When it comes to physical exercise and eating healthy there are many barriers that people can face. I myself am a stay at home mom of a beautiful two year old little girl and she does have me going all day every day but I know that it is probably not quite the physical exercise I should be getting. We do go out for walks around the neigborhood at least 3 days a week but if I am tired or do not feel like it I simply opt out of going. That is definitely one of the biggest challanges when it comes to physical exercise because if I simply do not feel like it I am not going to do it. Most of the time when she is down for a nap or in bed for the night I try and do homework or spend time with my husband so physical exercise kind of gets pushed off to the side. As for eating healthy there are many challanges to face. There are so many options available for families such as going out to eat or running out and picking something up that the nutrition factor isn't probably as high as what it was when I was growing up. I do fairly well at cooking dinner at home most nights of the week especially since going out to eat has gotten so expensive but I do admit that I should incorporate more vegetables and fruits into our daily meals. I have one of the pickiest two year old eaters ever and fortunately she does eat her veggies and her fruit. I will give her fruit and veggies as much as possible as well as her daily vitamins to try and get in the habit feeding her healthy! Many excuses are used when it comes to these aspects of life but if we could only get into a routine maybe it might not seem like such a pain. :)
Melissa V.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Blog 8
I interviewed a women who had gone through menopause early at age 25 due to having a total hysterectomy from complications after her second child being born. She is now 54 and if she had not gone through early menopause she would be experiencing some of the symptoms she had at the of 25. As she looks back on the situation she is glad to have gone though the symptoms of menopause then rather than now. She was also glad for the fact that she no longer had a menstural cycle after the age of 25. I could only imagine not having to deal with a menstural cycle especially if you are done having children, It would be wonderful! Susan did take HRT in order to help her with some of the side effects that came along with having the hysterectomy/menopause symptoms ans she said that if she did not have her HRT she would be extremely moody and irritable throughout the day. Susan said she also experienced hot flashes as well as a few other side effects but her HRT did help minimize the effects. She no longer uses HRT but did for many years, approximately 15 she thinks. I found it to be very interesting listening to Susan's story and hearing about the different symptoms she had as well as how she felt with HRT and now not needed the HRT and feeling fine. It is good to know that all women go through the same things so you can always have a fellow friend that you may able to talk to about your feelings and symptoms and she may be right in the same boat with you.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Blog 7
I read the article A Grndered Epidemic. Women and the Risks and Burdens of HIV. I found this article to be not only sad but also a shock. I did a paper on HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe in a previous class and this article related a lot to the information I had found while completing my paper. Women and children are becoming more and more at risk and contracting HIV than the men and boys of our world. Like the article had stated women especially young girls are able to contract the disease easier than men due to their immature genital tracks making them more susceptible to the infection. Sub-Saharah African women suffer a great deal from HIV due to their culture and style of living. Many of the young girsl are with older men who may participate in homosexual acts and then come home to their wives and pass the disease they might not know they even have. Drug use is also a cause of HIV cases but does not account for near as many as sexual intercourse. There has many techniques made available for mothers who do have HIV to not transmit the disease to their newborn that are cost effective but for mothers that are in Africa or under developed countries they do not always get the proper care needed nor do they have the money to provide nuttrient rich food to their child so they will breastfeed and spread HIV to their child. Helping inform adolescents about the risks involved with HIV can help reduce the amount of women who are carrying this deadly disease. Having the female condom accessabile to women has made a major difference to women in developing countries because they are now having the ability to protect themselves from getting HIV. A response to global AIDS needs to be a priority and until more can be done to help our women and children in developing countries the prevelance rate of HIV/AIDS is going to remain the same.
Piot, P. (2001). A Gendered Epidemic. Women and the Risks and Burdens of HIV. Retrieved from http://twupilot.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_16839_1%26url%3D
Piot, P. (2001). A Gendered Epidemic. Women and the Risks and Burdens of HIV. Retrieved from http://twupilot.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_16839_1%26url%3D
Monday, October 4, 2010
Blog 6 Top 10 Questions Pregnant Women Have
When a woman is pregnant with their first child there are so many questions that you may have. There are many books that you can go buy and read that can help you answer some of your questions but I always wanted to ask my doctor my specific questions. I would write down my questions that I had in between visits so that I would not forget what I was going to ask by the time my appointment came around. According to WebMd some of the questions pregnant women ask include:
1.What should I do before I get pregnant to ensure a healthy pregnancy for me and the baby?
A: See a doctor for a prepregnancy checkup, eat a healthy diet, stop smoking if you are a current smoker, get any health problems udner control, and get checked for std's
2. What should and shouldn't you eat while pregnant?
A:It is good to get all of your essential vitamins and nutrients while eating for two. Eating plenty of fruits, veggies, grains, lean meats, calcium rich foods, and low-fat milk and yogurt products. Foods that you should stay away from would be any food with a high level of mercury, raw fish, uncooked eggs, caffine and of course alcohol.
3. Are there activities I should do more of or steer clear of while pregnant?
A: DO's- Exercise, Have sex, wash your hands often, clean house, travel by plane, See the dentist. DONT's-Change the kitty litter box, use saunas, paint, use an x-ray machine, ride roller coasters.
