Hello and welcome to More4kids Family Portal! As proud parents and business owners, we are dedicated to bringing quality pregnancy, parenting and educational resources.
This part of our website is dedicated to conception, pregnancy, childbirth, health, early signs of pregnancy, baby names, and the future mothers, fathers and their children. Proper planning is very important before the birth of a new child. We hope you enjoy your time here.
Your may also follow all our pregnancy articles on a great new website we found called Alltop. Visit http://pregnancy.alltop.com/ and you will find not only our articles but also great articles from other sites. You might be asking why we would direct you to other websites? We are dedicated helping pregnant women find the information they need. We constantly post high quality and useful information on More4kids, but are not afraid to direct women to other great and beneficial sites.
Regards,
Julie
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Filed under Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
by Patricia Hughes
Leg Cramps are common during Pregnancy
Leg cramps are a common discomfort in pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester. The sudden cramping and tightening of the calf muscles is extremely painful and often happens at night, causing you to wake in pain from a peaceful sleep.
The exact cause of leg cramps is not known, but there are some factors believed to contribute to leg cramps. The increased weight of pregnancy, changes in blood circulation and pressure on the nerves from the growing baby are believed to cause the discomfort in the legs. The best way to deal with leg cramps is to prevent them.
Preventing Leg Cramps
There are some things you can do to prevent leg cramps. Standing or sitting for too long at one time can cause leg cramping. If your job requires you to stand or sit for extended periods of time, take breaks throughout the day. Put your feet up if you stand for work and get up and walk around periodically if you sit at a desk. More on Pregnancy Leg Cramps
by Jennifer Shakeel
Fifteen years ago I was told by many, "remember you are eating for two now," every time I sat down to a meal. The doctors weren't really all that concerned with the amount of weight I should gain… though towards the end they did tell me that I should be careful I would have trouble losing the weight. I was young, 21, I didn't care I would get back in shape, no problem.
Jump ahead to last year, with my last pregnancy and my fear of gaining weight took me over, the doctor's said to me, "You aren't really eating for two. Your body is going to provide the baby with the nutrients first… and they you. So make healthy food choices and you will be fine." They key was everything in moderation.
You have to make healthy food choices so that the nutrients that are going into your body are good for you and baby. You do need additional nutrients to help baby grow properly and for you to remain healthy while you are pregnant, but you are not eating for two people. A simple increase of only 300 calories a day is ideal to take care of you and baby. More on Pregnancy Weight Gain: Am I Eating for 2?
Filed under Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
Whether you are expecting your first baby or are an experienced mom, writing a birth plan helps you have the experience you want during delivery. Even though unexpected things may come up during labor, having a plan can help you feel in control when you walk through the hospital doors. Working together with your wishes, those of your partner and your doctor will help things go as desired.
What is a birth plan? It's simply a written plan that gives details on how you would like your labor to happen. It will include all the details, so that when you are in labor - and possibly not communicating so well, your nurses and doctor will have a clear outline of your expectations.
The first element of your birth plan will include what type of delivery you want to have. Some women want to schedule it in advance, know they want the epidural, and don't mind helping nature take its course. Other women want to go completely natural, with no pain medication. Others are willing to try natural with an epidural as an option. Reading up and talking with your provider and other moms on the risks and recovery will help you make the decision that is right for you. More on How to Create a Pregnancy Birth Plan
Filed under Childbirth, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
Perhaps before you even realized you were pregnant, people commented on your "glow". Pregnancy brings out a woman's natural beauty, and while the weight gain and growing belly may be frustrating, take this opportunity to enjoy the sexy and wonderful things that happen to your body. It's less work than ever to get some of the looks you have been working for anyway! That natural skin's glow is because your body is working overtime on blood production to have enough for two. To keep that glow looking great, it's important to keep your skin moisturized every day, and to exfoliate one or two times a week as well. This will enhance the natural glow and prevent splotchy spots from showing.
Make sure to keep wearing sunscreen as well. Your face (and the rest of your body) need protection from the sun's rays. Not just during pregnancy, but it's more important with your sensitive skin.
