Doesn't that seem like a typical guy's response? We love our men, but they are always in the mood. My husband is ready all of the time.

Beginning pregnant does some weird things to a woman's libido. When a pregnant woman is in the mood, she is in the mood right now and the mood can leave as quickly as it comes. When the mood hits, I want him now! Please be careful of my very sensitive pregnant breasts.

I came across a recent news article on MSNBC.com where the author claims that having sex reduced her stress level. After my husband read the article he suggested that I needed to medicate the stress I was feeling. The mood just wasn't there. That's pregnancy for you dear.

The author, Valerie Frankel, detailed a month long experiment that she and her husband conducted to see if love making reduced their stress levels. They first started out cuddling, holding hands, hugging and kissing. Slowly they ramped it up to full romping in bed during the day time, quickies and longies.

Each time she encountered a stressful situation such as a tight dead line, an unexpected large expense or getting the credit card bill that showed that they over spent they would 'medicate' the stress by having sex.

Interestingly enough, Valerie became hooked on the hook ups. So much so that her husband became concerned that she was becoming 'hooked' on having sex. To the point that her husband decided that she need to 'detox'.

Laura Berman, Ph.D., is the director of the Berman Center for women's sexual health in Chicago. “When a woman is stressed, the hormonal changes in her body trigger a chemical reaction causing sex hormone-binding globulin to bind with testosterone cells, so they're unavailable for libido and sexual response.”

That pretty much sums up my sex drive. I am always tired during the day. I blame it on the fact that I am cut off from coffee. My husband keeps reminding me that it is for the best as I am expecting.

I could go to bed by 9 o'clock after the kids are all tucked way for bed. But nooo… I stay up taking a bath, watching TV until 11 pm. In the mornings I am stressed getting my kids ready for school, dealing with the tattling, occasional fighting and ever so slowly getting ready for school. Trying to keep a relatively clean house before the baby arrives.

Then throw pregnancy into the mix and the sex drive gets really wacked out. Even if my husband made romantic comments when he got home from work, by the time the evening ritual has completed, I am so tired and out of it that sex isn't even on my radar. The poor guy.

Dr. Brody noted that 'self love' does not provide the same level of physical and emotional satisfaction. Physically stimulating it does not have the same effect in lowering blood pressure brought on by stress because different nerves are involved.

Valerie's article gives some very helpful advice for couples, even advice for pregnant women. That I need to consciously set time aside for romantic time with my husband, especially before the baby comes. Romantic time doesn't always have be love making time, it can be spending time cuddling or playing a Wii game together.

A c-section is physically and emotionally challenging for both mom and dad. It is especially challenging when you have been in labor for hours and your doctor comes into your room and tells you that you need a cesarean section now.

Contrary to popular belief, recovering from a c-section is a bear. Take a moment and think about it, you have gone through major surgery affecting several core muscle groups. The abdominal muscles were not cut, but the membrane that surrounds them was. Try to get out of bed without using your abdominal muscles.

Typically a mom will be hospitalized for three to four days following a c-section. On the second day the nurse will make you get up and walk. By this time the epidural or spinal block has long since worn off and you will feel the incision pain. Not only that, you will also feel your uterus contracting down, also known as after birth pains.

Studies have shown that women of get up and walk sooner after their abdominal surgery will recover more quickly. Moving around also helps your digestive tract to start working correctly again. Walking also prevents dangerous blood clots from forming in your legs.

Fortunately Your Doctor Will Prescribe Oral Pain Medication To Help You Manage The Pain.

After spending a four days in the hospital you and baby are finally allowed to go home. One of the many things that you are told is that you are only allowed to lift and carry your baby, nothing else. True be told, doctors would prefer that you didn’t carry anything heavier than two pounds. Try telling a new mom that she cannot hold or carry her new baby for the first six weeks of its life!

Now, that you are at home, what can you do to help your body heal more quickly from the surgery and pregnancy? Here are six tips to help speed your recovery.

• Get plenty of rest. Well, as much as you can with a newborn in the house!
• Increase your protein intake. Eat more high protein foods like almonds, cheese, cottage cheese and eggs. The additional protein is needed for repair of the surgery site.
• No driving until your six week post partum check and your doctor clears you to. Driving puts a lot of stress on the core abdominal muscles. Don’t run the risk of causing internal damage to your abdomen.
• Move around. The first two weeks are the hardest. Then it gets better.
• Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated and prevent getting a UTI.
• No sexual intercourse until after your six week post partum check up. Do be intimate with your spouse. Physical intimacy a powerful way to lower your stress levels.

