Nanny to Mommy

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #NaturalProbiotic #shop #bias




I have been fighting off colds left and right this pregnancy. I never really went through this with my first pregnancy. Based on the information I have found from the research I've done, the skin is our first line of defense from infection, but 60-70% of our immune system lies within our intestines. Pregnancy causes the immune system to work harder and taking a natural probiotic may decrease the risk of colds and respiratory infections. So each time I get better, I have turned around and just got another cold. BTW sneezing and coughing while pregnant stinks. Big time.

And the thing about having a cold? You basically can't take ANYTHING while you're pregnant. There is a HUGE list of medicine that you just can't take. I have heard the wonderful benefits of probiotics for a few years now, but never made the plunge. But when I found out that you can take them while you are pregnant (and I received confirmation from my doctor), I jumped all over the opportunity because something had to give.

About two weeks ago, I went to CVS to shop for Insync Natural Probiotic. Of course I checked out the magic coupon machine first, which I'm glad I did because I got to save $2 on any vitamin! It was very easy to find and along side all the other different varieties of probiotics.



Notice this disclaimer? I asked my obstetrician before taking Insync Natural Probiotic and she was excited to see that I was taking such a proactive approach to my health. So Doctor Recommended!



Everyone knows that probiotic consumption can treat constipation, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting by restoring the digestive system balance of healthy bacteria in the intestines and by promoting regularity. With increasing hormones, fatigue and stress, pregnant woman are more prone to these issues. Research shows that probiotics also help prevent urinary tract infections, yeast infections and skin inflammations like dermatitis, all of which are common complaints during pregnancy.

Plus there are TONS of benefits that can be passed on to baby even after they are born through the breastmilk!

During the recent ice storm, I went to my in-laws and forgot my probiotics at home so I couldn't take them. I could tell on those days that I didn't. My cold and cough has drastically improved as well as my digestive health since I first started taking Insync Probiotic. And I know what you're thinking, "I have a hard enough time taking my horse pill of a prenatal, how am I ever going to swallow another?" It isn't a as large as my prenatal that are prescribed from my doctor and it's thinner so it goes down smoother. I have been taking them both with a small glass of juice.



So what do you think about Insync Probiotic? You can keep up with Insync Natural Probiotcs online on Facebook or Twitter.

Have you ever considered taking probiotics? Did you know the benefits of taking a natural probiotic for you (pregnant or not) and baby?

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

Welcome back to our weekly series! This week we are discussing Birth Plans and why you should have one.
I had a birth plan when I had my daughter. But a lot of the things I wanted went out the window because I had to be induced, like being able to walk around to help alleviate labor pains. My mother-in-law scoffed at the idea when she found out I had one, but there are a ton of reasons why you should have one. So let's dig into them.

So what is a birth plan?
According to BabyCenter: "A birth plan is a document that tells your medical team your preferences for such things as how to manage labor pain. Of course, you can't control every aspect of labor and delivery, and you'll need to stay flexible in case something comes up that requires your birth team to depart from your plan. But a printed document gives you a place to make your wishes clear when you have a choice."
You should always talk to your doctor or midwife about your wishes before hand, but it's nice to have a birth plan when you go to the hospital just so the doctors and nurse can stay up to speed on your wishes and needs.

Why do you need a birth plan?
Do you want an epidural, no epidural, or go completely unmedicated?
Do you want a routine episiotomy?
Do you want to breastfeed or formula feed?
Do you want to circumcise or not?
Do you want to bank your child's cord blood?
Do you want to delay your baby's first bath?
Do you want to give your baby a pacifier or not?

