Being Pregnant
My husband was a bit sad when he realized that most of the baby-related fanfare revolved around… well, me. My friends threw me a baby shower (although he did end up attending, which I loved). Everyone asked how I was feeling, how I was doing. He’s not really into attention – in fact, he normally hates it – but I think he was a little unprepared for how much society made pregnancy about the baby and me, not the baby and us.
So when I casually mentioned the concept of a dadchelor party, my husband and his friends were all over it. Something special just for him?! Bring it on. Continue reading »
37 weeks and still swimming!
Exercise is hard enough on a normal basis, but it can get especially tricky when you’re pregnant. But we all know how important it is to exercise while pregnant, health permitting, so this is your friendly reminder to keep at it!
I’m doing pretty good sticking to my goal, which is to exercise at least three times a week. Sometimes, all I can muster is a walk around the block with my dog. Other days, I go for a long swim. I’m really proud of myself for keeping up with swimming – I went swimming today, in fact, to celebrate Week 37!
How do I create accountability and motivate myself to stick to my goal?
Perhaps this isn’t the most politically correct thing to say, but I try to keep it real. So don’t freak out when I say… I haven’t loved being pregnant. I’m not one of those women who absolutely ADORE the experience; I think there’s a lot of pressure to act like you are smitten with pregnancy even when you’re not.
Don’t get me wrong – I love my baby. I love the idea of growing my baby. I love to feel kicks and wiggles – and I’ll really miss that. But you sacrifice a lot to be pregnant (and I’ve had a very easy pregnancy). Sure, you’ll sacrifice a lot to be a mom, and I understand that as much as a momma-to-be can. But damn – I miss drinking wine. And wearing pants with zippers and buttons. And springing out of bed. And being able to see my toes. Hah!
In all seriousness, the thing that I’m looking forward to the most about the end of pregnancy is learning whether my baby is healthy. I am really nervous about this – I’m sure all mommas are – and I just cannot wait to hold him or her and see that all the toes and fingers are in place.
But that’s a rather heavy topic for a fun slideshow, so here’s a silly little list of the other things that I’m looking forward to once the baby is on the outside. What are you looking forward to? What will you miss about pregnancy? Continue reading »
For some, free formula is a blessing. For others, it’s a touchy subject.
While mothers choose to use formula for a variety of reasons, the World Health Organization advises exclusive breastfeeding until the child is six months of age. One of the biggest predictors of breastfeeding ‘failure’ is giving babies and moms free formula. A Canadian study found that 40% of new moms leave the hospital with free formula, and women who did not take the free samples were 3.5 times more likely to be exclusively breastfeeding after 2 weeks.
As a result, more and more hospitals are banning the practice of allowing formula companies to actively market to patients – but many hospitals still give out freebies, and you may be getting free samples from other sources, too.
The first time I got a free formula sample was at my OB-GYN’s office, and my immediate reaction was to toss the formula since I wasn’t planning on using it. Continue reading »
Can I rant here?
Yes? Good.
I’m sick of talking, hearing, and reading about celebrity pregnancies. Now, I’m not one of those people who “hate” all forms of celebrity gossip. I’m a self-confessed celebrity gossip junkie. In fact, my obsession was so bad that I just took a 30-day hiatus from all forms of celebrity gossip on my personal blog (here’s how a month without gossip turned out). Sure, celebrity gossip can be fun and light-hearted, but I found it was making me negative, overly focused on appearance, and hyper-critical. Ew. Continue reading »
I’m so excited to reveal our (nearly) completed nursery. I have never designed a room completely on my own before (my husband loves to get involved, too!), so it was exciting to have ‘free reign’ over a space. I had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted our baby’s room to look like from the get go, and I’m so pleased with how it turned out.
Click through to see our gray and turquoise nursery!
Happy 36 weeks to my baby! It’s almost time for the baby to come out and play!
Lately, I can tell that the baby is moving into position for birth. The process, called ‘lightening,’ may occur several weeks before delivery of your first child; it may not occur until actual labor with subsequent pregnancies.
I already know that the head is down because most of the movements are right under my ribs (and my midwife confirmed the location through an external exam). But there are other symptoms, too, that are leading me to believe that the baby is moving down.
Click through to find how what it feels like when the baby drops. Continue reading »
Aela Mass 
Casi Densmore-Koon 
Rebekah Kuschmider .jpg)
CaitlinHTP (Caitlin Boyle) 
Michelle Horton 
Ceridwen Morris 
Katie 
Devan McGuinness 
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