Month: June 2020

Supplements and vitamins during pregnancy

Posted on by reproscan

Being pregnant is one of the most unique experiences of a woman’s life. When a woman discovers she is pregnant, she’ll start to research all best ways she can aim to be the best version of herself, while keeping the baby safe, nurtured and healthy. If you are pregnant right now, you might be wondering: Is my diet healthy enough? Do I need to change? If you are wondering what you need to do and how you will get all the nutrients you and your baby need to guarantee a healthy pregnancy, look no further. We have a list of all you need to know.

At ReproScan, part of the ReproMed Ireland Group, we always recommend you source all your vitamins and minerals naturally. That said, you’ll be happy to know that most vitamins and minerals you need to sustain a healthy pregnancy are available and more efficiently absorbed from food. The exception is folic acid, which you can buy over the counter at a pharmacy. See below a list of essential vitamins you should include in your diet during pregnancy and where to find them.

  • Iron: some great sources of iron are dark green leafy vegetables, wholemeal bread, fortified cereals, chickpeas, beans, peas, lentils, eggs and dried fruits such as apricots.
  • Calcium: most sources of calcium include those foods that are rich in iron, but also milk, soya milk, rice and oat drinks, tofu, sesame seeds, tahini and pulses, among others.
  • Folic acid: the most widely recommended of all vitamins related to pregnancy, folic acid can be found in leafy green vegetables, asparagus, citrus fruits, beans, bread, pasta, rice, bananas and cereals.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids: most people rely on fish, like salmon and sardines, to supply their omega-3 fatty acid needs. Other foods you can include in your diet to boost this vitamin intake are chia seeds, flax-seeds, walnuts, soybeans, fortified soy drinks and plant oils (canola, flaxseed and others).
  • Vitamin A: to increase your intake of Vitamin A, include items such as sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, sweet red peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, mango, grapefruit, papaya, watermelon and butter in your diet.
  • Iodine: some popular sources of iodine are seaweed, wakame, prunes, tuna, cod, baked potato with skin and boiled eggs.

 

Now that you know what vitamins and supplements you need during your pregnancy, why not schedule an appointment with us to check how your baby is doing? Call us today if you have any questions and check with our team what are the best options for you to schedule a scan with us, in one of our five clinics in the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Early signs of pregnancy

Posted on by reproscan

How to identify the early signs of pregnancy

Can you ‘feel’ pregnant even before it’s been confirmed?  While pregnancy tests or ultrasounds are the most secure way of finding out, your body has many ways of dropping you hints — even before you miss a period. If you’re in tune with the changes in your body, you may be able to follow these signs and make an informed decision before taking a test — hopefully with a joyful result!

Pregnancy signs vary greatly between women. Many women experience symptoms within a few days, others after a few weeks, and some don’t have very noticeable symptoms at all. But most will experience some, if not all, of the following major early signs of pregnancy.

Listen to your body: 10 signs that you might be pregnant

  1. Tender breasts: This is often one of the first signs that you’re pregnant — and unfortunately it’s one of the most uncomfortable. Your breasts may be tingly, painful or feel heavy just days after conception, as oestrogen levels in the body rise.
  1. Fatigue: If you’re feeling more tired than usual, it could be an early sign that you’re pregnant, and feeling the effects of hormonal changes. It’s also an overriding signal from the body to take it easy.
  1.  Nausea and vomiting: Just because it’s one of the more obvious and expected signs, it doesn’t make morning sickness any easier. In fact, it can strike in the afternoon or the evening, and it can arrive in the first week of conception.
  1. Higher basal body temperature: If you’ve been tracking your temperature while trying to conceive, you’ll know your temperature rises during ovulation then drops after your period. If your temperature stays elevated for over two weeks, you may be taking a trip to the pharmacy for that kit.
  1. More trips to the loo: If you’re pregnant your uterus swells immediately to accommodate the growing foetus, which puts pressure on your bladder, and more toilet breaks. This occurs within one or two weeks.
  1. Light spotting: Sometimes a small amount of light spotting — or implantation bleeding — is one of the first signs of pregnancy, and happens around 10 to 14 days after conception.
  1.  Heightened sense of smell: Many women in the first few weeks of pregnancy report an increased sensitivity to smells. A double-edged sword, as bad smells may overpower the good, especially when combined with #3 above.
  1. Food cravings and aversions: Another classic sign of pregnancy, brought on by hormonal changes. If you’re suddenly bingeing on a random snack or you’ve been turned off your go-to comfort food, your body may have bigger news for you.
  2. Heartburn: When the uterus swells it starts to push upwards, and as HCG hormone levels increase, this slows down digestion, which in turn increases stomach acid.
  1. Moodiness: With an influx of hormones as well as some — or all — of the above, there’s no surprise women often suffer mood swings during the first stages of pregnancy — which may begin within the first two weeks.

