Pregnancy Symptoms

Having a child is the greatest gift in the world. The joy of holding your new born baby in your arms for the first time is something that can never be taken away from any mother. However, there is a price that all females must pay in order to hold their beautiful baby boy or girl in their arms and that price is nine months of symptoms.

Not every pregnancy is the same, some females may have very little symptoms while others may have a lot. Here are a few tips to help deal with some of those symptoms, from one pregnant mom to another.

1) Leg Cramps and restless legs: Leg cramps are the worse, especially at night. Walking around before bed and stretching are both good ways to relieve those night time cramps and if you are lucky, maybe you could even get the father-to-be to give your legs a nice massage. However, non of these have worked for me.

I have found that having a fan blowing on my feet, or placing a cold wet cloth directly on them, has aided me tremendously in relieve the aches and pains of my leg cramps as well as my restless legs.

2) Heartburn and Indigestion: I would take the leg cramps over the heartburn but there is a cure. Zantac and Tums are safe to use, however, you should always consult with your doctor before taking any type of medicine. The safest thing I have found is drinking a great big glass of milk right before bed.

3) Nausea and vomiting when lying on right side: Unfortunately this one you just have to suck up. As your due date gets closer, your little one is getting bigger. By lying on your right side, your little boy or girl is sitting right on your stomach and causing that nasty nausea feeling you get when you lie on your right side. Try sleeping on your left side or your back.

4) Back pain: Walk, walk, walk. Walking has really helped in taking pressure off my back. Lying down, or even sitting down, causes more back pain. So, if you find your back is beginning to hurt you take a light stroll around the house or even a nice warm back.

5) Headaches: The joys of hormones. As your body changes, your hormones increase. Tylenol is one of the safest medicines to take but before doing so talk to your doctor. Another good method is to go in a dark room with a cold compress and lie down for fifteen minutes.

6) Contractions: There is no way to stop them from happening but you can help to relieve those Braxton Hicks contractions. Start by changing your position - if you are lying down than you should get up and vise versa. The closer you get to your due date the worse they will become and will make it harder to distinguished from fake contractions to real contractions.

7) Increase discharge: Completely normal, unless it is red. Wear a thin panty liner to help keep those panties dry.

8) Doctor: Being a first time mom, or even a professional mom, sometimes you just need that added reassurance that everything is okay. When in doubt, call your doctor - that is what you are paying him for after all.

I am 36 weeks into my third pregnancy and each one has been different. As many moms will tell you - don't always listen expect to share the same results. Some woman will be sick throughout their pregnancy and others will be running a marathon. Some females may have a hard delivery, while others will not. The most important thing to remember is everything you are going through, whether good or bad, is preparing you and your baby for that big day.