Women, who are 23 weeks pregnant, find that they are carrying most of their weight in their shoulders, as well. Some have sought not only messages but acupuncture as a way of relieving this pressure. Learning when to relax, is very important at this stage of pregnancy. It can mean the difference between experiencing aches and pains or not.

Women 23 weeks pregnant notice a change in their posture, which can also be helped through acupuncture. It's not surprising when these issues occur, since her baby's activity has now picked up quite a bit. It is not strange for and expectant mom to even see the movement in her stomach as her little one stretches or kicks.

What's a pregnancy weekly calendar and how does one use it? A pregnancy calendar is a pregnancy week by week record of the changes taking place in your body, plus the pregnancy symptoms. With the help of this calendar, you can get more information about the different stages of pregnancy and what happens in each stage. This awareness is helpful in the pregnancy term, as it protects you from unnecessary anxiety and fear and lets you enjoy your pregnancy in peace.

Week twenty-one to twenty four

At this stage you will feel slight contractions as the uterus starts preparing for the delivery. Baby begins to practice breathing to be prepared for it at time of birth. The baby also develops fat deposits in order to regulate body temperature at the time of birth.

The second stage of pregnancy is the second trimester and is counted from the 16th to the 28th week. For most women, the emotions experienced tend to focus on preparations and the things you will need once the baby arrives. Certainly not all women, but most women will become excited about the upcoming delivery and the idea of having a baby during the second trimester.

The most common pregnancy symptoms-week five include sore breasts, fatigue and frequent urination. Some may begin to feel nauseous but for most women, this symptom becomes apparent in the coming weeks of their pregnancy. Most of the symptoms that you will experience on the first few weeks of conception would be very similar to the feeling you have when you are about to have your monthly period such as cramping and very sensitive breasts. You will also notice that you are unusually tired even though you're doing the same thing you have been doing for the last couple of months or so

Missed Period

For most women this can be the first indication that they are pregnant, but for the first few weeks of pregnancy you may experience cramping and have a feeling your period will arrive at any moment. Often the cramping is accompanied by back pain.Obviously, any cramping and bleeding, even if it is light, should be reported to your doctor.

Pregnancy Stages Month Six - The baby's growth slows down, he starts to have more control over his movements and his digestive and immune systems and lungs start to mature.

Read about week by week pregnancy and also read about pregnancy week 19 and pregnancy week 20

It doesn't matter whether you are 24 weeks pregnant or 25. What is important is that you have reached a commendable point in this journey. You have survived morning sickness, weight gain, and all of the other changes your body has presented. The progress you've made is proving to be par for the course as you await the next few weeks have in store for you. Expectant mothers 24 weeks pregnant will probably be experiencing stronger kicks from their baby than before. It's not hard to figure out why this is. The baby has lengthened and now weighs approximately one pound. He or she is enjoying the new found freedom of stretching, which may not be too much fun for you.

As mentioned earlier, you are past the morning sickness stage. Other than that, you can plan having a glucose tolerance test from your doctor. Weeks 24-28 are the times when you will be tested for gestational diabetes. This is critically important for both you and your baby. Your doctor will explain it in further detail, but this simple blood test will shed a light on any potential problem.One nice thing you can begin doing, if you haven't already, is to talk to your baby. They will now begin to recognize your voice and dad's as well. You can even sing songs to them or play music and they will sometimes let you know they like it. It is amazing to say the least.

Some women develop gestational diabetes, which is just what it sounds like. It will go away after the birth of your child but can cause your little one to grow too large, especially in the upper body, making a normal vaginal delivery difficult, if not impossible. It can also cause low blood sugar in your son or daughter right after birth. A positive GCT will not mean that she actually has gestational diabetes, but will signal the need for a GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test) to rule it out completely. This test can take a few hours and can be somewhat uncomfortable, only due to her having to drink that special 'glucose kool-aid' and wait around to have blood drawn, so your company would be greatly appreciated.

