Morning sickness and Whats up with the magical 12 weeks??

So lets talk options...
-Preggie pops  and Drops
           Basically a vitamin B supplement, but a nicer way to take it.  Morning sickness symptoms can be increased when you have a lack of vitamin B in your system.  Very normal since you now have a little bean sucking it our of you...Bottom line, take a vitamin B complex of some variety; this is one many women like and has natural ingredients. B-Natal and other companies also make a version of the pop.

-don't want the sweet?  try chewy vitamin B supplements if the pill is to hard to swallow.

-Morning Sickness Magic

This is again using vitamin B complex, but with a few other things.  The ingredients include ginger, red raspberry leaf and extra floic acid.  I would be aware of how much you are taking if you can manage to get your prenatal vitamin down as well...you could be getting a lot of folic acid!

-Ginger

Great stomach soother.  Comes in many different forms, including candies, bonbons, loly pops and more!

- Teas and aromatherapy

There are lots of teas out there, just read the back and see the list of ingredients before buying...they may be more hype then real soothers in there.

Aromatherapy is used for so many things, energy booster, calming, nausea, you name it!

one example of aromatherapy (but you can find more at your local whole foods or health food store)
http://www.morningsicknesshelp.com/queaseease.html


-Accupuncter and Reflexology

Both really great techniques if other options are not working.  Both very relaxing and have lots of health benefits besides preventing morning sickness.  To learn more about the techniques and benefits try out
these links:
http://www.tai.edu/NCCAcupuncture.aspx  - a local teaching clinic and great community resource.


Reflexology
http://www.naturalhealers.com/qa/reflexology-massage.html


 A fun chart
http://www.reflexology-research.com/whatis.htm

http://reflexologychart.info/history.html

-Unisom
25 mg of doxylamine succinate (Costco sells a generic for cheap!)


So why 12 weeks?
 At 12 weeks your amazing body dose a few great things.  Prior to this time your body was producing the amount of progesterone needed from the cyst (or corpus luteum) left over after ovulating.  For normal healthy women this is the perfect amount of hormone to sustain a pregnancy until the placenta has developed a health blood supply and well established in the uterine wall.  Yup, you guessed it, 12 weeks is when the placenta takes over the production of progesterone and all the side effects related to the hormone being produced by the corpus lutuem resolves...or so the theory goes, lol.  Some women are just more sensitive to progesterone then others and the symptoms can last longer, and for others the whole pregnancy.  My frist pregnancy I didn't get relief until ~18wks, this time right around 12 weeks, it was amazing the change...I thought, yup the placenta just kicked in.  It is really awesome what our bodies can do as women and how different each pregnancy really is!

                                                                  Taken at 16 weeks

The latest adventure

Its been awhile...

Life has been busy, with stopping work, adjusting to a routine and all the crazy things we have been up to.
Well the latest news...

We are expecting baby #2!  We are very excited and feeling so blessed.

I am 12wks and finally feeling better.  I am feeling inspired to write and post info about morning sickness and more.  I am more productive the last two weeks and feeling creative.
Looking forward to more blogging...

A new Adventure...

I found out recently that I will be leaving the field of midwifery and officially becoming a stay at home (maybe even a WAHM) at the end of April.  I am still a midwife just not practicing for now due to the financial status of the birth center I work for. 
I am looking forward to bloging more, exploring my creativity, taking more pictures and so much more!
I will miss being with my birth center family, the clients and welcoming babies into the world...I know that life will lead me back to that passion again some day, but for now I can use my knowledge to help women and other ways.  It will also be a blessing to watch Claire grow, and if God blesses us with more children, watch our family grow.  Looking forward to sharing more with you as this new adventure unfolds <3

Another option for glucose screening

I talked about the Jelly Bean option a few months back and now want to offer up another option for the dreaded 1hour glucose screen.
You want to eat a normal meal that morning, then wait about 2-3hours and choose one of these snacks:
-16oz OJ and 1/2 banana (normal size)
-8oz of Apple juice and 1/2 banana
-8oz Grape juice and 1/2 banana
-6oz Grape Juice and a whole banana

The idea is to get the same 50g dose that the glucola has...so make sure its the real juice (no sugar free), no watering down and a normal size banana.
As before you need to eat the snack in a reasonable time frame, 2-5mins.  Make sure you arrive early to have your blood drawn and that you know the time you started the glucose challenge, this is so the blood draw is on time and more accurate.  If you are going to a lab site and not the your Midwife's office for the screening, then make sure your lab will agree to draw your blood if you started the test before arriving...if not, ask your Midwife to put the test in as a 2hour post perennial.  This will allow you to eat your snack and the lab to draw the blood timed but without the headache of explaining the test method you have chosen.  Make sure you still do the test at the 1hour mark!!
Hope this helps, have any questions let me know : )

