Cardio workouts are usually safe for every trimester of a healthy pregnancy. In fact, staying active with cardio exercises can help both pregnant women and their babies. Pregnancy is not a sickness where you need to stop all physical activity. Instead, keeping up with regular exercise-including cardio-can help your body handle physical, mental, and hormonal...
Hip and leg cramps can show up suddenly and cause sharp pain that interrupts your day or sleep. The good news is that a regular stretching routine can help relieve and prevent these cramps. Proper stretching improves how your muscles move, increases blood flow, and helps you relax, which all work together to lessen how...
Pregnancy is an incredible time, but it often brings its own challenges. For many pregnant women, lower back pain is very common. In fact, about two-thirds of pregnant women deal with this type of discomfort. The pain might be a dull ache in the lower back, or it can feel sharper and sometimes even reach...
Yes, many abdominal exercises can be safe and helpful during pregnancy, as long as you make the right adjustments and pay attention to how your body is changing. The goal isn’t to get defined abs, but to build a strong core to support both you and your baby. Strong core muscles can help reduce problems...
Delayed cord clamping (DCC) means waiting a short while after birth to clamp and cut the baby’s umbilical cord, instead of doing it right away. This short pause can offer many benefits for newborns, including higher blood volume, better iron levels, and improved early development. For many years, doctors clamped cords quickly, mostly out of...
The “golden hour” right after birth refers to the first hour (sometimes up to two hours) that follows a baby’s arrival. This time is very important because it helps both the baby and the parent adjust physically and emotionally. Uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact during this hour helps the newborn leave the safety of the womb and...
A birth plan is basically a written list of what you hope for and prefer during labor, delivery, and the early days with your newborn. For first-time moms, it’s a great way to sort out your thoughts and tell your medical team how you want things to go. Your birth plan can include things like...
Perineal massage before giving birth means gently stretching the skin and muscles between the vagina and anus with your hands. Many people choose to do this to help their bodies get ready for a vaginal birth. But what exactly does it involve, and how can it help? The idea is to help the perineum-the area...
As your due date gets closer, the eagerness to meet your baby often brings a mix of excitement and impatience. While no one can say exactly when labor will start, your body usually starts giving you some hints that it’s getting close. These signals can show up anytime in the last few days-or even hours-before...
Getting ready for a new baby is both exciting and a bit overwhelming. As your due date gets closer, one of the most important things to do is to pack your hospital bag. Instead of hurrying at the last minute, take time to gather the items that will help make labor, birth, and recovery easier...
