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PREGNANCY
(May
26,
2007)
Preparation for Pregnancy
I
can imagine that you are probably thinking about having
a baby at this time (that is why you are reading this
article, isn’t it?). As a mother I can tell you right
away that pregnancy is a very exciting time in a
woman’s life. But it can also be a time filled with
questions and concerns. You may ask, “Why it is
important to be ready for pregnancy?” and, “What is the
big reason for doing this?” Well, read on to find out.
Conception occurs about 2 weeks before your period is
due. That means that you may be more than 3 weeks
pregnant and not even know that you're pregnant! This is
important because your baby is most sensitive to harm in
the period from two to eight weeks after conception.
This is when your baby's facial features and organs,
such as the heart and kidneys, begin to form. Anything
that you eat, drink, smoke or are exposed to can affect
your baby. That's why it's best to start acting as if
you're pregnant before you are sure that you have
conceived, if you have been trying to get pregnant.
Your First Visit to Your Doctor about a Pregnancy?
It
is better to see your doctor when you're just thinking
about getting pregnant. You can talk about your diet,
bowel habits, lifestyle, weight control and any concerns
that you have. Try to visit your doctor in the year
before you want to get pregnant. A thorough physical
examination performed at this time may reveal unknown
factors in your health that might have a significant
effect on your ability to fall pregnant or successfully
carry a child through to birth. High blood pressure,
diabetes, back disease and gynecological problems are
examples of some that can be found. A Pap smear test
should be performed if you are due for one. A blood test
for, and a check of your family history of, Rubella
(German measles) infection will be arranged and a
vaccination given if necessary. You and your partner
(father-to-be) will be asked about your medical history
because that is very important for the progress of your
pregnancy and your future baby. Some medical problems,
including genetic diseases such as Cystic fibrosis and
sickle cell anemia, run in the family. These problems
aren't caused by anything you do. Talk with your doctor
about your risk factors and whether screening tests are
needed. If you are over 35 years of age, a talk with
your doctor is highly recommended. You'll both also have
the chance to ask your doctor any questions you may have
at this exciting time. Conception, when life begins, is
a miraculous process. Today, we know more than we ever
have about its wondrous ways, but many aspects still
remain a challenging mystery. Once fertilized, the egg
has seven days to get down the fallopian tube, enter the
cavity of the uterus and burrow into the lining so that
it is covered by nutrient-rich blood of its mother. This
is probably the most hazardous journey any of us will
ever take. Failing to complete the trip leads to certain
death. To begin the trip, but be delayed means either
death or an ectopic pregnancy. Getting to the uterus too
quickly probably also results in failure and death. Even
if this developing new person makes it to the stage of
implantation into the lining of the uterus, 50% will
miscarry in the very early stages.
Shettle’s System to Increase The Odds of Having a Boy or
a Girl in Your Favor.
What
can you do to improve your chances of having a girl next
time, if you already have two sons and you want to have
a girl? Is there any way to increase the odds in your
favor of having a boy or a girl? There is no simple way
in which the sex of a child can be guaranteed, but the
following system (known as Shettle's System) may
help. Using this system is free; it absolutely does not
cost you any money, only your determination and desire.
At best, this system increases the chances of a child of
a particular sex from 50% to 75%. It is definitely NOT a
guarantee of success, but it is currently the most
well-known method for influencing gender without the use
of medical procedures. The method is based on the
premise that men produce two types of sperm, the X
(female) and Y (male). The Y sperms are smaller and more
delicate, but faster, than the X sperms (which are
bigger, tougher and slower), the system is based on
providing an environment which is more likely to help
the type of sperm that matches your preference to get to
the egg first.
There are 6 basic recommendations to follow:
1)
Timing - the most critical aspect of the Shettle's
method is to time when you have intercourse. The closer
to ovulation that you have sex, the better your chances
of having a boy, because ovulation provides the most
optimal time for conceiving, and male sperm are faster.
If you have intercourse about 3 days prior to ovulation,
you may maximize the chances for the slower but tougher
female sperm, which are able to survive until the egg
appears.
2)
The pH of the woman's tract is also important. A more
alkaline environment is generally favorable to fertility
and, therefore, favors the quicker, but more delicate,
male sperm. For a girl, a douche of very diluted water
and vinegar is done just before intercourse. For a boy,
a douche of very diluted water and baking soda just
before intercourse is indicated.
3)
A
woman's tract is more acidic, the closer to the entrance
of the vagina that the measurement is taken. Therefore,
intercourse with shallow penetration may favor the
conception of a girl, and intercourse with deeper
penetration is believed to favor a boy being the result.
4)
Orgasms in females produce a hormone which makes their
vaginal tract more alkaline and therefore more favorable
for boys.
