Am I supposed to schedule a checkup with my doctor before trying to conceive or visit when I’m already pregnant? Decades ago, you would not even be thinking of visiting your doctor (and you will be branded as insane or crazy) if you went to the doctor for a checkup before you were pregnant. However, today it’s becoming one of the norms that most new and old mothers do. The reason is that the most critical period in the development of your baby occurs before you even know you’re pregnant. If your body is unhealthy and unstable at the moment then maybe it’s not a good time for the baby to live inside of you.

Here’s a list of things that you may need to know from your doctor for your pre-pregnancy check up list.

Are your immunizations up to date? Have you taken all the necessary shots to insure that you’re immune to chicken pox?

- Do you have any pre-existing healthy conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure? They have an impact on your pregnancy so ask about things that you can do to address them.

- Ask about your gynecological history. Your history may put you at risk for experiencing fertility or pregnancy complications.

- Ask about the drugs that you’re currently using. Chances are a bulk of them you will not be able to use any more while you’re pregnant. Some drugs even have to be stopped for a while and substituted for optimal ones to ensure fertility and a better living environment for your child.

These are just some of the things you should know before trying to conceive or trying to have a baby. Try to know as much as you can before trying to conceive a baby to increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy boy or girl. I discuss much more on this subject in my book you can find by going to: Pregnancy Week-By-Week

No matter which brand you buy, the tests can shake your nerves up like a leaf. Well to settle your soul a little bit it’s good to find out a little something about those little devices, what can affect the results, and when you should visit the doctor.

How do the Tests Detect Pregnancy?

Your body will begin to produce human chorionic gonadotropin (HGC) when the fertilized egg attaches to your walls of your uterus. The tests, which are available anywhere and at most times over-the-counter, are able to detect this particular hormone in urinary tests. In the doctor’s office you can have your blood tested to do more advanced work on detecting HGC.

What are the Different Types of Pregnancy Tests?

There are also several types of pregnancy tests but all work in a likely fashion and all of course end up telling you whether you’re pregnant or not. Usually, you will have to place the end of a dipstick in urine or immerse the whole thing in a container of adequate urine sample for around 10 seconds. After a minute or two, you will see a minus or plus sign, color change or the word “pregnant” or “not pregnant” on a window on the dipstick, or a line. That’s state of the art technology right there!

For some tests though, you will have to mix a relatively adequate (usually just small) amount of urine with a special liquid or powder test. The test indicates positive pregnancy when the color of the urine changes.

Reading instructions on the packaging or in manuals will be a great help, as misguided actions more often than not tip the results to the other side of the spectrum. The contact information on the packaging was put there so you can give them a call in case you were confused as to what to do.

Has your husband noticed this as well? Have the two of you talked about it and shared your feelings? If not, you should because not every man likes to strangers touching their wife’s belly. It’s one thing if it is another woman, but it may be a bit much if it’s another man.

For kids, well, that’s a whole different story. They tend to get pretty excited and sometimes they may even get too excited and start hitting your stomach to see the baby move.

That brings up an important point. Rubbing your belly is fine, but poking it is not. Poking just flat out hurts.

As you move along in your pregnancy you will have to deal with these situations. Your belly is your own personal space and if you don’t want other hands on it, you should not feel bad in letting others know it. Some women don’t mind and they love the extra attention, while other women don’t want anyone’s hands on them.

Although most people are respectful and will ask if it’s ok, there are always those who will not. And it’s these folks who can drive you nuts! It’s just another part of being pregnant that we all have to go through.

1. Write it down

Have a big calendar that you can use to write down everything you need to do for the holidays. For example, write down the day you want to send out Christmas cads, attend your spouse’s party, etc. It eliminates forgetting important events and makes things easier.

2. Pick out a few activities

Undoubtedly, you’ll be invited to all sorts of parties and events during the holiday season. Being pregnant makes it impossible to attend every get together. So, pick and choose only a few events. Don’t feel guilty that you can’t go to every function. People understand you’re pregnant.

3. Decide where you want to spend Christmas

Don’t feel bad that you want to spend Christmas at home this year instead of going across the country to relatives homes. Again, they will understand that you want to get some rest during pregnancy. You may want to invite them to your home this year instead.