Pregnancy calendars are fun to use and, best of all, they are often free or cost a minimal amount. Many internet sources offer free downloads of pregnancy calendars and a simple online search will reveal dozens of choices. Most can be personalized and some websites will even send you e-mail alerts as important milestones draw near. Some pregnancy-related or Women's and Children's Health magazines offer a free pregnancy calendar to paid subscribers.

Towards the end of the 2nd trimester, pregnancy week 22 sees the foetus reach a length of around 25 to 28 cms and weigh in the region of 700 to 750 grams. The eye takes the form of a normal eye, with eyebrows and eyelashes. Air sacs form in the lungs and finger nails, fingerprints as well as footprints develop quite clearly. A normal hand, without webbing can be seen and it exhibits reflex motion.

Read about week by week pregnancy and also read about pregnancy week 21 and pregnancy week 22

Women who are 16 weeks pregnant are well into their second trimester. Most have already overcome the worst of the morning sickness phase. They are now at the point of actually being able to enjoy pregnancy. In these next couple weeks, women find they are transforming almost as much as their unborn child. At 16 weeks pregnant, you can expect a number of things to occur in your body. At officially four months, your uterus will be stretching and expanding. The blotchy skin season has long since passed and you are simply glowing! People notice your beauty and developing tummy.

Standard features of most pregnancy calendars include: how to take care of yourself throughout each stage of pregnancy; tips on how to meet increasing nutritional needs while staying physically fit; and how much weight you should gain during pregnancy. Some may also include a detailed outline of your baby's weekly development and instructions from the experts on how to ensure that you both progress the way that you should. Many pregnancy calendars can be customized to fit your own unique personality and include spaces for a diary and a record to important dates.

13th to 16th week

This is the time when you can determine the gender of your baby, although not always with complete accuracy. In the fourteenth week, you can hear the heartbeats of your baby with the help of a stethoscope. Also, you can feel the movements of your baby, as her bones harden.

A normal pregnancy usually stretches over 40 weeks. Pregnancy complication arises, if delivery happens before 37 weeks. This occurs when the foetus membrane ruptures untimely. Premature rupture of membrane (PROM) is the most common cause of premature birth and happens in about 10-20% pregnancies worldwide. Studies indicate that while vaginal infection, improper diet, etc., increase PROM risk, the deficiency of Vitamin C is a major contributor. Vitamin C, found in fruits and vegetables, is critical for the maintenance of foetal membrane.

Morning sickness

Despite the name, the nausea or vomiting you experience may occur at any time of day.This is one of the first symptoms you might experience. It may start as early as one week after conception, however, it typically 6 to 12 weeks

Slight spotting

when the embryo attaches to the lining of the uterus, it may disturb some of the lining which is shed as light pink or light brown spotting-much lighter than a normal period. This is normal and would happen about 8 - 10 days after ovulation (actually just a bit earlier than your period is due).

Tender/Swollen Breasts

Many women experience tender breasts even before/during their menstrual period, so sometimes this sign may not necessarily point to pregnancy. However, if other symptoms on this list are occurring, then this symptom is more likely to be related to pregnancy. This discomfort should decrease after 12 or 13 weeks as your body adjusts to the changes in hormone levels.

Nausea

This is a very common -- and awful -- early pregnancy symptom. Some lucky women don't experience nausea at all! "Morning sickness" is a deceiving term, because nausea can occur at any time of the day, and in some cases, it lasts ALL day! Nausea can last part of the pregnancy, and sometimes during the entire pregnancy.

Read about pregnancy week by week and also read about pregnancy week 17 and pregnancy week 18

Pregnancy Week 15

Your uterus can be felt about 3 or 4 inches below the navel. At pre-natal visits, "fundal height" will be measured, which is the distance between the top of the uterus to the pubic bone. The skin on the baby is almost transparent. Blood vessels can actually be seen through the skin. 'Lanugo' covers the baby's body, which is very fine hair.

There are various things happening to you during your pregnancy, which you may not be aware of right now. Here we have for you a detailed account of your pregnancy, week by week.

