Teenage Hell

You might think that now that you’re an adult you shouldn’t get acne anymore – I only wish that were true! For a teen pregnancy, acne is often par for the course. But for adults getting acne can come as a surprise. acne still affects us, even as adults, and acne can be particularly common in times of stress or hormonal upheaval. And thus we see why those in early pregnancy might get acne – is there any time more laden with stress and emotional upheaval?

acne…And – What Else?

Early pregnancy can bring acne and a whole host of other symptoms. Chances are, you’ve got at least a few of the symptoms – maybe most of them. It doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with the baby – some women have more symptoms, others less, and even the same women with different pregnancies will usually be different in terms of symptoms.

The changes to the body in early pregnancy like acne are caused by a quick change in hormones coursing through the mother’s system. If the pregnant woman is typical, these symptoms will settle down once the hormone levels stabilize, but some women have symptoms throughout their pregnancy.

One of the common symptoms that are hormone caused in early pregnancy like acne is a change in the mouth’s saliva. The mother might have a metallic taste in her mouth, which can change how foods taste. Sometimes even things she used to love to eat are unappetizing and can even make her gag. Some of these cravings are alright to “give in” to – like wanting good food. But if you are craving things that are not good for a growing baby, like foods high in sugar or fat, consider finding a substitute that will meet the craving but not be as detrimental to your body.

The hormones also can wreck havoc with the mother’s sense of smell. Sometimes things that didn’t bother her before will bother her now – mostly food and cooking smells do it, but sometimes other smells give her nausea, too.

The same hormones that cause acne in early pregnancy are also responsible for the utter exhaustion many newly pregnant women feel. The fatigue can be so overwhelming as to make her feel drugged – and it is no wonder – the hormone progesterone, which is in high amounts during pregnancy – is a form of sedative! The best way to cope with this exhaustion is to take a nap as needed.

Not only may your skin be under assault from acne in early pregnancy, but it will also undergo other changes in the breasts. The veins may start to look like roadmaps as the breasts get swollen and tender to the touch. The areolas (the darker circles around the nipple) in the first time pregnant woman will get larger and darker, and the nipples themselves become larger. There are also what may look like little pimples within the areola (they aren’t pimples, don’t try to pop them!) that are called Montgomery glands. They will usually get more pronounced as they prepared to do their job of moisturizing the nipple area once there is a little one to breastfeed.

When you are pregnant, you may have heard of the idea of “eating for two” and think it means you can eat twice as much – It is not true! Even though you have a little person inside of you, you can’t just eat whatever you want. Junk food will not be the best food for you or your baby.

It is important for the pregnant woman to be careful about her weight gain during her pregnancy. While it is not good to gain too much weight, it is also not good to not gain enough weight during pregnancy.

Too Much Weight? Too Little Weight? What’s The Effect?

If you gain too much weight during your pregnancy, you are more apt to have an early birth or a large baby. You are also at greater risk of having a Cesarean surgery, which is much more dangerous for both the mother and the baby. Also, the mother who has gained too much weight during pregnancy is likely to have backaches, leg pains, high blood pressure, varicose veins, and be more tired, as well as potentially having gestational diabetes.

If you don’t gain enough weight during pregnancy, the baby is more likely to be small (under 5.5 lbs) and is at danger of other complications.

What’s A Girl To Do?

If you started at a healthy weight, over the course of the nine month pregnancy you should gain 25-35 lbs. It can be done by just adding 300 more calories a day to your diet. During early pregnancy, specifically the first trimester, most women gain 4-6 lbs. During the second and third trimesters, it averages out to about a pound a week.

If you were overweight before conception, you should aim for only gaining 15-25 lbs. That amounts to just a pound every two weeks during the last two trimesters of your pregnancy. While you don’t want to gain too much, be careful to not try to lose weight during pregnancy, as that is not healthy for your baby.

For the woman who was underweight prior to conception, she will need to gain a bit more, aiming for 28-40 lbs.

If you are expecting multiples, your total weight gain during this pregnancy should be 35-45 pounds.

What’s All That Weight For? The Baby’s Only Seven Pounds!

