Single dad

This may be a good time during the pregnancy for your spouse to give a thought to the manner of delivery she wishes to opt for. The options-natural, induced, or cesarean-all have their pros and cons.

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With an expanding waistline and hormones going completely crazy, it is natural for the expectant mom to feel insecure. At a time like this it is up to you, as the partner, to step in and make her feel loved and adored. There are a number of ways to do this.

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It's never easy to understand women when it comes to sex and they often experience changes in their sexual drives when they're pregnant: some pregnant wives claim to feel sexier than ever while others feel nauseated just thinking about the act. That said, you should know what to do with the desire when it arrives.

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Planning a baby? If your wife is trying to get pregnant, getting plenty of folic acid is important to help lower the risk of a baby with a neural tube defect such as spina bifida or anencephaly.

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If you have pets in the family, it is natural that you will have concerns regarding them during your spouse's pregnancy. Fortunately, you need not rush to offer your pet for adoption. Discuss with your vet any risks that your pet may pose for the baby and take adequate steps to eliminate them before bringing the baby home.

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While this might seem like something for your wife to do, it's important that you, as a supporting cast member, be very involved in making the decisions now on how labor and delivery will unfold.

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Pregnancy is an exciting time, but it can also be quite stressful. The extra expenses of prenatal care and preparing for the new baby are overwhelming for many women.

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Constipation

Many pregnant women complain of constipation. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, high levels of hormones in your spouse's pregnant body slow down digestion and relax muscles in the bowels leaving many women constipated. Plus, the pressure of the expanding uterus on the bowels boosts the chances for constipation.

Try these tips to help her stay more regular:

• Add fiber-rich foods like fresh or dried fruit, raw vegetables, and whole-grain cereals and breads daily to her diet
• Get her to drink eight to ten glasses of water everyday
• Tell her to avoid caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, colas, and some other sodas), since caffeine makes her body lose fluid needed for regular bowel movements
• Get her moving. Mild exercise like walking may also ease constipation.

Heartburn and Indigestion

Almost every pregnant woman experiences indigestion and heartburn. Hormones and the pressure of the growing uterus cause this discomfort. Pregnancy hormones slow down the muscles of the digestive tract. So food tends to move more slowly and digestion is sluggish. This causes many pregnant women to feel bloated.

According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, hormones also relax the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. This allows food and acids to come back up from the stomach to the esophagus. The food and acid causes the burning feeling of heartburn. As the baby gets bigger, the uterus pushes on the stomach, making heartburn more common in later pregnancy.

Try these tips to help your partner prevent and ease indigestion and heartburn:

• Avoid greasy and fried foods in her diet
• Make sure she eats six to eight small meals instead of three large meals
• Take care she doesn't gain more than the recommended amount of weight
• Allow her to only take small sips of milk or eat small pieces of chipped ice to soothe burning
• Make sure she eats slowly
• Ask your doctor if she can take an antacid medicine

While they may not carry the baby in their wombs, most dads are keen to be as involved as possible with the new addition to the family. One way they can do this is to accompany their partners during their medical checkups.

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It is commonly believed that women instinctively know when they are pregnant. That's only part of the truth. The onset of pregnancy is marked by a series of changes in their bodies. Women who are sensitive to these symptoms-especially if they have been pregnant before-correctly interpret them as signs of pregnancy.

# 1. Nausea. Symptoms of nausea are a very common sign of pregnancy. Popularly termed 'morning sickness,' the symptoms may be felt at all times of the day. Many women also develop an intense aversion to certain smells or tastes, of food items for instance, that they liked earlier. Symptoms of nausea may continue to be felt even into the second semester.

# 2. Abdominal bloat. Soon after conception, hormonal changes cause the abdomen to feel distended. Your spouse may complain that her clothes are getting tighter. This pregnancy sign is similar to the feeling of bloat she experiences when she has her periods.

# 3. Tender breasts. If your spouse complains that her breasts pain when you touch them, you may have reason to rejoice. Tenderness or soreness of the breasts is another obvious sign of pregnancy. The pain is similar to, but usually more intense than, what women experience during periods. A related pregnancy symptom is a feeling of fullness in the breasts. The appearance of the breasts may also change with veins becoming visible under the skin.

# 4. Montgomery's tubercules. Somber as the phrase sounds, it simply refers to the wart like projections that form around the areolas-the dark area surrounding the nipples- of the breasts.

# 5. Missed periods. A very likely sign of pregnancy is when your spouse misses a period. The scanty menstrual-like flow that sometimes appears at the time of implantation-around ten days after conception-is not a period, and, in fact, indicates a pregnancy.