Stomach Exercises after Pregnancy

Usually, doctors recommend that a woman can start with an exercise routine, six weeks after delivery. A woman should initially start with simple exercises such as walking and then move onto aerobics. Combining cardiovascular exercises like aerobics with yoga, kegel exercises and abdominal exercises is a good way to remove the stubborn stomach fat and to regain health. So, all those pregnant women who are looking for some effective stomach exercises to lose fats and tone the abdomen, below are some of the best ones explained in detail.

Best Stomach Exercises after Pregnancy

Abdominal Crunches
Abdominal exercises such as crunches are the best way to strengthen the muscles in that region. To do crunches, lie down on your back. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground. Keep your feet slightly away from your hips. You may place your hands at the back of your head for support. Next, raise your head and shoulders off the ground as much as you can. Pull in your abdominal muscles and hold in this position for about five seconds and then come back to normal. Repeat this abdominal crunches exercise as many times as you feel comfortable.

Pelvic Tilts
To perform this pregnancy exercise, take the same position as you do while performing crunches, the only difference being that the hands should be placed on the stomach instead of behind the head. Once you have taken the appropriate position, push the curve of your back so that your back lies straight on the ground. When you do this, squeeze in the muscles of your stomach as well as your bottom. Remain in this position for about five seconds and then return to normal. Do ten repetitions of this exercise.

Oblique Crunches
These stomach exercises after pregnancy are not only effective in getting rid of the fats that have accumulated in the abdomen, but also in loosing the ones on your love handles. To do this exercise, lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the ground and hands locked behind the head with elbows out. Now, raise your head and shoulders off the ground, twist your body a bit and touch your left knee with your right elbow. Next, come back to the starting position. Repeat the same exercise on the other side i.e. touch your right knee with your left elbow. Do around ten repetitions of this oblique crunches exercise and increase the number as and when you feel more comfortable.

Scissor Kicks
To perform this exercise, lie on your back on the floor. Keep both your hands under the buttocks. Now, keeping your back and upper body pressed into the ground, raise your left leg about a foot off the floor. Slowly bring the leg back to the ground and at the same time raise your right leg one foot from the floor. Repeat this exercise a few times by alternately raising both the legs. You may read more on exercise for pregnant women.

Cycling
Lie down with your lower back on the floor and your upper back supported by your elbows firmly pressed into the ground. Now, tightening your abdominal muscles, kick your right leg in the front. Next, kick with your left leg. Repeat this exercise alternately on your legs with ten repetitions on each.

A routine of stomach exercises after pregnancy should be started, only after the pregnant woman has consulted her doctor. For example, if a woman has had a cesarean, she might be asked by her doctor not to exercise until eight weeks after delivery. Exercising regularly has a lot of benefits for the new mother. Exercising increases circulation, raises the metabolism, maintains healthy weight, tones the body, relives stress and keeps up a new mom's energy levels. Thus, exercising everyday, drinking lots of water and eating a healthy diet are the most important keys for a woman to lose postpartum weight and to remain healthy.

Natural Gender Selection: Boy Or Girl? - You Decide

Have you ever heard of natural gender selection? Do you know what it is and how it could turn your dream into reality? Let me explain.

We’ve all heard friends or family members state that if you guarantee them a little girl or boy for their next baby, they wouldn’t hesitate to expand their family. Couples with two or more boys or girls are sometimes afraid to take the plunge and try for another child in case they end up with another baby of the same sex.

Imagine the scenario: You have 2 lovely lively little girls, and you get pregnant again, desperately hoping for a little boy, the birth of your baby reveals your third daughter. Would you try again, some couples would think that after 3 daughters the chance of having a boy would be higher, the law of averages would surely bring this into play. Actually… No. Even if you have two or three girls or boys and you decide to have another baby, you have exactly the same chance of having another baby of the same gender, and that is a 50% chance. Natural gender selection can tip the scales slightly in your favor!

We all know that there are certain medical procedures, that can increase your chance of conceiving a baby of a specific gender. Medical gender selection has been around for years, techniques include The Ericsson method, sperm spinning, and PGD. Although techniques are improving and your chance of conceiving a baby of your selected gender can be as high as 85 - 90%, vast majority of medically assisted gender selection relies mainly on using IVF (in vitro fertilisation) Unfortunately IVF only has a 35% chance of actually creating a pregnancy at all. So the 90% success of the gender selection process is drastically lowered when it’s twinned with a 35% success rate of an actual pregnancy! And on top of those odds, you will paying thousands of dollars with each attempt.