Actually, with an average pregnancy, the baby is 7.5 to 8.5 pounds. Cushioning the baby is about 2 lbs of amniotic fluid. The placenta, which nourishes the baby, is about 1.5 to 2 lbs. The breast tissue increases by about 1.5 to 2 lbs, in preparation for nourishing the newborn. The uterine muscles increase by 2 – 2.5 lbs. There is water stored in the mother’s body (about 4 pounds), and maternal stores of 8 lbs. Oh, and the blood volume increases by about 3 pounds.

What About Afterwards?

If you keep your weight gain during pregnancy to the proper amount, recuperating from pregnancy will be easier. Breastfeeding will help considerably, as nourishing your babe with your breasts uses 1000-1500 calories a day. That helps to use up the fat stores that the body saved for that very purpose. If you want to lose weight further, getting exercise is a great idea. Not only will it help with weight loss and build muscles, it will also help with flexibility, increases self-esteem, and helps reduce depression, even postpartum depression. Even if you don’t need to lose weight, having a regular exercise plan can be beneficial.

For those seeking to conceive, it may seem that becoming pregnant should happen the first month and they are often surprised when this doesn’t happen. Finding out about conception and then moving onto pregnancy and birth is one way that couples can get in charge of their fertility and feel they are making progress in the pathway to become pregnant.

There are many resources available for hopeful parents to check out. The internet has many web-sites that give plenty of information about everything from conception to a pregnancy calculator to find out when you are due, to week by week information on the developing baby. These sites are full of information and can be viewed in the privacy of your own home.

Books about pregnancy and conception also abound and these are another way to gain information and help explain the entire process of conception to birth.

Some Great Books About Pregnancy

The first step when looking at books about pregnancy may be to start with learning about conception. “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” by Toni Weschler is one of the books about pregnancy that starts to truly explain the entire process of conception. This book can really help teach a couple just when they are fertile.

Once pregnancy has occurred many couples find they want to know everything that is happening and a great book that has a lot of information for expectant couples is the book, “Pregnancy: The Ultimate Week-by-Week Guide” by OB/GYN Laura Riley. This book shows the changes that occur during pregnancy and explains how the fetus is developing.

Some books about pregnancy can showcase the joy and fun that also occur with impeding parenthood and several of these include “Belly Laughs: by Jenny McCarthy and “Frankly Pregnant” by Stacy Quarty and Miriam Greene. Both of these books are amusing and filled with real life tales of the pregnancy journey.

For dad there is the book, “The Expectant Father” by Armin A. Brott. This is a must read for that dad and moms too would enjoy the male side of being pregnant. Of course dad is probably going to want to browse through some of the other books about pregnancy too, so that he is also aware of the upcoming delivery and what to expect there. A book that can help with that part of pregnancy is “Hey Who’s having This Baby”, by Breck Hawk. This is a much acclaimed book that can help educate parents to be about their options in the delivery room.

Books about pregnancy abound, and there are many more great ones out there for the expectant couples to read, look at your local library for more recommendations.

The rate of teen pregnancy is staggering across the nation. Many say it’s the parents’ fault, while others say it’s simply a lack of teen pregnancy information available to parents and kids alike. In fact schools today don’t spend much more than a casual talk discussing the rate of teen pregnancy, and what teens have the power to do in order to control teen pregnancy.

In the end, widely available information for parents, teens and even younger children can help pave the way for better made decisions when it comes to teens having sex and possibly curtail of the rate of teen pregnancy. Information should be offered in a variety of different ways, the following have been proven to be successful.

Make Clinics More Available

Some cities, but not nearly enough, offer free public teen pregnancy clinics where kids can go for anonymous advice and help with problems when it comes to sexual relationships.

These clinics simply offer yet another outlet for teens, something they all could use in order to make better decisions in their life. These clinics usually also offer weekly classes for parents and teens alike where the rate of teen pregnancy and how to stay out of the statistic are discussed among other things.

If there is not a clinic like this in your area, get other parents together and contact your local representatives to demand a similar facility.

