Some of my Favourite Things Pre-natal & Post-partum

So there’s a lot of gimmicks out there; things that will help with stretch marks, heartburn and so on.
I don’t feel like a lot of these products worked, well for me anyways. 
Stretch mark creams… really?! if you’re going to get them your going to get them there’s really no way to avoid it.  The best thing is to just eat well and maintain a good and healthy weight gain; this still won’t avoid the fact that a lot of woman get stretch marks.  But my favourite cream is still and always will be Palmer’s Cocoa Butter! Even though it says that it will help prevent them or help to get rid of them, I don’t think in reality it does.  I love Cocoa Butter, so don’t get me wrong, but for me its more soothing and just a great cream over all.  It helped to sooth the itchiness I got when I was pregnant due to the skin stretching and I just love the way it smells.  The nurses at the doctors office would always be asking where the hot chocolate was, and I had to burst their bubble and say it was probably just the cocoa butter I put on!
Speaking of cocoa butter, Palmers has this wonderful lotion for baby’s called Bottom Butter.  I love it and it seems to work really well for daily rash prevention for Sachiko’s soft baby bottom.  Another great product for baby’s bottom is Penaten Clear Preventative Cream, it’s a petroleum base product that helps to prevent diaper rash.  We love it and is great for every day use because it’s not as heavy and the medicated creams.  What are your favourites for your baby’s bottom??
Heartburn was one of my least favourite things about being pregnant, and I’m sure most, if not all, women can agree.  I asked the doctor what I can take and they recommended Tums, seriously they taste awful!  I read an article when I was nearing my third trimester and mentioned bananas can help with heartburn, also heard that milk or yogurt can help too.  So I, of course, had to try it out I mean I really had nothing to lose at that point.  The Tums worked but the relief didn’t last long on a bad day.  What a relief, they all worked and gave me great relief and even most cases gave me relief all day!  So I really benefitted from the milk products and banana; got in a serving of fruit and calcium with the wonderful relief from heartburn!
What were your favourite things pre-natal and post-partum?? What about your some of your favourite baby products??

Week 39

The doctor’s appointment went well and he said that the baby’s head was low and she was engaged for her birth day!
This week was probably the worst for me.  I fell sick, and felt like the flu had taken over, really was the last thing I needed but what can you do.  The weird thing about me getting sick this time was that I was achy all over BUT the achiness and a few other cold symptoms would only show up late at night.  The doctor said that it was ok for me to take Tylenol cold to help with the symptoms.  One thing he didn’t tell me was that it could be a sign of early labour!!!!
This is the reason I love the Internet and search engines like Google! So I Google’d being sick in my last week and sure enough I found that it very well could be a sign of early labour.  A lot of women got “sick” a week before their baby was born and ALL the symptoms disappeared right after birth but I still treated it like a cold just in case. 
One week later, I went shopping with my hubby to one of the local malls and felt a drop! The baby shifted again and the even more pressure was torture.  We left the mall around seven (7) P.M. and while in the car I had the feeling of a bad menstrual cramp.  A part of me knew I was starting to go into labour but I think I was in denial.  The next one started an hour later, and it was more intense now and right after the pain stopped my body was shivering uncontrollably.  This was it, the time all pregnant women look forward to – the end was near!  I took a nice hot shower and just rested until my contractions got close enough apart to start making my way to the hospital. 

The final Trimester… finally!

