Carry That Pregnancy Bump in Style

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It’s raining babies this season. Right from Kareena Kapoor to Amrita Rao to Anushka Sharma, many other celebs too announced their pregnancy. Looks like some couples made really good use of the lockdown *wink wink*

Celebrities announcing their pregnancies on Social Media

That being said, these celebrities have been raising maternity fashion to new heights with never a dull look. Yup pregnancy doesn’t have to be all loose and boring dresses. With some special wardrobe tricks and fashion tips, you can also use most of the clothes from your old wardrobe to create some new and interesting looks and make a style statement as you make those heads turn.

With a little bit of glamour, combined with some sass and the confidence of a diva, you can own any outing or event even with a baby bump.

1. Jeggings, leggings and yoga pants can be a great choice over regular denims in case you don’t want to spend buying maternity wear. These are stretchable and will accommodate the growing baby bump for a few months.

2. Low waist jeans can be worn for up to a few months. Use a rubber band or a scrunchie to secure the buttons if you have difficulty closing them.

3. Tight clothes can be camouflaged with a jacket or a shrug. Depending on the season you could go in for a long sleeveless shrug for the summers. Wear these over your regular salwar kamees or kurtis which still fit. These also look great over dresses or a skirt and top.

4. Peplum tops are quite flattering. While choosing dresses, go in for midis or maxis as the growing belly will raise the hem higher of short dresses. Pair with a stylish purse or clutch.

5. Crop tops can be a great alternative instead of regular saree blouses while draping one. Also adds oomph to your style quotient.

6. Buying solid colours instead of large prints can be a wise thing to do. Pair it with contrasting colour accessories or bold printed stoles. If you are going in for prints choose vertical ones over horizontal as they will stretch across the tummy. But who cares if you can carry it off with panache.

7. Dungarees, jumpsuits and bodysuits look great if only you could manage your frequent peeing sessions unbuttoning those in time (Tip: panty liners can be real saviours here).

8. If going in for front opens, wear a size bigger shirt or jacket that will close easily over the belly. Wrap coats and oversized pullovers can be a great idea for winter wear.

9. Invest in Bra extenders for the first few months. These will help you even with the weight gain postpartum. If you are buying new bras, it’s better to invest in feeding bras right away and wear the same through your last trimester if you plan to breastfeed your baby.

10. Buy sandals or platform heels and avoid pumps and stilettoes because they may strain your lower back and also put pressure on the veins in your legs. Many women suffer from edema and varicose veins so investing in a good pair of breathable comfy sandals is a great idea. Shoe laces can be a challenge to tie with that tummy: slip on shoes or sneakers with elastic bands can be picked instead.

That being said here are a few maternity brands and pregnancy wear worth checking out. (You’re Welcome!)

1. First Cry

2. Mom to Be

3. Mothercare

4. Marks & Spencer

5. H&M

6. Shopper Stop Maternity

7. Preggear

8. Zivame

9. Mine4nine

10. The Mom Store

You go girl, slay it in style.

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For Zahra Aliakbar, pregnancy came with a lot of trouble. Little did she know that the joy of having a child would come with so many difficulties and health issues. The onset of third trimester brought with it new pregnancy symptoms, she knew little about.

Her blood pressure was high and she developed swelling in the legs and water retention also known as edema. Her family history of hypertension and diabetes may have caused gestational hypertension.

“I had high blood pressure in my 9th month. But luckily it was not that serious”, says Zahra. “I was even admitted for a few days and kept under observation”.

High blood pressure during pregnancy or gestational hypertension can be a problem and needs to be monitored. Around 10 to 25 percent of women with gestational hypertension can progress to having a condition called preeclampsia which damages organs. High blood pressure and protein in the urine are the main reasons which cause preeclampsia.

“In my last trimester, I had a lot of swelling and water retention on my face, hands, and feet. I was on medication to lower my blood pressure till I delivered my baby. This could have led to more complications, but thankfully it did not.”

– Zahra Aliakbar

Symptoms and Complications of Preeclampsia

It is characterized by swelling in the legs and water retention, but this can be hard to distinguish from a normal pregnancy. If preeclampsia is not treated it can develop to eclampsia, in which the mother can experience seizures, go into a coma, and can even die.

Left untreated, preeclampsia can lead to serious complications for mother and the baby. Delivery of the baby is the best way to treat this condition but in some cases, it may take time for the mother to get better even after childbirth and in rare cases leads to a condition known as postpartum preeclampsia.

Swelling in feet — Swelling in the feet of a pregnant woman due to water retention

Blurry vision, sometimes seeing flashing lights, headaches, breathlessness, weight gain due to edema, vomiting, decrease in urine output are some of the symptoms to look out for if you are already having gestational hypertension.

The doctor may order blood tests, fetal ultrasound or non stress tests to check if there is decrease in platelets in the blood or impaired liver function or any restriction in fetal growth due to decreased blood supply to the placenta. Urine samples are collected over 12 hours or more, and the amount of protein is assessed to determine proteinuria. This can indicate the severity of the condition.

Causes and Cures

Though the exact causes of this condition are not known, experts say that the main reason is due to the narrowing of the blood vessels which may be caused due to a variety of reasons like damage to the blood vessels, insufficient blood flow to the uterus, immune system problems, genetic factors.

Though in most cases, delivering the baby is the best treatment, if you’re diagnosed with preeclampsia too early in your pregnancy, treatment or management protocol may include administering antihypertensive drugs, anticonvulsants and corticosteroids.

The doctor may also restrict physical activities and recommend bed rest to keep the blood pressure in control. Towards the end of pregnancy delivery may be hastened and labor is induced or a cesarean delivery is performed. Magnesium sulfate may also be given to improve uterine blood flow and prevent seizures.

Who is more at risk?

Family history, personal history of preeclampsia, women over 40 and teenagers are more likely to develop preeclampsia. Also certain conditions and illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines, kidney disease and obesity, increase the risks. If a woman is expecting two or more babies, the risk is more.

Diet modifications

“Because blood pressure affects circulation, it can affect the amount of nutrients that are reaching the baby”, says Zahra who is also a nutritionist. “Therefore it is important to eat a nutrient-rich diet.Also include plenty of healthy foods like wholegrains, fish, nuts, legumes, fruit, vegetables and dairy products and foods rich in omega 3 are particularly important if someone has preeclampsia. Also abstain from fatty foods which may result in weight gain and oily foods which may cause indigestion, bloating and acidity”.

“Apart from some underlying causes for pre-eclampsia, the inevitable urges for certain kinds of food during pregnancy like spicy, sweet, sour, very often leads us to indulge in eating less nutritious food which triggers many gestational induced disorders like weight gain, gestational diabetes, and hypertension. So it’s best to curb the cravings and make conscious efforts to eat a healthy diet high in calcium magnesium Vitamin B and Vitamin D. Take regular supplements of the same. Avoid high salt foods like pizzas, pickles, potato chips, and such other processed foods, But it’s not recommended to follow a super low salt diet which may lead to water deficiency to the growing fetus”.