Pregnancy Skin Care Guide

Pregnancy is an exciting time for women. Your body is changing, you’re preparing for another addition to your family, and you’re enjoying the love and support of your family and friends. Unfortunately, pregnancy also has a few less-than-glamorous aspects, such as the temporary skin issues that often arise. Luckily, most of these skin issues resolve themselves shortly after delivery; however, here’s a quick guide to several common skin conditions developed during pregnancy, as well as what pregnancy-safe products can be used to treat them.

One of the most common skin conditions associated with pregnancy is the development of stretch marks, tiny tears under the skin that 90% of women develop in the sixth or seventh month. While there’s no research conclusively proving how to manage stretch marks, moisturizer can improve the appearance and also reduce itchiness. Speaking of itchiness, pregnant women often experience itchiness and rashes as well. Similar to stretch marks, these symptoms can be relieved with the use of fragrance-free moisturizers.

The hormonal changes women experience can lead to melasma and acne. Melasma is the darkening of the skin on a woman’s face, and makeup and concealer can camouflage the darkness, while sunscreen can prevent further darkening and soy-based sunscreen may even lighten the affected area. Women can improve any acne on their face by washing their face regularly with fragrance-free cleanser and using over-the-counter, pregnancy-safe products. Unfortunately, many such acne products contain benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or retinoids, which can be dangerous to pregnant women as they’ve been linked to pregnancy complications and birth defects.

Finally, a few skin conditions pregnant women face can be easily treated at home. For example, puffiness on the face and eyelids can be improved with ice and cold packs.

While the skin conditions caused by pregnancy can be uncomfortable, pregnant women can gain relief in the fact that it’s a temporary discomfort that will soon be replaced by a child to love.

I Wish I Could Have Traveled when I was Pregnant

Being pregnant is such a fun and magical time. You are usually the center of attention. People dote over you. Even when you travel you receive the pregnant woman special treatment. It's kind of fun to be pampered sometimes. I have heard stories of people traveling while pregnant and strangers paid for their dinner or even gave a monetary gift for the baby. I think that is such a kind thing to do.  I wasn't able to travel while I was pregnant because I was high risk my entire pregnancy. I was put on modified bed rest at 18 weeks. I had Placenta Previa with the cord under the placenta. I don't think I went farther than twenty five minutes away from home my entire pregnancy. It really sucked because I love to travel so much. I didn't go on any vacations my entire pregnancy with Noah. It was such a chore to go anywhere for me. I was pretty much bed ridden. I was allowed to go a few places. We went to the county fair because I wanted an elephant ear. The weather was so hot that I had to rest after getting one. It was early July and I was pretty pregnant by then. I gained a lot of weight.  If you are healthy and have your doctor’s approval it can be fun to travel while you are expecting.

I did go on vacation with my first pregnancy. We went to a beautiful lake and stayed on my ex-husband's family's houseboat. When I was little, I experienced car sickness so I was a little worried when we drove down. Thankfully I am one of the lucky women who doesn't get morning sickness but I wasn't sure about the car. I figured out ways to prevent it and ways to make it more fun for everyone else. Being cooped up in a car can be frustrating when you have a tiny person growing inside your womb if you aren’t prepared.

Check out my post about traveling while you are expecting. Remember it is a special time. Cherish every moment.

Shopping for Noah's First Car Seat

Becoming a parent is the most amazing experience that you can have. It can also be very stressful. When I was pregnant with Noah, it was amazing yet scary at the same time. I was very high risk for different reasons during my entire pregnancy. I was really nervous about shopping for him until I was about five months along. I also found out that I was high risk for another reason. I had to shop efficiently because I wasn't allowed to be out shopping a lot. Buying a car seat was probably the most important item I purchased. You have to have one when you leave the hospital. I remember getting annoyed at the nurse's aide when I was putting him in the car seat. This was after spending the last two weeks of my pregnancy in the hospital on bed rest. I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. I know she was just doing her job.

I ended up getting another one shortly after he was born. The one I had was too bulky. It also came with the matching stroller. I had better luck with it. It wasn't as heavy. I also had a baby who was built like a linebacker and he grew out of his infant car seat around 8 months old. I had to get a convertible car seat to accommodate his size. I was able to use it for a long time. I did miss being able to grab the seat and go. It's funny because I used to not be strong and my body has grown to be able to carry him. I would worry about being able to carry him once he was older. I guess that's one of the mysteries of motherhood. Maybe it's love. There's so much to consider when buying a car seat though. You need to make sure you are doing your research.

To see what all I recommend you know when buying a car seat check out my article.

