Morning Sickness and nausea during Pregnancy

In the beginning of the pregnancy, you may have morning sickness with vomiting, headache and dizziness. This can prevent you from getting adequate nutrients for you and your baby.

• Eat small meals several times a day.
• Drink fluids between meals, total 8 to 10 glasses daily to avoid dehydration. Morning sickness is the signal of dehydration. When the mother is not drinking enough water, she is dehydrating the baby and herself.
• Try cold dishes.
• Try a few mint essence drops (Pudinhara) in water 2-3 times.
• Drink a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon juice of curry leaves or patta with 2 teaspoons lime juice and 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Check up with your doctor.

Foods a Pragnent Women should Eat

• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, beans, lentils, and legumes. They provide vitamins, minerals and fibre.
• Eat wholemeal bread and whole grain cereals.
• Iron is essential for adequate blood supply to the growing baby and the placenta. For your iron requirement, eat foods high in iron such as green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, and nuts.
• You may need to take iron and folic acid supplements regularly. Consult your Doctor before starting any iron supplement.
• For your requirement of Vitamin C, include citrus fruits, tomatoes, broccoli, and potatoes in your diet. They help absorb iron.
• You are responsible for the supply of calcium to your baby inside that is necessary for baby's healthy bones. Depending on your age, you may include 1000mg - 1w00mg of calcium and 200IU of Vitamin D in your diet.
• Dairy products, bread, nuts, fish, and green vegetables are rich in calcium. Milk, cheese and yogurt (all low-fat or skim varieties) contain calcium and other nutrients needed for your baby's growth.
• The diet should contain proteins like paneer, cereals, lentils, dals, fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, etc. See other high protein foods.

Food Cravings during Pregnancy

Many women have cravings for certain foods or feel changes to certain food taste and smell during their pregnancy. These are very normal, lasting for a short period. These may be due to the hormonal changes of pregnancy.

Some of the items of craving are sweets, pickles, tamarind (imli), clay, ice, toothpaste, etc. The cravings for a food may not be due to your lack of certain vitamin or mineral in your body.

Foods to Avoid during Pregnancy

Risky Foods During Pregnancy

• Cut down fatty foods.
• Avoid drinks like coffee, tea, coca colas and other drinks with caffeine. Too much caffeine may affect the growth of baby during pregnancy and at birth.
• Avoid Vitamin A supplements as too much may harm your baby growing inside.
• Avoid white breads and foods prepared with white flour (maida).
• Avoid too much sugar and foods containing sugars.
• Although there is no scientific evidence, some people believe that because pineapple and raw papaya contain enzymes, so they can induce abortion.
• Avoid high-mercury sea-foods such as fish, especially Swordfish, Shark, King Mackerel and Tilefish.
• Avoid raw or smoked or frozen seafood such as oysters, sushi, smoked salmon. But canned seafood is safe to eat.
• Soft cheeses like ricotta without heating or uncooked.
• Pre-cooked meat dishes without further heating.
• Salads, readymade or pre-packed.
• Ready-cooked cold meat including chicken.
• You should not smoke.

Diet During Pregnancy

A pregnant women should know that she is not only responsible for herself, but also for the unborn child inside her. The child's physical and mental development after birth will have a influence of anything seen, thoughts and the food eaten by the pregnant woman.

There is no special diet for a pregnant women, but eating a healthy balanced diet that gives all the nutrients (see nutrition chart & guide) for your baby to develop and grow is recommended. For the first 3 months, the diet of a pregnant woman should include food rich in iron, folic acid and high in calcium. You may take iron and folic acid tablets if you are pregnant or lactating.

Nutrition Facts & Tips

We all should eat foods with nutrients. It is a good idea to know all the nutrition facts of the foods you buy. Make a habit of reading the food labels on the product to know the nutrition facts of the product. You should buy the things which are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and foods high in dietary fiber, vitamins and mineral. Keep in mind that you should be eating a balanced diet according to food pyramid. Have a variety. No single food can supply all nutrients you need. For example, oranges do not have vitamin B12 but have vitamin C, whereas cheese has no vitamin C but contains vitamin B12.

If we are deficient in any nutrient, then we will soon fall sick. Even our nails can reveal the deficiency of nutrition.

Some foods such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains have good nutrition but are relatively low in calories. These are good foods to eat. Foods high in both sugars and fat provide calories but may be low in vitamins, minerals and fiber. So you should avoid such foods.

Women of childbearing age, young children and teenage or adolescent girls should eat enough iro

In the next 3 month the woman needs extra protein and calcium. Look for foods with high protein.

Most women gain between 10-15 kgs, but too much weight gain should be avoided. For this, limit on too much fat and sugar in your diet.

A case of a pregnant woman to whom doctors told that the baby growth was a bit less during the 7th month of pregnancy. This woman started taking a lot of ghee (mainly saturated fat) on rotis, almond halwa, and sooji halwa. This resulted in a rapid weight gain of the woman, while the baby inside grew at his rate. It is a misconception in India that a pregnant mother should eat fatty foods for the baby to grow. The pregnant woman should eat a healthy balanced diet.

Many pregnant women wrongly think that they should eat for two. Note that you need only 200 extra calories in pregnancy, i.e. a cup of reduced fat milk and a medium orange. This is because your body actually absorbs more nutrients from food during pregnancy.

A diet during pregnancy should provide protein, Vitamin A, C, D, E, K, and folic acid to the pregnant women. The requirement of some of these nutrients is increased in a pregnant women than a normal one.

Vitamin A requirement is increased by about 25% for the development of foetus. Low intake of vitamin C may lead to premature rupture of foetal membranes. A deficiency of Vitamin C in the mother may result in neonatal death. Vitamin D helps in calcium metabolism of the foetus while Vitamin K is essential for preventing neonatal hemorrhage. The B vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin are required in larger quantities for functioning of muscle and nerve tissues

Folic Acid for pregnant women

What Pregnant Women Need

If you’re trying to get pregnant, Folic acid should be on the top of your health checklist. Folic acid, also called folate or folacin, is one of the B vitamins, also known as B9 that is a vital raw material for production of red blood cells, as well as norepinephrine and serotonin (chemical components of the nervous system). Folic acid also helps to synthesize genetic material in every cell of the body and normalize brain function.

