Pregnancy & Labor : Tips for Moms & Baby Websites

Why Share Your Labor Story?

Pregnant women have to listen to a gazillion labor stories. Isn’t it strange that other women just volunteer the gruesome details of their labor? As if I wanted to know about how this lady’s baby almost died because she couldn’t push the baby out in time. Or about how this guy’s wife’s nurses weren’t being cooperative and how he had to tell them that his wife is ready because the baby is crowning. It was my first pregnancy so why would I want to hear the horrors of labor? What happened to the “My labor was only 3 hours and I pushed only 3 times” type of stories?

I suppose it’s those terrying labor stories that end up sticking in your mind. I don’t even know who had an easy labor. The easy labor stories tend to go in one ear and out the other. I think it’s because we women like to hear stories of other women suffering. It’s like saying, “Ha! My labor was easier than yours!” or “Hey, I feel better because your labor was longer than mine!” You know how competitive we can get with each other.

I haven’t shared my labor story with many people – only if they asked. Or if they were a close friend. Not only do I want to spare the next first time mom but also because I don’t they want to really know. If they did, they’d ask, right?

So ladies, why do you volunteer such information to other pregnant women? Seriously? I didn’t care to know. Would the big bellied women next to me care?

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Baby’s Head Is Engaged!

I came back from my routine check up today. Gained 5 pounds in two weeks. I’m now at 148, a total of 36 pounds gained. At this rate, I’ll be approximately 42 pounds over my original weight. That’s 11 pounds less when I was pregnant with Little Mochi! Not too bad.

In any case, I’m only 19 days away. Can you believe it? The days go by so fast. My first week of maternity week was over within a blink of an eye! And to think that I got very little done! My to do list during my maternity leave keeps growing.

The baby’s head is engaged. That means the baby’s head had dropped below your pelvic bone. It usually happens before going into labor, but for some women, it happens at the very start of labor. You can tell if the baby has dropped based on the shape of your belly and how you feel. Sometimes, your belly can look/feel smaller as the head of the baby enters the birth canal.

You can also tell if you if you find yourself needing to pee a lot more often. The baby is pushing down against your bladder.

Or you may feel some pain in your pelvic area. This is because the baby’s head is resting low on your pelvis.

As for me, I have noticed because when I sit down, it’s not comfortable to keep my legs closed. My belly lies on my legs because it’s gotten so low. I’ve always carried this one low, but when she dropped, my belly felt even lower. Also, my pelvic bone hurts when I get up. And the peeing…yes, definitely. Almost every hour.

The doctor advised me to stay put and not wander off too far. She may be early. Wow. Little Mochi was late. This one may be early. I’m a little scared, actually. I don’t want to rush to the hospital. He’ll get a better idea on how “ready” the baby will be next week.

Until next week…

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Removing Your Wedding Ring From Your Swollen Finger

There is no need to get your wedding rings cut. Didn’t you know it’s bad luck anyways?

If you are finally starting to swell up during your pregnancy (which is normal), and is having trouble taking your wedding ring off, try this. It was a tip from my husband.

Generously apply soap and a few sprinkles of water to your finger.
Hold your hand above your head for about 15 seconds so that the blood can flow downwards.
Start moving your ring towards your knuckle as far as you can and hold it there for a few seconds.
Push your ring back down a little bit so that more blood can flow downwards.
Keep doing this until you can get your pass the tightest spot.

Make sure that your hands are still above your head so that the blood is flowing downwards. My mom has been trying to take her ring off for a few weeks now because she gained some weight and her ring was getting tight. Last night, we tried it and after some pushing and a little bit of pain, we got it off her finger! She was going to have the jeweler cut the ring for her too.

If you have tried it, let me know if it works for you. I just have never thought of raising my arms above my head.

