Keep It Down!

I want to discuss pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH).  It is something that is not necessarily a main concern initially when you are going through your prenatal visits.  It becomes a greater issue typically in the third trimester.  Questions I have been asked recently because of my experience are, “What is gestational hypertension?” “What is pregnancy induced hypertension?” What is preeclampsia?” “How do you get it?” “How can I prevent it?” “How will I know if I have it?”  I am going to answer all these questions and then some.

Hypertension is high blood pressure.  Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against blood vessel walls.  When the force of the blood is above normal (120/80) this is considered high blood pressure.  Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) is high blood pressure accompanied by headaches, swelling in the face, feet and hands and protein in your urine.  PIH is also called preeclampsia, and toxemia.

There are certain factors that make you more at risk for PIH.  Being under the age of 20 or over the age of 35, being underweight or overweight, a history of hypertension, a history of PIH, a mother, sister, aunt or grandmother with a history of PIH or hypertension, kidney disease, immune disorder, and expecting multiples are all reasons you may be at higher risk.

If you experience any of the following immediately call your doctor or midwife:

-Swelling in the face, feet and/or hands

-Severe headaches accompanied by spots, dizziness and changes in vision

-Reduced urination or blood in the urine

-Flank or abdominal pain

-Vomiting and nausea

-Decreased fetal movement

These are all symptoms of PIH.

When you go to your prenatal visits your doctor or midwife will most likely take a urine sample and be testing routinely to see if there is any protein in your urine.  At every visit they also will check your blood pressure and weight.  If you have rapid weight gain, a high blood pressure and protein in the urine your doctor will order further testing for you and the baby.  There is question of high blood pressure when the systolic (above number) is between 120 and 139 and the diastolic (below number) is between 80 and 89, this is considered prehypertension.  Sometimes “office anxiety” kicks in and you temporarily have a higher read so in some cases it is best to ask your doctor to do another reading.  I had to get mine read at the beginning and end of my doctor appointments.

If PIH begins to get worse the only cure is to deliver the baby.  I remember being admitted to the hospital at 34 weeks and I was given magnesium to prevent any seizures and medication for the blood pressure.  At this point doctors and midwives need to look and see if the benefits outweigh the risk of using medication.  Make sure you do not hesitate to call your doctor or midwife if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms.

Pink Or Blue...Which Team Are You!?

Hey mommas! I have a girlfriend who was talking about ways she can present the sex of the baby to her partner.  I ha so many ideas because for my husband and I, I knew the gender and he didn’t.  I had a big reveal planned for him, until we decided to wait until the birth.  Today I received a message with an awesome story about a couple who had the gender mailed in a seal envelope to (for all you Rhode Islanders) Allie’s Donuts to make a gender reveal cake.  No one knew the gender, not even the momma and daddy!  The cake was made in secret in the back so only the people who made the cake knew what the baby’s gender was.  Such an adorable story and a super fun way to share your baby’s gender!  There are so many ways to share with your partner, family, and children (if you already have) to make the experience of finding out that much more fun and memorable!

To reveal to your family-- 

• Make a cake that shares blue or pink once it is cut into.

• Have blue or pink jello shots to whatever the gender is passed around.

• Make photo copies of your ultrasound pictures.  You can have everyone color in blue or pink or you could have everyone tape a blue tie or a pink bow to the baby’s ultrasound picture. Once it is all done you can have a blown picture of the ultrasound with the tie or bow on it to reveal.

• If you decide to have an intimate dinner party for just close family you can hide homemade scratch tickets under the plates.  When the time is right have everyone scratch to reveal the gender.

• You could have a move night that features 2 movies that have “pink” or “blue” in the title.  For example, invite everyone over and say you will be showing either “Blues Brothers” or “Pretty In Pink”.  When the movie is shown it will reveal the gender to your loved ones.

To reveal to your partner--

• If you are getting a maternity photoshoot done, you can wrap a blue or pink bow around your baby bump, frame the picture in light blue or light pink and wrap it in white paper and on the front write “He Or She Open To See!”
  If you already have kids and want to include them in the reveal, at your photoshoot you can have them dip their hands in blue or pink paint and put handprints on your baby bump.  When you show the pictures you can have the pictures of your kid(s) dipping in the paint and putting prints on in black and white.  The final picture black and white with just the handprints in color. You can make a little book out of it depending on how many photos were taken.

• Gift baskets are one of my favorite things to do! Very simple and to the point.  You can make a gift basket including onesies, bibs, a baby blanket, baby bath towels, and anything else you can think of that would be useful for you and your baby and is gender specific.  Stuffing basket with pink or blue shredded tissue is also a good addition.

• If you are one of those mommas that wants to be surprised and you let your partner know the gender, your partner could send you pink tulips or pink roses or blue hydrangeas or blue carnations.

• Scavenger hunts are also a very fun way to reveal the gender. You can lead your partner through some of your favorite spots or past dates leaving little clues where the final destination is.  When your partner reaches the final destination you can be waiting with a box decorated with pink and blue and a saying on the outside. When you open the box you can have helium filled balloons, pink or blue, that come out revealing the gender.

