I Didn't Know That!

Hey ya'll! I was reflecting on my pregnancy and answering some questions when I realized there was more that I didn’t know could happen during pregnancy than I did.  Some say “ignorance is bliss” when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, but if you are anything like me, you need to know everything there is to know.  Mind you, just because something is on here does not mean it will happen to you! In fact, most of what is on the list won’t; however, it is important to educate yourself so it isn’t a complete shock if it does happen to you.  That being said, this is the beautiful and ugly truth about pregnancy.

There are tons of myths out there, pregnant women should avoid exercise, pregnant women can’t eat seafood, all women get a pregnant glow, the list goes on and on about half truths out there about pregnancy.  That’s not to say that what I have to offer is the gospel truth but this will give you an non-sugarcoated glimpse into the pregnant world.  As I said before, and I can’t stress enough, just because there is something written here does not guarantee you will experience it.  Some women have wonderful, beautiful pregnancies without a hiccup.  For those of you that don’t, this is for you.

• You Might Experience Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy

I had no idea there was even a possibility to get hemorrhoids during pregnancy.  I just always assumed when hearing women say they had them it was from the pushing in delivery.  I was wrong.  You can in fact get hemorrhoids during pregnancy.  It doesn’t happen to all women.  I was fortunate enough to avoid this all together, Thank God! 

For those of you out there, like myself, who don’t even know what hemorrhoids are...they are veins in an around your bum that can swell and protrude.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?

Usually hemorrhoids are due to the increase blood flow and growing uterus putting pressure on the bum.  They can also be caused by constipation, which some women experience because of the prenatal vitamins and iron pills.

The best things you can do to deal with this situation if it were to happen to you is by laying on your side to alleviate the pressure and doing a sitzbath for about 15 minutes everyday.  Using witch hazel wipes and putting it in the water for the sitzbath are also incredibly helpful and soothing.

• You May Get Acne Or A Body Rash

Due to the change in hormones your sebaceous glands are stimulated which can lead to acne.  Unfortunately, there is not too much you can do because you need to be caeful about what products you use during pregnancy.  Washing your face with a non-abrasive face wash to keep the oils down may be the best route.  Also, estrogen and the skin stretching can lead to itchy skin which is very common in pregnancy.  Using unscented lotions will be good for this and cocoa butter to help with the elasticity of the skin. You should mention this to your doctor or midwife, especially if you feet and palms start to get really itchy because this may be cause to check out the liver.

• You Might Find A Change To Your Skin Color

With all of the hormones in your body your melanin cells have boosted in production.  Melanin cells are responsible for your skin pigment.  This causes the skin to appear darker.  Your freckles become darker, even your nipples and areolas can darken.  Melanin is also the little dickens that causes the line known as “linea nigra” or the black line.  I did not have a clue this was going to happen, until one day I looked down and saw a dark line on my belly.  This eventually will go away.  Four months after my son was born it is just about disappeared.  Be aware that it can also cause you to have some dark spots called Chloasma.

• Pregnancy “Glow” Can Also Come With Sweaty Pits! 

The pregnancy “glow” caused by the boost in metabolism and hormones also boost your blood flow.  This can cause an increase in the amount you sweat.

• You May Get Leg Cramps of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

Leg cramps and RLS are not harmful to your baby in any way.  They may just keep you up at night.  There isn’t too much reasoning for them out there, but they can happen.  The possible reasons are compressed blood vessels and pressure from the weight of your baby. Some suggested ways to counter this would be by stretching, soaking your legs in warm water and massage.  If you are uncomfortable you should mention this to your doctor or midwife, they may want to check and see if the cause is from an iron deficiency.  If you do experience this, the best way to alleviate the pain is by stretching your leg out straight and flexing your foot.

• Possible Heartburn And Acid Reflux Could Happen

The wonderful hormone progesterone that allows the uterus to relax also causes other muscles like the lower esophageal sphincter to relax causes that lovely called heartburn.  The relaxation of the muscle can cause a back up of acid into your esophagus.  If this does happen to you in your pregnancy be thankful to know if will subside after you have given birth. 