Encouragement for Open Communication

One of the biggest and best fitting keys to help lower the rate of teen pregnancy is open communication. Talking with your children and giving them the tools to make their own decisions wisely, after they’ve been educated, is a great start but it shouldn’t stop there. Even after multiple discussions with children about sex and the risks and rate of teen pregnancy and other communicable diseases, they’ll probably still have questions as they grow up.

Being able to keep an open mind so your children can talk to you about anything is possibly the most important method of keeping teens from having babies. Letting teens ask questions and get honest answers is therapeutic and offers a gigantic support system many kids don’t have in today’s world. Even holding a weekly meeting to answer questions and deal with family concerns offers an outlet to talk about sex and the risks, making it possible for everyone in the family to be on the same page where no surprises are bound to come out of the woodworks!

When a woman finds out that she is expecting her world as she knows it changes in a split second. This is one of the last times in her life when she will just focus completely on her and her body. After that little one is born, she will always be thinking of the child in the back of her mind. Most pregnancy items that are in today’s retail market focus on the mother. However, one way that an expecting family can relate more to the growing baby is to find a daily pregnancy calendar that follows the child from a zygote to a full term baby.

The Baby’s View on Life

Many books and other materials can be found that help a woman and other members of the family see how a child is developing. However, finding that one special daily pregnancy calendar that is seen from a child’s point of view can be a very special experience. Many books and calendars are available that do just that. One can look in their local bookstore or even online for these special insights into how their baby is developing, and the cost is relatively small compared with everything else that must be purchased during this special time.

When most women and men find out they are expecting they focus on the little bun in the oven almost exclusively. They savor every bit of information that they can find about how their child is developing like a fine French meal. It is critical that a special bond be formed while the child is in the womb, and a baby’s daily pregnancy calendar is just the way that can be accomplished. No longer will one have to worry about what is going on with their unborn baby as long as they have one of the many types of a daily pregnancy calendar that looks at pregnancy from the view of an unborn child.

Not only will expectant parents enjoy these fanciful look at pregnancy, but grandparents will more than likely think that it is neat also. These unique baby’s daily pregnancy calendar items are also great gifts for those who are going to be parents or grandparents. Enjoying pregnancy is one thing that most people forget to do with all of the hustle and bustle that come with having a baby. Taking time out of a busy day to read about your baby and his or her development will help you be closer than ever.

In most cases, you can shed off whatever excess weight you gain during pregnancy. Now, just because you can shed off the excess weight that you gain during pregnancy that does not mean that you do not have to watch your weigh. A good pregnancy weight calculator should be able to help you monitor your weight. Too much weight gain is bad for you and your baby. According to experts, excessive weight gain could lead to a lot of health problems especially for pregnancy women. Since you only get to see your doctor once a month, you need to monitor you own weight closely with the use of a pregnancy weight calculator and report any drastic weight gain to your doctor. There are many good pregnancy weight calculators being sold in the market today so you should not have much problem finding one for your home use. How Much Weight Are You Supposed To Gain During Pregnancy? According to experts, you can gain as much as 25 to 30 pounds during normal pregnancy. Based on standard pregnancy calendars, you may gain about 2 pounds a month during the first trimester and maximum of 4 pounds a month during the last trimester of your pregnancy. Yes, that sounds a lot but you have to understand that when you are pregnant, you body makes room for the baby and undergo a lot of changes to accommodate the needs of the baby. Moreover, you start eating for two when you are pregnant so there is a big possibility that you will gain a lot of extra pounds over the nine month pregnancy period. An increase of 25 to 30 pounds is not really very alarming especially when you are already during the last few weeks of your pregnancy. To make sure that you are still within your allowable weight increase level, use your pregnancy weight calculator. If your pregnancy weight calculator says that you are getting heavier than you should, consult your doctor. You may need to change your eating habits and exercise more. However, before you make changes in your diet, you should consult your doctor first. Remember that your baby needs a lot of nourishment so you should not just cutback on food without your doctor’s knowledge. You do not really want deprive your baby with his or her much needed nourishment.

Many women who are in early pregnancy and having back pain wonder why they are already feeling the pinch in their lower back. Logically, they think the back pain shouldn’t be early in pregnancy, since the baby is still small and not putting that much pressure on the back muscles. And yet their back hurts.