1. Lead a healthy lifestyle just prior to conception – this is vital to having a healthy child.
2. You may actually be pregnant already, if ovulation has taken place in you!
3. The tiny zygote tries to implant itself in your endometrial lining. You may experience some light implantation bleeding now.
4. Do you think you are pregnant? A urine test can confirm it by now.
5. Baby's heartbeat starts off as early as this week!
6. She is starting to develop – her little heart bulges outward from her chest.
7. Hand plates and nasal pits start forming now.
8. Baby's bones and internal genitalia start developing now.
9. Little toe rays start forming now!
10.hank goodness, baby loses her little tail now!

Know The Weekly Progress Of Your Child:
Pregnancy week by week developments should be discussed right from the stage when a woman’s body prepares itself by ovulating. In 14 days, the egg is fertilized into sperm. There will be rapid development in week 4, and it is during this stage that a woman realizes that she is pregnant. If you are interested in detailed pregnancy week by week maturity level of the child, then you must have heard that the primitive streak develops and through this primitive streak the cells usually expands into three layers. The bottom layer is responsible for the development of tongue, lung linings, associated glands and tonsils and so on. The middle layer outlines the muscles, heart, blood cells, excretory and reproduction system and so on. And the topmost layer, firms the skin, eye lens, tooth, mouth, anus, skin and all parts of the nervous system.

Preparing the uterus

While the donor’s ovaries are being stimulated, you will start preparing your uterus to receive the embryos. This means taking Lupron injections to prevent your ovaries from releasing an egg. Since Lupron also stops the production of estrogen and progesterone, you will need to take estrogen supplements to nourish and thicken your uterine lining. The development of your lining will be closely monitered via ultrasound or blood tests. As soon as the lining is approximately 7mm thick, you will stop the estrogen and take progesterone, the hormone that maintains the thickness of the lining and synchronizes the lining’s development with the growth of the embryos. Progesterone supplementation is usually continued until the 11th week of pregnancy.

Have the 40 weeks of week by week pregnancy begun? Am I pregnant? Is it time for paternity testing? If this is what you are thinking than taking a pregnancy test is on the cards.

Read about week by week pregnancy and also read about pregnancy week 13 and pregnancy week 14

Everywhere hurries and worries. The world complaining now – I am tired, need a break. Well, its true – we all need a break, a stop, a period that would relax us, that would act and prove to be a one that would revitalise us, fill up our lost energies and boost all of us – Give strength and again make us capable. Rest is not a bad idea, at all. Its one of the most important work, one can do, without doing anything.

1- Eat a well-balanced fertility diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. Also, drink plenty of pure filtered water daily, at least 6-8 glasses.

2 - Take a good multivitamin/multimineral prenatal supplement that includes at least 400 mcg of folic acid per daily serving.

3 - Utilize fertility herbs to help boost your chances of getting pregnant more quickly. Some helpful herbs include maca, spirulina, red raspberry leaf, and nettle.

4 - Relax and enjoy the time you have with your mate and try not to be too structured in your time together.

5 - lose weight if your BMI is 25 or greater.

6 - Don't forget about the male partner and the potential for male factor infertility. Sperm health is vital for a couple to conceive more quickly. Have a sperm analysis done to assure that male infertility is not an issue. The male partner should be taking just as much care with his diet and habits as the female partner.

The Kegel 8 Toners are designed to help women deal with often difficult and embarrassing incontinence. Incontinence is very common in women following childbirth or simply due to natural aging. For many years, doctors have advocated doing traditional "kegel exercises" which consist of a series of squeeze and release exercises of the vagina. There is an inherent problem with this though-when Doctor Kegel designed his now-famous exercises, he never intended that they be done on an empty vagina and he therefore taught women to exercise whilst a primitive version of some of today's manual pelvic toners in place.

The other reason to start your health, weight and exercise program prior to conception, is that pregnancy is no time to start anything new as it may cause unwanted stress to you and your baby. Any activity you are doing in the 6 months leading up to your pregnancy is generally ok to continue through the term of your pregnancy, however a visit to your Doctor or Obstetrician is always recommended to discuss the appropriateness of your activities and the intensity at which you should be training through the different stages of your pregnancy.

