Tag Archives: pregnancy

I gots a bay-bay brewin’!

20 Jun

So we’re having another baby.  I’m totally stoked right now.  Jbird (husband) and I wanted to have another and have them close in age.  Mads (1st daughter) will be 15 months when this next one is born.   Jbird thinks it’s a girl. I’d be happy either way with a boy or a girl– we have PLENTY of baby girl clothes so that would be convenient.  And if we have a boy, he’ll still be stuck with Mads old clothes.  There’s nothing wrong with that… right right?

I’m even more excited because I am going to have a scheduled c-section.  HELL YES!  WOO HOO!! Hallelujah!! Yay for me!

 
Morning sickness sucks.  When I was pregnant with Mads, it was the most amazing experience and very enjoyable.  I LOVED being pregnant.  Right now, with this pregnancy, I live in a constant state of seasickness.  I have ALL day sickness.  I feel more like I have a 24 hour flu bug 7 days a week and look like Night of the Living Dead rather than being “OMG I’m PREGGO! I have a glow.”  Yea, that glow is more of a green hue around my cheeks right before my mouth starts to water uncontrollably with saliva (ya feel me?? I hate uncontrollable saliva…) before I hurl into the nearest receptacle.  TMI?  Oh wells.

I recently watched an episode of Pregnant in Heels.  There was this mom that feels like she is in a rut.  She has 2 kids with another on the way.  She used to be an actor in NY and enjoy going out, wearing designer clothes and getting dressed up. Present day, she takes a shower every four days and rarely changes out of her sweats. I can relate.   Now, I take a shower every day… well, most of the time.  Sometimes I skip a shower on Sundays.  So don’t come over to my house on Sundays.  It’s not pretty.   For the most part, I felt her pain and I am staring down literally six more months before I have another little one attached to my hip (or boob rather) 24/7.  I rarely get dressed up and there are some weeks where I don’t even get in my car but once.. and that’s to go to the grocery store.  Hooray! Ya know what though?  I am SO excited to be a stay at home mom. You can’t beat it. It’s the best.  Seriously.  Just the other day my kid started saying Da-Da.  Then she started crawling.  Then she started saying Na-Na.  Now she is saying HA! Just today she greeted me by sitting up in her crib when she woke up. She wasn’t crying, she wasn’t chirping.. just sitting in her crib like a big girl.  Then just a few minutes ago, she started sticking her tongue back at me. These are the moments I want to be here for.  No regrets what-so-e-vah!

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Gestational Diabetes: Don’t let GD take the fun out of your pregnancy!

3 May

I know I have said this before, but I absolutely LOVED being pregnant with my first kiddo. It was a fun ride and eye opening experience in every way. I loved every bit of it. I’ve had a lot of peeps say “You had so many issues during your pregnancy, how can you say you loved it?” To that I say, not really. The problems I had were pretty common and easy to deal with. How did I cope? Cuz being pregnant is AWESOME, that’s how.

Reality

I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes in my second trimester with Maddy (my first bay-bay). When I first found out I thought to myself “CRAP. I’m going to be pregnant, fighting all kind of weirdo cravings and be restricted to cardboard tasting muck and green beans and English Peas (My arch nemesis). BLAGH!

Well, that’s not true. When I was first diagnosed, my doc sent me to the local diabetes learning center. There was this lady there who was our instructor and (**Bless her heart….) she annoyed the shniz out of me. Seriously. I could not STAND the way she taught us about “CAAR-BOHW-HIGH-DRATES” (said in a WEIRD YANKEE ACCENT MIXED WITH A SARAH PALIN TWANG) She said it just like that. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. This is what she would say:

“See, this is 15 CAAR-BOHW-HIGH-DRATES, so that is counted as 1 CAAR-BOHW-HIGH-DRATE in the meal plan.”

I was so annoyed. To this day every time I read the word carbohydrates I actually say it like her in my head. Which annoys me even more.

