Stress is a part of life. We all endure it, most on an everyday basis. For pregnant women, stress is typically increased due to hormone levels associated with pregnancy. You may find yourself in a state of depression or worry – this is perfectly normal. However, if the depression becomes overwhelming, you should seek professional help immediately.

The most common fear for pregnant women is that something is, or will be, wrong with the baby. Most babies are born without complications. Doctors have very advanced method of testing for birth defects or disorders before the baby is even born. Also, when it comes down to the big day you need to remember – you are surrounded by professionals. If you are worried about labor pains, do some research. Read books and articles on different relaxation techniques. Talk to your physician or midwife about different pain management alternatives. Another common fear in expectant mothers is losing your dignity while in labor. This is because you are imagining yourself spread wide open in front of a room full of strangers — relax. They are not new to this. Many doctors and midwives have delivered thousands of babies, you aren’t any different from the rest.

There are several things you can do to take the stress off of your back. The main thing is to speak up. Talk to other mothers and listen to their embarrassing stories. This will likely make you feel more comfortable. Listen to their impressions, fears, sensations, pains – anything you have a question about, just ask.

Sometimes, consumers can get confused when people use multiple terms to describe the same product. Although there are many products that use the word “wrap” in their name, generally speaking, an infant wrap is another way of referring to a swaddling wrap or a swaddling blanket. No matter which way you refer to these products, they are something that every mother wants and will use!

What is an infant wrap anyway?

An infant wrap is a blanket used to wrap, or swaddle, the baby during the first few months and up to a year after he or she is born. The wrapping technique is referred to as swaddling and is thousands of years old. By keeping the baby’s arms and legs pressed gently against his or her own body, swaddling promotes better rest and longer periods of uninterrupted sleep. Additionally, this method of wrapping the infant helps the baby stay warm and comfortable in the crib or bassinet.

In order to facilitate this method of wrapping the baby, infant wraps have the following characteristics:

-          Square or rectangular shape

-          Small enough to wrap the baby without extra cumbersome fabric

-          Lightweight fabric to keep the baby from overheating

-          Stretchy fabric to ventilate the infant and help with swaddling

-          Often made from cotton muslin

Every mother wants an infant wrap. In fact, this is a great gift to give anyone who is pregnant or has recently had a child because most moms can use several infant wraps!

A few things you can expect early on

Pregnancy is an exciting time, but it is also one that is full of uncertainty. No two women are alike, and no two pregnancies are the same, so you may be worried about what you should expect early in your pregnancy.

No one can tell you exactly what will happen over the next nine months, but some of the things you may experience in the first few months of pregnancy include:

-         Morning sickness. Nausea at this time in your pregnancy is caused by the release of hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin. This nausea is commonly referred to as morning sickness, but you may experience it at any time of the day. The good news is that it usually subsides by the end of the first trimester as hCG production slows.

-         Cravings and aversions. You may desire certain foods that you normally don’t care for, or you may find yourself avoiding old favorites. Your senses are heightened at this time, so these changes in appetite are normal and should not be a source of concern.

-         Mood swings. The hormonal changes that occur during your pregnancy can cause you to feel happy one moment and anxious the next or suddenly weepy. This, too, is completely normal.

-         Fatigue. Many women feel very tired during these first few months. Try to get as much rest as your body needs to stay healthy, even if you need to start napping or going to bed earlier than usual.

Packing for your big day

As you enter your third trimester, it is time to prepare for labor and delivery. One part of the preparations is to do pack what you will need for yourself and the new baby in a bag ready for the hospital so that your things are ready to go if you have to leave suddenly or if you are too flustered to pack when labor begins.  If you want until the last minute, you’re bound to forget something.  So take a cue from the scouts and be prepared!

Our suggestions for packing for the hospital on the big day:

-         Insurance information, hospital forms, and a signed birth plan if you have one

-         Toiletries for yourself and your significant other or birth coach, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, face wash, deodorant, and anything else you consider essential

-         Camera, cell phone, and chargers for both

-         Snacks and/or change for the vending machine (the hospital cafeteria may close or you may be craving something specific that they do not stock)

-         Something soft to pull your hair back such as a ponytail holder or headband

-         A going home outfit and receiving blanket for your infant

-         A bathrobe, sweater, nightgown, and/or blankets from home, as hospitals are often chilly

-         A pillow, sheets, or other things from home that will make you feel more comfortable during your stay at the hospital

-         Maternity underpants and nursing bras, even if you do not intend to nurse because they have pads that will help with any leakage and be more comfortable to your tender breasts

You never know when you’ll need it

Pack your bag by the time you have reached 35 weeks so that you are all ready to go. If you are worried about bringing too much, don’t be – better safe than sorry, and your comfort is the most important concern!

If you are looking for signs that you are pregnant, look no further! In our second look at this topic, we’ll go through the symptoms that, once you have them, just about always point to being pregnant:

Can’t miss sings of pregnancy include:

-         Morning sickness, or nausea. One common sign that women are pregnant is experiencing morning sickness. However, morning sickness is not limited to the morning – some women feel this nausea at other points in the day instead of the morning or as well as during the mornings.

-         Pelvic cramping. As the fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining and the uterus begins to grow, many women experience cramps. This can be an indication that you are pregnant, but it may also be a normal pre-menstrual symptom.