Folic acid helps a baby’s neural tube – the part of a developing baby that becomes the brain and spinal cord, develop properly. Folic acid also prevents birth defects of the heart, very early in the pregnancy. Studies show that women who do not consume enough folic acid before and during the early weeks of pregnancy are at increased risk of having a baby with a heart defect. Other studies show that women who don’t get enough folic acid may increase their risk of miscarriage, as well as cleft lip and palate, limb defects and neural problems in their babies.

Your body needs folate for the production, repair and functioning of DNA. This nutrient is required for a complex metabolic process that involves the conversion of one amino acid in your blood (homocysteine) into another amino acid (methionine). If you don’t get enough folate, you can end up with too much homocysteine in your blood, which is thought to contribute to birth defects.

Folate also helps make normal red blood cells, prevents anameia and produces the nervous system chemicals norepinephrine and serotonin.

With this article we are not trying to scare you with what can go wrong, but just trying to reinforce the importance of folic acid during pregnancy. Once you’re pregnant, you’ll need at least 600 mcg of folic acid daily. Experts also suggest that take one tablet of Folvite per day for three months before you actually become pregnant. Since Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, so your body will flush out the excess if you take too much.

Here is a chart that shows the Folic acid content in food products:

• 1 helping of fortified cornflakes (40g) - 100mg
• 1 helping of fortified bran flakes (40g) - 100mg
• 3 slices of white bread (90g) - 25mg
• 3 slices of whole meal bread (105g) - 40mg
• 1 pint of milk - 35mg
• 1 helping of boiled potatoes (180g) - 45mg
• 1 helping of boiled frozen peas (100g) - 45mg
• 1 helping of boiled green beans (90g) - 50mg
• 1 helping of Brussels sprouts (90g) - 100mg
• 1 helping of boiled cauliflower (90g) - 45mg
• 1 helping of boiled spinach (90g) - 80mg
• 1 orange (160g) - 50mg
• 1 banana (100g) - 15mg
• 1 half grapefruit (80g) - 15mg
• 1 slice of melon (180g) - 10mg
• 1 helping of spaghetti (230g) - 10mg
• A small packet of peanuts (30g) - 30mg
• Yeast extract (e.g. 4g on a slice of bread) - 40mg

A Smart Woman’s Kitchen

What you should have in your kitchen cupboard

If you’ve stocked up your fridge, let’s move on to the store cupboard. The jet-setting smart woman of today needs a small cache of ingredients to whip up a healthy meal for herself.

• Coffee – Ah! Do we need to say anything about the magic of freshly brewed coffee!
• Tea – Chai for all seasons and for anytime of the day.
• Cocoa powder for yummy chocolate cakes and cookies.
• Breads and buns, plain and flavoured for a hearty breakfast and delicious soup-and-bread meals.
• Salt
• Whole wheat flour or atta for rotis, parathas and all sorts of substantial goodies.
• White flour or maida for grisp, golden pooris and cakes.
• Crackers – a dieting gal’s best friend.
• Sugar, white, brown and powdered for desserts and general usage.
• Cinnamon, powdered or in sticks for flavouring curries, rice and for desserts.
• Pasta for a quick, scrumptious meal.
• Cereals for quick breakfasts.
• Beans of all kinds for delicious meals. Make a pot of rajma to eat with rice; baked beans on toast for an impromptu snacks; beans to go with your baked veggies and cutlet meal.
• Rice – wild, brown and basmati for risotto, fried rice, biryani or simple boiled rice cooked with a pinch of turmeric, a couple of cloves and a dollop of ghee.
• An assortment of spices – all the basic Indian spices like turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder and garam masala. Stock up on other spices like oegano, basil, mixed herbs and rosemary. Keep a batch of whole spices like cardamom, cloves, mustard seeds, cinnamon etc.
• A pot of honey for cooking, brewing medicinal chai and for having just like that.

Meditation for Stress Management

Meditation

Meditation builds on deep breathing, and takes it a step further. When you meditate, your brain enters an area of functioning that’s similar to sleep, but carries some added benefits you can’t achieve as well in any other state, including the release of certain hormones that promote health. Also, the mental focus on nothingness keeps your mind from working overtime and increasing your stress level. Here's an article on different types of meditation to help you get started.

Benefits of Meditation for Stress Management

Overview of Meditation:

Throughout the day, when we experience stress, our bodies automatically react in ways that prepare us to fight or run. In some cases of extreme danger, this physical response is helpful. However, a prolonged state of such agitation can cause physical damage to every part of the body. Meditation affects the body in exactly the opposite ways that stress does, restoring the body to a calm state, helping the body to repair itself, and preventing new damage due to the physical effects of stress.

Meditation's Effects on the Body:

When practicing meditation, your heart rate and breathing slow down, your blood pressure normalizes, you use oxygen more efficiently, and you sweat less. Also, your adrenal glands produce less cortisol, your mind ages at a slower rate, and your immune function improves. Your mind also clears and your creativity increases. People who meditate regularly find it easier to give up life-damaging habits like smoking, drinking and drugs.

How Meditation Works:

Meditation involves sitting in a relaxed position and clearing your mind. You may focus on a sound, like "ooommm," or on your own breathing, or on nothing at all. It’s necessary to have 5-20 distraction-free minutes to spend. It’s helpful to have silence and privacy, but more practiced meditators can do it anywhere. Many practitioners of meditation attach a spiritual component to it, but it can also be a secular exercise.

Pros Of Meditation:

Meditation is wonderful in that it’s free, always available, and amazingly effective in short-term stress reduction and long-term health. Benefits can be felt in just one session. An experienced teacher isn’t necessary; you can learn to meditate from a book or from the resources on this site.
The Cons of Meditation: It does take some practice, however, and some people find it difficult to "get it" in the beginning. It also requires a little patience, and may be difficult for people with little free time (like some stay-at-home mothers who get little privacy from small children). However, the time and effort it takes to learn and practice is well worth it in terms of the benefits it provides.

