It is probably fine to continue your regular abdominal exercises during pregnancy until you begin to show, but once your baby bump begins to show, it is probably best to avoid the commonly known abdominal exercises during pregnancy, like sit-ups, crunches, and leg lifts, since the baby’s weight while you are lying on your back can block the vena cava (the blood vessel that provides blood and oxygen to the uterus) and restrict the blood and oxygen flow to your uterus and the baby. You probably will not even want to continue these abdominal exercises during pregnancy, because scrunching up the abdomen could be uncomfortable.

Abdominal muscle separation occasionally occurs during pregnancy and delivery. Postpartum moms should check their abdominal muscles for separation before starting any abdominal exercises during or pregnancy, or after giving birth, because the damage can be made worse by exercising, if there is separation. Test this by pressing your fingers into the area by your belly button as you attempt to do an abdominal crunch. If you can put more than one or two fingers in between the muscles, they have separated and you will need to modify your crunches. Place your feet the same way, but cross your arms across the abdomen and squeezing the muscles together as you exhale and contract the abdominal muscles, lifting only your head (not the shoulders). You may also use a length of material (such as old sheeting) wrapped around the abdomen and pulled across to achieve the same effect.

Strong abdominal muscles are beneficial to support the baby, ease the strain on back muscles, and are considered to help ease the labor and delivery, when you are giving birth. Adapting abdominal exercises during pregnancy also makes it less likely you will have abdominal muscular separation.

A popular midwife’s suggestion is to learn belly dancing as an abdominal exercise during pregnancy. The exercise you get belly dancing helps keep your abdominal muscles in shape, and helps keep the muscles you use during labor and delivery in shape while making it easier to get your flat tummy back after the baby arrives!

Examples of safe abdominal exercises during pregnancy are:

Get on your forearms & knees, and exhale as you tighten the abdominal muscles, pulling the belly button in, toward the backbone, and inhale as you release them. You can work you oblique abdominal muscles by starting in a side-lying position with knees bent. At a 45-degree angle, exhale as you lift the rib cage toward the hip bone, squeezing in the waist line, inhale as you lower your rib cage back down. You should also combine these abdominal exercises with pelvic floor muscle, or Kegel exercises, in order to get the maximum benefit from them.

The first thing is to be absolutely honest about yourself. You are looking for that man who will like…maybe someday love…YOU….THE REAL YOU! Examine past relationships and list the things that you liked and the things you did not like. If he smoked in the house and you hated it, you won’t like it any better the next time. If you love cats and will always want to own one or more, say that you are an animal lover and want indoor pets. Someone who hates cats or is allergic to them is not the guy for you.

Accent the things that make you unique. If you play the piano well, you really want Mr. Right to appreciate it. If you run in marathons, a couch potato is not a good match. If you love art, you really don’t want a man who thinks Picasso is an ice cream flavor.

Describe the things that are vital in your life. If volunteering is the one thing that makes you feel useful and worthwhile, you want someone who would, at the very least, support you if not join you in your volunteer projects. When you get beyond superficial things, you will attract men who share your values.

Invest in your online profile by hiring a professional photographer for your first online picture. This is so important. The picture is the FIRST thing men see. The second thing is that they read what you have written about yourself. Some online dating sites even provide you with a list of photographers in your area that specialize in online dating site photos. ]]> http://e-booksite.net/blog/family-relationships/a-womans-guide-to-writing-a-great-profile/feed/ 0