A resource website created for new moms that provides reliable news, information, support and helpful tidbits.
For more baby related news and information, please review
my other pages and the news feeds to the right (scroll down).
This page features my latest article for new moms. Enjoy!
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During Pregnancy: Let me suggest....
I wanted to share with my fellow moms and moms-to-be the products that I found incredibly useful during my pregnancy in 2011. These items were absolute necessities and completely worth the investment because of the relief, comfort and relaxation that I experienced using these products.
Snoogle Original Total Body Pillow
This pregnancy pillow was an absolute life saver! At 10 weeks pregnant I was feeling a lot of
ligament pain at night and had a very difficult time getting to sleep. I bought the
Snoogle that week and used it for the rest of my pregnancy and for several months
post pregnancy. When I used the
Snoogle for
the first time, I had one of the most relaxing night's sleep that I had
experienced in a long time. I was totally refreshed when I woke up
and
my ligament pain was completely gone.
I highly recommend this pregnancy pillow - it cradled my stomach, my knees, my legs and gave me back support as well.
 |
| Get the Snoogle and avoid the need for all of those pillows! |
For less than $50, this is an absolute necessity, here is the link:http://www.toysrus.com/buy/prenatal-care/snoogle-total-body-pillow-13573-2267435
Prenatal Cradle Best Cradle
After the first trimester, I knew that the weight from my stomach and the
ligament pain was going to be very uncomfortable when walking. I found the
Prenatal Cradle Best Cradle support harness to be very helpful in relieving me from this discomfort.
I could wear the Prenatal Cradle Best Cradle under my clothes to give me
relief from the ligament pain and enable me to walk with comfort during the second trimester.
The
Prenatal Cradle Best Cradle support harness
should only be used during the
first and second trimester only because,
during the third trimester, the stomach is very heavy and the cradle
will be too small to support your stomach's weight. Nevertheless, this
cradle
brought me great relief from the
ligament pain and made walking out to my car or in a store a much less painful experience. They come in a small, medium and a large size.
This cradle was a great product to have during most of my pregnancy and for
@ $52 it
was worth every penny! Here is the link:
http://www.drugsupplystore.com/servlet/the-9533/Orginal-Prenatal-Cradle-Maternity/Detail#.UUlVVze9t10
Wheatgrass powder
I
ate as healthfully as I could during my pregnancy but still felt that I
lacked enough dark green vegetables in my diet. I bought Amazing Grass Organic Wheatgrass Powder (gluten free) and drank two glasses of it every day with cranberry juice and water. I had used this Amazing Grass Organic Wheatgrass Powder (gluten free) for 6 months
prior to my pregnancy and found that my skin, hair and nails looked a
lot better and I had more energy. Since this product was so helpful, I
continued to use it during my pregnancy and found that it really helped me with energy and skin issues.
I highly recommend this product and you can purchase it here for @ $20:
http://www.gnc.com/Amazing-Grass-Wheat-Grass-Powder/product.jsp?productId=10934829&channel=ppc&channel=ppc&device=c&c3ch=PLA&flagtype=nonbrand&adpos=1o2&network=g&vendor=AMAZING_GRASS&vendor=none&product_id=9028361&creative=179148090157&matchtype=&c3nid=9028361&gclid=CNmnl7an69ICFY1KDQodQPcHvA&eesource=CA_DF:10934829:GNC
Hypnobabies.com
In the
last 6 weeks
of my pregnancy, I really started to feel anxious about the big day.
These feelings of anxiety were very paralyzing and I did not want to
feel this way on the day that my daughter was to be born. I knew I
needed something more than just soft music to relax me and give me some
sense of control over these feelings.
I found
www.hypnobabies.com and downloaded an
mp3 from their website to help me relax and prepare for the big event. The video really helped calm me down dramatically.
