You may have bouts of nausea throughout the day and find it hard to keep anything down during your first pregnancy, but then have little to no morning sickness during your second pregnancy. How your body responds to early pregnancy can be totally different each time, so it’s important not to get too wrapped up in comparing one to another.

If you find that your morning sickness is severe and you can’t keep anything down, make sure you call your doctor. You could become dehydrated and need to have IV fluids. This level of severity isn’t common, but it does happen. Always talk to your doctor when you have concerns.

In milder cases of morning sickness, there are things that you can do to help ease your symptoms.

1. Keep saltine crackers on hand: Have some saltine crackers by your bedside and in your purse. If you feel nauseous when you get up in the morning, nibble some crackers before you sit or stand. Wait for a little while before trying to get up. During the day, if you start to feel queasy, slowly munch some of the crackers you keep in your purse while you’re sitting.
2. Light, frequent meals: Eating little by little throughout the day is much kinder to your digestive system than eating three heavy meals. You don’t want your stomach to be empty. Stick to foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins.
3. Avoid foods high in fat: They may be tempting, but they’re tough on your delicate stomach. Bland foods are less irritating.
4. Stay away from strong aromas: Pregnant women can be very sensitive to strong smells, both good and bad. If something is particularly unappealing to you, try to avoid it if you can.
5. Ginger: Many pregnant women find relief in ginger. You can shave off some ginger root into hot water and brew it up as a tea or find products that are made with the tummy-friendly spice. There are frozen pops and suckers made specifically for morning sickness which can be found in most pharmacies.
6. Medications: Talk to your doctor about some pregnancy-safe medications that he can prescribe to ease your stomach upset. Never take ANYTHING, including over the counter remedies or dietary supplements, without discussing it with your doctor first.

Morning sickness is no fun, but the good news is, for most women, it goes away by the second trimester. Hang in there and keep your eyes on the prize; a sweet little baby to love and cherish.

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Much tension surrounds the topic of breastfeeding in general. There are those who feel that breastfeeding is a personal matter between mother and baby, while others feel it’s the natural way to nurture babies and should be accepted as such. Both sides have been arguing for years, and there is little possibility of a truce being called in the foreseeable future.

And then along came baby.

The Breast Milk Baby has been available in Spain for a couple years under the name “Bebe Gloton,” but recently an English version has been released in the United States, and its welcome hasn’t exactly been all kittens and rainbows.

The Breast Milk Baby (starting at $89), makes gulping sounds and will cry if it isn’t burped after a feeding, but you won’t find a bottle in the box. Instead, there is a bib-like top for your daughter to wear. This flowery pink garment has a couple special features that have some parents more than a little unsettled. There are two larger green and pink flowers that are placed to fall over the child’s nipple area. Once in place, she can simulate breastfeeding her baby without lifting her shirt.

Is this a step in the right direction for breastfeeding and its passionate supporters, or a leap across a line of decency?

Some women are happy that this echos the voices of breastfeeding moms everywhere. Breastfeeding is normal, and the doll is spreading the message of normalization in our society. If children are raised to accept it as a natural practice, then maybe the debate won’t be so heated in years to come.

On the flipside, other women feel the doll is both outrageous and irresponsible. They believe that it puts little girls in a position to act with maturity beyond their years. Some are concerned that children won’t stop at over-the-shirt breastfeeding, but lift their tops in public, innocently exposing themselves in a world where sexual predators could be anywhere.

What do you think? Is the Breast Milk Baby going to play a role in making future generations of Americans accepting of the natural act of breastfeeding? Or is it too much too soon for little girls who don’t yet have a full understanding of breastfeeding and our culture’s views on breasts and sexuality?

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Take a deep breath and remember that relaxing is always better for your baby than stressing. If you’re getting nervous about your next appointment, then take a few minutes to prepare yourself, and it’ll be a breeze. In fact, you’ll probably walk out thinking, “That’s it?” I usually did.

Tips for Prenatal Appointments

Write down questions. Before your first appointment and between the rest, write down any questions that spring to mind. During pregnancy, there is so much happening with your little one and you, that you’re bound to have a question here and there. Keep a running list somewhere handy and put it in your purse on the day that you’re scheduled to see your OB.

Where comfortable clothing. When picking out an outfit, keep comfort in mind. Most likely, you’ll have a breast and cervical exam during one of your first couple of appointments, so you’ll have to completely undress and glam it up in a hospital gown for a while. At other appointments, you’ll at least have to pull up your shirt and scoot down your pants some to expose your baby bump. Choose clothes that are easily adjusted that way. Also, if it’s cold out, then pick a shirt with sleeves that are easy to push or roll up, in case you have to give a blood sample.