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Wednesday’s Solar Eclipse and Pregnant Women

Wow, I was amused at this article that was published by Yahoo! today. A colleague of mine sent this to me just now. There is a solar eclipse this Wednesday, July 22. Basically, it’s when the moon crosses the path of the sun, totally blocking the sun from our view. A neat phenomenon, actually. But the articles that, according to Indian superstition, pregnant women should stay indoors to prevent defects in their babies. Many women who had planned to have a caesarian delivery that day have changed their dates to avoid bringing their babies to this world on this day.

To read more on this article, click here.

I know it sounds crazy but I think I will stay indoors that day. Perhaps I will even take the day off from work! I’m pretty superstitious myself. As a matter of fact, my second delivery is a planned caesarian. The doctor let me choose a day and time for the delivery of the baby (it had to be within one week prior to the due date) so I ran to my mom asking what day and time frame is a “good day” to deliver. According to my aunts, August 29th at 5:30 is a good day and time. It’s only one day before my actual due date, but I guess the stars and moon “align” that day.

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Normal Weight Gain During Pregnancy

I had a check up on Monday, July 13th. I gained another 3 pounds since the last appointment, which was two weeks ago. So, in total, I have gained 29 pounds. I am definitely doing a lot better this time around. I think I was at least 40 pounds over when I was pregnant with Little Mochi around this time frame. Many of my colleagues comment on how great I look right now. Isn’t that wonderful?! I know I have put on a few pounds in places other than my belly. But hey, if they can’t tell where it’s at, that’s great!

Normal weight gain for someone my size is around 25 – 37. I may be a little over the “normal” weight gain during pregnancy, but that’s ok! At this point in my pregnancy, I should be gaining approximately 1 – 2 pounds per week. At the rate that I’m going, I’d be approximately 44 or 45 pounds. That’s still much better than 53 pounds over! Heck, I have heard of people gaining over 70 pounds during their 9 months! It’s no wonder women opt for tummy tucks and boob jobs.

How much weight gain is considered a “healthy” weight gain anyway? It really depends on your weight before you were pregnant.

If you were already overweight to begin with, a “healthy” weight gain should be around 15-25 pounds.
If you started off underweight, you should gain somewhere between 28 – 40 pounds.
Otherwise, 25 – 37 pounds is an ideal amount of weight to gain if you were a healthy weight beforehand.

Regardless of how much weight you should gain, I have always wondered where the weight is during a woman’s pregnancy? I mean, the baby is only 7 or 8 pounds. So why do women gain 30, 40, 50, or even 70 pounds? Gaining weight is very important because it provides nutrients for the baby. But it’s not like all the extra fat in our bodies are “nutrients!” Well, here is a quick breakdown of the weight you gain:

Baby: 7-8 pounds
Placenta: 1-2 pounds
Amniotic fluid: 2 pounds
Uterus: 2 pounds
Maternal breast tissue: 2 pounds
Maternal blood: 4 pounds
Fluids in maternal tissue: 4 pounds
Maternal fat and nutrient stores: 7 pounds

It’s important to note that weight gain should be steady to avoid increased risk of hemorroids, varicose veins (yuck), stretch marks, indigestion, and shortness of breath. Losing weight during the first trimester is OK since the baby does not need as many calories and nutrients as the last trimester of the pregnancy. But if you are gaining weight (or even losing weight) too fast during the last trimester, be sure you talk to you doctor as it could be a sign of preeclampsia.

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I Gained 6 Pounds in Two Weeks!

Is not that a lot of weight to gain in 2 weeks or what???? It doesn’t sound healthy at all, but overall, my weight gain is 26 pounds. Not too bad for having two more months to go, right?

It’s definitely getting harder and harder to carry Little Mochi. Actually, it’s getting harder and harder to get around! My colleagues say all the weight in my belly. But I don’t believe them. I know there are a few pounds on my face and on my upper arms. But for some reason, I really don’t care too much how much weight I gain. I lost all of my 53 pounds from my first pregnancy in 18 months so I’m sure it won’t be too hard for me to lose 30 or 35 pounds this time around.

I’ll let you know all how much weight in total I gained during this entire pregnancy.

