Breastfeeding is like a hike through the woods: Natural, but not always simple. In fact, it can be challenging, breathtaking, and full of the unexpected.

The hormones can be intense

Oxytocin:

This powerful hormone is responsible for breast milk “letting down,” or moving to the front of the breasts. And it also happens to be the same chemical released in the brain when a person falls in love, says Laura Viehmann, assistant professor of pediatrics at Brown University and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatricians. No wonder you couldn’t care less about all that spit-up and poop! You’re too busy swooning.

Breastfeeding helps (some) women lose their pregnancy weight

The nursing weight-loss plan doesn’t work for everyone. Some moms find their metabolism slowing to a frustrating crawl. “I nursed my son for 27 months
In fact, in a poll of BabyCenter moms, 40 percent say breastfeeding didn’t help them drop pounds while 60 percent say it did. Interesting….. and it didn’t help me lose weight. Then I lost 15 pounds within about two weeks after weaning,” one mom reports.

Your breast milk is perfectly tailored to your baby

Imagine if every single time you were hungry, you were served a delectable, satisfying meal that contained the perfect balance of electrolytes, fats, and nutrients for your body at that particular time. Amazingly, your breast milk gives your baby exactly what she needs immunologically as well.  The components of the milk shift so that it always complements whatever antibodies the baby is low on at that particular time. This is why breastfeeding can actually keep your baby from getting sick. Welcome to your baby’s world!

Nursing Pillows help make this experience a more relaxed and comfortable one!

When your little one has mastered baby food, you can start with small pieces of finger foods. Basically, any foods that are cut up small enough to be picked up and eaten by baby are classified as finger foods. This is an important step toward independent eating and also allows baby new tastes and textures. Around 7 to 9 months is when most babies are ready to make this step, and they generally show their desire to eat on their own by grabbing the spoon you’re feeding them from.

So what are some of the best finger foods you can give your little one?

- Bananas are soft and easy to eat, plus packed with plenty of vitamins.

- Avocados are filled with good fat and super soft for little fingers.

- Sweet potatoes can be cut up in small chunks or sliced into fries. They’re sweet and power packed with nutrients.

- Cooked peas are easy to eat and even more fun to play with!

- Shredded, cooked chicken is a lean protein.

- Cheerios contain whole grains and serve as the perfect snack for little fingers. Instead of adding sugar, try the flavored varieties as a treat.

- Cooked lentils are soft and easy to pick up. They contain lots of protein and get baby used to eating beans.

- Garbanzo beans are also easy for baby to grasp and have a sweet taste that kids love! Serve them cold or hot.

- Whole wheat macaroni is filled with whole grains and tastes delicious with a bit of sauce or butter.

- Cubes of tofu are fun and easy to eat, plus absorb flavor. They can also be added to dishes such as macaroni and cheese.

- Pieces of low-mercury fish such as salmon or tilapia are tender and tasty. Cook these filets of fish in a small amount of butter or oil and season lightly for a delicious alternative to meat.

- Small chunks of cheese are tasty for baby and offer good fat and plenty of calcium.

Image c/o: thebabycorner.com

There has been much written on how to have a healthy pregnancy, and there are many opinions about what to eat and what not to eat while you are a pregnant. Here is a quick overview about nutrition during these nine months.

1.      Do eat lots of spinach, as it is rich in folate

2.      Do eat whole grains, fruits, and vegetables daily. These foods contain fiber to aid digestion and the vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy.

3.      Do drink lots of water. It will help with constipation and provide fluid as your blood volume increases and your body creates amniotic fluid for the baby.

4.      Do take a prenatal vitamin.

5.      Do drink milk for calcium and vitamin needs.

6.      Do eat a varied diet. This is the best way to ensure that you are getting a variety of nutrients and not too much of anything that may be harmful.

7.      Don’t eat unpasteurized dairy products such as soft cheeses as they may contain listeria, a bacteria that can cause illness in the baby and possibly lead to miscarriage

8.      Don’t eat raw smoked fish, as they can also contain listeria

9.      Don’t eat deli meats that contain listeria

10.  Don’t take a Vitamin A supplement or consume more than the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin A

11.  Don’t eat fish high in mercury, including shark and swordfish

12.  Don’t consume too much caffeine or artificial sweeteners. Limit yourself to 300mg a day and remember that caffeine is in coffee, tea, some soft drinks, and chocolate.