Reflections of my pregnancy

In 2006 When I found out I was pregnant with Noah I was very excited but very scared at the same time. I had already had a miscarriage and I was worried that the problem that caused the miscarriage was still there. I had my miscarriage in 2003 because I had a septum in my uterus. When I had to get a D and C the doctor noticed that I had a septum in my uterus and tried to remove it. I started bleeding profusely and so he had to stop. I almost had to have a blood transfusion but thankfully my blood pressure kept going up and the bleeding stopped. I was supposed to go back and have a doctor inject dye in to my uterus for x-rays. I never got the chance to get it done.

My pregnancy with Noah was a very uncertain and scary one. I did not know if I was going to lose him too. I had my first ultrasound at 9 weeks. The septum was gone obviously but there were other problems going on. I had become very aware of my body during that time. I made many calls after hours to my doctor. During one of my visits I had to get the Quad marker test. I had a raised AFP level. It was only like half a point higher than normal but my doctor sent me to a specialist for a level 2 ultrasound at 18 weeks. I got to see every little organ and inch of my son. There was no sign of Spinal Bifida or anything wrong with him. I had always thought that Noah was a boy. I only came up with one name. So when the doctor asked me if I wanted to know the sex I wasn’t surprised when he said boy. Not only did I find out that I was having a boy but I also had Placenta Previa with the cord down there. That basically means not only was my placenta covering the cervix but the cord was under there too. That sent me in to higher risk than I was before.

No one knew if the Septum was still there or not. The specialist said that the placenta will probably move since it was still early. If it didn’t I would have to have a c-section. In order to check to see the placenta moved I had to go to the specialist every two weeks. So I got to see Noah all the time and see how he had grown. It never moved so the specialist scheduled me for an amniocentesis to check his lung development. They wanted me to have him as soon as his lungs were ready.

I had gone to the hospital a handful of times during my pregnancy and ended up being put on bed rest. I had to get shots to stop my contractions a few times. I hated those shots because they made me shake for like 30 minutes after getting them. The other two times I went was because I thought I was spotting. I lived in an apartment on the third floor so there were lots of steps and I wasn’t really allowed to leave except like once a week or to go to appointments.

One morning I woke up at 5:30 am to go to the bathroom and I had a huge blood clot so my mom and I left for the hospital. The whole way to the hospital I was freaking out because I couldn’t feel Noah moving. Finally I felt him moving and I was so relieved. The doctor on call called me was I was coming up to the hospital. She told me to go to Labor and Delivery. Any time you are pregnant and need to go to the hospital GO STRAIGHT TO LABOR AND DELIVERY. I wouldn’t mess with the ER. You get seen quicker and you just end up there any way. I get to the hospital and they start an IV and put on a fetal monitor. Everything was fine. They had no idea why I had the blood clot. They assume it was Noah kicking around too hard or something. My doctor had me stay until after Noah was born. Thank goodness for insurance because I have no idea how much a two week hospital stay plus delivery would cost!

They ended up doing the amniocentesis at the hospital instead of at the specialist’s office. I knew there was a numbing shot you could get so I thought why not. I thought it would be like a little prick and I was used to getting the shots to stop the contractions by this time. Nope it hurt and it didn’t even numb it. Don’t do it. So I felt both needles. The needle was HUGE. I was watching Noah on the monitor the whole time. He decided he didn’t like the needle and pushed it out. They checked the fluid level and they didn’t have enough. So I had to get another amniocentesis. Finally they got enough and his lungs weren’t ready yet. So we waited a week.

I spent my birthday in the hospital. I was pretty much on complete bed rest. The different doctors were telling me different things. One doctor when she was on call which seemed like every other day told me to call the nurse when I had to go to the bathroom. My doctor said I could go alone. At this point my IV was just capped and it was a safety precaution in case I had an emergency c–section. It was one less thing they had to do.

Most of the nurses were nice. I had a couple that I couldn’t stand. One of them I asked for her not to be my nurse again because she forced me to wear a huge pad when I didn’t need it. Anyone who has had a child knows what I am talking about. Let’s put it this way it was big enough to put my son on completely. So it was at least 21 inches long. I spent a lot of time watching TV and eating. They had pretty good food. It was like room service so you ordered what you wanted when you wanted. I got a lot of food brought in for me too.

Finally the big day came. I wasn’t allowed to eat after midnight the night before so I was starving before my c-section. I get in to the Operating Room and it is so white and sterile. I stop and stand in the doorway and say...I don’t wanna do this anymore. My doctor who I absolutely LOVE was like you don’t have a choice. I get prepped for my spinal block and when I get it I was in so much pain enough that I said a bad word. I apologized to my doctor. I felt like someone was stapling my spine. They laid me down and the anesthesiologist rubbed my forehead the entire time to comfort me.

