How the human body can put on so much weight in 9 months is beyond me but this is crazy…. OK so i try look at things rationally, my mobility has been down for ages because i just can’t walk too far because back ache etc, and i haven’t exactly been watching what i have been eating, but it’s not like i’ve had curry and chips every night for tea.

My midwife tried to make me feel better by saying the baby could weigh 8lb of this weight gain and the placenta and fluid etc weighs alot…ok but not like 3 stone!!

Did any of you guys put lots of weight on during pregnancy and how did you do getting it off?

I must admit my daughters birth (now 5 years ago) was more than an ordeal than i had thought and there is no way i would want to repeat that (24 hours of full on labour after being induced & then emergency section was not fun!) so i was trying to take an educated look at the situation.

I spoke things through with my midwife (although i did get the impression that they don;t really have the time to go through things in great detail) she said as i thought trying to have it via the usually route was the best option and that i would be well looked after to make sure my c – section scar did not rupture….ewwww   that thought is not a nice one! Scenes of the Film Alien spring to mind!

Also i my midwife told me that i wouldn’t have to go through such a long labour as my uterus couldn;t take being labour so long and that they would have made a decision to do a section well before what they did with my first birth.

So all in all i think i am going to go for a wait and see if it comes naturally & if it;s late then i have to have a c-section.

Just wondered if any of you guys had been in the same situation as me? Any advice, to hear what your experience was would be cool.

I Still Hate Pickles     is a blog about a ladies trip through pregnancy and the emotions and sorta everyday life being faced by women with a child and going through another pregnancy. I just like the frankness of it and it;s refreshing to read, it doesn’t sugar coat things or makes things  worse than what they really are / were.

I thought the recent post about remembering the previous labour of her first child was really cool, very similar (in the description of the pain etc) to my own labour, although i was induced and ended up with an emergency c-section. Here’s the article

What were you experience like during labour? And if you are having a 2nd , 3rd , 4th pregnancy do the other previous labours put you off?

I’ve heard stories of mothers in law of phoning the hospital for updates and basically camping outside the delivery suite waiting to swoop in and be the first to see their new grandchild, whilst some people have said they have been a little offended by people not coming to visit! So i suppose each of us is very different in what we find acceptable. Personally i’m more of a give me my own space kinda person, if labour is anything like my first child then at least give me a day to get over it! I can’t say i was too organised in my apparel after having my daughter and hadn’t got the hang of breasfeeding at all so the thought of flashing my post baby body at people didn’t fill me with enthusiasm !! I mean it’s a major life change let me have some time for it to sink in.

Also it’s the please don;t wake the baby, especially first time around i didn’t have a clue about how to deal with a screaming baby so when she did get to sleep it counted my blessings until there was a knock at the door and they person wanted to pick them up…arrhhh

BLimey sounds all very horrible, and i didn;t mean to be at all . I found a great blog which brings this subject up, have a read and see what you think

Well they say you learn something new everyday and yesterday i learnt that the hormones your body produces during pregnancy can give you piles; now i always knew pregnancy & piles were associated but i thought it was purely from where you push during labour. Well nope, are we lucky ladies to know that we can get piles DURING our pregnancy, not only during giving birth!!

The hormones that flood our body during our pregnancy apparently can cause the veins to expand and swell around our bottoms!! How attractive!! 

My friend is 8 weeks pregnant at the moment and suffering from this problem, and as funny as it sounds it can really get you down. Not only are they painful but itchy, and mega uncomfortable when you want to go to the toilet.

It is suggested that using a cool pack on the affected area (not directly on the skin but wrapped in say a tea towel) can really help, someone suggested the little plastic ice cube things you can buy, you know the ones that are pre filled with water and you can re use them, they are good for placing on your bottom.

Using creams to help ease the pain can help too but because you are pregnant i think there are only certain ones that are available, always check with your pharmacist which ones are suitable.

We got this article from them on pelvic pain in pregnancy.    

What is the common condition that makes standing on one leg or climbing stairs unbearable for some pregnant women? Christine Hill examines SPDWhat is Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction? 
The symphysis pubis is the name given to where two bones meet at the front of the pelvis. The pelvic bone is roughly in the shape of a heart, and is actually formed by three bones, which are held together by very strong ligaments.

The bones meet to form three ‘fixed’ joints – at the front (the symphysis pubis) and at each side of the bottom of the spine (the sacro-iliac joints).

Normally, these joints are not designed to allow movement. However, when a woman becomes pregnant, a hormone called relaxin is produced which loosens all the pelvic ligaments in order to allow the pelvis slight movement at the time of birth.

