This document discusses the importance of women taking care of their health before and during pregnancy. It outlines several signs that can indicate pregnancy, including missed periods, breast tenderness, fatigue, frequent urination, and weight changes. The document emphasizes seeking prenatal care as soon as a woman believes she is pregnant. It notes factors that can impact a healthy pregnancy, such as a woman's age, weight, stress levels, and emotional state. Maintaining good health habits, eating properly, and addressing any issues that cause stress are recommended for optimal outcomes.

1. DANNY F. MARIBAO
High School – Faculty
BLWC

2.  Women should start
taking care of themselves
before becoming pregnant
 Good health habits during
childhood and adolescence
help prepare a woman for
childbearing
“Be good to your baby before
it is born”

3.  As soon as she
believes she is
pregnant seek
prenatal care
◦Always need good
medical care,
whether it is her first,
second, or a later
pregnancy.

4.  Most of the time, a woman
does not know she is
pregnant until several
weeks after conception.
 Many signs can indicate
pregnancy
◦No single sign is, by
itself, a sure sign of
pregnancy.

5. 1. Missed menstrual period
◦ Delay of 10 or more days
◦ May stop for other reasons:
•Emotional
stress
•Changes in
climate
•diet
•Exercise
•Rapid change
in body weigh
•Chronic
diseases

6. Swelling and tenderness

7.  May occur at any time
of the day
 About 1/2-1/3
experience
 Occurring at the same
time daily through 4th
month –12th week good
sign.
 Usually occurs in 1st
trimester as body adjusts.

8.  Fatigue
 Poor diet
 Empty
stomach  Get plenty of sleep
 Eat nutritious foods
 Eating several small
meals rather than 2-
3 large ones
May add to the problem
May help:
If severe enough to cause routine
vomiting, consult doctor.

9. Growing uterus puts
pressure on the bladder
Hormones may also cause
more frequent urination

10.  As body adjusts to pregnancy,
may feel very tired
 May sleep more than usual
and need to take naps
 For some – lasts throughout 1st
trimester

11.  Mother’s Age
◦ Ideal time to have a baby
is between the ages of 21
to 28
◦ Teens and women over 30
are high-risk mothers-to-be
◦ Teens tend to have
premature babies, stillborn
and malformed babies
◦ Women over age 36 tend
to have more babies with
birth defects

12.  Mothers Weight
◦ Non-pregnant weight is below 85% of her proper weight
could endanger her and her child’s health
 Mother’s body meets her dietary need before it
meets the needs of her baby.
 Underweight woman’s body will first use her food
intake to correct her own vitamin deficiencies. Thus
pass fewer nutrients to the baby
 Underweight women often have low-birth weight
infants
( under 5 ½ pounds)
◦ Women whose nonpregnant weight is above 120%
 Uses a greater proportion of her food intake for
energy
 High blood pressure, diabetes (body’s inability to
utilize sugar) and delivery problems are more likely.

13.  Body undergoes dramatic changes
during pregnancy
 Most obvious changes during
pregnancy are the increased size of
breasts and abdomen
 As skin stretches, the tissues just below
the skin surface may tear
◦ Can cause pink or red marks called stretch
marks
◦ Usually fade into faint, silvery lines
◦ Slow even weight gain within the doctor’s
recommendations is the best way to
prevent stretch marks.

14.  Internal pressure also affect the
bladder.
◦ Early in pregnancy, growing
uterus pushes against the bladder
and causes the woman to urinate
more often.
◦ In middle months, fetus moves out
of the pelvic region and into the
abdomen, which lessens pressure
on the bladder.
◦ Late in pregnancy, baby again
puts pressure on the bladder,
causing a need to urinate more
frequently

15.  Not as obvious as physical ones- just as
real.
 Important influence on emotions is how
she feels about being pregnant.
 Hormones cause many of a woman’s
emotional changes during pregnancy.
 Positive thoughts and feelings are
impossible for a woman to have a
health baby.

16.  Feelings stimulate the nervous system
and the flow of adrenaline (hormone
that prepares the body to cope with
stress; makes person feel more
energetic.)
 When happy adrenaline level is low,
heartbeat and breathing are slow, and
muscles are relaxed.
 When stressed, adrenaline crosses
placenta to baby, carrying stress
signals.

17.  Mother’s stress increases
her heartbeat and
muscle tension as well
as the baby’s.
 If stress is long lasting,
severe, or frequent, the
baby may be smaller,
fussy, or quite active

18.  May also affect a
woman’s digestive
system
◦ During 1st trimester may
experience nausea
◦ Toward end of
pregnancy, as growing
fetus exerts more pressure
on her stomach and
intestines, may feel
heartburn and indigestion.
◦ Often changing what she
eats can help

19. DANNY F. MARIBAO
High School – Faculty
BLWC