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Hello World!

No, this is not a test. I have not been on this blog in months. I have not even thought about this blog in months. Since the last time I blogged, my husband was in Maryland for business travel for a little over a month. So I moved back home with my folks. I needed the help being pregnant and all. Then we decided to permanently move back to my parents when he returned from business travel. Ever since then, it’s packing, cleaning, moving. We had a moving sale at the condo and a garage sale at my parent’s place. We are now living at my parent’s but have not officially cleared out our condo yet! And we’re not even situated here – we have all of our stuff lying around the house. It’s such a mess. And to think I’m giving birth in 8 weeks! There’s not much time is there?

A quick update on this pregnancy. I look great so far! I have gained only 20 pounds total since my last appointment. My last appointment was two weeks ago, June 15. My appointments are now every two weeks so I have another checkup tomorrow. I’m sure I’ve gained a few more pounds in the last two weeks because the baby has grown. I can feel her.

HER. Did I even tell you guys it is going to be a GIRL? It’s going to be a girl! Hubby and I have to agree on a name. I find it very difficult to find a good girl’s name. We do want a “mature” sounding name, yet something we can be cutesy as a kid. Any suggestions????

So far, I think overall, this pregnancy is easier on me. I don’t know if it’s because I know what to expect, or if it’s because it’s a girl. Or perhaps I haven’t gained as much weight as I did with Little Mochi. The only thing that I didn’t like about this pregnancy is that I have been sick 3 times already. At the rate that I was sick, I’ll probably be sick again next month, the month that I’ll be due! Augh! That could also be a reason why I haven’t gained much weight. Last month, a simple cold transpired into a sinus infection. After one and a half weeks of not getting better, of sleeping only 3 hours a day – and sleeping sitting up because my nose too congested to lie down, and of coughing, I finally gave my family doctor a visit and finally got some meds.

Ladies, your OB/GYN will NOT prescribe you any meds if you are sick. I called the OB/GYN on a Friday complaining that I did not have just a cold. It has been a week and I haven’t gotten any better. The last two times I was sick, I was starting to get better after a week. My congestion was getting worse and I couldn’t sleep at all. So I didn’t even have the energy to get better! I had so much mucous in my nose. The doc kept telling OVER THE PHONE that it is probably just a really bad cold and that I needed to drink lots of water. I called again on Monday…giving him the benefit of the doubt, hoping that I would get better over the weekend. I didn’t. I asked if I had a sinus infection. He asked if I have sinus problems. Actually, I have never had a problem with my sinuses. So he said it couldn’t be my sinus. So now it’s probably just a bad allergy so I can take Benedryl if I wanted to. I just couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t even let me see him at the office.

Obviously, I got upset so I gave my family doctor a visit. Sure enough, I had a sinus infection. My family doctor felt area above my cheekbone. It was actually a little tender. He said the mucous didn’t drain and stayed in my sinuses, causing a sinus infection.

He prescribed me Amoxicillan. It’s safe for pregnant women. He said that Azithromycin is also safe, but Amoxicillan is a little “weaker” and to try that first. Wow, I was so happy. Of course, I didn’t want to take any meds if I didn’t have to. But I was not getting any better and I was not getting any sleep.

After one day of taking my antibiotics, I felt much better. I was able to get 5 hourse of uninterrupted sleep. Imagine that! And my mucuous started to drain slowly. I know it sounds gross.

I’m feeling great now. Just hoping that I don’t get sick again right before I deliver. Wouldn’t that be disasterious?

Until next time…

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Weight Gain for First Trimester

Every one thinks they are supposed to GAIN weight during their pregnancy. Well, technically, you are. But many women lose weight during their first trimester. Hey, that’s normal ladies. All the morning sickness – who wants to eat when you feel nauseated all the time?

On my first appointment for Baby #2 (which was back in Dec 08), I weighed 112 pounds – which is only 4 pounds more than my initial weight I was pregnant with Little Mochi. Not bad huh? I lost 50 pounds in a year and half. Not bad at all.

