Benefits of Eating Sardines While Pregnant

   During those early stages of pregnancy, I've lost my appetite. I am not sick, no morning sickness or anything, just have no desire to eat. At times I feel nauseous after eating anything. Added my mouth is very tasteless, that I don't even like drinking water or milk.

   But glad when I entered my 11th week, I had my appetite back! :)

   With my previous two pregnancies, I've never had experienced this and that I always had a good appetite since the start of my pregnancy.

   With this pregnancy, I have no specific cravings but one food that somehow suits my taste is eating sardines in oil. I prefer with oil than that with tomato sauce. I love to eat that one with chilli that I always put lemon on it. Usually I pair it with sweet yellow mangoes! :) 

My dinner this evening! :)

   As it's packed in the can, I was thinking if it is safe to eat while pregnant and does it provide nourishment for me and my baby?

   Sharing with you this important facts I found from my research:

   

  I have found out that it is one of the super foods pregnant women should take. This “health food in a can” is rich in omega-3’s, which are critical for a baby’s brain and eye development. 

   Omega-3, in particular, contributes to the healthy development of the brain and eyes of a fetus, the researchers told the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

   Omega-3s have been found to be essential for both neurological and early visual development of the baby 

   As part of a £5 million European Commission study into diet, Spanish researchers examined 2,000 women at the 20th week of pregnancy and again after birth.

   Women who eat fish during pregnancy are more likely to have brainy and sociable children, according to new EU-funded research.

   . 

   The report added: 'The amount of DHA transmitted to the fetus through the placenta might be crucial for fetal development."

  It contains the acid DHA which is a major component of brain cell membranes.

   Research has confirmed that adding EPA and DHA to the diet of pregnant women has a positive effect on visual and cognitive development of the baby. Studies have also shown that higher consumption of omega-3s may reduce the risk of allergies in infants.

   Omega-3s are also used after birth to make breast milk. With each subsequent pregnancy, mothers are further depleted.

   

   Those mothers-to-be who tucked into oily fish like tuna, sardines and salmon produced infants who scored better in various tests of skill and intelligence, it found.

   Unlike large ocean fish, they’re very low in mercury. 

Sardines in  sunflower oil... Yummy! :)

   So glad to know about these wonderful facts about eating sardines while pregnant and for sure I will always be including it on my pregnancy diet. :)

"The best way to keep your baby healthy is to keep yourself healthy."

Credits

American Pregnancy: http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/omega-3-fish-oil/
Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2094819/Omega-3-Women-eat-fish-pregnancy-likely-brainy-sociable-children.html
SFGATE: http://blog.sfgate.com/sfmoms/2009/03/11/7-superfoods-pregnant-women-should-eat/

13 Weeks Today!

Inside the Womb at 13 Weeks

Photo courtesy of Pregnancy App

Photo courtesy of The Bump

Photo courtesy of BabyCenter

1. Your baby has fingerprints. How cool is that?! Her tiny body is 3 inches long and weighs just shy of an ounce.
2. If it's a girl ... She now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries.
3. The body is catching up with the head. Her head now makes up one-third of her body instead of one-half.
4. Your risk of miscarriage is now much lower. In other news, many women notice an increase in sex drive around now.

Child length: approximately 2.91 inches (about the size of a lemon)

Child weight: approximately 0.81 oz/23 grams

At this stage: At 13 weeks pregnant, you’ve grown a fetus that has vocal cords, teeth, and even fingerprints (wow!) and you’ve probably kept this incredible news (mostly) secret while wishing you could shout it from the rooftops. Around week 13 of pregnancy, many parents-to-be start spreading the word that there’s a baby on the way.

   Your baby now has the ability to open and close its fists and to make sucking movements with the muscles in the mouth - it's just a matter of time before the thumb and mouth meet.

   All the organs of your baby's digestive system are developing into their final shapes including the stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestines. Even your baby's lungs are practicing breathing (but only from the amniotic fluid). The lungs won't actually breathe oxygen from the air until birth.

   The urine that your baby excretes into the amniotic fluid is not harmful and is quickly removed via the umbilical cord.

   Even at this size, it is still difficult to determine the sex on an ultrasound.

Your Body

   Your are now at the beginning of your second trimester. Morning sickness may have become a thing of the past, or it may be making a slow exit. The second trimester is known as the least symptomatic and the most energetic. As you start to feel more like yourself and get that energy surge, you’re going to want to knock a bunch of to-dos off your list.

 You may also begin to notice stretch marks on your breasts, abdomen, and even back.

   It is also possible that you may begin to feel some aches in your abdomen (round ligament pain), which is due to stretching of the ligaments that hold our uterus in place.