So let me get to natural gender selection. This method of baby sex selection has actually been used in the western world for many many years. Have you ever heard of the Chinese gender calendar? This is just one method of natural gender selection, although not as highly rated as certain other methods.

Natural gender selection came to the UK and US back in the 70’s when Dr Landrum B Shettles wrote a book called the Shettles method, now nearly 40 years later methods have been researched and refined by women in the very position that you may be in now. Women who want that perfect family, women who would love a girl to join their three boys, and even women who just decided their family would consist of one of each! Some of these ladies claim a 94% success rate on their methods of natural gender selection.

Using knowledge about your body, and your menstrual cycle, teamed together with information about your diet and timing of intercourse, you could tip those gender scales in favor of the child that you want. Take a closer look at natural gender selection and arm yourself with the knowledge to create your dream family.

Relationship Issues During Pregnancy

Many couples are simply thrilled at the prospect of being parents, so much so that they almost forget that pregnancy brings with it, its own shares of ups and downs! There are innumerable instances wherein the initial euphoria to become parents dies down when relationship issues during pregnancy start showing their ugly head. Knowledge of these marital problems before hand, helps the couple in dealing with them as and when they arise.

Lack of Understanding
According to estimates, around 20% of the pregnant women feel depressed, experience mood swings and irritability as well as constant fatigue. Hormones play havoc with the woman's mind and body during pregnancy. A man might not be able to fully understand what a woman expects from him and the woman on her part, may often taunt a man that he does not do anything to help her situation. To the man, the woman's behavior might seem very strange. On the other hand, the woman feels that he is being insensitive towards her. This lack of understanding can cause lots of relationship problems during pregnancy.
Lack of Physical Intimacy
Relationship strain during pregnancy could be attributed to the unmet sexual needs of the man and the woman. Usually what happens is that when a woman gains weight during pregnancy, she does not feel comfortable being intimate with her partner. Somehow she feels that she is not attractive enough. Also, the other pregnancy symptoms such as tiredness, body pain, nausea, etc, may further alienate her from getting close physically with her partner. The man on his part, due to lack of knowledge, starts believing that if he has sex, it might hurt the unborn baby in some way! Due to these reasons, the couple does not have sex and it further deteriorates the relationship.

Lack of Communication
One of the worst changes in your relationship during pregnancy is when both the partners fail to convey their needs to one another. The woman might feel neglected by her husband, who on his part could be working round the clock to meet the added expenses which a pregnancy and a new born can bring. This can create a rift and communication issues between the two, with the woman feeling angry that her husband is not caring enough and the man feeling overwhelmed, managing both work and his wife's hormonal outbursts!

Lack of Finances
Relationship issues during pregnancy may also arise due to finances, especially if it's only the man who is working. Pregnancy and taking care of a child costs a lot, so if the couple have not planned the finances in advance, it can trouble their relationship.

Lack of Attention
It's not just the women who feel neglected, even fathers can experience the same things. When it comes to pregnancy, it's all about the woman, although technically, it takes two to make a baby! So, if a man is not directly involved during medical check-ups or social events like baby showers, he might find himself isolated from the woman and the unborn baby, causing a lot of disconnect between them and leading to marital problem slack Of Finances.

Managing Relationship Issues During Pregnancy

If couples feel that these issues will resolve on their own, they are sadly mistaken. They have to be worked upon constantly by the man and the woman. Here, a useful relationship advice for them is to communicate their feelings of fear, insecurity, isolation, happiness, etc. with one another. If they both know what each one is going through, they will be in a better position to help one another. Also, it is the woman's responsibility to see to it that the father does not feel isolated. So, both of them should together go, whenever the woman needs to get examined by a doctor.

To improve upon their physical intimacy, a man has to constantly assure the woman that he finds her desirable, irrespective of the changes in her body. The couple may even consult a doctor and ask her to suggest some sexual positions that are safe during pregnancy. As for the finances, ideally, they should be taken care of before the couple thinks of getting pregnant. However, if they have not, buying for the baby stuff from second hand stores might cut down the costs and put finances in place.

In the end, it can be said that relationship issues during pregnancy should be dealt with immediately, before they become reasons for a relationship break-up. Also, any kind of stress or tension that a mother feels, due to these relationship issues, can be very harmful for the health of the baby. So, to avoid such scenarios, couples need to keep the communication between themselves strong and plan the pregnancy, well in advance!

