As one of the premier Maternity healthcare centers, Cloudnine understands the complexities women face during pregnancy. To help reduce the risk associated with Pregnancy, we provide excellent prenatal care facilities. Designed with you in mind, Cloudnine is the would-be mothers’ resource for comprehensive prenatal care and support services.

Our team of gynaecologists and consultant obstetricians value every woman’s life experiences and is committed to their well-being. Benefit from advanced medical facilities; get the assistance of world-class doctors and cheerful staff members. During your visits, your doctor may focus on various aspects including healthy eating, regular physical activities, screening tests you might require, and how to control pre-birth jitters. Since our inception, Cloudnine has helped mothers cherish every moment of the incredible process of pregnancy.

Staying Active During Pregnancy

Fit and Fine: Staying Active During Pregnancy

Working towards fitness is important at every juncture of our lives. However, being active is even more crucial during pregnancy since it helps your body prepare for a safe and easy labour. After all, only a healthy and energetic mom can raise a healthy and energetic baby.

In case you were not very health-conscious before your pregnancy, here is some good news that will motivate you to get moving. Exercising regularly while you are expecting will improve your muscle tone, strength and endurance. This in turn will help you better carry the additional weight you gain during pregnancy, besides preparing you for the physical demands of labour and caring for a newborn.

More importantly, a mother-to-be who is active during her pregnancy will find it easier to get back into shape after her baby’s birth. Take the instance of walking. Walking for 30 minutes or more daily helps reduce weight gain by approximately 8%. So, unless advised by your doctor to avoid any exertions due to some complications in the pregnancy, make it a habit to stay as active as is possible.

Simple Ways to Stay Fit

Staying fit while you are expecting does not mean you need to sign up for a gym membership. On the contrary, all you need to do is adopt a healthier lifestyle that includes a healthy diet coupled with some sprightly activities. These activities will help strengthen your lower back and leg muscles and reduce backaches due to the added weight of your baby.

You can begin by practicing some breathing exercises daily that provide enough oxygen to muscles. Don’t forget to include gentle warm-up movements – like leg, neck and back stretches – in your fitness regime as these relax your muscles. After a sufficient warm-up, proceed to a slow walk on the treadmill or in your neighborhood garden, for about half hour.

If you were very active before your pregnancy, you continue with activities like gentle swimming and light aerobics, but only after checking with your doctor. It is advisable to abstain from exercises that include bouncing, bobbing or jerking movements.

If you have a history of premature deliveries, or been diagnosed with low-lying placenta, vascular or respiratory conditions, breech position of the baby, vaginal discharge, thyroid or diabetic conditions, your doctor might suggest that you avoid exercises. In most cases, however, the mother-to-be can indulge in moderate exercises until the 36th week, provided she is comfortable and her doctor does not find any cause for concern. Walking is one activity that you can continue until you are due.

Taking Care

As your pregnancy progresses, your sense of balance and posture alters. Your body also works harder to supply enough oxygen to your baby, so don’t be worried if you feel less energetic and tire quicker. Listen closely to your body and it will tell you if you are working yourself too hard.

Getting slightly sweaty is fine, but don’t exercise till you are exhausted or can’t hold a conversation; this is a sign that your baby and you are getting less oxygen. Also, exercising in the hot weather is not recommended as you will sweat more and feel exhausted faster.

While you can continue with your regular routine activities throughout the pregnancy, avoid twisting movements at the neck and waist. If you want to pick up objects from the floor, don’t bend down. Instead, squatholding on to some support and pick things up.

Similarly, don’t lift heavy weights or participate in activities that involve bouncing or sudden movements. While swimming is generally permitted during pregnancy, excessive breaststroke towards the end of your pregnancy can put a stress on your pelvis and is best avoided.

So there you have it! You need not put fitness on the backburner just because you areexpecting. Instead, make an active lifestyle a habit that your baby can emulate and watch your little one blossom into a healthy individual.

Book an Appointment Right Away with the best Gynecologists near you.

Signs of Pregnancy

Dispel Confusions About Pregnancy

Am I pregnant? Or am I not? Are you plucking a flower’s petals in an enactment of the he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not trick to figure out whether you are on your way to welcoming a new member in your family? Leave the guessing out of motherhood by learning about some common symptoms associated with pregnancy.

