During your pregnancy and even during the early stages of breast-feeding you won't be able to reach for your regular over-the-counter-remedies. Baby takes in everything you consume so safety should always be your main priority when it comes to health care. Some of the symptoms or ailments you may experience may be easier to cure than others…

Constipation

If you're experiencing uncomfortable symptoms of constipation you may want to try a glass of prune juice every morning, dried prunes and extra fluid intake. The only known laxative on the market safe enough for pregnant women is Senokot. It's a natural laxative that works slowly to soften the contents of your bowel without leaving you running for the bathroom. Other ways to help alleviate or prevent this from happening is by drinking a glass of warm water and lemon after every major meal to help break down what you've just eaten. Also, drink a glass of water first thing in the morning to get your body started on digesting any food still to be consumed.

Water retention or oedema

You may find at some point that your body has upped its storage of fluid in various places. Lots of women suffer from this throughout their pregnancy and it's very common as well as non-life threatening. Your body stores up to 50% extra liquid, which will cause your hands, feet, face or various other places to become swollen. This is due to fluid being stored in between your tissue. Some of the most natural cures are simply to drink up to eight glasses of water a day. When the body sees extra water coming in it's more likely to let water go. You can eat bananas, garlic, onions or celery as natural diuretics or place a bag of cold vegetables on swollen feet to help relieve some of the discomfort. Remember that water that's too hot won't just be a danger to your baby, but will also cause your body to retain fluid so stick to warm or lukewarm instead.

Pins and needles

This is a minor form of carpal tunnel syndrome where the main nerve is blocked due to weight gain during pregnancy. This disappears fast for many once baby is born, but for others this can be a continual issue for months after. You may find most of the discomfort is situated in between the thumb and index finger with a slight numbness, tightness or tingling occurring. Ways to relive this include shaking your hands till the sensation improves, raising your hands above your head when sitting down, avoiding work that causes major stress on your hands and sleeping with your hands free from your body.

Bladder infections/UTIs

Bladder Infections or cystitis can be brought on by anything passed to your urethra via your vagina or anus, which may travel up there and cause an infection. These infections can also travel further up into the kidneys, which can cause kidney infection, one of the most common problems to occur during pregnancy. You'll require the bathroom more often now and the sensation may be anything from a slight burn to a sting or even the inability to pee at all – if that happens, try not to hold it in for too long when you do need to go eventually. Ways to avoid this will include wiping from front to back instead of back to front. Wear party-liners and change them often during the day. Drink lots of water to flush out your system.

Don't run for an over the counter remedy as they may be high in chemicals and can be passed on to your baby. See your doctor immediately when your body starts to feel odd or when using the bathroom becomes uncomfortable. There's no reported cases where a bladder infection can lead to kidney failure during pregnancy, but it can cause major kidney infection which over time can be deadly serious.

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