Early Signs of Pregnancy

The following are common early signs of pregnancy. However, symptoms of pregnancy are not the same for every woman. In fact, your own symptoms may actually be different from one pregnancy to another. Pregnancy symptoms can also vary in their intensity, frequency and duration. The following early signs and symptoms of pregnancy checklist is only a guideline.

1. Missed Period
   Perhaps the most obvious early symptom of pregnancy is when you've missed your period. This possible sign of pregnancy is often what causes women to search for more details about the other pregnancy symptoms. Some women might only experience a much lighter period compared to their usual. You might not experience any of the pregnancy signs listed below until around the time you notice you've missed your monthly cycle.
2. Breast Tenderness
   One of the very noticeable early signs of pregnancy is tender, swollen, somewhat sore breasts. You may notice this pregnancy sign at bedtime when you are trying to get comfortable and go to sleep, when exercising or showering, or when getting dressed.
   When you become pregnant, your body begins preparing your breasts for producing milk and breastfeeding. Hormones start increasing. In addition to breast tenderness and swelling, your nipples may feel sore or extra sensitive. Some women notice their nipples darken in color.
   Your breasts play an important role in childbirth. They are naturally sensitive and become far more so when pregnant. This is one of the most obvious early symptoms of pregnancy.
3. Fatigue
   One of the earliest pregnancy signs for some women may be fatigue and exhaustion. You may start going to bed sooner, or find it harder than usual to get out of bed in the morning. If you are working, by noon you may feel like you need to lie down. Exercising seems like too much effort. A simple activity like shopping may leave you feeling wiped out and lightheaded. This early pregnancy symptom is caused by all of the changes that your body is going through, plus the increasing levels of hormones.
4. Frequent Urination
   An early symptom of pregnancy that others may notice you experiencing is frequent trips to the restroom. Your family or friends may comment that you seem to be going off to the ladies room quite often lately. One cause of this pregnancy symptom is that the swelling uterus can put pressure on your bladder.
   Also, pregnancy causes extra body fluids to be processed by your kidneys and bladder. That means more trips to the restroom. Sorry to have to say this, but this symptom of pregnancy may remain constant for nine months.
5. Nausea
   One of these pregnancy signs of queasiness, nausea and vomiting can take you by surprise when you least expect it. These early pregnancy symptoms may come as soon as a week into the pregnancy. Many women experience nausea in the morning when they have coffee and/or eat something on an empty stomach. This is known as morning sickness (see below). Other women notice nausea in the afternoon or evening. Others feel queasy all day.
   This pregnancy symptom may often be helped by eating smaller, more frequent snack size meals. Many women say saltine crackers and milk seem to be helpful. This is an early symptom of pregnancy that seems to show up about a month after pregnancy has begun. It tends to level off once you are into your second trimester and your body adjusts to all the many changes it is going through.
6. Dizziness and/or Fainting
   One of the more surprising pregnancy signs is dizziness and/or fainting. Going up stairs, standing up suddenly after sitting for a time, or just having to stand in line at the grocery store can make you feel light headed. You might even faint. As the uterus swells it compresses arteries in your legs. This can drop your blood pressure and make you dizzy.
   A common early sign of pregnancy is that you may feel faint when you have gone a while without eating. This is due to low blood sugar, because that is your baby's main source of food. You want to eat frequent, healthy snacks to keep your blood sugar up. Stock up on portable lunch box foods you can take with you. Such as apples, bananas, grapes, yogurt cups, carrots and celery, cheese and crackers, small cartons of milk, juice boxes, granola bars, boxes of raisins, etc.
7. Food Cravings, or Aversions to Foods
   A well-known cliché is the pregnancy sign-symptom of craving certain foods or unusual combinations of foods. For example, one woman said she craved midnight snacks of warm peach pie topped with vanilla ice cream. Everyone has a funny story about food cravings.
   Taking a good pre-natal vitamin supplement and a pure fish oil capsule may ease some cravings and help prevent extra weight gain (see below) ... and of course it is doctor recommended for the health of your baby.
   Less well known but equally common pregnancy signs are aversions to certain foods. You may find that some foods you previously enjoyed are no longer appetizing. One woman told us she had always liked pizza, but couldn't stand it at all while she was expecting. Just the smell of it made her feel nausea. This problem may come and go for some women. For others it could last throughout pregnancy.
8. Sensitivity to Aromas
   Another related early symptom of pregnancy is a heightened sensitivity to aromas. Even a favorite aroma, such as the smell of a food or perfume, can make you gag. The smell of fresh mowed grass, the smell of a gas station, smells of various foods, household cleaners, perfumes, cigarette smoke, etc., can all cause you to feel nauseated (see nausea symptom above). This is thought to be yet another side effect of the estrogen that is flooding your body.
9. Morning Sickness
