Kegel exercises are very important for each woman to maintain strength of the pelvic floor which supports the uterus, bladder and bowel.
Here is an easy "how to""
***Find the right muscles. Insert a finger inside your vagina and try to squeeze the surrounding muscles. You should feel your vagina tighten and your pelvic floor move upward. Then relax your muscles and feel your pelvic floor return to the starting position. You can also try to stop the flow of urine when you urinate. If you succeed, you've got the basic move. Don't make a habit of starting and stopping your urine stream, though. Doing Kegel exercises with a full bladder or while emptying your bladder can actually weaken the muscles, as well as lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder — which increases the risk of a urinary tract infection.
***Perfect your technique. Once you've identified your pelvic floor muscles, empty your bladder and sit or lie down. Contract your pelvic floor muscles, hold the contraction for five seconds, then relax for five seconds. Try it four or five times in a row. Work up to keeping the muscles contracted for 10 seconds at a time, relaxing for 10 seconds between contractions.
***Maintain your focus. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles. Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. Avoid holding your breath. Instead, breathe freely during the exercises.
***Repeat three times a day. Aim for at least three sets of 10 repetitions a day. You might make a practice of fitting in a set every time you do a routine task, such as checking email, commuting to work, preparing meals or watching TV.
for original article and more reading click here: mayoclinic.com
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Have a Happy, Successful Marriage before & after Baby...
Dr. John Gottman, leading marriage and parenting researcher, has conducted over 40 years of work with thousands of couples. His work on marital stability has revealed a short list that we can call the John Gottman's 6 Signs of Divorce.
Certainly, getting married and taking your relationship to a new level is sure to bring a more complex set of expectations for our partner and for ourselves. When horomonal changes test communication and anxieties about growing your family by introducing a new baby into the world, it may be helpful to keep in mind these 6 Signs of Divorce as a "Don't Do" guide. Most certainly, every marriage has ups and downs. So if you find yourself settling into bad relationship habits, you can feel confident in referring to this list to guide your behavior back to more positive interactions.
1) Startup - The way you START a conversation, is the way your conversation will most likely end. If you're trying to bring up a difficult subject for discussion, try starting it in a positive way rather than starting the conversation with a criticism or with a negative comment.
2) 4 C's - Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, Stonewalling. Usually, these 4 attitudes and behaviors will come hand in hand. But, even if you find yourself feeling or engaging in one of these behaviors, it may be a good idea to take some time and reevaluate the root of your feelings. (Criticism is attacking the person rather than the problem.) (Contempt is expressing disgust of the other person.) (Defensiveness is turning blame on the other person while shining light on yourself.) (Stonewalling is tuning the other person out and failing to acknowledge or respond to them.)
3) Flooding - If the relationship communication is no longer productive, one or more person may feel a flood of helpless helplessness due to feelings of negativity and inability to find solutions. This will never produce a happy marriage or promote your relationship.
4) Body Language - This is so important in maintaining intimacy in relationships. When your partner speaks to you, turn your body toward them! Look them in the eyes! When you use good body language by actually stopping your current activities to listen to your partner, the communication will feel and BE so much deeper than just communicating in passing. On the flip side, be sure to monitor these other, negative signs that your body language needs some improvement during an argument or discussion: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, perspiration, secretion of adrenaline & the feeling of "fight or flight" (feelings that you have to argue or leave the conversation immediately with the inability to de-escalate the situation).
5) Failed Repair Attempts - When you and your partner repeatedly attempt to solve a particular problem and a solution is not reached, this sets a no-comprimise habit in the relationship that can be very dangerous to the marriage and very difficult to break. Be sure to avoid the "I'm always right" or "My way or the highway" types of feelings.
6) Bad Memories - Do you know couples that, when reflecting on their relationship, they can never remember when they were "happy and in love"? It's very important to create happy memories each and every day - go on vacations, take special times to talk on the phone on your lunch break, write love notes and do little things that show caring and love such as back rubs and breakfast in bed.
Certainly, getting married and taking your relationship to a new level is sure to bring a more complex set of expectations for our partner and for ourselves. When horomonal changes test communication and anxieties about growing your family by introducing a new baby into the world, it may be helpful to keep in mind these 6 Signs of Divorce as a "Don't Do" guide. Most certainly, every marriage has ups and downs. So if you find yourself settling into bad relationship habits, you can feel confident in referring to this list to guide your behavior back to more positive interactions.
1) Startup - The way you START a conversation, is the way your conversation will most likely end. If you're trying to bring up a difficult subject for discussion, try starting it in a positive way rather than starting the conversation with a criticism or with a negative comment.
2) 4 C's - Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, Stonewalling. Usually, these 4 attitudes and behaviors will come hand in hand. But, even if you find yourself feeling or engaging in one of these behaviors, it may be a good idea to take some time and reevaluate the root of your feelings. (Criticism is attacking the person rather than the problem.) (Contempt is expressing disgust of the other person.) (Defensiveness is turning blame on the other person while shining light on yourself.) (Stonewalling is tuning the other person out and failing to acknowledge or respond to them.)
3) Flooding - If the relationship communication is no longer productive, one or more person may feel a flood of helpless helplessness due to feelings of negativity and inability to find solutions. This will never produce a happy marriage or promote your relationship.
4) Body Language - This is so important in maintaining intimacy in relationships. When your partner speaks to you, turn your body toward them! Look them in the eyes! When you use good body language by actually stopping your current activities to listen to your partner, the communication will feel and BE so much deeper than just communicating in passing. On the flip side, be sure to monitor these other, negative signs that your body language needs some improvement during an argument or discussion: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, perspiration, secretion of adrenaline & the feeling of "fight or flight" (feelings that you have to argue or leave the conversation immediately with the inability to de-escalate the situation).
5) Failed Repair Attempts - When you and your partner repeatedly attempt to solve a particular problem and a solution is not reached, this sets a no-comprimise habit in the relationship that can be very dangerous to the marriage and very difficult to break. Be sure to avoid the "I'm always right" or "My way or the highway" types of feelings.
6) Bad Memories - Do you know couples that, when reflecting on their relationship, they can never remember when they were "happy and in love"? It's very important to create happy memories each and every day - go on vacations, take special times to talk on the phone on your lunch break, write love notes and do little things that show caring and love such as back rubs and breakfast in bed.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Food Safety & Vegetarian Alternatives during Pregnancy
If you're thinking of making changes to your diet during pregnancy, it's always important to discuss these changes with your ob/gyn. Here are a couple of articles for further reading on diet changes and making sure your diet is as safe as possible for the unborn baby. Food Safety article, click here. Vegetarian Alternatives article, click here.
Maternal Benefits of Breastfeeding - Lowered Blood Pressure & Stabilization of Blood Sugar
Breastfeeding has so many benefits for both the baby and for the mother. I found a wonderful article discussing new reserach findings related to the important benefits of mothers who were diagnosed as high risk due to preeclampsia or gestational diabetes during pregnancy. To read on, just click here.
Ed, Allergies, Acupuncture and Pregnancy
While doing some Sunday reading online, I came across this article written by Jeanne Faulkner, RN, on fitpregnancy.com. I thought it was so sweet! And it has some great recommendations for pregnant pet lovers with allergies. To read on, just click here.
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