How much water should I drink while I’m pregnant?

Most adults know that they should be drinking a certain amount of water each day to promote better health, but many women are confused as to how or even if this requirement changes when they are pregnant. Getting enough water each day is as important, if not more important, while pregnant as it is for everyone else.

Pregnant women should get at least 64 ounces of water a day, more if they are moderately active, live in warm clients, notice they are thirsty after that much water, or are sweating more than they do when not pregnant.

Water is important during pregnancy for many reasons, including the following:

-         It is an essential component of blood, which is the way that your body transports nutrients to the baby while he or she is in the womb

-         Water helps to prevent bladder infections which are more common during pregnancy

-         It can alleviate constipation and hemorrhoids, both of which are also common problems during pregnancy

-         It prevents dehydration which is particularly important during the third trimester as dehydration can trigger premature labor during this period of your pregnancy

-         Fluids are necessary to support the increased volume of blood during pregnancy. By the seventh month, your blood volume will be double what it normally is.

-         It may reduce stretch marks and minimize dry skin.

-         Sufficient water allows the kidneys to function properly, and they are under a great deal of stress while you are pregnant.

Learn more

Make sure that you are getting enough water each day, it’s important for you and for the baby!  Read more tips for having a healthy pregnancy by visiting our website.

Almost every mother is concerned about having a healthy pregnancy, even if she was never concerned about being healthy before she became pregnant. Here are five tips to having a healthier pregnancy that will help both you and your growing baby during this exciting time.

5 tips for a healthy pregnancy

1. Get started before you get pregnant. The best way to have a healthy pregnancy is to plan ahead, whether it is starting an exercise regimen or eating a more balanced diet.
2. Take a prenatal vitamin with folic acid. Your normal vitamin probably doesn’t have all the vitamins you and your baby will need while your pregnant, so starting on a prenatal vitamin as soon as you start trying to conceive will ensure that your baby has all those nutrients from the first day of development. Plus, these vitamins may help with fertility.
3. Rest up. Get at least eight hours of sleep each day. If you are having trouble sleeping at night, take afternoon naps to get the rest you need.
4. Exercise daily. If not daily, then as many days a week as you can manage. The workouts should not be intense or exhausting – try a workout class aimed at pregnant women or just walk for 20-30 minutes a day.
5. Avoid dangerous toxins. Don’t drink while you’re pregnant and if you are a smoker, this is a great time to quit. Avoid areas where others are smoking as second hand smoke is also detrimental to both mother and child.

What every mother wants

Healthy moms and healthy pregnancies are the best way to get a healthy baby, so having a healthy pregnancy is something that is important to everyone during this incredibly exciting time in your life. Here are some ideas to help you have the healthiest pregnancy possible!

Educate yourself

The best thing you can do is to learn as much as possible about what is happening and what to expect during your pregnancy, childbirth, and infancy. Once you have this information, you will be able to discern between normal changes and ones that should be discussed with your health care professional. You can read books, check out websites (being careful to stick to reliable sources), and ask your doctor for advice and information to add to your knowledge base.

Good habits

Another way to stay healthy during this time is to establish habits that will help you be healthy and safe after your pregnancy as well. Remember to wear your seat belt and exercise regularly – these are things you know you should have been doing anyway, but with the baby growing inside of you, you have a better reason than ever to take especially good care of yourself.

Better diet

Eat a varied diet while you are expecting with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. This will help you get the nutrients both you and the baby need and the fiber in these foods will alleviate constipation issues that are common among pregnant women. Also, drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily.

What’s the real story?

With over half of Americans classified as overweight, the concerns about weight gain and pregnancy are not unfounded. Although it may not be something you have considered before, many women ask their doctors if it is safe to diet while they are pregnant.

Gaining weight is ok?

For women who are already overweight, the idea of putting on thirty or more pounds seems counter productive and perhaps even unhealthy. It is important to know it is not safe for women who are pregnant to try to lose weight by restricting their caloric intake because your body needs nutrients to help your baby develop properly and your body to adjust to the demands placed upon it during pregnancy.