Drink some water.You’ll have to provide a urine sample at every visit. Make sure you don’t totally empty your bladder before you go in. If you get to the doctor’s office and need to go right away, then tell the receptionist. She’ll let you “leave your sample,” and then you can sit in the waiting room and wait for the main event.

Shave your legs. Sometimes the doctor will want to do a cervical check, or early in your pregnancy, he may perform and internal ultrasound. Both require you to take off your pants. If you don’t want to share gorilla legs with your doctor and his nursing staff, then err on the side of caution and shave before each appointment.

Write down symptoms. If you’re experiencing anything that you thing is unusual, but you don’t feel requires a call to the office between visits, write it down. For example, if you’re having strange cravings like, say, rocks (it sounds funny, but this actually happens to some women) then write it down and bring it up at your next appointment. Don’t be embarrassed; your doctor has heard it all, and will be able to offer you advice or put your mind at ease.

Prenatal visits are part of a healthy pregnancy, and preparing ahead of time will have you ready for anything.

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Before you’re pregnant, when you think of baby “stuff,” your mind automatically drifts toward the bare-bone essentials like onesies, diaper bags and cribs. The first time you look at a baby department through expecting eyes, you feel like you’re in some sort of infant version of “The Twilight Zone.” All the simplicity evaporates and is replaced by an overwhelming array of “must-haves” that the non-parental mind can’t even begin to comprehend.

Take for example, a baby bottle. It seems like a simple enough device… until you need to choose the right one for your baby. Then, what was once a plastic cylinder with a rubber nipple becomes a lifestyle choice for your unborn bambino. Bottles aren’t just bottles anymore. There are short, fat ones, tall, skinny ones, glass ones, plastic ones, ones with bags, ones with holes for ventilation… before you know it, you feel like you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole, and you haven’t even begun to think about what’s going to go in the bottle. That’s a whole other nightmare.

Walking through those stores was a real eye-opening experience for us. What we thought we knew had been replaced with mind-boggling uncertainty. How would we make the right decisions? What would our baby really need? And what was fluff that merchandisers threw out there just to grab some cash out of a trusting, inexperienced new parent’s pocket? Would the choices we made be good enough for the miracle we were awaiting?

We were frightened. Very frightened.

And the worst part wasn’t even the fear; it was being too embarrassed to ask for help. We were the first couple in our circle of friends to move in together, get married and get pregnant. We married in our extremely early 20s, which wasn’t very common, so we felt like our choices were always being scrutinized by others. How could we tell people that we didn’t know what kind of diapers we should get for our baby? People would think we weren’t mature enough to make a “simple” decision, let alone care for a bouncing bundle of joy.

We were wrong. If I could hop into a time machine and have a heart-to-heart with the 24-year-old, newly pregnant me, I’d have this advice:

Trust yourself. Trust your instincts: that’s what they’re there for. Trust that the people in your life are there to answer your questions and help you through this without judgment, because they were every bit as scared as you are, when they were in your shoes.

If you’ve recently found out you’re expecting, then please take those words to heart. You’re not alone, and nobody will think you’re incapable for having questions. Talk to your friends and family. Hop online and join forums. (Check out ThePregnancyForum.com.)

EVERY parent-to-be has questions, doubts and concerns somewhere along the line. Heck, even after being a parent for so long, I STILL call for backup from time to time, and that’s OK. I haven’t been kicked out of Club Mom yet. Don’t spend your pregnancy worrying about little details and what-ifs. You have support. Use it when you need it, and enjoy your pregnancy.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/meaganjean/3805700014

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We all go into our first trimester thinking we know all there is to know, and then, suddenly, things start to get crazy. It seems as though every passing week brings some new and bizarre surprise to the party. Then, when you mention your latest symptom to a veteran mom, she says, “Oh yeah, that happened to me with all of my pregnancies.” Um… what? And you couldn’t have given a girl a heads up?

So, for those of you just stepping onto the rollercoaster of expectant motherhood, or still waiting in line for your turn, here are some tids and bits that those who’ve been there and done that tend to omit when reminiscing about their pregnancies.

Sure… um… it was the dog. — Flatulence, deary, is a regular part of having a baby on board. At first, like any other polite member of society, you’ll be embarrassed by the phenomenon. After a couple months of tooting like a trucker, you’ll learn to embrace it. And the thunder rolls…

Pass the Clearasil. — Now, you may have thought the teen acne days were far behind you, but guess what? While Mother Nature’s working some womb magic, she just may leave some pore-clogging pregnancy dust on your face.