It is the dream of every woman to become the mother. Motherhood is the immortal part of the woman’s life. Woman once get married, want to start the family. It is like a dream come true for a woman when she becomes pregnant. Pregnancy is a fulfilling experience for every woman. Every woman wants to enjoy the experience the pregnancy and wants to be the mother.

Read about pregnancy week by week and also read about pregnancy week 11 and pregnancy week 12

Pregnancy week by week tracking tools or calendars are great tools for keeping track of your baby’s growth during pregnancy. Also, you can acquire knowledge of different early pregnancy symptoms or signs of pregnancy.Most of the pregnancy calendars or guides chart baby’s growth during pregnancy week by week. Though the baby continues to grow with every passing day, but changes and development of baby usually becomes manifest over a week’s time. Therefore, the complete pregnancy period has been divided into three trimesters comprising 40 weeks.

It is generally recommended to seek the professional opinion of competent doctors to assess the ideal range of sperm count for you. Take note that more is not always applicable in all situations. But in cases of low count, there are methods that will show you how to produce more sperm the healthy way.

So for men who are thinking of settling down and starting a family, it's generally recommended to have your sperm count checked out soon. What if you belong to the low count range? Can you change your lifestyle to boost sperm production? What are the known effective and natural ways on how to produce more sperm? Which one to choose that's safe, healthy and aligned to your budget?

During pregnancy, a woman’s cardiovascular system is stressed, which can worsen any existing heart disease. As a matter of fact, women who have an existing heart disorder are commonly advised to go slow and be careful in getting pregnant because of complications it can cause. During the early part of pregnancy, mild heart disorders may be experienced. By the 34th week of pregnancy, cardiac output can increase by as much as 50 percent. Up to the time of labor, the cardiac output of a pregnant woman increases by about 20 percent with each contraction. It is during this time when a pregnant woman with severe heart disorders is at the greatest danger from death.

1 - Avoid smoking, drugs, alcohol, and caffeine.

2 - Exercise at least 30 minutes 5 times per week, preferrably doing something you enjoy. Walking
is a great exercise as well as swimming or aerobics.

3 - Intercourse timing - Know your ovulation dates and have baby making sex in the days up to and
including your ovulation day. If you just have intercourse whenever you feel like it, you can
still become pregnant, but it's better to focus on the best times to get pregnant in order to
get pregnant faster.

4 - The best sexual position for conception seems to be the missionary (man on top) position, although there are plenty of other positions in which women have gotten pregnant. This position gives the sperm a better chance to reach their destination - the awaiting egg.

The other reason to start your health, weight and exercise program prior to conception, is that pregnancy is no time to start anything new as it may cause unwanted stress to you and your baby. Any activity you are doing in the 6 months leading up to your pregnancy is generally ok to continue through the term of your pregnancy, however a visit to your Doctor or Obstetrician is always recommended to discuss the appropriateness of your activities and the intensity at which you should be training through the different stages of your pregnancy.

Read about Week By Week Pregnancy and also read about pregnancy week 9 and pregnancy week 10

Swaddling is believed to lower the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It can be a great method to calm your baby. At three months, the risk of SIDS is greatest. Traditional swaddling techniques help a baby escape these risks because they give him a more comfortable and stable position while asleep. A baby is also believed to sleep at a longer time when swaddled because it prevents the sudden movements of a sleeping baby that can rouse him in the middle of his sleep. The quality and length of his sleep improves. Aside from that, the mother can also get longer sleep and rest.

Swaddling works because babies are born too soon! You'd think that nine months would be long enough but all those complex neurological processes really need longer to mature (about three months or more). Babies need to be born at nine months otherwise their heads become too large to pass through their mother's pelvis.As a result babies are born at a time when they aren't quite ready for the outside world.

Swaddling babies a very popular tradition around the world in many countries, but less common in North American or western European families. Pediatricians have been researching the affect that swaddling has on your baby and have been astonished at the results. They have found that what we in North America call "colic", simply does not exist in most countries. Why? Because they resolve the problem of their crying baby by swaddling them firmly in a blanket to give them a sense of security.