• You May Experience Constipation Or The Flip Side

Along with the glorious “morning sickness” some mommas experience there is also constipation or going a super amount!  The constipation is caused from the muscles becoming lazy from the extra progesterone flowing.  Most people think if the muscles that cause you to have a bowel movement are relaxed then you will go more.  Quite the contrary, the more relaxed the muscle the less you will be going.  To counter this you can drink a whole bunch of water! If you think you had enough...drink more! You can also increase the fiber in your diet.

On the flip side, some moms experience going more than normal.  This can be due to the position of the baby.  If the baby presses on the muscles necessary for a bowel movement, towards the end as the baby weighs more it will cause you to go more.

• You Could Experience Something Called “Hyperemisis”

I am sure you have heard of that wonderful thing called “morning sickness” which can happen in the first and sometimes second trimester.  For women, like myself, who don’t seem to be getting any better this could be Hyperemisis.  During my pregnancy, I had “morning sickness” which was swept under the rug in my first trimester because according to my doctor it was a typical pregnancy symptom.  When the “morning sickness” lasted morning, noon, and night and did not seem to get better after the first 5 months we had to take another look.  I was constantly dehydrated and being sent to the hospital for fluids and IV nausea medication.

The best advice I can give from personal experience about this is that you truly know your body best.  When the sickness goes from just a little “morning sickness” to never ending nausea and vomiting do not let your doctor or midwife overlook it.  I wish I had known about this in particular because I was not aware this could be so severe.  

Thankfully for women who do experience this there are some way to help you through.

In home IV’s are wonderful because you get your hydration right from home and don’t have to worry about going to the hospital and waiting in the ER for hours on end just to get some hydration.  They also infuse your IV bag with vitamins that you aren’t able to get, anti-nausea medication and any other medication necessary.

• Wetting Yourself Is A Definite Possibility

If you find yourself in a fit of laughter, coughing, sneezing or just standing up from sitting down you could wet your pants.  The location of the bladder is conveniently under the uterus.  As the baby grows the pressure is added to the bladder causing some leakage.

• You Could Have Gas

You could possibly find yourself letting it rip worse than your older brother and his friends.  Yet again we have our lovely and dear friends progesterone and relaxin.  They have relaxed the muscles including the GI muscles causing the digestion to decrease and the gas to increase.  Clear the room boys!

Here are just a few things that POTENTIALLY can happen in your pregnancy.  I hope this helps any questions that you may  have relating to some unknown things! When in doubt contact your doctor or midwife! As I said before, you know your body best and if something doesn’t seem right contact them immediately and make sure you get a thorough explanation!

Remember that everything you endure is in it's own way beautiful.  There is nothing like holding that gorgeous baby in your arms an dyou quickly forget all the things you had to suffer through. It's all for your peanut.

Stretch It Out Mommas!

Hey ladies! 

Today I want to talk about effective stretches for expecting moms to help prevent injury and ease any pain or discomfort you may be experiencing.  As with anything, you should consult your doctor before doing any exercise or stretch while pregnant.

Breathing deeply with each stretch is important part of making each stretch effective.  

On all fours straighten out your back and arms, making sure the hands are directly under your shoulders. Gently sit back onto the heels of your feet, extending the arms and putting your head to your chest.  Hold for 7 seconds and go back to beginning position.  Repeat this up to 10 times. Make sure when you sit back on the heels you leave space for that bump in between your legs! You should feel the stretch in your back, thighs and pelvis. 

Back to all fours being careful to keep the back in line with your head so there is no slump in your back you are going to curl the back up making a rainbow arch and tucking the head to chest. Hold this for 7 seconds and return to in line position. Repeat this up to 10 times.  You should feel the stretch in the lower back.  You’ll find this will ease backaches

you may be having.

