Single dad

Most couples find that the passion in their relationship dies down as time goes by and once kids come along, it can be difficult to remember what the word means.

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If you intend to travel with your spouse during her pregnancy, the second trimester is a good time to plan the trip. As her pregnancy advances, and later once your child is born, it will be more difficult to do so.

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Men don't usually scour pre-pregnancy books, stocking up on all the right vitamins and minerals, and planning against the hidden dangers that could harm their baby-to-be. But - though in a couple trying to get pregnant the attention tends to be focused on the woman - there is a lot you can do to ensure a healthy pregnancy for your wife and become a proud dad.

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The presence of early pregnancy symptoms is an indication that your spouse needs to undergo a pregnancy test. If positive, it means your spouse is on her way to give birth to your baby.

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The teenage years can be particularly trying for parents, as children become aware of their sexuality for the first time in their lives. Raging hormones and a newfound sense of independence may induce teens to act in ways that are irresponsible. The worst repercussion of this could be a teenage pregnancy.

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Premature or preterm labor is when a woman goes into labor before the 37 th week of pregnancy, or three weeks before her due date. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the earlier pre-term labor is spotted and treated, the better chance of stopping it. When symptoms go untreated, the cervix may open and cause an early birth of the baby.

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During pregnancy, typically the fertilized egg travels through the fallopian tube to reach the mother's womb. However, in some cases the egg fails to reach the womb but gets lodged in the fallopian tube, where it continues to grow. This is known as 'ectopic' or 'tubal' pregnancy. More rarely, the fertilized egg lodges in the cervix, abdomen, or c-section scar, and is known as heterotopic pregnancy.

If an ectopic pregnancy is left untreated, the embryo will continue to grow till it ruptures the fallopian tube. This could result in complications, and may even be fatal for the expecting mother. Since there is no way to move the egg into the womb, ectopic pregnancies are terminated.

Risks

Your spouse is at greater risk of ectopic pregnancy in the following situations:

* Her pregnancy occurs even though she had a tubal ligation (surgical sterilization)
* She had an intrauterine device (IUD) when she became pregnant
* She has undergone surgery of the fallopian tubes
* She previously had an ecoptic pregnancy
* She has an infection in the upper reproductive tract (pelvic inflammatory disease or PID)
* She has been treated for infertility because of damaged tubes

Symptoms

Ectopic pregnancy is usually diagnosed around six weeks of pregnancy. Your spouse should consult her obstetrician if she has any of the following symptoms:

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Pregnancy can be a challenging phase for your spouse. Maintaining a healthy posture will help her keep back problems away. An exercise routine will especially help her to keep fit. Your spouse can begin an exercise routine even if she has never really exercised before. Walking, swimming, pre-natal yoga, and simple aerobics are ideal forms of exercise during pregnancy.

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We at GreatDad.com are big believers in breastfeeding and strongly urge you to do all you can to support mom. The first meals, especially, can be a challenge as milk may not come in right away. The baby may not know what to do and the mom, if she has not breastfed before, may be equally lost.

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Your spouse will have put on weight gain during the pregnancy. While this is normal, many women worry about this increase in their weight following delivery.

 These are important things your spouse needs to know if she is trying to lose weight:

• Weight gain may be normal: It is important for your spouse to determine whether the weight she has gained is within normal limits. Pregnancy weight gain of anywhere between 15 to 30 pounds is absolutely normal and she need not worry about it. However, if she weighs over 30 pounds more than before she became pregnant, she may need to consider losing some of it.
• Weight loss needs to be gradual: There is no truth in the popular belief that successful weight loss program has to be speedy. Actually post-pregnancy weight gain may take up to years to reverse and is dependent on many factors.
• ‘Quick fix’ methods do not work: Doctors do not generally recommend any quick techniques or drastic diets to lose weight following pregnancy.

Your spouse can effectively lose weight by:

• Staying away from any ‘fad’ diets likely to harm herself and, if she is breastfeeding, the baby
• Combining a healthy diet plan with a sensible exercise routine
• Aiming for a reasonable loss that she can maintain, rather than a drastic loss that is short-lived
• Consulting a dietician if her own efforts do not show results

Returning to normal

During pregnancy, your spouse’s body went through tremendous changes. Now that she has given birth, she will experience more changes as her body returns to its normal state.

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