If you’ve missed a period and you’ve noticed some of the above signs, it might be time to take a pregnancy test — if it’s positive, it’s important to begin prenatal care.

Early pregnancy scan

If you are pregnant, and you’ve had your first consultation with your doctor, here at ReproScan we offer an Early Pregnancy Scan, usually performed between 8 and 14 weeks after conception. At this time, you can see their baby for the first time, check their heartbeat, verify if you’re expecting one little one or more, and have an idea of your due date.

If you’ve just found out you’re pregnant:

Even before you visit us for your first Early Pregnancy Scan, you can estimate your baby’s arrival date with our Due Date Calculator. Click here to find out more.

Differences between types of pregnancy scans

Posted on by reproscan

Understanding the differences between types of pregnancy scans

When you first learn you’re pregnant, you immediately start to make plans. You will need to think about planning a room for the baby, research vitamins and supplements, exercises and diet tips for pregnants and much, much more. Together with this all, you wonder how the baby will look like, if it’s a boy or a girl, when your newborn will join the clan, among others, The best way to tackle this is to have a pregnancy scan.

Here is exactly where ReproScan can help. We offer a series of different pregnancy scans, from early-stage pregnancy scans, to gender scans and more.

We have a wide range of services, and here we explain what’s involved in each type of scan.

  • Early pregnancy scan: This scan is usually performed in the first three months of pregnancy. In this stage, a pregnancy scan is needed to update the parents on how the pregnancy is progressing. At ReproScan, we offer early pregnancy scans between 8-14 weeks of pregnancy, and both mom and dad-to-be can have the first view of their little bundle of joy. During this scan, you can check the baby’s heartbeat, verify if the mom is pregnant with one or more than one kid, and have the first idea of her due date. After the scan, you will receive 4 black and white 2D thermal prints — the first pictures of your baby!
  • Just a look scan: this is the perfect pregnancy scan for people who are following the pregnancy with a Doctor of choice, but want to just have a quick extra look in their baby. This scan doesn’t substitute for your doctor’s 2D pregnancy scan at the hospital, and can’t provide you with a more in-depth diagnosis, so we recommend you keep your existing consultations. Treat this scan as some “extra time” with your baby.
  • Gender Scan: some people prefer to keep the baby’s gender a surprise until he or she is born, and some people like to find it out as soon as possible. If you’re keen to find out, the ideal time to identify the baby’s gender is from the 18th to the 24th week of pregnancy. The procedure usually takes from 5 to 15 minutes, and will depend entirely on the baby’s position in the womb and whether they have their legs crossed. If you’re lucky and your baby wants to show off, you’ll leave our clinics with a thousand ideas and projects about the future member of your family.
  • 3D scans: many mothers-to-be prefer to go for 3D pregnancy scans because this scan shows a more realistic view of the baby, with details like facial and corporal expressions, which makes this one of the most desirable scan types. At ReproScan, we forward all pictures from your 3D scan package to your email as soon as the procedure is finished, ready for you to share with all your family and friends. Some ReproScan clients even share 3D scans on Social Media after their babies are born, to compare their small expressions from before and after the birth date.
  • 4D scans: an enhancement of the 3D scan, the 4D option offers videos and motion portraits of the baby, rather than just still images from the 3D scan. These are also electronically transferred to the mum-to-be’s email and can be easily accessed by phone as soon as the procedure is finished.

 

Now that you know the different types of pregnancy scans available at ReproScan, why don’t schedule an appointment with us to check how your baby is doing? Contact us today if you have any questions, and maybe you can then visit us in one of our five clinics in the Republic and Northern Ireland.