** It’s a southern thing. You can say “Bless her/his heart” before any insult and get away with it. Hee hee.

Reading and studying up on the pregnancy induced disease was helpful. I found a lot of staples that worked for my everyday life—I’ll put a list together at the bottom.

I actually lost about 20 lbs while pregnant. I didn’t gain anything. Granted I was already overweight to begin with, but to be preggo and not gain anything?.. I was impressed with myself. My high risk doc was super impressed- even went as far to say that I am the best patient he’s ever had . HOO-RAH!!!

Here is the meal plan I was given.

Meal Plan

15 carbohydates = 1 carb

;
Take blood sugar at fasting state when I first wake up. between 60-90
2 carbs/1 protein — Breakfast
Take blood sugar 2 hours after first bite between below 120
1 carb/1 protein – snack (mid morning)
3 carbs/3 protein (and of course any veggies I want)

Take blood sugar 2 hours after first bite below 120
1 carb/1 protein – snack (mid afternoon)
4 carbs/4 protein (and of course any veggies I want)
Take blood sugar 2 hours after first bite below 120
1 carb/1 protein – snack (bedtime)

Keep in mind that just because something is SUGAR FREE (i.e. Sugar Free Chocolate) doesn’t mean that it’s better for you. A lot of times when food is sugar free it still is higher in carbohydrates (than regular sugared items) and takes longer for your body to break it down (I’m not a doctor, but this is what the diabetes learning center said). Sometimes you are better just going with regular, sugar sweetened items. Obviously too much is bad, but I would just become a strict label reader so you know exactly how many carbs are going into your body—compare side by side.

Medicines

Typically, there are two different medications that are given to gestational diabetics. These are also used to treat Type 2 Diabetics.

Glyburide — http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000833/

Metformin — http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000974/

Only towards the end did I have to take either one of those two medicines. I didn’t take either for very long.

My staples for snacks and meals:

Granola Thins. These come in Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter. They are less than 15 grams of Carbohydrates each. Perfect snack.

String Cheese. These are good any time.

Sugar Free Kool Aid. For those of us who have soda addiction, this was a great alternative for me. No caffeine. No sugar.

Mixed Nuts. ‘Nuff said.

BIG ASS SALADS with Italian Dressing. Yum. You can fill up on SO much with your salads. Highly recommended.

Sandwich Rounds — These are the perfect size for lunch. Just enough bread.

Peanut Butter (if you aren’t allergic!)

Fruit

If you get diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, it’s really not the end of the world. Keep in mind that GD peeps have a higher risk of becoming Type 2 Diabetics later in life. So we must be diligent in keeping our food, exercise and cravings in check during pregnancy and after delivery. Find what works for you and enjoy your pregnancy people!

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Baby Registry Must-Haves

10 Apr

BFF – for those of you who don’t know what that slang acronym is it means “Best Friend(s) Forever.”  Anyways,  in another year my BFF and I are coming up on our 30th (yes… 30th anniversary).  How old are we?  33.  Besides my husband, my BFF knows me better than ANYONE. We have shared so many things so it is only fitting that I got pregnant about 5 months before she did.  Not only did we get to go through pregnancy together virtually at the same time, our kids will now get to grow up together and we can force them to be BFFs… or arrange a marriage.  Either way, it’s gonna be pretty cool around the holidays.

After we moved to our new small town, I put together a list of things that would be “must haves” for any baby registry.  Below is that list.

Strollers: 


If I could do it over again, I would get this stroller with the bassinet option!

http://www.uppababy.com/products/product.php?id=236

 

Bottles:

I suggest 3 four oz and 3 8 oz. (four oz for the first several months, eight oz for the older months) Dr. Brown is what I use. Dr. Brown is supposed to help with gas as well as help prevent ear infections (how a bottle prevents that is beyond me.. but oh wells)

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Browns-Polypropylene-Natural-Newborn/dp/B001IXYOD2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1325645810&sr=8-3

Be advised that there are different speeds on the nipples.  Usually a Slow and Fast.  Newborns will need to use slow probably for a while — so as to help keep his suction harder on your nipple if you are breastfeeding to help you get all the milk out and keep your production up. I didn’t enjoy it that much. Breastfeeding is confusing.

