You've Been Marked!

So many things are happening to your body internally from the time you conceive.  Not only are there changes happening on the inside, but on the out as well.  In some women you will notice changes in your face, nose, lips, hair, and your skin.  The biggest change you will find is in your skin.  Some women are lucky enough to get stretch marks.

Stretch marks are when the elastic fibers under the skin’s surface break.  This results in purple or white lines that form on your body when your body is growing and your skin isn’t able to keep up.  Some people who gain weight in a short span of time may notice them.  In pregnancy, with your belly growing and your breasts growing if your skin doesn’t have enough elasticity to keep up with the growth you will see what is known as stretch marks.  You will most likely find them on your belly or breasts, but they can also form on your thighs, bum, lower back, and under arms.

When I was pregnant people kept telling me to rub cocoa butter all over my body to help prevent stretch marks.  The brutal reality is you can not prevent them.  It depends on the elasticity of your skin and genetics does play a part, if your mom had them you are at greater risk of getting them.  Though you can not prevent them, using lotions is certainly something you can do to keep them under control while you are expanding to make room for your little nugget.  Keeping the skin hydrated will help with the itchiness you may have from the skin stretching.  When you scratch the skin it will make the stretch marks worse.

The good news is after the pregnancy some of the stretch marks will eventually fade. They never really go away but they can fade to a faint line that blends more with the skin; however, there are some marks that remain front and center.  Since they can not be prevented, if you are lucky enough to get them, focus on helping them fade post pregnancy rather than trying to prevent them from happening.

Here are some ways to help stretch marks fade after the baby is born and improve your skins elasticity.

Massage the skin.  By massaging the skin with natural lubricants you will be helping the elasticity in your skin which will at the very least help in the color of the marks.  A few lubricants that are beneficial to use are:

• Almond Oil
• Alive Oil
• Aloe Vera
• Cocoa Butter
• Shea Butter
• Vitamin E Lotion

Drink plenty of water.  Water helps keep your skin healthy which should help your skin recuperate from the stress that it’s endured.

Exfoliate the skin.  By exfoliating the skin you will be getting rid of dead cells allowing the skin new skin to breath.  This will help with itchiness and will help the marks fade over time.  To avoid spending a ton of money on exfoliators that have a bunch of chemicals in them you can make some exfoliators at home.  Sugar is an excellent exfoliator and you can usually find it right in your kitchen.  If you add a bit of olive oil or almond oil and some lemon juice to the sugar you now have the paste-like substance you need to exfoliate.  When you shower gently massage this over the necessary areas for a couple of minutes and rinse it off.

Rub lemon over the trouble spots.  Cut a lemon in half and rub the lemon all over any trouble spots you find.  Lemon is an awesome way of rejuvenating your skin.  The acidity from the lemon helps fade any redness and helps repair the damaged skin.

Take a bath.  Not just any bath, add some sea salt to your tub of warm water.  The salt water will help excrete the toxins from your skin.  Sit in the salt water for at least 30 minutes once a week.

Carrots are your best friend.  Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin C which is great for keeping your skin fresh, healthy and beautiful.  You can drink carrot juice or make a paste to rub on your marks.  Mix the carrot drink with some sea salt or sugar and massage into the skin, allow it to dry before you rinse.

These are just some helpful tips on how to help fade the marks you may have gotten from your pregnancy.  I don’t recommend using any over the counter stretch mark creams during your pregnancy other than simple vitamin E lotion or cocoa butter because there are chemicals in any stretch mark cream that can be harmful to your baby.  Give some of these a shot and take some before and after pictures and see if your marks improved.  My stretch marks definitely have faded after 4 months of using these remedies.  If you find that they are not fading and are still very prominent the best advice I can give is embrace them and own them.  You earned those tiger stripes and it is a beautiful memory of the bond you have with your baby.

Where Did I Put Those Darn Glasses?

Have you been feeling forgetful lately? Maybe you were looking for your glasses, while they were on your face?  Or you thought you lost your phone so you tried calling it with your phone.  Maybe, you even locked yourself in your car.  This is called pregnancy brain.  Some women experience a complete haze during their pregnancy and don’t really know why.  Our dear friend progesterone is acting up again causing this temporary forgetfulness.  

I can recall working at a restaurant where I normally was the hostess.  I filled in on a few  occasions for the bartender because I had my license and previously worked as a bartender.  I had filled in at least 5 times at this particular restaurant on fairly busy nights, no big deal.  One night towards the end of my working days and into my bed resting days I was asked again to fill in.  I was so flustered and overwhelmed that I forgot how to make some of the drinks that I could have made in my sleep prior.  A man came in and asked for a vodka gimlet, my mind was in such a cloud I could remember how to make it...one of the simplest drinks to make!  I was so overwhelmed and felt so foolish because I couldn’t remember something so simple.  This was just one instance that happened, but so many things occurred that caused my boss to come over and say “You’ve done this before, right?” I explained that it was the pregnancy and I was just so flustered.  No one told me anything like this was going to happen. Luckily the woman who normally bartended became a good friend of mine and recently had a baby.  She explained to me it was totally normal.

