Wondering why it’s so difficult to get pregnant? Looking for advice about having a healthy pregnancy? Not sure who to turn to for information on giving birth?
To help you out, we’ve spoken to several fertility experts and shared their answers for some commonly asked questions regarding childbirth and pregnancy below.
Q1: How much of total weight should I gain during my pregnancy? I’m afraid of piling the extra kilos and would like to go back to my pre-pregnancy weight easily after delivery.
Dietician Celeste Lau says,
Mothers-to-be tend to perceive that being pregnant means doubling your food intake and giving in to all food cravings. In real life, that’s how the extra kilos are gained, making it difficult to lose them after delivery. Expected weight gain for the whole pregnancy depends on your Body Mass Index (BMI) as shown below. The energy requirement for a pregnant woman is also different throughout the trimesters.
An extra 360 kcal/day can be gained from consuming additional tuna sandwiches (two slices of bread with margarine spread sparingly) for afternoon tea with a glass of low-fat milk/dairy products at night. Avoiding junk food, oily food and high-calorie beverages are the key things to controlling a healthy weight gain throughout your pregnancy. Please consult your dietician if you experience a sudden excessive weight gain or no weight change during your pregnancy to prevent any complications during delivery.
Q2: I’m 37 and have been trying for a baby for the past 18 months with no luck. What help can I get?
Obstetrician Dr Choong Kuo Hsiang says,
You and your husband will have to consult a gynaecologist. He will take a detailed medical history from you. This may include some very personal questions regarding your social habits such as drinking, smoking and frequency of intercourse. Then a physical examination will be done to ascertain that both of you are in good health. You will probably get a pelvic ultrasound scan to exclude any gynaecological pathology like fibroids or cysts. Further examination will necessitate a sperm evaluation for the man.
Do not worry, they will not ask him to produce a sperm specimen right away. Then, your husband will probably be asked to come back another day, where the collection will be done in discreet conditions. For you, tests will be done to ensure there is no blockage in the Fallopian tubes. This can be done by X-ray or Laparoscopy. If all goes well, you will be put on fertility tablets to increase ovulation which will improve your chances of conception. If this fails, you will probably have to seek the services of a test tube baby doctor (infertility specialist and IVF doctor).
Q3: How will I know the best days to get pregnant?
Instead of relying on luck, try using an effective ovulation test kit such as the Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test to find out the exact days when you are most likely to get pregnant.
It is a sophisticated and efficient method to monitor ovulation by measuring the change in Luteinising Hormone (LH) levels in a woman’s body. Just place the tip in your urine stream to get a 99% accurate reading that gives you the two best dates to conceive.
