When you are preparing for your baby's, you need to figure out where he or she is going to sleep, obviously. It’s not as easy as it is for an adult where you choose a bed frame and suitable mattress and you’re done. For babies there are a lot more options for you to choose between. Some are used only for a short time, others can be use for many years to come.

Before discussing bedding options, please make sure you are aware of the SIDs & Kids recommendations for safe sleeping.

1. Sleep baby on the back from birth, not on the tummy or side
2. Sleep baby with face uncovered (no doonas, pillows, lambs wool, bumpers or soft toys)
3. Avoid exposing babies to tobacco smoke before birth and after
4. Provide a safe sleeping environment (safe cot, safe mattress, safe bedding)
5. Sleep baby in their own safe sleeping environment next to the parent’s bed for the first six to twelve months of life

Bassinets (or Cradles)

A bassinet is a small bed that the baby sleeps in from birth until about four months. The idea of the bassinet is to be small and cocoon like for the baby to try and replicate to the close quarters of the womb.

Bassinets generally come in two different styles. A Moses basket style which is literally like a small basket for the baby to sleep in or a more sturdy style, usually with wheels.

Bassinets tend to be portable so the parents can move the baby around the house during the day. This can be beneficial for a jaundiced baby so they can sleep in the sunlight or for people that live in large houses where the baby won’t be heard if they are too far away from where the family is at the time.

Hammocks

Baby hammocks are relatively new on the market compared with the other options available for your baby. The hammock is generally made as per an adult hammock, with a piece of fabric that hangs from a structure of some sort. Most of the hammocks you will find have a thin mattress for the baby to sleep on.

A lot of parents find that hammocks are very useful for babies that suffer from colic or reflux as the gentle motion of the swinging hammock can help sooth the baby’s pains.

Hammocks can be used for newborns up until around nine months old and like Bassinets, they are easily moved around the house as required.

Cot

The most common place for a baby to sleep is in a cot. This is a small bed that has vertical bars or slats around it to prevent the baby from falling out. They can be used from birth (or after graduating from a bassinet) up until the child is ready for a regular sized bed at around two to three years old.

Co-Sleeping

If you choose not to purchase some sort of baby bed you can try co-sleeping with you baby, which means that your baby sleeps in bed with you. This can be a perfectly safe option for you an your baby as long as you follow the safe co-sleeping guidelines.

1. Do not co-sleep with your baby if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, including prescribed medications that may affect your awareness of your baby.
2. Co-Sleep only on a firm bed. It is dangerous to sleep with your baby on a lounge chair or waterbed.
3. Do not co-sleep if you are a smoker.
4. Tie long hair back and be aware of where you are in relation to your baby at all times.
5. Use mesh guardrails along the sides of the bed to prevent baby from falling, but ensure there is no space for baby to become stuck between the bed and the guards.

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The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA), recommends breastfeeding mums need to eat an extra 2000kj a day on top of the recommended 8-10,000kj a day for a standard diet. Breastfeeding mums produce approximately 800ml of milk a day and the demands of producing that milk means that they need to keep an eye on their diet and make sure they are eating enough healthy foods to look after themselves as well as their baby.

The key to good nutrition for anyone is to eat foods from the five food groups every day. It is important for mum to keep up a good diet from these food groups:

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Dairy (milk, cheese, yoghurt)
• Protein (meat, chicken, fish, nuts, eggs)
• Grains and cereals (bread, rice, pasta)

As well as eating a nutricious diet, a breastfeeding mother must make sure that her fluid intake is increased. As mentioned above, around 800ml of milk is made per day and baby drains that fluid from the mother’s body. She must replenish her breastmilk so therefore needs to increase her fluid intake to keep herself hydrated and her body producing milk for her baby. Whilst baby is breastfeeding mum is likely to become thirsty so it’s a good idea to have a glass of water with you whenever you are feeding your baby.

