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posted by cici1264
Facing an unplanned pregnancy can be overwhelming, scary and confusing all at once. That is why it is important for you to have a solid support system when you are dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. Having adequate pregnancy support may be the difference between you having a happy, healthy pregnancy and a miserable one. The following advice will help you find that support during your pregnancy.Family and Friends

Naturally, the first place you will turn for help during pregnancy will be your family and friends. These are the people who are in your life on a daily basis, so it is natural that you would seek their support first. That said, don't be surprised if not everyone backs you up. Everyone is going to have their opinions about your unplanned pregnancy and the choices that you make.

To build a pregnancy support system from your family and friends you need to be selective. If there is person in your life who is being negative, you will need to tune them out and limit your exposure to them. Surround yourself with the people in your life who are supportive and helpful as you consider your options. It is important to avoid emotional conflict and stress where you can because you will have enough of that on your own.
Charities and Professional Services

There are many charitable and professional organizations that offer pregnancy support. Places like crisis pregnancy centers offer women experiencing unplanned pregnancy a number of valuable resources for free. You can get pregnancy counseling, material items like clothes, baby items and food, but you can also connect with people in a similar situation.

If you are having difficulty emotionally during an unplanned pregnancy, you may seek professional support. Many mental health counselors offer professional therapy to pregnant women. This can be an excellent addition to your pregnancy support system. Therapy can teach you a lot about yourself, and it can also help prepare you emotionally to handle the decision you have made about your pregnancy be that becoming a mother, having an abortion or placing your baby for adoption.
Support Groups and Peers

One of the greatest additions to your pregnancy support system is other pregnant peers. There are many different pregnancy support groups available to women facing an unplanned pregnancy. These can be found through your local crisis pregnancy center, women's center or a social worker. Oftentimes, they even have groups that are demographic specific. For example a group may be established for pregnant teens or adult single pregnant women.

You may also be able to find online pregnancy support groups. The internet is a great place to connect with people all over the world in your same situation. You can often find listings for support groups that meet in person as well.

If you don't know anyone in your situation ask a social worker or contact a pregnancy center about connecting with someone who has been or is in your situation. Additionally, if you are considering adoption, the agency you are working with may be able to connect you with willing peers looking for a support system or another woman who has walked in your shoes. This can be particularly useful because very few people have given a child up for adoption and coping with that aspect of unplanned pregnancy requires a unique support system.
posted by cici1264
Fostering a healthy pregnancy goes beyond just going to your prenatal appointments with your doctor. It entails proper nutrition during pregnancy, adequate physical activity and making some simple lifestyle changes. A healthy pregnancy is important not just for your baby but for you. It reduces your risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery, along with ensuring your ability to conceive and have children in the future. Once you know what proper prenatal care entails, you can take the necessary steps to ensure a healthy pregnancy.Prenatal Care

Prenatal care is essential to a healthy...
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posted by amoremusic
I was talking to a friend on Good-reads about being pregnant and i told her this:

" Being pregnant is hard on you and your body, you have to be careful with every-thing that you do with yourself, you are caring a precious life that needs to be looked after."

And what i told her is very true, I do have to be careful with how i present myself and how i behave while I'm caring my son, my life is going to change whether I'm ready for it or not, my life is going to be changing in a matter of months and i'm going to have to get my life in order before this little one comes to meet me.
posted by cici1264
When you find out you're pregnant you may wonder when and how you should break the news to family and friends. Should you tell them immediately or wait awhile, just to be sure? The feelings of when and even how to tell other people can vary from one woman to another. Some women can't wait to share their wonderful news while others want to take some time to savor the news before they let the world it on it.

In the past the standard rule of thumb was to wait until the first trimester had passed before letting other people know of your impending motherhood. The reason behind this was very practical....
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posted by cici1264
When you find out you are pregnant, if this was not a planned pregnancy, then the news can come as a bit of a shock. You naturally may wonder how this happened when you were taking precautions to prevent it and you may also wonder what options are available to you.

