Selection of food

If you are pregnant then you should select foods which are fibrous such as whole grain, rice, cereals, vegetables and fruits. Dairy products are rich in calcium and fruits and vegetables offer you necessary vitamins and minerals for your baby. If you eat a variety of vegetables and fruits, this will fulfill all the vitamin needs of your baby. An overweight woman when pregnant, should avoid foods that are rich in fat and cholesterol.

Quantity of food

6 to 11 serving of grains and bread are advised during pregnancy. Three servings of protein sources like eggs, fish, meat or poultry is enough. You should take four servings of dairy products, three to five servings of fruits and four or more than four servings of vegetables. Avoid eating too much sweet and fat.

Exercise regularly and avoid fast foods

Since you are overweight, try to exercise regularly. There are instructors who will teach you correct exercises which you can practice in pregnancy. This will not only keep your weight in control but will also keep the baby healthy. Avoid eating fast food. These fattening foods will just add to your weight and will not meet your nutrition requirements. By eating fast foods you get full very soon and therefore, cut on the regular meals. That is why it is recommended to avoid junk food which is rich in oil and unhealthy.

Pain of not being able to bear a child

A woman in Mali is as vulnerable to people’s comments, as in other parts of the world, if not able to bear a child. The woman tries every power in her range to get pregnant but in some cases it is simply not possible.

The ground reality

Mali has a polygamous society. In case the first wife is not able to bear a child, the husband may think of going in for second wife. The reason put forward is the urgency to start a family and in such cases the woman has little choice than to accept the other woman in her husband’s life.

Health issues with women in Mali

Lack of dispensaries and hospitals in villages make things complicated for women in Mali. The antenatal consultations need to be done at Sanankoroba (the local dispensary). However, as these rural dispensaries are located far off from the villages, women avoid traveling and suffer in silence.

The women are encouraged to be at the hospital in the first month of pregnancy. The doctors provide mosquito nets and medicines to women, so that malaria can be minimized, saving precious lives. Sadly, not much women follow this professional advise, thereby risking their, and the unborn babies’ life. Ladies in Mali are inclined to give birth to young child at home. This can put the life of the mother and child at risk.

Government in Mali is making its best efforts to ensure the need of safe pregnancy for all women. The situation is changing for the better and with increasing awareness on part of women, thinks are looking better.

There are certain medications which are harmful during pregnancy period and should be best avoided.

1. Oral tetracyclines: Tetracycline, doxycycline and minocycline are best to avoid as they does not do any good to both the mother and the child. Breast feeding or pregnant mothers must not consume such drugs as they has been proved harmful. Those drugs are also proved to have side effects like weakness of the bones and discoloration of teeth.

2. Hormonal Treatment: Estrogen, spirolactone and flutamide are included in the hormonal treatment. These type of medications are strictly not allowed for pregnant women as they could be dangerous to both the mother and the baby.

3. Isotretinoin: Drugs such as Isotretinoin could be the reason of various health Complications in a pregnant women. These type of drugs should be taken only under doctor’s advice or should be best avoided. The drugs has more of negative effects than positive.

4. Topical retinoids: Therapies containing drugs such as adapalene, tretinoin, tazarotene should be entirely avoided even if you are pregnant or not. It is wise not to undergo such treatments during pregnancy as it is dangerous for your baby.

In the pregnancy period, a woman must take extra care of herself. To keep your skin healthy and acne free, it is best to wash your face three four times daily. Include lots of fruits, vegetables in your diet and avoid oily and spicy food. While pregnant, you must equip yourself with the right information or consult a dermatologist for further details.

Here you are, pregnant and about to tread the most important threshold of life after taking so many anxious steps of finding the right partner and getting married, and all that you can do now is cling to the washbasin or toilet bowl. Not exactly how you wanted to announce to the world about your pregnancy right? But hold on. After the first trimester it passes off. Of course those 12 to 15 weeks feel like centuries, but you can try and manage this period with a few tricks,

1. Don’t get up and plunge into activity

Learn to lie down in bed even after you wake up and munch slowly on some crackers to quell the bile. Set the alarm an hour earlier to help you get up leisurely.

2. Have small frequent meals

Experts say that morning sickness is caused by the hormonal changes and these hormones make digestion sluggish. Small meals taken frequently are helpful. Keep snacks or fruits handy to keep your stomach engaged at all times.

3. Pamper your tastebuds

For once you can yield to temptation and eat whatever you feel like without worrying about diets and nutrition. But do keep away from fatty or greasy food.

4. Wear Sea bands

Wrist bands that press on acupressure points for nausea have proven to be effective. They are now available in pharmacies. You can do it yourself too. Tape a dried kidney bean on the inside of your forearm about 10 cm from the wrist and leave it till you feel better.

Last but not the least, try the yoga tongue pull. Hold the tongue using a clean, dry napkin. Pull it out keeping it straight for about 30 seconds or till the muscle feels strained and painful. It seems outlandish and looks horrendous but it works. Even if it doesn’t, do it in front of the mirror and have a good laugh. Maybe that will do the trick.

Before building a perception that you are infertile you should have proper knowledge about the right time to try for a baby. It may take time to get pregnant but in the meanwhile one should not develop prejudices about being infertile. Keep patience and adapt methods to get pregnant faster. Here is how you can do it.

Tab over Menstrual cycle

You should be first alert about your menstrual cycle in order to get pregnant. You can get pregnant when you start menstruating. Ovulation is a short period of opportunity every month when there is expulsion of an ovum from the ovary. The time period of ovulation is from 12 to 24 hours and this is the best time for fertilization. This is the time when you can get pregnant. This process of ovulation occurs in between the menstrual cycle. An average menstrual cycle is of 28 days to 35 days and your cycle can vary from month to month. If you keep a menstrual calendar it can be easy for you to trace the ovulation period.

Sperm analysis

Sperms stay around for a longer period of time from four to six days and can be alive to fertilize the egg. Hence, if you have had sex few days before ovulation, that would mean there is enough chances for you to get pregnant. Do not forget, it takes only one sperm to form a baby. Indeed it is most ideal if you have sex on the day you ovulate to get pregnant. It is the process of your own body, you can definitely sense it if you are a little alert.

Age factor counts

Your fertility or the ability to get pregnant is the best before you are 30. However, when you are settled and can manage a secure life for your baby, it is a proper age for you to get pregnant. If you calculate the ovulation period properly and hit the nail on the right time, you will definitely be able to get pregnant faster.