Many babies however are still settled to sleep in this way because parents feel that they settle better and cry less. It was suggested that perhaps this reported level of increased responsiveness to the outside environment made SIDS less likely although further larger studies would be needed to confirm this. Because the sample of babies involved in the research was small it is not possible to make any general recommendations but the study was interesting because it at least showed that there were possibilities of promoting better sleep and increased responsiveness with the potential of providing increased protection against SIDS.

Place a large receiving blanket on a flat secure surface such as your bed, the floor, or your changing table. Make sure you lay the blanket out so that one corner points directly North in front of you and the blankets four corners look like a diamond laid out in front of you.Take the North corner and fold it down several inches to form a triangle and place the babies head just above the triangular corner you just folded down.Take the East corner of the blanket and wrap it around your babies body and tuck it under the right side of their back.

A baby blanket is a very popular baby shower gift. Today there is a nice selection of unique baby blankets out there that range in price from ten to two hundred dollars, depending on the brand, style, baby blankets crocheted, and size.Some blankets come with feet. You wrap or swaddle baby five different ways. It is designed for the baby on the go and works well for car seats, swings, ans strollers.

Read about parenting tips and also read about cooing baby and baby reactions

Having and raising a baby is undoubtedly both the most difficult and rewarding of women's life experiences. During the year after we give birth, women's bodies are still recuperating, our hormones are fluctuating, and our schedules - if we manage to have even a semblance of one - are topsy-turvy at best. Each of these factors is exacerbated whenever we are traveling with our babies.

Some people (likely those who have never had children or whose children are older) think we're nuts to travel with our babies. But, even though we've given birth, life marches on. There are new grandparents to visit and vacations to take and sometimes, we're even faced with taking our babies on business trips.

Of course, the most important thing to bring is nourishment for your baby. If you're still breastfeeding, that makes things easier. However, if you're uncomfortable with nursing in public, you may want to bring along bottles and formula to tide you over while in transit. If you use a breast-pump, don't forget to pack it. Make sure you bring an extra bottle or two, and it never hurts to have a few extra nipples (for the bottles!). If your baby is eating solid foods, bring some things for him or her to nosh on - crackers, teething biscuits and the like. Don't forget feeding utensils and jars of food. Finally, if your baby uses a sippy cup, make sure you bring it along too.

There are certain supplies that are essential for any trip with your baby. The most important, of course, is enough food and milk for the journey. Always pack more than you think you'll need and include plenty of finger foods if your baby is old enough -- these are great for helping to keep him occupied! If you are breastfeeding and need to express milk, you can store it in a cooler, with ice, for up to 24 hours. You can also store bottles of pre-made formula in the same way -- alternatively, you can add pre-measured powdered formula to the bottles, then top it up with cooled, boiled water as required.

If you're planning a trip to a hotel or house with a pool, make sure you've thought of how you will monitor your child 100% of the time. A leisurely vacation can be spoiled if you're worried all the time about losing a child to a pool accident, the second largest cause of death in small children. Also, make sure to adequately plan for the sun, with lots of sunscreen, hats, and clothing that covers all the body or shades the baby. Now is a good time to double check your car seat if you're planning a long trip.

Keep Nursing: Many mothers feel they should stop nursing when they go on vacation. This can be one of the worse things you can do before vacation. If your baby is still nursing before you go on vacation, changing over to strictly bottle feeding can be very emotionally taxing on them. It's better to allow them the comfort of breast feeding to help calm their vacation anxiety.

Read about Week By Week Pregnancy and also read about cranky baby and baby first weeks

The objective of the idea of infant potty training is to toilet train the infant at such a very young age, even beginning the training from birth. It has caused some opposing views on the topic. Most experts from the medical field agree that at this stage, the infant is not yet physically ready for the development required to really learn to control the bladder movement. In this method, it is mostly the parent who is taught how to hold the infant on until the infant successfully goes.