Bottle Tree/Rack:

Get something like this to put your bottles on to dry.  IT’S AWESOME and keeps everything so organized.

http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-16001-Deluxe-Drying-Rack/dp/B000RFBW00/ref=sr_1_5?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325647676&sr=1-5

Dishwasher box:

Get one of these to wash nipples, tops, rubber rings etc. Love it– use it every day.

http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Deluxe-Dishwasher-Basket-Colors/dp/B000RI8Y30/ref=pd_cp_ba_3

Bottle Warmer:

This warmer is awesome– has a water reservoir and is pretty quick.

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Browns-850T-Bottle-Warmer/dp/B0035LLG2W/ref=pd_sim_ba_5

Car Seat Slip/bug net thingy by UPPABABY:

I have one of these and it’s AWESOME! Shade/keeps bugs out/people can look at the baby but not touch….. very helpful.

http://www.amazon.com/UPPAbaby-Cabana-Infant-Seat-Shade/dp/B004G1JXR0/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325646354&sr=1-1-catcorr

Pacifiers:

These are subjective to what the baby likes.. but just to give you an idea of what is out there. My baby uses MAM.  Her buddy uses Dr. Brown.

My baby won’t use the curved binkys– she likes the straight sucker.

Dr. Brown is:  http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Browns-Prevent-Pacifier-Stage/dp/B004JM8XGI/ref=sr_1_21?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325646505&sr=1-21

MAM is:  http://www.amazon.com/MAM-Original-Silicone-Pacifier-Months/dp/B00352M1RA/ref=pd_cp_ba_1

Pack N Play:

We have a pack n play that doesn’t vibrate.. but boy, if I could do it over again, I would totally get one that vibrates– Baby loves going over to her friend’s house and use her pack n Play. it vibrates and she loves it.

http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Playard-Newborn-Napper-Classic/dp/B004O4DU2I/ref=pd_sbs_ba_3

Bouncers:

Get something like this. I have a bouncer, my buddy has a vibrating chair — both look the same they just do different functions.  My baby likes them both.  But beware, the vibrating one literally shakes the poop out of the baby I swear.  Besides that, it’s nice to have to entertain the baby ESPECIALLY during dinner. You can put them on the floor or table and have them with you and not have to hold them while you eat and they can see you and be content.  SOOOO nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Starts-Comfort-Harmony-Biscotti/dp/B002VBXY5O/ref=sr_1_4?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325646913&sr=1-4

Breast Pump and accessories:

I have this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Pump-Style-Advanced-Breast-Backpack/dp/B0011E75RK/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325647106&sr=1-2

I would also get the accessories.

http://www.amazon.com/Medela-Breast-Pump-Accessory-Set/dp/B00092A7E8/ref=pd_sim_ba_6

Swings:

Baby has this one and LOVES it.  However, our buddy has this swing and she hated it. SO it’s subjective too. Everything is.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-Snugabunny-Cradle-Swing/dp/B0042D69WY/ref=sr_1_3?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325647204&sr=1-3

Baths:

This is awesome for newborns and older babies– this is the one that my buddy has and I prefer it.  It has the sling for when they are little and can’t hold their head stable enough and then you can take it off and it’s a perfect tub for a bigger baby.

http://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Infant-Toddler-Sling/dp/B000067EH7/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325647359&sr=1-2

This is the one I have.. It’s good too.  But i like my buddy’s better because it’s for the older baby too.