How Does It Compare To Other Stress Reduction Methods?:

Unlike some medications and herbal therapies, meditation has no potential side effects. People with physical limitations may find it easier to practice than strenuous physical exercise for stress relief, plus, no special equipment is required. Unlike enlisting the help of a professional, meditation is free. However, it does take discipline and commitment, so some people may find it more difficult to maintain as a habit than methods that enlist the help of someone or something outside themselves for added motivation. Also, some people may find it more difficult to free their minds of the thoughts of the day, and thus find it more difficult than methods like journaling that involve focusing on these events, or methods that in themselves are distracting, like physical exercise or the use of humor.

Benefits and Different Types of Meditation Techniques

Benefits of Meditation
Meditation is widely recommended as a healthy way to manage stress, and for good reason. It provides many health-enhancing benefits, like reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety, relieving physical complaints like headaches, and even enhancing immunity to illness. (Read this article for more information on the health benefits of meditation.)

Basics of Meditation:
Meditation can be practiced in many different ways. While there are numerous different meditation techniques, a common thread runs through virtually all meditative techniques:

• Quiet Mind: With meditation, your thinking mind becomes quiet. You stop focusing on the stressors of your day or your life’s problems, as well as solving these problems. You just let that voice in your head be quiet, which is easier said than done. For example, start thinking about nothing now. (It’s OK; I’ll wait.) If you’re not practiced at quieting your mind, it probably didn’t take long before thoughts crept in.

• Being In The Now: Rather than focusing on the past or the future, virtually all meditative pracgtices involve focusing on right now. This involves experiencing each moment and letting it go, experiencing the next. This, too, takes practice, as many of us live most of our lives thinking toward the future or relishing and rehashing the past.

• Altered State of Consciousness: With the quiet mind and focus on the present, comes an altered level of consciousness that isn’t a sleeping state but isn’t quite your average wakeful state, either. Meditation increases brain activity in an area of the brain associated with happiness and positive thoughts and emotions, and some evidence shows that regular practice brings prolonged positive changes in these areas.

Types of Meditative Techniques:
There are many different ways to meditate. Here I’ll mention some basic categories of meditation techniques so you can understand some of the main options and how they differ from one another. This is not an exhaustive list, but it can give you some ideas.

• Basic Meditation Techniques: This involves sitting in a comfortable position and just trying to quiet your mind by thinking of nothing. It’s not always easy to do this if you don’t have practice with it. But a good way to begin is to think of yourself as an ‘observer of your thoughts,’ just noticing what the narrative voice in your head says, but not engaging it. As thoughts materialize in your mind, just let them go. That’s the basic idea.

• Focused Meditation Techniques: With this technique, you focus on something intently, but don’t engage your thoughts about it. You can focus on something visual, like a statue; something auditory, like a metronome or tape of ocean waves; something constant, like your own breathing; or a simple concept, like ‘unconditional compassion’. Some people find it easier to do this than to focus on nothing, but the idea is the same -- staying in the present moment and circumventing the constant stream of commentary from your conscious mind, and allowing yourself to slip into an altered state of consciousness.

• Activity-Oriented Meditation Techniques: With this type of meditation, you engage in a repetitive activity, or one where you can get ‘in the zone’ and experience ‘flow.’ Again, this quiets the mind, and allows your brain to shift. Activities like gardening, creating artwork, or practicing yoga can all be effective forms of meditation.

• Mindfulness Techniques: Mindfulness can be a form of meditation that, like activity-oriented meditation, doesn’t really look like meditation. It simply involved staying in the present moment rather than thinking about the future or the past. (Again, this is more difficult than it seems!) Focusing on sensations you feel in your body is one way to stay ‘in the now;’ focusing on emotions and where you feel them in your body (not examining why you feel them, but just experiencing them as sensations) is another.

• Spiritual Meditating: Meditation can also be a spiritual practice. Many people experience meditation as a form of prayer -- the form where God 'speaks,' rather than just listening. That’s right, many people experience ‘guidance’ or inner wisdom once the mind is quiet, and meditate for this purpose. You can meditate on a singular question until an answer comes (though some would say this is engaging your thinking mind too much), or meditate to clear their mind and accept whatever comes that day.

Whichever meditative techniques you use, the potential benefits are clear and numerous, making it one of the more commonly recommended stress management practices.

Release Tension With Stress Relief Breathing

Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing is an easy stress reliever that has numerous benefits for the body, including oxygenating the blood, which ‘wakes up’ the brain, relaxing muscles and quieting the mind. Breathing exercises are especially helpful because you can do them anywhere, and they work quickly so you can de-stress in a flash. The Karate Breathing Meditation is a great exercise to start with, and this basic breathing exercise can be done anywhere!

Breathing exercises are an ideal way to relieve stress in that they’re fast, simple, free, and can be performed by just about anyone. They can also be done anywhere and at virtually any time. These factors make stress relief breathing exercises one of my most popular and convenient tension tamers. Here’s how basic controlled breathing works:

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: You decide!

Here's How:

1. Sit or stand in a relaxed position.
2. Slowly inhale through your nose, counting to five in your head.
3. Let the air out from your mouth, counting to eight in your head as it leaves your lungs. Repeat several times. That’s it!

Tips:

1. As you breathe, let your abdomen expand outward, rather than raising your shoulders. This is a more relaxed and natural way to breathe, and helps your lungs fill themselves more fully with fresh air, releasing more “old” air.
2. You can do this just a few times to release tension, or for several minutes as a form of meditation.
3. If you like, you can make your throat a little tighter as you exhale so the air comes out like a whisper. This type of breathing is used in some forms of yoga and can add additional tension relief.

What You Need:

* A few seconds or minutes.
* A minimal amount of attention.

