to do during pregnancy, especially on their first pregnancy. These are what a pregnant woman needs to know to take care of their baby and keep it healthy and superior. These are things should not do during pregnancy.

Wearing High Heeled Shoes

High heeled shoes could cause muscles stretching in the waist area. Pregnant women tend to feel more pain and stiffness in the waist area. This is caused by body pivot change that happens during pregnancy, where body tend to lean forward, so when a pregnant woman tries to enforce her body by stretching waist and back muscles. So if a pregnant woman wears high heeled shoes, the muscles stretching in waist and back will increase, because it will be double loads in the front, from the pregnancy itself and also the high heeled shoes and this will cause more pain in the waist and back. Besides high heeled shoes could harm body balance, especially during pregnancy. The risk of a pregnant woman falling is also possible. And it could cause trauma for the pregnancy and the pregnant woman herself, and worse, could cause fetal defects or miscarriage.

Using Mosquito Repellant

Mosquito repellant contains active chemicals that are included in pesticide type. One of the side effects of this chemical is nerve damage. Mosquito repellant even contains kerosene that could cause kidney damage to the fetus itself. Mosquito repellant in lotion form also contains kerosene and absorbable into the skin that could become poison in your body. So usage of mosquito repellant in spray form, coils, electric, or lotion form is not recommended for pregnant women.Use mosquito net on your bed to avoid mosquito bites. Pregnant women can also use eucalyptus oil as a mosquito repellant.

Passing through Damaged Streets

A lot of questions have been asked to us about whether a pregnant woman may ride a motorbike or car, or not. Some believe that a pregnant woman may not ride a motorbike or car, because it could damage the pregnancy. But the one thing to be avoided is riding on damaged streets, because it could give shocks to the pregnancy itself. Often shocks could bring trauma to the pregnancy. Besides shocks could stretch out back, waists, stomach and thighs muscles that cause fatigue to pregnant women.

Reduce speed when passing through damaged streets or find a better route. It’s best if a pregnant woman with 7 months pregnancy and up doesn’t drive a car, because it could bother the steering and make an uncomfortable trip.

Consuming Medicines without Doctor’s Instructions

Medicines consumed by pregnant women get into the placentas and fetal circulation. Some medicines even can be secreted through breasts milk so that the level on fetus body is almost the equal with the levels on the mother’s blood, which in some cases could harm the baby.
Some medicines can be consumed during pregnancy or lactation because it’s proved to be safe, both for the mother and also for the baby. But, some other medicines are dangerous and could harm the health of both the mother and the baby. And we are sure that not every pregnant woman knows which medicines are safe and which are not. Therefore, for every type of medicines or herbs that are about to be consumed, it’s better if you consult about this to your doctor first, don’t just trust what people say.

Diet during Pregnancy

Dieting during pregnancy will harm both the mother and the baby. Diet during pregnancy can cause lack of vitamins, minerals, and other nutritions that are much needed during pregnancy. Why dieting anyways? Your stomach will be bigger during pregnancy so there is no use of dieting at all.

There are a lot of methods to decide your child’s sex and one of the best is the shettles method. This method has more than 75% chance to succeed.

Basically, men produce sperms with two types of gene chromosomes, XX (female) and XY (male). Dr Shettles’ research showed that:

XY Chromosome (male)

• Smaller size of sperm
• Vitality is weak, but moves faster (aggressive) than XX chromosome that is bigger

XX Chromosome (female)

• Bigger size of sperm
• Vitality is stronger but slower

There are a few things that can be done to increase the chance to get a baby boy or a baby girl:

1. On ovulation (fertile time) will have bigger chance to get a baby boy, because XY sperm tend to be faster and reaches the egg first. It is best to have sex on ovulation, if you want a baby boy. And if you want a baby girl, it is best to do it 3 days or more before ovulation. The following is how to know about your fertile time:

• Decide your period time. Usually a normal period cycle is between 21 until 40 days. Where one period cycle starts from the first day of period until exactly one day before period the next month.
• According to your period cycle, count and decide the approximate first day of period the next month, minus 14 days. Because ovulation starts 14 days before first day of period the next month.

