During your pregnancy there are a multitude of tests that you need to carry out to ensure that your child remains healthy. Testing for cystic fibrosis (CF) forms an important part of these prenatal tests.

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects both adults and children. A person suffering from CF experiences breathing difficulties and digestion problems. The gene causing the disease produces thick mucus like substance in the body that in turn leads to life threatening infections. Patients suffering from CF  have a short life span. The ailment does not have any cure.

In case you are a carrier of the gene causing this disease, there are high chances of your child getting affected by the same. Hence, it is necessary to find out whether you or your partner is a carrier of the gene.

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Most pregnant women experience food cravings during the months of their pregnancy like preferring a certain brand of bacon or double cheese burgers or rocky road ice creams. It is not known why pregnancy brings food cravings, although according to certain specialists these cravings are specialist in nature without medical evidence. For instance, a pregnant mother may not have the urge to have alcohol, and this is beneficial as spirits like beer and wine may affect the physical and mental development of your child.

Some people are of the opinion that a pregnant woman’s desire towards certain foods like salted potato chips is the natural way to maintain the body’s sodium levels. However, it is not a possibility that the cells in our body express the nutritional deficiencies into cravings. Longing for a certain food distinguishes the cravings from those in non expecting women.

Tags: diet during pregnancy, during pregnancy diet, pregnancy food, pregnancy foods list, pregnant craving dirt

You are pregnant and, hence, it’s time that you take special care of yourself and your little one. The best way to do this, apart from eating a well-balanced meal and exercising regularly, is to take the prenatal tests on a continuous basis.

Prenatal tests are necessary to ensure the well-being of the fetus that is growing inside you. Through prenatal tests, you as well as your doctor can obtain valuable information about your health and that of the growing fetus.

There are different kinds if prenatal tests that you need to take to keep a close watch on the fetus. EMF or Electronic Fetal Monitoring is one such test where you can see the condition of your baby and how she/he is responding to labor contractions, etc. This technique uses ultra-sonography to see the baby’s position and other details.

Tags: healthy pregnancy, prenatal diagnostic, prenatal exam, prenatal testing, tests during pregnancy

Baby Foods

Boil the bottles, and rinse them well.

Refrigerate the food: Keep the filled bottles of breast or formula milk in the fridge before feeding. It is best to go for refrigeration in open containers of instant feed or concentrated formula.

Warm the food: Place the bottles in hot water that should not be boiled, for about 5 minutes. Shake well and control the temperature of the milk by putting a few drops on your wrist so that the baby does not get it too hot. The milk should be barely warmed.

Microwave: Do not ever microwave baby bottles as they heat unevenly causing hot spots which can scald the baby’s throat and mouth.

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Ideal Sex Postures for Pregnant Women

Postures that are best before or during early pregnancy may be hazardous or uncomfortable during the later stages of child development in your womb. The missionary position that is lying on the back is not recommended after month 4 as the heaviness of the emergent uterus exerts pressure on blood vessels. You can try some of these alternatives to the customary missionary position:

• Get on top: This posture allows you to take control of the way you like it to be: fast or slow, as well as adjust the comfort level

• Spooning: this refers to the way spoons fit in the silverware drawer. Lie on the side, with your partner behind you during intercourse. It helps decrease the pressure on the belly.

Tags: intimacy during pregnancy, pregnancy and sexual, pregnant and iud, teenage pregnancy, young pregnancy

Your doctor has just confirmed that you are pregnant and that you need to take special care of yourself and the growing baby. This probably is the best experience in your life. But being pregnant means now you have to go for regular medical check-ups and get those routine tests done.

The prenatal tests are an important part of your prenatal care. Your doctor will advise you regarding all the medical examinations that you need to go through to monitor your and the baby’s health.

The first and foremost test that is carried out is the blood test. Your blood will be tested to check for the following:

• Whether you are anemic or not

Tags: prenatal exam, prenatal exam schedule, prenatal tests, routine prenatal visits, trimester test

If you talk to your health care analyst you will come to know that is good to gain weight during the course of your pregnancy. In fact, you are not required to worry if you are slightly exceeding or under the weight that is prescribed to you by your doctor or health care provider. All you need to do is locate a nutrition expert in your locality or neighborhood as you need a person who will help you to successfully manage your weight by aptly combining it with the right kind of diet to follow. What you must need to know about weight gain during the term of your pregnancy is given as follows:

Tags: early pregnancy symptoms, ideal weight gain during pregnancy, pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy weight gain, stages of pregnancy