Pregnancy | Pregnant and Expecting a Baby | Motherhood | Pregnantology: The Study of Being Pregnant
May 9th, 2008
New Recipes Community! Come Join!
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December 19th, 2007
So you’re pregnant and that means you will be needing baby supplies…. baby diapers, baby formula, infant bibs, baby clothes, infant blankets and baby linens, bath bath time needs like shampoo and a baby bath tub, baby toys, baby furniture, and perhaps a baby stroller or infant carrier, plus that all important baby car seat.
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December 12th, 2007
November 18th, 2007
Are you looking for the perfect name for your baby? Do you know someone who is pregnant and are looking for nice gift to her? Get a free baby name book. A baby name book is great for expecting moms. Perfect for baby showers too!
Choosing a baby name for your child is almost like choosing his or her identity. Ever heard about the association of a person’s name with his personality? That’s how our names really work. A name molds a person’s identity like a cookie cutter. So naturally we want to get the best baby name for our son or daughter. Read on for some tips on how to provide the best baby name for your little angel.
1. While it’s wonderful and thoughtful to name the baby after an elderly relative or a decease relative, be sure that’s what YOU (the parents) want to do. Choosing to name your baby after a relative or close friend is a sweet and thoughtful thing to do, but just be sure you are really happy with the name you are giving your child. Once your baby is born and named, she or he will carry that baby name for life. That means don’t just settle for any baby name, and don’t feel pressured into naming the baby something just to please a relative.
2. Take a look of a picture of his or her future. You don’t want your baby to be always called a name that will forever ridicule him or will allow his playmates to make a big laughing stock out of him, right? Research about the meaning of the baby name you are eyeing to give to your baby. Just because a name might sound cute doesn’t mean you want to name your child that.
3. Consider reading the initials of the baby name you are planning to give your baby. Make sure they don’t stand for anything funny, disturbing or something utterly stupid. Christine Sue Irving? What will happen on the next episode? Alvin Stephen Stuart? He’ll surely remember not to get near any hole. Fran Ursula Catherine Klein? Uh-oh! See? Can you imagine the sickening situation you may put your child into when he or she grows up?
4. Don’t go for the overkill. Being too creative on thinking of a baby name can wreak havoc on the child later in life. Examples are unique spellings that was much too different from the normal spelling. It might be hard for the child to keep on spelling his or her name to people who only know the common spelling of the name.
5. Decide with your spouse in coming up with the best baby name for your sweet baby. Sharing on this kind of decision making is a good way of furthering your bond as a couple, not to mention the possibility of coming up with a better baby name. Remember that the thought of “two heads are better than one” also applies to dealing with the troubles of finding the most suitable baby name for your baby.
When thinking of a names for your baby, thinking carefully about the name might be a bit taxing. Remember to consider the sound of the name (say it aloud numerous times), consider the intials to avoid potential embarrassment for the child later in life, and research the meaning of a name if you are unsure of it. And last but not least, remember that naming your baby is your decision!
October 29th, 2007
The first step of your pregnancy, after seeing the little positive stick, should to have it confirmed. Call immediately to have a pregnancy test done with your local doctor. You may be in luck and get in that same day or have to wait about a week or two. Patience will become your best friend during this time or your worst enemy. Waiting can become a very hard thing when you want to know for sure whether you are or aren’t pregnant. More than likely you’ll get a phone call a few days later to confirm it.
Set up an appointment to see your OB/GYN as soon as possible. Chances are you’ll be meeting his/her staff before you ever meet them. This is the first appointment where your doctor will want to know all your medical history…if you’ve been pregnant, what types of sicknesses run in your family, etc. If you can, try making sure you know all of this ahead of time, maybe even have it all down on paper so when she asks, you are prepared. During the days or weeks leading up to this meeting you may have concerns, so it’s a good idea to write them down and ask them. Believe it or not doctors are there to help you, and they’ve been asked every question you can possibly think of.
Before leaving your doctor may even give you a bag full of goodies all about being pregnant. Read these, they may prove beneficial and not to mention the freebies and you’ll also probably get coupons.
Your doctor will either give you another appointment or have you set one up before leaving. There are some great books out there if you are really worried about what will happen next or how birth is going to be, check them out at your local library.
Make sure that you get your prenatal vitamins, as they are very important during pregnancy. If for some reason you can’t take them, talk with your doctor he/she may be able to prescribe a lower dosage or something else. You’ll get your first ultrasound, also known as US, around the 20th week. However some doctors like to call it safe and give you an ultrasound around 10-12 weeks just to make sure the baby is in the proper location and all is going well. You will also be asked to take an orange drink that you must drink in five minutes. You’ll wait around for an hour to three hours, at which point your blood gets drawn and you can go home. The test determines if you have, or have a chance of getting, gestational diabetes.