In a nutshell, Infant Potty Training is a cooperative process involving managing baby's hygiene usually in combination with cloth diapers. Diapers are used casually as needed with this approach, often part-time. Training pants and diaper-free time and specialized EC pants are also used. Toilet training a toddler is a goal oriented activity involving weaning from diapers quickly after a child has worn diapers full-time for two or three years. In this article I'll use the analogy of baby swimming lessons to help you have an "Aha!" moment regarding the core difference between the two approaches.

Infant potty training is a bit of a mis-nomer - simply worded that way to make it at least accessible to those curious about what mothers did before diapers were an option. It is 'training' in the sense of guidance, gentle learning and support...

In reality, Infant Potty Training is not about 'potty training' and it is nothing like what you do with a toddler who has been trained to pee and poo in their own clothes for several years. (rewards, charts, expecting them to go there and do it all themselves)

So, whether or not it is the actual discomfort associated with having a wet or dirty diaper or not, the rash that frequently accompanies it is enough to make them cry. Once the baby is potty training, there is little need to wear a diaper.

Infant Potty Training is no different to your baby gradually learning to walk, in the sense that they are gradually developing their awareness and skills related to toilet use - with our loving assistance and guidance. As with encouraging your baby to move with excitement at their attempts at wriggling, rolling and creeping, with Infant Potty Training, it's the same. You simply offer your baby the opportunity to regularly use a toilet place, knowing they won't be able to independently use it, yet they can gesture, indicate their desire to use it from quite young. It won't be all the time - just as they will fall when learning to crawl, then walk.

Moms are always busy. There's cooking to do and minding the house and husband apart from keeping an eye on the baby and if mom is employed, the likelihood of potty training an infant seems remote. If this stops you from infant potty training, these simple tips will ease your load and help you manage baby's potty time.

The first few weeks will be difficult because you and baby need rest. But this time can be best used to observe baby's elimination schedule.

Read about parenting tips and also read about infant baby stroller and sex after childbirth

There are all kinds of baby toys and toddler toys and games on the market today. You name an age or age bracket and they have toys and games that fit right in. From infancy when we get our first baby toys, to adulthood when our toys come in many different forms and the games we play are sometimes something other than the traditional board games.

Hand-Eye coordination is the ability to see and grab objects. At the age of four months your baby's hand-eye coordination is beginning to develop. Your baby will grab at objects, and try to pick them up. Don't worry, he will master this quickly. Around five to six months your baby will learn how to reach for a baby toy, perhaps a baby block, grasp it, and hold onto it. Around seven months, your baby will learn how to drop that toy when he is done playing with it.

Well one of the first thing you want out of your baby toys is safety. Recent problems with toys made in China containing lead paint have once again brought to our attention the importance of knowing what you buy.

The baby toys you choose for your baby should fit your baby's personality and the type of stimulation they enjoy. Each baby develops at a different level, likes to do different things, and each also has their own frustration points. You know your baby better than anyone else, so don't worry you will make the right choices with just a little help.

When you are picking out toys for your baby, no doubt you want to purchase toys that your little one will love. However, there is a lot that will go into the decision of which baby toys to purchase. You see, there is much to consider, such as the price, the safety, your baby's development, and a whole lot more. If you're a bit nervous about picking out the best safe baby toys for your new baby, then here are a few great tips that will help you make the right decision.

Waah Waah Waah! The baby is crying again. Have you ever had second thoughts about having had that baby? Maybe you are frustrated because of the new addition to the family. Some people have to juggle between the baby at home and the stress from work outside. Not to mention with the baby comes added expenses. Medical bills, hospital bills, bills for clothes and equipment and you feel so stressed out! Even worse when this is your first born. You got no clue how to handle the baby! Changing diapers becomes a challenge, understanding what the baby is trying to say when she is crying and even knowing the proper methods to feed the baby is a test. And all this is driving you crazy.

It is important to choose baby toys according to your baby's interest. In usual cases, for kids under 18 months like mobiles, soft books, noisemakers, busy boxes, activity tables, stacking toys and push-and-pull toys. However, it is important for you to observe your baby's preference, and notice what interests your child. Does he like to pretend to drive a vehicle? Does she like to build with blocks?

Read about parenting tips and also read about infant walker and baby travel seat