Category: Pregnancy

Pregnancy is the term used to describe the period in which a woman carries a fetus inside of her. In most cases, the fetus grows in the uterus.

Pregnancy usually lasts about 40 weeks, or just over 9 months, as measured from the last menstrual period to childbirth. Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters.The major events in each trimester are described below

First Trimester (Week 1 to Week 12) The embryo develops quickly at this stage

Second Trimester (Week 13 to Week 28) The mother will gain weight and develop extra reserves of fat. She will feel the movement of the fetus, and others will feel them too if they place their hands on the mother’s abdomen

Third Trimester (Week 29 to Week 40)he baby will build up stores of fat and the lungs and sense of hearing, taste, and sight will develop.

Baby Showers – A survival Guide for non-parents forced into giving a baby shower.

The phenomenon of baby showers has firmly taken hold in the Irish psyche. Once upon a time, in the distant past, we only saw these indulgent parties on American sit-coms and romantic comedy movies, where the pregnant woman was usually ‘showered’ with more gifts than could be expected at the arrival of a Kardashian offspring. But, baby showers are not just about gifts (although these are nice!) but rather are about supporting and encouraging the soon-to-be mammy at the end of the nine months gestation. Just as she is feeling extra bloated and tired, her friends gather to put a spring in her step and reignite the optimism and expectation in the expectant one. Here are some top tips for having stress free, low budget, high energy baby showers.

Food:

Keep the food dainty and cute. Imagine you are constantly full. Full of baby but with not much capacity for large amounts of food. Choose your party delicacies for their delicate nature. Finger sandwiches, mini quiches and nibbles are the only option. Fruit trays can look so amazing and are more welcome than chips and dips. You can always buy chips on the way home!

Decorations:

Bunting, balloons and all kinds of cutesy things are expected. Gender specific if everyone knows the sex of the baby and yellow/cream if its has not been disclosed. There really is no end to the ideas for decorating. It is down to your imagination and skill sets. The internet has lots of things which you can try to emulate and most bargain shops sell things that will do when that becomes too tiresome. More Ideas here>>

Gifts:

These should be token gifts rather than the full on Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Remember that you will probably have to fork out for a decent present once the baby has arrived anyway. Gifts of lotion, potions and small luxury items for the expectant one are very welcome, so it does not have to be all about the baby. Bibs, toys and baby hats are perfect for the little one.

Games:

Groan, groan and groan again. Anyone who has spent an hour or two passing melted chocolate in nappies around a group of giggling women, trying to guess the brand of sweet, will know what I mean by groan and groan again. Forced hilarity is never good. However, baby shower games are a great idea for halting the constant gossiping about who is not in the room or filling the lull in conversations about labour pains and episiotomies. You can find lots of them on the internet. See here Fun baby games>>

Alcohol:

No. No to baby Guinness, no to miniature bottles, no to jelly shots. It’s a no. If Mommy is not drinking, no one is drinking. Sorry.

Remember to invite all the important people in mum-to-be’s life. Don’t forget mothers, sisters, school friends etc. Make a facebook event page so that others can share the occasion. Ask some of the invitees to bring food or games and lighten your own load. Finally have some fun and if it all goes as pear shaped as the pregnant party Queen herself, you can amuse yourself with these baby shower fails. Baby shower fails>>

Useful Resources:

The Ultimate Baby Shower Planning Guide – cheekytummy.com

Eating Healthy for two- The do’s and don’ts of your Pregnancy diet

Did you know that dietitians are now saying that during the later stages of pregnancy, your baby can ‘taste’ the foods you eat through the amniotic fluid. Treating your baby to a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables in the womb, will increase the chance that your baby will recognize and accept those flavours later on. Eating healthy for two can seem to be a complicated matter. There are foods to avoid and foods to enjoy. Some people encourage you to eat more while others frighten you with words like ‘obese’ and plain old ‘fat’. A good diet for a healthy pregnancy is mainly common sense. If you ate healthy before getting pregnant then there is little change required. If your diet was full of ready meals, takeaways and sugar rushes, then you have the incentive to change.

What not to Eat!

Some foods should be avoided when you’re pregnant. These include raw seafood, unpasteurized milk, cheese and soft cheese like Brie or Camembert. Avoid pate and raw or undercooked meat and poultry. Try not to be tempted by hot deli meals, hotdogs etc as they have a small risk of passing bacteria and parasites. Undercooked eggs should be avoided. Likewise, liver and liver products.

What to Eat!

Everything else! As you can imagine, this leaves a lot of good things to eat. It is worth noting that for the first six months of pregnancy you do not need any extra calories for a growing baby! In the last three months you only need 200 extra calories a day. This is the equivalent of a toasted pitta bread and two tablespoons of hummus or a couple of oatcakes and avocado!! Fruit and veg, protein and low fat dairy are the obvious menu options as you give the tiny person and yourself the most nutritious meals available.