   This pregnancy symptom is well known, and it is related to the nausea symptom. It can be caused by a variety of factors. Your body is craving food and you have not eaten all night so your tummy feels queasy. Your body has way more hormones coursing through it than normal and this can . You are sensitive to aromas and foods, so your morning coffee may not agree with you. The usual breakfast you typically have may not settle well in your stomach during this time. One woman usually had a scone along with a coffee late' for breakfast, but found that during pregnancy it made her feel sick. She changed to tea and toast and that worked well for her. Each woman is different and will have different foods that may or may not contribute to morning sickness.
10. Heartburn and/or Constipation
    This pregnancy symptom is caused by the uterus starting to swell and pushing against the stomach and other organs as it grows. Also, increasing levels of hormones may slow down digestion and bowel functions to allow the body to absorb as much vitamins, minerals and nutrients as possible from foods. Taking a quality prenatal multi-vitamin-mineral supplement is important to help your body get the nutrients it needs for your growing baby.
    The slower emptying of the stomach may also cause the release of increased stomach acid to aid digestion, leading to a feeling of heartburn. Soda crackers and sparkling water can help. Smaller more frequent meals are easier to digest. Drink plenty of water and eat fruits, vegetables and perhaps some raisin and bran cereal to help regularity. Some daily vitamin formulas also contain digestive enzymes (from pineapple and papaya fruits). These can help with digestion.
    Ask your doctor before taking any kind of antacids as some contain aluminum and should be avoided. These two pregnancy symptoms can last throughout your term.
11. Higher body temperature
    One of the pregnancy symptoms that takes a while to gauge is higher than usual body temperature. You may have been feeling a little bit warm lately and wondered if you are coming down with a cold or something. Take your temperature and see if it is higher than it normally would be.
    If you've been trying to conceive and hoping to get pregnant (it's a tough job but somebody has to do it), your doctor may already have suggested that you keep a record of your body temperature every day. If your temperature is higher than usual and it stays high for two weeks in a row, something is obviously going on with your body. You may be pregnant (or you may have a low grade fever). Prolonged periods of increased temperature are a cause to seek your doctor's opinion.
12. Low Back Pain
    Early pregnancy symptoms of low back pain can be “a real pain,” literally. This low back pain is caused by several factors. First is your weight change. You gain some weight because you are pregnant, your uterus gets bigger, and your baby grows larger every week. Next, your posture and torso are thrown out of alignment. This weight is mostly in the front of your torso, which pulls on your back. It is like wearing a backpack on your front instead of your back. This changes your posture and puts a strain on your back.
    Lack of your typical night’s sleep is another factor. You may be laying on your side and trying to get comfortable. The weight of your womb is pulling on your back muscles as you lay there too. Get a maternity pillow as that can help make you more comfortable.
    Finally, your hormones and body changes have some effect too. Your body is getting ready for birth and so some of your joints and ligaments are loosening up to make delivery possible. All of these changes added together can cause the early pregnancy symptoms of low back pain. It is estimated that about half of all women will experience this pregnancy symptom.
13. Implantation Bleeding
    One of the less known pregnancy symptoms is the slight bleeding and spotting that can be caused when the fertilized egg begins to implant itself into the uterus. This is known as "implantation bleeding" and it usually takes place between 3 to 6 days after fertilization.
    Once the egg becomes implanted in the uterus - congratulations, you are no longer wondering about pregnancy symptoms, you are indeed pregnant. At this point you might notice a little bit of red or pink spotting. Not all women experience implantation bleeding so it is not considered one of the most obvious pregnancy signs.
14. A Positive Pregnancy Test
    If you are worrying about possible early symptoms of pregnancy, you can put your mind at ease with a pregnancy test. More than just a pregnancy symptom, this is scientific proof positive of whether you are expecting a baby or not.
    Pregnancy tests work best if you wait to take them until at least a day or two after you miss your period. Even if the pregnancy test result is negative you should try it again a few days later to be sure.
15. Bloating and Weight Gain
    Yes the unavoidable weight gain is also a sign. Your clothes are getting tighter, you are feeling bloated, the weight showing on the scale is going up... you are getting bigger and that is simply part of being pregnant.
    However your odd food cravings may not be as strong if you are taking your prenatal vitamins and fish oil capsules. The cravings may be due to your body's need for special nutrition. The importance of pre-natal vitamins and fish oil capsules

How to Conceive a Boy

Now let talk about trying for a baby boy.

Determining the Time of Ovulation:
Determining when you ovulate is vital when you are learning how to conceive a boy. Shettles recommends that you have sex as early as 24 hours before ovulation to no more than 12 hours past ovulation in order to increase your chances of conceiving a boy. Having sex too far in advance to ovulation will dramatically decrease your chances of conceiving a boy. The timing of intercourse in relation to ovulation is a vital factor in increasing your chances of having a boy.