10 Great Ways to End Your Day

Sleep is a valuable and restorative resource that’s vital to wellbeing and stress management, but can sometimes be hard to come by for the busy and stressed. (According to a recent poll on this site, for example, about half of you are getting 6 hours of sleep or less, and are in dire need of more and better sleep!) Here are some effective nighttime habits to get into, to help enhance the amount and quality of sleep you get!

1. Try Light Exercise

Exercise has so many stress management and health benefits, and for many of us, nighttime is when it best fits our schedules. Light exercise like yoga or walking at night can also help sleep as it releases tension without overstimulating the body. (It’s debatable whether or not exercise right before bed disrupts sleep; according to sports medicine expert Elizabeth Quinn, it could actually improve sleep).

2. Listen to Music

Music can soothe your mind and body to the point that it’s now being used as a therapeutic tool by some. You can use music to your benefit by playing relaxing tunes before bed, and throughout the evening to help you wind down and release tension as bedtime approaches.

3. Clean Up

Cleaning up at the end of the day can leave you feeling less stressed because you’re doing something to tackle the problem, and the anticipation of waking up to a cleaner house can make your rest more peaceful.

4. Quiet Games Instead of T.V.

While many people like to zone out in front of the T.V. before bed, playing low-key computer games can be a refreshing alternative. They can create a nice distraction from the stress of the day and be a great way of ‘shifting gears’, but aren’t so exciting that they make sleep elusive. These games can also sharpen your mental abilities and help you learn new skills: The Stress Relief Memory Game and The Stress Management Word Game. Find other games and fun stuff in the Fun and Games Section.

5. Bubble Bath

Soaking in a tub of bubbles can rinse away tension and leave your body pampered and your mind free. It’s also a great segue to sleep, as any parent of a small child can attest. Read more about the importance of self care, and find tips on how to create a soothing home spa experience.

6. Massage

Massage is a great stress reliever that also feels good. If you can’t trade massages with people you live with, you can do a self-massage or use massaging tools to relieve tension. Either way, having a massage before bed can loosen stress in your body, relax you, and make sleep come more easily.

7. Journaling

Journaling has many stress and health benefits, making it a great way to end the day. Writing in a journal before bed can clear your mind, help you process emotions, solve problems, mentally prepare for the next day, make plans, and get your thoughts out of your head and on the page, where they can be picked up the next morning. A gratitude journal can get you in a positive frame of mind for sleep, and over time helps you change your whole frame of mind to a more positive, less stressed one.

8. Meditation

Meditation has been used by many, many people to relieve stress in the body and mind. It’s a great technique to use before bedtime because it segues so naturally into sleep: it relaxes the body, clears the mind, and creates inner peace. Be patient with yourself and follow these tips for beginners, and you should find meditation to be a great stress management tool.

9. Sex

For those in a committed relationship, sex is known as a great nighttime stress reliever for a reason! Not only does a healthy sex life enhance your relationship, but it relaxes your body, releases ‘happy’ chemicals, and even promotes wellness. And, of course, it welcomes sleep. Unfortunately, excessive stress can also be a libido dampener. If you’re having trouble ‘getting in the mood’, here are some important tips for you.

10. Avoid These:

Some activities can be too stimulating at night and can make it harder to fall asleep, or make your sleep less restful. For a restorative night’s sleep, you should avoid caffeine after 2pm, interpersonal conflict or stressful conversations, or anything else that’s overstimulating. (Dealing with finances or even certain T.V. shows can be overstimulating to some.) Everyone’s different, so try to pay attention to your internal states, and respond accordingly.

Top Five Changes for a Healthy Life

In the spirit of developing New Year’s Goals, rather than resolutions, here are some goals that can make a real difference in the level of stress you experience, and the quality of life you enjoy:

Maintain An Organized Living Space:

A cluttered environment can literally drain your energy and cause additional stress! Conversely, a beautifully decorated, soothing environment can be a haven where you can escape from the stressors in your life. Working on de-cluttering your home, getting organized about cleaning, or even practicing Feng Shui are all ways you can work toward the goal of having a beautiful and organized living space.

Learn to Organize Your Time:

By keeping a schedule, learning to say no to excessive demands on your time, and utilizing shortcuts in your life, you’ll be less frantic, and have more time to do the things that energize and de-stress you. You’ll also have more time to do things that you enjoy in life.

Cultivate A Supportive Social Circle:

Those with a supportive social circle, or even just one close friend or partner to talk to and lean on in times of crisis, enjoy healthier, less stressful lives. (And they have more fun!) If you make the commitment to meet more people, and better develop the relationships you have, you’ll find that the payoff is more than worth the effort.

Take Care of Your Body:

If your body is healthy and in good repair, you’re better able to handle stressors in your life. However, an unhealthy body can cause great amounts of additional stress. Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, getting massages and pampering yourself are all good ways to take care of your body and make stress management easier.

Renew Your Spirit:

We carry stress in our bodies, and hold it in our minds, so a stressful experience can stay with and keep affecting us after the actual experience has ended. Managing stress in your daily life can be much easier on your mental, physical and emotional state if you take regular breaks from it. There are many great stress-relieving exercises that can help you release both the tension from your body, and the stressful thoughts from your mind, making you more at peace and able to handle the stress that comes in each new day.[

As you develop these stress-relieving practices in your daily life, you should experience less stress, and be better able to handle the stress you do experience, leading to a happier, more healthy life.

6 Great Ways to Start Your Day

The way you spend your morning can add a certain flavor to the rest of your day. Here are some healthy lifestyle habits to incorporate into your morning routine that can leave you better able to handle the stress you experience. Try one or several, and experiment until you find what suits you.

Put On Some Music

Music therapy has been shown to reduce stress and have a positive effect on health. But you don't need a therapist to enjoy some of the benefits music has to offer. Listening to music as you get ready and start your day will create positive energy and a soothing sense of peace (or a sense of fun, if you play party music). Music can compliment other healthy lifestyle habits, adding a sense of peace to a yoga workout, putting a spring in your step on a morning walk, or stimulating your mind as you write in your journal.