Women usually need about 46gm of protein a day, but this amount increases to about 67g for women who are breastfeeding because a lot of protein goes into the breast milk. Examples of foods high in protein are roasted chicken breast, ham, almonds, cheddar cheese and boiled eggs. These are great additions to your diet when breastfeeding.

Breastmilk also drains zinc and iodine from the mother’s supply, so it is important for any breastfeeding mother to increase her intake of both of these vital nutrients. High protein foods are also high in zinc and milk is a good source as well. These days you can buy iodised salt and adding this to your regular meals should be sufficient for breastfeeding mums.

If you feel like you’re not getting enough vitamins and minerals you can always take a specialised multivitamin designed for breastfeeding. Most of the time, these will be the ones you have already been taking during pregnancy, some examples are Elevit and Blackmores Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Gold.

Most breastfeeding mums have the freedom to eat whatever foods they like without any problems. There are however a few guidelines that you might like to know about.

Caffeine becomes very diluted in the blood & is therefore not a problem by the time it gets into breastmilk. The recommendation is no more than four cups per day (this includes, tea, coffee and cola) as the cause for concern with caffeine is the fact that it is a diuretic and causes mum to lose fluid so you will need to drink a lot more non-caffeinated drinks if you choose to drink anything with caffeine during the day. Energy drinks are not recommended at all.

The most recent research says that one standard alcoholic drink is unlikely to harm your baby through breastmilk, any more than that passes through breastmilk in high quantities and can be dangerous to your baby. If you do choose to have a drink, it’s best to wait until baby is in bed for the night and is likely to have a longer stretch between feeds so the alcohol has time to diminish in your milk supply. It’s not all bad news though, if you want to go out for a night on the town and have a few drinks. You can till have a few drinks, all you need to do is “pump & dump”, i.e. express off the breastmilk and throw it away. All you need to remember is that the alcohol in your breastmilk will be similar to what’s in your blood, so if you are ready at 0.05 on a breath test, you will have a similar amount in your breastmilk.

Also, if you smoke, breastfeeding is a good reason to try to quit. Smoking can cause you to produce less milk and the chemicals in cigarettes is released through breastmilk.

Some mums find that there are certain foods that upset their baby’s stomachs. This doesn’t happen with all babies and it’s possible that you can eat all of your regular foods without any problems. However if you do notice that your baby is fussy or has an upset tummy you might need to think back to what you have been eating. Some of the following are known to cause problems for some babies:

• spicy foods
• chocolate
• broccoli
• cabbage
• brussels sprouts
• tomato
• oranges
• onions
• beans

One good thing to remember also is that the flavour of your breastmilk will change slightly with what you eat. It’s believed that babies who are breastfed will enjoy a more varied diet once they are weaned as they are used to a variety of flavours, where formula tastes the same every single time.

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It’s always fun to celebrate an occasion with a cocktail. When you’re pregnant, you don’t have to miss out, you can still have a great time drinking mocktails.

Following are a few fun and easy mocktail recipes that you’re sure to enjoy when pregnant, breastfeeding or even when you’re not.

Lava Flow

• 100ml pineapple juice
• 100ml cream
• ½ banana
• Dash of cocnut cream
• ½ cup strawberries

Blend all ingredients (except strawberries) with ice until smooth.
Put the strawberries in the bottom of the glass and add blended mixture.

Black Widow

• Cola
• 8 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• Lime slice for garnish

Blend ice cream and juice until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with cola.
Serves 4.

Virgin Appletini

• 100ml freshly pressed apple juice
• 30ml simple syrup
• 15ml lemon juice
• granulated sugar for rimming
• apple slice for garnish

Add apple juice, syrup and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker fill with ice & shake well.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with granulated sugar.
Garnish with an apple slice.

Virgin Blue Lagoon

• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup milk or soy milk or yogurt
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• whipped cream
• fresh or canned pineapple slice

Place all but pineapple slices and whipped cream in blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a tall glass and garnish with whipped cream and pineapple slice.