Group B Strep During Pregnancy

Group B strep pregnancy affects a large population group. So let's get into the details of this common bacterial infection during pregnancy.
Group B Strep during Pregnancy Causes
Not all pregnant females suffer from this condition, however, if the mother has had a previous baby with the GBS disease, then there is high risk that the second child will be infected. Since GBS is associated with the vagina, it commonly results in urinary tract infections which could lead to GBS in the baby as well. Many a times, if the disease remains undiagnosed, the baby might die inside the womb due to a GBS carriage without the mother being aware of it. Also, high fever during labor, and rupture of membranes before approximately 18 hours from the delivery are some other reasons leading to GBS. If the mom-to-be happens to suffer from any chronic medical conditions like cancer or diabetes, then the risk of infections and complications increases. GBS can be transmitted by contact and hence can easily be passed from the infected mom's uterus to the baby.

Group B Strep during Pregnancy Symptoms
Females are many a times carriers without showing any symptoms. Generally GBS infects the baby before or after delivery. Usually, the infection occurs in the first week and thus termed as early onset disease. However, many a times the infection might appear from 1 week to 3 months leading to some symptoms which are mentioned below;

• fever
• breathing problem
• seizures
• limpness
• stiffness
• abnormalities of heart rate and blood pressure
• poor feeding
• fussiness
• uneasy feeling

Group B Strep during Pregnancy Treatment
Diagnosis at the right time is very important in this case wherein a test needs to be carried out by taking the swab from the vaginal or rectal areas of the female and the result is obtained within a span of 24 hours. Also, you can be diagnosed with the group b strep pregnancy in urine sample as well. If tested positive, the doctor recommends antibiotic therapy, either orally or intravenous (in case of baby). If you are allergic to certain antibiotics then see to it that the treatment varies accordingly; your doctor will surely suggest you alternative antibiotics during pregnancy. Proper diagnosis reduces the chances of the baby getting infected and has helped many women to deal with this life threatening condition. Apart from this, it's really important to undergo the routine tests and screening during the 9 months of your pregnancy to prevent such an infection to invade your body. This bacterium is the normal flora which is normally harmless but certain conditions can provoke it to cause the infection so maintaining a healthy lifestyle and hygiene is a prerequisite.

As I mentioned, Group B strep pregnancy is a fatal condition which might lead to death of the new born. Vaccine treatment has not been developed as of now but could be a good treatment option in the near future according to the research going on. If you happen to be a carrier then don't get hyper and follow the appropriate treatment measures. Take care of yourself and your baby.

P.S: Group B strep is not to be confused with Group A strep throat and pregnancy which causes strep throat.

Breaking News for Coffee Drinkers!

New research out of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health shows that coffee may lower a person's risk for type 2 diabetes!

Coffee drinkers can now drink their coffee without worries. Of course, decaffeinated is still a better choice, as the research showed that postmenopausal women who daily consumed more than six cups of coffee had a 33 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women who did not drink coffee.

"Having a healthy diet, controlling your weight, and exercising are essential to preventing the onset of diabetes, but drinking coffee has the potential to further reduce risk of diabetes," said Mark Pereira, Ph.D., lead author and Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. "It may be necessary to rethink the idea that drinking coffee does more harm than good."

Why does coffee help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes? Well, it appears from the research that coffee contains minerals and antioxidants that aid in carbohydrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity and possibly delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

The report was described as "not surprising" by Rob van Dam, a research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. He was part of a research team in the Netherlands who first reported the protective effect of coffee in 2002. Several other studies, including one done at the Harvard School of Public Health, have backed up those original findings.

"We found exactly the same protective effect of decaffeinated coffee," van Dam said. "People think that if coffee causes it, it must be the caffeine, but coffee is a very complex mixture," he added.

One component of coffee that has caught van Dam's attention is chlorogenic acid, which seems to be able to slow the absorption of sugar by cells. Studies in rats found that the molecule lowered blood-sugar levels, he said.

There's another reason to hope that chlorogenic acid is beneficial: According to van Dam, it's abundant in both red wine and chocolate. "People think that nutritionists are always recommending things they don't like, but that's not true," he said.

Did you know there are over 20 million Americans who have diabetes, with 6.2 million of these cases being undiagnosed?

It should also be noted that the research found that higher coffee intake was associated with lower body mass index and rates of hypertension.