5)
A
high sperm count favors boys. To increase sperm count,
Shettle's method recommends that you abstain from
intercourse for up to three to four days before
ovulation. Also, men should wear boxers rather than
tight underpants. To reduce the sperm count, men should
take a hot bath just before intercourse and couples
should have as much intercourse as possible until 3 days
before ovulation.
6)
Drinking a cup of coffee just prior to intercourse tends
to favor a boy.
To
sum up all of the above:
To
Increase the Chance of Having a Girl:
Use a vaginal douche, consisting of 20 ml white vinegar
in 500 ml of water, ten minutes before having sex. Have
sex frequently in the seven to ten days before you
ovulate. Have no sex from one day before ovulation until
ten days after ovulation. Your partner should ejaculate
just inside the vagina, and not deeply inside. Your
partner should withdraw immediately after ejaculation.
It is better for the woman not to have an orgasm.
To
Increase the Chance of Having a Boy:
Ten minutes before sex, use a vaginal douche consisting
of 5 g of baking soda in 500 mg of water. Have no sex
from the end of your period until the day ovulation
occurs. Have sex twice daily from the day of ovulation
until four days afterward. Your partner should ejaculate
deep inside the vagina. Your partner should withdraw
immediately after ejaculation. It is better for woman to
have an orgasm; ideally just before ejaculation.
Good luck!
Symptoms of Early Pregnancy
These are some of the first signs of impending
motherhood. You may experience all, some, or none of
these symptoms during the early stages of your
pregnancy:
1
)Tender, swollen breasts:
If
you're pregnant, your breasts will probably become
increasingly tender to the touch, similar to the way
they feel before your period. A tingling sensation will
be felt in the nipples. Once your body grows accustomed
to the hormone surge, the pain will subside.
2)
Darkening of your areolas:
If
the skin around your nipples gets darker and the small
lubricating glands become more prominent with small
bumps appearing, you may have successfully conceived.
But, this may also signal a hormonal imbalance that is
unrelated to pregnancy or be a left-over effect from a
previous pregnancy. It can even be related to the
consumption of oral contraceptive pills.
3)
Frequent urination:
Once the embryo implants and begins producing the
hormone ‘human chorionic gonadotropin’ (HCG), pregnant
women start to urinate more frequently. This settles
down after the twelfth week. But, later in pregnancy,
the increased size of the womb puts more pressure on the
bladder and frequent urination occurs again.
4)
Dark patches on forehead and cheeks:
These patches are caused by hormonal changes that affect
the pigment cells in the skin (they are called ‘chloasma’).
Such changes may be also be a side-effect of the
contraceptive pills. The navel and a line down the
center of the woman’s belly may also darken. These
pigment changes fade somewhat after the pregnancy but
those areas will probably always remain darker than
before.
5)
Food cravings:
Food cravings can, sometimes, be a sign of pregnancy.
Don't rely on them as a sure symptom (it may be all in
your head, or even a sign that your body is low on a
particular nutrient), but if the cravings are
accompanied by some of the other symptoms on this list,
the chance is that you are pregnant.
6)
Implantation bleeding or cramping:
You may experience implantation spotting, a slight
staining of a pink or brown color, as well as some
cramping about eight days after ovulation. You might
also see some spotting around the time you expect your
period; this is caused by the egg burrowing into the
endometrial lining. 7) Fatigue: High levels of
the hormone progesterone can make you feel tired; as if
you've run a marathon, when all you've done is to put in
a day at the office. Tiredness is a hallmark of early
pregnancy, though probably not a sure symptom on its
own.
8)
Morning sickness:
Normally, morning sickness won't hit you until a few
weeks after conception. A lucky few escape it
altogether. But, you may begin feeling nauseated and
queasy as early as a couple of days following
conception. This may not just occur in the morning;
pregnancy-related nausea can be a problem morning, noon,
or night. You may also notice that your sense of taste
changes. Some women say they have a metallic taste in
their mouth, others that they cannot stand the taste of
coffee, tea or a food they usually like.
9)
Your basal body temperature stays high:
You will notice this only if you've been charting your
basal body temperature. If your basal body temperature
has stayed above the cover line for 18 days in a row,
you're probably pregnant. Basal body temperature
is your temperature taken the first thing every the
morning before you get up, usually about 6 a.m. It is
important to keep taking it at the same time. The
temperature can be taken orally, vaginally or rectally –
just stay with the same method for the entire cycle. On
the picture, you can see the graph of basal temperature
taken during one cycle. It shows the effect of an
ovulation; the temperature rise in the middle of cycle.
If you are pregnant, the temperature rise should last
for 18 days in a row.
10) A missed period:
This is the surest sign of pregnancy in a woman of
childbearing age who usually has regular periods. If
you're usually pretty regular and your period is late,
it's worth trying a home pregnancy test.
11) A positive home pregnancy test:
Now, you should make an appointment with your doctor to
confirm the good news.
Congratulations!
What every
WOMAN needs to know about this precious time we call PREGNANCY, you
can visit:
click here
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