- Keep in touch:
- (mis)Adventures in Reproduction: Diagnosing Bad Luck
- Simon Says “Let’s Stop Climate Change”
- (mis)Adventures in Reproduction: An Update
- Expecting Great Things: A Toast to the End of 2010
- Holiday Gifts for the TTC Gal in Your Life
- Holiday Musings from an Infertile
- Life After Miscarriage: How does this story end?
- Life After Miscarriage: Who is that in the mirror?
- Life After Miscarriage: The Place Where Pain & Grief Meet Closure
- Life After Miscarriage: Recovering from Surgery and More
Recent Blog Posts
Top 10 Most Unpleasant Things About Pregnancy
Arguably one of the most beautiful things a human can accomplish, pregnancy can also be one of the most unpleasant. While few women will experience all of the below, the majority of preggie ladies will certainly have the joy of experiencing some of these unpleasant, and sometimes gross, products of pregnancy.
- Varicose veins
Most commonly on the legs, they add color and radiance to your lovely stems.
The bright side? You were probably going to get them with age sooner or later anyway.
- Irritability
Uncomfortable for you, uncomfortable for your loved ones.
The bright side? At least this time you have a valid excuse!
- Constipation
Prunes and more prunes. And water.
The bright side? Sometimes it’s better than the alternative…
- Incontinence
You have to pee so badly that – oops. Adult diapers anyone?
The bright side? You can relive that element of your life as a baby, so you’ll be more in tune with your little one when they arrive.
- Swelling
Everywhere. Ankles, face, feet, fingers, etc.
The bright side? It may make you feel fat, but you don’t have to diet to get rid of this weight!
- Vomiting
Usually in the 1st trimester, it can be uneventful to practically barbaric.
The bright side? You enjoyed that bowl of Cheerios so much, that we’re gonna show it to you again!
- Night sweats
Like you woke up in the tub. Only you’re still in bed.
The bright side? You’ll sweat out some of the toxins from that fast food you had for dinner.
- Gas
As if you couldn’t button your pants already!
The bright side? You’ll be able to introduce your man to a whole new side to you (if you haven’t been so frank already).
- Discharge
And you were planning on simply sneezing…
The bright side? It’ll feel like the easiest (though longest) period you’ve ever had
- Hemorrhoids
Either causing pain, itchiness, or just make you feel like you’ve got a rock squeezed up there, they might make you dread going to the bathroom.
The bright side? Are you crazy? There is no bright side. Go to the drug store.
And after all that… The bright side? You get an awesome baby in the end, and all you had to do was walk around with bulging blue lines on your legs, yell at everyone who looked at you funny, not go poo for four days, while peeing your pants a few times, wear clunky orthopedic shoes for your big fat feet, hug the toilet like you were back in college, wash your sheets every morning, fart your way through breakfast, feel like you’re wearing a wet diaper, and apply cream to your you-know-what-in-the-rear multiple times a day.
What No One Told You About Pregnancy: Part 1 The Other Varicose Vein
Just when you were getting used to wearing compression stockings for varicose veins on your legs, the pregnancy police blindsides you with yet another secret; hemorrhoids. Yes ladies, the hemorrhoid is actually a varicose vein that makes its lovely appearance on your rectum. And, you thought your belly would be the only place to grow a bump. You may be asking what causes these painful little guys to appear and why are they so darn itchy?
- Your Getting Bigger: Sorry to state the obvious, but itʼs true. Your growing uterus is putting pressure on your lower body, including your rectum.
- Your Hormonal: Your pregnant hormones are causing the walls of your veins to to take a vacation and relax, thus allowing them to swell more easily.
- Prenatal Horse Pills: The extra iron you are getting from these gigantic, yet very important pills, is hardening your bowels which can lead to constipation.
- Burn Baby, Burn: Hemorrhoids can be painful, especially when irritated by the daily use of toilet paper. The possibility of the area not being able to kept as clean as usual, plus this irritation, can cause an uncomfortable itch.
By now you are wondering how you can treat and prevent these horrible buggers from ever occurring again. Below is a list of ways to comfort your symptoms as well as tips for changing your lifestyle so that they never come back.
- Hot & Cold Treatments: Alternate with a cold compress to reduce swelling and a warm bath to soothe and comfort.
- Witch Hazel: Your grandmother most likely used this method. Saturate a cotton ball with witch hazel and apply to the affected area to cool, clean and soothe all at the same time.
- Pre-moistened Wipes: You will prefer these to rough, dry toilet paper any day. If you do use toilet paper, make sure it is does not contain color or fragrance to lessen the chance of irritation.
- OTC Ointment: Ask your healthcare practitioner to recommend a safe topical cream (such as Preparation-H or Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm) to help shrink the hemorrhoid. Most of these products should be used for a week or less as to prevent even more inflammation or thinning of the skin tissue.
- Eat Your Fruits & Vegetables: A diet high in fiber will help keep your bowels regular thus preventing constipation and strain. If you canʼt stomach the raw stuff, try a fiber supplement that you can mix with water or juice. Be sure to talk to your healthcare practitioner beforehand to get his/her approval.
- Drink, Drink, Drink: Fluids will help wash that fiber down and will keep your system hydrated.
- Exercise: It keeps your blood flowing so that it doesnʼt pool to the lower half of your body causing varicose veins in your legs, rectum and vulva. Yes; they can appear there, too.