For some reason, the ligaments occasionally loosen too much and too early before birth. This means they can’t keep the pelvic joints stable so the pelvis moves, especially on weight bearing. All this is made worse by the increased weight of the growing baby and sometimes the symphysis pubis joint actually separates slightly. The result is mild to severe pain, usually in the pubic area, and is called SPD.

What are the symptoms? 
The most common is pain and difficulty when walking. Some women describe the feeling of their pelvis coming apart. The pain is made worse when turning in bed or doing something that involves standing on one leg, such as climbing up stairs, getting dressed and getting in and out of a car.

The pain is generally felt in the pubis and/or the sacro-iliac joints, but can also be experienced in the groin, the inner side of the thighs, the hips and in one or both buttocks

When is it most likely to start? 
At any time from the first trimester onwards. Some women can be fine during their pregnancy, but get the condition a few days after their baby has been born.SPD sometimes occurs following a period of immobility, an unusually busy overactive period or a particular activity such as swimming breaststroke or lifting something incorrectly.Is there any treatment? 
Unfortunately there is no way of tightening the ligaments again during pregnancy, so no treatment will be able to cure SPD. This includes any sort of osteopathy, reflexology or acupuncture. However, after the birth the body stops producing the hormone, so the ligaments tighten up and (for the majority of women) the symptoms gradually disappear.

So what can be done? 
The most important thing is to avoid doing anything that aggravates the condition, such as standing on one leg.

• Sit on a chair to get dressed.
• Be very careful to get into a car by putting your bottom on the seat first, and then lifting your legs into the car.
• When you get out, lift your legs onto the pavement and then lift your bottom off the seat.
• If you go swimming, don’t swim breaststroke.
• Always turn over in bed with your knees firmly together.
• Make sure you get a rest (in bed) every day.
• If you already have a child, you will need help, as you will find it difficult to lift him or her.
• If the pain is severe, ask your GP for a referral to a physiotherapist, ideally one who has specialist training in obstetrics and is called a Physiotherapist in Woman?s Health. She or he will be able to assess you and may fit you with a pelvic support belt, which helps to stabilise the pelvis. Your GP will also be able to prescribe painkillers that are safe to take in pregnancy.

During labour and delivery
It’s not really possible to decide in advance what position you will deliver in, because it all depends on how your labour goes and what you find comfortable at the time, but it is useful to have a few ideas. The most important thing is that the doctor or midwife who is delivering you knows you have SPD.You will need to keep separation of your legs to a minimum – which is the tricky bit during delivery. If everything goes smoothly and you don’t need an epidural, you might find it comfortable to deliver on all fours, kneel up against the back of the bed or lie on your side with your upper leg supported.

If you push in a sitting position during the second stage, do NOT let your feet be placed on your attendants’ hips.

If you need an epidural, remember it will mask the warning pain of SPD as well as the contractions and the above is even more important.

If by any chance you need an assisted delivery, which requires you to have your legs in stirrups (lithotomy position), it is vital that your partner reminds your midwives that you have SPD. They will be very careful to lift your legs up together symmetrically. The same applies if you need stitches after your baby has been born.

Most women recover spontaneously soon after birth, but you will need to rest (as much as possible) and avoid doing anything that provokes the pain

 www.mamafeelsgood.com maternity & breastfeeding tees

 Found this great information at Babycentre about headaches during pregnancy, hope it helps

Ever since I became pregnant, I’ve had terrible headaches. Why?

It’s not unusual to get headaches when you’re pregnant, especially in the first trimester. And if you’ve always been susceptible to them, pregnancy can make the problem worse.

Experts don’t know exactly why carrying a child makes your head ache, but good guesses include the hormonal free-for-all your body is undergoing and changes in the way your blood circulates.

Giving up caffeine can also make your head pound. Other potential culprits include fatigue, stress and hunger or more rarely sinus congestion.

Migraine headaches (a type of headache thought to involve abnormal function of the brain’s blood vessels) are a different story. Women prone to migraines frequently have less trouble with them during pregnancy, particularly if they have been connected to their menstrual cycle.

Unfortunately, they usually return to their pre-pregnancy pattern once your baby is born.

Can I do anything to prevent them?

You could try to identify whether something in your lifestyle is triggering your headaches or migraines. Unfortunately some triggers are unavoidable and the fact that you’re pregnant may be contributing to changes in your lifestyle that could also be to blame.

The British Association for the Study of Headache has identified the following common triggers:

• Anxiety and emotion. Stress can set off a headache because of muscle tension but it can also lead you to make minor changes in your lifestyle that trigger headaches too. In some people, the headaches start when they relax giving rise to “weekend migraines”.