4. How can I safely exercise while pregnant?
A: Some good examples would be walking, swimming, stationary cycling or yoga.
5.What can I do to help avoid pregnancy symptoms like nauseas, heartburn, vomiting, leg cramps, and hemorrhoids?
A: Get up slowly in the morning to help prevent nauseas, exercise frequently to help reduce leg cramps, avoid greasy foods to help reduce heartburn, and drink plenty of to fluids to help against hemorrhoids.
6. How much weight should I gain during pregnancy?
A:Depending on your weight when you become pregnant is how you determine the amount of weight you should gain when pregnant. If you are at a normal weight when becoming pregnant 25-35 pounds is about the amount to gain, If you are overweight before pregnancy 15-25 is what you should gain, if you are underweight you should gain 28-40 pounds. The average woman gains approximately 2 to 4 pounds during the first three months and then a pound a week the remainder of the pregnancy
7.When should I call my docotor in between regular prenatal visits
A: unusual or sever cramping, difficult breathing or shortness of breath, lack of movement of the baby after 28 weeks, any bleeding in 2nd or 3rd trimester, fever over a 100, faintin spells or dizziness, blurred vision, swelling of hands fingers and face.
8. How can I make a birth plan for labor and delivery?
A: Talk to your Dr. or midwife about your birthing plan and then ask yourself some questions. who do you want present at the birth, what type of pain relief would you like, what position do you want to be in, do you want an episiotomy, what do you want for the babies care after birth. Just remember that this is a plan and is not mandatory that it is followed.
9. How can I prepare for breastfeeding after cihildbirht?
A:Call the National Womans Health Centers Breastfeeding Hotline for questions about breastfeeding pumping and many other things, Find a lactation consultant near you, find a LeLeche consultant, or visit gotmom.org/
10. What should I know about postpartum depression?
A:many mothers experience the baby blues after delivering and these mild symptoms such as mood swings, crying spells, or irritability go away withing a few days to few weeks but if they seem to linger or become severe it is important to contact your doctor and get help for postpartum depression.
These 10 questions are probably just 10 of the many that you will have but try not to worry about to much.
WebMD. (2009). Frequently asked questions about pregnancy. Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/baby/frequently-asked-questions-about-pregnancy
1.What should I do before I get pregnant to ensure a healthy pregnancy for me and the baby?
A: See a doctor for a prepregnancy checkup, eat a healthy diet, stop smoking if you are a current smoker, get any health problems udner control, and get checked for std's
2. What should and shouldn't you eat while pregnant?
A:It is good to get all of your essential vitamins and nutrients while eating for two. Eating plenty of fruits, veggies, grains, lean meats, calcium rich foods, and low-fat milk and yogurt products. Foods that you should stay away from would be any food with a high level of mercury, raw fish, uncooked eggs, caffine and of course alcohol.
3. Are there activities I should do more of or steer clear of while pregnant?
A: DO's- Exercise, Have sex, wash your hands often, clean house, travel by plane, See the dentist. DONT's-Change the kitty litter box, use saunas, paint, use an x-ray machine, ride roller coasters.
4. How can I safely exercise while pregnant?
A: Some good examples would be walking, swimming, stationary cycling or yoga.
5.What can I do to help avoid pregnancy symptoms like nauseas, heartburn, vomiting, leg cramps, and hemorrhoids?
A: Get up slowly in the morning to help prevent nauseas, exercise frequently to help reduce leg cramps, avoid greasy foods to help reduce heartburn, and drink plenty of to fluids to help against hemorrhoids.
6. How much weight should I gain during pregnancy?
A:Depending on your weight when you become pregnant is how you determine the amount of weight you should gain when pregnant. If you are at a normal weight when becoming pregnant 25-35 pounds is about the amount to gain, If you are overweight before pregnancy 15-25 is what you should gain, if you are underweight you should gain 28-40 pounds. The average woman gains approximately 2 to 4 pounds during the first three months and then a pound a week the remainder of the pregnancy
7.When should I call my docotor in between regular prenatal visits
A: unusual or sever cramping, difficult breathing or shortness of breath, lack of movement of the baby after 28 weeks, any bleeding in 2nd or 3rd trimester, fever over a 100, faintin spells or dizziness, blurred vision, swelling of hands fingers and face.
8. How can I make a birth plan for labor and delivery?
A: Talk to your Dr. or midwife about your birthing plan and then ask yourself some questions. who do you want present at the birth, what type of pain relief would you like, what position do you want to be in, do you want an episiotomy, what do you want for the babies care after birth. Just remember that this is a plan and is not mandatory that it is followed.
9. How can I prepare for breastfeeding after cihildbirht?
A:Call the National Womans Health Centers Breastfeeding Hotline for questions about breastfeeding pumping and many other things, Find a lactation consultant near you, find a LeLeche consultant, or visit gotmom.org/
10. What should I know about postpartum depression?
A:many mothers experience the baby blues after delivering and these mild symptoms such as mood swings, crying spells, or irritability go away withing a few days to few weeks but if they seem to linger or become severe it is important to contact your doctor and get help for postpartum depression.
These 10 questions are probably just 10 of the many that you will have but try not to worry about to much.
WebMD. (2009). Frequently asked questions about pregnancy. Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/baby/frequently-asked-questions-about-pregnancy
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