My mom held my hand during the whole thing. All the sudden I felt tugging. Not painful tugging because you could cut me in half and I wouldn’t have known. I looked above the blue sheet and I saw him for the first time. It took him a moment to start crying but it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. They cleaned him all up and gave him to my mom to hold so I could see him. I had to wait a few hours to get to hold him which didn’t make me too happy. He was perfectly healthy and happy and he still is.

Lavender Lab Review

When I was pregnant with my son I was reading a parenting magazine. I saw an ad for Cloud B baby products and instantly fell in love with them. I immediately went to the website and looked at how adorable they are. It was something; I wanted my son to have. Cloud B is a company that makes products to help children sleep easier and better. Cloud B the baby sleep specialist, was established by two new mothers with the philosophy that every baby deserves a sound night’s sleep for healthy development. Cloud B’s products are developed in consultation with an advisory board of pediatricians and sleep specialists with a single focus: to achieve a better, safer sleep for baby. They have an array of items from the Sleep sheep family to Lullabags. Cloud B has won many awards for their products.

When my son was 2 months old I bought him the sleep sheep on the go. It is a stuffed sheep with a sound machine in it. It helped lull my son to sleep every night. We got it on vacation when we were in Virginia Beach. It not only helped him get to sleep but it helped me sleep as well- which is always important as new mom.

I wanted Noah to have the Twilight Turtle under the Christmas tree for his first Christmas. This time I ordered it on their website. It‘s so cool. The twilight turtle is your own personal planetarium in your child’s room. My son loves the stars. He will sit there and say let’s count the stars. He will also sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. On a few occasions, when our power has gone out during a storm, Twilight turtle has been my son’s comforting night light.

I had the opportunity to try the Lavender Lab. It is a stuffed dog that is filled with lavender. When I opened the box, my son was very curious to see what was inside. I pulled out the Lavender Lab and Noah started reaching for it saying, “I want my puppy.” I was interested in its soothing lavender scent. I handed it to Noah and he sniffed it and said “mmm smells good.” The lab is cuddly soft and just the right size for a child to hug. Noah noticed that the Lavender Lab has a purple nose and purple ears. The idea behind the Lavender Lab is you place it on your child’s pillow (or your own) and when it is bed time you remove it and the scent of lavender helps you fall asleep.

There is a really cute story about the Lavender Lab that comes with it. It has really helped my son fall asleep faster. He had been staying up late since I moved him to a toddler bed. He loves to carry around his Lavender Lab with him around the house. He named it Puppy. He will hide his Puppy and say where is puppy? There she is. I admit sometimes after a long day, I spend a few moments cuddling with Lavender Lab.

Sleep Sheep and Twilight Turtle have been treasured “friends” of Noah for nearly three years and still in excellent condition. I am sure Puppy will be around for years to come.

When someone asks me what is something every new mother should have? I always mention Cloud B. I talk about all of the wonderful products they make and how much my family love s them. I also will recommend them as a baby shower or new baby gift. I whole heartedly believe in Cloud B and it is a must have for any parent of a young child.

Let's talk TV!!!

I thought I would talk about what TV shows we watch in my house. Just so you guys can get to know me better.

My Favorite TV show is definitely NCIS. I am a huge Mark Harmon fan. I think he is the most attractive man ever! I also like to watch Monk. I am bummed that it is the final season. I completely understand why Tony Shaloub is moving on. I am sure he is so type casted now and ready to branch out from the obsessive compulsive detective. Thanks to almost all TV shows on DVD you can watch all the episodes whenever you want. It’s not like the old days where once a show was over you had to wait and hope that the show is syndicated in reruns. I am a big crime show junkie. I love Law and Order of course it is not the same after Jerry Orbach left and ultimately passed away. Lenny is definitely my favorite character on Law and Order. I have noticed that TNT rarely shows any episodes with Lenny anymore. They keep showing the newer shows. None of the replacement characters hold a candle to Lenny. I guess I never really got in to the shows without him. I like Law and Order SVU the most out of the Law and Order series. I really like all the actors on the show and the character interaction is amazing. I also really like Cold Case. Cold Case is really interesting. I wish it was on TV more though. It is on a few times during the week and usually at like 2 am. I occasionally stay up and watch it but more often then not I try to be asleep by then.

I love TV court shows too. I am watching Judge Judy as I type this. It is just funny to watch. I have a lot of respect for Judge Judy even when I don’t agree with her ruling. I also like to watch The People’s Court. Judge Marilyn Milian is really caring and compassionate but she has a don’t mess with me attitude when she needs to. I spent two weeks in the hospital when I was pregnant with my son. I was waiting to have my scheduled C-Section due to complications. The nurses would always comment about me watching Court shows saying my baby was going to be a lawyer. Looking back it is funny because Noah loves Judge Judy. He watches it all the time. He even asks to watch it when she isn’t on.