I watched it 2-3 times
per week for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy. Hypnobabies.com has an
extensive program to help women relax and feel calmer, especially during
pregnancy. They offer
two free MP3s on their website; the one called '
Relax Me' is a nice example video of their program (it is now called '
Instantly Calm'). You can download both example
mp3s directly from here, scroll down the page to the free downloads. You just
need to register with the website:
https://www.hypnobabies.com/about-hypnobabies/experience-hypnobabies
Pure Stress Relief by LifeScapes
I also listened to a stress relief CD called "Pure Stress Relief" by LifeScapes. This CD is a 3 box set that includes a piano music CD, a guitar music CD and a pure relaxation CD (this one was my favorite!). You can find it here:http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Stress-Relief-Various-Artists/dp/B007U0VAS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453558767&sr=8-1&keywords=pure+stress+relief+lifescape
Both the music CD and the Hypnobabies.com mp3 really helped me to feel totally relaxed and calm during my pregnancy, which ultimately, made my labor a lot easier.
(Just as a footnote, I was asked by the maternity ward doctors about
the types of relaxation techniques that I had used during my pregnancy
because I was so relaxed during labor).
Hyacinth Diffuser Oil by Seda France
In the final stretch of my pregnancy, the Pure Stress Relief CD, Hypnobabies.com mp3 and using Hyacinth scented diffuser oil with reed sticks (during early contractions) were an absolute necessity.
Inhaling the strong, sweet scent of hyacinth oil as soon as a contraction occurred significantly reduced the intensity of the labor pain, making the contraction more tolerable for me. A sweet, strong
scent interrupts the brain's pain receptors by activating the brain's
pleasure receptors, resulting in less pain during contractions. Here is
where to find Hyacinth diffuser oil by Seda France: http://www.zanadia.com/Seda-France-Diffuser-Refill-Hyacinth_p_14486.html
Also, here are the diffuser sticks: http://www.amazon.com/Hosleys-Set-Rattan-Diffuser-Reeds/dp/B00UCFY9PA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1453558638&sr=8-5&keywords=diffuser+sticks
Depend Underwear for Women (Maximum Absorbancy)
In the last month
of my pregnancy, I wanted to be prepared in case my 'water broke' at an
inconvenient time (in a store, in the car, etc.). I came up with the
idea of wearing
Depend Underwear for Women (Maximum Absorbancy). After I had my daughter, I continued to
wear them for another 2 months post pregnancy.
I found them very convenient because I could dispose of the Depend
Underwear every day and there was less laundry at the end of each week!
Here is the link to the
Depend Underwear in size Large:
DoggiePeePads.com
Also, some women that I spoke to used
Doggie Pee Pads to
line the seat of their car for extra protection in case their 'water broke' while driving. The
Doggie Pee Pads come in many colors, are machine washable, contain absorbent inner layers and a leak-proof barrier.
You can purchase the
Doggie Pee Pads here for @
$21:
http://www.doggiepeepads.com/dog-pee-pads.php
Other Necessities to Consider during Pregnancy:
Buying the Medela Breast Pump Backpack
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| My husband, Frank, feeding our 5-day-old daughter. Yum! |
When I was four months pregnant, I decided to
begin the shopping for my post pregnancy time and bought the Medela Breast Pump in the Backpack. This breast pump was
an absolute lifesaver! With this breast pump I never suffered from being engorged and
my husband could bottle feed our daughter (giving
me a little break). The backpack version here allowed me to take the
breast pump with me safely on trips and place it on my back which saved
room in my stroller storage bag. I highly recommend buying this version
of the
Medela Breast Pump as soon as you can (
also Babies R Us offers insurance for this product):
http://www.toysrus.com/buy/preemie-shop/preemie-feeding/breast-pumps/electric-breast-pumps/medela-pump-in-style-advanced-backpack-57062-2815290
My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow
The
My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow was
a life saver and wonderful to have when I fed my daughter. It has a
built-in pillow for her head, making access to her food easier for her
and more comfortable. The adjustable strap allows this pillow to fit a
woman of almost any size in the postpartum period. The pillow is stiff
and
does not bend in
the middle at all (making the breastfeeding easier), is well supported
with comfortable padding in the back and has a removable cover for easy
cleaning (
the Boppy, for example, bends in the middle,
does not fit properly around a women's mid-section and
was not originally designed as a breastfeeding pillow).
Using the My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow allowed me to feed my daughter
without having to hold her up all of the time and wearing down my arm muscles in the process!