Virgin Pina Colada

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• juice from one lime
• ice to top of blender

Blend ingredients until ice is slushy.
Pour into frosted glasses and enjoy immediately.

Mock Champagne

• 2 litre bottle ginger ale, chilled
• 1 can pineapple juice, chilled
• 1 bottle white grape juice, chilled

Combine all ingredients in a large punchbowl.

Safe Sex on the Beach

• 50ml peach nectar
• 85ml cranberry juice
• 85ml orange juice

Mix all ingredients togather in a glass and add ice
Garnish with cherry

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This period of time can be very helpful for the new parents to get themselves settled into the routine of looking after their new baby. A babymoon isn’t only for a first child, a babymoon can be taken for a second, third, even seventh child, as it can be a time for older siblings to bond with the new baby as well.

In general terms the family unit stays in the home as much as possible so there are a few tips for what you can to do to make your babymoon a lovely time of bonding without having to worry about other day to day things.

• Stock up on freezer meals whilst you are still pregnant so you don’t have to worry about cooking.
• If you can afford one, hire a cleaner for a little while.
• Stock up on items that you know will be used, washing powder, toilet paper, soap etc
• Make a sign for the front door stating “Mother and baby asleep, please don’t knock” and use it.
• Have some special toys prepared for older children to play with while you are feeding the new baby.
• Book in a relaxation massage after about a week for when the sleep deprivation hits you.

The best things you can do to prepare for your babymoon are things that are going to mean that you can relax at home without worrying about making dinner or cleaning up after the visitors have left. Prepare whatever you think is going to make your first few weeks with your new baby as blissful as can be.

The more recent definition of a babymoon actually refers to a holiday that the expectant parents take prior to the baby arriving, it’s likened to having a honeymoon after getting married. Generally a babymoon of this sort will only be done with a first pregnancy, unless of course the older siblings can be looked after for a few days.

There are a lot of different options for your babymoon, ranging from going to a resort with a specific babymoon package (including prenatal massage, health classes etc) or you can do it all yourself with a focus on relaxing with your partner.

There are some tips that you might like to consider if you plan a babymoon prior to your baby arriving:

• The second trimester is the best time to travel as morning sickness should have subsided and the tiredness of third trimester has yet to kick in.
• Limit you travel time to 5-6 hours as any longer can become uncomfortable for the mum to be.
• Remember to stay hydrated while travelling.
• Ensure that where you are staying (or the airline if you are flying) has pregnancy friendly foods readily available.
• Consult your doctor before any travel during pregnancy.

At the end of the day whether you choose a holiday babymoon prior to baby’s arrival or a stay at home babymoon after baby arrives, or even if you’re lucky enough to have both, a babymoon is a great way to prepare for your life as a parent.

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When you are pregnant, as with any other time of your life, there is the possibility that you might become sick, you might catch a simple cold or become ill with an infection or some other condition. Ordinarily you could take medications to make you feel better or to heal the infection, however during pregnancy it’s not as simple.

You may also take a regular medication for an ongoing health concern, prior to falling pregnant. It’s advised that you let your health care provider know that you are trying to conceive a baby so you can work out alternatives for your medications should they be contraindicated in pregnancy. For example, it is recommended that the mother wean slowly off anti-depression medications prior to falling pregnant as the medications can be dangerous to the growing foetus.

There are some illnesses however (such as epilepsy and diabetes) which require the mother to continue taking their medications during pregnancy. This is because the health risks to the mother not taking the medications outweigh the risks of taking the medication. For example, a pregnant woman having a seizure is considered far riskier than the possibility of her medications causing birth defects to her baby. In fact, up to 95% of babies born to epileptic mothers who take medication throughout their pregnancy are born normal and healthy even though the medications are known to cause birth defects.

The question then is, how do you make the decision which medications you can take during pregnancy?

There is a worldwide standard pregnancy rating for all medications and most prescribing medication books will provide your health care provider with this rating. If you are being prescribed a medication during pregnancy, you can ask your doctor what category the medication falls into, so you can be sure it is safe for your growing baby.

