Posts

Showing posts from March, 2014

Pregnancy Symptoms: "Yeast Infection"

Image
A vaginal yeast infection is an irritation of the vagina and the area around it called the vulva. It's normal to experience a significant increase in vaginal discharge during pregnancy. In fact, an increase in a thin, milky, mild-smelling discharge is so common it has a name: leukorrhea or even the overgrowth of a normal vaginal fungus called Candida albicans. Yeast infections are a common complaint among pregnant women. The pH level in the body is very delicate, and during pregnancy, the yeast and acidic levels can easily become imbalanced leading to an overgrowth of yeast. This imbalance is usually the result of the increase in hormone levels and changes in diet that occur during pregnancy. Common signs you're having a yeast infection Symptoms may include: Itchiness, irritation, soreness, burning, and redness in your vagina and labia (and sometimes swelling) An odorless vaginal discharge that's often white, creamy, or cottage-cheesy Discomfort or ...

Pregnancy Symptoms: "Constipation"

Image
The inability to pass stools becomes more prevalent as your baby grows. This is because of the extra weight being placed on your intestines. Many practitioners recommend prenatal vitamins with added fiber to help things move along but does that only solve the problem? Actually, like most pregnancy symptoms, it does serve a purpose (besides making you uncomfortable). Here's how: During pregnancy, the hormone progesterone causes the smooth muscles of the large bowel to relax, making them sluggish and allowing food to hang around longer in the digestive tract.  The upside: There's added time for nutrients to be absorbed into your bloodstream, allowing more of them to reach your baby. The downside: what amounts to a traffic jam for waste products, with nothing going anywhere anytime soon. How to avoid constipation during pregnancy?  What I did was: Drink 250 ml to 500 ml (warm or cold as you desire) as soon as I wake up before anything else Depending o...

Pregnancy Symptoms: "Heartburn"

Image
Many women get heartburn during pregnancy. Heartburn is a burning feeling in your stomach, sometimes rising up to your throat.  It occurs when the valve between the stomach and the food pipe (esophagus) are unable to prevent the stomach acids from passing back into the esophagus. Pregnancy can increase the frequency of heartburn because the hormone progesterone causes the valve to relax. This allows the stomach acid to pass into the esophagus and irritate the lining. How pregnant women feel about it?  "Pregnancy heartburn is seriously the worst and the STRUGGLE IS TOO REAL",  or "I've eaten too much again for lunch.... I have heartburn ... help! Worst thing about pregnancy has to be the heartburn!" and again "After this pregnancy, I hope I never, ever get heartburn again. EVER!" Even for women who have never experienced it before in their first pregnancy, heartburn may occur for the first time in their next ones while they are pregna...