I’m so tired… I can’t sleep. — This little war can wage on throughout pregnancy. One day your bed… or couch… or reasonably comfy wall to lean on… won’t seem to quit calling your name. Then, the next, you find yourself wide-eyed and ready to bake six dozen Christmas cookies at 3 a.m., even though it’s only June.

Eww… that reeks. — A super sense of smell is pretty common with mamas in the family way. Unfortunately, very few scents you encounter throughout the day are as fabulous as a field of roses. Aromas that never bothered you before, or were even pleasant pre-pregnancy, may now be totally offensive.

It ain’t allergies… it’s hormones. — On the other hand, your nose may be stuffed up all the time. Chronic congestion is a nasty little monster that can move into your sinuses for the duration of your pregnancy.

This too shall pass… some day. — Drinking water is important for many reasons in pregnancy… the least NOT of which is keeping things moving along. Constipation can be a real bugger, and if you’re not careful, then you might just need to invest in some Preparation H for the rest of your life. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

There may be some ooky side effects to having a bun in the oven, but it really isn’t that bad. If it were, then most of us would have our tubes tied after the first run. While the hormones dance around your body and make life considerably more interesting, you’re in the process of creating a true miracle. Hang in there, mama! You’ll make it through, and once you have, you’ll have a sweet little cherub that cuddles and coos.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/pixelpoint/2875198196

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Our lives have changed. Fancy purses and sexy high heels have been traded in for a roomy tote and running shoes, even when we haven’t seen a track for 15 years.

Our hair is up in a ponytail and we take a minute from time to time to slick on some nail polish, but we don’t live for ourselves anymore.

Life is about home-brewed coffee, meetings and ballet recitals. Our former selves, who felt guiltless about $5 cups of cappuccino, lazing around the quad with the latest hardcover edition of Anne Rice and performing in a jaw-dropping rendition of the Vagina Monologues is a faded memory.

We’re not “that girl” anymore. Where did she go? And then we look at our husbands, playing World of Warcraft with our sons and think, “Why hasn’t he changed? Why am I different, and he’s still the same big kid he was when we met?”

Take a drink of your grocery store java and chill. Take another look at the man that you love. Now close your eyes and remember him as the boy you met. Whether he was 18 or 25, the word “boy” still fits. We’re talking pre-commitment, pre-dad “him.”

He wore his jeans a little too tight and his hair was funky and perfectly gelled. You loved stealing his sweatshirt, just for the occasional whiff of his lingering Aqua Di Gio cologne. His car was sexy, sleek and completely impractical, and you died every time you sat in its leather bucket seats. Bedtime, to him, meant another chance to qualify for the horizontal Olympics.

Now open your eyes and give the current him a look. Drink it all in.

The khaki pants that you bought him for Christmas are adorned with peanut butter fingerprints, and his hair is sleek and professional. He still wears that same sweatshirt, despite the holes around the collar and armpits (you’ve been plotting its disappearance for 4 years). The sexy cologne is now aftershave, but you still love that manly scent lingering in the bathroom, well, before you see the stubble in the sink. His sports car has long since been replaced by a navy blue minivan with a sensible, easy-to-clean vinyl interior. And bedtime now means “Goodnight Moon” and a quick kiss before he drifts off into a heavy, revitalizing sleep.

No, he’s not the boy he used to be. He’s a man now. Your man. The father of your children and the wielder of the garden hose. Sure, he may play video games between mowing the lawn and balancing the checkbook, but he’s also keeping the kids out of your hair, so that you can listen to the last Nora Roberts audiobook in peace, while you make dinner.

The next time you start to feel like you’re the only one in the game, remember that he’s made some sacrifices, too. The hard truth is, men adjust to parenthood better than women do. They’re more go-with-the-flow, and don’t always get caught up in the details like we do. That’s not to say that we’re in the wrong. We behave as we’re meant to, a mother bear protecting her den. But don’t forget that papa bear is still on your side. He’s changed with you, just in a different way. And for goodness sake, let him keep the sweatshirt. Your kids will make fun of it for the rest of their lives. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/foundphotoslj/2472071347

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I’ve checked my email and updated my Facebook status. Now it’s time to express my thoughts for the day in blog form. Just like thousands of other moms are doing at the same time. There are blogs with specific focuses, like sneaking veggies under the noses of our picky eaters, teaching our terrible twosters some form of emotion-control, and keeping us updated of the recalls on all of the products we have been using religiously with our children. There are also those blogs that are of the more generic nature. Designed to get out the experiences and emotions of the day. Created to make us laugh. Typed to remind us we are not alone through this adventure as we seek out replies and advice.  The Motherlode said “Mommy blogs are the new Tupperware parties.” In reply to that blog, every mom who reads her blog posted a link to her own blog.

