GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY

Growing old is inevitable, feeling old is not. In order to grow old gracefully,there are several ways in which you can achieve this;
* Remain curious about life and be  or become passionate about causes. This will stimulate your brain.Being curious and passionate is a good way of keeping mentally alert.
*It is believed that  older people  are more emotional and show their emotions more openly, weeping more readily and being more sentimental. Expressing their emotions more openly keeps them healthier.

HEART DISEASE

Women have less risk of developing coronary heart disease and of dying from a heart attack, but more women seem to be  developing heart disease. Women over  the age of 50 have an increased risk. The risk is further increased amongst middle-aged women who are obese, particularly if more fat is deposited in their stomach than on their hips. The risk is also increased if a  woman smokes cigarettes, has a high blood pressure and avoids exercise.

PREMATURE CHILDBIRTH

Childbirth is described as premature if the baby is delivered  at less than 36 weeks.There are several reasons why a woman may have a premature delivery.The expectant mother may  be suffering from an illness that could affect the baby's  well-being, for example   a worsening of  a pregnancy-induced hypertension.  Bleeding in the second half of pregnancy which is also called  Antepartum haemorrhage   can also cause a woman to be delivered  early of her baby. If a woman has a  multiple  pregnancy, premature birth is more likely than if she had only one baby.

MULTIPLE PREGNANCIES

The human female usually  has only  a single baby  in each pregnancy, but sometimes,  one pregnancy in ninety is a twin pregnancy,  a triplet or  quadruplets. There are two ways in which a multiple pregnancy can occur. Either two or more eggs are released  from the ovary at one time and each egg is fertilized by a different spermatozoon  or the single fertilized egg may completely divide at the stage of the blastocyst and then two individuals develop with different placentas.

THE CRISIS OF PARENTHOOD

After her return home, three to 10 days after childbirth,  a  woman may become increasingly isolated particularly if it is her first child and if her  relatives  live at some distance. Because of high cost of land ,houses and rent, most young couples have to live in the newer suburbs of cities where transportation  may be inadequate and shopping may not be easy too.

SUPPORTED CHILDBIRTH

ANALGESIC-SUPPORTED CHILDBIRTH - An  analgestic is a drug which reduces or eliminates pain without  clouding the consciousness of the person to any significant extent.  The  principle behind this  method is that women in labour should have the  pain of labour reduced by being given sedatives or analgesics at appropriate intervals, but the dose of the drugs should be regulated to avoid  damaging the fetus.

CHANGES IN AN EXPECTANT MOTHER

While the development of the embryo and fetus is progressing in the dark confines of the uterus, all the functions of the  expectant mother's body are  adjusting to the needs of  pregnancy. The basis of all these changes is the effect of the sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are  manufactured by the  cells of the  placenta from its  earliest  days. The  changes start very early in pregnancy,  and most of them anticipate the demands that the  fetus will make on its mother for oxygen, for food and to get rid of its wastes