For the next stretch there are 3 variations, standing, sitting, or laying.  It is your preference, whatever you find most comfortable for you and the baby.  Starting with the standing position press your back to a wall. You are going to press the small of your back to the wall tucking that bum under stretching the lower back. Hold for 7 seconds and return to starting position. Repeat this up to 10 times.

The next variation is sitting in a chair with the back in a straight line.  With sitting you want to make sure you are as comfortable as possible so you can sit on a pillow or towel if necessary.  Put your hands on you knees or upper thighs and curl your back as you press your stomach to your back. Hold for 7 seconds and return to start.  Repeat up 10 times. 

The final variation of this exercise is laying on your back with your knees bent and arms by your sides. Pushing down with your feet into the floor, squeeze and lift the bum up off the ground forming a 45 degree angle at the knee. Be sure your pressure lies on the feet and not on your neck. Hold for 3-5 seconds, return down and repeat up to 10 times. If you have an exercise ball you can use this under the small of your back for more support rather than laying on the floor.

Sitting up straight with your back against a wall, put your heels together, outside ankles to the floor.  Gently press your knees to the floor. Hold for 5 seconds and very slowly release up. Repeat this up to 10 times.  This will increase your hip flexibility.

Standing facing a wall put your hands or elbows on the wall in push-up position.  Keep your heels on the floor, toes to the wall, put one leg in front the other to stretch the back of the calf.  Hold this for 7 seconds and alternate legs.  This is best to do before bed which will help alleviate that awful middle of the night charlie horse!

The final stretch is for women who are experiencing lower back, hip and leg pain.  Laying on your back, keeping your hips straight, have your partner gently pull on your leg from the knee.  This will help align your knees and hips. Be extremely careful doing this stretch.

I hope these stretches help in easing all your aches and pains through pregnancy! It also won’t hurt to have your partner give you a back rub!

Touch The Bump Baby Gives You A Lump!

Good evening mommas!! Tonight I am going to address an interesting topic.  This has come up in my own personal pregnancy and also in a few of my girlfriend's pregnancies.  I didn't even think to discuss it until I received an email tonight from a momma who is 28 weeks 2 days pregnant.  This young momma asked me "How do I deal with when other people touch my bump without asking?"  I have to say I am an expert on this.  I'm going to start off by telling you a story.

My husband has someone in his family who is incredibly hands on...even when not welcome.  I am not the most touchy feely with people I am not super close to.  As I am sure I'm not the only one, I didn't and don't have the best relationship with this person.  Anyways, we hadn't seen his family for a few months during my pregnancy because I was so sick and had been on bedrest so when we finally saw them I had a decent size baby bump.  The reason we were seeing the family was for a memorial mass. So as I stated before, I am not the most touchy feely person...especially not with people I am not incredibly close to, the family was well aware of this.  Baring that in mind, we are in church and I have a baby bump and my husband and I went to go get communion and had to walk in front of a few people who were not going up for communion.  As I passed by, I was stagnant waiting for the line to continue.  All of a sudden, I felt a pair of hands come up behind me and touch me on my belly.  Needless to say, I was completely shocked that A) someone was touching my bump, who knew I hate to be touched by anyone outside of my very close personal circle and B) I was getting my bump felt as I was in church.. going up to get communion.  I kindly removed her hands from my belly and gave my husband a look to see if he had witnessed what happened.  As I started to go forward to the aisle she tapped me on the back and said, "do you have any cravings?!" Now normally, this is a fine thing to ask a pregnant woman...not when in the middle of church and you've just touched the bump unwelcomed!
After knowing I didn't want to be touched and am now aggrivated by the situation, we go outside to say by to everyone at the end of mass and her hand comes in contact, yet again, with my bump! My son was not happy because he kicked so hard I think he broke a rib.  I left it alone and we left.  I spoke with my husband about it and how to address it because I didn't want to make waves for him, at the time we saw them somewhat often.  He was upset almost as much as I was by the fact that I was touched by theis woman who I was not close with, at all, without even asking, in the midst of a memorial mass.  We saw her the following day and I addressed it with her and told her I really didn't appreciate being touched without her even asking me.  She apologized and moved on...to the next time she touched my bump without asking. Only the next time, she poked my belly, not feel the baby, poked..hard! I think it goes without saying we don't see them that often.
At any rate, the moral of my story is it happens to the best of us.  Many people just like to touch the baby bump and it is one of those things, along with all the other "joys" of pregnancy we must deal with.  It is 100% okay to let someone know if they have crossed the line and they have made you uncomfortable in any way!  There are times where it is completely appropriate and very comforting when people touch the bump and they feel him or her kick and move, but never feel obligated to let someone touch when unwelcome.  I have made maternity shirts that read "Touch the bump Baby gives you a lump" with little baby feet.  Having a shirt like this pretty much sums it up and will give humor to the awkward situation of bump touching!  Contact me at my e-mail helpingmommytone@gmail.com or contact me through twitter
https://twitter.com/helpingmomstone or on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/trish.moise if you are interested in purchasing one! I hope this gave you some humor and answered you're question on how to handle bump touching! Stay tuned for my next post on proper stretches and workouts for expecting mommas! Keep em' coming! Thanks so much for the support!