Frequency and Timing of Intercourse:
Shettles says in order to increase the chances of having a boy, you should have sex no earlier than 24 hours before ovulation to 12 hours after ovulation.
Intercourse closer to ovulation the faster but less robust Y (boy) sperm. The cervical mucus present at ovulation is less acidic and "slippery" enough to help the Y (boy) sperm reach the egg more quickly.

Sexual Position:
Shettles suggests that if you are trying to conceive a boy, deep penetration from your partner, preferably with the "doggy style" position, will deposit the sperm closer to the cervix giving the more aggressive and quicker moving "boy" sperm a head start to fertilizating the egg first.

Sex and Orgasms:
When trying to conceive a boy, Shettles suggests that orgasms during sex are a good thing as the body produces substances after orgasm that makes the vaginal environment more alkaline, which favors the "boy" sperm.
The contractions which accompany an orgasm help move the sperm up and into the cervix, giving the "boy" sperm an extra chance at being available when your egg is available for fertilization.

Considerations for the Men:
Have your partner wear boxers. Wearing tight fitting underwear increases the heat levels around the testes and can, in turn, lower the sperm count. Wearing loose fitting underwear helps keep the testes cooler.

Have your partner drink a caffeinated beverage right before sex. This makes the Y-Sperm more active.

How to Conceive a Girl

Do you have a desire to have a baby gal? The following is some tips which may helps:

Determining the Time of Ovulation:
Determining when you ovulate is vital when you are learning how to conceive a girl. Shettles recommends that you have sex 2 1/2 to 3 days BEFORE ovulation in order to increase your chances of conceiving a girl. Having sex closer to ovulation will dramatically decrease your chances of conceiving a girl. The timing of intercourse in relation to ovulation is a vital factor in increasing your chances of having a girl.

Frequency and Timing of Intercourse:
Shettles says in order to increase the chances of having a girl, you should have sex everyday from the end of your period up to 2 1/2 to 3 days before ovulation. After this point, do not have unprotected sex until several days past ovulation.

Intercourse further away from ovulation favors the larger slower moving X (girl) sperm. The weaker Y (boy) sperm will die more quickly in the more acidic preovulatory vaginal / cervical secretions and by the time of ovulation there will be a much larger concentration of X (girl) sperm available to fertilize the egg.

Sexual Position:
Shettles suggests that if you are trying to conceive a girl, shallow penetration from your partner, preferably with the missionary position, will deposit the sperm closer to the entrance to the vagina. This area is more acidic than closer to the cervix and acidity will work against the weaker "boy" sperm leaving more "girl" sperm available to fertilize your egg.

Sex and Orgasms:

When trying to conceive a girl, Shettles recommends that you don't orgasm during sex as the body produces substances after orgasm that makes the vaginal environment more alkaline, which favors the "boy" sperm.

The contractions which accompany an orgasm help move the sperm up and into the cervix, giving the "boy" sperm an extra chance at being available when your egg is available for fertilization.

Alkine Vs Acids Food

It was reported that sperms are alkine while the women womb is acidic environment. Hence women should try to create a more sperm friendly environment. Maybe thought the diet it helps. The following is a listing on Alkine and Acidic food for your consideration:

Why waiting, let help to create a sperm friendly environment today to improve our chances of conceiving.

Some Herbs Benefits

Cumin Seeds

Cumin is perhaps the most endowed of all spices in terms of health benefits. It is a good source of iron, required in the body to make hemoglobin in the blood, for the proper functioning of enzymes and for manufacturing proteins. That cumin seeds promote a healthy digestive system has been known since ancient times; recent research also suggests cumin contains substances that protect against cancer.

Fennel Seeds
Fennel Seeds (Sauf) are very effective for digestive problems. These seeds can be chewed upon or had as a tea decoction for beneficial effects upon the stomach. In India, these are routinely chewed upon after meals to aid in digestion after a rich meal while acting as a herbal mouth freshener.
Fennel seeds often provide quick and effective relief from many digestive disorders. They help to overcome gas, cramps, acid indigestion, and many other digestive tract maladies.

