by Jennifer Shakeel
Congratulations! You made it through labor and delivery and you are the proud parent of one of the most beautiful babies in the world! That’s right, you can now take that big sigh of relief… you are no longer pregnant. As you lay in the hospital bed, you are overwhelmed by the desire to stand up and see your no longer pregnant body. You are almost jittery with excitement of putting on those pre-pregnancy clothes. Once the pain killers wear off you jump out of bed to stand in front of the mirror and marvel at your no longer pregnant body…
Marvel indeed! Chances are it is not what you were expecting. I can tell you that last month, as I gave birth to my third child, a scheduled C-section, I asked my doctor if while she had me open she would go ahead and do liposuction and take care of everything while she was there. She laughed and told me I really didn’t need it (music to a pregnant woman’s ears) that there was really very little fat there and she was impressed. Naturally then I was looking forward to being back to where I was before I was pregnant.
More on Adjusting To Your No Longer Pregnant Body
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Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is defined as a fetus that is smaller in size than would be expected for the conception age. The threshold generally used for classifying a baby as having intrauterine growth restriction is being smaller than the tenth percentile. This means that over ninety percent of fetuses at the same stage of development are larger than babies classified as having IUGR.Filed under Pregnancy by
by Jennifer Shakeel
One of the most exciting times in a woman’s life is becoming a mom. You might be inclined to document your pregnancy, especially if this is your first. This can lead many women to question what is the best way to do this. The answer really is going to depend on you. If you are the artsy type you might enjoy putting together a scrapbook. If you don’t have the time or desire to create something that elaborate, then journaling and writing your thoughts in a diary may be more your style. Or you may decide to do both!
Keep in mind that your pregnancy journal/scrapbook is different then the baby book. This is going to be all about you. Depending on when in your pregnancy you are starting this project will really depend on how detailed your book will be. For example if you are starting this as soon as you found out you were pregnant you can include a picture of yourself before the belly started, maybe even a copy of the pregnancy test or test results. Myself, I prefer to journal, but I am going to give you six quick tips on how to create your perfect pregnancy memento. More on Tips for Creating a Pregnancy Scrapbook/Journal
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by Jennifer Shakeel
Many people may be wondering what could be a better gift for a woman who is expecting then the gift of a new life, the baby. While there isn’t a gift in the world that can compare to being blessed with a child. There are a number of gifts that the expecting mother would love to receive simply because they will help her as the pregnancy progresses, and honestly they will make her feel better. Of course, what you decide to get the mom to be will depend on when you decide to give the gift, but most of these recommendations can be used at any point throughout the pregnancy.
The pregnancy gifts should not be confused with the baby shower, which is all about baby. These gifts are really about the mom. I am going to offer you a list of ideal pregnancy gifts. Know that these are recommendations from pregnant moms, first time moms and those like me who have been around the bin a time or two or three. This isn’t about what the “experts” say or the stores promote. These are practical gifts that the mom to be will be forever grateful for. More on Great Pregnancy Gifts
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by Jennifer Shakeel
If you are anything like me, this is probably the hardest trimester of pregnancy to get through. I say this for a couple of reasons, it is so close to the time that your baby is going to be born that you just can’t stand it. You want to hold him or her, hear the cooing, see the perfect little fingers and toes. I can tell you that this excitement does not go away even when this is your third child.
The second reason I think this is the hardest trimester to get through is because by now, you are feeling pregnant. The aches, the restless nights, this is when you are going to put on the bulk of your weight and frankly, you are just tired of being pregnant. That is where I am at right now, counting down the days. To help, I am going to know tell you what you can expect with your growing baby this trimester and the changes in your body.
Month 7
By now you are feeling the movements of that little acrobat inside you. The movements are going to range from bucking kicks and a flurry of smaller movements. I can tell you from experience that each baby is different. My first child was a wild acrobat that kicked like crazy. My second child really didn’t kick, but stretched all the time. These are different feelings I tell you. It was always fun to watch my second child’s head push up or his feet as he stretched.
More on Welcome to your Third Trimester of Pregnancy!
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by Jennifer Shakeel
While I truly hate to burst the bubble that contractions only happen during labor, they can actually start weeks even months before you actually arrive to that magical day when you baby decides to enter the world. Depending on which pregnancy this is for you and how far along you are will depend on when you actually notice the contractions. One thing that you will notice for sure is the pain and discomfort that they cause the closer you get to special day.
For example, I have been having contractions for the last month. First they were just annoying more then anything, they had little to no consistency to them so they were nothing to be alarmed about. They would come and go and drinking a big glass of cold water helped to calm them down and stop them for awhile. Take note of this, if you want to stop the annoying contractions start hydrating yourself. Many times we don’t realize that we are dehydrated and that alone can cause contractions. More on Contractions, Contractions!! Natural Pain Relief Options
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