What To Expect When It Isn't Expected: Childbirth Unknowns

Morning ya'll! Today I am going to chat about what to expect when it isn't expected.  A question that I was asked by an expecting mom yesterday was "How can I make a birth plan?" Don't think of what you are doing as planning but make sure you are educated about all the possibilites and have an open mind.  A fellow momma said it best, "flexibility is the key." Some mommas are planners and need that to help ease the anxiety and I totally understand that and it is great for this.  I am the same way, I like to have a plan and know the unknown.  The reality is, there is no way to know what is going to happen with childbirth.  Throughout the pregnancy there is a great deal of anxiety and prelabor nerves because it is so unknown what will happen.  I sent myself into a tizzy over not knowing what was going to happen.  The best way to prepare is say to yourself what will be, will be and at that point it is truly in God's hands.  The best advice I was given was to go with the flow.  This is extremely difficult for me because I need to control the situtaion, I have a very strong personality, but if you think you are going to go into childbirth with any control you are sadly mistaken.  The baby makes the rules and dictates what will be.  We can only help ourselves  by dealing with the things we can control, which are very few through pregnancy and delivery.  I found centering myself everyday made a huge difference.  Here are some ways I centered myself and helped deal with the anxiety and fear leading to childbirth.

Do your research and keep an open mind.
You want to really explore everything and anything that can happen so you are aware of all the possibilities.  If you educate yourself it will make the experience a bit easier so when something does happen you may not have planned on you are prepared. It is good to have preference going in but make sure you keep an open mind that anything can happen.

Keeping a journal of all your fears, anxiety and positive thoughts.
This will be a vent for you and allow you to discuss these things with you partner...though they will never understand what you are going through, even when they say they do.  Writing down your feelings will give you a chance to deal with this anxiety head on.  You could avoid it and pretend it doesn't exist and I promise you it will only increase the close you get to the big day.  Though normal for the fears and anxiety to increase the closer you get to the birthday it is important to keep this from consuming you.  It will make things much more difficult for you in the labor/delivery process.  The more relaxed you are the easier the process will be.  Our bodies are brilliant and when in distress they don't do the things necessary for delivery which makes labor more intense than it could be.

Visualize the big day!
If you take a moment each day to sit down, close your eyes, and picture yourself holding you beautiful, pink, perfect baby boy or girl this will help you focus on the positives of childbirth rather than the negative.  Because of the way we are programmed, most of us immediately dive into the negative thoughts instead of turning them to the positive.  Really take time everyday to visualize any positive you can with childbirth.  Even if the positive for you is the anesthisiologist coming in to give you the epidural! Whatever works!