These are all questions answered in your birth plan. Hospitals tend to have routines they like to stick to, but your labor is just that...yours. You don't want to feel robbed of a certain experience just because you didn't ask before hand, like having your baby cleaned on your chest so you can start bonding immediately or delay your baby's first bath so you can breastfeed as long as your baby wants to for that first time. Some of the things in a birth plan are routine. But you need to make sure everyone is on board. You have talked to your doctor about your plan and they understand your needs, but that doesn't mean the nurses at the hospital know. You should also talk to your partner/labor team and let them understand your birth plan, so they can get on board and help make sure unnecessary inventions aren't taking over. If you have no certain desires either way or you are a go-with-the-flow type of person, that's great! But even you should still have a birth plan too. It may not be as long or specific as others, but there will be some things that you will want to go one way or the other.

Here is a GREAT list of 10 FREE Printable Birth Plans.

I suggest going through each one and customizing one that's perfect for you.   Grab a GREAT & FREE Birth Plan from Earth Mama Angel Baby!

I had a birth plan and no not everything went according to plan, but I am so glad I had one. Some of the things on my birth plan weren't very specific because I truly was go with the flow on most of the topics, but the main things I wanted happened the way I wanted them to and that was because I had a birth plan. So do your research and make an educated decision before diving in. Remember women have been this forever, but you are unique and so is your labor.

Did you have a birth plan? Did everything go according to plan? Looking back, would you change your original birth plan?

I am 29 weeks pregnant today, officially in my 3rd trimester as of last week. The baby is about the size of squash, either acorn or butternut depending on who you ask. Or even a small pumpkin according to my side bar ticker. Either way, baby seems to be about 2 1/2 lbs and around 15 inches long. :)



I have been having a little trouble to keep up with blogging as of lately and that's mainly due to the holidays, but also slightly due to the fact that I had my 28 week check-up on Monday and besides having SweetPea there plus having to keep her entertained while I took the the 1-hour glucose test again, I found out that we had until delivery to pay $3,000 and then they took my blood pressure...

My husband has a plan to pay for delivery (why they didn't tell us sooner, I have no idea), so that's not a problem, but I still have to go back earlier than scheduled to make sure my blood pressure comes down. Hubby is on vacation next week for his birthday (he's turning the big 3-0) so I won't have to bring SweetPea this time. I think that stresses me out when I have to bring her as well.

I have been doing a great job about my weight but I have noticed I gained the most the week before my appointment. If you have been following my blog for a little bit, then you know I had pre-eclampsia with SweetPea and my doctor told me at my 24 week check-up that although controlling my weight can try to help, I am high risk just because I had it before. She said she has seen just as many under weight women have pre-eclampsia and it effects all women of all sizes. There really is no pre-exsisting conditions that determine it, although over weight women are at higher risk of developing it.

So I am a nervous wreck. I did discover that second hand smoke can contribute to high blood pressure. Just thought I would throw that out there for anyone reading this that knows someone who smokes.

I do have some swelling and have been having some headaches as well. I really hope I don't get pre-eclampsia again and have to go on bed rest this early.

For anyone interested, we are still team green, but I have been having lots of dreams lately that I'm holding a little boy, so who knows. :)

I will try and update after my appointment. And I hope you all are having a Happy New Year so far! :)

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People tell me I'm crazy because I don't want to find out the gender until birth and that because I don't want to have an epidural, I'm stupid because why would I take all that unnecessary pain when I don't have to. Well I have done my research. And this is why I have decided that I don't want to have an epidural this time around. I feel it is the mother's choice. And as long as you make an educated decision for your needs, then you are doing what is right for you. This is just why I have decided to go down this path this time around.

1. Epidurals can lead to sleepy babies which can be damaging to breastfeeding. I recently came across an article from Medical News Today that basically said just this. Sweet Pea was a super sleepy baby and it caused her to have a lazy latch which made it even more difficult considering she had lip tie. She would constantly fall asleep at the breast. And re-latching was uncomfortable, because you know being a first-time breastfeeding mom and all. Thank goodness we were able to make it 14 months, but I feel it could have been an easier process.

