The early signs of pregnancy would create a mixed feeling of joy, fear, and nervousness. What scares you the most is the lack of knowledge of what happens to your body during pregnancy till delivering of the baby. A pregnancy week-by-week guide will help you to overcome your apprehensions and wait for nature’s miracle to behold in flesh and bones after the completion of the pregnancy.

Pregnancy week by week developments:

Week one to four
During this period the sperm forming a zygote the basic form of life, fertilizes the egg.

Week five to eight
A woman exhibits the early signs of pregnancy that is confirmed by the medical tests. By sixth week the baby’s heart starts to beat and by eighth week the fetus develops rudimentary limbs.

Week nine to twelve
During this period your body starts expanding to accommodate the growing fetus with growing body parts. It is also a time of subsiding nausea or morning sickness.

Week thirteen to sixteen
The baby’s bones begin to harden and it starts moving in the womb. You can hear the baby’s heartbeat during your visit to the doctor.

Week seventeen to twenty
The baby’s internal organs start developing rapidly. The fetus gets covered with soft fine hair called lanugo. This is the time when accurate gender of the baby can be checked.

Week twenty-one to twenty four
At this stage you will feel slight contractions as the uterus starts preparing for the delivery. Baby begins to practice breathing to be prepared for it at time of birth. The baby also develops fat deposits in order to regulate body temperature at the time of birth.

Week twenty-four to twenty eight
The baby hears muffled outside sounds and sense light at this stage. The baby’s movement starts slowing due to lack of space in the uterus.

Week twenty-nine to thirty two
The baby’s head grows rapidly in proportion to the rest of the body. The brain and eyes are almost fully developed, only the lungs need development.

Week thirty-three to thirty six
The baby grows to the length of sixteen inches and weighs four pounds at this stage. It can open-close its eyes, the fingernails too start growing at this stage.

Week thirty-seven to forty
The baby’s major organs are fully developed by now and lungs too grow to prepare for breathing outside the womb. The baby will drop to birthing stage in the pelvis. The actual delivery time could be two weeks before or after the expected due date. Be prepared for the arrival of your bundle of joy.

Maintain a pregnancy weekly calendar to note down all the developments and other relevant information provided by your doctor to monitor the growth of your baby. Good pregnancy health is vital during the progressing pregnancy week by week.

Essential oils are a major part of aromatherapy. How these strong, pungent and lasting aromas are created is often a mystery to the consumer. What follows are details on three commonly usedessential oils, where they are found, how they are extracted and what combinations of oils they can be used with.

Cypress Needles

Cupressus sempervirens, common in France the needles can be cut off and steamed to receive the oils contained within. This evergreen oil is a well known astringent, especially beneficial on skin that is very oily. Read the rest of this entry »

The FDA is not always thorough in their approval of drugs or herbs! They don’t always make sure that pharmaceutical and herbal supplement companies perform thorough studies. They often let them rush to put their products on the market. Consequently this results in the banning of products later on. Such was the case with Ephedra.

Ephedra is a botanical that has many uses and purposes in the medicinal field. There are more uses for ephedra available today, however, science has not yet developed it into its full potential. Science, herbs and medication do go hand in hand when combined properly. To eliminate any of these would be a major mistake. Read the rest of this entry »

Celexa is an antidepressant used to treat clinical depression in patients. It is prescribed as a “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor” used to balance serotonin in the brain, providing relief from depression.

While Celexa can be effective, this medication is under alert by the FDA when combined with Triptan medications. Be sure your doctor knows all medications you are on, and do not stop this medication without your doctor as you could have possible serious side effects. Read the rest of this entry »

Ritalin is prescribed to 6 million children with ADHD every year and like all drugs comes with a long list of side effects including nervousness, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, insomnia, joint pains, headaches, increased blood pressure, fever, rapid heartbeat, abdominal pain, and psychosis.

Tom Sawyer may have been a layabout, a truant and self-indulgence. He may have picked fights with strangers for no apparent reason; but he was also resourceful, spirited and refreshingly clever. Huckleberry Finn was an illiterate outcast, but as a long term rafting companion he had no peer. Read the rest of this entry »