Having pregnancy brain can effect your everyday activities.  It did in my own experience and some of my girlfriends as well.  It was so embarrassing that I couldn’t remember things and found myself getting flustered in a job I once was great at.  For so many women, this is the case.  Pregnancy brain can have different effects on women from forgetting where you put your glasses to rendering you unable to perform your duties effectively at work.

There are a few factors that contribute to this pregnancy brain and it is thought that if you change some habits it will help.

Get sleep!

You must make sure you get the proper amount of rest.  I know this can be difficult when you are uncomfortable, sick or constantly having to wake up to run to the bathroom, but do your best to get sleep.  Even not pregnant it is hard to function without a good amount of rest.

Eat a good diet!

In previous posts I have discussed nutrition and how important it is for your baby to get in the right nutrients and vitamins.  It is equally as important for you! Certain foods can also benefit your memory even outside of pregnancy.  Blueberries have been proven through studies to improve any short term memory loss, so stock up on the berries!  Also, tomatoes which contain lycopene, an antioxidant, that is known to help with memory.  Be sure to get in your recommended daily allowance of zinc which is 11 mg during pregnancy.  This will benefit both you and your baby’s brain.  To see more on nutrition and what foods give you certain nutrients and what they are good for check out an earlier post by me, Nutrition Is The Key, http://helpmomstone.blogspot.com/2014/02/nutrition-is-key.html.

Exercise!

Do your best to get some kind of physical activity in during the day.  I know certain circumstances may prevent you from this but do your best, it will make a big difference.  Exercise will help keep circulation flowing, release endorphins, and decrease fatigue.  With the circulation going, endorphins flowing and not being so tired you will have an overall better mental health.

Drink as much as you can!

Get in as much fluid as you can to avoid dehydration.  The last thing you want is an upset in your electrolytes.  Any disturbance to electrolytes can cause some confusion and decrease memory.  Keep the fluids flowing.  If you find you can’t drink that much make sure what you can drink counts.  Try gatorade or vitamin water, anything with electrolytes.  One tip is if you are drinking gatorade or any sugary drinks that have electrolytes be careful and try to get low sugar drinks.

Take your prenatal vitamins!

Be sure you are taking your prenatals to be confident that your getting vitamins and minerals in for you and your baby.  

The upside to this is your mind will return to its original state a few months after giving birth.  You will find yourself still having this pregnancy brain after birth, but you have now graduated to new mommy brain.  Try and have a sense of humor about the whole thing because otherwise you will get incredibly frustrated.  Know it is completely normal and hang in there!

To Breast Or Not To Breast...That Is The Question

Good afternoon mommas! Over the last few days I have received quite a few e-mails form expecting moms asking about breastfeeding.  The question most asked was "what is the difference between nursing and pumping expressed milk?"  I myself both pump and direct nurse.  Ultimately it is whatever works for you and your baby, whether that be nursing, expressed breastmilk or formula.  For those mommas who chose not to breastfeed, that is totally okay! We are so lucky to have the science and technology out there to allow companies to continue perfecting formulas to fit our babies!  For those of you who are considering breastfeeding or are already, I am going to give you some pros and cons about nursing versus pumping and some tips to help with any concerns or questions you may have.

Before I had my son I was absolutely terrfied of breastfeeding.  I "what if-ed" myself to death.  What if I don't produce enough? What if my son won't latch? What if it is really painful? The list goes on. To start off, the stress and anxiety moms have about breastfeeding will make it more difficult for you to feed because your baby will sense that and it will decrease your milk supply.  First things first, try your best to be relaxed about what you chose to do.  Since we are speaking strictly about breastmilk, you should know that breastmilk is Vitamin D deficiant.  As a solution, I put a drop of vitamin D in my son's milk once a day or give him the drop directly if I am nursing.  You can find Enfamil Vitamin D drops in your local drugstore.

Here are some pros and cons about each to help give you some guidance.

Pros about pumping breastmilk:

If you are out with your baby you do not have to go find a discrete place to feed and be worried about judgemental people.  I can't understand why, but there are many people that find it offensive when you are out in public and need to nurse your baby.  Some places even have strict rules about nursing.  It does not make sense to me, but out of respect for those who take offense it is nice to have a bottle at the ready.

Someone else will be able to feed the baby at any point in the day.  This will allow you to get a nap in or if the baby is sleeping through the night, you can wake up your partner to feed the baby so you can get some extra rest.  

Since I both pump and direct feed, I love that when my husband is home he can feed our son so I can go get something to eat, take a shower, or tidy up.  Having the pumped milk in a bottle also gives your partner the chance to bond in some way with the baby and helps your partner feel more involved.  My husband is the type to have a hand in everything and it definitely helps that he can feed the baby.  It gives them some time together and it makes my husband feel much more included.

