Archive for birth
Your Baby, Their Diaper, & What’s That Smell?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat’s that smell?
DIAPERS!
They smell so wonderful when they are clean and so bad when they aren’t! I love the smell of new diapers!! One question you want to ask yourself before the baby comes -
“What kind of diapers do I want to use?”
There are a couple of different options. Cloth or disposable. I used both. When my oldest was a baby, there was a diaper service. Six years later, just before he birth of my daughter, we started having that huge rate increase in gas prices and the diaper service closed RIGHT before she was born!
I did the wash at home for awhile, but that didn’t last long! I then switched to disposables. I think that was even more disgusting than the cloth myself! At least I didn’t have to wash those!
When it comes to which one is better it’s really a tough call. You will find support for both when it comes to the environment and cost. Something to consider too is diaper rash. Cloth babies “tend” to have less of it! That’s always a bonus!
One of the things I love to credit to cloth diapers is the potty training! My son was self potty trained just after he turned 2 and my daughter was about 16 months old when she started the process. I however discouraged her at that age! It meant she was growing up! She was however potty trained at 18 months. I couldn’t control her!
When it comes to diapers, go with what YOU are comfortable with!
Dee Stafford
~Dee Stafford is a freelance writer and the content contained here is her opinion from research. Check her resources page for background data.
Caffeine and Your Pregnancy
Posted by: | CommentsThis is the first part of a multipart series that was introduced, here.
When you are pregnant, giving up caffeine means giving up a lot! Some of the things you will be giving up are chocolate, (chocolate milk, M&M’s, candy bars, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate icing, and chocolate covered raisins just to name a few), soda, tea, coffee, and some pain relieving medicines.
What effect does caffeine have on your unborn child? Just think about the way caffeine makes you feel, jittery, fast heart rate, anxious, and irritable just to name a few. The effects of caffeine on the brain include an increase in dopamine levels, much like that caused by amphetamines or heroine (but without such a pronounced effect). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which activates the pleasure centers of the brain. It is suspected that this is part of the reason caffeine can be so addicting.
Ok, so that may be a little over your head. To put it simply, think about caffeine and it’s addictive quality and it’s stimulating effects. As an adult you drink caffeinated drinks to get you going in the morning or when you are sleepy in the afternoon. Think about how much caffeine that is for you as an adult. Now, think about how much that is for your developing fetus. Their little bodies are hardly ready for such stimulation. As for the addictiveness, you think your headache is bad. Just imagine what your little guy is feeling when he doesn’t get the caffeine. I guess you could always take an aspirin to help him get rid of the headache… Ok, so that’s a story for another post!
There are many things that have been undetermined about caffeine during pregnancy, but why risk it. (low birth weight, birth defects, preterm labor… just to name a few possibilities)
Caffeine is also a diuretic. Diuretics make you lose more fluids and can dehydrate you.
When you make the switch, be sure to check labels on your drinks. You would be surprised how many sodas have caffeine in them. Be careful with root beer, some have it, some don’t. Be sure to drink things that are CAFFIENE FREE not decaffeinated. Decaf just means that the caffeine has been removed from the drink and there are still trace amounts of it in there.
The best thing you can drink while you are pregnant is water. Subscribe to this blog to find out more about water and other things that can help you give your baby the best that you can during your pregnancy.
Dee Stafford
~Dee Stafford is a freelance writer and the content contained here is her opinion from research. Check her resources page for background data.
Getting Your Body Ready for Pregnancy
Posted by: | CommentsGetting Your Body Ready for Pregnancy
The first step to a healthy pregnancy is to get your body healthy. Many of the things you will do to get your body ready, you will keep doing throughout your pregnancy to be sure and give your baby the best that you can. After all, as a parent, don’t you want the best for your kids?
First start with cutting back on a few things and cutting other things out all together. Here are a few things to help get you started:
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Smoking
• Processed foods
• Raw fish
• Fried foods
• Artificial sweeteners
• Drugs – Over the counter and recreational
• Sugar
• Paint
• Nail salons
• Hair color/perms
While you should cut back on some things, you should also increase a few things as well. Here are a few examples:
• Water
• Walking
• Fresh Fruits and Veggies
• Fish Oil
• Protein
• Folic Acid
• Other Vitamins
Over the next several weeks I will be covering these in detail, be sure to subscribe to get a break down of each of the things listed above, plus more in the future.
Dee Stafford
~Dee Stafford is a freelance writer and the content contained here is her opinion from research. Check her resources page for background data.