Stretch in the Shower

The hot water will loosen up your muscles, so it’s easier to get a good stretch. The act of stretching will help to release stored tension and enable you to start the day feeling more relaxed, at peace, and ready to handle what comes your way.

Eat a Balanced Breakfast

For those of you who start the day on a bagel and coffee, read this! Breakfast is known as ‘the most important meal of the day’ for a very good reason: a healthy meal in the morning can balance your blood sugar levels and give you the sustenance you need to handle physical and mental stress. Without it, you will be less resilient, both physically and mentally. Be sure to have plenty of protein and fruit, not just caffeine and empty calories!

Drink Green Tea

Sipping a warm cup of tea is a soothing activity that will help you prepare for the day ahead and feel nurtured. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants, so it’s a delicious and healthy lifestyle choice.

Write in Your Journal

Journaling has many health and stress management benefits, and can also lead to increased self-awareness. Writing once a day can help you feel focused, process negative emotions, and solve problems.

Morning Walk

Walking has so many health benefits, the stress management benefits are practically just gravy! A morning walk can get you ready for your day, help you sleep better at night, lower your stress level, and reduce your risk of numerous health conditions. And if you bring a dog with you, you’ll be lavished with attention as well!

Yoga

For a healthy body and peaceful mind, few activities give as much ‘bang for your buck’ as yoga. Combining all the goodness of several stress management techniques, such as diaphragmic breathing, meditation, stretching and more, yoga provides some of the best stress management and health benefits you can find in a single technique. A good way to start your morning is by doing a series of yoga poses called Sun Salutations.

Curtains Can Change the Look of Your Home

How Curtains Can Change the Look of Your Home

The roles of curtains have changed. At one time they were used to retain heat, block cold air, control sunlight and provide privacy. They still perform these roles, but with the many advancements in window glass and window design technology, they are often much more decorative than functional. Decorators can be much more creative in their window treatments with this shift to the decorative usage.

For many people, there is a distinction between the terms curtains and drapes. Drapes are usually floor length, lined and suspended from a traverse rod with hooks that will allow them to be opened and closed by pulling a cord. Draperies are usually very formal looking. Curtains are less formal. They are usually those fabric window treatments that are suspended by hooks or rings from a rod and opened and closed by grasping the edge and pulling the fabric panel into position. Often they are tied back to the window casing and are not opened or closed at all. In these situations, they are frequently used in conjunction with shades, or blinds which can be closed to block sunlight or provide privacy.

Types of curtains

There are three basic types of curtains. These are the panel, the cafe and tiered. Panel are simply plain panels of fabric that are hemmed at the top and at the bottom. They are suspended from the top of the window by rings or hooks and hang in natural folds, giving the window a less formal appearance. These are often used in bedrooms and dining rooms and maybe used in combination with shades, blinds or sheers. Cafe curtains are generally hung from the center of the window, leaving the upper part of the window bare or exposed. Sometimes the cafe styles will be hung one fourth or one third of the way down from the top of the window, giving the window a much different look. Either way, they are tied back. Cafe curtains are often used in kitchens and in informal dining areas. The third kind is the tiered. These are multiple panels with one or two panels hanging over the top of the two base panels. The base panels usually cover the bottom half of the window and the outer panels cover the top half of the window and hang down to overlap the base panels.

There are three basic lengths as well. The sill length is either suspended from either the halfway point or the top of the window. The bottom hem is not quite touching the windowsill. The below the sill style is cut so the bottom hem hangs just below the apron or trim board running across the bottom of the window. The floor length style is cut so the bottom hem is just above the floor.

There are also be lined or unlined styles, depending upon the amount of natural light that is to be admitted to the room. Similarly, there are interlined styles, with a third layer sandwiched between the panel and the lining. They are designed to provide protection from cold air that is conducted from the outside to the inside through the glass, or air seeping through cracks in the windowsill or between the sash and the window frame.

Tie back styles

The appearance of a window can be dramatically altered by the colour and fabric used. It can also be altered in the manner the curtains are hung. One popular and attractive arrangement is the tie back. Tie back options offer decorators tremendous choices in creating unique and very attractive windows.

The most popular tie back positions are the high tie, the middle tie, the low tie, the centre tie, the crisscrossed tie and the angled double tie.

1. The high tie is when one or two panels are hung in the window. The tie pulls the panel back above the centreline of the window.

2. The middle tie pulls the panel back at a point near the middle of the curtain. It looks best if it is not done at the exact centre, but either slightly above or slightly below the centre.

3. The low tie pulls the curtain back about three-fourths of the distance from the top to the floor.

4. The centre tie gathers one or two curtains and pulls them together in the vertical centre of the window, about two thirds or three fourths of the distance from the top to the bottom.

5. The crisscrossed tie starts with two overlapping panels hanging the full width of the window. The outer panel is pulled back to one side and the inner curtain is pulled back to the opposite side.

6. The angled tie uses either one or two curtains. The panel is pulled partially back in the high tie position and pulled back more closely to the window casing in the bottom tie position. The panel is tied back twice in such a way that it is hung in a pleasing, billowing angle from one top corner of the window to a point below the opposite side of the window.

Formal and informal styles

Curtains can be as varied as the individuals in whose homes they hang. Even with all of the variety in fabrics, colours, lengths and methods of hanging, all curtain styles can be classified as either formal or informal.

Formal window treatments are usually called draperies and hang in layers. They are most often found in formal parlors or sitting rooms, living rooms and formal dining rooms. The window treatment is usually done in two or three layers. The first layer is the sheer, which is often a single panel of sheer linen or lace that admits diffused light into the room. Sheers also tend to obscure visibility from the outside, especially if the lighting in the room is subdued. The second layer is usually the pleated floor length drapes. The drapes are suspended from traverse if they are intended to be opened and closed. Drapes are hung from above the window and cover the side casing and trim of the window as they fall toward the floor. The third layer is the curtain running across the window top and covers the top of the window casing, trim and the heading of the draperies. Draperies and valances are often lined. Draperies may be below sill length although they are often floor length.