Sorting It All Out

When a woman becomes pregnant, the egg in her fallopian tube has become infiltrated by the little squiggly sperm. The egg finishes its trip down the fallopian tube and implants itself somewhere along the wall of the uterus. If the egg doesn’t make it to the uterus, but instead implants along the wall of the fallopian tube – trouble! There isn’t enough room within the fallopian tube to grow a baby! That pregnancy is doomed. The mother will experience abdominal cramping and bleeding, as her body works to expel the “misbehaving” egg.

Once the egg attaches itself to the uterine wall, it has to burrow its way inward. This releases a bit of blood, so some mommies-to-be will see a bit of spotting, about the time that they would normally have their menstrual period. The bit of spotting is really nothing to worry about – as long as it is brownish or pinkish and not bright red, and just a bit and not a lot of blood, things are going as they should.

After burrowing and getting situated, the egg will begin to produce hormones. These hormones (including progesterone – the one that makes the pregnant woman incredibly sleepy) are responsible for most of the symptoms that the pregnant woman will experience. Even that back pain, though early in pregnancy, is caused by those hormones that rise quickly. Symptoms of early pregnancy – acne, headaches, constipation, food cravings, swollen/tender breast with darkening areolas,…all are affected by these hormones.

What Can One Do About Back Pain Early In Pregnancy?

The best thing to do to support your back and avoid pain early in pregnancy is to take care of your back. Get the rest that you need, and the exercise that benefits your entire body. While you should be careful to not overdo it (in terms of exercise) you can and should keep up with any exercising you were doing prior to getting pregnant. Talk to your doctor about how long you can keep up that form of exercise. Some forms can be maintained throughout the pregnancy, and are beneficial, like walking and yoga. Others need to be modified once a little one is on the way – like distance running and mountain climbing. Chances are, the exercise you are doing will be fine. If you haven’t been exercising, this is the perfect time to start! A safe way to begin is with adding a walk to your routine every day.

There are several things pregnant women worry about – mostly whether their experience is “normal.” What is a normal weight gain during pregnancy? What about cramping? Is it common to have some spotting during pregnancy?

Cramping and spotting are normal during pregnancy. About 20-30% of women experience some spotting during pregnancy, it is not usual. But what causes it? And how can you know whether you need to contact your doctor or midwife?

Why Would I Bleed? And Is This During Pregnancy Spotting Dangerous Or Not?

When the woman’s body ovulates, and an egg is released, the body begins to store up blood within the walls of the uterus, in the hopes that the egg will be fertilized. After fertilization, the egg implants into the wall of the uterus. It is not uncommon for some blood to come off the wall of the uterus, and the result will be some spotting during early pregnancy. This implantation bleeding usually happens from 6-12 days after conception. Ideally, the spotting is brown or pink. It should not be bright red.

Bleeding can also be a sign of an impending miscarriage, though. About 15-20% of pregnancies are not completed, but instead result in a miscarriage. The vast majority of them happen within the first 12 weeks. Having spotting is not the only sign that a miscarriage might be about to occur. Another thing that happens is cramping, usually felt down low in the abdomen. These pains will be stronger than menstrual cramps, and would be hard to ignore. Also, a clear sign a miscarriage is occurring is when the spotting during pregnancy is accompanied by clots or tissue coming out of the vagina. A miscarriage is usually the body’s way of removing an unhealthy pregnancy. It generally cannot be stopped or prevented. If the woman has had a miscarriage it doesn’t mean that she cannot carry a baby to term – many miscarriages are a one-time event.

Spotting during pregnancy can also be a sign of another severe problem, an ectopic pregnancy. These occur in only very infrequently, and are not something to be concerned about, unless you have an infection in your fallopian tubes, have had pelvic surgery, or have had an ectopic pregnancy before. Signs that there is an ectopic pregnancy are not just the spotting during pregnancy. There will also be cramping down low in the abdomen, as with a miscarriage. Also, there will usually be sharp pain felt in the abdomen area. A doctor can diagnose an ectopic pregnancy by testing the level of hCG in the body – an ectopic pregnancy will have low levels of hCG.