Our moms didn’t have the freedom of expressing themselves in such a personal and public forum. They had their neighborhood. They had their moms. They had Dr. Spock. We have a whole new way of putting ourselves out there and finding others traveling the same path. We ask questions and find answers to the questions we have. We have the cyber-world to help us feel less koo-koo-for-the-cocoapuffs-we-found-crammed-in-the-couch-cushions. Or at least to tell great stories of all the gooey things we found slid into our slippers. We have a great source to help us become the best mommies we can be to the best kiddos in the world.

So why do we do it? Our blogs all share a common thread….they unite us as moms.

Nutrition | Humor

Image Source: .flickr.com/photos/liquene/3900145161

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The cold weather does mean bundling up, but it doesn’t mean bulking up. Being pregnant carries it’s own heft and warm maternity clothes shouldn’t add more weight. Maternity sweaters are a great way to layer up. When the weather gets cold, button up without bulking up in these great sweaters and jackets.

So cute, it should be made for post-maternity wear as well. This cozy sweater by Motherhood Maternity is long enough to cover the tops of maternity pants. Less than $25 makes it a great deal while the tie in the front makes a fashion statement.

A great look to wear over a tee shirt or turtleneck depends on the temperature. If it’s warm inside, this cardigan is an easy layer to shed, but why would one want to with these fantastic bell sleeves and beautiful chunky knitting? This A Pea in the Pod sweater is only $79.98 and comes in Orchid (shown) or Charcoal.

This Liz Lange jacket is absolutely fantastic! Wear it with a dress or slacks and let the bold prints with it’s classic fit make a statement. It has large buttons with an oversized collar to compliment a simple wardrobe. For under $76, this jacket will get a lot of use.

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I remember the ’80s were a lot of fun, but I also remember that they were a lot of work. There were so many accessories, so much makeup, and oodles plus of hairspray. Those were things I wanted very little to do with when I was pregnant. As much fun as it was to get dolled up in the cute maternity tops and dresses, sometimes the best outfits were the staples: maternity jeans and maternity tee shirts… and flip flops.

Maternity Jeans are generally sized based on pre-pregnancy sizes, meaning if I wore a size “S” pre-preggie, then I wore a size “S” maternity jean. Most of them had waist bands that didn’t roll down, but sometimes they would need to be tugged up a bit. A tie string or a good elastic at the top prevented this problem. After the baby arrived, I kept these pants available until my body got back into shape. I only wish I could have justified breaking them out again last Thanksgiving!

Maternity Tee Shirts just keep getting more entertaining! Stars like Kendra Wilkinson (who recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy, have been having a blast with their pregnancies stepping out with some fantastic tees. Finding a tee that was long enough to cover my whole belly and the waistband on my maternity jeans, without looking slouchy, was key. It was good to have very stretchy material that would grow with my belly. Soft material was also a must as there was enough discomfort without itchy materials adding to it. If funny slogans are your thing, this is a perfect excuse to wear a tee that says “Say Hello to my Little Friend” or “Pregnant – Not Fat!”

I’m sure even our fantastic fashion blogger would agree that you can’t go wrong with a great set of jeans and a tee. If you have a penchant toward trendiness, go ahead and top it off with a side ponytail.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/helga/3448935105

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This Crystal Swing Maternity Dress from Bella Blu is absolutely stunning. Pair it with your favorite dress shoes. With a minimal need for jewelry, this dress takes care of all the glamor. For $295, this dress makes the mom-to-be feel like a million bucks.

A Pea in the Pod has amazing fashions for moms-to-be. This Sleeveless Halter Dress is classy and can be worn for any occasion. A dressy pair of earrings will complete the look and show off your chic expectancy. Priced under $80, this dress will wear well even beyond the holidays.

This Ella Moss 3/4 Sleeve dress from Pea in the Pod doesn’t require more than a lovely pair of heels and a simple hair style to be one of the prettiest dresses in the room. As low as $119, this is another dress that will wear beautifully beyond the festivities.

Have a happy and stylish holiday!

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