Everything else is informal curtains, usually hung in one or two layers. They are seldom lined, and are used to diffuse light, not to block it out.

Curtains are decorative, but have other uses as well, aside from providing privacy. They are useful in room darkening to protect room contents from the adverse effects of the sun’s UV rays. Sunlight can fade the colors in furniture and carpet fabrics. Lined curtains are especially good for protecting furniture and carpeting near windows facing either to the south or to the west.

Interior Decor Tips

Make your home functional and useful for your own personal family lifestyle. To help you do that, here are some simple ideas:

• Create a new focal point in a dull room by bringing your china cabinet into the living room, for instance. Accessories the shelves with decorative plants, pictures, books, vases, candles, etc. You'll need to remove the doors first so these things can be seen and appreciated.
• For the most spacious feeling in a room, the ceiling should be white. But you might want a cozy look. Consider painting the ceiling an accent color or mounting faux beams. Create surprise by hanging potted plants (artificial ones) from high beams in a vaulted ceiling room.
  
• An inverted "V" arrangement facing the focal point will give you a change of pace from the more standard arrangement configurations.
• Look for other stable pieces of furniture to place in front of your sofa other than the standard coffee table. Try ottomans, a large chest, a chess set on a display, stacked futons.
  
• Look throughout your home for unique pieces of furniture that aren't getting the attention they deserve. Bring them into the living room or family room where they will be functional and more appreciated.
  
• Need a quick inexpensive curtain rod? Try a garden stake and slip rings over it to draw the curtain.
  
• If you really want to be creative and unique, try using odd things for rods: old golf clubs, PVC pipe that has been decorated, a broom stick, tennis rackets that have been jazzed up. You get the idea.
  
• Plate racks can become instant cornices at your windows. As the seasons change, so do the plates.
  
• Stack old suitcases on top of each other to create an instant lamp table or a small coffee table. Drape a scarf over them or set books on top of them. I have a decorative storage box sitting on top of an old suitcase in one of my rooms.
  
• For a custom look on your ready made drapes, sew on bullion fringe to the bottom or use a hot glue gun to attach it. It will really take them to the next level quite easily and quickly.
  
• Look for unusual items to collected together and mount in a shadow box. It can become a very good conversation piece. Don't try to arrange too many things together in one place as that can become tedious to look at. Just 3-5 items for that really custom and surprising decor.

Door Interior

A door is a hinged, sliding or folding barrier of wood, metal, glass for opening and closing an entrance to a building or room. But now the definition for the doors has changed as first impressions are the lasting ones and the front entry makes a statement about the house. It is something that we pass through million times in our lives, from day we enter this world to day we leave, it. The most utilitarian of architectural elements, the DOOR is undoubtedly the most influential. Whether it is for light, warmth, ventilation, access or a view, a well-planned door can have a dramatic impact on your living space.

Door dimensions vary from region to region depending on the context to its usage. The primary purpose of the door was to defend, today we have a panorama of door designs.

Designers must deliver highly detailed, beautiful and imaginative doors. The responsibility of the designer does not stop at creating a appealing thing, but it must also extend to create a sensory experience from the door knobs to each and element used in there.

We can categorize the doors in seven different categories , each of them is discussed below.

Entry doors: The front door is usually the most eye catching feature of a house. The entrance doors should need to be in relation to the style of their surroundings. Whether viewed from inside or outside, they become an integral part of a home's design. They can vary from modern glass door to gothic style, from multi panelled to arched door.

Interior doors: Interior doors help to connect rooms and sometime it varies from simple flush door to traditional and glass doors. Interior doors need not be impenetrable barriers, frosted or bevelled glass doors allow the sunshine to come yet seal off the noise and the view.

Glass doors: A glass door design should reflect the sensuous sophistication and detailed elegance. Decorative glass is a very good option to door units. Whether it is stained, beveled, etched, mirrored, painted or sand blasted, they can turn the door into a work of art. The patterned glass panels diffuse the light and fill the room with a bright but less intense glow.

Metal doors: These doors are impressive for their intricate and bold surfaces. They can withstand hard use in both interior and exterior application. Copper, bronze, brass and pewter are the metals finishes for the door.

Carved doors: In classically designer houses, the door is treated as a showpiece, thus carved decorations are seen here. With these doors, elegance and permanence are a reality, not just a façade. These highly ornamented carved wooden panels are originally intended for a grand house.

Paneled doors: These doors can be elaborately molded and exuberantly carved, painted and glided. These doors cope well with most weather conditions and need virtually no maintenance. In these doors, a distinct impact is created through fine joinery and sensitive use of material and design.

French doors: French or sliding doors help link living space and garden while doubling as view walls. A sense of accessibility is always achieved through these doors.

Home Interior

Personal style and freedom of expression are driving forces in today's home design. Decorate means to beautify and is derived from a French word meaning the same. Yet while beautiful, self-expressive homes are wonderful, interior designers and architects have a growing responsibility to create healthy, accessible, and environmentally sensitive spaces. Home decor is a pretty broad category, consequently, the best way to refer to home decor is to give some examples of the items that constitute home décor. How these design professionals address these issues will transform how tomorrow's homes look and function.

When decorating a room, there are many things to think about. Space planning, flooring, lighting, furniture, and window treatments are just a few. You'll find interesting information here about how to incorporate all of the elements of décor into your decorating project and use them to the best advantage for your space. The décor refers to different kids of patterns of design like formal décor, contemporary décor, traditional décor and modern décor.

Formal Home Décor

When formal décor comes in mind, we automatically refer to period homes or fine hotels. . The formal décor is also a space that is livable and comfortable. Some additional guidelines to follow include:

• Tall windows, heavy window treatments, fire places and large mirrors are specifically used in this kind of décor.
• To create a formal setting, you need to keep both lines and symmetry in mind.
• The furniture would be arranged in a straight line inside the room and in most cases, furniture and accessories would be arranged in pairs.
• Cloth are generally used on the walls.
• The surfaces of furniture, floors, mirrors, and light fixtures would be polished to a bright shine with high gloss.
• The fabrics used for bedspreads, pillows, couches, and window treatments are very luxurious and rich.
• The use of rugs, oil paintings and crystal chandeliers are typical characteristics.

