Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. For an expecting mother-to-be, the nine months of waiting can be very exciting. However, as great as the experience can be, there are definitely a couple of things that will change as you go through pregnancy. One is the difficulty of sleeping and the overall discomfort when moving around. You will start to complain about your back and leg. In this situation, getting a maternity pillow is highly recommended. A maternity pillow is large u-shaped or c-shaped pillow that practically surrounds your entire body. It sure looks inviting and before you talk yourself about getting one, here are five ways that a maternity pillow can help you during pregnancy.

1. Provides Support for Baby Bump, Back, Neck, Shoulder, and Legs

Because of its shape and size, the maternity pillow provides sufficient support for your neck, legs, shoulders, and back. It might not make much difference during the first two-quarters of pregnancy but as the baby starts to grow into full eight to 10 pounds, you can start feeling the weight on your back and shoulders. Having a great maternity pillow will help relieve some of the pressure on your body especially while you’re lying in a half-fetal position.

2. Enhances Circulation of Blood and Lowers Heart Rate

When you are pregnant, it is highly recommended that you sleep on your left side to improve blood circulation and heart rate. Without a maternity pillow, sleeping sideways can be uncomfortable and you might end up pressing your stomach to the bed. A maternity pillow will support the weight of your body and ease up the circulation of blood in your body. Due to the comfort of the pillow cushion, you will feel calm and relaxed which will also lower your heart rate.

3. Better and Longer Sleeping Hours

When you are pregnant, you feel uncomfortable. So, you end up tossing at night and not getting enough sleep. Insufficient sleep does not do well for the health of the baby. A maternity pillow can get rid of the pain and discomfort. As much as possible, you need to start using the maternity pillow early in the pregnancy to get your body acclimated. The ergonomic design of the pillow will support your head, shoulders, neck, back, and stomach. A lot of people, even those who are not pregnant, attest to its effectiveness in improving sleep.

4. Promotes the Right Sleeping Position

If you only use a pillow to support your head, it makes sense to lie on your back. However, sleeping on the left side is the recommended sleeping position for pregnant women when they enter the third trimester to avoid the risk of stillbirth. Therefore, having a maternity pillow will ensure that you sleep sideways comfortably. Having a pillow on both sides will prevent you from turning and lying on your back as well as pressing forward that might obstruct blood flow or oxygen to the baby.

5. Great as a Post Pregnancy Cushion

If you think that maternity pillow is only useful during pregnancy, then you’re wrong. After you delivered the baby, your body still needs to heal and adjust. So, you still need a soft and comfortable pillow when sleeping. The maternity pillow can also easily turn into a nursing pillow while feeding the baby.

For some students, writing an exam essay can be frustrating because in most cases you have a time limit – Usually a few hours to complete. While most articles are allowed to write at home, exam essays typically do the day of the exam.

For some students, this isn’t a problem. However, that’s because they have natural writing skills. But for the students who don’t have the physical gift of words, we’ve prepared seven quick tips to help improve your exam essay writing skills instantly.

Tip #1 – Preparing with a Mind Dump

The first thing you need to do for any exam essay is to prepare your mind for the activity thoroughly. In all likeliness, your professor or teacher would have assigned you some reading work. It’s important to read it carefully and even to expand your reading on the topic. It is true also if the professor allows you to bring the book with you.

Why?

Because if you read the texts beforehand, you’ll have a general idea where the information locates within the content. It allows you to reach your primary arguments much quicker, providing you with more time for editing later on.

Tip #2 – Consider the Question Carefully

Many students skim over the question with the idea of quickly getting started. However, giving yourself a few minutes to thoroughly digest ‘what is asking of you’ can help you hone in your words to address the issue head-on.

If there are multiple options about topics, read each one carefully and select the one that you feel most comfortable with it.

Tip #3 – Starting off on the right foot

Now that you have considered your topic and knew what you want to write about, it’s time to formulate your first paragraph. Many students over analyze the first paragraph and want to insert as much information within this section. However, the introduction of your essay indeed only relates to providing the basic premise of the topic.

Therefore, it’s best if you write the introduction clearly and concisely. Don’t try to cram as much information in this section seeing that you’ll be expanding on your premise within the body. Merely establish ‘what you aim to prove/disprove’ within the rest of the essay. Keep it short and sweet.

Tip #4 – Create the Plan

With the introduction paragraph, you lay out the “what”, now you need to explain it in detail. Break your main arguments (supporting points) down into sections. Each of your talking points will be its paragraph.

Before you jump into the body, you’ll want to plan out the essay as this will allow you to follow a logical path towards proving or disproving your central premise. Remember, this plan is not the essay. Write bullet points under each subheading to support your main arguments with facts and other relevant information.

It will allow you to stay on track while you flesh out the rest of your essay.

Tip #5 – Concluding

Most people suggest you merely rehash the premise of your introduction and concluding how your arguments are correct. However, for those who are adept at writing professional essays for exams, the primary goal of the conclusion is to make the reader care truly.  For instance, if you were asked to write about Shakespeare for example, you can create a relevant link to modern entertainment and how the impact of art changes the behavior of society. Or something along these lines.

You get the point. It’s about taking your premise to the next level. It’s about providing context to your arguments.

Tip #6 – Less is better

Many students believe that more words equal more value, however within the context of an exam, you don’t have the luxury of time. Preferably, a teacher will look at how quickly and coherently you can provide your examples because it’s essential to be able to choose relevant information based on importance to the central theme.

You won’t have enough time to edit large paragraphs and need to use your time as efficiently as possible. It means, getting the information on paper before anything else.

Just write out without overthinking and be sure to mention the relevant arguments you have prepared.

Tip #7 – Proofreading

Now that you have finished the essay, it’s time to go over it again. Take a minute to gather yourself, and then start the editing process. Look for anything that isn’t making sense. You want your message to be understood by a twelve-year-old. Apparently, you’ll be using relevant terminology, however, try not to complicate it too much.

First read the essay once over, and then start taking it section by section. Make any changes you feel necessary. Then, once you have completed the editing part, rewrite the essay on a fresh piece of paper so that you can use the original article as your first draft.

And there you have it, seven simple steps to improve your exam essay writing.