Pereira and van Dam agreed that it's much too early to single out any one component of coffee as beneficial.

Of course, you still need to control your weight and do your daily exercises, but isn't nice to know that you can actually have your coffee without guilt.

So, when you go to pour your next cup of coffee, remember, it may actually good for you!  Take Care Bye

Wrinkle Free Skin Care

If our face is our fortune, then wrinkle-free skincare is its treasurer. Our society places great stock in youthful-looking facial skin, and wrinkle free skin care to reduce lines and stop wrinkles is always a hot subject. Of course, there are many surgical procedures to reduce and even eliminate wrinkles nowadays. However, these have certain drawbacks – side-effects, adverse reactions and a considerable cost are only some of them.

The fact is that our skin could stay younger longer if we took better care of it. Stress, excessive sun exposure, use of tobacco, certain medications and air pollution often contribute to premature wrinkling of the facial skin. The best time to start wrinkle free skincare is when we are still young. Thereafter, we should make it a lifetime habit to maintain our skin. Parents who guide their children about avoiding excessive ultraviolet ray exposure are taking the right steps. Teaching them about the aging effects of smoking is also very helpful.

Effective and long-lasting wrinkle free skin care begins with using the correct formulations from an early age. Our skin loses moisture because of exposure to extreme weather. Too much sunlight speeds up the aging process because of the detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation. Moisturizers and sunscreens that suit our skin types are effective tools to prevent premature wrinkling of skin. The best sunscreens have a UV protection factor of 15 or higher. If the skin has already suffered because of too much tanning, we can use wrinkle-free skincare products that that restore the skin cells’ natural integrity while offering protection against further damage.

Wrinkle free skin care must focus on the replenishment of skin moisture, the retention of essential fats and the maintenance of skin elasticity. The depletion of elastin, which is a network of elastic fibers within skin cells, causes skin to fold up into the ridges we know as wrinkles. Loss of the skin’s essential fats is another causative factor, which is preventable with the use of collagen-based skin care products. The skin loses its natural store of collagen (a skin protein) with advancing age. By replenishing this store externally, we give your skin a new lease on youthful life and vibrancy.

Wrinkle free skin care has come a long way since the days when all that most products could achieve was a temporary reestablishment of moisture. Scientific studies have revealed the main reasons for skin wrinkling and offered specific solutions. They can not only restore the skin’s required collagen levels but also reverse a lot of damage caused by environmental and lifestyle factors. Many products have antioxidant effects, which prevent the skin cells from breaking down further. Certain vitamins found in many wrinkle free skin care products also have a restorative effect.

In some cases, hormone-based applications can have dramatic effects. Topical application of compounds containing the female hormone estrogen has yielded dramatic results in such cases. Skin peels that remove the superficial layer of wrinkled skin can be very useful, as can facial masks that re-hydrate and nourish wrinkled skin and restore youthful suppleness. However, the primary line of defense in wrinkle free skin care has always been a healthy lifestyle. Without adopting necessary lifestyle changes, one can only engage in various degrees of damage control to combat skin wrinkling.

Natural Weight Lose Help By The MOON

The moon can help with any diet!

First the good news: It doesn't matter which kind of diet you want to start, the moon (and the moon sign calendar) can help you, if you wish to lose weight, or want to fast for your health. Who acts according to the moon can lose weight more easily and supports the body, so that it is easier and healthier to lose weight. Moreover you can evade “yo-yo dieting”, and - good to know - the moon's help is free of charge. Even if you don't select the Moon Diet but the Atkins diet, the Ayurveda diet, juice fasting, rice diet or another one (as you know eat half also works for losing weight) - the moon is an additional natural weight loss and detox diet help. Whole foods and movement are always recommended to support any diet. (Also in this respect the moon calendar can attribute various suggestions.) How does it work? You should benefit of the full and new moon days as fasting days (for example juice fasting). One-day fasting is a great way to detox your body and improve your immunity. Start with your diet at waning moon for example directly after full moon. In these moon phases the body can most easily get rid of Scoriae poison and water. It is easier to start, progresses easier and more rapidly. Especially during waxing moon you have to be careful not to eat too many thickeners (sweets, fats etc.) and not to late in the day. Above all this is true after a diet, when you don't want to put on weight again. If you intend to do even more for your nutrition you should incorporate the nutrition suggestions of the moon calendar in your daily meals. During the fruit days (aries, leo, sagitarus) for example you should prefer beans, peas, eggplants and rice instead of carrots, red beets, spinach and potatoes. Moreover the majority of people can do with less alimentation - corresponding to the respective day - a welcome side effect. By now we have almost reached the moon diet. Following it you have to keep consequently to the recommendations of the "chief-cook" moon. This way you almost automatically take care of a healthy and diversified nutrition - this even confirm otherwise "moon - skeptical" sources. Even if you take nutrition for sportsmen or sportswomen or nutrition supplements, or want to gain weight it will not do harm to take the moon into account. Right now find in the recommendations of MoonSignCalendar.net in the area diet for example: starting a diet, fasting day, fruit and juice days.