Some women have spotting during pregnancy right after intercourse. While pregnant, the cervix is sensitive, and can be injured. If this occurs, it is wise to discontinue intercourse until you can see your doctor or midwife to be sure everything is ok. Relax, though – a miscarriage is not caused by normal sexual intercourse. Once your midwife or doctor gives you the go-ahead, you can enjoy the closeness of sexual intimacy again.

Becoming pregnant is not what many teenagers envision ever happening to them. Although many teenagers are educated by their parents and at school on facts about teen pregnancy, many just don’t believe it will happen to them or the reality of becoming pregnant seems distant and not something that they are concerned with.

There are many avenues that teenagers can travel to discover facts about teen pregnancy and there are many books about pregnancy that can give teenagers information about the true statistics.

By becoming more informed, through books or even web-sites teenagers can educate themselves and become aware of their options when it comes to pre-martial sex.

Looking At Facts About Teen Pregnancy

Statistics may be one of the best ways to illuminate the real concerns with teen pregnancy. One of the startling facts about teen pregnancy is that at least 82% of all teenage pregnancies are unplanned and two thirds of these pregnancies are in girls 18-19 years old. Teenage mothers account for about 11% of all births in the United States each year, and three in ten girls will get pregnant before they are twenty.

An interesting fact about teen pregnancy is that today more pregnant teens will earn their high school diploma or GED, but most will not go onto college. This statistic shows that although the importance of high school has been established, teenage mothers do not go on to programs that offer higher education and they may be limiting their ability to earn a higher salary as a result.

Another of the facts about teen pregnancy is that the United States has the highest percentage of pregnant teens in the developed world. This can be a shocking statistic as the United States has a teen pregnancy rate that is twice that of England and is eight times higher than Japan.

Teenagers themselves say that their own attitudes toward sex are greatly influenced by their parents. This information shows how important it is for parents to become involved and discuss with their teenagers about not just sex, but relationships. Teens are looking for guidance and they need input from their parents to help make decisions about this difficult topic.

Statistics also show that teen pregnancy rates declined from 1991 to 2005 but are beginning to climb once again. With knowledge of this statistic teens should educate themselves on teen pregnancy.

Facts about teen pregnancy can bring to light the difficulties teen mothers face and the reality of being a teenage mother.

Devastating studies have shown that the rate of teen pregnancy gets higher and higher every year. In fact teenagers are at such high risk, that many high schools have strived to make accommodations for soon to be and new teen mothers. Most parents are horrified at the thought of their teenagers becoming parents too soon and wonder what they can do in order to prevent teenage pregnancy.

In fact, parents can make all the difference in the world when it comes to preventing teenage pregnancy. A few things done right means success in the way of educating children and teenagers so pregnancy doesn’t occur too young.

Talk, Listen and Learn

The most important aspect of preventing teenage pregnancy is communication. Without it, there’s no way to educate your children about sex and the consequences it can have. Talking to your children about sex and what can occur when doing the act is important, no matter how uncomfortable it may feel. In addition, being open minded and making it possible for your kids to come to you when they have questions or concerns is also an important part of doing your part to prevent teenage pregnancy.

If you’re not comfortable with keeping an open line of communication with your teens in regard to sex and pregnancy, consider taking a parenting class that discusses and supports parents in this aspect.

Take Your Teen to Classes

Parents can never be to careful or cover enough bases when it comes to preventing teenage pregnancy and teen classes is another great way to keep your kids in check. In teen classes, they’ll have an opportunity to discuss the things on their minds while meeting teen parents who have stories to share in regard to why waiting to have sex is the most beneficial.

In most cases, teens enjoy the experience and at the very least take something away from it to think about. Giving teens the tools to make their own decisions is scary, but it has been proven to work well as long as the teenagers making their own decisions are educated about the topic.

Give Your Teen a Baby for 48 Hours

Nowadays, battery operated babies are used to play an important role of helping teens realize what it’s really like to be a parent. It works for both girls and boys by needing to be taken care of just alike a real baby would. Changing diapers, feeding the baby and staying up throughout the night are all things to help teens think twice about parenthood at such a young age. At the end of 48 hours, the battery operated baby offers a report to show how the teen did as a parent!