Pregnancy Plan for Vegetarian

If you’re a vegetarian, you can continue to follow your diet during pregnancy and have a healthy baby. But you’ll need to plan and review your food intake. To get the nutrition you need, eat a wide variety of foods and balance your intake each day.

If you normally include fish, milk and eggs in your diet, you’ll have an easier time getting the iron, calcium and protein you need. If you don’t eat any animal products at all, that is, you’re a vegan, you’ll need to carefully plan your daily food intake. Vegans often have difficulty getting enough zinc, vitamin B-12, iron, calcium and folic acid. To avoid this problem, try the following:

• Eat at least four servings of calcium-rich foods each day. Nondairy sources include broccoli, kale, dried beans, and calcium-fortified juices, cereals and soy products.
  
• Add more energy-rich foods to your diet. This is particularly important if you’re having trouble gaining enough weight. Good sources include nuts, nut butters, seeds and dried fruit.
  
• Seek advice on supplements. Many vegans need a vitamin B-12 supplement. A prenatal vitamin that supplements other nutritional needs also may be necessary. To be sure what’s right for you, consult with your health care provider and, if recommended, a registered dietitian.
  

Read more...

AIDS and Pregnancy

AIDS is a major international public-health problem. AIDS is among the five leading causes of death in women of childbearing age in the United States and in children up to age five.

Testing of all pregnant women for infection with HIV, which causes AIDS, is now recommended because of the growing effectiveness of drag treatment in prolonging the life and well-being of the woman and because drug treatment of the pregnant woman along with cesarean delivery has been shown to reduce the chances that the woman will pass the virus to the baby.

Women in certain stages of HIV infection can responsibly face the question of whether to embark on a pregnancy. They can also responsibly avoid infecting their male partners. Additionally, women with male partners wdio are HIV
positive can avoid becoming infected through washing of sperm to rid it of the virus. I recommend that any woman who is HIV positive consult with an expert in HIV infection.

Read more...

Nausea Treatment in Pregnancy

Try these tricks that have helped many women who have suffered nausea in pregnancy:

• To prevent the queasiness that comes from an empty stomach during the night, eat something (such as a sandwich) before going to bed.
  
• Graze on bland snacks all day. Try crackers, rice cakes, dry cereal, and pretzels.
  
• Don't let yourself get dehydrated. Take in lots of liquids. In addition to water and juices, don't forget things like ice pops, sorbet, gelatin desserts, bouillon, and frozen grapes.
  
• Before getting out of bed, prop yourself up a bit and eat a cracker or some raisins. Don't drink anything. Then wait 15 minutes or so before standing up. This bit of digested food may keep your stomach calm.
  
• Some women calm nausea by smelling or sucking on a fresh cut lemon.
  
• Eat complex carbohydrates because they're easy to digest. These include fresh fruits and whole grains, such as wheat bread and pastas.
  
• If your symptoms are worse at a particular time of day, head them off by eating a small meal at least 30 minutes before they kick in.
  
• Try one of those pressure-point wristbands developed to ease the symptoms of motion sickness and seasickness.
  
• Apply acupressure to the Neiguan point. With the thumb of one hand press on the other lower arm (with palm up) three inches below the wrist. Do this four times a day for 5 to 10 minutes each time.
  
• Many women find relief through acupuncture.
  

Read more...