If you have not yet given birth to your baby check out the many pregnancy tips available on this site.

Most women find their breasts are most sore and sensitive very early in pregnancy; in fact, for many women, sore breasts are one of the first signs that they are pregnant along with the areola darkening.

Did you think that your breasts were completely developed when you in puberty? Most women do. In reality, your breasts where only partially developed during puberty. They are completed in your first trimester.

A woman’s breasts are made up of fat, collagen, milk glands and milk ducts and blood vessels. The main purpose of breasts is to breast feed your baby.

During the first trimester your breasts are growing and developing. About 50% percent new blood vessels and milk ducks are being made during this time. Your nipples will grow and enlarge as well. Your body is preparing itself to feed your new baby. It just so happens that your husband will notice the changes occurring in your breasts also!

A woman’s breasts will continue to grow throughout the pregnancy. Fortunately the tenderness and soreness will go away by the end of the first trimester. It is very normal for a woman’s breasts to grow at least to cup sizes during pregnancy. When her milk comes in they will grow at least another cup size possibly two! After a month of breastfeeding her breasts will reduce in size a little bit.

Money Saving Tip During Pregnancy
Instead of buying a bunch of new bras at the start of your pregnancy only to latter on discover that you have out grown them again, buy a few bras. Then if you need a larger size, buy a few more bras. Once your milk has come in, which is three to four days after the birth, then determine the cup size you need and get quality nursing bras.

Some women worry that they have small and shallow nipples that they will not be able to nurse their baby. By the end of their first trimester their nipples will be much larger and will noticeably stand out. Nature almost always takes care of these things.

Nutritional Tip
Low levels of calcium, vitamin B complex and magnesium levels may increase the tenderness and soreness of your breasts. Take your prenatal vitamin every day and make sure that you are eating foods that are naturally high in calcium, magnesium and vitamin B complex.

Once you decide to stop breastfeeding and your milk supply has dried up, your cup size will go down. But, don’t expect to be able to fit in to your pre-pregnancy bras again.

Second And Third Pregnancies

Most women are surprised when they become pregnant with their second or third child that their breasts and nipples are again very tender and sore. It isn’t talked about much by health care professionals, but with every pregnancy your body will build additional blood vessels and milk ducts in your breasts.

By your third child you will have enough milk supply to nurse your baby quickly. A friend of mine complained that it took her first born daughter an hour to nurse. With her second child it took a lot less. Now with her third child, she has the capacity to fill that newborn up in a hurry. Both mother and baby are very happy about this!

Are you thinking about having a c-section birth? Some woman think that a c-section is the easiest way to have a baby. If you do have to have a c-section follow these c-section recovery tips to speed up your recovery.

One of the classic early symptoms of pregnancy is frequent urination. Typically frequent urination starts before you miss your period. Shortly after the baby (embro) implants itself into the uterine wall it begins to produce hormones that will prevent your normal menstrual cycle from happening.

The uterus then begins to start to grow to make room for the growing baby. As the uterus starts to grow it puts pressure on your bladder preventing your bladder from being able to hold as much urine as it was able to before you became pregnant.

Many first time moms are surprised how quickly they start to experience frequent urination in their pregnancy. Typically the frequent urge to pee frequently starts at about 7 to 12 days after conception and will sub side some after the first trimester is over.

You are going to feel like you live in the bathroom during your first trimester. Every time you think about it or, somebody mentions having to pee your will have the urge to go urinate. For more helpful pregnancy tips and advice review my pregnancy tips guide.

By the end of the first trimester, around week 13, the fundus (top of the uterus) is two finger widths above the pubic bone or four finger widths below your navel. Now the uterus is putting less pressure on your bladder. Finally, you won’t feel like you spend most of your time in the bathroom.

Another cause of the frequent urination is a urinary tract infection (UTI). Many doctors have had women come in complaining about a UTI to only discover that they are pregnant! Your doctor should test your urine for an UTI just to make sure that you don’t have one.

Sexually transmitted diseases can also cause frequent urination, but the difference here is it is painful when you urinate. Gonorrhea and chlamydia bacteria will cause painful or frequent urination. Your doctor will have you tested for STDs.

If you think you might be pregnant review the 11 early signs of pregnancy to see if you have any of the other signs of early pregnancy. Then schedule an appointment with your certified nurse midwife or OB/GYN doctor for your first prenatal check up.

If you’re like everyone else you’re trying to figure out what the signs of pregnancy or pregnancy symptoms are and how likely they are to mean that you are pregnant.