Talk to your baby!
You want to try and make sure you can really connect with you baby no matter what stage of pregnancy you are in.  It is crucial to spend time throughout the day talking to your tummy.  It felt very strange for me at first talking to my tummy because there was no response; however, from the day I found out I was pregnanct at 7 weeks I played music for the baby, sang to him and told him who I am so he got used to my voice.  The more you connect with the baby the better for you and the baby.

Connect with other mommas!
We now have so much media which is a blessing and a curse.  In this instance I am so thankful we have social media. Here is the link to one page I found most helpful https://www.facebook.com/birthwithoutfear.  It will give you an oppurtunity to connect with other mommies-to-be and share experiences with them.  Having a support is so important.  I remember at first feeling like no one understood what I was going through until I connected with some of my girlfriends who were also pregnant or just had a child. Don't be afraid to reach out to other mommas! I would wager that 9 times out of 10 they are having the same fears and anxiety you are.

These are just a few tips that can help you on your journey through childbirth and make things go a bit smoother.  For mommas like me who have to have a plan in order to feel confident going into childbirth, trust me, this works. Oh yea, and it definitely won't hurt to make your partner give you a back rub or two. Hope this helps a bit! Keep the questions coming, I am thrilled to answer any and all!

Morning Sickness and Hyperemisis...Now You Know You Are A Mom.

Hey ya'll!! After my first blog I have recieved lots and lots of positive feedback, which I am thrilled about!!  After talking to a few of my girlfriends who are currently in the early stages of their pregnancies I wanted to post about how you can help with the dreaded "morning sickness." Normally, the sickness will subside within the first 3 to 5 months of pregnancy but those 3 to 5 months can feel like the longest of your life! I know, I have been there and for me those 3 to 5 months lasted 9 months.  I have a few tips that really helped me along the way and I hope will help you mommas! 
                One thing I did was keep a package of saltines by my bedside.  In the morning before I even lifted my head from the pillow I would eat a cracker or two so I could get myself up from the pillow.  Waking was a slow process everyday but this helped me to just get on my feet. For every mom it is different how and when you get sick, or even if you get sick, some moms just have impending nausea for the duration.  The best thing to do for the nauseaand sickness is to eat starchy foods, such as popcorn, baked potatoes and crackers.  You do want to make sure you get some protein in as well because when you are constantly getting sick the baby is taking everything and anything from you and you want to make sure you have some left in there for you.  I found eating shrimp and peanut butter worked for me, not together, of course.  
                The next thing that made my life a little easier while dealing with all of this was to have good smells around me.  There is nothing like a pregnant nose and you will sniff out anything so you want to make sure you have fresh scents.  Lemons, rosemary, and ginger were things I always had near me in the event I was around someone who had an overpowering perfume or any smell that threw me off.  Not only was the lemon and ginger great for scent but also taste! I would boil water with cut up lemons and ginger root slices in it making a delicious tea without any caffine and it was delicious with some honey added and helped me get through a few hours in the day.  Drinking something like this will also help with keeping you hydrated which is one of the most important things you want to do when dealing with sickness in your pregnancy.  
                 During pregnancy most mommas experience an extreme hunger.  When dealing with sickness the last thing you want to do is sit down and eat a huge meal because you will end up with twice as much coming out..I promise.  I found eating a very small amount every hour was the best was to get in some nutrients.  Maybe you like peanut butter crackers, so have 2 or 3 every hour, or you like kettle corn so have a hand full every hour.  Doing this will allow you to get something in your system and will help stay ahead of the nausea.  
                  Another thing I found helpful though difficult was having a workout plan and sticking to it, no matter how hard it was to get up and get moving.  I have specific exercises coming so stay tuned!! I hope this was somewhat helpful for the moms-to-be out there struggling with morning sickness or hyperemisis.  If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact me at helpingmommytone@gmail.com

Thanks!!