Jyoti Primalani

Calcium becomes especially important during pregnancy for the mother and her growing fetus. However some women are not able to ingest and digest milk for several reasons. In some cases the problem is not about taste. Milk can leave a gassy feeling and in the more severe situation, intense cramping and even diarrhea can occur.

Stretch mark or striae affects a good majority of pregnant ladies out there. Usually they appear in the second half of pregnancy when your expansion becomes more obvious. It shows up on the tummy, bum, thighs and breasts, areas where there are actual physical stretching. Its color depends on the skin tone - these indented lines can resemble pinkish, reddish or purplish streaks on light skin and brownish lines on darker skin. Sadly, stretch marks cannot be prevented and once you have them, no amount of special lotions or changes to your diet will make them vanish.

As the due date approaches, this plug dislodges, breaks up and passes out of the pregnant woman’s body. When this happens it is clear your body is preparing for labor. Labor can however commence within hours for some but most probably can take up to days for many.

One particular nutrient that should be taken seriously during pregnancy is folic acid. This vitamin from the family of B-vitamins prevents birth defects in a developing baby, aids in cell division and helps in the formation of red blood cells for both mother and baby. Ideally it should be taken 3 months during the pre-conception period to ensure a healthy start and be continued till term.

Hemoglobin becomes very important during pregnancy. Since your baby is also the beneficiary, you will need extra iron to see you and your baby through. Typically, the average woman needs 15mg, but now that she is pregnant, the iron requirement increases to 30-50mg, especially from about the 20th week on.