How does it affect her eating habits? Kourtney is on a diet which does not come from a doctor but her own stomach.

She eats anything – that is, that her stomach allows her to, which is not much. This time around, she says, “there is less I can tolerate.”

Some more time should pass before the 32-year-old Kourtney and Kim Take New York star learns the sex of the child, but she gives out that she has a pretty shrewd guess. Nevertheless, being asked if she cared to know, she said she did.

Start the Day with a Healthy Breakfast

If pregnant women don’t have breakfast, or eat less food in the morning, then they may feel dizzy and will usually eat excess food afterwards. Also a good breakfast ensures that the baby gets the required calories, since you have slept for around 6 to 8 hours during the night without any food. Some people might tell you to have a meal during the night, but it’s unnecessary and can be solved by a healthy breakfast.

Have Disciplined Meals When Pregnant

Plan ahead and think what you are going to have for the rest of the day, so that you can ration your nutrients accordingly. If you go to work, carry healthy snacks like fruits, whole-grain crackers or carrot sticks. If a pregnant woman doesn’t plan, then they will probably end up eating whatever they feel like and thus gain excess weight.

Have Fibrous Foods Low in Fat and Sugar

Pregnant women could try canned fruits. You should also check the fat and sugar content in the labels. If you can’t help yourself from eating a sugar rich meal, you should also have something wholesome like milk; this inhibits an increase in blood sugar that might trigger fat storage processes. Sugar rich food usually makes pregnant women hungry in half an hour because of the production of insulin, but an intake of fiber ensures that they feel full; this also triggers excess fat removal.

Eat before attending a party or social event

If your stomach is somewhat full, you will most likely be able to avoid food that contributes to excess fat. Parties are usually filled with enticing but fatty food. You don’t want to gain excess weight by eating food you don’t need but are attractive.

Eat Before Shopping

Similar to the above strategy, this ensures that you don’t buy unnecessary food on whim. Stick to a shopping list and buy only what you need.

Pregnant women Should Eat Broiled, Baked or Steamed food

You should request your food like this in the restaurant; most often they will acknowledge the needs of a pregnant woman. Food cooked this way does not contribute to excess fat gain.

Sneak in Fruits into Theaters

Not only does this save money, but the food in theaters is fatty and sugar rich.

Drink Plenty of Water

Pregnant women often confuse dehydration with hunger. If you think you feel hungry despite eating healthy food, this is a sign that you are not drinking enough water. Water also has many other beneficial effects on the body.

Pregnant Woman Shouldn’t Eat for Two!

This is actually very common. People love to make pregnant women eat as much as they can and eat food they should not take. Avoid this and don’t eat trying to please others. A simple “thanks, but no, thanks” goes a long way and is polite.

Eat Carefully and Enjoy All Your Meals

Research has shown that on average a person will eat 750 more calories when they are eating with someone else. The reason is that when you are eating with someone else, you will usually be busy talking to that person or be engaged in something else; if you don’t mind what you are eating, you will definitely eat more. You can try the following method to both reduce the amount of food intake and increase the deliciousness of your meals: Chew your food for a long time and try to focus on exactly how the food tastes. You will realize that each bite is savory. You will eat less, but enjoy more.

Following these nutrition tips will help you avoid gaining excess weight during your pregnancy and enjoy your mother-to-be time!

Source of the image: Pitterpatter.

For this experiment, scientists chose a group of people born in the Netherlands during the so-called “Hunger winter” of 1944, when the country was terribly hungry due to World War II. During this period, the diet of pregnant women was extremely poor and did not exceed the daily calorie content of 600-800 kcal.

The first such test was conducted in 1970-ies, but no major difference between the control group and the subjects was found. A second test, conducted after 40 years during which participants were asked to name the color of a word without thinking about its meaning, showed that people born after 1944 performed poorly in the test. Moreover, the control group did not experience such problems.

Ultimately, the researchers concluded that the degradation of the nerve tissues of the brain occurs faster in people whose mothers restricted their diet or were addicted to dieting during pregnancy.

Source of the image: Photl.

Why Do Stretch Marks Change The Color with Time?

The tear is restored with connective tissue filled with blood vessels needed to sustain its growth. That’s why stretch marks are pink when they appear. As connective tissue stops growing, blood vessels no longer pump blood so the connective tissue grows pale. Scar tissue doesn’t have any pigments so stretch marks stay white even when you get suntan.