Category A - Controlled studies show no risk.

Adequate and well-controlled human studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the foetus in the first trimester of pregnancy (and there is no evidence of risk in later trimesters).

Category B - No evidence of risk in humans.

Animal reproduction studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the foetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women OR Animal studies have shown an adverse effect, but adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women have failed to demonstrate a risk to the foetus in any trimester.

Category C - Risk cannot be ruled out.

Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the foetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks.

Category D - Positive evidence of risk.

There is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience or studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks.

Category X - Contraindicated in pregnancy.

Studies in animals or humans have demonstrated fetal abnormalities and/or there is positive evidence of human fetal risk based on adverse reaction data from investigational or marketing experience, and the risks involved in use of the drug in pregnant women clearly outweigh potential benefits.

You will find that most doctors will try to limit their prescribing to categories A and B. Drugs in category C will only be prescribed after careful consideration and drugs from categories D and X are generally avoided altogether.

Please be aware that all drugs should be avoided unless absolutely essential in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy as this is the most risky time for fetal abnormalities to develop. Although Category A medications are deemed safe during pregnancy, they should be avoided as well during this time.

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Every pregnant mother hopes for an easy birth with no complications, but things don’t always turn out the way the we plan. Sometimes mothers will need a caesarean section to birth their baby (30% of births were caesareans in Australia in 2009).

It can be very frightening when you find out that you have to give birth by caesarean section, whether it is in advance (due to medical issues such as placenta previa etc) or during labour when you are taken to theatre for an emergency caesarean section. Either way, it’s a good idea to read up on giving birth by caesarean section beforehand so you know what happens in the event of needing to go to theatre to birth your baby.

Please note that in an emergency situation, the procedure explained below may be slightly different as things may be rushed to save the life of either mother or baby.

A birth by caesarean section is where the baby is removed from the uterus, by an obstetrician, through an incision in the mother's abdomen. There are two types of incisions that can be made. The first is a classical incision, which is a vertical incision from the top to the bottom of the uterus. These are rarely done these days as they can cause more complications and take longer to heal. The most common nowadays is a lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) which is where the uterus is cut across the abdomen, just above the pubic bone, it is much easier to repair and lends itself much better to future vaginal births (VBAC).

Prior to your caesarean surgery you will need to remove all jewellery (or have it taped) and remove any nail polish so your vital signs can be checked. You will be given a small drink to neutralise the acids in your stomach before entering the theatre. A catheter will be inserted and you will also be given a drip, usually this will contain fluids and oxytocin, which will help your uterus contract after your baby is born. You will have heart monitors placed on your chest and a blood pressure cuff on your arm to make sure you are doing ok during the surgery.

To start the surgery, you will be given some sort of anesthetic, there are two options. You may have a general anesthetic, where you will be asleep during the caesarean section and wake up after your baby is born. Alternatively you can be awake during the surgery and be given local anesthesia through an epidural or spinal block. With a local anesthetic you will not feel anything from your chest down and as a result will not be able to move much for several hours after your surgery.

Once you are in the theatre, a screen will be raised at your chest so you cannot see any of the surgery taking place. The anesthetist will run ice across your stomach to ensure that you have no sensation and that the anesthetic is working properly. If you are having your caesarean section under local anesthetic your partner may join you once the first incision is made. He or she will sit by your head with the anesthetist.

To start the surgery, you will be swabbed with antiseptic and a small incision is made right above your pubic bone. The doctor then cuts through the underlying tissue and fat working down to your uterus. Once your doctor reaches the muscles, they will be separated manually to expose your uterus.

During this time you will feel some tugging and movement. The sensation is very strange & I liken it to having dental work done, in that you can feel the movement but there is no pain or skin sensation. It can be a little bit scary, but as long as you are feeling no pain then it is perfectly normal. If you do feel any pain, tell your anesthetist immediately and he or she will top up your anesthesia.