At first your appointments will be about four weeks apart until you hit the 36th week and at that point it’ll be two weeks later and a week later after that until the baby is born. By now you should be preparing to have the baby. Mostly likely you’ll have some anxiety towards the end of your pregnancy. That’s normal! You’ve went this far, it’s time you see your reward.
October 22nd, 2007
Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to stop breastfeeding your other baby. Long ago doctors believed it actually took nutrients away from the baby inside you, however that’s not the case. Even today we have people that believe this but it’s simply not true. Only you can decide if you should stop breastfeeding your baby or not. Don’t let someone else make that decision for you.
Reasons to Stop
A few reasons you might want to stop breastfeeding may be if you are feeling constantly drained of energy. Or maybe your child has started to bite. Sometimes your milk will just dry up, this is your body’s way of telling you that it has had enough and to take a break. Mastitis could play a big role in making you stop immediately as well. Mastitis is an infection in the breast when it isn’t expressed enough and gets engorged.
Stopping or Weaning
If you do plan on stopping because you are pregnant, make sure it is for the right reasons. If your child has reached a certain age, it might be best. But never just yank it away from them. Your child could wonder why it is being taken away. Wonder if they had done something or become discouraged about the new baby coming. Some children decide to wean themselves, which is a big help to you and you won’t feel so guilty about it. You can choose to do it cold turkey, or slowly wean him or her off. Cold turkey can have some bad results. Try limiting his or her feeding times to certain hours and gradually as time passes take away more. Your child will quickly stop on his or her own and it won’t be a traumatic event.
Continuing to Breastfeed
If you do plan on continuing to breastfeed while you are pregnant, talk with your doctor about it. Not all the time will the doctor agree with your decision. Sometimes he or she may see something in your health that you don’t. Listen carefully and find out if it is a health reason or simply his/her own belief. If it is the doctors belief, you can always seek out one that agrees with you. Being pregnant is hard enough at times, knowing you have someone in your corner will only relieve the stress. Don’t be surprised if your family and friends want to say something about it and they will probably give you all kind of advice on how to stop and what they’ve read. Nicely explain to them it is your decision and you’ll do what you think is best for your children. Try finding a support group in your area so you have someone to vent to or talk about these issues. Check out if there is a La Leche League near you or online that you can join.
Remember that as long as you take proper care of yourself and your body, you’ll be able to safely breastfeed while pregnant.
Baby showers are a lot of fun, especially for pregnant mom-to-be. Not only is this something for the baby, but now she doesn‘t have to go out and buy everything. Before you plan and throw a baby shower for someone, there are a few things you should do to prepare. The first thing is figure out if this will be a surprise shower or not. There are benefits to both, the first one being if she knows she can help you with a list of people that she would like to be there. However, if it is a surprise she’ll be touched that you cared enough to throw her a baby shower, but be careful that you don’t give her too much of surprise and put her in labor.
Making the Guest List
When it comes to making the guest list, things can get a little tricky. Find out if there is anyone that would be upset if they weren’t invited. Never leave out close family or friends, and at least give them the option of showing up.
Games
Planning games for a shower can be a bit difficult when you have so many fun games and have a few gifts to pass out as prizes. Baby shower games are a lot of fun, here is a quick list.
Mommy’s belly - The mom-to-be stand in the center of the room and each guests get to decide how big her belly is using a string or a toilet paper sheets. Find out who guessed the closest.
Guess the nursery rhyme - Give each guest a sheet of nursery rhymes and have them guess the nursery rhyme or finish it. This will help everyone remember them and see who reads those bedtime stories.
Did you say baby game? - Each guest is given small clothes pins to wear around their neck on a necklace or on their shirt. Everytime someone says “Baby”, if someone catches them they get to take one pin. At the end of the party the guest with the most pins wins a prize.
Memory - Using a plastic tin of some sort place a bunch of baby items in it such as a bib, thermometer, baby spoon, diaper rash crème, etc…anything you’d use on a baby. Let each guest get a chance to look in the bin for a few seconds and take it away. Once everyone is finished have them write down everything that was in the box. The person with the most correct answers wins.
Baby food tasting - Have a variety of baby food in jars, and take off the outside wrapper and place a number at the bottom of the jar. Then on a separate piece of paper write the name of each jar. Each guest is dished out a spoonful of baby food to try. Have them write down what they think each one is. The one with the most correct answers wins a prize.