2. Back spasms...yikes! Reading all the stories on BabyCenter and WhatToExpect about other moms who had this happen to them, terrifies me. What if I'm not as lucky the second time around? This is what brought my husband on board with the no epidural ruling. He has back spasms periodically and so he knows I don't want to have to deal with that mess.

3. Risk being disconnected from labor because I can't feel contractions. PLUS being too numb can make you have trouble pushing which can lead to a possible cesarean. And I am terrified of c-sections.

4. Prove it to myself. "You won't win a medal for not having an epidural." True. But I feel it will be an empowering experience. I dilated to 9cm without an epidural when I was in labor with Sweet Pea and I felt that was brag worthy. Now my intentions are not to be able to brag, I just want to see if I can do it. I felt the ring of fire, I was getting into that mind set of just going to push the baby out, then the anesthesiologist came in. Machines failed me last time and so did medical intervention. The nurses said I wasn't even in labor because the machine wasn't picking up my contractions. I knew I was, but because I was a first time mom the nurses ignored me. I trust my body more than machines or medicine because of this.
Someone posted this comment on TheBump and I just loved it: "Why go through the pain if you don't have to?" "Why cook dinner when you could just get takeout or go to a restaurant? Why not watch TV instead of going to the gym? Because I like the challenge too."

5. Big needle in my back? No thanks! I was scared of this with Sweet Pea. And that's my main fear this time.

I was induced due to complications of pre-eclampsia with Sweet Pea. I want more than anything to be able to go into labor on my own. Going into this with the knowledge I have, I feel I can do it. More than anyone pressuring me to do what they want, I feel like I'm making an educated decision. Call me crazy, but our bodies were designed for this. I'm having a hospital birth, so if there are any complications my doctor will be right there. I'm learning that exercise before hand and breathing are the most important things to help me through this so I have been amping up my cardio. I know how to push this time, so I think I can beat my previous time of 45 minutes.

What are your thoughts on a non-epidural birth? What do you think about a mother's choice during labor? Tell me about your birth story, I'd love to hear it!

Welcome to the October 2013 Carnival of Natural Mothering! 

This article is a part of the Carnival of Natural Mothering hosted by GrowingSlower, Every Breath I Take, I Thought I Knew Mama, African Babies Don't Cry, and Adventures of Captain Destructo. This month's topic is Natural Birth Choices. Be sure to check out all of the participants' posts through the links at the bottom of this page.

Bloggers, visit GrowingSlower to sign up to be a part of next month's carnival. 

That's what I read on BabyCenter today (or a prune according to TheBump or a Strawberry if you look at my side bar and see my LilyPie ticker).


Original Source

The exciting news this week? Baby has fingernails. FINGERNAILS!

Now for the other stuff. I want to stay open with all of my readers. I was in the beginning through my first pregnancy's journey and I want to through this one as well. With that said, I have a doctor's appointment on Monday. I have been spotting the past few days. Very lightly. But I am past the point where it could be implantation bleeding. I haven't been doing anything crazy, like lifting boulders or running a marathon. So I'm impatiently awaiting my appointment. Today, my nausea has subsided and that just makes me even more nervous. I never spotted with Sweet Pea. I read that some women have more cramps and spotting with the second, but I don't know how true that is and can't find any explanation as to why. My sister-in-law is a nurse and she said she thinks I am fine. It's so wonderful to have a medical professional in the family. She eased my mind a lot.



So needless to say, I have been taking it easy. I was craving steak yesterday and Hubby took me out to get one. We also played trivia for the first time in ever. Sweet Pea did so good that we are thinking of making it a weekly thing. Sweet Pea is also mastering potty training. She has become a pro. She even stayed dry through dinner last night. I couldn't be more proud.

My appointment on Monday makes me nervous because not only because of what I have going on, but I also have to go by myself. Hubby couldn't get it off work because of Labor Day being so close and my mother-in-law is watching Sweet Pea for us. The only time I went to an appointment by myself, I had to go straight to the hospital to be induced due to pre-eclampsia.
So needless to say I haven't been sleeping well and a bundle of nerves.