By week 32 I had gained so far a total of 23 lbs but it felt like closer to 50… walking was getting hard; was slowing down and waddling was more apparent.  But the baby and I were doing great, she was active with a strong heartbeat. 
My second ultrasound was scheduled for week 32, was excited to see my little munchie again.  When the time came for me to see her on the monitor, the technician was pointing things out, she showed me the baby’s head and said “wow, this one has a FULL head of hair!” maybe what was causing all my heartburn according to the pregnancy myths.  The technician tried to show me her face but like my first ultrasound she was being shy, instead of not wanting to turn around to show herself off she was covering her face with her hands. 
The third trimester, for me, was a full filling one.  My nesting had started, all I wanted to do was cook or bake and get a move on with the baby’s room, also had the urge to constantly organize the baby’s things.  The cooking and baking wasn’t the usually “ok time to cook or bake something” it was like an urge to get it down.  Would bake later in the evening instead of early in the day, and would sometimes get those urges to cook or bake around one (1) A.M.  The urge to cook or bake wasn’t even because I was hungry! Its a phenomenon that woman go through in preparation for the baby and it will affect everyone differently.  My cousin was doing cook ahead meals that she could freeze or would have the urge to clean the cupboards from top to bottom!
My nesting period even consisted of me getting my hubby to help me finish setting up the baby’s room with the furniture.  I also did home art for her room to add a homemade touch to her nursery, would stay up late trying to get them down and would have to force myself to take breaks or quit for the night to rest. 
Shopping trips were cut short because I would tire out so easily and my back would be aching.  Getting comfortable, especially in my last month, seemed to be near impossible a lot of times but had to make due with what I could.  Was so thankful to have such a wonderful husband around to give me a back rub and put up with my constant movements at night to get comfortable.  Don’t know what I would’ve done without his support and help, I am forever grateful to him.
The time came for the baby to make a drop… WOW!!!! the change in pressure on my pelvis and especially my bladder was indescribable.  Constant runs to the bathroom, which irritated me the most at night, would wake me up 2 – 4 times some nights and was painful to get up from bed.  Sometimes had to walk hunched over to take off a little bit of that pressure.  I think the only good thing in my mind was that I would deal with the pressure because it meant that babes was on her way.  The first drop I noticed happened around the last month, so one (1) month of “suffering” was happy I was just able to deal with it!

Becoming less Surreal

At around 20 weeks, my belly was definitely looking like I was pregnant and I was starting to feel it too.  My back was becoming more achy with the weight gain, which by this time I gained probably around five (5) to 10 pounds.  The baby started kicking more often and always when I first woke up and, of course, every time i tried to lie down and rest. 
By the time the second trimester started, I had a lot more energy every day.  Lloyd and I ended up going to one of the near-by lakes for a day trip, great way to get out of the city.  We got in some walking but even though I did have more energy I still tired out very quickly.  Carrying around the extra weight that was non-existent before made everyday walking harder.  So normal full day trips would be cut in half, or I would find somewhere to sit down to rest while.  If I didn’t force myself to rest, there’s no way I would’ve been able to carry-on in the days. 
Next trip we did was to the mountains for the weekend.  I was so happy again to be getting out of the city and for a small vacation.  Even though it wasn’t the tropics and didn’t include SCUBA diving, I was still happy to be going and with no one else but my wonderful husband Lloyd. 
If you haven’t noticed… this is the BEST time for traveling!  The first and third trimester your energy is depleted and all you want to do is sleep, never mind that in your last trimester your waddling everywhere you go and constantly running to the bathroom because of the added pressure.  BUT this will all have to wait for one of my upcoming posts.  Back to traveling… the second trimester is, hands down, the best time to accomplish your travels and other such things that will require energy. 
The pregnancy symptoms that became more apparent this trimester was a little bit of heartburn and my joints got a bit swollen but only when it was excessively hot.
For heartburn – the doctors always recommend something like TUMS.  TUMS taste awful though, but they do work most of the time and you get some supplemented calcium from each tablet.  I did later on find the best thing that worked for me was bananas and a BIG glass of nice cold milk! Believe it not they both did work and added bonus with one of your fruits for the day and one of your many glasses of needed milk.  Eventually my heartburn got to the point that only milk or banana would help.  The TUMS would help but only for like five (5) or 10 minutes, this was why I just stuck to the milk or banana.
As for my joints swelling, there wasn’t much you could do.  Elevate your feet, stay off of them as much as possible, don’t stand for too long, take in lots of water, and try to keep cool if possible.  In the day time, what worked best for me was always wearing a pair of sandals or shoes, seemed to help with some of the pressure anyways.  I had to wear footwear inside or out, so I, of course, did what most women like to do, went shopping for an indoor pair of comfy sandals that would also accommodate for the swelling.  Of course there was going to be more swelling, you haven’t had the baby yet! 