Contemporary Home décor

Contemporary decor is a style that can be described as simpleast of all ecors, it conveys a sense of simplicity. It is generally categorized by neutral and earthy colours.

• This kind of décor uses distinctive outline, linear patterns, geometric shapes and black as the primary colour.
• There are striking colour patters like used of red with orange and this lies in this décor scheme.
• The furniture has the clean and fast lines and made up of smooth fabric or leather.
• Metal lights are generally the characteristics of this kind of décor.

Casual Home décor

This particular style is very inviting and easy to maintain so very good for working family members.

• The casual style has generally textured patterns and fabric is always soft.
• The perfect symmetry is never there, instead there are gentle curves and rectangular shapes.
• The furniture is arranged in diagonal lines.
• The floors are generally wooden.
• The lightning fixture are very unusual kinds, may be a mixture of steel, iron, glass.

Rustic Home décor

This type of décor provides interest to a home while creating unique texture and warmth. Rustic décor provides sophistication, charm and trend.

• The fireplaces with polished logs and antique finish is characteristic feature of this décor.
• The furniture is highly textured and only few pieces should be put in a room.
• The pillows and cushions are necessary and they should be in rust, copper or burgundy colour.
• Rustic décor can be done by using garden benches or oak dining , ladder back chairs.
• The paintings are also particularly that of baskets of pine cones or landscape photo.

SOME IMPORTANT REASONS TO BREASTFEED

Babies who are not breastfed have a increased risk of:

• respiratory infections and ear infections
• gastrointestinal infections, diarrhea, or constipation
• allergies, including food allergies, eczema, and asthma
• iron-deficiency anemia
• problems with jaw and dental development that may require braces or other orthodontic work
• illnesses serious enough to require admission to hospital
• sids (sudden infant death syndrome)
• diabetes
• obesity
• some childhood cancers
• lower scores on intelligence and achievement tests

Sleep & Bedtime

Congratulations on the birth of your new baby. This is a glorious time in your life. Whether this is your first baby or your fifth, you will find this a time of recovery, adjustment, sometimes confusion and frustration, but " most wonderfully " of falling in love.

Babies younger than four months old have very different sleep needs than older babies. This article will help you understand your newborn baby's developing sleep patterns, and will help you develop reasonable expectations when it comes to your baby and sleep.

Read, Learn, and Beware of Bad Advice

Absolutely everyone has an opinion about how you should handle sleep issues with your new baby. The danger to a new parent is that these tidbits of misguided advice (no matter how well-intentioned) can truly have a negative effect on our parenting skills and, by extension, our babies, developmentSumif we are not aware of the facts. The more knowledge you have the less likely that other people will make you doubt your parenting decisions.

When you have your facts straight, and when you have a parenting plan, you will be able to respond with confidence to those who are well-meaning but offering contrary or incorrect advice. So, your first step is to get smart! Know what you are doing, and know why you are doing it.

The Biology of Newborn Sleep

During the early months of your baby's life, he sleeps when he is tired, it's really that simple. You can do very little to force a new baby to sleep when he doesn,t want to sleep, and conversely, you can do little to wake him up when he is sleeping soundly.

A very important point to understand about newborn babies is that they have very, very tiny tummies. New babies grow rapidly, their diet is liquid, and it digests quickly. Formula digests quickly and breast milk digests even more rapidly. Although it would be nice to lay your little bundle down at a predetermined bedtime and not hear a peep from him until morning, even the most naive among us know that this is not a realistic goal for a tiny baby. Newborns need to be fed every two to four hours ~ and sometimes more.

During those early months, your baby will have tremendous growth spurts that affect not only daytime, but also nighttime feeding as well, sometimes pushing that two- to four-hour schedule to a one- to two-hour schedule around the clock.

Sleeping "through the night"

You have probably heard that babies should start "sleeping through the night" at about two to four months of age. What you must understand is that, for a new baby, a five-hour stretch is a full night. Many (but nowhere near all) babies at this age can sleep uninterrupted from midnight to 5 a.m. (Not that they always do.) A far cry from what you may have thought "sleeping through the night" meant!

Here we pause while the shock sinks in for those of you who have a baby who sleeps through the night but didn,t know it.

What's more, while the scientific definition of ,sleeping through the night0/00 is five hours, most of us wouldn,t consider that anywhere near a full night,s sleep for ourselves. Also, some of these sleep-through-the-nighters will suddenly begin waking more frequently, and it,s often a full year or even two until your little one will settle into a mature, all-night, every night sleep pattern.

Falling Asleep at the Breast or Bottle

It is very natural for a newborn to fall asleep while sucking at the breast, a bottle, or a pacifier. When a baby always falls asleep this way, he learns to associate sucking with falling asleep; over time, he cannot fall asleep any other way. I have heard a number of sleep experts refer to this as a ,negative sleep association.0/00 I certainly disagree, and so would my baby. It is probably the most positive, natural, pleasant sleep association a baby can have. However, a large percentage of parents who are struggling with older babies who cannot fall asleep or stay asleep are fighting this natural and powerful sucking-to-sleep association.

Therefore, if you want your baby to be able to fall asleep without your help, it is essential that you sometimes let your newborn baby suck until he is sleepy, but not totally asleep. When you can, remove the breast, bottle, or pacifier from his mouth and let him finish falling asleep without something in his mouth. When you do this, your baby may resist, root, and fuss to regain the nipple. It,s perfectly okay to give him back the breast, bottle, or pacifier and start over a few minutes later. If you do this often enough, he will eventually learn how to fall asleep without sucking.

Waking for Night Feedings

Many pediatricians recommend that parents shouldn't let a newborn sleep longer than three or four hours without feeding, and the vast majority of babies wake far more frequently than that. (There are a few exceptional babies who can go longer.) No matter what, your baby will wake up during the night. The key is to learn when you should pick her up for a night feeding and when you can let her go back to sleep on her own.