Even though the pregnancy may not have been planned, one option that is available is choosing to parent the baby. This is certainly not a decision that should be made lightly because not everyone is in a situation where they are capable of parenting even though they may be choosing to give birth.When you choose to parent, one of the...
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posted by cici1264
If you have already received confirmation that you are pregnant through a pregnancy test then next exciting step will be to have an ultrasound. Technology has certainly increased at a rapid rate in the last few decades and today expectant mothers are able to view their unborn babies in a completely different manner than just a few years ago.

At its most basic, the ultrasound will create a picture of the placenta as well as the unborn baby. The standard ultrasound will generate a 2-D image of the baby, sometimes referred to as a sonogram. This type of ultrasound is conducted by passing a 'wand'...
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posted by cici1264
There are many different ways in which a pregnancy can be confirmed. You may first suspect that you are pregnant when you miss a period or experience other early pregnancy symptoms. If you suspect that you are pregnant, you may take a home pregnancy test. Regardless, if you are pregnant, at some point you will usually have a blood test done to confirm the pregnancy. The blood test works in a similar fashion to a home pregnancy test but can be more accurate, which is why a physician will usually order it even if you have already received a positive result at home.Both tests work by detecting...
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posted by cici1264
While home pregnancy tests are becoming more and more sophisticated in regards to providing early results, it can still be important for many women to understand the early signs of pregnancy. Some of the signs of pregnancy are fairly well known, such as a missed menstrual cycle, but there are also many other signs of pregnancy that may go unnoticed.

One of the most common signs of pregnancy that many women overlook early in pregnancy is an extreme lethargy. This tiredness is commonly associated with late pregnancy as the baby is gaining weight and placing strain on the mother's body, but an...
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One of the reasons a woman may opt for abortion is to be free from the burden of raising a(nother) child. Time, circumstances, finances, and emotional health may leave them unprepared to consider a pregnancy.Others may feel pregnancy is an inconvenience. Younger women may consider that they haven't completed their education and realize they still have their whole lives ahead of them. Some feel it will take too much to give a child up for adoption; plus, they are not willing to carry the child for 9 months and go through delivery.

Women who give in to the idea of abortion are often pressured into it by their partners. In many cases, these women find it difficult to choose the life of their child over their partner.

Whatever the reason, abortion should never be entered into without careful thought. The procedures can be dangerous, even life-threatening, and emotionally devastating.
posted by cici1264
In order to protect yourself and your partner in any relationship, it is important that you are able to communicate. The beginning of a relationship is the usually the easiest time to have meaningful conversations, since you are just getting to know each other. This is the best time, even if it feels awkward, to discuss sex. You both need to know what you are expecting from the relationship.Click Here to Learn More

Before becoming sexually involved, it is important that you and your partner discuss the issue, not just before the act itself. If you are a virgin willing to wait until you are in...
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posted by cici1264
Teen pregnancy is one of the most difficult experiences a young person might ever face when it interrupts school or other plans. It can create an emotional crisis resulting in feelings of shame and fear, and it may appear that you will crumble under pressures in your environment. The stress of how you are going to break this news to your parents might be even greater, and finding help may seem an impossible task.