Why do some women have stretch marks and others don’t?

Outer layer of skin has some elasticity potential which may vary for every woman. So some women may get stretch marks in earlier pregnancy period while others won’t have them even with a very big belly. This difference in skin elasticity depends on genes. If your mother or grandmother didn’t have pregnancy stretch marks, your odds to get them become very small. On the other hand, if someone in your family did have stretch marks, you are likely to have them, too.

The following factors increase the risk of stretch marks:

• Unbalanced diet, carcinogens in food;
• Smoking during pregnancy;
• Age of pregnant woman (elasticity weakens with age);
• Weak belly muscles (abdominal muscles)
• Pointed pregnancy belly (often if pelvis is narrow);
• Accelerated weight gain during the third trimester;
• Metabolism disorders (diabetes, obesity).

How to Prevent Stretch Marks during Pregnancy

• Weight control during pregnancy. Try to gain weight gradually and what’s most important, don’t seek to eat more;
• Balanced diet. Enrich your pregnancy diet with vitamins and minerals for healthy skin;
• Use of bandage may reduce the pressure on lower belly and ease the stretching of skin;
• Belly massage using olive oil for better blood circulation and blood flow to the skin. This would strengthen skin tissues and improve skin elasticity.
• Use of special skin care products against stretches. Appling creams and body lotions on a regular basis may improve skin elasticity, although you don’t have to expect these products to make wonders for you if you are susceptible to stretch marks.

If you had stretch marks in your first pregnancy, it doesn’t mean you’ll have them in your succeeding pregnancies. Short break between childbirth and a second pregnancy makes it quite possible you won’t have new stretch marks.

If you already have stretch marks

It’s important to remember that stretch marks are not disorders, they are not harmful for your health. They are natural for the process of giving a new life. Obviously, every woman wants to have a beautiful skin before and after pregnancy. But stretch marks are not so high a price to pay for the joy of motherhood. What’s more, stretch marks may never happen.

Source of the image: sxc.hu/profile/bjearwicke.

Keeping your cravings apart, you will have to plan your diet in such a manner that all the needful things should only reach your baby but keep you healthy till the end of your pregnancy. If you follow a poor nutrition diet, you can develop problems like pre-eclampsia, anemia, constipation, and your baby – fatigue, cramps, mood swings, etc. after birth and all along his/her lifetime.

How to celebrate pregnancy with a healthy diet?

The diet of a pregnant woman not only defines the physical development of the child, but is also responsible for the intellectual and mental health of the baby as well. Everything you eat is going to have an effect on your baby in either a healthy manner or could hamper its growth.

First Trimester Diet Plan for Pregnant Women

During this phase of pregnancy, a woman does not need extra calories in her diet. However, you need to have foodstuffs which would provide you a good amount of protein and calcium. Vitamins such as B12, B6, vitamin D iron, folic acid and zinc are necessary as well. Folic acid prevents the baby from developing any neurological disorders and spinal cord disorders. With addition to this, you must consume minerals, important foods containing fatty acids and significant calories which are equally important for the overall development of the baby.

After Trimester Diet Plan for Pregnant Women

As the stages of pregnancy move ahead, you must begin to add more protein rich foods in your pregnancy diet. 300 additional calories are required by a pregnant woman during the final six months of pregnancy.

Weight Gain during Pregnancy

Your weight gain during the first trimester should be three to five pounds approximately on per month basis. However, during the last six months, your weight gain should not increase more than three pounds per month.

Important Foods to Include in Pregnancy Diet

Below is the list of foods which should be included into the diet of a pregnant woman.

• High fiber foods like porridge which contain natural fiber and minerals.
• Calcium rich foods, such as dairy products.
• Red and orange vegetables, such as tomatoes and carrots.
• Orange and Red Fruits having Vitamin B complex, such as apples and oranges.
• Essential Vitamins and Minerals – dry nuts like almonds, walnut and raisins.
• Calcium and Iron Rich Vegetables – broccoli, cabbage and leafy vegetables like spinach.
• Foods rich in iron, such as lotus stem, brown rice and jaggery.
• Protein rich foods, such as lentils and sprouts.