I have been watching The Secret Life of The American Teenager. I have seen every episode and I love it. I know it gets mixed reviews especially from parents. I think that it is a great show. I think that if parents watch it with their children than it could be a conversation starter. I don’t think younger children should watch the show until they are old enough to understand it. It is rated TV-14 for a reason. I used to go to the Secret Life Forums on ABC Family and I was shocked at what I saw! There were teenage girls talking about how badly they want to get pregnant. Some would say how they are pregnant and how they planned it. It was all really sad. I know it is happening but I guess I am sad that it is. I know I am not a teenager anymore but I am not that old. That is a whole other post to write someday.

So I hope you enjoyed reading about some of the shows I like to watch. If you haven't seen some of them I highly recommend them all. Especially NCIS!

Tommy

This is an important post that everyone should read. Feel free to pass along the link to my blog.
I am going to be using my blog to raise awareness about Congenital Heart Defects.
I am sure some of you are thinking what on Earth is a Congenital Heart Defect? This disease was unknown to me until I met a wonderful woman named Rene and her son Tommy. A congenital heart defect or CHD is a birth defect. That is caused by an incomplete or an abnormal development in the fetus's heart. It occurs in the early weeks of a pregnancy. Some of the defects are known to have been linked to other genetic disorders such as Down's Syndrome but MOST of Congenital Heart Defects causes are unknown. Sometimes there are other medical problems that are accompanied with CHD. I know what you are thinking this would never happen to my child. Hopefully it never will but here are some very alarming statistics.

400,000 babies in the World are born with Congenital Heart Defects a year. Each day 10,830 babies are born in the US out of those 411 will have a birth defect. 87 of those babies will have a congenital heart defect. Please remember that is EVERY DAY! 365 days a year! According to the March of Dimes CHD is the #1 birth defect.In the US more than 25,000 babies are born with CHD each year. It doesn't discriminate by gender race or origin. There doesn't have to be a history of CHD in the family. The parents don't do anything wrong. The mothers are seldom using drugs or alcohol during the pregnancy. If you are Pregnant, or know someone who is or are planning on getting pregnant please request that you or they get a Level 2 ultrasound to check the heart. After the baby is born please request that they take your child's blood pressure on ALL FOUR limbs. You should be sure that you request your newborn have a pulse oximeter test done before he or she leaves the hospital. It is not invasive and is one of the quickest ways to measure the oxygen levels in your baby's blood.
Let me introduce you to Tommy. Tommy was born 7 weeks premature with a combination
of heart defects and a poor swallow. His heart diagnosis is as follows: Double Inlet Left Ventricle with Transposition of the Great Arteries, Pulmonary Stenosis, Ventricle Septal Defect, and Patent Ductus Ateriosis. This is also known as "single ventricle" or "univentricle". It basically means the blood containing oxygen and the blood without oxygen meet in one place in his heart, mix together, and recirculate. This gives him low oxygen saturation levels in his blood. His poor swallow, also know as "dysphagia" is caused by Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction. The muscle at the top of his esophagus works sporadically. It causes Tommy to aspirate his saliva into his lungs. For this reason, Tommy is fed exclusively by a feeding pump. Tommy had open heart surgery at 4 weeks old, and because of his poor swallow,he could not make it off of the ventilator for 5 weeks. He required a procedure called a Tracheotomy to breathe on his own. Because of the breathing tube,he now has a condition called severe subglottic stenosis. This is scar tissue below the vocal cords. He cannot breathe without his trach. The aspirations caused another condition with the generic term "lung disease". His bronchial tissues are inflamed causing Pulmonary Hypertension. He takes a combination of medicines and requires oxygen 24 hours a day.

Could you imagine having open heart surgery at FOUR weeks old? Most people are at home with their newborn not waiting in a hospital while your child has a major surgery just to survive. Tommy had his first real breath of air without his trach at 23 months. Sadly Tommy passed away August 20th 2008. His heart went into lethal arrhythmia from undiagnosed bronchopneumonia. That was about 5 weeks before his second birthday. Tommy was a bright child with big beautiful blue eyes. His smile would make you smile. He was full of charm and life. He was medically fragile but he was definitely a WARRIOR. He had such a strong will. He brought joy and hope to so many people. Tommy loved to play with bubbles and watch Finding Nemo. His favorite song was The Itsy Bitsy Spider. He is loved and missed by everyone who was blessed to know him. Now Tommy is in Heaven and he is singing and playing. I know Tommy is looking down on those who love him. He will always have a Nemo shaped spot in my heart.
Please remember this information, pass it along. Help me raise awareness for CHD. In Memory of Tommy who is Forever ONE!