Whichever it is for you, if you are pregnant, I am sure you have tried it. I was religious with putting on the oil (Earth Mama Angel Baby Stretch Oil at Baby Blurbs.com) and I luckily didn’t have the dreaded stripes down my abdomen. So many books told me that it was due to heredity, and not because of topical creams and oils. I think that it is a mix of both, though. Either way, pregnancy flies by, so I didn’t want to risk it. I will mention that if you are going put on the slick stuff, then stick with it. You don’t want to give up two weeks before your due date! That is when some women notice the marks popping up!

The baby is here! We are officially first time parents!

So many things come to mind when I think of what a new mom need to survive the first week home with her first child. I think that honestly some of the best advice I have comes from other mothers, and I feel happy to pass it along. So here goes!

~Make sure you get a chance to take a shower everyday. Allow yourself that little bit of time, and it will make a lot of difference!
~Nipple Cream…need I say more?
~Keep the baby swaddled really well and you won’t have those little jerks and jumps that wake baby up.
~Let the family and friends do it! They will ask to help you with anything from dishes to lawnmowing. Always take them up on it, even if you feel guilty. They ask because they want to, and the asking will stop all to quick. Don’t find yourself wishing that you had used the help after 4 weeks of sleepless nights have gone by!
~Baby your baby. In the first weeks pick the baby up anytime he wants it. It will help the bonding process right away.

Well, I am full of tips, so stick around!

Practically all pregnant women have heard of the birth plan. It is a document that tells your healthcare provider what you want during and after your labor and delivery. Most healthcare professionals do not like this “plan” because it puts in writing what most women want, but cannot have certain times. Making the woman all the more upset.

Gone are those days of the dredded birth plan. (more…)

Choosing people to become the godparent, guardian or both for your child is a difficult task. How do you qualify a person to take care of your most prized possession? How do you tell a person they are in charge of something like that? I find it odd that there aren’t more discussions and books about that very topic. There are birth plans out there that give you an itemized list and you check items off that are/aren’t important. Where is this tool for guardianship?

After attending a workshop on wills, trusts, and related topics, we decided to talk it through. It is a decision that we want to make before the baby is here. As first time parents we don’t even know what is truly needed to care for a child of your own. It may take us a little longer to make our minds up and put it in writing. After talking it over in great detail, and being open about our possibilities, we are feeling a little better now about making a decision. I do recommend it to all new parents, it gives you an even deeper feeling of the responsibility need to care for a child.

Before I became pregnant I did not realize how difficult it is to “time” the baby’s arrival. Most mothers would be angry at me for even using the “timing” terminology. I guess that with 28 years of planning my life I went into all of this thinking I would have certain week in which to expect the baby to come. I have heard of the 37 week baby quite often, in fact, my friend just had her baby at that time. But my due date is a full 3 weeks away from that mark. The baby could also easily wait in there until 42 weeks. There is an 8 week gap in the time the doctor tells you that the baby is heathly and “ready” until they check you daily waiting for the sign that it is time.

After pondering this topic of when to expect my baby, I do realized that it is family life’s first little joke. Teaching us all that we can’t plan every little thing, especially the arrival of a brand new human being. There will be bumps and brusies, crayon on the floor and walls, and even spit up on Dad as he is going out the door. That is all more of the comedy that comes with raising kids. Guess I’m up for it. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t find all of that humor in life.

Every woman is different. That is probably one of the biggest lessons I will take away from this, my first pregnancy. Another lesson is that you aren’t told everything about pregnancy. I’m not sure why it is such a big mystery. I always dreamed that being pregnant meant sitting with your feet up, a perfectly rounded belly, and literally glowing skin that would bring people to you, while you knitted baby booties.

(more…)

After a very long period of “morning sickness,” it is nice to have a something to look forward to. A couple of kicks and jabs to the gut are what cures me of the flu like symptoms now. I guess all of those moms out there can tell me that it was so much fun to have the baby moving around at 5, 6, 7 months.

Funny though, I have a friend that misses the baby dance now that she gave birth. But I do remember talking to her a couple of weeks ago about the discomfort of a foot to the rib and not having any more room in there at 36 weeks.

I guess that a mothers memories change as those great moments happen. Just a few months ago when asked how I was feeling I would reply “sick, or nauseous.” Now I say that the baby is moving all of the time. I am not sure how that describes my feeling? Well, in a few months, no one will ask. They will inquire, “how old, what’s the name, or can I hold the baby?” And I’m counting on the fact I will have no memories of delivery pain when those questions are asked!