Pregnancy is a time of wishful anticipation, joy as well as planning and preparation, and in the case of first time parents there is a lot of anxiety combined with uncertainty. Parents dream of giving birth to a strong, healthy and happy baby, and make plans to provide him with everything he needs in order to grow healthily and survive. But parents often fear and have numerous questions as soon as the conception occurs in the womb, especially if it is their first child. After the conception occurs in the womb, everything around you that you may eat or breathe will be passed on to the womb and affect the fetus.

The process begins as soon as the conception occurs in the womb and the fetus is developing in the first two months of pregnancy. This is a very critical time as the various major body organs like limbs, brain, heart, eyes and sex organs are being formed in the fetus. Parental care starts right from the time the conception occurs in the womb and the parents must be very careful and avoid all chemical substances like cigarettes, alcohol and drugs as these could hinder the growth and development of the fetus in the womb.

As the conception occurs in the womb, would be mothers are advised to quit smoking as this could interfere with the normal development of the baby and cause congenital abnormalities. There can be many more factors that may lead to abnormalities in the foetus; factors like drugs, alcoholism, and even certain medications which are taken during pregnancy can have serious side effects. Therefore, leading a happy and healthy life leads to healthy and bright babies.

In the past few years we have seen an increased liking for "Identical Twins". People are getting fascinated by the fact that they have to get pregnant only once to produce more off springs. But we have seen that there is a rise in the number of people who wish to have twins or other multiple pregnancies in the recent years due to various reasons. So "how to have twins"?

Some might want to have two children but with only one pregnancy to get over the trauma and some might just want to experience the fun out of it. There are several other reasons behind it and not to forget the group of people who are facing trouble conceiving and would be thrilled to get as many children as they can to avoid future pain and expensive treatments. Now, the major question is what should be done to increase the chances of twins. Let’s dig in to get answers which can improve the chances of twins:

Eat Yams: A women’s diet may influence the chances of having twins. Researchers have shown that there is a culture that has more twins than others. One of these is a tribe who eat lot of yams. The Yam produces a certain type of chemical which helps the women in this culture to have more twins.

Breastfeeding: If the woman is breastfeeding while she conceives then there are chances for her to have twins. Researchers have said that breastfeeding reduces the amount of calcium in the woman’s system which in turn affects the egg during the conception and ovulation period and increased the chances of having twin pregnancy.

Get pregnant at an elderly age: The older you are the more chances of having twins. There is an increased ovulation of multiple eggs in older women and this can lead to dizygotic or fraternal twins.

Be a twin or have a family history of twin: Be a twin to reproduce a twin. Twins are more likely to have twins or if you are having a family history of twins then also you have increased chances. Especially the maternal history as they produce mostly di zygotic or fraternal twins and not mono zygotic or identical twins. This comes from the ability to ovulate more than one egg at any given point in ovulation.

Take fertility drugs or treatment: If interested you can also go for prescribed fertility medications which increases the chances of having twins by inducing multiple eggs being released in ovulation. But be sure before you actually take the medication as there are increased risks of having multiple pregnancies even with twins. You can also opt for fertility treatment which is much more than just taking fertility drugs but these are only for the families who really need it. Procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and others can increase the chances of having "Identical Twins". But do not opt for any fertility drugs or treatment unless you are sure of what you really want.

From the time you conceive up to the first 12th week of pregnancy is considered as the first trimester stage. If it is your first pregnancy then you might see and feel many changes within yourself and your body. Do not get worried as this is just the usual way how the body reacts and adapts the embryo growing inside you.

You will see a lot of changes like:

Menstrual Cycle Stops: This is the first and most common sign of pregnancy. You will see that the periods will completely stop or may become extremely light. Most women presume this as the sign of their early stage of pregnancy.

Morning Sickness: During the early stages of pregnancy most of the women suffer from dreaded morning sickness. The term ‘morning sickness’ is a bit misleading as many women experience the nauseous feeling and vomiting at several times during the day at the early stages of pregnancy and not just in the morning. Distribute your meals into several parts during the day, eat small meals like snacks or drink juices like lemonade. This will help reduce the nauseous feeling. Ginger is also good to lighten this uncomfortable feeling.

Breast Changes: It is common when you notice that your breast is swelling up or becoming tender during early stages of pregnancy. It is also usual if you notice that the nipples and the areola, the area around the nipples, get darker and broader.

Frequent Urination: This is one among the other symptoms of early pregnancy. The trips to the washroom increases and it is more likely to get worse throughout the pregnancy. You tend to urinate a lot as the growing fetus exerts pressure on your bladder. Unfortunately, there is nothing which you can do other than finding the nearest washroom location.

Fatigue: Take as much rest as possible as tiredness might affect you during the early stages. It is very important to take proper care as there are more risks of miscarriage during this period. Take proper rest and do not over exert yourself physically and mentally.

Constipation and Heartburn: Take healthy and proper diet to eliminate the problem of constipation and heartburn. These are one among the other common symptoms which you might face during early pregnancy. It is important for you to alter your everyday diet and follow a healthy and balanced eating habit throughout the 9 months of pregnancy. This will benefit both the mother and the unborn child.

You will also see a variation in your mood. If you feel that all these symptoms are a bit too much for you to cope up with contact your doctor or regular health care provider and discuss the symptoms with them to come to a conclusion.