1. Ph on your vaginal area is very important. Acid area tend to produce a baby girl (acid kills XY sperm) and vice versa.
2. Position and penetration depth when having sex. If shallow or closer to vagina usually produce a baby girl and if deeper will produce a baby boy.
3. The amount of sperm also affects this. Big amount of sperm will increase the chance for a baby boy, there are two things that can be done:

• For a boy, it’s best if men wear loose pants more often. It’s to increase fertility where testes need lower temperature so that the sperm stays alive and because XY sperm has weaker vitality, then it could help than the XX sperm, but it is not recommended to do otherwise (wearing tight pants).
• For a girl, it’s recommended if men take a warm shower soon before having sex. This way XX sperm has more chance

Pregnancy is the moment every couple who wants to have a child in their family most waiting for. A child can make a family feel more alive, dynamic and complete. A child creates a whole new nuance in a family, a more alive two-way communication which initially only between a husband and a wife, now becomes among parents and the child. Communication is an important way to educate a child in becoming the expected human being.

Communicating with a child can be started from very early stage, moreover, since he/she is a fetus. Concerning parents can communicate with a fetus while the baby is still in the womb; this will create a closer bond and become an unforgettable pleasant experience.  

There several ways of communication parents can do with their baby in the womb, certainly by understanding the stages of senses growth and development in order to build a proper communication.

Sense of Touch

Sense of touch starts to develop before week 8. When the fetus moves and the hand or foot palms showed up in the mother’s bump, touch them, and give your soft feeling and love, so that the baby can feel the parents’ tender emotion, love and care. The love and care the fetus feels from the parents will give your baby a peaceful state of mind.

Sense of Hearing

Sense of hearing starts to develop at week 8 and finishes the configuration at week 24. This sense is also supported by amniotic fluid which is a good medium for the transmission of the sound.

The fetus will start to hear the sound of the blood stream through placenta, heart beat and the sound of air in intestines. The fetus will also reacts to loud sounds, even more the baby can jump in shock.

At week 25, the fetus can hear and recognize the voice of family members such as the father and the mother. Communicate with the fetus although it’s only one way; sing a song, read a book or talk to your baby to build a closer bond and to make your baby used to your voice.

When a parent gets angry, the baby will react the same way; soft music calms down the baby.

Sense of Taste

Sense of taste in fetus will develop at week 13-15. At this age, a baby can taste bitterness and sweetness. The fetus will drink and swallow the amniotic fluid if it tasted sweet. However, if the fluid is bitter, the baby will struggle and spit it out and will stop consuming it.

Sense of Smell

Sense of smell will develop at week 11-15. When this sense, a fetus can smell the amniotic fluid which is similar to the mother’s smell. Therefore when the baby is born, in only few hours the baby will know and recognize who’s the mother using this sense of smell.

Sense of Sight

Since the beginning of pregnancy up to week 26, the fetus’ eyes will always be closed to produce retina. However, the retina of a fetus at week 16 will be able to detect light bea

At week 27, the fetus will open the eyes and look around her/him for the first time. The eyes can capture the light exposed in the mother’s womb both natural/sun or artificial/lamp lights. The baby’s brain also reacts to blinking lights.

Thus, a fetus can react to various stimulations from outside and inside of the mother’s body. Therefore, it is important to take care of the place to live and neighborhood, mother’s behavior and speech. Everything a mother sees or hears, whether it’s happiness, anger, sadness or joy, certainly will affect the baby’s growth and development. We should not presume that a fetus does not have a feeling and allow ourselves step out of the boundaries. Besides, make use of the fetus uniqueness fully; give the baby earliest possible education and good influence little by little with high enthusiasm to support the growth and development of the baby’s physical and mental health.  

Pregnancy symptoms are what a woman really hopes when she’s expecting a baby. The pregnancy shows that the couple has good fertility level and also shows that they don’t have any significant health issues. With the pregnancy symptoms approaching, arrival of the baby is only a matter of time. A family feels more complete with the presence of a very expected baby.

But there are times when a couple doesn’t really understand about those pregnancy symptoms. Sometimes they still get confused about differentiating which are the real pregnancy symptoms with menstruation ones, because in a lot of cases some pregnancy symptoms are quite similar with menstruation symptoms. Not knowing about these things could also cause, in a few cases, miscarriages.

These things happen because of an activity or food consumptions that are not supposed to be done during the pregnancy. Not knowing about pregnancy symptoms could also cause unsuccessful preparations for the pregnancy itself. On the contrary, in a lot of cases, some families get stressed because of the symptoms that they think are pregnancy symptoms; apparently after getting checked a few times it turns out negative. The image of a pregnancy they longed for are gone.

A lot of women see the pregnancy symptoms from just one side, a missed period. It is true, one of the symptoms of pregnancy is a missed period. But a missed period is not caused only by pregnancy, but also eating patterns, stress, exhaustion, hormonal problems, etc. To make sure, besides a missed period, here are the other pregnancy symptoms:

Changes on Breasts

Breasts get bigger during pregnancy, this thing is caused by the increasing of estrogen and progesterone hormones productions. Breasts also feel tenderer, and this causes higher sensitivity that makes breasts feel hurt or sore when you touch them. Nipples get bigger and darken too, sometimes itchy. Vena vessels in breasts will also look more visible because of the swelling.