This is a time when you need to focus your instincts and intuition. This is when you should try very hard to learn how to read your baby's signals. Here,s a tip that is critically important for you to know. Babies make many sleeping sounds, from grunts to whimpers to outright cries, and these noises don,t always signal awakening. These are what I call sleeping noises, and your baby is nearly or even totally asleep during these episodes. I remember when my first baby, Angela, was a newborn. Her cry awakened me many times, yet she was asleep in my arms before I even made it from cradle to rocking chair. She was making sleeping noises. In my desire to respond to my baby's every cry, I actually taught her to wake up more often!

You need to listen and watch your baby carefully. Learn to differentiate between these sleeping sounds and awake and hungry sounds. If she is awake and hungry, you,ll want to feed her as quickly as possible. If you respond immediately when she is hungry, she will most likely go back to sleep quickly. But, if you let her cry escalate, she will wake herself up totally, and it will be harder and take longer for her to go back to sleep. Not to mention that you will then be wide awake, too!

Help Your Baby Distinguish Day from Night

A newborn baby sleeps about sixteen to eighteen hours per day, and this sleep is distributed evenly over six to seven brief sleep periods. You can help your baby distinguish between nighttime sleep and daytime sleep, and thus help him sleep longer periods at night.

Begin by having your baby take his daytime naps in a lit room where he can hear the noises of the day, perhaps a bassinet or cradle located in the main area of your home. Make nighttime sleep dark and quiet. You can also help your baby differentiate day naps from night sleep by using a nightly bath and a change into sleeping pajamas to signal the difference between the two.

Watch for Signs of Tiredness

One way to encourage good sleep is to get familiar with your baby's sleepy signals and put her down to sleep as soon as she seems tired. A baby cannot put herself to sleep, nor can she understand her own sleepy signs. Yet a baby who is encouraged to stay awake when her body is craving sleep is typically an unhappy baby. Over time, this pattern develops into sleep deprivation, which further complicates your baby's developing sleep maturity. Learn to read your baby's sleepy signs and put her to bed when that window of opportunity presents itself.

Make Yourself Comfortable

I've yet to hear a parent tell me that she or he loves getting up throughout the night to tend to a baby's needs. As much as we adore our little bundles, it,s tough when you,re woken up over and over again, night after night. Since it,s a fact that your baby will be waking you up, you may as well make yourself as comfortable as possible. The first step is to learn to relax about night wakings right now. Being stressed or frustrated about having to get up won,t change a thing. The situation will improve day by day; and before you know it, your little newborn won,t be so little anymore ~ she,ll be walking and talking and getting into everything in sightSumduring the day, and sleeping peacefully all night long.

Your baby's development Week By Week

First Trimester:

Weeks 0-4:

Seven days after the egg is fertilised the blastocyst in your uterus starts to produce human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) hormone.

Week 5:

The embryo is now around 5mm long. Little buds form, which will become the lungs.

Week 6:

He's now 10mm long. The first signs of his kidney appear and his hands begin to form at the ends of the arm buds.

Weeks 7-8:

Separate fingers can be identified. The foot plate and external part of the ears also begin to develop.

Weeks 9-12:

During this phase his eyes form, his head and brain grow and his face takes shape. He's around 6cm long. Ovaries or testicles have formed. His jaw and mouth have also formed and tiny milk teeth buds are in place.

Week 13:

The placenta maintains the pregnancy and substitutes for lungs, liver and kidneys.

Second Trimester

Week 14:

Your baby is floating in the amniotic sac. He can hiccup and flex his legs.

Week 15:

Blood vessels are visible under your baby's skin. He grasps the umbilical cord and sucks his fingers.

Week 16:

Your baby's legs are longer than his arms. His skin is covered with downy hair (lanugo).

Week 17:

Your baby is now about the size of a large banana. He measures about 14cm and weighs about 200g.

Week 18:

He makes breathing movements and takes amniotic in and out of his lungs.

Week 19:

Your baby swallows amniotic fluid which passes into his bowels. This meconium will constitute your baby's first bowel movement after the birth.

Week 20:

Your baby is around 15cm long (about the size of a large bunch of grapes) and weighs 400g. Eyebrows and lashes start to grow.

Week 21:

His head and body are now more in proportion. Fat is being distributed under his skin.

Week 22:

His eyelids and ears are well formed. A cycle of waking and sleeping may be established.

Week 23:

Growth now begins to slow as your baby matures in other ways.

Week 24:

He has a strong sense of touch and can feel his surroundings. His hearing is developed and he can respond to music and loud noises. He may recognise your voice and may move when you speak.

Week 25:

His nostrils have opened and he is now practising breathing.

Week 26:

His eyelids may open for the first time.

Third Trimester

Week 27:

The amniotic sac contains about 770ml of fluid and your baby can move about quite freely.

Week 28:

Your baby is about 26cm long and weighs about 900g. His heartbeat is around 120 to 140 beats per minute, about double an adults heart rate.

Week 29:

If your baby is in the breech position, don't worry, he should turn between 32 and 34 weeks.

Weeks 30-31:

Your baby can hear both your own and your partner's voice, despite his watery surroundings. Your baby's tastebuds are now developed and he can distinguish between sweet and sour and bitter tastes.

Week 32:

His eyes are open for some of the time. His skin is covered with a layer of vernix which prevents it from drying out.

Week 33:

His lungs secrete a soapy fluid which keeps them open, ready for breathing.

Week 34:

He's now 32cm long and weighs 2kg. His head should be down, ready for birth, although around four per cent of babies are born bottom first - this is the breech position.

Week 35:

The different parts of the baby can be felt through your tummy.

Week 36:

Your baby is around 34cm long and weighs about 2.8kg.

Week 37:

His head mat have engaged (moved through the opening of the pelvis), especially if this is your first baby.

Week 38-39:

Your baby is now quite plump. There is no longer move for him to stretch out and make big movements, but he can still lift and turn his head.

Week 40:

Your baby is around 35-37cm long, weighs around 3.5kg and is ready to be born.