One sure-shot symptom of pregnancy is a missed period, unless you are taking any medications, like steroids, that might disturb your menstrual cycle. However, if your periods are regular and you have missed one, take a home pregnancy test.

This will measure the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG hormone in your urine to determine whether you are pregnant or not. Be advised though that these might not give you conclusive or correct results always, so might have to repeat the test after a few more days. If you want to drive away this ambiguity, opt for a urine test, a week after you have missed your period. Visit a good hospital or a diagnostic center with your morning urine sample to be tested.

However, when it comes to ascertaining pregnancy, your gynaecologist is your safest and best bet. Your doctor will conduct a vaginal examination to find out whether your uterus has changed shape in preparation for the baby’s growth. You will also be advised to undergo an ultrasound sonography as early as around the seventh week of pregnancy to positively confirm your pregnancy; and the bonus is you can hear your little one’s heartbeat during this examination! This assessment will show the yolksac, which is a positive reaffirmation of the pregnancy, and rules out ectopic gestation, a condition where the embryo attaches itself outside the uterus.

There are some other telltale signs of pregnancy like tenderness or soreness in the breasts, caused due to hormonal changes. Nausea is another symptom, though it does not occur until the lady is at least a month into her pregnancy. This can crop up (pun unintended!) anytime during the day, though it is most evident in the morning, which is why it is termed morning sickness. Fatigue is one more indicator of pregnancy as are mood swings and the need to urinate frequently. Some women also develop an aversion to certain smells or foodstuff.

It is not necessary that a woman would manifest all, or any, of these symptoms. However, if you are trying to conceive and see any of these signs then you should visit your doctor without fail. After all, why languish in bewilderment about any good news in the making, when your doctor can announce it within a few minutes?

Doctor Visits During Pregnancy

What to Expect During Your Doctor’s Visit

Once your pregnancy is confirmed your doctor will become more than a health care provider. He or she will become your counselor, friend, guide and even a shoulder to sob on once in a while. Hence, it is important to choose a doctor who puts you at ease and with whom you can share your confusion and complaints.

During the nine months of pregnancy, you might have to visit your doctor anywhere between 10 and 15 times. Typically, during the first and second trimesters you will have routine prenatal checkups every month. In the third trimester, you will have to visit the doctor every fortnight. In the ninth month, you might have to visit every week so the doctor can monitor the baby’s readiness for delivery.

Preparing for a Prenatal Health Check

To make the most of the time you get with your doctor during your routine prenatal health checkups, file all documented details (including blood test reports, ultrasound test results, medication prescriptions, etc.) related to your pregnancy in a single file and carry this with you. Your doctor can quickly go through it and come up to speed with your case history.

During your visit, your doctor will enquire about your physical and emotional health and any health complaints. Discuss all your doubts and questions openly. Nothing is too trivial or unimportant that you cannot talk about it with your doctor. It helps if you write down your queries and concerns in a notebook and then discuss every point – it will save you and your doctor a lot of time. You can revisit this notebook if you experience any symptoms that you had felt earlier. It will help clear out your doubts without getting too worried about the condition.

During your checkup your doctor will also physically examine you to check your weight and blood pressure. Next, the doctor will measure your abdomen, and check the position of your baby. You can also listen to your baby’s heartbeat through the Doppler, which is usually the highlight of most prenatal visits for expectant parents!

After the examination, the doctor will explain her assessments about your condition with you. He or she will also counsel you on any lifestyle changes you might need to make for better health of your baby or yourself. If any tests have to be conducted, your doctor will explain these to you and ask you to bring the results on your next visit.

If you suffer from diabetes, hypertension or IUGR, your doctor will suggest that you also meet the nutritionist, physiotherapist and a yoga teacher. It is best if you consider this advice seriously; because it will help you stay healthy and fit throughout your pregnancy and also help you during delivery.

Remember, that ultimately each prenatal visit is targeted at determining how your pregnancy is proceeding. You are entitled to all information related to your baby’s wellbeing, so feel free to question your doctor if you have any doubts. Your doctor will be more than happy to allay your fears. After all, that is what good guides are for!

Pre-Natal Tests

Must Take Pre-Natal Tests

Once your pregnancy is confirmed your doctor will ask you to conduct some tests. While most parents-to-be take their doctor’s recommendations seriously, there are those who might wonder why so many tests are required whenever they visit the doctor. On your prenatal visits, your doctor will conduct a physical examination, and perhaps suggest some tests to ensure all is well with mother and child.

