What are the essential dietary restrictions, hormonal markers, and physical recovery strategies for a healthy pregnancy and postpartum transition?
Juice fasting is a short-term detoxification strategy that involves consuming only fresh fruit and/or vegetable juices. Solid foods, especially those derived from animals and grains, are avoided while juice fasting.
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Nutrition before, during and after pregnancy impacts your baby's health. It is essential for pregnant women to eat a balanced diet that supplies their developing fetus and changing body with the right nutritional support.
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ParaGard® is a brand of contraceptive intrauterine device, or IUD. It is shaped like a “T” and is composed of several lengths of copper wire that make the environment inside the uterus inhospitable to sperm, therefore blocking egg fertilization.
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Swelling, or edema, is one of a plethora of symptoms many pregnant women experience. It’s caused by increased pressure in your veins and water retention and is exacerbated by hot weather and fatigue. Edema typically occurs in your ankles, fingers, face and lower back.
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Pickle juice is sometimes touted as an effective home remedy for getting rid of stomach bacteria or soothing an upset stomach.
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If you experience food cravings during pregnancy, you fit in with about half of all pregnant women, reports Judith Brown, author of "What to Eat Before, During, and After Pregnancy." Many women crave unhealthy sweets and salty snacks, but others may crave healthy vegetables and fruits.
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Pregnancy comes with wonderful surprises -- the first time you feel your baby move, for example. Some surprises, however, aren't so wonderful. You probably expected your back to ache and your ankles to swell, but rib pain and muscles spasms may be unexpected -- and unwelcome -- surprises.
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Pregnant women put their newborns at risk for birth defects if they drink alcohol during pregnancy. You may try to avoid the risk while pregnant by resorting to nonalcoholic beer, but even these beverages may contain small amounts of alcohol.
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Your kidneys remove waste and excess water from your blood, releasing them as urine. When your kidneys don't work properly, this process is affected and kidney disorders may be a result. Some forms of peppermint are not recommended for people with certain kidney disorders, but may be beneficial for others.
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An aversion to certain foods and drinks, including coffee, is one common symptom of early pregnancy. While pregnancy symptoms differ from woman to woman, many women experience a disgust for coffee while in their first trimester of pregnancy.
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Pregnancy causes many rapid changes in a woman's body, particularly in the uterus. Before pregnancy, it's unlikely that you feel or notice your uterus, but during pregnancy most women become acutely aware of this rapidly stretching organ.
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Fish is a low-fat source of protein that also contains beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that most people eat fish twice a week, and pregnant women should follow this guideline also.
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If you're pregnant, you're probably aware of the risk of eating fish high in mercury. Mercury can cause central nervous system disorders, including brain damage and nervous system damage. But mercury isn't the only contaminant that can cause problems to your baby.
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People often tout the benefits of prune juice for weight loss, but prunes are just dried plums. Plum juice is full of antioxidants and fiber, two substances that may help you lose weight. Drinking plum juice may also improve your health in other ways, but speak to your doctor before modifying your diet.
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At 37 weeks gestation, your baby is about 18 inches long and 6 or 7 pounds -- although your belly may look as if it is much larger, according to the American Pregnancy Association. This can complicate even everyday activities, including climbing the stairs.
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If your baby is suffering from swollen feet, take him to a doctor to get a thorough checkup. While the swelling might be a symptom of a more serious disease, such as sickle cell anemia, it might be nothing more than a rash or the current texture and shape of your child's feet.
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In the eighth month of pregnancy, you've reached the home stretch. Your baby still has some growing to do at this stage and you need to build yourself up for labor and delivery.
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Human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG for short, is a natural hormone that women produce during pregnancy. Proponents of the HCG diet claim that consuming oral HCG supplements helps boost your metabolism, resulting in rapid weight loss.
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Since the heart is a muscle, you may wonder if it will ache like other muscles when you first start to exercise. Unlike other muscles, your heart never gets out of shape from lack of exercise; your heart beats every day, every hour, every minute, no matter what you do.
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Group A streptococcus – sometimes called “group A strep” – is a bacterium that often lives in your throat and on your skin. Although simply carrying the bacterium won’t always cause symptoms of an illness, group A streptococcus can cause infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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