Don’t feel like eating?

If you suffer from nausea or heartburn, you may find it easier to eat a little often rather than large meals at designated times. Bland starchy food, such as crackers or toast may be the short term solution.

Reduce caffeine and throw alcohol to the bin for the duration.

Treats during pregnancy: You are not being punished and don’t need to give up all your favourite foods. High salt and sugar snacks can still be enjoyed in moderation. But don’t feel too guilty if you succumb to temptation and the bowl of crisps or gallon of ice cream disappears in one sitting! Eat well and have a happy healthy pregnancy

Showing & Glowing – How to Look Fabulous during Pregnancy!

That pregnancy glow does not mean that you should hide your light under a bushel or under an ugly pregnancy kaftan. This is a wonderful time in your life and while you might feel like staying in the pj’s and trackies for the duration, it is a great time to dress up and to shine like never before. Sure, high heels might be out of the question, but that does not mean you cannot look stunning and alluring. Here are a few tried and tested pointers for avoiding the dreaded maternity frump in favour of fabulousness. Just follow a few guidelines and dress to wow and delight!

Invest in a few nice pieces:

Forget about adapting your current wardrobe to cope with the extra baby width. This will only result in you looking squished and at the end of the nine months, you will associate your present clothes with your pregnancy and may be reluctant to wear them again. Don’t rob yourself of the joy of getting back into your favourite non-baby bump dress. It makes sense to purchase a few choice items of maternity wear to see you through the pregnancy in style. A good pair or maternity jeans or trousers are a necessity. Squishing into too-small jeans is never a good look and leaving the buttons undone is just gross. Well cut maternity jeans are a staple for the mum to be. Buy a good pair.

Purchase some nice tops in soft, rich fabrics with lots of stretch. Don’t choose anything too tight or too short. Clothes that restrict your body or make you uncomfortable should be avoided. It is not classy to have your bare belly on show, unless you are at the beach or pool. Sometimes less is more, but mostly, more is more! Maternity clothes are especially cut to fit around the blooming pregnant form and nothing flatters in the same way.

Embrace your Bump:

Don’t try to hide a baby bump by wearing clothes way too big. Choose your own size and a nice stretchy material to enhance and celebrate the life

What to wear when pregnant — Perfect your Maternity Style in the clothes you love.

growing within. Make sure you only wear things you love. It does not matter if they are pre-loved, vintage, second hand or bought especially for you. Loving the look you have is important for your own self esteem. Layer clothes for a beautiful effect. Team floaty tops with leggings, top dresses with pashminas. Dare to be different and embrace this special time in your life. Enjoy colours and patterns and anything which makes you feel good will make you look good.

Keep your own style:

Keep your own personal ‘look’ and don’t feel that you have to hide in oversized shirts and wide jeans (unless this actually is your ‘look’)! Adapt your style a little and choose accessories which reflect who you are. You may be becoming a mother, but you are not becoming ‘mumsy’ just yet, so don’t fall for the cliché pregnancy staples and instead make your bump a fashion statement. Pregnant and Proud!!

The Latest Post-Pregnancy Trend that’s Sweeping the Nation

As the congratulations on your new arrival die down and you consider throwing out the dying flowers and ponder just how long you can leave those baby cards on display before them turning yellow, you might consider the lives of other new mums. How do they cope with the greatest life change since their own birth? Blogs and articles have made nosiness acceptable and allow you to see into the lives of other new mums. Sometimes, you see too much and sometimes you see what they want you to see. Just Google ‘new mum’ and ‘Blogging’ or ‘vlogging’ and amaze yourself at the amount of new mothers who are documenting their daily lives and sharing it with the masses. Now you may well ask yourself how they have the time to write a blog, pick a fancy font and upload cool pics in which their hair is brushed and their clothes match while you have tried three times, unsuccessfully to brush your teeth today. Under the circumstances and all things considered, it is OK to dislike the blogging mum!

Smug Mum Blogs: These are the worst. So Uber cool, with black and white art house pics of Mum rolling in 100% Egyptian cotton sheets that have never been hit by projectile vomiting and stray poo from hap hazard nappy changing. Stylised parenting by hipsters and cool dudes whose kids have gender neutral names like Charlie, Jordan and Trixie – Boo. Don’t look at these unless you want to feel more inadequate than you usually do. Never look at them late at night with a glass of wine in hand. Your computer might not be able to take the abuse.

Advising/Helpful Mum Blogs: If looking for advice on anything from the use of a recliner chair to when the first tooth might appear, a whole bunch of advising blogs are at your disposal. A lot of these are sponsored by Companies, but written by real humans like you and me and they can be the source of great practical advice. The style of the first few sentences is a great indicator of what to expect. Some blogs may even direct you to special offers on equipment, food etc. Others suggest new recipes and relate funny stories from other parents. The bulk of blogs come into this category and if you find one you like, it can be a source of information and reassurance. Basically you are reading a magazine online and the editor feels like a friend.