• Change in habits. These include eating at different times, or altered sleep patterns, such as missing sleep or having a lie-in.

• Certain foods. It’s unusual for a food to set a headache off, but if your headaches always start within six hours of eating a particular food, you could try excluding it and then reintroducing it to your diet to see if it is the culprit.

• Bright lights and noise can both be a cause of stress.

• Strenuous exercise, particularly if you’re not used to it. It’s not a good idea to start a rigorous exercise regime for the first time in pregnancy. Regular, less strenuous exercise, however, could help with your headaches.

Try keeping a headache diary over the course of at least five headaches, to see if there are triggers in your lifestyle, apart from pregnancy, that you could do something about.

Is there anything I can do to relieve the pain?

Most headache medications, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, are not recommended for pregnant women but may be prescribed by your doctor for migraine.Taste Treatment Center in Chicago found that the smell of certain foods, such as green apples, could keep migraine headaches at bay for some, but you have to like the scent for the pain-relieving magic to work. Well … it’s worth a try!

Paracetamol, however, is considered safe if taken in moderation. But before you pop a few pills, try one of these safer alternatives:

• Relaxation and stress reduction
Rest, relaxation and finding coping strategies to help you deal with stress can all help. Resting or sleep is often recommended alongside pain relieving treatments so why not try it on its own. Another option is to find a relaxation technique to suit you, such as yoga or meditation.

• See a physiotherapist
If your headaches are related to muscle tension or posture changes, treatment from a trained physiotherapist is the best option. A physio session may include massage, manipulation, mobilisation and exercises that you can continue for yourself at home.

• Eat little and often
Low blood sugar is a common headache culprit so regular meals are recommended; try eating smaller, more frequent meals. If you’re on the go, keep some snacks (crackers, fruit, plain biscuits) in your bag.

• Exercise regularly
Some evidence shows that regular exercise and improved fitness can reduce the frequency and severity of tension type headaches and migraines. It works on headaches because exercise helps to balance your blood sugar, improves breathing and breathlessness, triggers your body to release feel-good endorphins and leaves you with a sense of well-being.

• Try acupuncture
Needle acupuncture treatment is considered safe and may be effective for headaches (and morning sickness), although more research is needed to be sure. Contact the British Acupuncture Council at www.acupuncture.org.uk or ask your midwife for the name of a registered practitioner near you.

Other self-help techniques you could try include:

• An old-fashioned compress
Apply a warm compress (a flannel soaked in warm water, squeezed and placed over the affected area) around your eyes and nose for sinus headaches and a cool compress at the base of your neck for tension headaches.

• Take a cold shower
A simple but effective remedy for some migraines, it works by constricting the dilated blood vessels, often bringing fast, if brief, relief. If you can’t take a shower, splash some cool water on your face.

• Sniff green apples
Scientists at the Smell and

Is it safe to continue taking my migraine medication during pregnancy?

It depends on which drug you’re taking. Some migraine pain relievers are safe to take but medicines to prevent migraines, and triptans, which are used to stop a developing migraine in its tracks, are not.

Talk to your doctor about whether your regular medication is safe during pregnancy.

Can a headache be a sign of something more serious?

On rare occasions, yes. For example, if you also have blurred vision, a pain high up in your abdomen, vomiting, or sudden swelling of your face, hands or feet, your headaches could mean that you have pre-eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia is a serious form of pregnancy high blood pressure and, if you have these symptoms, you need to contact a midwife or doctor immediately.

But for the vast majority of women, headaches are a temporary though unpleasant side effect of pregnancy.

Will I have to suffer throughout my entire pregnancy?

Probably not. For most women, pregnancy headaches tend to diminish and even disappear by the second trimester. Experts believe this is when the flood of hormones stabilises, and the body grows accustomed to its altered chemistry

We quote from their website www.nameshake.info:

“NameShake is a unique, stand-alone iPhone application for searching, discovering and selecting your new baby’s name.”

It has over 19,000 names on it and you can refine your search under gender , origin of name, alphabetical.

Heathcare:

If you are pregnant, or you have had a baby in the last 12 months, you are entitled to free NHS prescriptions. You are also entitled to free NHS dental treatment providing that you start a course of treatment while pregnant, or during the 12 months after giving birth.

To claim your free prescriptions and dental treatment you will need a valid maternity exemption certificate, or card, issued by the Prescription Pricing Authority. To apply for your maternity exemption card, ask your doctor, midwife, or health visitor for Form FW8. Your doctor, midwife, or health visitor will sign the form to confirm your statement.

check out this government website to see alot of other things you should know http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/953.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=128