Category Archives: baby

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 4

It is Monday. You know what that means, the newest update for those of you expecting, or looking to be doing so soon. Last week we left off with Week 3, so moving forward…
Week 4
So all sorts of wonderful things are happening with your baby that your doctor would love to tell you about. In a nutshell, the baby starts to form. As for you, you may start feeling queasy. Everyone has their own experience with this, and every pregnancy is different. For example, with Munchie I had mild nausea for the entire first trimester. With Ducky I had very intense sickness, but it only lasted a few weeks. I am not sure which was better. You will have your own version of this. Some days it will be better than others. Just remember, it is temporary. It will eventually stop, even if you are one of the unlucky few who has it right up to giving birth. Which is really the worst case.
They call it morning sickness, but really, that is a misnomer. It is more like all day sickness, often coming in waves where you get to have several hours off in between. Laying down definitely helps, but for most of us that is not really possible.
I found that eating small pieces of starchy, carb heavy foods helped with the nausea. My favorite was lays chips. Sometimes they can be too greasy, so you can substitute some crackers instead. If you have the time, half a baked potato without any toppings also works.
As for your physical appearance, I didn’t find any changes at this stage. Except that I seemed to look a lot more tired. Probably because I was. All I wanted to do was sleep. Otherwise, everything else was normal.
Also, if you would like to catch up, Week 1, 2 and 3

40 Weeks Of Pregnancy

I have been planning a long term project for this blog for some time. And this is a topic I have wanted to share with everyone. We have all read, or at the very least heard about, What To Expect When You Are Expecting. I have also seen others do blogs about what to really expect when you are expecting. I found the latter to be riddled with pregnancy horror stories, making pregnancy out to be one of the worst experiences ever. I understand some people did have a truly horrific time, but I am not out to scare anyone. Especially since both my pregnancies went fairly smoothly.
The scientific/medical information on pregnancies can be found just about everywhere. So I am not going to focus too much on that. Not to mention I am not a doctor, so before attempting any of my advice I suggest you talk to your physician. Some things worked for me. Some things may work for you. And some things should never be done without adult supervision. I will try to point out which things fit into what category.
Every Monday from now on I will discuss another week of pregnancy. To start, I am going to combine the first few weeks because unless you have been trying to get pregnant, and are constantly monitoring everything, including your basil body temperature, not a whole lot happens during these first weeks. So, without further introduction…
Week 1 and 2
What doctors call the first week of pregnancy, actually occurs prior to actually getting pregnant. It is when your body gets ready for pregnancy, but the egg and sperm haven’t met yet. So, during this period you are unaware of any changes. At some point your egg will get fertilized, but you will continue being unaware for a few more weeks.
If you are not planning for a baby, you will probably be living your life in the same fashion as before. Unless your normal life includes smoking crack, you are not hurting your baby. At this stage you cannot cause brain damage from having a few drinks, or lung damage from smoking. The foods you eat are always important, but an unhealthy diet at this stage will not later result in childhood obesity. As long as you start making the necessary changes once you find out your pregnant, your child should be fine.
 
Week 3
This should really be referred to as Week 1 because at this point you actually have a baby inside of you. The egg and sperm were reported to have met at some outrageous party the other night and have been an inseparable couple ever since. At this point you might be realizing you missed your period. Some women get a “mini” period or spotting. At any rate, you figure something is up. A pregnancy test would be able to detect if you are indeed pregnant, but not with a whole lot of accuracy. If you are like me, three different pregnancy tests will do as well. Make sure to schedule a doctor’s appointment. They have fancier methods for this sort of thing.
Check back next Monday for the newest installment!

Bed Time Bottle

I love reading articles about parenting. A lot of them have tons of great information on how to reach different milestones, teach your kids to do stuff, etc. Some I like to read because they reinforce my own parenting practices, and make me feel like I am doing it right. Because who doesn’t want to feel like an awesome parent?
There is one topic in particular which has come up numerous times in a lot of magazines and online sites that makes me feel just the opposite. Especially because I know I am doing something wrong, I am well aware of what I should be doing, but I am doing nothing to stop.
I let my daughter take her milk and juice to bed. Apparently, according to numerous parenting gurus and pediatricians, this is a huge no-no, which leads to all sorts of problems, including cavities and horrible dental hygiene. Considering my own dental history you would think this is huge for me. I have suffered greatly at the hands of dentists and would surely not want my daughter to go through the same. But I can’t take her sippy cup away from her. She screams bloody murder, and won’t go to sleep. Which  makes me feel bad because I am basically allowing my daughter to ruin her teeth just because it is easier for me to let her have her milk and juice in bed with her. Yeah, I suck. Which is why it bugs me. I should be more firm, say no, and weather it out for a few nights until she gets used to the idea. And at one point I tried, but she wasn’t getting used to it, and I was getting very tired. It is bad enough Ducky doesn’t sleep very well, and two screaming kids was just too much. So, I thought “another day.” Except is has been many more days, and months, since then, and I am not doing anything about it. Some kids like to cuddle with their blankets. Others like to snuggle with stuffed animals. My daughter clutches a sippy cup in each hand to fall asleep.
The worst part is not just that I know what I should do, but I also know how to do it. I have read more essays and articles on this topic than I can count. I have methods, and tactics, but for some reason, when it comes to this, I have no discipline. Thankfully I won’t have to worry about this with Ducky for a few more months.
What do you think?