Things every man should understand and know when their partner is pregnant

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There’s no greater news than knowing that you are going to be a father. There will be someone who will call you dad and will look up to you and think of you as their superhero. Can you believe that there’s a life inside your partner that is living and fragile?

Well, the moment is here, but with new life comes new responsibilities, and as a partner, you have to be the strongest one in these upcoming months.

So, the first question is, what should you do during pregnancy?

Nothing starts from the first month itself, but when it does, a lot of things have to change. So, here’s what you should be doing with and for your partner during pregnancy.

1. Always encourage and reassure your partner about the future

While you celebrate the good news, you must not forget that the upcoming months will be very hard for the mother. There will be a time when she might want to back out thinking of the future days, but you must be firm and stand with her. You should keep telling her that ‘everything is going to be alright,’ and you will be there for her through this pregnancy and beyond.

2. Share responsibilities with her

Women indeed do a lot of house chores as compared to men. But the scenario must change when your partner is pregnant. Apart from sharing the heavy lifting chores, help her with regular house chores. Also, help her with her office work.

3. Show love and affection a little more

All little things matter the most while your partner is pregnant, hold her hands while she’s walking or climbing stairs, say I love you a little more often, cook her something she loves to eat because all these things tell her how much she matters to you.

4. Consult the doctor before having sex

While it’s safe to have sex during pregnancy. Still, you should always check with the doctor once as every woman’s body is different. But some women want less sex due to the constant changes in their hormones. So you might want to watch out.

5. When it’s time, make sure you pack everything

Packing mother essentials is necessary, but get ready with your baggage. Put on some razor, toothbrushes, toothpaste, books, cards, magazines, and towels. You can also get some slippers and robes for the mother, and chocolates never hurt. The bags of essentials should be ready at least 2-3 weeks before, as you never know when the baby wants to come out.

Finally, what should you do when your partner is in labor?

Finally, the time has come, and your world is about to change. All that is left to hear is your baby’s first cry. Not really, this may sound so easy, but it isn’t because there is a lot that a woman has to go through when your partner is in labor. So, here are a few things that you can do to help her deal with the pain.

Feed ice-chips to soothe things during labor.
Take her for a short walk to help with contraction.
Gently massage her head, feet, and back.
Hold her hand throughout the process. She needs you to be with her at that moment more than anything.
Do not panic! She doesn’t need to handle that when she is herself hanging by the thin thread of life. Calm yourself and support her through it.

Last piece of advice

Becoming a father is as much a special feeling as being a mother to a newborn is, so it just isn’t your partner who is pregnant; it is you too. However, you may not get to face the pain that she would undergo, so at least you should be the one with whom she can bear it. Be there with her not as the father of the unborn, but as a friend and support her through the ups and downs of pregnancy.

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As a part of our Pregnancy Blogs 2021, let’s talk about the difficulties couples can have with conception if the partner is suffering from PCOS.

PCOS does not mean infertility. Infertility itself is due to many reasons and PCOS is probably just one of them. But PCOS does not mean you cannot get pregnant. Many doctors are quick to prescribe birth control pills but frankly, this just ends up messing the entire hormone system and the period which you get with a pill is not even a real bleed.

I was diagnosed with PCOS in my teens and my gynecologist gave me hormone pills to induce my menstrual cycles. She told me it is not a problem unless you have difficulty in conception. Luckily, I had no difficulty conceiving my first child but after 3 years of my first baby, my periods suddenly stopped altogether. It had been ten months since I got my period. I had some spotting now and then but no bleeding.

A visit to my OB/GYN ran a series of tests. She told me my PCOS had flared and I may not able to conceive again. I was shocked because I never expected this. And I was put on treatment which included birth control pills to regularize periods, a medication called metformin to prevent diabetes, and exercise to stop weight gain. Luckily I had regular menstrual cycles in a few months and conceived my second baby naturally.

I have gone that road but then side effects started presenting- weight gain, bloating, fatigue, body pains, mood swings, period cramps, inflammation, and PMDD or Post Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (a type of PMS which causes depression). I didn’t want to get back on any hormone or birth control pills as they gave me a lot of breast pain and mood swings.