Funny Mummy: Oh yes, parenting is so funny that some mums need to relate, in a comedic manner, their daily escapades raising their offspring. You have to admire their ability to see humour in what can sometimes seem to be a relentless, tedious and thankless job. Funny mummy blogs (reading or writing) are probably the best solution to frustration when you cannot afford counselling. Laughter is the best medicine (or so that overused cliché says) so get yourself a dose of the best here. It will reinforce the premise that there is always someone worse off than yourself and does includes one blog called. People I want to punch in the throat. Hmmm.

One step beyond- Vlogging: Vlogging is blogging by video. Yes, believe it or not there are a lot of families who parent with a video/smart phone at the ready and upload such delights as their children having ears syringed or swinging in the park… both equally riveting (not) when you do not know, or may never know the people involved. How this will affect the
next generation is yet to be played out but I look forward to the day when one of the featured offspring has a melt down at the lack of privacy and the intrusion on their precious childhood and breaks some camera. No doubt that episode will get lots of hits. The motivation for this vlogging is not hard to understand when you see that a vlog like itsjudyslife has 1,388,444 subscribers and according to the website social blade (socialblade.com) nets the said Judy somewhere between 3 and 47 thousand euro a month depending on the hits. Remember if you log on to look at this vlog, you are putting more money in her pocket and only encouraging her. Down with this sort of thing!

So, new mums are blogging and vlogging and other mums are definitely reading and watching. Whatever the tone of these useful and distracting online click-bait missives, there is one over-riding question that every non-blogging mother will ask. Who has time for this stuff?

For those of you still curious, check out these mom blogs!

irishparentingbloggers.com
peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.com
hipstermum.com
jollymom.com
mamaandbabylove.com/how-i-almost-became-the-smug-mom
mindthebaby.ie
notanothermummyblog.com

6 Things you didn’t expect about expecting.

Congratulations, A special time in life lies ahead of you. Here’s some things they didn’t tell you.

Books and articles on pregnancy abound. Most will tell you what a wonderful time this is and what to expect in your second trimester. Indeed, it is a wonderful and special time. But there are many things which no one tells you. Here are some unexpected things about expecting.

No Touchy-feely my bump please! Somehow, once you begin to show, certain people (friends, family and random strangers) think that it is acceptable to touch your baby bump. Let’s face it, you are not some lucky Buddha to be rubbed for good luck. Back off weirdo. The best thing to do is to rub theirs back. They might think twice before crossing that personal space barrier again.

Laugh so much you pee! Let’s face it, there is a lot of pressure on the body in the last stages of pregnancy. It should not be surprising, but laughing, coughing, sneezing can cause ‘snissing’. That’s the polite and cutesy name for peeing your pants while pregnant ladies. Don’t worry, you won’t need to buy adult nappies just yet and you have so little dignity left by the time you get to the final few weeks of pregnancy, frankly, you really won’t give a damn.

Feeling like Big Foot! Ok, I am not going to sugar coat it. Your feet might get bigger. A shoe size bigger. A wide shoe size. Alongside the Varicose Veins, Haemorrhoids, and Constipation which you have heard so much about, there is a fresh hell to consider. Water retention can mean that your favourite kitten heels will not fit. Don’t stress about it as you will be back in your favourite shoes when baby is born.

Cravings are real. Yes, it is not a myth. Cravings for hot and spicy jalapeno peppers, mushy peas, ice cream and chocolate are common. In fact, there is a scientific reason for pregnancy cravings. Yes, you guessed it.
Hormones. Most doctors advise that you allow shutterstock_68371888 the cravings if they are healthy and make sense, but do not recommend that you give in to the
longing for a glass of white wine… which brings me to the next topic…

Missing alcohol. Yup. This is more common than you might think. While all the books, pamphlets and website show glowing mums-to-be floating through a meadow of wild flowers, wearing homespun cotton en route to their wholesome juice and granola burger dinner, the reality is a little different. Those clubbing days are still in your blood stream and many women admit to missing their favourite tipple. Nights out are not much fun in those flat wide shoes, snissing on the dance floor while you sip still water! Ho Hum girls. This too shall pass.

The glow is real A pregnancy glow exists. Hormones give good things too. That amazing radiant glow skin is a gift which kicks in during the second trimester. Of course not everyone experiences it in the same way, but generally speaking that wonderful radiance is yours, for free, for the duration. No doubt, once your special wee bundle arrives in the world, this glow of pure love will continue.

Pregnancy is a real time of change. Your body, your relationships, your lifestyle. But hey, there are times when you can embrace change and welcome the new. This is one of those times. Enjoy the expected and the unexpected with a good sense of humour and the knowledge that all of this is temporary.