Something else exciting has happened today, I got an email confirming I am official Nuby Mommy Blogger. So keep an eye out for exciting reviews and possible giveaways! I am very excited to be a part of their team because I have been loving Nuby products for almost three years now. And I can't wait to share their new products with all of you.

So that's how we are doing this week. How has your week been going? Please share below or if you have a post, I'd love to see for myself. :)

Okay so technically turned over to 9 weeks preggo on Friday. I have Mommy Brain and Pregnancy Brain combined. It's bad around here. Bare with me, please. :)
According to The Bump, our baby is now the size of a green olive (a grape according to Baby Center). So I handed my Hubby a jar of these Private Selection Garlic Stuffed Olives that we had in the pantry and said, "This is the size of your baby." We got a good giggle out of it.



I did this little what's going on this week thing when I was pregnant SweetPea, so I will try and update each week. :)

How Far Along?
9 weeks (& 4 days as of today)

Total Weight Gain:
None as of yet. :)

Sleep:
I had some restless sleep last night, but I have been exhausted and since I'm not uncomfortable yet and besides crazy pregnancy dreams that I can't remember the next morning, I have been sleeping ah-may-zing! Sometimes with naps for good measure. :)

Cravings:
Ice CREAM! But I haven't been giving in. ;)

Movement:
Nope. I have been feeling phantom flutters since a few weeks after I gave birth to SweetPea, so if I feel anything I still think that's what it is.

Best Moment This Week:
When we ask SweetPea if she wants a brother or sister, she says brother. We will also ask her where the baby is and she points to my belly and says "Tummy Baby" or "Baby Tummy".

Milestones:
Graduating to fetus. :)

Favorite Moments:
Re-Announcing our pregnancy to family at the family reunion on Saturday


It's crazy how many things are different this time around. Laws are different for goodness sake! LOL Here's my little go to list. I have been asked why didn't you I something so many times by family that it truly is getting ridiculous. So I decided to make a go to cheat sheet, so we can go step-by-step exactly what has changed since the almost three years since I was pregnant with SweetPea.

Things That Are Different This Pregnancy: 1. cell phones, smart phones, apps - I got an Android smart phone that my pregnancy brain is making me forget the name of when SweetPea was first born. And it was considered a smart phone, but Androids didn't have all the apps that iPhones had back then PLUS there are even more apps now for smart phones that make keeping track of diapers, feedings, and all sorts of other things that would have been really useful! Like reminders for weekly/monthly pregnancy photos, tracking weight gain, or staying social on message boards. PLUS my phone I had when I was pregnant with SweetPea was a crappy flip phone with terrible picture quality.

2. breast pump through insurance - Thanks to new legislation, you can go through your insurance to get a breast pump. I had a hand-me-down Evenflo Comfort Select Double Performance Dual Auto-Cycling Breast Pump that my sister-in-law gave me. It was horrible. And although some people just aren't good at pumping, no matter what they do, I think my pump was a major problem in my pumping situation. It would have been nice to get Sweet Pea use to a bottle, so I could have a guilt-free night every now and again.

3. Rear Facing until age 2 - I felt forced to forward face Sweet Pea too early. Before I wanted to. And now looking back at it, others had the dumbest, most selfish reasons. But it is now the LAW that children stay rear-facing until age 2. The exciting thing though, I already have a brand-new infant carrier thanks to blogging. :)

4. No more drop down cribs - We have one and actually this changed right before Sweet Pea was born when we already had our crib. We just don't use the drop down side feature. When people ask us if we had lowered our crib, they need to remember - our crib is already lower than non- drop down side cribs.

I'm sure I can think of some more. But my previous pregnancy turned into mommy brain and now I have it mixed with pregnancy again, making my memory mommy brain worse x2. So that's what's new with us. How has your week been?

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