Books! Reading is an empowering form of information…

Even though our bodies are meant to go thru with pregnancy and labour we have no idea what to expect.  The added information for anything and everything is available for reading.  I love books! They help a lot, or they can. 
Even though I was not worried about what was going on and was taking everything day-by-day, I was still curious.  I wanted to know what stages my baby was at, what it possibly looked like, what was developing at that stage of my pregnancy.  So I, of course, started searching for readings and websites that would help as a guide.  I even found a few things for when after the baby was born, I had some time on my hands while I waited for my bun in the oven to be ready so why not pick up some reading!
Now I’m not trying to sell these nor am I saying you have to read the following.  But for me they worked as a great tool for me for information and it even helped the hubby out so he knew what was going on.  Some men will say they’re not interested but most of them really are!
Anyways, this list was some of my favourites.  Of course, not ALL the information will be relevant to everyone but they’re full of information, ideas, and suggestions.  I looked at it like, some will be very helpful and others won’t be; take some and leave some is what me and my cousin would always say!
Books and DVD's

-What to expect when expecting

this was a good read for what was going on weekly, they also have a website that you can get weekly emails from!

-Secrets of the baby whisperer
This was more for when baby comes… and like I said before, take some and leave some.  This book is not for everyone but there are some good ideas and suggestions!












-Girlfriends guide to pregnancy

I loved this book! Unfortunately, I don’t think that it is available for sale anymore, but can be found in the rare sections of book websites.  This book did not candy coat anything, it literally is the Girlfriends guide and the author talks like there’s nothing to hide… Well seriously, after childbirth what is!?!

-Dunstan Baby Language (DVD)

This DVD was good, and helped with of the cries for us, but my daughter always went into her second stages cries immediately that we found it tough to hear what she was asking for.  At the rare times that she didn’t, the information from the DVD was excellent.

-Healthy Beginnings

This book was similar to the What to expect book, but the main difference is this book is Canadian, written by Canadian doctors.  I did get this book when I went to my prenatal classes, was a part of the fee, so don’t pay for it at the book store or doctors office if you plan to do prenatal classes and of course if you are Canadian!

-Kids that click (DVD)

Again this was something that we got with our prenatal classes and is great information on how to install and use your car seat properly and effectively. 

Ok, so for literature this was pretty much if for now… there are PLENTY of websites available for you to choose from that are equally just as good and I’m sure the same for books.  This is just what I went by and used.  Will continue to update if and when I choose to pick up some more reading! You really can’t go wrong with books, just look around and always remember the information that is given – take some and leave some! What didn’t work for me may work for you and vice versa!
HAPPY READING!