Today, my PCOS is in check. All it takes is to identify the type of PCOS that you are suffering from and learn to manage it and bring it under control with a lot of lifestyle changes and this is not a one-time thing. Natural ovulation and a healthy period is key to good fertility and this is what increases the chance of conception. So while on a PCOS journey, the aim should be to improve the overall hormone health, induce natural ovulation, and menstrual cycle.

Pregnancy Blogs 2021: Types of PCOS

There are 4 types of PCOS and knowing which type you have is important to choose the right management protocol. Each type of PCOS can be managed with the right treatments and lifestyle changes. Some of these treatments only work for some women some of the time.

Different types of PCOS also have different symptoms – not all women with PCOS are overweight, or not everyone may get acne or facial hair. This may delay diagnosis and proper treatment. But irregular cycles and missing period affect all women with PCOS and is the most important symptom no matter which type of PCOS is present. To treat PCOS, you need to know the different types of PCOS and identify them. It is also possible that you may have more than 1 type of PCOS.

Inflammatory PCOS

Exercising regularly, eliminating gluten and sugar from my diets has worked wonders by controlling the inflammation in my body and also my blood sugar. I have stopped using paraben, sulfate-loaded cosmetic, bath, and cleaning products as they disrupt the endocrine glands causing hormone imbalance. Seed cycling is another tool for getting your cycle back on track, balancing your hormones Seed cycling is the rotation of different edible seeds into the diet at different times in the menstrual cycle. Consuming this on a regular basis has helped me get my periods on track. Once my periods got regular, I have reduced PMS and cramps, and also the periods are shorter than my usual seven-day cycle. This is a great fix for hormone imbalance, PCOD, and menopause symptoms.

Insulin resistant PCOS

Insulin resistance means having high insulin. The best way to test for insulin resistance is to measure the hormone insulin (not glucose). The treatment of insulin-resistant PCOS is to reverse insulin resistance with diet, exercise, and supplements like magnesium and inositol.

Adrenal PCOS

If DHEA-S is high androgen this can indicate an adrenal type of PCOS. DHEA-S is an adrenal androgen (testosterone is produced in the ovaries). Adrenal PCOS is not driven by insulin resistance or inflammation. Instead, it’s an abnormal response to stress. Treatments include stress reduction, magnesium, and vitamin B5.

Post-pill PCOS

When getting off birth control pills, you can experience a surge in androgens on called post-pill PCOS. This is developed due to the pills which suppress ovulation. For most women, these effects do not last long and they resume ovulating after the effect of the pill is over. This can be treated with a healthy diet and lifestyle as well.

I had Insulin resistant PCOS. Exercising regularly, eliminating gluten and sugar from my diets has worked wonders by controlling the inflammation in my body and also my blood sugar. I have stopped using paraben, sulfate-loaded cosmetic, bath, and cleaning products as they disrupt the endocrine glands causing hormone imbalance. Seed cycling is another tool for getting your cycle back on track, balancing your hormones. Seed cycling is the rotation of different edible seeds into the diet at different times in the menstrual cycle. Consuming this on a regular basis has helped me get my periods on track. Once my periods got regular, I have reduced PMS and cramps, and also the periods are shorter than my usual seven-day cycle. This is a great fix for hormone imbalance, PCOD, and menopause symptoms.

Medical Treatments For PCOS

Medications: Doctor might prescribe medicine to help with ovulation.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) may be an option if medicine does not work. IVF has higher pregnancy rates
Surgery: Surgery is done only when the other options do not work. The outer shell (called the cortex) of ovaries is thickened in women with PCOS and thought to play a role in preventing spontaneous ovulation. Ovarian drilling is a surgery in which the doctor makes a few holes in the surface of your ovary using lasers or a fine needle heated with electricity. Surgery usually restores ovulation, but only for 6 to 8 months. Source: womenshealth.gov

To read more Pregnancy Blogs 2021 by Infano click here.