During your first couple of visits, your doctor will recommend the following prenatal tests:

• Urine test: This will confirm the pregnancy.

• A blood test: A blood test will help the doctor find your blood grouping and typing and determine if you have any deficiencies for which supplements have to be taken. Besides the doctor will want to know if you have any sexually transmitted disease (like HIV or syphilis), Hepatitis B, etc. Some of these diseases, like HIV, can be transmitted to the baby so your doctor would like to offer treatments to reduce the chances of passing the ailment to the child.

• An ultrasound: This confirms the nature of the pregnancy (if you are expecting twins or triplets) and the tentative delivery date.

During your subsequent visits, your doctor will keep asking you to give a urine sample, to check if you have any urinary tract infections and other conditions.

Trimester-Based Tests

Between 9 to 13 weeks, your doctor will ask you to go for a blood test to rule out any genetic ailments like cystic fibrosis, Sickle cell disease, thalassemia, etc. Between 11 to 13.6 weeks, your doctor will also conduct a Double Marker blood test. This is accompanied by an ultrasound NT scan to rule out any abnormalities, like Down’s syndrome, in your baby.

During your second-trimester, your doctor will also recommend an ultrasound between 16 and 20 weeks. This will give the doctor an idea if there are any physical abnormalities in the baby. Between 24 and 28 weeks, an Oral Glucose Challenge Test (OGCT) will be conducted to check if you suffer from gestational diabetes.

In the third trimester, you will have another blood test to check if you suffer from gestational diabetes or anemia. An ultrasound scan will be repeated to check the baby’s development and the location of your placenta. In case you have a low-lying placenta, your doctor will advise you to minimize your movements and avoid any strenuous activities until your delivery to avoid any distress to your baby.

Your doctor will be your best guide about the tests required to assess your baby’s growth as well as your health. So go for your prenatal visits and the tests regularly, without fail. Your baby’s wellbeing depends on it.

Working During Pregnancy

Coping With Work At Pregnancy

Career oriented women worry that they would have to hang up their professional shoes during pregnancy. However, nothing can be further from this myth.

If you are healthy and your doctor has signalled that you have a normal pregnancy, there is no reason why you should not continue working while pregnant. Of course, you would need to make some alterations in the way you pursue your career.

This is especially if your work is strenuous or demands long hours. According to research, women who have jobs that require heavy lifting, standing for long periods or have irregular hours are more likely to have health complications during pregnancy and delivery.The simple mantra of a good work-life balance during pregnancy is taking it easy! Most workplaces give special work benefits to pregnant employees, so don’t hesitate to avail of these privileges. Try to maintain a 5-day workweek or take an occasional day off just to rest and relax.

Some women find morning sickness the biggest hurdle while maintaining a professional image at work. Just remember, this is a natural occurrence and you have nothing to be embarrassed about! If you have severe incidences of morning sickness, ask your doctor to prescribe some medication to relieve it. You can also chew on gum or suck on ginger flavored lozenges.

Here are some other steps you can take to be comfortable at work during your pregnancy:

• Move around whenever you can. It helps in blood circulation and relieves muscle aches and swelling of the feet.

• If you have a desk job, invest in a comfortable chair that offers good support to your back.

• Every half hour, rise from your chair and stretch a bit.

• Walk to the water cooler to drink a glass of water. You will meet your daily fluid quota and your can stretch your limbs too.

• Drink plenty of water and other fluids. You need to drink at least 2.5 liters of water daily during pregnancy.

• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. This is a good time to put those high heels away.

• Avoid clothes that are tight especially around the abdomen.

• Eat your meals on time and never skip a meal. Ensure your meals are light and nutritious, rather than rich, oily or spicy.

• Munch on healthy snacks every couple of hours, to prevent weakness or indigestion.

• If you feel fatigued, try to get a few minutes of shut-eye. This powernap will rejuvenate you.

Take your seniors and colleagues into confidence if you suffer any complications during pregnancy. For all you know your peers and bosses will be more than happy to lend support.

In case, the travel to office or your job’s demands is getting to you, consider taking a hiatus from work until a few weeks after your baby’s birth. After all, pregnancy is a special occasion in your life, so make the most of it.