A New Year Challenge

I recently posted about The Story of Stuff Project.  It was a personal reflection on how I feel about all the "stuff" in our lives and the consumer driven society that we are.  The more I thought about it, the more I thought I could do something in my life and my families to reflect my beliefs.  I still feel it's a balance, and a delicate one, between enjoying life and our success and over indulgence or excess. 

The "Challenge"

Buy Less
Buy Local
Buy handmade

After talking about my concept to my husband he added to the challenge, buy efficiently.  Some times we think the farmers market or a local shop is the best option because we are supporting local efforts.  He brought up the fact that not all local options are bringing their product to market efficiently; ie they are contributing to excess, wasting energy, increased physical waste, etc.

So this year I embark on a new challenge...Finding local vendors, local produce/meat, handmade items, up-cycled or reclaimed items, and much more.  I look forward to sharing this new adventure with you and welcome ideas, local shops and advise from all of you.

The Story of Stuff Project and how it has started the wheels in my head

The Story of Stuff

The website above, The Story of Stuff project, goes into something I have felt/said for a long time...there is way too much stuff out there to buy! and where does it all go?  Now there is a site with research and real numbers to help illustrate how bad the problem really is.

I remember all the shopping when I moved out on my own, buying towels, sheets, etc. Then a few months later the big named stores taking everything off their selves and restocking for the next season. It blew my mind that there was so much on the selves and that people kept buying...and where does the leftover stuff go?
I remember feeling burdened by the whole concept of materialism and having a comforter for every holiday and season....don't get me wrong, I like to decorate, I like to feel like my space reflects our taste, and yes we have two comforters (one for summer, one for winter). But, I think self expression and accessorizing for the climate is way different then the problem our country is facing.

Point and case, our current economy. I have been saying for years, we are buying/selling too much! People are too focused on keeping up with the Jones' that they have lost tack of what is really important and even more so they have lost a senses of self.  Getting wrapped up in stuff can only lead to unhappiness...look at our country today.  So many have spread themselves too thin trying to buy the bigger house and faster car.  People blame the banks, but think about it...couple A gets a promotion, they buy a bigger house, but wait, still only saving the same amount because the bigger house off sets the promotion.  Then you need "stuff" to fill the house because god forbid anyone sees an empty room.  First paycheck, wow look at the money...humm we need a car.  A year later and the credit cards are maxed and no one gets why they can't afford their house.
I was not raised that way...Couple B gets a promotion...They save their money to put a larger down payment on a house (20% or more) thus lowering their monthly payments.  They have no credit card debt and believe you only charge what you can pay off every month.  They don't care their cars are a few years older, they take care of what they own and have no extra monthly bills.  There is no cable bill.  They get out and take advantage of the area we live in (parks, museums, free things!).  When their mortgage statement comes, they pay it with ease, have money for groceries, travel and to put into savings.  Obviously I am being extreme, but you get my point...

Why do we find the need to live in such a disposable world?  After watching this video I was sad to see this vicious cycle and how I contribute on a daily basis.  The whole "going green" movement makes me laugh...why? because it shouldn't be a movement! It should be how we live everyday.  I grew up always interested in what is now a "movement"  so in someways it is nice.  I can now find products that were hard to get before and people know what I am talking about...but the downside, it is also being commercialized and turned into stuff.

How do we get ride of it all? how do we break the cycle?  One way is to buy local, homemade, and buy less (or less often).  There are local farmer's markets, online vendors to support homemade items and buy items that are reusable instead of disposable.  Also, don't be sucked into needing the latest and greatest shinning object...they are taking your money and the old item is polluting the system in so many ways.
I am starting to make handmade/crafty things myself.  One thing I have decided, find a shipping material that is recyclable.  At home we save all the boxes or recycle them, but think about all that bubble wrap and plastic that gets thrown out.  Another way, don't live outside your means, why? usually this means you are buying and spending too much, which in turn contributes to the cycle and unhappiness or loss of self.  Don't let your stuff define you! You define you and where you are going in life.