There are a number of ways to reduce the discomfort which you might feel during the starting stages of pregnancy but you may have to make sure that whatever you are doing to alleviate the problem you should not harm the growing baby inside. Consult a doctor before you buy any over the counter medicine. Remember these early stages are the formative period for the baby and any slight mistake might harm the baby.

There are a number of signs of pregnancy but they might be misleading as well. You can identify whether you are expecting or not by various symptoms.

Obviously, the first sign of a pregnancy is usually when a women misses her period. However, there can be a number of other reasons too when she misses her periods and does not have it on the expected date.

Stress can also affect a woman’s period and it may also mean that she is usually experience irregular periods at times or even miss them altogether. Keeping these reasons for missing periods under consideration many companies have come up with the pregnancy testing kits. Using these testing kits you can identify whether the missed period is the sign of pregnancy or not.

The second most common sign of pregnancy is the morning sickness. You might get the feeling of vomiting or feel nauseous then it could be the sign of pregnancy. Not all nauseous feelings are associated with pregnancy but if it is combined with the missed periods then there are chances of you getting pregnant.

If some woman who was on medication or under stress and has a history of missed or irregular periods and is not suffering from morning sickness then weight gain could be the first sign of pregnancy that she will notice in herself. It so happens at times that she does not realize that she is pregnant until she actually starts to put on weight. Weight gain is definitely the sign of pregnancy but not the first sign if she has not noticed that she has not had her periods for past few months.

Carrying a life inside you might be uncomfortable for most of the mother-to-be during the first few weeks. There are a number of issues she might face like swelling up of ankles. It becomes very difficult to walk with those swollen feet. The best way to deal with this problem is to wear comfortable shoes which do not fit tightly. It becomes very difficult to walk with those swollen feet. Lace-up shoes will be the best one to use during pregnancy as these will accommodate with the swelling.

The most common sign of pregnancy is fatigue. You will feel tired and exhausted more often. This is quite obvious as the developing baby will use up all the mother’s nutrients to grow which in turn results in the woman needing more rest than usual. So it becomes imperative for the mother to take as much rest as possible so that she can gather the strength especially during the last few months of pregnancy. These are the few common signs through which you can predict your upcoming pregnancy and if in case you are not satisfied and want to have confirmed information then the pregnancy testing kits are always available.

Calcium in Pregnancy

Calcium matters a lot during pregnancy. It’s the most important mineral which the baby needs to develop inside your body. A baby needs calcium to grow strong bones and teeth, a healthy heart, nerves and muscles and to develop a normal heart rhythm and blood clotting abilities. If you do not take proper intake of calcium with your diet the baby will leach it from your bones which might harm your heath at a later stage.

What quantity shall I take?

1,000 mg of calcium is needed before, during and after pregnancy as your body cannot absorb more than that. Most of the new moms don’t get enough of this important mineral. It is very vital for you to aim for food which is rich in calcium. Try to plan out a diet where you have four servings of milk or other calcium rich food.

Remember even after your baby is born and you are finished nursing you need to continue the intake of calcium. It is important for you to pay attention to your calcium intake to void off any future osteoporosis (bone loss) later in life.

Shall I take supplements?

Yes, you can always try a calcium supplement. A good multivitamin or prenatal vitamin is also a good source to provide calcium and it should include at least 150 to 200 mg of calcium. Check the label for calcium carbonate, the type most easily absorbed by the body. Do a simple test before using the product. Place the supplement in a glass of vinegar and check the time how quickly it dissolves. If it is taking more than 10 minutes to dissolve then try another brand.

Recent studies have found that some of the natural calcium supplements contain a small amount of lead which can be harmful for the growing baby. Look for the tablets with the labels that are lead free.

The best source of calcium are the diary products like milk, skimmed milk and other calcium fortified food like canned fish and few others like

•    1 cup low-fat yogurt: 414 mg
•    8 oz. skim milk: 302 mg
•    2 cups cottage cheese: 300 mg
•    8 oz. calcium-fortified orange juice: 300 mg
•    2 slices calcium-fortified bread: 300 mg
•    3 oz. sardines: 300 mg
•    1 oz. Gruyere cheese: 283 mg
•    3 oz. canned salmon: 211 mg
•    1 oz. cheddar cheese: 202 mg
•    4 oz. firm tofu: 166 mg
•    3 corn tortillas: 150 mg
•    1/2 cup boiled turnip greens: 98 mg

Try to introduce these items in your diet so that you can supply sufficient amount of calcium to your growing baby without harming your body.

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After the 9 long months of the pregnancy and the daylong of the baby shower, the new mom becomes tired and worn out. But it will be really pleasant to write a personal note and thank all those who have attended your baby shower and bought those gifts. Writing a personal note to all of the coworkers or relatives must be tiring and time consuming if the list is long. You can instead plan on a postcard with the baby’s picture on it.

You must have probably seen lots of postcards which are used by most of the people around the holidays or as birthday announcements. You can use the same concept to thank those who have attended your party. Take a nice picture of your newborn surrounding the gifts given by the coworkers or any other people who have attended the party. Develop the picture and take prints out of it. Add a personalized message on it and contact any photographer or any store who will print the personalized postcards with the picture and message. Once the postcards are ready simply right the name, sign and send.

Everybody will love to see the first picture of your baby. Nevertheless, it consumed less time than writing those notes in the cards and sending it. People will also love the first look of the baby and feel the warmth and happiness.

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