Blog Page: Page 5

Constipation Constipation during pregnancy is very common. Progesterone can relax the muscles in your body and thus affect the efficiency of your bowels.  As the smooth muscles in the bowel relax and are no longer contracting as much, gut motility is reduced, meaning transit times of food in your stomach are increased.  As a consequence, you will not be opening your bowels as often and stools may become harder.  You may also find you become constipated when breastfeeding, this could be due to being slightly dehydrated as water is taken from your body to manufacture breast milk for the baby. […]

If you can, it is advisable to avoid medication in your first trimester unless the drugs are prescribed by doctor.  Do not worry about ones you took before you knew you were pregnant as the likelihood of any bad side effects is minimal.   It is safe to take Paracetamol during your pregnancy, but make sure you do not take more than the stated dose on the packet. It is important to stay away from Ibuprufen after 30 weeks of pregnancy. However it is now thought to be safe to take in the early stages of pregnancy Anti-biotics can be […]

By 25 weeks your baby will be starting to put on some fat and will be becoming less wrinkled. By 26 weeks your baby will be blinking and may be able to detect light through your tummy!  He or she may move in response to a bright light such as a torch or the sun shinning on your tummy. By 27 weeks she may recognise your voice or your partner’s, and wriggle to indicate this. By 28 weeks your baby will be about 35 cm long and may start to experience hiccups.  You will feel these in the form of […]

The length of your pregnancy is measured from the first day of your last menstrual period, not from the day of ovulation or conception as many people might think.  Therefore, it can be confusing to find out you are pregnant, perhaps 14 days after ovulation, and then to discover you are already 4 weeks pregnant.  On a positive note, this means you will only have 8 months left of your pregnancy, and things are already further along than you thought! If your cycle is longer than 28 days then you will not be as advanced as you thought as, for […]