Can I? Myths During Pregnancy

When you are pregnant with your first baby, you hear so many myths and wife tails that it’s hard to find out what is a do or a don’t. While searching online with so many questions in my head about what I could or couldn’t do I came across with this list of myths on The Bump, I’m gonna list a few over here and you can always check the full list here.

Myth 1: Decaf only
False! One small cup of coffee a day is perfectly fine. While a recent study at McGill University in Montreal did find that the caffeine in two to three cups of coffee a day increases the risk of miscarriage, it did not consider how the coffee was brewed and the type of coffee used. Dr. Minkin points out that a French blend served black is much stronger than a weak cup of American coffee mixed with milk. It's another controversial subject for sure, but moderate caffeine intake isn't likely to harm you or your baby. The same goes for sodas with a caffeine jolt.

Myth 2: You're eating for two
False! Pregnancy is not a time to pig out. You certainly have a bit more leeway when it comes to a second helping of supper, but on average women need only about 300 extra calories a day. So girlfriends no excuse here to order meal number 1 with everything extra large!!!

Myth 3: They'll know you're not a natural blonde!
False! Being pregnant does not have to compromise your appearance (at least not above the belly), but you do need to be smart. Dr. Fischbein says that while there is a theoretical risk associated with coloring your hair (chemicals being absorbed through the scalp), studies have not shown anything conclusive. He recommends avoiding dye for at least the first trimester, when the baby's organs are forming. Relieve worries by opting for a natural vegetable dye over a semipermanent or permanent product, but Dr. Minkin still suggests checking them out with your doctor during the first trimester. Eggplant, anyone?

Myth 4: Exercise is a no-no
False! Clear everything with your OB to be sure, but many docs say that keeping up with mild exercise is just fine. If your pregnancy is sans complications, low-impact workouts can be a great way to control your weight and prep for baby -- just be sure to avoid contact sports or exercises that involve lying on your back (this position can reduce blood flow to your brain and uterus).

Myth 5: Manicures are out
False! You don't need to forgo weekly manis just because you want to be a mommy. "You would need massive and long-term exposure to the products before there was a chance of problems," says Dr. Fischbein. You might get a little nauseous from the fumes with your newfound sensitivity to odors, but if that's the case, make your appointments for less crowded times of the day. Still freaked out about what's in the nail polish itself? If you fear exposure to dibutyl phthalate, a much-debated ingredient in some polishes, look for brands that don't use the stuff like Urban Decay,L'Oreal Jet Set Nail Enamel, and Revlon Nail Enamel.

Ava's Nursery

I'm gonna open this nursery session here with this adorable pink and gray nursery, it's so sweet, everything that a little girl could possibly want. I really hope that this nursery can bring you some inspiration!!

source: Project Nursery

Birth What???

I need to confess something to you, I have never heard about a birth plan in my entire life before, until one night (one of to many according to my husband) I was  in one of those forum for pregnant women, and I read someone saying that they had their birth plan ready at only 15 weeks in her pregnancy and she knew down to the color of the scrubs that the doctors were supposed to wear (I know I sometimes tend to exaggerate just a tiny bit). I felt like an alien, or better yet the worst and unprepared mother on the planet earth, how come someone that is always researching and have done nothing else but read about pregnancy since I got pregnant never heard of such thing? I had to get to the bottom of this ASAP!!!! Luckily for all the girlfriends out there, this is a easy step to do and it is not a big deal if you don’t have it done it yet, wheeewww!!

The birth plan is simply a letter that you write to your doctor describing how you want your birth experience to be like, this letter will work as a guide line for your doctors or midwife and nursers to know before hand all your wishes regarding this experience, the best time for you to elaborate it would be between 28-32 weeks of pregnancy and you can hand this to them when doing the tour at the hospital that you are planing to give birth.

Babymoon

The definition on Wikipedia for babymoon is: The original meaning is a period of time that parents spend bonding with a recently born baby.

More recently the term has come to be used to describe a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before the many sleepless nights that usually accompany a newborn baby. Babymoons usually take place at a resort that offers appropriate services like prenatal massage.

Babymoon can also be used for a trip taken by a couple even before they get pregnant. As long as the trip is intended to be a final romantic fling before venturing into parenthood, the term babymoon applies.

So after I heard the term babymoon the wheels in my brain started to spin like crazy. For one I love to travel and any excuse that I can get to do so I’m on it, and than I started to think on the craziness in my life that is about to come, not only we are having a baby but we are also getting ready for a big move overseas,  that’s when I decided and told my husband “Babe, we need a babymoon!” He looked at me like as if I was speaking chinese (which I don’t) and said “we need what?” I know, I got that from all my friends when I was telling them about my plans! Anyways after convincing him to go on a babymoon, it was time to decide where to go, oh! all the possibilities.... But then the reality check, we couldn't go to far because one he couldn't get his vacation now and two we are already spending way to much to buy all the baby stuff. 

So since we live a few hour from Los Angeles we decided to book a really nice hotel over there and spend a 3 days weekend just chilling in a nice weather with nothing to do, but just do whatever we felt like. Let me tell you this girlfriend, you don’t need to spend a fortune on vacation to have a good time, just the feeling of not having the obligation to do anything is liberating!! And than that’s when I noticed something really magical happened on this trip, it was the first time that I really saw my husband bounding with our baby, he was always talking to the belly and asking questions to the baby, talking to him as if he was already in the room, that really melted my heart, and made this trip more then worth it! 

If you need some tips to help you to plan for a babymoon just click here to read them.

Now I want to hear from all of you girlfriends out there, have you ever heard about babymoon? Have you been in one? How did it feel? Please feel free to spill all the juice here, can’t wait to hear it!!

And a blog is born...

Well, a few months later, after giving this a lot of thinking here comes my blog! I confess it’s being a forceps delivery, those really long ones, the kind that makes us wonder "why am I even here?".

After all, I find very difficult to write, I feel really embarrassed, and I had no idea on how to blog! I always thought "I'm not a blogger"! And to think that people will read, people I know and people that I do not know! Worse yet, what if nobody read, how will I feel?

Oh my God ... Best not to think about it, better yet, just write and see where it all takes me.

Taking a deep breath, growing some balls and ....

Here it goes...