Maternity Clothes

I went out and bought my first pair of Maternity Jeans and they are wonderful! So comfy! I purchased them from motherhood maternity and had my size ordered in from the warehouse. It has the secret belly fit elastic thing that is amazing. I love not having a button or zippers that dig into my stomach when I sit down. They are cute and weren't as expensive as I thought they would be. I totally recommend to all those women out there who refuse to get maternity jeans to buy at least one pair. I am wearing mine almost every day now.

These are the Jeans I purchased or pretty similar to this pair.

BYU-Idaho Bulletin Board

If you are looking for some cheap baby items the Byu-Idaho bulletin board is great! People are always moving and getting rid of some things and a lot of the stuff is in pretty good shape! I found some blogs from there that show you how to make little bows for girls and bow ties for boys. People are always selling some sort of baby thing so check it out!
http://web.byui.edu/BulletinBoard2/Default.aspx

Battle of the Bulge

I now have one pair of maternity jeans they are wonderful but when you cant wear sweat pants to school and you only have one pair of jeans that really fit good you get creative. Now there are those bands that go around your waist to help hold up your regular pants but I dont have them. I have been using rubber bands and hair ties to hold my pants up so I can wear my old jeans. It is getting to the point now where it is getting hard to do that. It is amazing how fast your stomach grows and clothes seem to fit one day and then not the next. I do now look actually pregnant though instead of looking like I got some pudge and a gut, so that is good.

Eating Healthy

Growing a healthy baby requires about 300 extra calories per day assuming normal activity and more for women who exercise. In those extra calories, the pregnant woman needs up to 50 percent more of most vitamins and minerals and an additional 10 grams of protein a day for fetal and placental growth, expanded maternal extra cellular fluid, breasts, and uterus.

This additional caloric intake should be sufficient to attain a weight gain of approximately 22 to 28 pounds in women of normal weight. If you're underweight before you become pregnant, a 30 to 35 pound weight gain is appropriate.

Wonder where all that weight is going? 


Baby	7-8 lbs.
Placenta	1-2 lbs.
Uterus	2 lbs.
Amniotic Fluid	1.5 - 2 lbs.
Breasts	1 lb.
Blood Volume	2.5 - 3 lbs.
Fat	5 lbs.
Tissue, Fluid	4-7 lbs.
Total	24 - 30 lbs.

1. From the meat, fish, poultry, and egg group: Choose approximately three two- to three-ounce servings of fish, poultry, lean meat, eggs, beans, lentils, nut butters (i.e. peanut, almond, cashew, tahini, soy nut), seeds, and nuts.

2. From the dairy group: Choose approximately four one-cup servings of milk or the equivalent (i.e., one ounce of cheese, one cup plain yogurt, or 1½ cups of cottage cheese).

3. From the vegetable and fruit group: This group is divided into two main categories—those that contain large amounts of vitamin C and those that contain large amounts of beta carotene, which can be converted to vitamin A as the body needs it. You should get one to two half-cup servings of fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C.

Rich in Vitamin C
Vegetables	Fruits
Broccoli	Cantaloupe
Brussels Sprout	Honeydew Melon
Cauliflower	Lemon
Collard Greens	Orange
Green Pepper	Papaya
Mustard Greens	Strawberry
Potato	Watermelon
Spinach

To meet your vitamin A requirement each day, have two half-cup servings from the beta carotene-rich fruits and vegetables. To this list add one more serving of a vegetable of your choice.

Rich in Beta Carotene
Vegetables	Fruits
Broccoli	Apricot
Cabbage	Cantaloupe
Carrots	Nectarine
Chard	Papaya
Kale	Peach
Sweet Potatoes	Watermelon
Spinach	Pumpkin
	Winter Squash

4. From the bread, cereal, dried beans, peas, and legumes group: Select six to 11 servings. A serving means one slice of bread, or ¼ cup cooked dried beans, peas, or legumes. A dry cereal serving should measure ¾ of a cup, and cooked cereal should measure ½ cup.

Information from babyzone.com

Working Out

Abc news did this article on working out while pregnant and also gave some tips on how to safely stay in shape while expecting. So I thought I would post it here for everyone read about working out while being pregnant.

During pregnancy, the female goes through hormonal changes that increase the levels of the hormones relaxin, elastin, estrogen and progesterone in their bodies. These hormones soften the connective tissue surrounding the joints, which is necessary to allow the female pelvic joint to expand to accommodate the baby as it passes through the pelvic inlet during birth. Yet, the weight-bearing joints such as the knees, ankles and hips are affected, too.

Additionally, the blood volume in a woman's body increases by as much as 30 percent to 50 percent. Because of this, the heart rate and cardiac output are elevated at rest. The resting heart rate may be elevated as much as 15 beats per minute during pregnancy.

As pregnancy progresses, the uterus increases in size and weight and therefore pulls the pelvis into a forward tilt, causing stress on the lumbar sacral ligament and lower back muscles. The abdominal muscles tend to stretch and weaken, while the lower back muscles tend to shorten, resulting in a sway back -- or lordotic -- posture.

The weight of the growing breasts tends to pull the shoulders into a forward position, resulting in a slouched posture of the upper back. The chest muscles shorten, while the upper back muscles stretch and weaken.