Hemorrhoids usually get better with the methods above, but if not you may need to seek out a specialist for treatment. Although rare, minor surgery may be required to correct the problem.
Related Podcasts:
New Study Finds Acupuncture May Ease Depression During Pregnancy
According to March of Dimes, over twenty percent of women experience some form of depression symptoms during their pregnancy. Treatment for these symptoms is very important to ensure the safety of the mother and baby. However, some anti-depressants are known to have negative side-effects for pregnant women. No wonder the blogosphere has been abuzz lately with news that depression during pregnancy may be offset by acupuncture treatments. A recent study from Stanford University School of Medicine found that women treated with depression-specific acupuncture had a 63 percent response rate compared to a 44 percent response rate in women treated with control acupuncture or massage. Dr. Shari Lusskin, director of reproductive psychiatry at the New York University Langone Medical Center, while excited about the new findings mentions that this is not an end-all cure. “This is one treatment, and perhaps it will become another possible treatment tool in our therapeutic toolbox,” said Lusskin. “Acupuncture is not a substitute for the appropriate use of antidepressant therapy especially in women with a prior history of response to antidepressants.”
5 Pregnancy & Baby Apps For iPhone
You’ve seen the doctor and you’ve read every baby and pregnancy book out there. What next? Who says you can’t have a little fun with this incredible nine-month long journey. Use these iPhone apps to help keep track of all of your pregnancy details from date of conception to the birth of your newborn.
1. Pregnancy Tracker
Keep track of your baby’s development – and your fast-growing belly – week-by-week, read the latest posts from the WTE message board community, get daily tips for each day of your pregnancy, and more!
- Due-date calculator
- Week-by-week details on your baby’s amazing growth and development
- Weekly baby illustrations
- Updates on your changing body
- Slideshow of your belly pictures
- Countdown to your due date!
2. NineMonths – Contraction & Movement Timer
Ninemonths is an app that will come in handy towards the end of your pregnancy because it tracks movement and contractions. From their website: “Designed under the supervision of a board certified OBGYN Dr. Herbert S. Coussons. Our goal was to build an extremely simple to use application that computes results in a form that can be read directly to your medical team. Clinical beta testing has produced fantastic results and we are excited to release NineMonths to all mothers/fathers to be.”
3. Baby Tracker: Nursing
New moms, listen up! Looking for a quick and easy way to keep track of your nursing sessions? This iPhone app will save you time and trouble with a timer and log to keep track of your nursing session details.
4. Foods to Avoid When Pregnant
As we discuss in our nutrition podcast, what you eat during pregnancy is very important. Use this handy iphone app to help you make the right nutrition choices for you and your baby.
5. Pregnancy Calendar
Keep track of your weight during pregnancy, get week by week pregnancy progress updates and even create a birth plan! This app helps you prep everything you need for your trip to the birthing room: medical information, what you want to bring, people to contact, etc.
Bored? Fun Ideas To Get Active During Pregnancy
We all know kids — and parents — in our northern climes go a little stir crazy when they’re housebound in the winter. But those of us south of the Mason-Dixon are stuck in the house NOW. The temperature is hovering around 100 nearly every day. It’s too hot to even think about thinking about going outside.
If you’re in late pregnancy, this is a giant disaster! You feel like a whale who somehow beached itself on the sun. Awesome!
But as I listen to my four year old sigh with a pitiful yearning because she’s bored! bored! bored! I realize we must DO something about this. Thomas the Tank Engine isn’t cutting it.
So what do I do? I dunno. I am so bad at the “fun activities” portion of parenting. There are only so many batches of muffins you can make and puzzles you can do.
I have a friend who is a pro at this stuff, so when I’m out of ideas, I turn to her. She is a lawyer-turned-stay-at-home-mom to a five, four and one year old, so she needs to be! She posted much of the following recently at her own blog, The Runaway Lawyer, but she agreed to guest blog here.
Though most of you who read this site are pregnant, or hoping to get pregnant, lots of you have older kids, or nieces and nephews or friends’ kids you may be asked to entertain, whether it’s a sweltering summer day, a bitter winter day, or just a rainy day. Hopefully, The Runaway Lawyer has some ideas that will help…
Make your own sidewalk chalk. We’ll have to try that – we go through the stuff like water.
National Geographic-sponsored Geography site for kids: My Wonderful World.
Make your own Word Search. I made one with all the kids’ names and pets names and such – you could make one with all of your child’s interests or local place names, too.
Simple Recipes for Kids including special diets (gluten free, vegetarian, etc.)
DLTK’s Chore Chart Generator. Ok, this one is fun for moms, maybe not so much for kids. I told the Beastlings that I would give them a penny per check mark at the end of the week and that was enough to motivate them…for at least the first week. That site has a ton of other activities as well – definitely worth checking out.
Summer activities from Activity Village.
Mazes from All Kids Network.
First School: Preschool activities and crafts. A wealth of ideas for the parent and homeschooler.
Kids-R-Crafty: This site offers activity sheets, coloring pages, dot-to-dots, mazes, vocabulary and worksheets in both English and French.
Making Learning Fun: Preschool and early childhood activities and printables to make learning enjoyable for parents and child.
The Crafty Crow, for you advanced as well as beginner crafters.
Enchanted Learning for complete early learning curriculum – absolutely brilliant and HUGE site – if you have small children, you must check it out.
——————–
Thanks, Runaway Lawyer! Time to get my kid off the couch, grab a muffin, and DO something!
RSS