General guidelines you can learn

However, if you are overweight and pregnant, the amount of weight that you should gain during a normal pregnancy is different than the amount that a woman who is at a healthy weight should gain. Doctors use a patient’s body mass index, or BMI, to determine whether they are at a healthy weight (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9), overweight (BMI between 25 and 29.9), or obese (BMI over 30). This scale is based on height, weight, and gender to give an accurate assessment.

Based on this number, pregnant women should aim for the following amount of weight gain while pregnant:

• Healthy weight: Between 25 and 35 pounds
• Overweight: between 15 and 25 pounds
• Obese: Between 11 and 20 pounds

Focus on health not dieting

Even if you are overweight or obese, pregnancy is not the time for a diet. Take this time to establish a healthy way of eating and you will be in a better position as a new mother to lose weight, be healthier, and have more energy.

Third trimester to birth

In a previous post, we explored what happens to your body during the first two trimesters of your pregnancy. In this post, we talk about changes in your body during the third and final trimester as well as the changes you might notice after you give birth.

The Third Trimester

In the third trimester, you will see that the signs of pregnancy become more obvious to other people. As the baby continues to grow, your uterus continues to stretch to accommodate the growth and your stomach protrudes further. You may also see stretch marks on your breasts, stomach, thighs, hips, and/or buttocks as your body changes and grows.

Many women also notice that they are sweating more and attribute this to their larger size, but in reality the additional sweat production is probably a result of changing hormone levels and not physical growth.

After Pregnancy

In many ways, your body will begin to return to pre-pregnancy form almost immediately after childbirth. But the changes that took nine months to occur cannot be undone overnight, so you will notice gradual shifts in most cases.

Between the baby, the placenta, and the water weight lost during childbirth and the following five to seven days, you will see that you have lost a significant amount of weight.

However, it will take your uterus a little longer to begin contracting back to its normal size, so your stomach may appear pregnant for several weeks. Exercise (when doctor-approved) and breastfeeding have been shown to help the uterus contract more quickly.

• Read more about losing weight during breastfeeding

Changes in the first – third trimesters

Pregnancy is a truly miraculous event. The ability to conceive and carry a baby as it develops is an amazing process, and in order to facilitate this process, your body goes through a number of changes. As there are an almost infinite number of discussions that can take place on this topic, we will cover some of the basics in two posts, starting with what happens to your body during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

First Trimester

During the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy, it may not be apparent to others that you are actually carrying a child. Due to the vomiting and nausea that accompany morning sickness for many pregnant women, you may not gain very much weight or you may even lose weight! However, you will probably notice that your breasts feel tender and swollen. Additionally, although you may not be able to feel it, your uterus wall is thickening and your cervix is softening.

Second Trimester

The next three months will bring changes that are apparent to both you and others. You will experience weight gain and your stomach will protrude to accommodate the growing uterus and child, although when this occurs exactly varies from one woman to another. Your breasts will become even larger as the milk glands begin to function and will continue to feel tender. You may notice that your skin is glowing. This is a pleasant result of the increased circulation of blood throughout your system.

Every woman wants to know when!

When a woman is trying to get pregnant, it can be tempting to want to take a pregnancy test as soon as you think it might give a positive response. However, although today’s pregnancy tests are incredibly sensitive and can, in some cases, indicate a pregnancy several days before you miss a period, it is hard to know when you should take a pregnancy test.

The 5 main factors that influence when a test will give an accurate response:

1. Test sensitivity. Some of the tests on the market are more sensitive than others, and a more sensitive test will be able to detect pregnancy at an earlier stage than one that is less sensitive. Both are highly accurate, so a positive reading on one is just as reliable as a positive reading on another, but more sensitive tests can be done sooner.
2. Liquid Consumption. If you have had more fluids than normal when you take the pregnancy test, it will be harder for the test to detect the hormone that indicates pregnancy (hCG).
3. Time of day. Tests taken in the morning are less likely to be influenced by factors such as liquid consumption, but if you wait until later in the day the fetus may be producing more hCG as it grows.
4. Rate of hCG production. Some fetuses produce more hCG than others. If yours is a little slower, it will take longer to get a positive result on a pregnancy test.
5. Ovulation timing. Unless you know exactly when you ovulate each month, counting the days since your last ovulation can be an uncertain calculation.