-         Missed period. Although not a perfect indicator, a missed period is generally a clear sign that it is time to take a pregnancy test. Of course, some women are irregular and others do not track their cycle, so you may not realize you have missed a period right away.

-         Cravings for certain foods. Not all women have these during their period, but some experience a strong desire for foods they don’t usually want to eat or an aversion to ones they normally love. Sensitivity to smells is also a common sign of pregnancy.

-         A “gut instinct.” Finally, many women say that they simply knew that they were pregnant. They cannot point to a single, certain symptom or experience, but rather indicate an inherent knowledge and certainty that they were carrying a child.

For many women, especially those who are trying to get pregnant, a common question is what are some early signs of pregnancy? As each pregnancy and every woman is different and unique, there are many potential indicators that you might be pregnant.

However, as many of these can be explained in ways other than pregnancy, it is important to consider this list in light of your own health history.

A few early signs you may be pregnant include:

-         Exhaustion, tiredness, and fatigue. One of the first signs that women point to as indications that they were pregnant is feeling much more tired than usual.

-         Mood swings. The dramatic changes in hormones, production of new hormones, and fluctuations in these chemicals that occur during pregnancy are similar to those that were experienced during puberty. Women often feel weepy unexpectedly or go from very happy to extremely anxious quickly when they are pregnant. If you are experiencing unusually strong mood swings, it may be a sign of your pregnancy.

-         Changes in your breasts. Women often notice that their breast look larger and feel heavier when they are pregnant. This swelling can also make them more sensitive. These changes can be explained by pregnancy as your body begins to prepare the ducts and glands to produce milk. However, this can also be a normal part of your menstrual cycle, so it is important to consider both explanations. Additionally, some women notice that their areolas have darkened after becoming pregnant.

For the more obvious signs of pregnancy, look to the second post on this topic, or visit our website to read our full article on early signs of pregnancy.

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.

Understanding the link

Implantation is a word you have probably never heard before, or if you have, certainly not something that you actively think about when considering your potential pregnancy.

However, if you are wondering when you can take a pregnancy test and get an accurate result, implantation plays an important role in determining the answer. Whether you are worried you might be pregnant or trying to conceive, knowing how a pregnancy test works will allow you to approach the process with more clarity.

How it works

After a woman releases an egg during ovulation and it is fertilized when it meets sperm, the egg travels to the uterus. The uterus will be home to the baby while it develops.

However, in order to move on to the next stage of development, the fertilized egg must attach to the wall of the uterus, a process referred to as implantation because the egg is implanting in the uterine lining. Once the egg has implanted, it is a developing fetus, and it releases a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. This hormone is only released once a fetus has implanted.

Since it is such a unique hormone, it is the one that pregnancy tests are looking for, whether you are using an over-the-counter urine test or your doctor is testing your blood in his office.

What does this mean for pregnancy?

So what does this mean for your pregnancy test? Basically, if you take a test before the fetus has had a chance to implant and to start producing sufficient hCG, you can get a false negative. This means that either the egg is still floating around the uterus or that there is not enough hCG production yet to trigger the positive response on the test. In either case, the test will say you are NOT pregnant even though you ARE!

Colic – not just for infants

When most parents hear the word “colic,” they immediately think of the infant colic that some babies develop – the crying that is inconsolable, occurs for no apparent reason, and is still a pretty big mystery to the medical community.

However, this is not the only type of colic that exists, despite what the parent of a child with colic might try to tell you!

That’s right – adults can get colic too, and unfortunately a swaddle blanket may not be able to help you get through it!

So what is biliary colic?

Biliary colic is a condition in which the patient feels sharp pain in his or her upper abdomen, either in the center or on the right side. This pain is the most common symptom experienced by people with gallstones, the hardened masses that form in the gallbladder.

These masses form when there is an abundance of certain elements, usually cholesterol, and they move from the gallbladder into the liver and intestines. Along the way, they can bump into sensitive areas or become lodged in certain openings or connections, causing blockages.

In either case, they cause the patient extreme pain and will continue to cause pain until they are removed. The pain usually comes and goes if the gallstones are mobile but will continue to occur until the gallstones are removed.

So who gets it?

Characteristics that make some individuals more likely to experience biliary colic include:

• Being overweight
• Eating foods that are high in fat
• Over twenty years of age

While biliary colic may not be a central concern to new parents, it is something to be aware of, particularly if you have any of the characteristics listed above. If you believe you may have biliary colic, contact your medical professional immediately.

Colic is one of those things that you probably don’t care about – that is until you become a parent and have your new baby suffering from its effects. That’s when you need to learn everything you can – and fast!

Over the last month or so, Luna Lullaby has taken on this subject and is offering parents an in-depth look at the various types of colic, what causes colic, as well as lots of information on how to help soothe your infant and possibly avoid dealing with colic.

We sincerely hope that this information might help you learn something you didn’t already know and maybe give your little one a little comfort!

Advice from parents

Please note that all of our articles and blog posts are thoroughly researched before we post them. However, they should be considered as friendly advice from one parent to another, and never considered to be actual medical advice.

In fact, that’s how Luna Lullaby came to be in the first place. Parents helping other parents learn to soothe their children using the best techniques and products they can!