Maya is 22; a newly wed girl. She may have attained the age to be a mother according to the Indian law, but she does not know the basics of pregnancy and its phases. She is excited about the new life developing inside her and wonders how she can be pregnant without getting an abdominal bump. Oh it’s just too early. The baby must be 2 inches now. She does not know what to eat, how to care for the unborn, and not to forget, how to take care of herself. All she needs is definitive guidance through her stages of pregnancy. Mom’s advice, granny’s diet, and friends’ suggestions are just too much to digest. It’s time to act and get smart, and celebrate motherhood. It’s your right!

Check up

Take all the possible tests suggested by your doctor: blood count, urine, blood sugar, hepatitis, HIV, blood group, and VDRL. If there is any issue, get it sorted out as quickly as possible. This is the earliest phase of your motherhood, known as the latent phase.

Weight Talk

Don’t even think of losing weight during pregnancy. Weight gain determines the growth of your child inside you. The normal weight gain during pregnancy ranges from 8 kg to 14 kg. It might be less if you are short. If you are over or underweight, you must speak to the doctor as this might affect the unborn. Weight management has to be done before pregnancy. Check your weight every 8-10 days as the phases pass by. You enter the active phase of pregnancy when you start gaining weight.

Exercise, Keep Fit

Don’t be surprised to see pregnant mothers working out in the gym. It’s healthy for you and your baby. It improves blood circulation and helps keep the baby healthy. Don’t do weights. Do moderate exercises. Stick to aerobics, yoga, or just walking. Continue this throughout your pregnancy. Keep drinking water during the workout. Don’t do squats, it’s dangerous, and exercise slowly and enjoy it.

Diet

You are eating for two. Eat 8-9 meals a day. Include lots of carbohydrate in the form of bread or rice, proteins, and minerals, for example, milk, curd, paneer, cheese, eggs, meat, fish, pulses, green leafy vegetables, and fruits. If you are a vegetarian, include a good amount of flax seeds and soya nuggets in your diet.

Things to be Avoided

Please refrain from smoking and alcohol, and the X-ray machine. X-rays can harm the baby. An ultrasound machine is safe though.

Red Alert

Visit the doctor immediately if you experience severe pain or vaginal bleeding. This can happen during any phase. At times it’s quite normal if the pain is bearable. This is the transit phase or the third phase of pregnancy in which the baby will be born. Keep the doctor’s number handy and also of your relatives or neighbors.

Stick to the guidelines, and just relax and have a good time. Pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. This is the best time of your life to show how caring you are, and how much you love yourself and your baby. Happy motherhood! You are blessed.

A pregnancy journal is a diary that helps pregnant women knows their symptoms and experiences. It enabled you to keep track of your everyday moods. It can also act as a newsletter that gives you information on various topics related to pregnancy.

Today, these journals are available online as well. These are interactive and help you understand your pregnancy milestones. Using these online diaries, you can share your pregnancy period with loved ones. You can continue to maintain these journals even after the birth of your child and share the moments with your child when he or she is older.

Pregnancy Journals are available on topics like pregnancy diet, the probable due date, breastfeeding, week-by-week pregnancy details, advice for stay-at-home moms or working moms, and many more. These journals are filled with a lot of first hand information: from newly pregnant women to full-fledged moms that it becomes helpful for others in more ways than one.

Although no two pregnancies are alike, there is plenty of common ground. For women who are planning to conceive or have recently conceived, this information can be very beneficial for the beginning phase of the pregnancy.

What Does A Pregnancy Journal Contain?

It is an outlet for your feelings and emotions. It is a place where you can take refuge and write down every detail about your incredible journey. It is a personal diary where you can record small secrets: the names that you are considering for the baby, the tests that you have been through and other things. This can be used as a keepsake folder to store pictures, doctor’s notes, and nursery ideas.

You can record all the aspects and elements of your pregnancy such as baby updates, body updates, and mind updates.

During pregnancy, the most important record is that of your pregnancy diet plan. What you eat during pregnancy not only affects the health of your child during the nine months when it is a fetus but also in the later stages in life. Maintaining your daily diet in your journal lets you keep a check on every food item that you eat.

What You Can Write In A Pregnancy Journal

• The firsts: the first person you told the news to when you experienced symptoms of pregnancy, your first doctor’s visit, the first time you wore maternity clothes, and the like.

• Weekly weights and measurements

• Tests and their results

• Reactions to your developing body

• Questions to ask the doctor

• Pregnancy diet

• Cravings and mood swings

• Changes happening to the body and mind

A pregnancy journal is a day by day record of your pregnancy. It could act as a guide for your forthcoming pregnancies or for other women in your family that get pregnant at a later date.