To reveal to your child or children-

• One of my favorite things as a kid was silly string.  You can get pink or blue silly string and have a silly string war with your kids.

• Another childhood favorite was bubbles, I must admit, I still enjoy playing with bubbles.  They sell colored bubbles and pink or blue are both offered. If it is nice out, you can take the kiddies to the park and play with the bubbles!

• I find children enjoy helping out mommy and daddy, and the best place to help is in the kitchen! You can bake pink or blue sugar cookies or even just make pink or blue jello!

Just a few things to share your baby’s gender.  For those mommas who decide not to find out that is amazing! I wish I weren’t so curious and a bit more patient.  For those who lack the patience, as I do, I hope this helps!!

Gifts For Expecting! (Good For Any Holiday)

Morning mommas!! In light of today being Valentine's day I want to talk about some creative things you can do for your partner. With a baby on the way your partner takes a backseat and you become front and center...at least until the baby is born.  I want to share some ideas to keep your partner feeling the love on this Valentine's day.  Something I love to do is do a romantic gift and a silly, funny gift.  Through my pregnancy for whatever occasions we had or just because I always made sure to have something from the baby as well as from me.  It absolutely does't have to cost much, it is the thought that counts.  These gifts can apply to any holiday, not just Valentine's day!



Playbook-
If your partner is into sports you can make a Playbook.  Whatever sport your partner chooses, whether soccer, football, basketball, or baseball you can create a playbook geared towards parenthood.  Wisdom for the expecting.

Survival Kit-
Creating a survival gift for an expecting parent is so fun.  You can through in any little inside jokes you may have while also getting things you will actually need for when the baby arrives.  I made my husband a survival kit for his birthday.  He loved it and we actually ended up using most of the stuff in it.

Gift Basket-
Making a gift basket is a super fun way to include things for the new baby and some personal things as well.  Along with the survival kit I made my husband for his birthday I made him a gift basket that had alcohol nips, funny onesies, scratch tickets, the playbook I made him, framed photos of us and the utrasround.

Engraved Item-
If you know the gender of the baby and have decided on a name you could engrave something for your partner with your baby's initials.  Whatever they are interested in. You could also engrave a frame and put the baby's first ultrasound picture in it.

Gender Reveal-
If you want there to be a surprise element for your partner, one of you can find out the gender and plan a reveal for the other.  You can do this through framing a maternity photo in pink or blue, baking with pink or blue dye, or you can do a scavenger hunt and leave little clues and riddles. In my next post I will be talking about clever ways to do gender reveals!

Coupon Book-
Coupon books are alawys fun, thoughtful and inexpensive.  It is so important to let you partner feel loved through this process because they are put on the back burner.  Having a coupon book will allow you to have that time together in a fun way.  You can do just about anything whether you want it to be romantic, spicy, or just a movie night.

Glider-
This is a little bit pricier, but getting a glider for your partner would be benficial because that time when they spend in the rocker with the baby is so special.  In my own experience, the bond that my husband has whie rocking the baby is like my breastfeeding.

Bouquet-
Some men out there do enjoy a bouquet of roses, but for those that don't there are other ways to give a bouquet.  You could do a bouquet of your partner's favorite alcohol nips and cigars, or candy and snacks or coffee doing the bouquet in a nice mug.

There are a ton of ways to celebrate your partner, these are just a few! I hope this gives you some fun tips for your Valentine's day!! You can use these gift ideas for any holiday! Stay tuned for my next post on gender reveal!

Blue Or Pink, What Do You Think?

