The days when you were expected to quit your job once you found yourself pregnant are long over. Pregnant women are still very much part of the office landscape right up until their eighth month! Excellent health care has partly allowed this to happen but unfortunately necessity also has many mothers working well into their eighth month as well. We can thank the economic recession for that.
The fact is that most women experiencing low risk pregnancies can safely continue to work outside of the home. There is no reason to retreat from work or society unless your doctor tells you that you have a high risk pregnancy condition and need to take some time to yourself.
However if you job is physically demanding and if it requires repeated lifting, climbing, bending, stair climbing or a lot of standing it may not be good f or you. Shift work that keeps you off your sleep schedule is also not recommended if you are having a child. You should also not have any job that exposes you to toxins, radiation or other polluting substances. If you have any of these conditions in your life you need to quit your job, switch your job or ask for a job modification that will last for all or part of your pregnancy!
If you do have to work while pregnant there are some things that you can do to keep you and your fetus healthy. You should get up and move around as often as you can. Make sure you do this at least once every couple of hours. This is because sitting down for more than three hours at a stretch can lead to fluid being retained in your feet and legs. Strain in your lower back can also cause reduced blood flow to your baby and problems with your shoulder and back.
You might also want o make sure that you are sitting in way that comfortable for you while you are working at your desk. Place a pillow behind the small of your back and be sure to prop your feet up on a pillow. You should also make sure that you take regular breaks from typing if you work at a computer all day. This is because pregnant women are at increased risk of developing problems like carpal tunnel and other repetitive stress disorders.
You should also start dressing for comfort and not for style the minute that you know you are pregnant. This is no time to wear tight bras, uncomfortable suits or high heel shoes. You need to focus on comfort which means dressing in loose comfortable layers that can easily be removed because pregnant individuals often feel like they are overheating. This does not mean that you have to look unfashionable. There are all kinds of very fashionable looking clothes out there that make you seem not pregnant at all including low waited jeans and empire waited dresses.

Sometimes a baby is still born. This is not a topic that is talked about too much because it is so tragic. Still if this has happened to you then you will definitely identify with this article. I also wrote this article to help you deal with a friend who may have had this unfortunate experience.
The first thing that happens after a stillbirth is a grieving period. For most women the weeks after it are a blur. Social workers often tell mothers of still born children not to expect much from thief because they don’t know what to say. Sometimes other mommies behave like the baby’s death is contagious. This is one of the worst things we can do but it is hardwired in our human nature to act like this.
Most women just cannot stop crying after a stillbirth. This is also natural. It is also the kind of anguish that parson cannot handle alone. It is very advisable to get psychological counselling.
Many mothers also blame themselves for the still birth. Many are not fair to themselves. Still births have many different causes. In about twenty percent of the births the cause is unknown.
The main cause is birth defects. About fifty to twenty percent o f stillborn babies have one or more birth defects. Almost all have chromosome abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome. The death of baby can also be lined to conditions in the mother such as kidney disease, diabetes or high blood pressure. Death of a child can also be caused by umbilical cord problems such as a knot or blood clot. Another cause is placental abruption in which the placenta partially or totally peels away from the uterine wall before the baby can be delivered. Bacterial or viral infections involving the fetes or placenta (including genital or urinary tract infections) are a factor in about tent twenty five percent of stillbirths.
If you don’t want to have a stillbirth you should also try to lose weight. Women who are obese are very much at an increased risk of having a stillborn baby.
It is rarely true that a mother can blame herself totally for a stillbirth unless she smoked, drank alcohol or used street drags during pregnancy. These are behaviours that can be changed by a mother to prevent a still born tragedy.
If you do lose a baby or know someone who does the worst thing you can do is pretend that it did not happen. It is very hurtful to the family when you do not acknowledge it. The baby is never far from our minds so don’t be afraid to bring it up out fear of upsetting others. Talking about the dead baby can cause tears but it’s good to get this grief out. A good friend is never scared of another friend’s tears – especially in this case.

So you have decided to have another baby. That’s great. Here are ten things you need to consider.
1. Get a Preconception Health Check Up. Ten years ago this was unheard of but nowadays it is usual to get check up to make sure you are healthy enough to have a baby. Not only you should have a check up but so should your guy.
2. Get a Pap Test. You are probably not thrilled about this but make sure you don’t have cancer before you get pregnant.
3. Talk About Threats. Your doctor should check for things like Chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea. This may seem unreasonable but it is good to check for these diseases as they can seriously impact the health of a pregnancy. Your doctor should also talk to you about any hazards that you might face while you are in your work place as they can have a negative impact on your pregnancy as well.
4. Get Your Shots. Nobody likes needles but it is crucial that you make sure you have your immunity to such things like chine pox and Rubella (also known as German measles.) Most women are immune to these diseases but you might be among the minor percentage in the population who are not.
5. Know Your Family Tree. Before you move into the action phase of baby making you might want to check to see if certain types of birth defects or fatal disease are genetic in origin and if it is possible that you and your partner may be carriers for certain types of diseases.
6. Make Over Your Lifestyle. If you want to have a child it means that certain things need told be addressed about your lifestyle. You need to be in shape physically before you can chase little kids around so make sure you strengthen your heart and lungs with exercise. You will also do better psychologically if you exercise when it comes to weathering the emotional highs and lows of pregnancy.
7. Lose weight. It is not good for you to carry a few extra pounds if you are planning to have a baby as those pounds will increase your risk of having pregnancy complications. It can also increase your risk of experiencing certain types of fertility problems. Make sure whatever diet you embark on is a healthy one.
8. Learn how to eat well. When you are pregnant the fetus needs all kinds of different nutrients in order to grow and develop. Doctors advise stockpiling these nutrients by eating as many as possible before pregnancy. A very important nutrient to make sure you are getting is folic acid which helps you prevent birth defects such as spine bifida and anecephaly.
9. Kick your bad habits. You do not have to turn into a total prude but it is a really good idea to get rid of your smoking habit and drink less alcohol.
10. Stop taking prescription medications. Prescription medications can affect fatal development so stop taking as many as possible. You should also stop taking birth control so you can have that baby in the first place!

In the winter we are all sealed up and it is hard to get fresh air. Indoor air pollution is considered by many experts to be one of the main threats to health in the twenty first century. People are getting ill in what are called “sick buildings”. To make matters even worse, statistics show that most North Americans spend 90% of their entire life indoors in buildings that may be off gassing chemicals and particulates.
Illnesses that are known to be caused by indoor air pollution are –
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Eye problems
• Throat irritations
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Memory Loss
• Irritability
• Lowered immunity
• Joint pain
• Cancer

It is not just the materials that are used to insulate homes that are the problem. Many downtown office buildings in urban cores are very old and have poorly maintained air conditioning systems. This creates environments where the humidity is too high or too low which can cause respiratory problems, the growing of bacteria such as Legionnaire’s disease and other problems. The growth of mold can also be the result of these kind indoor air quality imbalances.
Are your kids sick…maybe you are living in one of those houses built during the energy crisis. I know I am . The air just does not circulate in my home the way I would like.
Studies have showns that h ouseplants may be the natural solution to combating the problem of indoor air pollution. Studies have show that increasing ventilation, renovating with low emission buildings and furnishings and adding houseplants to the environment can help purify the air.
The studies were done by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (commonly known as NASA) over the past twenty years. They were done as part of a program to try and develop ecological life support facilities that could sustain themselves. A big experiment that was done at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, NASA scientist discovered that houseplants could purify and revitalize the air in sealed test chambers.
This is why I have made sure that I have plants in every single one of my rooms. It helps me feel better about what I might be breathing in and also what my children might be breathing in as well.