Get Your Best Summer Body Ever !!

Don’t fear, there is hope to make some serious changes to your body before summer begins and we start hitting the boats, beaches, pool parties and donning our summer wardrobes. You may not be quite in your “dream” body in a month but you can make real, dramatic changes. Starting now can not only have you looking firmer and more toned in your swimsuit at the start of the summer but will have you 3 months closer to really strutting your stuff as the summer ends. These are the tips and tricks which we have used for years to get our clients’ bodies “summer ready”

1. Set Realistic Goals - Enthusiasm often wanes when pounds don’t magically disappear overnight. You can not undo years (or months) of bad habits and achieve the body of your dreams in a few weeks

2. Look For Situations To Be active -Look for the hard way to do things - Park as far from the store as you can rather than looking for the closest parking spot, use the stairs rather than the elevator, if possible carry your bags out to your car instead of using the cart.
3. Always eat breakfast - Food fuels your metabolism - Studies show that those who skip the first meal, end up eating more total calories throughout the day and tend to make less healthy choices Skipping breakfast sends the message to your body that you're starving because you haven't had food for a while. As a protective mechanism, your metabolism will slow down.
4. Don’t starve yourself - Less than 1,200 is usually not enough to support your basal metabolism and thus will slow your body's calorie-burning ability – Very low calorie diets will, in the short term, help you lose weight but they’re extremely difficult to maintain. You’ll gradually become tired and irritable & lack the energy to exercise usually putting the end to your fitness program and leading to the beginning of a binge cycle.
5.Eat 5 - 6 small meals a day - Try to eat at least 3 meals a day. Optimally you should spread your calories throughout 5 -6 small meals per day. This will keep your metabolism roaring, your hunger in check and your blood sugar level even to help avoid binging.
6.Drink Plenty Of water – Drinking water helps keep you feeling full . Many times dehydration can mask itself as hunger so if you are feeling “snacky” try a glass of water before you eat. Water also helps keep the kidneys flushed which helps the liver metabolize fat at full force.
7.Follow the 90% to 10% rule. If you watch what you eat 90% of the time, the other 10% is not a problem
8.Close Your eyes and visualize - When the going gets rough or when you just don’t feel like it. Take a moment and visualize the slimmer, firmer, healthy more energetic person that you want to be this summer – Focus on the clothes that you want to wear and the places where you would like to be more comfortable. Remember the reason why you started your fitness/ nutrition program in the first place!! Create a clear mental picture and use it next time you feel like you are losing site of your fitness goal.
9.Eat your fruits & Veggies - Freshness Counts - The packaging and processing generally found in "convenience" foods generally reduce the nutrient values of foods and substantially raise the caloric content. The simple sugars found in processed foods generally leave people feeling hungry and craving carbohydrates - The American Dietetic Association recommends at least 3 - 5 fruit servings per day and 3 – 7 vegetable servings . Since fruits & vegetables are nutritionally dense and full of fiber eating plenty will keep your hunger satisfied and your body shrinking -
10. Just do it - The difference between the people strutting their stuff in the summer’s skin bearing fashions and those hiding their stuff is simply habits. There are the same amount of hours and stress in each week for every one of us - those who fit exercise and healthy eating into their lifestyles don't have more time or less stress, they just have healthier habits. The next time that you are unable to follow through on one of your weight loss goals - Identify the challenge and prepare a plan for the next time.

SWINE FLU

The H1N1 flu, often called "swine flu," isn't related to pigs. It’s a new flu virus circulating among people. First seen in April 2009, the H1N1 flu virus has gone on to become a "pandemic," which means that it has been seen worldwide

What are swine flu symptoms?

Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. Those symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions, and that means that you and your doctor can't know, just based on your symptoms, if you've got swine flu. It takes a lab test to tell whether it's swine flu or some other condition.