This pillow was suggested to me by
the instructor for my breastfeeding class that I took prior to my daughter's arrival. She told me that the
My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow was the only one that was
actually designed as a breastfeeding pillow -
so I bought it right away! I highly recommend this pillow and
purchasing it well in advance of your baby's due date. Here is the
link to the pillow:
http://www.target.com/p/my-brest-friend-nursing-pillow-green-sunburst/-/A-10539010?lnk=rec|pdpipadexsrch|related_prods_vv|pdpipadexsrch|10539010|2
Also, here is the link to the green cover shown above:
http://www.target.com/p/my-brest-friend-covers/-/A-10678953?lnk=rec|pdpipadh1|related_prods_vv|pdpipadh1|10678953|5
Lansinoh Nursing Pads
I initially bought the
Lansinoh Nursing Pads
and found these to be the most absorbent. These pads do not break down
when wet, leaving part of the tissue lining on your skin. This can be
an
annoying problem
when breastfeeding because the tissue lining sticks to your skin and
has to be removed quickly before feeding. If your child is crying and
hungry, you don't need layers from a cheap breast pad sticking to your
chest and making more work for you at that moment.
Lansinoh
Pads have a quilted lining, are individually wrapped and have
self-stick tape on the back to prevent them from shifting in your bra.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lansinoh-Disposable-Nursing-Pads-100ct/19477403
Think of Creating new Storage Space
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| My daughter's nursery prior to her arrival! |
During the
second trimester of
my pregnancy, I decided that new storage space would be a necessity in
the nursery beyond the closet storage. I needed it to be easily
accessible and I wanted
to be able to see all of the products and supplies that I had purchased as well. I went to Home Depot and bought
3 inexpensive wire closet shelving pieces (these ones can support
20-25 pounds of weight) and placed them behind the door to the nursery (
which is normally a useless space). The
diaper boxes were too heavy for the shelving which is why I placed them in the floor area of the storage space. I bought
an asian-style room divider and used that to create a wall around the shelving so that it looked attractive, but hidden.
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| The newly added storage space! |
I also bought several 8 1/2 x 11 inch pre-cut
plexiglass pieces and placed them on the shelving. This allowed me to
place bottles and other small items on the shelving without having them
fall over or fall through the prongs of the shelving -
it also allowed me to line up all of the products in order to see them better (see picture above).
Home Depot can
cut these closet storage shelving pieces to fit your space - just measure the space out beforehand. To cover the
sharp, cut edges of the shelving, I bought
ClosetMaid Large and Small Shelf Caps. This shelving/storage project (which I nicknamed "
The Store")
worked out really well for us and has been very convenient when
accessing our baby supplies and storage. In addition, it made a great
storage area out of a completely useless space in the nursery. (I also
had the room painted
6 months before our daughter arrived with a
low-VOC paint/primer by
Behr called "
Southern Beauty" - however,
Behr now makes
Zero-VOC paint/primer, you can find my paint color sample here:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Premium-Plus-Ultra-8-oz-140C-1-Southern-Beauty-Interior-Exterior-Paint-Sample-140C-1U/202181806#.UY-cNUo9Pnk
Piccolo Universe.com parenting website
Piccolo Universe - http://piccolouniverse.com/en/-
by Ricky Martin. Mr. Martin is the father of twin boys and created
this parenting website for members to share information, experiences and
tips
, just sign up!
In addition, parents can post questions on the forum to seek advice
from other members. Comments can also be added to any article. In
addition, Mr. Martin joins the diverse group of contributors on
http://piccolouniverse.com/en/ with his own parenting experiences.
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| Ricky Martin, father of 2. |
Mr. Martin, a Grammy winner and long time
children's advocate, is committed to the well-being of children around
the world through the
Ricky Martin Foundation (
http://www.RickyMartinFoundation.org/)
that serves as an advocate for children in the areas of education,
health and social justice. In 2014, they completed the Tau Center
building in Puerto Rico, which serves victims of child trafficking and
exploitation.
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| Tau Center for Children, Puerto Rico, U.S.A. |
I found these products to be very helpful during my postpartum period:
Dealing with Stretchmarks
During my pregnancy, I found Jean, a fellow 'mompreneur', who sold a kit to help reduce the look of stretch marks after pregnancy. Her kit included St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub, St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer, Aloe Life Aloe Vera Skin Gel and a hand-held wooden massage brush.
