5 Great Snacks for Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time when you may think about your nutrition more than before. In previous years, we've told women that they were eating for two. This lead to many women consuming way too many calories, not to mention lots of junk food. This put a strain on their health and that of their babies.

Now research has shown that pregnant moms need about 1 extra snack per day to help grow a healthy baby. That works out to about 300 extra calories per day. The hard part is deciding how to spend those calories every day. Obviously they can be used to eat a candy bar or choose snacks that pack a nutritional punch.

Protein is a great choice for a snack because it is the building block for every cell. It also helps many moms when they are feeling fatigued or even nauseated. Some moms go for fiber to help decrease some of the more common but uncomfortable symptoms of pregnancy like constipation. There are plenty of ways to spend the extra calories. Here are some of my favorite snack combinations:

Crackers and cheese.
This is a great way to get some protein and fiber. I loved being able to eat a few slices of cheese with some nice whole grain crackers. It was also fun to try lots of different crackers, even trying some of the newer version of old favorites that have less fat.

Nuts.
A bag full of nuts was always handy to have around and it did not require preparation or refrigeration. There were times in pregnancy I had specific cravings, like almonds or pecans, but usually I could eat almost any type of nut available. These are great protein powerhouses.

Fresh fruit.

Every morning you could grab an extra piece of fruit for your desk. An apple, banana or orange requires very little thought or preparation. I am fond of the mandarin oranges. Now you can find fruit cups almost every where in the grab and go sections of stores.

Hard boiled eggs.
These are compact snacks to carry with you, but do require a fridge. If you like these, they can be an easy way to increase your protein. Some moms I know also swear by their ability to quell morning sickness.

Dips and sticks.
Carrot sticks and celery are great. But today we often use broccoli and other veggies with dips. Try bean dips, humus and other fun sauces on your vegetables.

adapted from Robin Elise Weiss

Exercise & Pregnancy

Exercise is of benefit to anyone. Pregnant women are no exception.

Some studies have shown that exercise can reduce the length of labor, shorten the recovery time, and even help with postpartum weight management.

The fact that we need to exercise is not in question. The bigger questions is how and when do we exercise? Life has everyone a bit more hectic than we used to be, not to mention lots of convenience items to "help" us out.

No longer do we need to walk in the airport, climb stairs in the mall, or walk the lawn mower, we have machines to help us out. Not only are we not getting our regular exercise but our daily activities are more likely to be desk related.

There are quite a few ways to get some easy exercise into your day:

Take the stairs whenever possible.
Park further away and walk to stores.
Walk to do short errands.
Use a video if you can't get to the gym.
Walk around the house or up and down stairs while commercials are on television.
Schedule your workout like any other appointment.
Get up to change the television channels.
Use a push mower or vacuuming your house.

Tip by Robin Elise Weiss

Mother-to-be: Stay Pretty & Healthy! - Serie 1

Last Monday, I've got an sms from Dee...Sis, are you going to class this Wednesday?, Can I go with you?..not well..in my early pregnancy stage..afraid anything might happen if I took a long drive to class...

Alhamdulillah...after a six years marriage..things turn so great for Dee...She's going to be a mother...And she is now facing a new cycle in her life as a woman. Later, when we met on that Wednesday evening, I shared my experienced of carrying four babies for 9 months+ with her...

Like most women, she has to face the morning sickness, and many other "pregnant women sickness". Her doctor advised her not to do hard and heavy works, since her womb condition doesn't allow her to do so.

Pity her very much. I didn't face much problem through out my four pregnancy stage before..I can play netball when I was four months pregnant, I still engaged myself in ten-pin bowling and won in a tournament, when I was 7 months pregnant, and I still do my swimming routine up to my 9 months pregnancy. I didn't suffer from any morning sickness and I can do anything that a non-pregnant ladies do. I was so healthy throughout all my four pregnancy. Alhamdulillah.

Most pregnant ladies, will experienced an uncomfortable feeling, feeling unhealthy and uneasy when they get pregnant. Some will face the problem at their earlier stage of pregnancy and some have to go through it all the way. Anything can happen, to the extend, some got their hypertension and diabetes when they get pregnant.. Thus, ladies...you need to be prepared..physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually when you decide to get pregnant and when you got pregnant.