Tips on Eating During Pregnancy

• Rather than eating two or three heavy meals per day, you should split your eating styles to at least five small meals a day.
• Go easy on foods containing too much fat, sugar or salt.
• For example, if you have a food craving like eating a chocolate cake, try to have it once but not always. To substitute this craving with a healthy solution, try eating fruits or dried fruits instead.
• Drinking a lot of water will help you in getting rid of the harmful toxins in your body. It will also keep you fresh and hydrated all the time. It assists in cleaning up your bowel and is a better solution for constipation during pregnancy.
• You must strictly keep away from consuming any type of junk food as it will only add up empty calories which would not be useful for you and your baby. You will gain additional unnecessary pounds as well without any nutritional advantages.
• Stop drinking coffee as it contains caffeine which is responsible for restricting blood flow to the lower abdomen and hampers the growth of the baby.

Other Necessary Activities during Pregnancy

Apart from simply following a healthy diet, you should also take a walk one in a while to relax your lower body. You can also perform certain light exercises or yoga to calm your senses down and for reducing the pressure of baby birth. However, before doing any of the physical work, it is advisable to consult your doctor first. Reading good books and listening to great music is also beneficial during pregnancy.

You don’t have to worry about anything while you are pregnant. Just stay happy, eat healthy and enjoy this blissful phase. The foods that you eat will also help you in calming down.

Source of the image: sxc.hu/profile/ilco.

What Causes Pregnancy Complications

There are various reasons which bring about pregnancy complication. Some of them are as follows:

1. chronic disease, such as hypertension and diabetes,
2. STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), such as Chlamydia and syphilis,
3. abnormalities of sperm or ovum, placenta, amniotic acid and infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites.

The following are some pregnancy complications that can cause serious problems for the mother and her developing baby.

Gestational diabetes

This is one of the most common pregnancy complications. If gestational diabetes is left untreated it can cause fetal death and thyroid problems. Gestational diabetes usually gets developed during the second trimester can be treated with insulin supplements to take care of the blood glucose levels.

Amniotic fluid complications

This complication occurs due to the increased polyhydramnios or decreased oligohydramnios amniotic fluid levels of the membranes around the fetus. If the amniotic fluid is in excessive quantity, it develops pressure on the uterus causing preterm delivery. Your diaphragm also comes under the pressure put up by the amniotic fluid causing problems for breathing. Oligohydramnios is responsible for deprived fetal growth, post-term delivery, defects in the child after birth.

Placental complications

These are the pregnancy complications related to the placenta. If the placenta gets detached prematurely, it is called as placental abruption. This disconnection can be complete or partial. The location of the placenta in the lower area of the uterus causes the problem of placenta previa. The symptom of placenta previa is heavy bleeding in the second or the third trimester.

Proper Diet during Pregnancy

To take proper care of you and your baby, you need to maintain a proper nutritious diet along with your regular meetings with your concerned gynecologist. Avoiding junk food will help you not gain excess pregnancy weight and keep your baby healthy.

See Your Doctor

Once you start noticing the symptoms of pregnancy you should consult the doctor for medications and diet tips to keep your baby healthy. If we neglect certain problems arising during pregnancy, they can be fatal for the baby growing inside your womb. It can lead to fetal death and miscarriages.

Check Your Health before Getting Pregnant

Pregnancy complications do take place with some women due to several reasons like inborn diseases, excessive bleeding due to placental shifts, infections in the vaginal tracts and infections caused to wrong foods and viruses. It’s always recommended to plan your pregnancy and start preparing your body for it at least 3 months before you plan to conceive. You may inform yourself about how to prevent pregnancy complications in the article “How to Maintain Good Health before Pregnancy”.

Source of the image: flickr.com/photos/hansandcarolyn.

Babies whose mothers ate a lot of fish dishes (approximately 60 grams per day) during the pregnancy period were more likely to develop better motor and cognitive skills, since mental and physical abilities of these kids grew by 25 per cent by the age of 6 months, and by 30 per cent by 18 months. Particularly great results were seen in children of those women who consumed salmon, cod, flounder, herring, and mackerel. Pediatricians remind us that breast milk also contains Omega-3, thus the longer the baby is breastfed, the faster he/she grows and is more protected from various diseases.