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Mothers-Deluxe-Bather/dp/B000IZVCM2/ref=sr_1_25?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325647489&sr=1-25

Breastfeeding pillows:

If you are going to breastfeed, get one of these. It makes everything easier and you can also use it for a lot of other activities.. like tummy time for the baby, something to prop him up on while you are on the couch etc.. I suggested getting a couple of covers for it so you can wash it.  It gets dirty because your boobs will leak and the pillow will act as a drop cloth for the baby — gross I know. But you dont’ want your pillow to smell like buttermilk (ew.. I know.. but get used to it. I smell like buttermilk, poop and pee)

http://www.amazon.com/Boppy-Pillow-Slipcover-Lots-Dots/dp/B001GIOPH4/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325647529&sr=1-2

Diapers:

Get your diapers on Amazon if you do disposable.  SO much cheaper than getting them in the store.

http://www.amazon.com/Pampers-Swaddlers-Diapers-Newborn-Count/dp/B00347AGFK/ref=sr_1_7?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325647845&sr=1-7

Diaper Genie:

This is a MUST.  We have two-  One downstairs and one upstairs.

http://www.amazon.com/Playtex-Diaper-Genie-Elite-Disposal/dp/B001BMWABI/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325647934&sr=1-2

Wipe Warmer:

Newborn baby loved having warm wipes…. now she could give a crap (pardon the pun)

http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Lionheart-Ultimate-Wipes-Warmer/dp/B00008ODBG/ref=pd_sim_ba_14

Diaper Trash Bag on -the – go:

Connect this to your diaper bag.

http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Hammer-Diaper-Dispenser-Colors/dp/B001QKDI48/ref=pd_sim_ba_50

Baby Mirror:

I love having this in my car so I can see her in the car seat.

http://www.amazon.com/Brica-Baby-In-Sight-Mirror-Gray/dp/B004L2JJAK/ref=pd_sim_ba_27

Diaper Bag:

This is the diaper bag I have.. i actually have two. One was a gift from my Texas neighbor and a bit more stylish. But this one is much more functional and unisex.  We have the red color.

http://www.amazon.com/Diaper-Dude-Bag-Black/dp/B000G2B2PY/ref=pd_sim_ba_69

Lanolin:

Have this ready for your nipples the first month.  I don’t need it any more unless i get chapped, but you WILL need it the first couple of days. MAN. CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP… OUCH!

http://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-Lanolin-Breastfeeding-Mothers-Grams/dp/B005MI648C/ref=pd_sim_ba_89

Tummy Time/Activity Gym:

Get something like this to practice rolling over, strengthening holding his head up, crawling etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Rainforest-Melodies-Lights-Deluxe/dp/B000FFL58Q/ref=sr_1_9?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325648633&sr=1-9

Jumper:

This is another fun thing for baby when he is about 3 months and can hold his head up.  Perfect distraction while you are making dinner or folding clothes etc.  (so domesticated you will be! hee hee)

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-K6070-Rainforest-Jumperoo/dp/B000I2UJ0Q/ref=pd_sim_ba_3

Car Seat:

This is what we got.  Very pleased with it.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=aKu&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=baby+car+seats&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=13493184388326502809&sa=X&ei=rOeIT8rqOsarsQKhlYnECQ&ved=0CMIBEPMCMAU


Bumbo seat:

Perfect for feeding the baby in when he can hold his head up. OR for watching TV etc. My baby LOVESSSSS her bumbo.  Her BFF hates it.  Like everything, it’s subjective to the babies’ desire.

http://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-402-Baby-Seat-Blue/dp/B0007ORN7M/ref=pd_sim_ba_4

Baby Bjourn and Ergo baby:

My baby digs it- but some babies hate it.

http://www.amazon.com/Babybj%C3%B6rn-Miracle-Carrier-Black-Silver/dp/B005AUYEHA/ref=pd_sim_ba_25

Some people think the ergo baby is better.

http://www.amazon.com/Ergo-Carrier-Black-Camel-Lining/dp/B0010PW3A4/ref=pd_sim_ba_84

Moby Wrap:

When my baby was a newborn, she LOVED being in this one. It’s like being in a papoose!

http://www.amazon.com/Moby-Wrap-Original-Carrier-Chocolate/dp/B000X4WORU/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1325648969&sr=1-1

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