4. Get some help

Don’t try to do everything yourself. For example, if you are preparing a holiday meal, you don’t need to be the one who cooks the turkey or ham, bake the potatoes, fix vegetables, cakes, pies and cleans the house, set up the Christmas tree, etc. Appoint others in your house to help with specific tasks.

5. Shopping

Pregnancy and shopping may be the toughest of all. It can literally be a nightmare if you let it. If you must go to the mall, try to do it at off times during the week when it is less crowded. Better still; shop online where you can purchase gifts for everyone from the comfort of your own home.

Make this a wonderful holiday season during your pregnancy by not getting stressed out. Relax and enjoy yourself, you deserve it this year.

Origin

One thing a lot of parents do in choosing a name is to base it on a particular origin. For instance, if your grandmother was Irish you may want to choose an Irish sounding name. Although you certainly don’t have to do this, it’s just something to consider.

Meaning

Learning what the meaning is behind any name is also something to keep in mind. Different names have different meanings. You may want to check this out first before making any decision and be sure it has a positive meaning.

Name Sound

Is the name easy to sound out or is it difficult? If it is hard for you or others to sound out, imagine just how tough it will be on your child. It will also be difficult to spell. A name that is 12 letters long will not be easy for your son or daughter to spell in kindergarten.

Nickname

Keep in mind any possible nicknames that may go along with the name you are considering. Your child will inevitably be called by a nickname throughout their childhood, so try for a name that doesn’t have any negative nicknames with it. Also, keep the initials for any name in mind.

Gender

Finally, if you have a boy, does the name you are choosing fit a boy’s name? And the same for a girl. Some names can go either way like Sam, Stacy, Terry, etc. Is this a name that your child will be happy with as they grow older?

As you can see, choosing a baby name is pretty important and requires some thought behind it. But it is also a lot of fun as parents to come up with that perfect name.

As a bonus with our? Pregnancy Week By Week e-Book you? will get a? guide? containing thousands of baby names to? help you find the perfect name for your new baby. From the most popular names to the most obscure, you’re sure to find what you are looking for.

1. Missed Period - This is usually one of the biggest signs you are pregnant, but NOT always. You could be under stress or have something else major going on in your life that causes a missed period.

2. Dizzy Spells - Being dizzy at times is a common early pregnancy sign because your growing fetus is taking in your blood sugar as its food source. And low blood sugar can easily cause dizziness.

3. Tender/Sore Breasts - this is a classic early sign that you are now pregnant. About one to two weeks after conception you may begin to experience darker colored nipples and breast tenderness.

4. Cramps/Spotting - Another early sign of pregnancy is cramping or spotting. Cramps will feel similar to those you get around the time of your period. Spotting may start to appear within 2 weeks of conception.

5. Feeling Nauseous - Nausea is quite common in pregnancy. Although morning sickness generally doesn’t begin with the 5th or 6th week of pregnancy, it happens much sooner for some women.

6. Frequent Urination - You may notice that you have to urinate much more often than you normally do. This can happen within one or two weeks of conception.

7. Tired All The Time - This early sign of pregnancy is one that can last up until deliver. You feel drained and exhausted most of the time.

8. Moodiness - You may feel happy one minute and the next minute you just feel like crying. It’s a very common early pregnancy sign.

Although there are many other signs that let you know you are pregnant, these are the most common. You can find out much more about early pregnancy and? what to expect each week of your pregnancy? by going? to: Pregnancy Week By Week?

What makes pregnancy yoga so popular?

One of the biggest reasons for yoga being popular is due to how it affects your abdomen. It strengthens your abdominal muscles and yoga helps to reduce the risk of stress on the fetus by giving you a gentle workout. In many cases it can also help reduce the stress of delivery by having stronger abdominal muscles.

Finding a yoga class for pregnant women is not difficult. In many cases you can find these classes through local hospitals or clinics. Your doctor may even have a list of various classes available. In other cases you can even find a personal yoga trainer, but the cost could get expensive.

Another positive benefit of pregnancy yoga is in controlling your weight. Exercise is a great way to help maintain and manage your weight gain during pregnancy. It can become easy to sit around the house or office all day. By getting some exercise you will not only control your weight, but you’ll also feel better mentally.

If you haven’t thought about taking yoga during your pregnancy I would encourage you to at least check it out. You may just find that it is a good fit for your situation.