Teen pregnancy is a growing menace for parents these days as the number of cases have been on rise. It is no doubt an area of both concern and angst for parents. They are definitely correct in being upset over this, but they also need to understand that it is not just the girl who is responsible. So, when faced with such a situation parents need to help their child instead of accusing them and getting angry with them. However, when you try to help your child, you need to ensure that the choices that you make are well informed. Also the boy should also be made a part of this responsibility as he is equally at fault too. 

Some of the dos and don’ts of such a scenario are mentioned below.

• Parents should make sure that they do not harass the girl, but rather speak with her calmly. Also involve the boy and his family in the damage control action.
• The teenage father doesn’t have a right to prevent abortion and but has right to paternity test
• The girl should be presented with viable options and she has the right to decide on what to do

Apart from these there are several other things to be taken into consideration. Abortion is an option, but there are alternatives too. There is ample support for such children in case she wants to go ahead with the baby. But the problem with teen mothers is that they themselves aren’t very responsible and when entrusted with the responsibility of a new born it could be too much for them. On the other hand, abortion can have a lifelong regret and sense of guilt. So, parents need to be very cautious while advising the child on action to be taken.

Being pregnant is perhaps the most joyous event in a woman’s life. It is the beginning of a new life for a woman; hence it becomes extremely important that the process is carried out in a safe way. One of the most crucial aspects during pregnancy is the food that a woman eats. She has to know what food is safe and what isn’t.

Maintaining a well balanced and safe diet becomes very important. A university recently came out with some invaluable tips for pregnant women in terms of food safety, storage and handling. According to this report following are the precautions one should take during pregnancy.

• Raw meat should be totally avoided
• Uncooked or undercooked can be very harmful as they stand the risk of being contaminated by a bacteria called coliform
• Raw eggs and other food items which have raw egg in them must be strictly avoided
• Soft cheese stands the risk of being a breeding ground for harmful bacteria, hence should be avoided
• Certain types of fish like shark, swordfish and tilefish have high levels of mercury in them and mercury is very harmful for the child’s brain.
• Deli meats should be avoided as they are known to create food poisoning
• The intake of liver should be cut down to the minimum as they are very rich source of Vitamin A and this could result in complications in childbirth

There are several other precautions that a woman must take when it comes to diet. It is important that pregnant woman consult a physician and plan out a diet plan during pregnancy in order to have a smooth delivery and a healthy baby.

During pregnancy every woman should take special care of themselves in order to avoid any complications. Researchers though have confirmed that women who have psoriasis are more exposed to various pregnancy risks like spontaneous abortion, hypertension ectopic pregnancy and preterm birth. The rate was significantly higher when the results were compared with women without psoriasis.

The finding was established by Dr. Xinaida and her colleagues at the poster presentation that was given at the meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. At the end of their exploratory research, they safely concluded that there was some likely link between psoriasis and pregnancy events. They also hoped that this research issue should be dealt with a comprehensive retrospective cohort and prospective design whenever it is taken up in the future.

Although it has been found that pregnancy tends to affect psoriasis. It has also been found in some cases that the rate of cesarean was very low in women who did not have psoriasis. Some studies have established that psoriasis led to complications like hypertension and spontaneous abortion, while there are some that fail to conclude any association at all between the two.

Lima and colleagues concluded their findings after reviewing the medical records of those pregnant women who were diagnosed in the Partners Healthcare system and had psoriasis between 1999 and 2009. This was compared with another group of women without psoriasis. The concluding statistics suggested that the rate of pregnancy complications was high among women who were diagnosed for psoriasis.

Finding out that you would soon be a mother can be very overwhelming but discovering that you are going to have twins can be quite shocking. It is especially hard for first-time parents because birth of twins or multiple births can make them very apprehensive. Morning sickness and tiredness at an exaggerated level are good indications that you are going to have more than one child. The number of babies and finding out whether or not they are identical twins can be determined by ultrasound done at 12-14 weeks.

Compared to a mother who is expecting a single child, in twin pregnancy requires more frequent ultrasound scans and check ups. The birth of identical twins can be complicating hence it requires more frequent check ups than in the case of non identical twins. Twin pregnancy reduces the consumption of food and can make you feel extremely tired so it advisable to get as much rest as possible. You may also suffer from backache during this period so it is important to take care of your posture from the very start. To reduce the pain, you can buy one of those specially designed pillows or also try the front or back crawl swimming.

Twins are born usually around the 37th week, however your doctor would surely advise about your due date and also the birthing methods. In most cases, the first child is born vaginally and has no complications but the positioning of the second baby may need a Caesarean section. The birth of twins can be taxing on both parents, but the sight of those two angel faces looking up to you more than makes up for it.

There is a tendency for most women to gain weight after they deliver their child. There are only a few lucky ones who are able to maintain themselves even after pregnancy and do not put on any extra weight. The best way to shed weight after pregnancy is to keep an eye on your diet and do some exercise in addition to some massage chair therapy.