 Morning ladies!  What I am going to talk about today I was very hesitant to post at first.  I received an email from an expecting mom last night that read “How do I deal with the disappointment that I am having a boy?  I feel like a horrible mom because I have a healthy baby and all I can think about is how badly I wanted a girl.  I am not sure what to do.”  After reading this email I was incredibly hesitant to respond publicly because it would mean I would have to admit that I too had this same feeling.  When I found out I was pregnant with my first pregnancy we found out late enough that we knew we were having a baby girl.  I was beyond thrilled.  Unfortunately, after losing my first baby I was faced with the possibility that I wouldn’t be able to have any children according to different doctors.  After finding out my husband and I were pregnant again we could not have been happier.  Due to the fact that I was high risk, I had more ultrasounds than the average.  I had an ultrasound at 16 weeks where I was told I was having a girl, then, at 18 weeks I was in the hospital with kidney stones and had an ultrasound done on my kidneys.  The tech was so sweet and took a look at the baby to lift my spirits and again I was told I was having a baby girl.  Two weeks later I went in for my anatomy ultrasound and there was so much kicking happening it was hard to get a glimpse of anything! So tentatively I was told girl again.  Needless to say, after 3 confirmations that I was having a girl I went pink crazy.  My entire registry was pink, my husband and I bought little girl clothes, we had the names picked out and got things engraved, and we had the nursery all planned out.  At 26 weeks, I went in for one of those really awesome 3D ultrasounds.  When I went in I was asked if I knew what I was having and I said yes and we proceeded.  As we proceeded the tech said “He looks great.”  I was in absolute shock!  After this I went home and I cried.  My mind was so set on having a baby girl that I couldn’t see that boy or girl I had a beautiful healthy baby growing inside me.  I felt depressed at the thought of having a boy and it pains me to even type this because I am so in love with my son, but at the time I had this overwhelming anxiety about having a boy and believe it or not I was actually disappointed.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was not alone in feeling this way. I felt like the worst mother in the world and could not understand how I was actually disappointed when I had this gorgeous baby in my belly.  I want any mom who has this anxiety to know that you are not alone.  What I can tell you is, when you have that baby in your arms you won’t be worried about boy or girl.  Pray for a happy and healthy baby.  That is what is important.  To quote a good friend of mine who was with me in dealing with my disappointment, “it is an instant love affair.”  There is nothing in the world like holding that beautiful baby boy or girl and you will know when you are there.  I am more in love with my son than I could ever imagine.  He is a blessing from God and I was not meant to be a mom to a little girl right now.  Maybe in the future, but for now God gave me a beautiful, healthy and happy baby boy.  Take what you have been given as a blessing from God.  It is okay to feel slight disappointment at first but don’t dwell on it too much because what is important is that you have a happy, healthy baby.

I hope this helped you a little bit.  Believe me when I tell you, holding that baby is the most amazing thing in the world and nothing else will matter from that point on.

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!

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!!

Helping Mommies Everywhere!

        Hey ya'll! My name is Trish.  I am a new momma of a 3 month old little boy.  Prior to my pregnancy I was a nursing student on my way out and had to put that on hold for my son, temporarily.  My blog is going to be centered around pregnancy and post pregnancy help for moms!  
          I want to start off by telling you a little about my experience through my pregnancy.  I was going into it a high risk patient due to a previous miscarriage I had along with many other health problems.  I am only 21 now and was only 19 the first time I found out I was expecting.  The struggle of telling our parents we were pregnant and going through the accepting process made it that much more traumatic when we went to the doctor and found no heart beat.  After that I was told by 7 different doctors I would most likely never be able to have children.  Feeling defeated and depressed I crawled into a whole and my relationships suffered until I really started focusing on healthy living.  Centering my mind, body, and spirit through my faith and concentrating on working out and eating healthy.  After 5 months we found out we were pregnant again with our beautiful baby boy.  
            As I said before I was a very high risk pregnancy with my son.  From day one I was incredibly ill and could not seem to get out of my own way. I had "morning sickness" that lasted day in day out. You name it I had it.  I was admitted to Woman and Infants hospital at 4 months pregnant with kidney stones and a kidney infection and the "morning sickness" only became worse.  I was unable to hold down any food and minimal liquids.  The hospital had a bed with my name on it due to how much I was in and out.  Whether kidney stones, dehydration or the flu, my pregnancy was one big doctor's appointment.  
             I read book upon book about pregnancy trying to figure out what I was doing wrong and why I didn't have the glow or positive experience I hear so many speak about.  After being in and out of a G.I. office and losing 50 pounds, I was put on in home IV's and bed rested for the remainder.  I had nurses coming twice a week and sticking me for IV's which was traumatic in itself.  Due to the dehydration it made it very difficult for the nurses to find a decent vein so I was stuck 4 to 5 times each time they came.  
              Needless to say, this will make you never want to have more babies! The cherry on top of the sundae is at 37 weeks my son was still for 24 hours... no movement and I was having horrible headaches. I was sent in for a non-stress test at my OBGYN's office they did further testing with an u/s which sent us to the hospital. They did my blood pressure which was 190/135 and I was tachy.  A doctor came in almost immediately and said my diagnosis was preeclampsia and it was time to have a baby.  I am pretty sure I almost peed I was so terrified! I went through the induction process, which thank God worked, and 12 hours later my husband and I were holding our baby boy.  That moment made everything worth it and I would do it a million times over for him. 
               I am sharing all of this with you because I hope to give some insight to expecting moms who are having a similar experience.  I didn't have someone I could go to who knew what I was going through, everyone I dealt with had beautiful pregnancies.  Even my doctors were shocked at the experience I had.  My goal is to be here if you have any questions or concerns because I know how it feels to be there and people looked at me like I was doing something wrong.  I did everything right according to the doctors, it was just how my body reacted and I was blessed with a gorgeous and healthy baby who is thriving.  He was 6 pounds and 20 inches at birth and 3 months later is 13 pounds and 25.5 inches and stricly fed with my breastmilk.  
              Through this blog I want to help moms going through a difficult time with their pregnancy and moms having a difficult time post pregnancy.  Follow along as I take you through different ways to help pregnant and post pregnant mommas mentally and physically.

You can follow me on twitter:  
https://twitter.com/helpingmomstone

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You can connect with me on Linkedin:
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