I
applied the scrub to my stomach and scrubbed my stomach in a circular
motion with the massage brush 3 times per month (every 10 days), after a
20 minute bath on each side of my stomach until my skin was slightly
red. I then wiped my stomach clean with a wet cloth and mixed in a bowl
a small spoonful of the skin collagen and a small spoonful of the Aloe
Vera. I applied this mixture to my stomach with my hands. Every day I
applied a small mixture of the Aloe Vera and the collagen to my stomach
to help with the healing.
Although Jean's kit is not sold online, you can buy the St. Ives products online at Walgreens.com, the Aloe Vera Gel at iHerb.com and the same massage brush at Amazon.com. Also, see pictures of my postpartum stomach below during the healing process.
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| My stomach, 1 month post pregnancy. |
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| My stomach, 1 1/2 years post pregnancy |
I used the kit regularly for 6 months post pregnancy and
intermittently
over the next 12 months (in some cases only using the cream after
bathing). This remedy was very effective in reducing the look of my
stretch marks. At 1 1/2 years post pregnancy, my stomach looks a lot
better and the
dark scars have
significantly faded.
 |
| My stomach, 28 months post pregnancy |
I resumed using the kit (at 1 1/2 years post
pregnancy) for 4 months straight. I used the healing cream for the next
few months and took this picture
to the right at 28 months post pregnancy. As you can see, the remaining
dark scars have faded and
my stomach skin no longer looks as severely scarred and damaged. I am
happy with the result from using this kit, especially since it did not
involve special skin treatments or surgery.
Belly-Jeans.com
I found a great service
for postpartum women looking to alter their old, pre-pregnancy jeans that don't quite fit anymore. This company recognizes that
a lot of women are tired of ill fitting maternity jeans or are not able to find the right fitting jeans to fit their waist!
The website
www.Belly-Jeans.com is owned by another fellow '
mompreneur',
Cheryl Holst, who, after her 5th pregnancy, decided to use her sewing
skills to make her jeans more comfortable during, and after, her
pregnancy.
Cheryl can convert almost any pair of jeans into comfortable maternity jeans using a special elastic band, known as the '
Belly Band'.
She offers different styles, fabric choices and other sewing services
such as V-Fly extension, hemming and patching. She can also convert
shorts, skirts and other 'jean-cut' style pants.
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| Half DemiBand with V-fly extension |
The average Belly Jeans maternity conversion runs
$20 - $25 per pair of jeans (not
including shipping). If you are looking to convert your old or new
jeans to fit you better in the waist, check out her site and salvage
your favorite jeans! Don't forget to mention
NetworkforMoms.org!
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| My Belly Jeans conversion, 10.2.12 |
Here is a
pair of my old jeans altered by Belly-jeans to fit my postpartum waistline (see picture to the left).
As you can see, my jeans have
a fun waistband color that will compliment my baby's clothes and my stroller.
I chose the
'Full DemiBand' Belly Band with the
V-fly extension. I just love my Belly Jeans and am so thankful for this service. Thanks Cheryl!
Diastasis Recti
According to the
old Isis Parenting.com blog (now only on Facebook), "During pregnancy the two halves of the outermost abdominal layer, the
rectus abdominis, can become separated. This separation is called
diastasis recti,
and the separation happens because the growing baby and uterus put a
forceful pressure on the connective tissue that holds the two halves of
the muscles together, causing the connective tissue to stretch apart and
become weak."
(To read a copy of this article, see it below at the end of this blog post)
Unfortunately, left uncorrected, this condition can cause long term back pain. There are
ways to reduce the stretched muscles and connective tissue in order to correct the diastasis. I know of three:
Yoga,
Pilates and
crunches at home using a split. I provide more information and useful videos in my June, 2012 post about
Diastasis Recti and how to correct it here:
http://networkformoms.blogspot.com/2012/06/welcome-to-networkformomsorg.html
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| The Belly Bandit |
In addition, the
Belly Bandit is a popular splint used by women who are trying to get their stomach back in shape. The
Belly Bandit can be found here:
http://www.diapers.com/p/belly-bandit-original-23012?site=CA&sku=LF-010&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=LF-010&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw=&cvosrc=cse.google.LF-010&cvo_crid=42814834057
Child Development Classes!
Sign up for child development classes!