Dealing with the First Trimester

Ok so not only was this my first trimester but my first pregnancy.  So like most, if not all, women I had no clue what to expect or anything of sorts.  Thankfully, my cousin was expecting her second baby and gave me tons of information.  Mainly, some good books to look into but she was a great support for me, was like the older sister I never had. Full of insight from her first child and also that she was about four months ahead of me, she helped and guided me along the way.  Too bad we lived so far apart and discovered Skype a little too late. 
My first trimester felt like a breeze.  Maybe because I was expecting what you see in the movies.  The movies is just theatrics so of course they’re going to make things look rough and out of sorts.  All it seemed like every woman on television or in the movies went through the same thing.  Well to my discovery, not all women are the same and every pregnancy is different.  Even Lloyd would ask me, aren’t you supposed to be having morning sickness? In other words, are you faking.  I’m just kidding, but to a pregnant woman it sure can feel like that’s what your oh so wonderful husband is thinking.  I was very thankful, no “morning sickness”.  The only time I didn’t feel so good was if I didn’t eat regularly or ate junk food.  Being pregnant for me was probably the best “diet” I have ever been on, but this is just speaking from my personal experience and, of course, DO NOT DIET WHILE YOU ARE PREGNANT!!!!
I say diet for myself because it was my body’s natural way of telling me what to eat.  I craved lots of veggies and fruits, especially the juicy ones like oranges.  If I ate junk food it made me SUPER bloated and lethargic, so was best to just not eat it.  Also, my stomached filled faster so even though I was eating less at each meal I was still eating more often, was probably feeling hungry every two (2) hours.  I actually started to get tired of eating but I knew I had to because it was not only my body I need to replenish but my body was also in charge of supplying nutrients to my baby so she would grow to be that healthy baby that every parent prays for. 
Overall, the first trimester was full of hunger and tiredness.  I never felt like sleeping so much in my life, would be awake long enough to eat, shower and get a little cleaning and/or chores done but it would tire me out so quickly I would be in dire need of a good nap.  I would get in a full nights sleep eight (8) or so hours a night and would also have to nap at least twice a day.  I had no energy in reserve for much. 
Another thing I noticed was some things that I used to hate, like the smell of lavender, I now love and still do.  Must be something with the changes in our hormones.  Prior to being pregnant, I couldn’t stand the smell of lavender and once I was pregnant that’s all I wanted was lavender this and that!
I also ended up taking a nice three (3) week vacation with my family to Belize.  The weather was great and the heat did not bother me one bit.  My aunt and mom were wondering how I was even able to handle the heat.  What i couldn’t handle was the Air Conditioning… if you can believe that or not.  Unfortunately, because I was in my first trimester I was so tired and, like I mentioned earlier, all I wanted to do was nap all the time.  So whenever I could I would get in some shut eye, but while still trying to enjoy the vacation. 
Once I returned to Canada, I was to schedule my first prenatal visit with my family doctor and he would be referring me to the OB-GYN for all my future visits.  My doctor used the Doppler so Lloyd and I could have a listen to the baby’s heartbeat for the first time! It was so amazing to hear, I just couldn’t get over the fact that there was a little person in the making in there.  We were 12 weeks down with about 28 more weeks to go!
Already started on my prenatal pills, was definitely thankful for the vitamins, and was drinking plenty of milk. 
Funny thing about milk, I used to hate it and would never drink it.  My only source of calcium before was yogurt and other such sources.  Now I’m into my post-partum and I still continue to drink milk, I’ve learned to love it like I used to as a child! One reason why I made sure to get in my extra calcium with milk or yogurt, at least those three (3) glasses they recommend, was I remembering hearing about my grandmother near the time when she past away.  She had fallen and broke her ankle so at the age of nearing her 90’s she was to have surgery to try to repair it.  The Doctor, unfortunately, could not repair her ankle because the bone was like sponge, too soft to be able to do anything with.  Her bones had depleted because of loss of calcium, babies in utero will take the calcium from the mother’s sources like the bones if the extra calcium is not supplied with her diet.  Not wanting to use that as a scare tactic but it was a good reminder for me throughout my pregnancy of how important my milk was and will always be.

Changes in Life

Well the changes in my life from my apparent “gypsy” lifestyle, as my best friend would say, has changed drastically.  Meeting people in your life can be one of those life altering scenarios for better or for worse.  Well meeting my wonderful fiancé Lloyd was life altering!
Lloyd is one of those people whom I was able to relate to.  We’ve been through lots in our lives; many life lessons, met many people who all had something to teach us, and just overall life experience.  He became such a big part of my life and allowed me to explore my own life with the help of some incite from him.  All he did was talked to me and allowed me to talk back, this in turn I was able to reflect on my life. 
One major life altering change that has happened in my life is that in March 2009 Lloyd and I discovered that we were expecting a baby! At first I was scared, but I had so much support around me, especially from Lloyd, that all my worries disappeared.  As soon as I could I went to doctors to get a due date and get all my prenatal started, the doctor confirmed my due for November 1, 2009 – was due for a Scorpio baby!
Next thing, telling my parents, YIKES! Made dinner for mom and dad, nice Caribbean stewed chicken a dish that always goes over well with my family.  I don’t know why I was dreading telling my parents, maybe because we were not married? Either way, there should have been nothing to fear.  My parents are very supportive people and after the initial shock they were excited about becoming first time grandparents!