A new Australian study has found that children of women who took 4g fish oil supplements every day from the 20th week of pregnancy scored considerably higher in hand-to-eye coordination skills, as well as comprehension and vocabulary. So if you want to the mum of the next David Beckham, Beth Tweddle, Roger Federer, Kelly Holmes, Jonny Wilkinson or Zara Phillips – start taking the tablets!
(source: mother and baby magazine)
* Acknowledge it, both to your health visitor and GP as well as your partner, family or friends.
* Seek help. Get support both emotionally and practically. Letting others help doesn’t mean you’ve failed as a mum.
* Don’t compare yourself to others. Nearly everyone has problems, although from the outside it may seem that things are perfect.
* Try to get some sleep. Let someone else do some night feeds if possible. If you’re breastfeeding, express milk or use an occasional bottle of formula at night.
* Eat well. Make it easy by freezing extra dishes. If you can’t face eating much, take a suitable multi-vitamin.
* Get out and about. Don’t force yourself to socialise, but mild exercise and getting out can help.
* Consider counselling. Ask your GP or health visitor for what’s on offer locally.
(Source: Practical Parenting May 2007)
Every year, tens of thousands of women in their twenties and thirties fall pregnant despite ‘taking precautions’. Research shows that the Pill has a failure rate of less than 1%, and condoms around 3%. But clinical trials rarely reflect real life, where nearly half of all women miss at least one pill per pack and condoms split, so failure rates are higher – one in eight women depending on condoms will have an unplanned pregnancy in the first year of use, as will around one in 25 women on the Pill (source: Sainsbury’s Magazine August 2007)
Researchers at Harvard University suggest that drinking full-fat milk and eating ice cream may help women conceive. Women who ate at least one serving of high-fat dairy produce a day reduced the risk of infertility due to lack of ovulation. Also, the more low-fat dairy products women consumed, the less likely they were to ovulate.
Here’s where you will find all sorts of useful, interesting, funny items on trying to become pregnant, what happens while you’re pregnant and I’ve just had a baby what do I do now”!
Evidence suggests that having another woman with you throughout your first labour can reduce the length of your labour – so hope that your partner’s in touch with his feminine side!
According to one study, suffering morning sickness reduces the risk of a miscarriage by up to 70%