At this point, if you would like to view the birth of your baby, you may request to have the screen lowered. Your partner may also choose to take photos of the birth at this time.

A final incision is made, in your uterus, and your baby is pulled out, sometimes this needs the assistance of forceps. The baby’s umbilical cord will be cut and she or he will be held up over the screen for you to see. If you partner would like to cut the umbilical cord, let the midwives know in advance and it will be left long enough for him or her to cut on the warming table after the birth.

Depending on your hospital, you may be able to have your baby placed on your chest immediately after birth and checked later. Sometimes though your baby will need to be checked straightaway depending on his or her Apgar scores.

At this point, your surgery has been going for only about ten minutes.

While you snuggle with baby or the checks are being made, your caesarean section is being completed by all the layers being sutured back together. You may have staples, stitches or internal stitches, depending on the doctor performing your surgery.

This part of surgery will take up to two hours as the doctors work at stitching everything back together. It may sound like a long time, but it goes very quickly. If you are tired after a long labour you may fall asleep as they finish the surgery.

Once the surgery is finished you will go to recovery for a period of time, this is dependent on how you are doing after the surgery and how much blood loss you have had. You may be there for half an hour if all is well or up to several hours if there are any concerns about your health. If you baby is well he or she may stay in recovery with you and you can use this opportunity to breastfeed if you’d like to.

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Having a new baby is one of the most stressful things that will happen in our life. There are so many things to worry about and you might start to feel as though you aren’t coping as well as you think you should. You may have the “baby blues” for a few days or you may have more severe feelings of depression.

It is said that there are roughly 10-20 percent of mother in Australia that suffer from postnatal depression. It is also estimated that 10 percent of first time fathers suffer from postnatal depression. Although they don't have the hormonal changes normally associated with postnatal depression, you must remember that father's lives are turned upside down when a baby arrives as well.

Postnatal depression is a serious mental illness that a lot of mothers (and fathers) suffer from, many silently, as they don’t want to admit that there is a problem.

After giving birth at your six week checkup, your doctor or early childhood nurse may give you a “test” to see how you’re going, this questionnaire is called the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. It was developed for the British Journal of Psychiatry in 1987 and is still used today as a guide to whether a mother may need some help for postnatal depression.

Below is the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for you to use on your own. Please remember that scores provide only a rough guide as to whether a woman has postnatal depression. For a full diagnosis, it is important to see your doctor.

To complete the questionnaire, circle the response that answers most accurately how you have been feeling in the past seven days.

1. I have been able to laugh and see the funny side of things.
• 0 As much as I always could
• 1 Not quite so much now
• 2 Definitely not so much now
• 3 Not at all

2. I have looked forward with enjoyment to things.
• 0 As much as I ever did
• 1 Rather less than I used to
• 2 Definitely less than I used to
• 3 Hardly at all

3. I have blamed myself unnecessarily when things went wrong.
• 3 Yes, most of the time
• 2 Yes, some of the time
• 1 Not very often
• 0 No, never

4. I have been anxious or worried for no good reason.
• 0 No, not at all
• 1 Hardly ever
• 2 Yes, sometimes
• 3 Yes, very often

5. I have felt scared or panicky for no very good reason.
• 3 Yes, quite a lot
• 2 Yes, sometimes
• 1 No, not much
• 0 No, not at all

6. Things have been getting on top of me.
• 3 Yes, most of the time I haven't been able to cope at all
• 2 Yes, sometimes I haven't been coping as well as usual
• 1 No, most of the time I have coped quite well
• 0 No, I have been coping as well as ever

7. I have been so unhappy that I have had difficulty sleeping.
• 3 Yes, most of the time
• 2 Yes, sometimes
• 1 Not very often
• 0 No, not at all

8. I have felt sad or miserable.
• 3 Yes, most of the time
• 2 Yes, quite often
• 1 Not very often
• 0 No, not at all

9. I have been so unhappy that I have been crying.
• 3 Yes, most of the time
• 2 Yes, quite often
• 1 Only occasionally
• 0 No, never

10. The thought of harming myself has occurred to me.
• 3 Yes, quite often
• 2 Sometimes
• 1 Hardly ever
• 0 Never

Add up the numbers or your circled answers. The higher your score, the more likely it is that you are distressed and may be suffering from postnatal depression. If you score is high, or even if it is low but you feel depressed, please consult your doctor as soon as possible.

