02 My Observations As a Childbirth Educator/Long-Time Reader of M.K.P
Description
This article is from the General Pregnancy FAQ, by swnymph@FensEnde.com (Sabrina Cuddy) with numerous contributions by others.
02 My Observations As a Childbirth Educator/Long-Time Reader of M.K.P
(from Sabrina Cuddy <swnymph@remarque.berkeley.edu>)
Things that seem to be very common in pregnancy, many postings
ask about these, and many women respond that it happened to them:
Craving Red Meat - even vegetarian moms occasionally will want
red meat, particularly beef. This may be due to the iron in
it, the extra calories, the protein... Who knows? I sure know that
I craved beef in both of my pregnancies - I didn't even know I
was pregnant the second time, and I couldn't believe how badly I
wanted to eat hamburgers, steak, etc!
Spotting early in pregnancy - it seems that some women will continue
to have what looks like light periods through the whole pregnancy.
This makes dating the pregnancy harder! Many women have spotting
either around the time of implantation, or when their first period
after conception would have come. These women go on to have normal
babies! For others, spotting could be a sign of impending miscarriage,
and unfortunately you can't tell which it is. In early pregnancy,
if you are going to miscarry there really isn't anything that can
be done, although many practitioners make women feel better by
putting them on bed rest so they feel they have tried something.
If you are worried about spot bleeding, call your doctor or midwife!
[Note: I am not talking about large amounts of bright red blood!
If you see that, please call your practitioner immediately!]
Along with morning (read: all-day) sickness, most pregnant women
experience fatigue in early pregnancy which may be extreme. This
is normal as your body adjusts to being pregnant! If you can barely
get up in the morning, and never get any housework done during your
first trimester, fret not! This should lessen in the second trimester
as your body adjusts - just in time for...
Dizzyness in the Second Trimester! This is normal too! Many women
experience a drop in blood pressure as the body tries to adjust to an
increase in blood volume. The typical pattern is lower than normal
blood pressure in the second trimester followed by a slow rise in the
third trimester which we hope doesn't go up much above your
non-pregnant blood pressure! If you are feeling dizzy from low blood
pressure, try to stay cool (I always got dizzy in the shower!), lie
down, and drink some water. You may also be dizzy from low blood sugar
because the baby goes through several growth spurts in the second
trimester which can really make mom hungry! If you think this is why
you are dizzy, drink juice or something which will give you quick
sugar, then eat some protein to keep your blood sugar level up
long-term. If you are dizzy a lot, have other symptoms (such as
blurry vision or headache), or faint, please call your practitioner!
Many women leak colostrum (the first milk) at some time during
pregnancy. It can be just a drop, or enough that you need breast pads
to keep from soaking your clothes. For some women, this starts quite
early, and for others it doesn't start until just before labor... Some
women never experience leaking breasts, and this has absolutely no
effect on later ability to nurse. If one breast leaks more than the
other, that breast may produce a bit more milk, but generally both
breasts will produce enough. (assuming you haven't had surgery and the
breasts are not radically different sizes...)
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