You might think no one can help you, or you might be too embarrassed to search for help. However, denying the pregnancy or ignoring it can only make things worse for you and your baby. Denial will not take the pregnancy away; instead, you will lose the time you could have invested in prenatal care and counseling. You have options, and making a choice may be simple or difficult, depending on your situation. Check resources carefully and try to give yourself the opportunity to make the best informed decision possible.
posted by cici1264
Prenatal care is essential to maintaining your health and the health of your growing baby. Maintaining and continuing prenatal care can help catch any health concerns before they become major problems. Babies who do not receive adequate prenatal care are far more likely to be born with a low birth weight, and can suffer from a myriad of other health-related issues. Your baby's health should be a concern long before he or she is actually born. The months of growth and development for your baby are extremely important to his or her health and wellbeing after delivery and for the rest of his or...
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posted by cici1264
Adding a new baby to your life means lots of changes are in store. What do you need to know in order to make sure that you are fully prepared to bring baby home? Below we will explore some areas you need to cover during the next few months.
One area you will need to address is where your baby will sleep. In the first few weeks most babies do quite well in a cradle or a bassinet. This sleeping option allows you to keep baby close to you and a bassinet will even allow you to move baby around the house with you with ease. Keep in mind that after the first few months, your baby will need larger...
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posted by cici1264
For some women, experiencing morning sickness is a fixture throughout pregnancy. While some women are blessed with strong stomachs, most have to learn to deal with nausea intermittently while their baby grows and develops.There are many theories about why expectant mothers have morning sickness, but nothing has been proven or verified. Some say that is it as a result of increased estrogen and hCG levels. Some even say that morning sickness reveals itself during healthy pregnancies. But that can't necessarily be the case since there are women who have healthy pregnancies and never get morning...
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Prenatal care is essential to ensure the health of you and your baby. But some women don't have medical insurance, and we all know how expensive doctors' visits can be--especially when regular visits are necessary as the pregnancy progresses. If you find yourself in a similar situation--pregnant and without insurance-you do have some options. The health of you and your baby is ultimately the most important. A lack of insurance should not impair health, growth, nor happiness.Alongside the lack of insurance, many women find themselves underinsured when it comes to pregnancy. Just like not being...
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posted by cici1264
You've chosen a car seat, picked out a bunch of clothes, decided on bottles and diapers, and your home (or at least your registry) is already filled with rattles and stuffed animals. Now it's time to move on to the big stuff. Furniture, curtains, wall-hangings, shelves ... all the things that will personalize what may have previously been a junk room, a guest room, or maybe even just a large closet. Whatever the room's previous function, it's now going to become your baby's nursery.Of course, not all babies sleep in their nursery at first. A lot of parents - particularly if mom is breastfeeding...
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Are you wondering how to tell if you're pregnant? Most women are familiar with the number one sign of pregnancy, which is a late or missed period. Even so, it should be kept in mind that there can be many reasons why a period might be late. If you've been sick or you are stressed out, this can sometimes cause your period to be delayed.

If your period is several days late and you have reason to suspect that you may be pregnant you will naturally want to find out as quickly as possible. In the past, it was very difficult to find out early in the pregnancy but today home pregnancy tests have become...
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posted by cici1264
Abortion has been a touchy and personal subject for many years. Whether you are considering an abortion or just want to know more about the numbers of abortions, this article will provide abortion statistics and information to help pregnant teens.

First of all there are about 1.38 billion women in the world who are in the childbearing years (ages 15-44). About 6 million women a year become pregnant. Many teenagers are also sexually active throughout the world. By age 20,

* 77 percent of women in developed countries have had sex,
* 83 percent of women in Sub-Sahara Africa have had sex, and...
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posted by cici1264
If you are dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, chances are good that you need help. You are probably wondering where you can turn for medical attention, advice and general support. A crisis pregnancy center is an excellent place to start. If you are not aware of what a crisis pregnancy center is, the following information will be of great use to you. Once you know more about a crisis pregnancy center you can look for one that is nearby for help with your unplanned pregnancy.What is a crisis pregnancy center?

Crisis pregnancy centers, commonly referred to as CPCs, are a place where you can find...
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posted by cici1264
While many women are quite familiar with some of the most well known early symptoms of pregnancy, these symptoms can oftentimes be misleading. Some of the most well known early symptoms of pregnancy include a missed period, nausea, cravings, increased urination, lower backache, increased lethargy, swollen or tender breasts, headaches, food cravings, darkening of the areolas.Missed or Delayed Period - There can actually be many reasons for a missed or delayed period other than pregnancy. If a woman has been sick or under a lot of stress, a change in menstruation patterns is possible. Hormonal...
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posted by cici1264
If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, one of your available options is adoption. Adoption, by definition, is the process of signing over your legal rights to a child you have born to another parent or set of parents. As an expectant parent considering adoption, once the child was born you would need to sign over your legal rights.

To many who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, the concept of adoption is not something with which they are familiar. Movies, television shows, books and the media all portray the subject in a rather sensationalized manner. The good, run-of-the-mill...
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