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When it comes time to have your baby shower, there are so many different options for what you can do. Most baby showers however, will involve some silly games for the mum to be, her female friends & family members to play.

The prizes you choose for your baby shower games can be anything you can think of, generally though the prizes are pampering or baby related items. If the mum-to-be knows the gender of her baby perhaps your prizes can be pink or blue depending on the gender.

Following are a few of the most popular baby shower games.

My Water Broke

You need to set this baby shower game up a few days prior to the party. Collect some miniature plastic babies from a discount store. Freeze the babies in ice cube trays with some water.

On the day, hand each guest a plastic cup with a frozen baby inside. The aim of the game is for the baby to melt out of the ice cube, but without the player touching the cube itself. The guests can blow on their ice cubes or melt them any way they can think of without touching. The first person to have their baby to completely emerge from the ice cubes shouts “My Water Broke” and they receive a prize.

Don’t Say That!

This baby shower game is ongoing throughout the course of the party.

Give each guest a nappy pin to put on their clothing, as they arrive. They are also given a word that they cannot say, popular words are baby, mum, due etc. If the guest says the forbidden word and is caught out, the person that catches them out takes their nappy pin. At the end of the day, the guest with the most pins is the winner.

Some alternatives are to use dummies tied on ribbon as a necklace as opposed to pins. Or to make forbidden word, the name of the mum-to-be and everyone has to call her mummy for the day (mum-to-be has a different word & cannot say baby).

Guess Mum’s Size

This baby shower game has the mum-to-be stand in the middle of the room with her guests around her. Each guest has to estimate the size of mum’s tummy with a piece of string or ribbon. They are allowed to look at her but not go near.

After everyone has made their guess, the hostess of the party takes each of the guest’s strings and measures the mum-to-be around the biggest part of her waist. The guest with the closest length is the winner.

What’s In the Nappy Bag

This is another game that needs a little bit of preparation in advance. Purchase a nappy bag and a group of items that belong inside. For example, add a dummy, packet of wipes, nappy, singlet etc.

Give the guests a sheet of paper with numbers listed down the side (20 if you have 20 items). Tell the guests that they have to write down all of the items inside the bag. If they need to, each guest can have a feel inside the bag for 10 seconds to give them a helping hand.

Once everyone has filled in their answers, pull each of the items out of the bag one at a time and have the guests mark off one point for each item they correctly identified. The person with the most correct answers wins.

As a bonus to this baby shower game, the mum-to-be gets to keep the nappy bag and the contents as a gift.

Name the Baby Food

To play this baby shower game you need to purchase a few jars of different flavoured baby food. Number each of the jars on the base, write down what flavour is in each number jar and remove the labels.

During the baby shower, each guest has a small taste from each of the jars. On a piece of paper they are to write down which flavour they think is in each jar.

When everyone has had their guesses, reveal what was in each jar. The guests receive a point for each correct flavour and the winner is the person with the most correct guesses.

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A very helpful way to get to know your body and to learn the best time to conceive a baby is by charting your cycle.

Charting your cycle involves a three steps, the main one is taking your temperature every morning, followed by observing cervical mucus and other cervical changes. To start with, you have to understand why you are taking your temperature.

Over the course of your cycle your basal body temperature changes according to what hormones are in your system. Your temperature starts off low, rises after ovulation and will then either go down to signal your period starting or remain high to signal a possible pregnancy. If you are charting your cycle, you can see graphically where your temperature is and what part of your cycle you are at.

