Best Ways to Sleep While Pregnant
Pregnancy and sleep disorders are strongly connected. During the first trimester, you can barely keep your eyes open due to exhaustion and fatigue, thanks to pregnancy hormones. On the other hand, as your pregnancy progresses into the final trimester, you may find it difficult to even catch a wink at night owing to the sheer heaviness of your belly and frequent trips to bathroom. You may have to give up your years old habit of sleeping on your stomach or back and adopt some new ways of sleeping in order to protect your baby and assume a comfortable position for yourself. In fact, you may have to experiment with different ways to sleep while pregnant, to find what position suits you the best. Here are some of the best ways to sleep while pregnant.
Best Ways to Sleep While Pregnant
Incidentally, the best way to sleep while you are pregnant is sleeping on your side, preferably the left one. Sleeping on the left side offers maximum support to the pregnant woman, puts minimal pressure on the baby as well as her internal organs and also ensures adequate supply of blood and oxygen to the baby. However, maintaining left side position while you are asleep is impossible. In that case, you may switch sides throughout the night, while making sure that you spend most of it on your left side. If you simply cannot make yourself sleep on your left side and feel the need to roll over to the right side every few minutes, then there is really no harm in sleeping on your right side as well.
The best technique to sleep while you are pregnant is to use some pillows as props. Place a thin pillow between your legs, under your stomach and under your breasts for maximum support and comfort. You may also invest in a full body pregnancy pillow which adjusts and supports your pregnancy contours in an effective way. However, it may take up a substantial amount of space on your bed. Nonetheless, these pregnancy body pillows reduce the numbness in your feet and pain in your back. They may also prevent swelling of ankles and feet. Read the rest of this entry »
Molar Pregnancy Treatment
Molar pregnancy, which is medically referred to as hydatidiform mole, is an abnormal form of pregnancy. This rare complication of pregnancy is classified under gestational trophoblastic diseases. This condition is caused by abnormal fertilization. Given below is some information on types of molar pregnancy along with molar pregnancy treatment.
Types of Molar Pregnancy
Before I move on to molar pregnancy treatment options, let me tell you what turns a normal pregnancy into a molar pregnancy. Molar pregnancy is basically an anomaly that could occur during the fertilization process. This condition is characterized by the development of abnormal placental cells, following the fertilization of sperm and the egg. Molar pregnancy is classified into complete molar pregnancy and partial molar pregnancy. A complete molar pregnancy or hydatidiform mole, develops when the sperm fertilizes an egg that doesn’t have a nucleus. Under normal circumstances, the fertilized egg contains 23 chromosomes from the father as well as the mother. When the egg doesn’t contain DNA, the chromosomes from the sperm duplicate. Since the fertilized egg is bereft of the mother’s chromosomes, normal placental tissue, embryo or amniotic sac wouldn’t be formed.
Under normal circumstances, a layer of cells called trophoblasts develop into finger-like projections called villi. It is this layer of cells that develops into placenta. Due to this chromosomal abnormality, these projections swell up with fluid, and develop into grape-like clusters in the uterus. In case of a partial molar pregnancy, the fertilized egg does contain maternal chromosomes, but the paternal chromosomes are doubled. This may occur when the chromosomes from the sperm duplicate, or the egg is fertilized by two sperms. After fertilization, placental tissue as well as the embryo would develop. This chromosomal abnormality, however, causes the development of abnormal placental cells. Despite the presence of the fetal tissue, the trophoblastic tissue makes it impossible for the fetus to develop properly. Abnormal growth of uterus, elevated hCG levels, vaginal bleeding in the first trimester, vaginal discharge, nausea, vomiting, pelvic discomfort and fluid retention in lower extremities, are some of the symptoms one may experience due to this condition. Read the rest of this entry »