As the uterus grows, it stretches the abdominal muscles. This lengthening process causes the body to add functional units called sarcomeres to muscles, making them progressively longer. When combined with the action of the aforementioned hormones, this process relaxes the muscles throughout the pelvic girdle, all of which are important units for your core. Keep in mind that a long muscle is a weak muscle and a short muscle is a strong muscle.

In the past, it was believed that exercise would harm a developing baby and that as much rest as possible was required for the fetus to grow. That might be still true depending on your age, health and physical condition; as women become pregnant in older age, pregnancies may be more difficult than for women who are younger.

It would be wise to start exercising even before your pregnancy in order to establish baseline levels with which you can work once you do get pregnant. It would be best to work with a heart rate monitor to find out your maximum heart rate, your resting heart rate and your heart rate recovery time for purposes of comparison and tracking your progress. Keep in mind that your resting heart rate increases during pregnancy. Also, women who exercise and then become pregnant are used to the feeling of intense workouts versus women who have never exercised. Already pregnant? Pay attention to your body when you work out; exercising just to the point of being a bit out of breath or having a flushed complexion will tell you that you are working at a good indication of intensity.

To prevent back pain from a slouching posture, you should strengthen the muscles in the upper back. This can be done fairly simply with an exercise rubber band. You can exercise from a sitting position, legs straight out in front of you, by placing the band around your feet and pulling it toward the body in a rowing motion.

As the abdominals relax and lengthen, simple strategies should be implemented to strengthen the abdominal groups, such as the transverse abdominals and rectus abdominis, as these are key muscle groups when it comes to pushing the child through the birth canal. These exercises can include activities as simple as pulling the navel button toward the spine.

To strengthen the pelvic floor, women should perform contractions of the pelvic floor known as Kegel exercises, or simply as "kegels." Because the rectus abdominis, transverses abdominals and pelvic girdle belong to the core, which is necessary to give stability in any movement, balance work should also be done moderately, within levels of comfort.

No Sweat Pants Allowed

Whoever made the rule at BYU-Idaho that no sweat pants were allowed certainly wasn't pregnant. Having to find a pair of jeans that still fits and a shirt that is long enough to cover the unbutton button and un-zipped zipper can be challenging enough without having to worry about exposing yourself every time you sit down. It would be so much easier and more comfortable if we were allowed to wear sweat pants! Most colleges don't have a specific dress code saying you cant wear sweat pants. So I come home everyday from class and slip into my most comfy sweats. If only I could be as comfy in class. I guess I will need to get some maternity pants so I can be a bit more comfy while I am forced to sit there in those hard un-comfy desks for hours. Byu-Idaho you should consult with some pregnant women whom take up quite a bit of population at your school and adhere to some of their needs and wants.

Boy or Girl?

The First Flutter

The First Flutter is very excited and also very strange. I first felt the baby move at about 16 or 17 weeks. It was just a little flutter down low and happen so fast if I was just laying there doing nothing I would have missed it. The flutters have come more frequently and more prominent. It has sometimes even made me very nauseous. I can feel the baby turning and that is making my stomach turn. It is a weird feeling kind of like being on a boat and getting sea sick. But the baby has gotten stronger and the flutters have turned into a quick jab inside my gut. My husband can now feel quick movements and it is very exciting. We are excited for when the baby is stronger and bigger and we will be able to tell if it was a foot or a hand. It is the strangest feeling to actually feel something moving inside of you and knowing that something is ALIVE in there. It is very distracting. But a great feeling all at the same time.

Thank Goodness for Cable TV

Ill I have to say is thank goodness for Cable TV. I come home from school and work so exhausted and not wanting to think or do anything and laying down on the couch and flipping through channels seems like the best medication for exhaustion. It doesn't take any brain power and no need to think whatsoever. Just sit there and let the media rot my brain. I have my reality shows I watch every night and even the news will work. Just something where I don't have to think or move. Yes, you could say I am lazy and this could be considered a couch potato. But really right now I don't care.

Prenatals

Pregnant women need to take Pre-natal Vitamins. These are specially formulated multivitamins that make up for any nutritional deficiencies in the mother's diet. While the supplements contain numerous vitamins and minerals, their folic acid, iron, and calcium content are especially important.

Pregnant women need folic acid, iron and calcium, folic acid can reduce your risk of having a baby with a serious birth defect of the brain and spinal cord, called the ‘neural tube.’ A baby with spina bifida, the most common neural tube defect, is born with a spine that is not closed. The exposed nerves are damaged, leaving the child with varying degrees of paralysis, incontinence, and sometimes mental retardation. Studies have shown that taking a larger dose (up to 4,000 micrograms) at least one month before and during the first trimester may be beneficial.

Calcium during pregnancy can prevent a new mother from losing her own bone density, as the foetus uses the mineral for bone growth. Iron can help with both the mother and baby's blood to carry oxygen.

There are natural sources of folic acid: such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, and citrus fruits. It is also found in many fortified breakfast cereals and some vitamin supplements.

Pre-natals are not a substitute for a healthy diet, but most women need pre-natals to make sure they get adequate levels of these minerals.

Information from webmd