January 26, 2009. That was my second appointment. Weighed 114 pounds, a gain of 2 pounds.

Feb 23, 2009, my third appointment. Weighed 113 pounds. I lost one pound. I couldn’t believe it at first. But then again, I have been sick two times since I found out I was pregnant. And I was mildly nauseated all day. Furthermore, Little Mochi is now in the picture. Last time, I was able to get a lot of sleep. Now, Little Mochi keeps me on my toes so even if I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t.

The Doc did say it was normal to lose weight during the first trimester. But I should be gaining from now on, right? I am starting to feel better now – nausea went away and I’m eating much better.

My next appointment is in two weeks, March 23, 2009. We’ll see how much weight I have gained since last month. Oh, and this time, I get to find out whether the baby is going to be a boy or girl. How exciting is that?

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I Was Away…

It’s been quite some time since I have sat in front of my laptop and written in this blog. Not that I’m trying to make any excuses or anything, but I’ve been so drained the past few months. I haven’t formally announced this on my blog yet, so here it goes.

Guess what?! We’re expecting our second child this August!

It’s still too early to know if it’s a boy or a girl. But at my last appointment, I saw the flickering light (the heartbeat) on the sonogram machine. Exciting times.

Every pregnancy is supposed to be different, right? So far, it has been. This time around, I am constantly nauseated, although it’s more on the mild side. I don’t know which one I prefer. To be terribly nauseated, but only for a few days during the first trimester, or to constantly have that mild nauseated feeling. And I’m always soooo tired! I think it’s because before, I didn’t have to drive an extra half hour to pick up another kid and then take care of him before I go to bed. Actually, now, I just shower and go right to bed when I get home. I leave Little Mochi to the hubby.

Last time, I gained a whopping 50 pounds. I’m actually trying to watch my diet this time around. So far, I have gained 2 pounds, which is good since most people with morning sickness usually lose weight (at least according to the nurse that took my blood pressure).

We shall see how this pregnancy plays out. I’ll keep you posted.

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More Baby Shower Games

Before I went to the wrong wedding this past Saturday, my hubby, Little Mochi, and I went to LL’s baby shower. She’s got another 9 weeks to go and is having a baby girl. It’s their first child so it’ll be exciting for them.

Her shower was a small and cozy shower, unlike mine. She had only a few close friends and her parents. Her husband’s family is still in Australia so they weren’t there. Despite the small size, we all had fun. They played a few games. Here are some of the games that they played:

1. The Pin Game: Everyone gets a pin with a ribbon tied to it. If you hear someone say the word “Baby,” you can take their pin from them. Likewise, if someone hears you say the word “Baby,” you have to give them your pin. At the end of the day, who ever has the most pins win. I lost my pin to a little boy while playing the Baby Food Game.

2. The Baby Food Game: 7 baby food jars, with the labels torn off, are labeled 1 – 7. On a sheet of paper, we write down what flavor we think the food in the jar is. I swear I thought I had this one, but I switched the Apple and Pear – they so similar! Hint: Look at the consistency of it.

3. The How Many Diapers Game: Diapers are stuffed into a see through container. We have to guess how many diapers are in there. The person closest to the actual number of diapers in the container wins. I was totally off!

4. The Baby Picture Game: Everyone brings in a baby picture and we all have to write down who we think the baby is. This is actually a rather difficult game, especially if you don’t know the other guests. I didn’t play this game because a) I didn’t submit a picture and b) I don’t know anyone at the party except for the mom-to-be.

5. The Yarn Game: With the yarn, you try to figure out the size of the soon-to-be Mom’s belly by cutting out a piece of yarn. Many of the men just tied the yarn around their waist and consider that the size of the Mom because they have such a big belly already. I was close, but lost to the same little boy that I lost my pin to!

We left early. We couldn’t stay long enough to enjoy their cake and to watch her open her presents. We had to run back home and get ready for my cousin’s wedding later that night.

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