Days left to birth: 190 (32% of your pregnancy is completed)

Due date: 23 November 2017


Data Sources: Baby Center, The Bump, Pregnancy App, Due Date Calculator (YourDueDate.com)

12 Weeks Here I Go!

Inside the Womb at 12 Weeks

On my 12th week today! :)

My 12 weeks old bundle of joy

Ultrasound taken today (11 May 2017)

during my Down Syndrome Screening

Photo courtesy of Pregnancy App

Photo courtesy of BabyCenter

Child length: approximately 2.13 inches (about the size of a fig)

Child weight: approximately 0.49 oz

At this stage: The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it.

Your baby's liver and spleen are now producing blood cells, and the pancreas is beginning to release digestive enzymes. Your baby's liver accounts for 10% of the total weight, which is about half ounce by now.

The sex of your baby is becoming more pronounced and the kidneys are now producing urine from the amniotic fluid that he or she ingests.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and synapses are forming furiously in your baby's brain. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be.
Because your baby won't be using the lungs to breath until birth, all the oxygen needed is coming from the placenta.

Days left to birth: 196 (30% of your pregnancy is completed)

Due date: 23 November 2017


Data Sources: Baby Center, Pregnancy App, YourDueDate.com - Due Date Calculator

Beautiful In My Eyes! (Had My Down Syndrome Screening Today)

 

Such a beautiful day today, I was able to see my precious baby. I had my Down syndrome screening test performed this afternoon. It's offered as part of the combined test, which includes the nuchal translucency scan and blood test.

   This screening test is being taken as part of my regular prenatal routine tests. To share, just had my first blood taking tests done last May 8 (Monday) for Rhesus (RH) Factor, Haemoglobin, Rubella Antibody, Venereal Disease Reactive Laboratory, Hepatitis B Antigen & HIV Testing.

   It's very heartwarming to see my new bundle of joy for the first time who is moving around a lot! :)

Hi there! I'm 12 weeks today :)

   The sonographer was so nice and friendly, I was given an ample time to have a sneak peak of my cutie. She pointed out on me every details of my baby from head to toe. She showed me that flickering heartbeat, too. That beautiful moment wishing I could stop time for a while, just amazing seeing your new blessing for the first time! After the ultrasound, I was told the baby is normal. 

   Thanks be to GOD, I feel so happy and grateful!

"Happiness is... the first pregnancy ultrasound."

11 Weeks Today!

Inside the Womb at 11 Weeks

Photo courtesy of Pregnancy App

Photo courtesy of BabyCenter

Child length: approximately 1.61 inches (about the size of a fig)

Child weight: approximately 0.25 oz

At this stage: This week is the beginning of a three-week period when your baby will double in length and will go through a growth spurt. 

Your baby is busy moving inside your uterus, looks more human now than ever before with a visible neck, straighter back and thicker skin. The head is almost as big as the rest of your baby's body. If you could touch the little fingers you could feel that tiny fingernails are beginning to form.

The risk of congenital defects becomes less now as the vital organs are fully formed and are less likely to be affected by outside influences. At some point during this week, blood will begin circulating between the uterus and fetus and the placenta will start functioning.

Days left to birth: 203 (28% of your pregnancy is completed)

Due date: 23 November 2017


Data Sources: Baby Center, Pregnancy App, YourDueDate.com - Due Date Calculator

On My 9th Week Today!

Inside the Womb at 9 Weeks

Photo courtesy of Pregnancy App

Photo courtesy of BabyCenter

Child length: approximately 1 inch (about the size of a raspberry)

Child weight: approximately 0.04 oz

At this stage: The beginning of week 9 marks the end of the "embryonic period" and the beginning of the "foetal" period. Starting to look more and more human. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. Your baby's head is now half the size of her body.

Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form – as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. The kidneys, liver, brain, and lungs are all beginning to function.

The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain. Your uterus is about the size of a grapefruit this week.

Days left to birth: 218 (22% of your pregnancy is completed)

Due date: 23 November 2017


Data Sources: Baby Center, Pregnancy App, I'm Expecting by Medhelp & Pregnancy Assistant, Parents, Due Date Calculator

Belly Beautiful! On My 3rd Month Now :)

   

   Time flies! Just reached my second month yesterday and my third month starts today. I'm looking big already, just to share my growing belly, I asked my daughter to take some pictures of me. :)

My 2 months belly

   I have been a picky eater lately since my I learned of my pregnancy. I was so selective with the food I eat, also I don't like water and milk but I always try for the sake of having a healthy pregnancy. Hope soon, my appetite will be slowly coming back bit by bit. I have been taking my prenatal vitamins since so to make sure my baby is getting the nutrients.

Haven't gained that much weight yet, but pretty sure my belly is! =)

Feels like it's a baby girl! ^_^

   

   With my second pregnancy, there is this mother instinct inside of me that I'm having a baby boy that time. When I see  cute baby clothing, I always picked that one for a boy. When I had my ultrasound done, I was right, I was really carrying a baby boy! 

   I'm excited to find out once again this time, what matters now is whatever the gender is, my baby is growing healthily inside of me.

What will my baby be, a he or a she?