Food to improve your desire

助“性”食物大盘点

鲜虾、麻雀肉在中医里都属于补肾的食物，它们的滋肾壮阳作用早就得到了共识，可以温暖身体，增加精力，对性欲低下或是性功能弱的人尤为适宜。

蛇 近年来，不少人热衷于食蛇，只是因为蛇在交尾时能够持续很长时间，比如腹蛇可达6—24个小时。

能够增强性生活能力的不仅仅是动物类食物，一些看似很普通的食物也有助性的作用。比如说葱，就可以促进人体性激素的分泌。韭菜又被叫做起阳草，是一种生长力旺盛的植物，顾名思义对于性功能有促进作用。

松子也是一种传统的壮阳食品，特别对疲劳感强、有贫血倾向的男性以及缺乏勃起力度的人更有效。松子可直接食用，也可以煮粥食用，每天只吃一点即可。

龙眼肉又称桂圆，对于体质虚弱的男女都有强身助性的作用。

许多人相信食用上述这些食物只要持之以恒，就可以起到预期的效果。

Fertility Exercise - Fertility Yoga Postures

I am surprised the came across the following while surfing the net looking for exercise to improve fertility. It seems logical and no harm trying it for those who are trying for a baby. Who knows right? Else can just take it as another form of exercise.

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There are certain yoga postures that are helpful to improving fertility that you or your partner might want to try. Such postures include:

supported bridge pose: lie on your back keeping your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Move your feet as close to your buttocks as you can. Inhale and exhale using deep, relaxing breaths, and then carefully raise your pelvis and buttocks off the floor, while maintaining your thighs and inner feet in a parallel position. Clasp your hands behind your back. Hold this pose for a minute or so while continuing to take deep, relaxing breaths.

legs on wall pose: lie on the ground with your buttocks close to a wall. Slowly inhale and exhale, while extending your legs up the side of the wall. Rest your legs on the wall so that you create a 90-degree angle at your pelvis. Hold for two minutes and then release your legs slowly.

cobbler’s pose: sit on the floor with your legs stretched directly in front of you. Bring your feet toward your groin while inhaling slowly and push the soles of your feet together. Carefully lower your knees to the ground while clasping your toes. Maintain this posture, being careful so as not to strain your legs, for between one and five minutes.

Diet links to Ferility

Healthy DietEating a healthy, balanced diet has many advantages. It helps maintain an ideal body weight, keeps the hormone levels of the body normal and improves the health of the reproductive system. When making diet choices, though, reach for foods that are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and E and certain minerals.

Both vitamins C and E play key roles in female and male fertility. A high intake of these vitamins may increase sperm count and increase sperm motility while in women these vitamins can reduce stress on eggs and the reproductive organs.
Sperm need to be able to swim efficiently in order to reach the egg. Foods that contain antioxidants, vitamin E and selenium will help improve the sperm motility and make them better swimmers.

Some research shows that if you are trying to conceive, it is wise to avoid sea food as the high level of mercury may be responsible for abnormal semen and decreased fertility.
Many infertility issues crop up due to hormonal imbalances. This can be avoided by removing all processed flours and sugars such as white bread, pasta, pop, candy, and sugary juices from the diet.

Eating foods with a low glycemic index such as fruits, vegetables, and beans; lean protein like yoghurt, chicken, tofu, and turkey; and essential fat including walnuts, sesame seeds, and extra virgin oil at every meal helps maintain the hormonal balance in the body and improves the functioning of the reproductive organs.

Certain herbicides and pesticides sprayed on crops have been found to have drastic effects on fertility. In particular, xenoestrogens, a type of estrogen, found in environmental chemicals and pesticides may disturb the hormonal balance in women and lead to infertility. Choosing organic foods whenever possible will help you to avoid this chemical as well as others.

Regular diet, moderate exercise and a healthy mind and body are key to improve your fertility as well as overall health. Sound logically right? Should put into action to increase your chances of bringing a child into this world.

Western food

There is a few western food stores that are to my taste buds in Ang Mo Kio Central.
Beside Breeks, good old times Jack's Place located near the Ang Mo Kio library and courts, I have found 2 other cheaper version stalls.

One of it is located Ang Mo Kio central food centre beside the cinema (Green in colour, with mos burger stall, ramen ten in it). The pricing there is very competitive at about $5.50 you can have a BIG, GOOD, portion of fish & chips, chicken cutlet. My favourite is fish & chip.

The other one is located at ang mo kio named "Botak Jones". It serves authentic American style, restaurant quality food. However be prepared to wait 1 hour for your food. See how popular they are. Address is as follows: Yue Hua Food Place Block 608 Ang Mo Kio Ave. 5

Ang Mo Kio Hub

There is a new shopping located at Ang Mo Kio Hub recently.
It took 3 to 4 years to complete after a few changes to the decide.
There you are able to locate quite a lot of clothings and food outlets.
Not forgetting the BIGGEST, BETTER NTUC supermarket, it was a concept borrowed from Carrefour and Giant. Guess NTUC afterall need to update themseleves in order to complete with the rest.

Personally I had already tried out a few resturants there like - New York, San Zhong Liang Jian. Not too bad.