If you are going back to work, you can set a schedule and pump in the bathroom or a back room at work.  This way the baby will still be able to get your milk. We are so fortunate with how progressed the breast pumps have become.  Mine is the Medela "on the go tote." It is a tote bag which you can store all your bottles, brushes, and soaps in along with anything you need for the baby.  It also comes with a little case that hold a specific ice pack and 4 bottles of milk. It's very discrete, quick and easy.

I am not sure if all women experience this, but I found nursing to be extremely painful.  The baby has a much harder suction than the breast pump so you will find a pump to be much easier on your nipples.  I know many of my girlfriends and my own mom said how painful it was nursing.  If you are experiencing a difficult time with cracked, dry or sore nipples I highly recommend using lanolin.  It is perfectly safe for your baby and truly helps.  I use the medela lanolin or the lansinoh lanolin.  Both are great products it is whatever your preference is.

Pumping is much faster than nursing.  You never want to rush your baby while they are eating or get impatient because they will sense that.  If pumping, you want to pump 15 to 20 minutes per pumping and you can do both breasts at the same time.  Some women just don't have the time to sit with their baby for 45 minutes to an hour every 2 to 4 hours with all that needs to get done around the house.

With pumping, the amount of milk is measured.  You will know exactly how much your baby is getting.  I found this to be a huge plus because I know exactly when I need to burp him to avoid from projectile vomitting or even just a little bit of spit up and when his pediatrcian asks me how much is he eating, I have an exact answer.

You will always have a back supply if your supply weakens at points or if you want to go out and have a few drinks, you have reserves at the ready.

Cons about pumping breastmilk:

Pumping milk is a bit more taxing on the body.  You have created a little more work for youself if you are pumping and alone with the baby.  You will have to feed your baby then express your milk or vice versa.

Washing the bottles is time consuming and can become a pain in the neck if you don't stay on top of it.  I find using the proper bottle brushes and a soap specific to washing bottles makes it a bit easier, but still time consuming.  Just a tip in washing bottles, using a soap specific to bottles makes a huge difference versus using Palmolive.  The way the soap suds and sticks to the bottles is very different.  Bottle soap such as Dapple is created to sud different and won't leave a film on the inside of the bottle.

For that morning feed, when you are still exhausted, having to get up and go to the fridge and warm up the bottle probably isn't what you want to do first thing in the morning.

There are some expenses associated with pumping that are not with nursing.  Most of the pumping equipment comes with the pump but you will need extra bottles and some relacement pieces such as, nipples, rims for the bottles and membranes for the pump.  If your baby doesn't like the bottles that come with the pump (Medela bottles) you will need to try out different ones which can also cost a little.

Depending on the bottle you are using the baby can have a higher air intake with a bottle rather than a breast.  This depends on the bottle used.  Us moms are so lucky they have come out with bottles like Tommie Tippie which are made to prevent gas and colic.  I use these and have been successful in my experience.

You won't have as much bonding time unless you make an effort to have that skin to skin contact with your baby.

Pros about nursing:

You have a complete bond with your baby.  You won't have to set aside specific time for skin to skin contact because you and your baby will get it with every feed.

No bottles to wash!  You save the 10 to 15 minutes it takes waashing the bottles and parts for the breast pump, which in mommy time, 10 to 15 minutes makes a huge difference!  That could be a quick power nap!

There is a very minimal expense.  You would only need to buy nursing covers for when nursing in public.

You do not need to worry about the temperature of the milk because it is direct.  With bottle feeding it is super important to have the bottle at the right temperature because it can cause the baby to have an upset stomach if too hot or too cold.

When in doubt, whip it out! If the baby is fussing and crying you just take out your breast and calm down the baby rather than having to wait to get the milk and warm it up escalating the baby to a much higher degree of anger.

Cons about nursing:

Direct nursing is much more time consuming.  It could take up to an hour for some babies versus 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, dealing with judgemental people is a con.  As I stated before, I can't understand it, but there are many people out there who don't want to see mother's breastfeeding their baby.  

You have to be with the baby at all times.  There is no quick running to the store or anything.  As long as you are direct feeding you must be at the ready.

Your partner will not be able to share in the experience of feeding.  For some, like my husband, it can create some sadness and disconnect because they don't feel as needed by the baby.

As I said before, I found my experience very painful! The baby is much more intense than a pump.

If all your baby knows is breast it can make the weening transition much more difficult.  If the baby is introduced to a bottle and breast from the very beginning the baby is less likely to be opinionated about what he or she is getting.

I hope this helps a bit if you are trying to decide what to do.  If you having any questions, comments or concerns please contact me! I am here to listen and guide. I can't stress enough, do not hesitate!  Thanks so much for reading!

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!