I took several
classes at Mama & Me in Boston, who have increased their number of
classes for the 0 - 3 age group to meet the needs of the Boston community,
www.MyMamaAndMe.com.
Joining
these classes is a great way to meet other mothers with children in the
same age group and to make 'mommy' friends who can join you for play
dates! Also, they still have their
birthday parties!! Here is the link:
http://www.mymamaandme.com/parties/
Livestrong.com: My Plate
I had used the "
My Plate" application and database from
Livestrong.com 6 months before I was pregnant to help me successfully lose weight. I absolutely love
My Plate -
you can set a weekly weight goal using their database, create menus for
each meal in your day and check the database for food that you are not
sure about in terms of calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium,
carbohydrates, fiber, protein and sugars. The
My Plate program
calculates the amount of each of these items based on your weight goal
and intake. It also displays the correct amount of each item that you
should consume per day!
My Plate on Livestrong.com is a fantastic tool and
I highly recommend using
this site when you are ready to lose weight (you will lose it the right
away!). Here is the link for more information and you can sign up for a
free account with
Livestrong.com:
http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/
Once you are signed up with a free account, set your weight goals and start a My Plate menu
.
For online weight loss support, go to the tab called '
Community', click on
'Lose Weight' to join the weight loss support thread. This is a very
positive and supportive group - one that I found very encouraging.
International MOMS Club
Happy pregnancy everyone!
- Joy E.
Posted March 23, 2017
JoyE@NetworkforMoms.org
The
article below appeared on the old IsisParenting.com's blog (they set up
a Facebook) and was written by Isis fitness Instructor, Sara Knight,
February 15, 2012.
"The Post-Baby Belly: Identifying and treating diastasis recti
"The infamous "muffin top".
After
pregnancy, many women notice an unwelcome belly bulge; sometimes called
the “mummy tummy”, the “muffin top” or the “baby bulge”. Even if you
were a fitness enthusiast before, during, and after pregnancy you may
notice you just can’t seem to banish the bump! We often think that this
new belly is from fat, but it’s actually due to changes in our abdominal
muscle structure.
During pregnancy the two halves of the outermost abdominal layer, the
rectus abdominis, can become separated. This separation is called
diastasis recti,
and is the cause of the dreaded belly bulge. The separation happens
because the growing baby and uterus put a forceful pressure on the
connective tissue that holds the two halves of the muscles together,
causing the connective tissue to stretch apart and become weak. Although
not all women get
diastasis recti when pregnant, it is extremely common. Also, the more pregnancies you experience, the worse it may get.
How can you tell if you have diastasis?
To
find out if you have diastasis, lie on your back with your knees bent
and your feet on the floor. Place a hand over your belly button with
your fingers pointing towards your toes. Relax your abdominal muscles
and lift your head like you are doing a crunch, bringing your ribcage
towards your pelvis. Press with gentle pressure and move your fingers
from side to side to feel the right and left edges of the
rectus abdominis.
You have diastasis if the gap between the muscle is 2 fingers wide or
more. You may even see a bulge or mound protruding. You can also move
your fingers above and below the navel to see how long the separation
is.
Can you prevent or reduce the separation?
The good news is, you can help reduce the separation of these muscles by avoiding the following movements:
- Sitting
straight up from a lying position. Instead, roll over to one side
then use your arms to push you up without the help of your abdominal
muscles.
- Abdominal
exercises that work the exterior abdominal muscles, like crunches
and oblique crossovers. These will put additional strain on your
rectus abdominis.
- Lifting and carrying heavy objects or any other movements that cause the belly to protrude out upon exertion.
Can I improve the situation?
Yes. Wearing a splint
over your post partum belly will help physically bring the two sides of
the rectus abdominis together. Splinting while performing core
strengthening exercises can help to heal the separation and strengthen
the connective tissue. In addition, be aware of your core muscles. By
engaging your core during movements such as climbing stairs or carrying a
baby, you can prevent further rectus stretching and maybe even help
shorten the gap.
For most women,
diastasis recti resulting
from pregnancy is unavoidable. However, knowing is half the battle, and
once you know that you have diastasis, you can be more thoughtful of
your exercises and habits to help get rid of that “mummy tummy”!
Sara Knight
Isis Fitness Instructor "