Have a great baby shower and don’t forget to bring a gift.
October 21st, 2007
Morning sickness can be one of your first signs that you are pregnant. This doesn’t always mean that you’ll get sick only in the morning. Morning sickness during pregnancy can happen morning, noon or night. It will normally occur in the first trimester of your pregnancy and end by the second, but this isn’t the case in all pregnancies though. Some women will continue experiencing morning sickness until the very end of their pregnancy term.
Nausea can happen immediately or you may get lucky and have no morning sickness at all. No one is for certain what causes morning sickness. It’s a change in the body that happens during pregnancy. Many women seem to get sick after taking a prenatal vitamin pill, so try taking it later in the day. Your doctor may even advise you to take some other form of vitamin instead. Always find out first with your doctor before taking anything new or taking yourself off medication, even prenatal vitamins.
There are a few ways to minimize the sickness, but they don’t work for everyone. Try keeping crackers on hand. Drinking some ginger ale can calm the stomach down. Dry cereal is another good thing to eat, as your stomach may just be a little bit hungry and trying to tell you. Remember to take small portions, this way you know if it is all going to come up or not. Keep yourself hydrated because not only can this make your sickness come but you can become dehydrated and need to go to the emergency room if you aren’t careful.
Smells are another thing that seems to cause morning sickness. Imagine walking into a restaurant and the first thing you smell is grease. Yes, this can easily set it off. Bad smells and even certain tastes during pregnancy sets it off. Even watching a commerical on TV can make a pregnant woman experience morning sickness. Knowing how to avoid it, can make a world of difference.
A few reasons you should go to your doctor would be if you begin losing weight because you are constantly sick. If you become dehydrated, faint, look pale, confused or throw up more than four times in a day. Your doctor may be able to prescribe something that will stop it.
Try slowing down a bit because sometimes your body is just exhausted from all the errands you are running and it tries to give you a break. Listen to your body, take a nap, relax and watch a television show…take some time off. If you are looking for remedies for your morning sickness, you may try buying some pregnancy pops. Or if you’d prefer to stay away from the sweets you can wear a bracelet designed to stop morning sickness. They are just like the motion sickness bracelets. They don’t work for everyone but they could work for you.
When you become pregnant everything changes …. your body, your clothing size, even your looks. But that doesn’t mean you have to skip out on your favorite holidays, like Halloween. Being pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t dress up. Whether you’re buying your costume or making it yourself, you can have fun. There are many costumes you can buy for couples or just for yourself. The pregnant couple may want to go as a baker and an oven, or an egg and bacon bit. Both outfits are really cute and creative, you can even make them at home if you chose too.
If you want to get really creative you can make your own costumes, here are a few costumes that you can make just using your pregnant belly and normal clothes are:
The eyeball: For this pregnancy Halloween costume idea, all you need is a little facial paint and black clothes. This is something even a person who can’t draw can have a little bit of fun with. Wear all black clothes on Halloween and paint your pregnant belly white, make the center of the eye whatever color you desire and don’t forget the red veins. Make it scary or cute, whatever fits your desire. Have a bit of fun and show off that pregnant tummy by keeping the shirt up or wear a shirt that shows your tummy.
The pumpkin: If you want to dress up completely but not stand out, try going as a human pumpkin. Wear a tiny green cap or make one out of felt and all orange, if you can cut a slit in your shirt for your pregnancy belly to stick out. Now, paint it orange and decorate your pumpkin.
The pea: A pea is another simple pregnancy Halloween costume you can make and stay warm. Go find some green jeans or sweats and a green sweatshirt. Keep the shirt up or cut a hole in it to make your little pod stick out and paint it all green.
A bun in the oven: Get a medium or small box, cut it out so that you can wear it over your shoulders. Make room for your head to slide through. Decorate it with paints like an oven. Cut open the front of the box so that it will open and close. On the outside of the box write, “Bun in the Oven.” Paint your pregnant belly a light beige for all to see the little baby bun.
If you aren’t feeling up to having a full body costume, you could always just paint the pregnancy belly and proudly show it off. After all, how often will you be pregnant? Think of anything that is round: basketball, volleyball, soccer ball, a bowling ball, etc.
Don’t forget that imaginary and fictional witches are mothers too, so if you’ve always dressed as a witch for Halloween you don’t have to stop the tradition. This year go as a pregnant witch or maybe a witch holding a pumpkin. Use that pregnant belly!
Whatever you choose as a Halloween costume while pregnant, the point is to enjoy yourself and to just have fun while enjoying your pregnancy during a fun holiday.