Furthermore, there is an HPL (Human Placental Lactogen) activity happening. That hormone is produced by the body when the mother gets pregnant to prepare breast milk for your baby when he is being born into the world.

Spotting and Cramping

The spotting happens before the upcoming period, usually happens between 8-10 days after ovulation. Spotting is caused by implantation bleeding or the attachment of embryo on uterine walls. Sometimes people mistake spotting on pregnancy for period.

Moreover, spotting is usually followed by cramps. Cramps happen until the second trimester of pregnancy, until the position of the uterus is at the center and supported by pelvis.

Morning sickness

About 50% pregnant women will experience this. What’s causing it is the increasing of hormone in the bloodstream, all in a sudden. The hormone is Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or HCG. The increasing of the hormone also happens in the urinary tract. That’s why pregnancy test packs are done via urine, it is to check whether there is an increasing HCG hormone or not. The increasing of this hormone usually leaves some pain on the stomach and causes nausea. The nauseous feeling is usually gone by the beginning of second trimester. If it still happens in the second trimester, it is best to go to the doctor to do some check-ups and talk about this, because it might harm your pregnancy.

Nausea and morning sickness usually happens in the mornings. But in fact, nausea and morning sickness can also happen in the afternoon and even at night. Some morning sickness happens when the mother smells certain scents.

Frequent Urination

One or two weeks after the missed period, the urge to urinate is more frequent than usual. This is caused by the fetus growing inside the womb, pushing the bladder and also because of the increasing of blood circulation. Moreover bladder is filled with urine faster than usual which causes more frequent urination. This also caused by pregnancy hormone increasing. Do not hold or limit your urination. Also, avoid dehydration with taking more fluids into your body.

Headaches

Pregnant women experience headaches during pregnancy is caused by physical factor; exhaustion, nausea, hunger, and low blood pressure. And also emotional cause such as, tense and depression. Also the increasing of blood supply to all over the body could cause headaches when changing positions.

Fatigue

Exhaustion and fatigue on pregnant women are caused by, besides hormonal changing, the increasing of some vital organs like kidneys, heart, and lungs. These vital organs work not only for the mother, but also for the baby. A belly that gets bigger would also be a discomfort for the mother.

Constipation

Constipation happens because of the increasing progesterone hormone. This hormone, besides loosens up the uterus muscles, also loosens up intestine walls muscles that could cause constipation. But the advantage of this is better nutrition absorption during pregnancy.

Hyper Salivation

This symptom is caused by estrogen hormone change, usually happens at the first trimester. It is usually gone after the beginning of second trimester.

The increasing basal body temperature

During pregnancy or ovulation, the basal body temperature will increase. This will last during pregnancy.

The pregnancy symptoms above are personal, not every pregnant woman experience the same symptoms, some women experience them all, some women maybe only experience a few, and some other women may also not experience any issues. To make sure, a pregnancy test definitely needs to be done, whether at home with a test pack or at a laboratory with a blood test or you can try to answer the quiz to determine if your symptoms are pregnancy-related. You can try the quiz --> Pregnancy Test Online

Your baby grows rapidly during the first trimester of pregnancy, and your body changes at the same time. However, most of these developments will go unnoticed by anyone except you and, to a lesser extent, your partner. Many women find it hard to believe that they look much the same as normal, but they do. Your uterus grows to accommodate the developing baby, but by the end of the first trimester it is still no bigger than an avocado pear. Few people will see any difference in your partner may notice that your breasts are fuller, and that your nipples have increased in size abs darkened. Some women do fill out a little.

The first trimester of pregnancy can be a period when you with your spouse is going to be talking about all kinds of practical in addition to emotional changes problems. For instance, should you live in the same home or perhaps need to move someplace larger or even near to family? If you are staying put, do you need to make changes? Will you want to start decorating a nursery?

You have to think about whether you tell close family plus friends immediately, or if you hold a news to yourselves for a couple weeks. Keeping quite can give you a precious opportunity to enjoy and look toward this really special journey together. A lot of couples wait until they are past the twelfth week, and they realize that the pregnancy is well developed, before sharing the news.