Taking Your Basal Body Temperature

To check your basal body temperature it must be done first thing in the morning before you rise from bed and even before you speak. Set your alarm to wake at the same time each morning & before doing anything else after it goes off, still your thermometer in your mouth (or under your arm or you can even check your temperature vaginally if you choose). Any sort of thermometer will work, but the best type has two decimal places as they are the most accurate in showing any subtle temperature changes.

Record your temperature either on a piece of graph paper or on charting software or websites, such as Fertility Friend.

As the month goes on, you will see that your temperature changes with ovulation and becomes biphasic, which means there are two phases, a lower temperature phase prior to ovulation and a higher temperature phase after ovulation.

It might take a few months to get used to how your temperatures work, but you will start to see patterns emerging about when you will ovulate and how long your luteal phase (the time between ovulation and the end of your cycle) lasts.

The important thing to note is that once the temperature rise has occurred, ovulation has occurred and it is more than likely too late to conceive a baby. You need to be having intercourse prior to the temperature rise, so it is important to chart other ovulation indicators when charting your cycle.

Checking for Cervical Mucus

The next step to helping you understand your cycle is charting your cervical mucus changes.

Like with your temperature, your cervical mucus changes depending on what hormones are dominating at a certain time. Your mucus will change from sticky, to creamy, to water and finally, the mucus at ovulation is named egg white cervical mucus due to it’s consistency being much like that of an egg white.

The best way to check your cervical mucus is to simply look on the toilet tissue when you wipe and then note on your chart, the quality and consistency. At first it may be a bit hard to distinguish between the different types of mucus, but after a little while it becomes second nature.

When recording your cervical mucus on your cycle charting page or software, always record the most fertile mucus that you note for the day. For example you may have creamy mucus in the morning, but then watery mucus in the evening. It’s best to record the watery mucus as your body might be gearing up that night to ovulate.

Observing Cervical Changes

A third way to add to your chart is to observe the changes in your cervix. Some people are uncomfortable about checking this fertility sign, so rest assured that it is a secondary sign, the main two are your temperature and cervical mucus. However if you would like to check your cervix, following are the details on how to do so.

To check your cervix you will need to insert a very clean finger into your vaigna. You will feel a small round object (your cervix) that will have a small hole in it. Notice how it feels.

Prior to ovulation you should be able to feel your cervix quite easily as it starts out quite low in your vagina. Your cervix will feel hard, a little like the tip of your nose and the cervix opening will be closed when you are not in your fertile period. As you come closer to ovulation it will move up higher in your vagina and be quite hard to reach, now it should feel very soft, a lot like your lips. The opening will also be quite noticeable, as your cervix opens up at ovulation to allow the sperm to make their way through. After ovulation the opening will close again and your cervix will go back to being hard like your nose. In pregnancy the cervix stays very high and will become out of reach fairly quickly after ovulation, if conception hasn’t taken place your cervix will move down again ready for your next period to start.

Record your cervical observations on your chart as well.

After charting your cycle for a little while you will start to see some patterns emerging. Perhaps you don’t ovulate on the standard, day 14, maybe it’s earlier or maybe it’s a few days later. No two women are exactly alike and you will see that by browsing through a few different charts.

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1. Conception
2. Menstrual Cycle
3. Conceiving

Many people think that during pregnancy everything has to change. Fortunately, this is not the case. There are a lot of things that you did prior to falling pregnant that you won’t have to change at all during pregnancy.

Some of the following are concerns for a lot of mothers when they first fall pregnant and wonder if they can continuing with their daily activities during pregnancy.

Exercise

It’s great for mum to continuing exercising during pregnancy as it helps to keep her fit and healthy and ready for the marathon that is labour and birth. Walking, jogging and cardio exercise are all fine to do during pregnancy, so long as you were already doing it prior to the pregnancy. If you decide to start exercising once pregnant, that’s fine, but check with your doctor first about where you should start.