First and foremost..don't be afraid to get pregnant! Some ladies are so afraid to get pregnant, on the fact that..they're afraid they could not maintain their beautiful figure after they give birth..Nonsense!..You can always get back your beautiful figure...if you do the right thing..at the right way... I am a mother of four in my late 30's..People sometimes mistakenly thought that I am not married, I am at in my late 20's or early 30's...Alhamdulillah...When there's a will...There will be always a way....

Secondly, for those who suffer from the morning sickness problem..always make sure that..you have a good rest and a good night sleep. Try avoiding oily, greasy, fatty, and spicy food. This will make your problem becomes worst. You will not only throw out all you eat in the morning..but at any time you feel nausea...Drink a lot of water and eat more fruit..to replace the fluid that you loss when you throw out everything that you ate before.

Thirdly, remember...you are not eating for two..you are still eating for one..We can see, sometimes pregnant ladies seem to have a big appetite and tend to eat more and more....The normal change in weight for a pregnant lady is between 11 to 15 kg from their normal weight. With an ideal weight range of 52-54 kg.....My heighest pregnancy weight is 65kg..that is when I had my second child, that was born with a 2.9kg weight...I had friends that incurred more than 20kg extra weight than their normal weight..when they got pregnant. This is what happen, when you hold to the myth that you should eat for two when you are pregnant....ONE THING FOR SURE is..you cannot eat for two...BUT..you have to eat REGULAR..at a small portion of serving...this is how you overcome the problem of feeling hungry and having big appetite when you are pregnant...If not...don't blame your hereditary medical history...when you got hypertension or diabetes....A friend told me..my mother is a High BP patient..so I am going to get it anyway...and she got it when she got pregnant...Looking at the way she ate..and enjoyed her food during her pregnancy...I told myself..it is not the hereditary mistakes..it is her will and her effort to get the same fate......Our Almighty Creator has already told us that..He is not going to change one's fate, if one does not try and work out to come out from his bad fate...Things can be change..It's your effort to change things..and come back and pray to The Almighty to grant your wishes.

Fourth, you still need to exercise....Who says a pregnant lady can't exercise!!!! The myth...it will harm your baby....So I am going to lie on bed..watching tv..eating my favourite food and more and more food..since I have to have a good rest..for it will harm my baby if I go for a workout..Unless your doctor told you..that you are not advisable to do a hard and heavy work..since you suffer from this and that problem...you can't simply left the exercise routine..On the hand, those who cannot engaged themselves in hard and heavy work..can still do a simple and low impact exercise routine to stay healthy. Those with problems can still go for a light stretching and warming up..as to make sure that..you won't have to worry that you are going to get muscle and join aches..doing nothing at all to keep yourself moving..Here are some exercises that will help you stay fit during your pregnancy.

Stretching Exercises
Stretching exercise make the muscles limber and warm. Here are some simple stretches you can perform before or after exercise.

Neck rotation. Relax your neck and shoulders. Drop your head forward. Slowly rotate your head to your right shoulder, back to the middle and over the left shoulder. Complete four, slow rotations in each direction.


Shoulder rotation. Bring your shoulders forward and then rotate them up toward your ears and then back down. Do four rotations in each direction.

Swim. Place your arms at your sides. Bring your right arm up and extend your body forward and twist to the side, as if swimming the crawl stroke. Follow with left arm. Do the sequence ten times.

Thigh shift. Stand with one foot about two feet in front of the other, toes pointed in the same direction. Lean forward, supporting your weight on the forward thigh. Change sides and repeat. Do four on each side.

Leg shake. Sit with your legs and feet extended. Move the legs up and down in a gentle shaking motion.

Ankle rotation. Sit with your legs extended and keep your toes relaxed. Rotate your feet, making large circles. Use your whole foot and ankle. Rotate four times on the right and four times on the left.

Remember: Consult with your Doctor and Trainer before you start with any type of exercise. They can advise you on the guidelines, based on your medical history.


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