Pregnancy Week By Week (Week 24)

Some Basic Pointers (Week 24)

Depression during Pregnancy

There haven't been many write-ups on depression during pregnancy versus postpartum depression. But the fact remains that 25% of all pregnant women go through depression and nearly 10% experience major depression. Your body goes through many changes; some of the depression symptoms are hard to tell from pregnancy symptoms. Many pregnancy symptoms like fatigue and sleeplessness are similar to depression symptoms. The difference lies in the length and intensity of these symptoms.

Other depression symptoms include:

• Overwhelming unhappiness that goes on for days with no apparent reason

• Difficulty sleeping and waking early

• Feeling listless all the time

• Loss of appetite

• Lack of concentration

• Thoughts of inflicting harm on self

If these symptoms persist and you don't seem to feel better for days at end, seek advice from your doctor. There are medications that can help and are safe to use during pregnancy. Counseling may also be necessary. Whatever it is, don't ignore this thinking it will go away by itself. Other ways of going around this problem include exercise, vitamin B, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids intake and some massage therapy. Another option is light therapy. A depressed person exposed to bright white fluorescent light for an hour a day for about a week have shown signs of improvement. Bright lights have a positive effect on moods, triggering the release of certain hormones to help deal with depression. If you believe you are depressed bring this up at your prenatal visit and let your doctor help you. It is important to help yourself and in turn your baby.


Sex and Pregnancy

Generally women experience either of the two sex drive patterns during pregnancy. One is a lessening of desire in the 1st and final trimester with an increase in the middle trimester. The other is a gradual disinterest in sexual relations as pregnancy advances. Fatigue and nausea in the first trimester and third trimester discomforts such as abdomen size, weight gain and tenderness puts you off sex. Discuss these with your partner instead of keeping your feelings to yourself and causing distance in the relationship. For some it is the contrary. Sex has never been better; some enjoy orgasms, even multiple orgasms for the first time ever. This is due to increased blood flow to the pelvis and hormonal changes. Avoid lying on your back after 16 weeks until the baby is born because weight of uterus will restrict circulation thereby endangering your baby. try different positions like lying on your sides or the woman on top position. in some situations total abstinence is the best. Avoid intercourse if you have a history of early labor and miscarriage. Other situations where sex isn't such a good idea are placenta previa, low lying placenta, vaginal bleeding, an incompetent cervix, pain with intercourse, vaginal discharge or you believe labor has begun. a definite NO-NO is blowing air into the vagina, inserting any foreign object into the vagina that could cause you injury or infection. Read Full Article


Incompetent cervix

This refers to painless premature dilatation of the cervix with the mother giving birth prematurely. Dilatation or stretching of the cervix goes unnoticed and happens without warning. Diagnosis is only possible after 1 or 2 pregnancies and not before. So if this is your first pregnancy, there is no way of telling you have this problem. The cause is unknown but some link has been made to D&C done for abortion or miscarriage, causing injury and surgery to the cervix. A pregnancy that is lost due to this problem is different from miscarriage. While miscarriage in the first trimester is common, incompetent cervix is rare. Treatment is usually surgery where the weak cervix is reinforced with a suture. If you have had incidence(s) of premature deliveries in the past, highlight this to your doctor.
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Noise and your Baby

Studies show that sounds can penetrate the amniotic sac and reach your fetus developing ears. Chronic loud noise and short intense bursts of sound may cause hearing damage to the fetus before and after birth. Every once in a while it is ok for your baby to hear loud noises coming from a concert for example but repeated exposure that is deafening may pose a danger to your baby's hearing.

Your Nutrition (Week 24)

Eating out is an issue with some pregnant ladies. There is some reservation towards exotic foods such as Mexican, Thai, Greek or Vietnamese. It is OK to eat out but you may be averse to certain foods. For now stick to foods or eateries that are familiar; chicken, salads, fish, fruits and vegetables are good choices. Avoid spicy fare. Eating out may also cause water retention problem in some of you. Besides spicy foods, avoid foods laden with salt, calories and fat such as gravies, fried foods, junk foods and rich desserts. Besides the calories such foods won't settle too well on you. It is also very challenging to eat right when you eat out every day; working women are only too familiar with this problem. Bring home packed meals whenever you can. If you have to eat out like at lunch meetings, be selective in your food choice. Look for healthy low-cal foods. For example request for steamed food instead of fried. Top up your meals with a fruits or vegetable or fruit juice.

Weighty Issues   Why Stretch Marks   Feeling good and looking great during Pregnancy   Sex and the Expectant Father   Intrauterine Fibroids

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