You should make sure that the food that you take is of good quality and provides nutrition to your body. In case, you have to consume fast food, you must ensure that it is sodium free. The reason being sodium adds to the water level and eventually increases your weight. So you should lower your salt intake and avoid soda and drinks with high sugar percentage.

Exercise is another important activity that would help you in your quest to reduce weight. You should consult your doctor and start with exercises that would help you burn some calories. Taking your baby for a walk can be the simplest and most effective exercise for you post your pregnancy. Breastfeeding is another way by which you can burn calories.

Massage chair therapy can also aid a great deal to the recovery process. Massage chair relives you of aches and pains in your lower back and also flushes out harmful toxins from your body which helps you loss weight. You should not look for instant result, as losing that unwanted weight may take some time. Do give yourself some time before you see some progress in your weight loss goal.

There are different reasons for this food craving in pregnant women. The primary reason being that their body is working non stop and these cravings satisfy the needs for the extra calories. Food cravings are also caused due to the lack of nutrition. This explains why some women during their pregnancy get the urge to eat something that they would not otherwise. The common deficiency among pregnant women is lack of iron in the body. The hormones in the body create some strange food cravings. However, there is no harm in satisfying your cravings by stuffing yourself with little amount of that food. There are also instances when some women crave for bad substances like dirt which is a condition termed medically as “pica” and is a result of iron deficiency. The normal cravings for chocolate are due to lack of B vitamins. There are also some women who crave for protein which is very desirable.

However, for pregnant women who crave for clay or dirt should definitely consult a doctor. This condition also leads to cravings for coffee grounds, toothpaste and strange substance like plaster and paint chips that can harm the body and should be avoided completely. Thus, food cravings generally do not cause any harm and can be cured by keeping a balanced diet during your pregnancy.

Morning sickness affects women during morning, mid-day and even in early evenings. During this sickness, a pregnant lady feels nausea and in very common cases, it starts with a reaction from an alarm clock. The main reason behind pregnancy morning sickness is lack of food or fluid or an increase in motions.

In most cases, pregnancy morning sickness is tackled by smelling a specific smell like that of a particular soap or food. Pregnant ladies who eat less of minerals like sodium, potassium and magnesium also suffer from morning sickness. Women often vomit due to this sickness.

Eating potato chips that are full of sodium and potassium also helps some pregnant ladies in morning sickness. Licking lemons and drinking lemonade are some other ways of dealing with morning sickness. Taking B6 supplements in many cases also helps getting rid of pregnant morning sickness

If getting pregnant at an early age has some risks then postponing this decision too long has its own disadvantages. Remember, that the biological clock doesn’t wait for any woman and if you postpone getting pregnant for too long you are reducing your chances of getting pregnant.

Another important aspect worth taking care of while getting prepared for pregnancy is that are you both ready for parenthood. Also, think about your financial condition and consider whether you will be able to take care of the newborn arrival in your family within your budget.

If you already have a child, then do consider child spacing. You might not know how your first child will react to see you giving all attention to the newborn baby. So, first talk to the first child and prepare him or her for his or her new sibling so that there are no grudges in the child’s mind.

Remember, pregnancy weight gain depends on height and weight. In short, BMI or Body Mass Index need to be calculated during pregnancy, like a woman with BMI ranging between 18.5 and 24.9 should gain around 25 to 35 pounds during the whole 9 months of pregnancy for an optimal growth of the baby.

While, underweight pregnant ladies with BMI less than 18.5 should gain about 28 to 40 pounds and overweight ladies with BMI of 25 to 29.9 should gain 15 to 25 pounds during pregnancy. Last of all, obese pregnant ladies with BMI higher than 30 should gain about 35 to 45 pounds.

Getting rid of pregnancy weight is not tough, if you have the will to shed it. Just be a little patient for 2 to 3 months after delivery and start exercising to get rid of those extra pregnancy weight gain.

So, is there good news? You are pregnant and happy to know that you will a mother of a baby after nine months? Apart from the happiness that comes with the news of pregnancy, there comes emotional imbalance for many expected mothers. There is depression and mental stress in most of the expecting mothers during pregnancy.

Though this emotional imbalance or depression vanishes after some time, it is essential to know why it happens and how it can be reduced. Emotional imbalance takes place due to hormonal changes and the growth of baby in the womb during pregnancy. This is the phase when expecting mothers feel different types of emotions.

Combating emotional imbalance during pregnancy is not a big deal, you just need to consult your gynecologist and get some antidepressants to prevent symptoms of such depression but only when it is bothering you for a longer time. Try avoid taking medicines in case of mild depression, as pregnancy is a phase when you need to take utmost care.

Often expecting mothers have these symptoms of emotional imbalance:

• Blank depression

• Sadness

• Persistent longings

• Irritability

• Marked anxiety

• Feeling tensed

• Delusions

• Swinging moods

• Resentful behavior