What to expect when you're expecting (64 page)

Don’t spend too much time in the water (showers, baths, swimming pools), especially hot water.

Try not to get too hot or sweaty (two of the most common eczema triggers). Of course that’s easier said than done when you’re pregnant and already one hot, sweaty mama. Stay cool by wearing loose, cotton clothes and avoiding synthetic fabrics, wool, or any material that feels rough to the touch. Avoid overheating by favoring that layered look—and peeling off layers as you start to warm up.

Try to keep your cool, too, when it comes to stress—a common eczema trigger. When you feel anxiety creeping in, take some relaxation breaths (see
page 230
).

Something to keep in mind: Though eczema is hereditary (meaning that your baby has a chance of having it, too), research suggests that breastfeeding may prevent eczema from developing in a child. That’s just one more good reason to nurse your baby if you can.

“It’s the strangest thing—one day it’ll look like I’m showing, and the next day my belly will be completely flat again. What’s up with that?”

What’s up are your bowels, actually. Bowel distention (the result of constipation and excess gas, two of a newly pregnant woman’s constant companions) can make a flat belly round in no time flat. And just as quickly as it appeared, your belly can disappear—once you’ve had a bowel movement, that is. A little unnerving, yes (“But I looked pregnant just yesterday!”), but completely normal.

Don’t worry. Pretty soon you’ll have a belly that doesn’t come and go—and that’s more baby than bowel. In the meantime, see
page 173
for tips on fighting constipation.

“Will I ever get my body back after I have a baby?”

Well, that kind of depends—mostly, on you. The 2 to 4 permanent pounds the average woman puts on with each pregnancy, and the flab that often goes with them, aren’t inevitable. In fact, if you gain the right amount of weight, at the right rate, on the right foods, your chances of recovering your prepregnancy shape are really very good, particularly if you team your sensible eating efforts with pregnancy-approved exercise, and especially if you keep your regimen up after your baby arrives. Mind you, that recovery won’t happen overnight (think three to six months, minimum).

So fear not your pregnancy weight gain. Remember, it’s set to accumulate for the very best reason: the nourishment of your baby now, and, if you choose to breastfeed, later.

“At my last prenatal visit, my midwife told me my uterus is measuring a little small. Does this mean the baby’s not growing right?”

Parents rarely wait until their babies are born to begin worrying about their size. But—just as is usually the case after birth—there’s rarely anything to worry about before. After all, trying to size up your uterus from the outside isn’t an exact science anytime in pregnancy,
and especially not this early in the game. Calculating what that size should be isn’t easy either (unless you’re certain about which day you conceived on), since the date of your pregnancy may be off by as much as several weeks on either side. Chances are your midwife is planning to schedule an ultrasound to pinpoint more precisely the size of your uterus and the date of your pregnancy and to see if there are any discrepancies, which there most likely aren’t.

“I was told my uterus is measuring ten weeks, but according to my dates I’m only eight weeks pregnant. Why is my uterus so large?”

There’s a good chance that your uterus is bigger than it’s supposed to be because you’re further along than you think. It’s likely that your dates are off, or that your size was miscalulated, both pretty common scenarios. To check this out, and because there are other, much less likely explanations (for example, that you might be carrying twins—though it’s unlikely at this early stage that multiples would make a difference in uterine size), your practitioner will probably order an ultrasound.

“The last few days it’s been really hard to urinate, even though my bladder seems very full.”

It’s possible that you might have a stubbornly tilted uterus (about 1 in 5 women has a uterus that tilts toward the back instead of the front) that has refused to right itself and is now pressing on your urethra, the tube leading from the bladder. The pressure of this increasingly heavy load can make urination difficult. There may also be urinary leakage when the bladder becomes very overloaded.

In nearly all cases, the uterus shifts itself back into position by the end of the first trimester without any medical intervention. But if you’re really uncomfortable now—or if you’re finding it espcially difficult to urinate—put in a call to your practitioner. He or she might be able to manipulate your uterus by hand to move it off the urethra so you can pee easily again. Most of the time that works. In the unlikely event that it doesn’t, catheterization (removing the urine through a tube) may become necessary.

One other possibility if you’re having trouble urinating (and another good reason to put in that call to your practitioner). a urinary tract infection. See
page 498
for more.

“I know I should feel happy about my pregnancy—and sometimes I am. But other times, I feel so weepy and sad.”

They’re up—and they’re down. The very normal mood swings of pregnancy can take your emotions places they’ve never gone before, both to exhilarating highs and depressing lows. Moods that can have you over-the-moon one moment, down-in-the-dumps the next—and weeping inexplicably over insurance commercials. Can you blame it on your hormones? You bet. These swings may be more pronounced in the first trimester (when hormonal havoc is at its peak) and, in general, in women who ordinarily suffer from marked emotional ups and downs before their periods (it’s sort of like PMS pumped up). Feelings of ambivalence about the pregnancy once it’s confirmed, which are common even when a pregnancy is planned, may exaggerate the swings
still more. Not to mention all those changes you’re experiencing (the physical ones, the emotional ones, the logistical ones, the relationship ones—all of which can overwhelm your moods).

Mood swings tend to moderate somewhat after the first trimester, once hormone levels calm down a little—and once you’ve adjusted to some of those pregnancy changes (you’ll never adjust to all of them). In the meantime, though there’s no sure way to hop off that emotional roller coaster, there are several ways to minimize the mood mayhem:

Keep your blood sugar up. What does blood sugar have to do with moods? A lot. Dips in blood sugar—caused by long stretches between meals—can lead to mood crashes. Yet another compelling reason to ditch your usual three-meals-a-day (or fewer) eating routine and switch to the Six-Meal Solution (see
page 91
). Give complex carbs and protein starring roles in your mini meals for the longest lasting blood sugar—and mood—highs.

Keep sugar and caffeine down. That candy bar, that doughnut, that Coke will give your blood sugar a quick spike—followed soon after by a downward spiral that can take your mood down with it. Caffeine can have the same effect, adding to mood instability. So limit both, for happier results.

Eat well. In general, eating well will help you feel your best emotionally (as well as physically), so follow the Pregnancy Diet as best you can. Getting plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet (through walnuts, fish, and enriched eggs, to name a few) may also help with mood moderating (and they’re also super important for your baby’s brain development).

Get a move on. The more you move, the better your mood. That’s because exercise releases feel-good endorphins, which can send your spirits soaring. With your practitioner’s guidance, build exercise into your day—every day.