FEELING ANXIOUS

Almost everybody encounters emotional changes at several period of the pregnancy, and many women discover that different problems crop up throughout. It is really popular to get underlying fears about the health of the baby, particularly before you have gone through any of the antenatal tests. Many women feel anxious about how they will cope with the pregnancy, and how they will ideal with the labour and delivery. Additionally, married couples often doubt their capability to become good parents and be concerned about how they will cope with all the practicalities of caring for a child. Concern about the impact that a child will have on your financial situation, sexual relationship, careers and social lives can all surface during pregnancy.

It is important to keep a sense of perspective, and to realize that doubts and worries are perfectly normal. After all, you are embarking on a life changing event. However, if anxiety starts to dominate your thinking, it could be useful to confide in a close friend or family member who has had a child, in order to talk your midwife.
You could also encounter weird dreams regarding giving birth or being a mother. These dreams reflect the natural anxiety and emotional changes that you feel, and they are also a way of preparing psychologically for the new role ahead of you.

EMOTIONAL CHANGES TREATMENT: COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR BABY

Some women discover that they do not experience a feeling of connection with their baby until afterwards in their pregnancy and often only after the birth. However, many women feel a bond with the developing baby early on, maybe as soon as they know they are pregnant. This is often a very special emotional feeling; suddenly the most important thing in the world is the health and well being of the tiny baby inside you.

Fathers usually do not feel a sense of bonding in the first months, when there is little outward sign of the baby's presence. This is understandable, but many women find it hard to accept their partner is not quite so fascinated with the pregnancy as they are. Both partners may need to exercise some tolerance about the different ways that they react to the pregnancy.

It usually helps if the father gets involved right from the start. Ideally he will attend any scans so that he can see the baby on screen. Some men like to talk to the baby through the mother's abdomen. Stroking the mother's belly or enjoying music to the baby will also help fathers to sense more linked with the life they have designed.
No one knows how much unborn babies could hear or feel in the uterus, but some research shows that they learn to recognize their partners' voices before they are born. The ears are formed by the seventh week, and it is known that external sounds filter through. Researchers have now found that unborn babies can also distinguish different intonation patterns so they may be able to recognize the speech sounds you and your partner make.

Communication with your baby can help you and your partner to bond with your unborn child, reduce emotional changes, just before he or she arrives into the community to become part of your family.

Pain in childbirth is normal, healthy, and productive -- and ends with the ecstasy of your baby's birth. Although management of labor pain plays less important role in a mother’s satisfaction with childbirth, compared with the quality of the relationship with her labor support and her ability to take part in decision making, it is an important topic.

 Pain in labor is a nearly universal experience for childbearing women. It is, however, experienced differently by birthing mothers. The majority of women, though, need some sort of pain relief during childbirth. Methods vary from drugs to natural methods, and it is worth considering the various options available to you well in advance.

Non-pharmacologic methods of labor pain relief are becoming more common as mothers, as well as pregnancy and labor caregivers, become more aware of the effectiveness of these methods. Changing positions and movement, warm water baths, massage and acupressure are gaining more popularity, in addition to relaxation and hypnobirthing, in management of labor pain.

A vast study by Childbirth Connection in 2005 revealed that 69% of birthing mothers used at least one non-pharmacologic method to relieve pain and increase comfort during their labor. Most frequently used were breathing techniques and position changes and movement, followed by relaxation, visualization or hypnosis. As many as one in five birthing mothers used hands-on techniques such as massage and labor acupressure. These two hands-on techniques were rated very helpful by vast majority of 91% of the mothers. The popularity of these pain relieving methods is based on the simplicity and easiness to use them anywhere without any special and expensive tools. This is in addition to highly satisfactory level of relief from labor pains.

Less frequently used labor pain relieving methods include use of birthing balls, birthing tub or pool, and aromatherapy. Mothers who use these pain relieving methods, also, generally rate them helpful. Unfortunately, their use is limited by the need of special equipments or space.

By far, the most common forms of medication in both vaginal and cesarean births among the pharmacologic labor pain relieving methods are the epidural or spinal analgesia. Epidural or spinal analgesia mostly give excellent labor pain relief. However, studies revealed a scattered satisfaction with epidurals. Many interviewed mothers described their experiences of not having access to this type of pain relief when they wanted it, getting uneven pain relief on different sides, and experiencing headaches, and other adverse effects.

Labor is an exciting event and involves many new sensations, especially if you are having your first baby. These sensations are part of giving life to your baby. However, no one needs to suffer during childbirth. By understanding what you can do, and how others can help you in order to prevent and relieve labor pains, you are most likely to have a satisfying birth experience.