When should I see my doctor?

If you only have mild flu symptoms and you're not at high risk of severe disease, you don't need medical attention unless your illness worsens. If you are at high risk (pregnant women, young children, people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, and elderly people), call or email your doctor at the first sign of flu-like symptoms

Is there a swine flu vaccine for people?

Yes. The vaccine has been tested in clinical trials. WebMD Senior Writer Dan DeNoon, pictured here, took part in one of those trials. The vaccine will come in a shot and in a nasal spray. The CDC has made recommendations about who should get the H1N1 vaccine. Remember, you still need to get your regular seasonal flu vaccine -- the s

How can I prevent swine flu infection?

The CDC recommends taking these steps:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Or, use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Got flu symptoms? Stay home, and when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Afterward, throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.

wine flu vaccine is different.

WAYS TO INCREASE EYESIGHT

Many people use or work on computer for many hours a day. Some use computer for study researches. Some people use computer for reading news, playing games, Internet browsing and many more. Many people has addicted to computer. Everyone watch television daily. This was also increase the risk of weakness in eyesight. This will result in weakness in eyesight if we did not use prevention. This will reduce the eye power to see distance objects. This happens because our eyes have focused on much closed objects.

Some exercise that will help you to prevent the eyesight problems are:
1. Stare on some distance object for 30-40 seconds in every 25-50 minutes when you are working on computer. You can look at the other end of the room or some other person if you are in office
.2. Hold any object in your hand and keep this near to eye. Slowly increase the object distance and then look other object at large distance or you can look out from your window.
3. The third exercise is nodding your head up and down. Look at your room fan or ceiling and down to your shoes. This will increase your blood circulation in your head and eyes.
Some very important tips that will help in increasing your eyesight are:
Get Some Bilberry extract
Avoid sugar foods
Focus on distance exercises

Improve your hand to eye coordinationDo not wear glasses for reading if you do not have eyesight problem
Eat more vitamin A enriched fruits and vegetable
milk and fruit juice
Never sit very close to computer while working

Surgical Abortions

There are many methods of abortion. The procedure used depends largely upon the stage of pregnancy and the size of the unborn child. Dr. J.C. Willke, in his book, Abortion: Questions and Answers (Hayes Publishing Co. Inc, Cincinnati, 1985), has divided the methods of abortion into three main categories: those that invade the uterus and kill the child by instruments which enter the uterus through the cervix; those that kill the preborn child by administration of drugs and then induce labour and the delivery of a dead baby; and, those that invade the uterus by abdominal surgery.
Dilation of the uterus is required in cervical methods of abortion. The usual method of dilation is to insert a series of instruments of increasing size into the cervix. A set of dilators, metallic curved instruments, are used to open the cervix sufficiently to accommodate the instruments of abortion. In contrast with a normal birth, where the dilation occurs slowly over a period of many hours, the forceful stretching by the abortionist to open the cervix takes a matter of seconds. This premature and unnatural stretching of the cervix can result in permanent physical injury to the mother.
Laminaria (dehydrated material, usually seaweed) is sometimes used to reduce damage to the cervix. Inserted into the cervix the day before the scheduled abortion, it absorbs water and swells, gradually pushing open the cervix in the process.

At Eight Weeks

At eight to nine weeks the eyelids have begun forming and hair appears. By the ninth and tenth weeks the preborn child sucks her thumb, turns somersaults, jumps, can squint to close out light, frown, swallow, and move her tongue.
At this early stage of development, suction abortions are performed using a smaller tube, requiring little dilation of the cervix. This is called "menstrual extraction." However, if all the fetal remains are not removed, infection results, requiring full dilation of the cervix and a scraping out of the womb.

Suction Aspiration

This is the most common method of abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. General or local anaesthesia is given to the mother and her cervix is quickly dilated. A suction curette (hollow tube with a knife-edged tip) is inserted into the womb. This instrument is then connected to a vacuum machine by a transparent tube. The vacuum suction, 29 times more powerful than a household vacuum cleaner, tears the fetus and placenta into small pieces which are sucked through the tube into a bottle and discarded.

Dilation and Curettage (D&C)

This method is similar to the suction method with the added insertion of a hook shaped knife (curette) which cuts the baby into pieces. The pieces are scraped out through the cervix and discarded [Note: This abortion method should not be confused with a therapeutic D&C done for reasons other than pregancy.]