Many people experience night sweats. This is a symptom associated with menopause, thyroid conditions, obesity and pregnancy. Genetics plays a role in the tendency to sweat at night. If you experienced night sweats prior to pregnancy, you may be more likely to have problems when you are pregnant. Make sure you consult with your health care professional.
How and when night sweats are experienced during pregnancy varies widely. Some women have an occasional episode and wake up soaked with sweat, but sleep uninterrupted most of the time. Others have problems frequently, particularly in the first and third trimesters when hormone fluctuations are most common. For some, the problem is resolved when the baby is born. For others, night sweats may continue in the weeks after the baby is born until the hormone levels gradually return to normal.
Causes of Night Sweats
Hormones are to blame for most of the discomforts and changes in pregnancy and sweating at night is no exception. Lower estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to function improperly. The hypothalamus is a section of the brain that is responsible for regulating the body’s temperature. Normally, it responds to changes in temperature and releases excess heat in the body through sweat on a hot day.
During pregnancy, changes in estrogen levels can mistakenly be read by the hypothalamus, causing more heat to be produced by the body. This results in sweating to release the heat. The physiological process is similar to what is experienced by women in peri-menopause and menopause.More on Night Sweats During Pregnancy
Filed under Pregnancy by 
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
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
Filed under Pregnancy by
by Jennifer Shakeel
Birthing classes are classes for those that are expecting and the purpose of the class is to teach the expect mother what to expect during labor and delivery. They teach you different pain management options such as breathing or medication or hypnotherapy. Their goal is really to provide the mom to be with confidence that she can infact do this. These classes are usually put on by hospitals, you can find them at the hospital you plan on delivering at, but not all expectant moms take the classes. Which begs the question, do you really need the class before you have the baby?
There isn't really an easy answer to this question. That is because the baby is coming whether you take the classes or not, it isn't like you have to take the class in order to have the baby. It is a matter of how well do you want to be prepared for what is going to happen during labor and delivery. The classes prepare you for general labor and delivery… not necessarily your labor and delivery.
You have a choice when it comes to birthing classes that you could take. There are a variety of classes you could take. Here are four possible classes:More on Do You Really Need Childbirth Classes?
Filed under Pregnancy by
You have probably heard about morning sickness—and may think that it is the only side effect of pregnancy. Oh if only that was the only discomfort you experience during pregnancy. In fact, each stage of pregnancy has its associated aches and pains.
For the first trimester of pregnancy, you will experience huge hormonal changes that are largely responsible for morning sickness. Many newly pregnant women report sensitivity to certain smells that are off-putting, such as coffee. They also feel nauseated due to these hormonal swings. Though “morning sickness” is the common term, women can feel nausea at any time throughout the day. Morning sickness is called such because this nausea is more common when you have an empty stomach. To combat this nausea, many women eat several saltine crackers immediately after awakening. It is also important for pregnant women to eat small meals throughout the day, even though their appetites may increase. For most women, nausea vanishes by the fourth month of pregnancy.
Though nausea is one type of abdominal pain, the other type is more of a shooting pain caused by the abdominal tissue stretching. These pains may occur in both your stomach and your upper thighs, since the uterus is pushing on those areas. To combat these pains, you can bend forward to ease the tension. You can also apply a heating pad to the affected area, though if the pain is agonizing you should contact your doctor.
More on Pregnancy Pains and Discomfort – What to Expect
Filed under Pregnancy by
by Jennifer Shakeel
You have heard about women who suffer from postpartum depression. Some have made the news with the things that they have done. You may even remember the big debate between Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise a few years ago over whether or not it was a real condition and if medications should be used to get through it. Your doctor may talk to you briefly about it, and then you will dismiss it. The thought that is going to enter your mind is, “Who in the world could be depressed over such a wonderful event?” The answer is, more women then you realize.
The first thing I want you to understand that depression during the last trimester of pregnancy is normal. The fluctuation of hormones, the draining of your energy, not being able to sleep properly, the realization that you are going to be a new mom (for the first time or second or third) all sinking in can cause a woman to feel down, not quite like herself and depressed. This is not saying that all women go through this. I didn’t with my first two, but I can tell you with this one… the last couple of weeks have been tough. More on Coping with Depression Before and After Childbirth
Filed under Post Pregnancy, Pregnancy by
by Jennifer Shakeel
Congratulations! You made it through labor and delivery and you are the proud parent of one of the most beautiful babies in the world! That’s right, you can now take that big sigh of relief… you are no longer pregnant. As you lay in the hospital bed, you are overwhelmed by the desire to stand up and see your no longer pregnant body. You are almost jittery with excitement of putting on those pre-pregnancy clothes. Once the pain killers wear off you jump out of bed to stand in front of the mirror and marvel at your no longer pregnant body…
Marvel indeed! Chances are it is not what you were expecting. I can tell you that last month, as I gave birth to my third child, a scheduled C-section, I asked my doctor if while she had me open she would go ahead and do liposuction and take care of everything while she was there. She laughed and told me I really didn’t need it (music to a pregnant woman’s ears) that there was really very little fat there and she was impressed. Naturally then I was looking forward to being back to where I was before I was pregnant.
More on Adjusting To Your No Longer Pregnant Body
Filed under Post Pregnancy, Pregnancy, Weight Control by
Approximately 75 percent of all pregnant women experience some swelling during pregnancy. For the majority of these women, this is mild edema. The swelling generally occurs in the extremities, such as the feet, legs and hands. Swelling in the face can occur as well. this mild edema is most common in the third trimester.
by Patricia Hughes by Patricia Hughes
The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back down to the feet. This nerve can become inflamed due to pressure of the growing baby during pregnancy. When this happens, severe pain results. Sciatica is one of the more painful complications of pregnancy.
If you have sciatic nerve pain, you will know it. Sciatic pain is unlike other lower back and leg pains you may get during your pregnancy. It is also very different from the leg cramps that may wake you in the night. Sciatic nerve pain is a sharp, shooting pain that goes from your lower back, down the back of the leg.
There are some things that contribute to sciatic nerve pain. If your job involves a lot of lifting or requires you to spend long periods of time sitting or standing, you may be at greater risk of developing sciatica in pregnancy. Also, if you have experienced sciatic nerve pain in a past pregnancy, you are more likely to have it again this time. For some women, excessive weight gain my also contribute to the problem. The extra weight results in more pressure on the nerve. More on Sciatic Pain During Pregnancy
You have just been told that you are pregnant! This is both an exciting and scary time for you. This is especially true if you are expecting your first child. Many changes will start to occur in your body, as it prepares to construct the body of the little one on the way. It is important that you know and understand the ways that you can assist in helping your unborn baby develop. Here are a few of several different methods that can be used to ensure the proper development and health of your unborn child. More on Helping Your Unborn Baby Develop During Pregnancy