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Pregnancy is a time for joy. It is a time when the parents-to-be look forward to the hold their bundle of joy in their arms. Unfortunately, not every mother-to-be is as knowledgeable about pregnancy as she should be. To add the confusion they are often misled by half truths and old wives tales when it comes to their pregnancy week by week. In order to have a healthy pregnancy, women must educate themselves on the early pregnancy symptoms and other pregnancy related issues.

Myth 1 Miscarriages

Many women worry about health issues during their pregnancy. One of the biggest concerns about pregnancy is miscarriages. Miscarriages happen, however, all spotting and bleeding are not signs of miscarriage. Still you must see a doctor immediately in case you have some.

Myth 2 weight gain

Mothers are also worried about their own health during pregnancy. Weight gain is a concern for most new mothers. With the week by week development of the baby, a mother gains about 25-35 pounds. However while eating; a mother-to-be must take care of the quality and not the quantity of food that she eats. She should not think that she has to eat for two! Instead she should follow a good diet plan. She should give up smoking, alcohol and reduce caffeine intake. Mild exercise such as walking and swimming are great ways to maintain ideal weight.

Myth 3 Labor

Many women are afraid of labor as well. They presume labor to be always painful. Labor might be painful for some women, while others may not feel much pain during childbirth. Women today can opt for natural birth or epidurals. Epidurals reduce labor pains. Breathing techniques can also help to reduce pain during natural childbirth. Keeping fit and healthy throughout pregnancy ensures an easy labor.

Myth 4 Posture

One of the biggest myths about pregnancy is that you should not sleep on your back. As long as you find it comfortable, and have no health problems, sleeping on your back is okay. Most women find it comfortable to sleep on their side.

Myth 5 Travel

Another major concern for mothers is the use of seatbelts. Seatbelts save lives, so you should not stop wearing one when traveling. However, you need to speak to your doctor about the position of the belt. If you can place the belt properly, there is no risk to your baby.

Today, women have many choices in terms of medical care and information. The mortality rate for mothers and babies has gone down considerably all over the world in the past few decades. All thanks to modern medicine and pregnancy health awareness. Hence, there is really no reason for you to worry about pregnancy. Take it easy and make sure you have proper diet and follow a well planned exercise regime.

 The best tips on getting pregnant include understanding your reproductive cycle, understanding conception positions and paying attention to your overall health. Getting pregnant and pregnancy is a wonderful event that is complex, satisfying and exciting. Here are seven best tips on getting pregnant:

1. Know your most fertile time - generally, ovulation occurs about 14 days before your next period begins. So if your cycle is a 28-day one, that could make day #14 your most fertile (day #1 is the first day that your last period began). If yours is a 30-day cycle, day #16 could be the time to go for it.

2. Track your basal body temperature - you'll need an inexpensive basal thermometer to chart the slight elevations in your body temperature upon awakening each day that signal your fertile time.

3. Watch for cervical mucus - this can be one of the best tips on getting pregnant since ovulation causes a change in the appearance and consistency of cervical mucus. By checking yourself each day, you'll be able to see the 'egg-white-like' vaginal discharge that indicates ovulation and fertile time.

4. Have sex using the missionary position - the time-proven 'man-on-top' position works with gravity to encourage semen flow toward the uterus to maximize the chance of a sperm uniting with the egg and causing conception. One of the related best tips on getting pregnant is -- after ejaculation, the woman can remain on her back with her legs bent a few minutes to further maximize semen flow toward the uterus.

5. Eliminate smoking and alcohol - not only will doing so benefit your health, when you do become pregnant, you'll not expose the developing fetus to the harmful effects of smoking and alcohol.

6. Take the best vitamin/mineral/nutritional supplement you can find - taking one of the cheap one-a-day vitamins is probably a waste of time and money. Vitamins and minerals are just the beginning. Taking a high-quality, broad-spectrum nutritional supplement helps fill in the dietary gaps that everyone will have. The body needs and will use nutrients such as amino acids, antioxidants, bioflavanoids, neuronutrients, enzymes and other nutrients such as L-Carnosine, alpha lipoic acid, acetyl L-Carnitine and so on.

7. Adopt a healthy lifestyle - this is one of the most important best tips on getting pregnant. Healthy living includes having a sensible diet with nutritional supplements, adequate quality sleep, managing stress, reasonable exercise and weight management.

And finally, just relax and enjoy your partner. Trying too hard is not one of the recommended best tips on getting pregnant.

Your desire to become pregnant and having that special child will have even more significance to you if it means you'll be taking better care of yourself and your partner. Not only does that mean a more healthy you, it also means you'll increase the chances of having a healthier baby