Alternatively you might like to do some specific pregnancy exercise classes. The two main options are water aerobics and prenatal yoga. Both are great exercise programs to get into during pregnancy as they are low impact but great for keeping you fit. Just make sure that if you decide to join a yoga class, you check that it is pregnancy friendly and if it’s not, let the instructor know that you are pregnant as some of the exercises might need to me modified to suit you.

Going out with friends

Some people worry about going out with their friends during pregnancy, particularly as they get closer to their due date, but as long as you are comfortable it’s perfectly fine to go out with friends. Going to concerts is still great fun when you’re pregnant as long as you’re not in the mosh pit getting bumped about. Going shopping can be more fun with friends during pregnancy as there’s an extra little person for you to spoil!

One recommendation is that as you near your due date you don’t stray too far from the hospital just in case you go into labour. In saying that, there’s no reason why you can’t go for an hour’s long drive with your partner or a friend, as long as there is someone with you to drive you back home if contractions start.

Going to work

Unfortunately during pregnancy it’s still perfectly fine for you to go to work, as long as you’re not a deep sea diver or sky diving instructor! More often than not, the concern for most women working during pregnancy is tiredness. If you’re on your feet at work all day you will want to make sure you rest up when you get home of an evening. Whilst you might not want to and would prefer to put your feet up at home, working during pregnancy is quite alright.

Eating the foods you enjoy

During pregnancy you will hear lots of people telling you what you can and can’t eat. There are some foods that should be avoided during pregnancy (including but not limited to deli meats, soft cheeses and soft serve ice cream), most of your day to day foods are perfectly fine for you to eat. Left overs for lunch are even perfectly acceptable as long as they are stored in the fridge right away and heated until they are piping hot.

Having sex

There are very few reasons why sex should be avoided during pregnancy and unless your doctor specifically tells you otherwise, you can still enjoy sex with your partner for the whole time you are pregnant. Towards the end of the pregnancy when you are feeling very big and uncomfortable you may need to alter your positions, but there is no reason that you need to stop enjoying a full and happy sex life during pregnancy.

Looking gorgeous

Maternity fashions have come a long way since our mothers were pregnant with us. Gone are the days of huge flowery dresses that look like sacks. Most large ships like Target and Big W etc carry a nice range of maternity clothes at decent prices or you can look into more specialized maternity fashion boutiques in real life or online. Whichever way you go, during pregnancy you can still look and feel great.

You can also continue to have your manicures and acrylic nails done and your hair and eyebrows dyed. Both are perfectly safe during pregnancy, though you need to be aware that both your hair and nails are likely to grow much faster when you are pregnant so you might need to make your appointments closer together. One consideration you might need to think about though is the smell of the salon, sometimes the chemical smells will affect your morning sickness so make sure you are ok for a little while before sitting down to a two hour hair appointment.

There are however still a few things that are not recommended during pregnancy, the main two being smoking and drinking alcohol.

Smoking

We all know that smoking at any time is dangerous to your health, but smoking during pregnancy affects not only your health, but your baby’s health as well. Smoking during pregnancy reduces the amount of oxygen that can get to your baby and can cause miscarriage and brain damage. Your baby may be premature and have a small birth weight as well as being at risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

It is advisable to quit smoking prior to falling pregnant, but if you find yourself unexpectedly pregnant before you have quit, you can still do so during pregnancy. Recent research has found that using a nicotine patch during pregnancy is safer as only one of the chemicals (ie nicotine) are getting into your blood stream, as compared with a multitude of others whilst actually smoking a cigarette. Please see your doctor if you are pregnant and want to quit smoking for some advice on how to proceed.

Drinking

Depending on which article you read, research is pretty divided about what is a safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. We all know that in excess alcohol is very dangerous to the baby, but most women will wonder at some point during their pregnancy if they are able to safely have a glass or wine, especially if they are pregnant over the festive period.

You might like to abstain completely or you might choose to have a glass of wine here or there, just remember that drinking excessive amounts of alcohol during pregnancy is dangerous to your growing baby.

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