Now that your body is pregnant, it seems everything is growing, besides that belly. Your hair may be growing quickly too. Now is a time to practice with a new hairstyle (keep in mind once baby's born low maintenance is best, but now is time to have fun!). If your hair is long, go bold with a short cut. This will make your eyes and face the focus of attention. If your hair is short, it won't take long to let it grow out so you can have fun with the clips and braids. More on Pregnancy Beauty Tips
Filed under Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
As a mom to four beautiful children, I have learned that pampering yourself isn't selfish, it's essential. Whether this is baby number one or ten, moms fare best when they take care of themselves first - starting with pregnancy. Find the time to relax and recharge, because once your little one is on the outside, finding time to relax will become more of a challenge than ever.
You probably already know that getting enough sleep is important, but with a new baby developing it is even more true. In order to help you sleep better at night, there are a few easy and enjoyable things you can do. Try soaking in a warm tub - not too hot, to get your body to unwind. Add lavender essential oils to enhance the experience. More on Pampering Yourself and Surviving Pregnancy
When a woman becomes pregnant she can be both excited and a little frightened at the same time. There will be many changes happening over the next 9 months, and this is only the start of an amazing journey. Luckily we have the internet as a pregnancy resource in addition to our friends, family, books, and other helps! But the internet can be a little overwhelming too. If you Google “pregnancy”, you will find over 117,000,000 search results! So which websites will have the information you need? Here is a condensed list of what we believe are the top 25 pregnancy websites every woman should visit. They are jammed packed with information and resources. As we find or hear about more great ones we will add it to the list, so stop back. Now here is the list:Top Pregnancy Websites
More on Best Pregnancy Websites
Filed under Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
by Jennifer Shakeel
Congratulations, you have just given birth to a wonderful baby! However, as wonderful as giving birth is, the process puts tremendous stress and shock on your body. It is difficult to explain all of the complex and minute changes that your body has to go through to get your body back to pre-pregnancy status. In addition to recovering from being pregnant, the body also has to recover from the actual labor and birth of the baby, being up at all times of the night and day, severe sleep deprivation, and breastfeeding. Believe it or not your body goes through most of the changes in the first 30 days.
All of the "jobs" your body now has is often referred to the nutritional equivalent of running a half marathon… EVERY DAY. So it is important that new mothers understand that a lot of this work is done without them even realizing, so it is no wonder a mother's body and emotions are under such strain and generally leave us feeling fragile at this time. As such, emotional, physical and other issues can arise - which if not managed well can manifest into longer term problems. Studies have shown that a high percentage of new mothers in western cultures have health and sexual problems for several months to a year after delivery, and reported this as "normal". More on Pregnancy - The First 30 Days After Birth
Filed under Post Pregnancy, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
So, you are PREGNANT! Congratulations!! You are getting ready for a truely amazing journey. Learning that you are expecting a new baby can be one of the most exciting events in your life. As your body begins the changes that come along with pregnancy, there will be a lot of questions that you will be asking. Understanding the changes that your body is going through will help you deal with the symptoms that will invariably come along with your pregnancy. As you go through the first trimester, you may ask yourself what some of the physical changes are that your body will be going through. Being prepared will help you rest assured that things are going normal.
One of the first things most women notice to indicate pregnancy is a missed period. Although symptoms vary from woman to woman, your body will eventually stop having a period. Pregnancy tests can indicate pregnancy within days of the first missed period. If your body is on a very normal cycle and suddenly you don't have a period, you might want to look for other symptoms to follow soon.
More on Early Pregnancy Questions
Filed under Early Signs Of Pregnancy, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.
Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. I have difficulty putting into words just how amazing it is. You are creating life. It's exciting and at the same time it can be nerve wracking. So what are some of the common concerns when pregnant? Not only is your body changing, growing, and you are experiencing new aches and pains that you haven't felt before, your mind is also experiencing changes that you were not prepared for. You are not going crazy, what you are going through is normal. Whether this is your first pregnancy or your third, the aches, pains, concerns and emotionality are all unexpected and yes, they are normal.
I am going to address the most common concerns that women have when they are pregnant. The very first one that many pregnant women stress over is weight gain. I remember when I was pregnant the first time, some 16 years ago doctors watched the weight you gained, but they didn't tell you that you should only gain so much. So with my last pregnancy that ended only 5 months ago, weight gain is an issue and one that is monitored by the doctor. More on Common Pregnancy Concerns