1. Frequent Urination

It seems like you have to go to pee all of the time. But, every time you go to the bathroom, only a little bit comes out. This could be an early pregnancy symptom or an UTI. Either way you need to see your doctor and have him rule out a urinary tract infection.

Even if you are pregnant and get a UTI, don’t worry. There are safe antibiotics that will treat the bacteria causing the UTI that will not harm your baby. Talk to your doctor about your concerns.

pregnancy symptoms

2. Constipation

Another common symptom of pregnancy is feeling constipated. Pregnancy hormones cause the intestines to slow down so that your body is able to absorb the maximum amount of nutrients from the food you have eaten. The unfortunate side effect of this is that you become constipated. It can make for painful bowel movements.

The solution to this is to eat more foods that are naturally higher in fiber. But not just any fiber will do. The fiber that you need to eat more of is insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber will zip through your intestines like a race car dragging with it all of the stuff in your intestines.

3. Bleeding

About 25-30% of pregnant women experience some type of spotting or bleeding in early pregnancy. This typically happens about 7 to 10 days after conception and is known as implantation bleeding. Pregnant women can have some light irregular bleeding during pregnancy, but it should not be like a “normal” period. If you are bleeding enough to fill pads and tampons, then this would be a good indication that you are not pregnant.

If you are having some weird symptoms that made you think you may be pregnant, but then have heavy bleeding, you may want to see your ob/gyn doctor to find out what is going on. If you are pregnant and have heavy menstrual period like bleeding, there is a possibility of having a miscarriage. The only way to know is to see your healthcare provider.

4. Heighten sense of smell

When you are newly pregnant, smells may begin to bother you. You are able to smell things that most everyone around you doesn’t notice or does not bother them. Each woman is different in the smells that will bother her. Some of the more common smells that many pregnant women have reported to bother them are:

• cigarette smoke – It is best for the baby to avoid all cigarette and cigar smoke.
• food being cooking
• perfume – Your man’s favorite cologne that you used to love smelling may now make you lose your lunch!
• deodorant
• coffee
• fried foods

5. Cramping / Pulling

You may feel cramps in the first few weeks after you get pregnant. If you are in fact pregnant, then this cramping is called implantation cramping and is the cramping that occurs when the egg attaches itself, or implants, to the uterus lining. This is probably the most complained about cramping in early pregnancy, and one most pregnant women will experience.

6. Fatigue

If you suddenly find yourself needing an afternoon nap, you could be pregnant. Fatigue is normally one of the first symptoms you will notice when pregnant quickly followed by frequent urination and sore / tender breasts.

7. Nausea or Morning Sickness

Nausea and Vomiting: Another early pregnancy symptom is morning sickness, which most pregnant women have to bear.

8. Taste buds seem to have changed

Foods that you used to enjoy eating now you can barely stand the smell of it let alone eat it. If you do eat it, may cause you to vomit. It is a pretty good sign that you are pregnant.

The hormonal upheaval in early pregnancy changes a woman’s sense of taste. Don’t worry that you will never be able to enjoy your favorite foods again. Typically when your reach your second trimester, the hormones start to level off allowing you to begin to tolerate some of the foods. A few weeks after the baby is born you will be able to enjoy your favorite foods once again.

9. Tender, sore breasts

If Your Breasts Are Sore, Feeling Heavy Or Getting Larger You Might Be Pregnant.

During the first trimester your breasts are growing and changing rapidly. You are growing about 50% more blood vessels and milk ducts in your breast tissue. The nipples are getting larger and will pop out. The areola is getting darker. All of this is happening so that you will be able to nurse your baby.

The Soreness And Tenderness Will Diminish As You Enter Into Your Second Trimester.

10. Decreased or no Libido

About 7 to 10 days after conception, when the baby has implanted itself into your uterus you may notice that your desire to make love to your husband is gone. You have no desire what so ever.

For a first time pregnancy this is very confusing to the husband / father because generally at this time you don’t have the other pregnancy signs… yet.

Rest assured that once the hormones level off your desire to make love will begin to return. Sex in pregnancy is perfectly fine but, it is different.

11. Missed menstrual period

The most common sign of pregnancy is the missed menstrual period. A missed menstrual period by itself does not confirm that you are pregnant even if you have regular cycles. There are several other factors that can cause this such as emotional and physical conditions that may cause absent or delayed periods.

Take a home pregnancy test about five to seven days after the date when your period should have started.

If you have most all of these early pregnancy symptoms, then odds are that you are indeed pregnant. Congratulations on entering into this new and exciting phase of your life – becoming a mom.