Before I didn't think there was much I could do to help the problem...but now I am starting to brainstorm again.  I have that problem where I think I can save the world, but then my realistic side kicks in and I know I can't...but hey maybe starting on a small level will pay off.  One things for sure, that save the world thing is never going to leave my personality, so I should give in and feel accomplished and not defeated by the little things I can improve/change.
What I really wish, is that there was away to bring down the cost of eating healthy, organic and more access to the local vendors...maybe that's my next project.


Have you done anything to help impact your community?  Share with us, and if not I challenge you to come up with an idea.  It doesn't have to be a big one, and you can do it as a group.  For example, there is a mom group I do a cloth diaper swap with.  Being green and teaching moms that want to try it out, how it all works.  So it can be something small like that (and you get to enjoying meet people, and being a community) or it could be something big.  I would love to hear your ideas!

I think its a balance...We can't work and save our money forever, that just burns people out; but we can't spend it all either.  When you buy something do the research spend a little more and get a better quality item (not the must have, but a reliable name) so that you don't end up throwing it away and buying another one.  Buy consigned, second hand and eBay is awesome!  I am always up for finding a good deal so if you need a little help just ask ; )

thanks for reading my rant, just something to think about...

Benefits of Amber and Hazelwood

I found this site from a cloth diapering site and was excited about their baby legs...then I read on and found they had some really cool natural products for the whole family.

The following is from the site:

Inspired by Finn

"Our Baltic Amber jewelry is a unique piece of history…The amber beads are fossils from an ancient forest which existed tens of millions of years ago. Baltic amber is not a stone, but a fossilized tree resin.

Historically, Baltic Amber has been used in Europe as a natural and traditional remedy and curative for many ailments for centuries. Long ago it was considered one of the leading ‘medicines’ of its time. Baltic Amber is the most esteemed amber in the world, and the healing qualities of Baltic Amber make it unlike any other type of amber found in the world.

When Baltic amber is worn on the skin, the skin’s warmth releases trace amounts of healing oils from the amber. These oils contain succinic acid and are absorbed into the skin.

Baltic Amber has some of the highest concentrations of Succinic Acid found in nature, and this is what makes it so special. Succinic Acid is a natural component of plant and animal tissues, and it's presence in the human body is beneficial in many ways.

How can Baltic amber help us?

• Pain Relief -

Baltic amber contains analgesic properties and helps take the edge off of many types of discomfort associated with dental issues, headaches, joint pain, etc.

• Strengthens the body's immune system -

In many different and subtle ways, succinic acid helps boost the body's own natural healing ability and immune system.

• Restoring Energy –

The human body naturally produces succinic acid. The salt of succinic acid (succinate) is one of the most active substances in the processes of cellular respiration and intercellular energy creation. Succinic acid restores oxygen and energy supply to depleted cells and helps the body return to a normal, functioning state.

Succinate is a raw material and a catalyst in the Krebs Cycle which is one of our main sources of energy. During the Krebs Cycle carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are metabolized for energy.

• Maintaining Wellness -

When the human body reacts to stress, the body’s cells begin to use oxygen more quickly. Oxygen plays a central role in the intercellular creation of energy, and a lack of oxygen can result in feeling lethargic.

Oxygen is alkaline-forming in the blood and maintaining a slightly alkaline blood ph helps keep us healthy. Whenever the body functions in a state of low oxygen, it is much more susceptible to illness.

• To help break a cycle of (chronic) inflammation -

Where chronic inflammation is present, disease lurks.

When the body’s cells are chronically inflamed the human body’s immune system response is to increase production of free radicals. Chronic overproduction of free radicals results in inflammatory-related disease. Chronic inflammation is a common denominator of many seemingly unrelated diseases.

Hazelwood 

Hazelwood is an ancient remedy first used by aboriginal people -- It has the medicinal property of neutralizing the body's acidity.

It relieves or prevents ailments such as ulcers, acid reflux, heartburn, skin problems (psoriasis, eczema, acne), arthritis, constipation, migraines, sensitive &amp; bleeding gums, helps reduce dental cavities and more. These necklaces are a great remedy for heartburn and nausea during pregnancy!

Hazelwood necklaces are made from the branches of a hazelwood tree alternated with glass and/or gemstone beads for ornamentation. They are handmade - from the gathering of the wood to the stringing of the beads.

In order to receive a therapeutic benefit the necklace must be worn as much as possible - for adults, we recommend wearing the necklace over night as well as during the day. It is also recommended to wear the necklace while bathing. Keeping the hazelwood moist aids the body in absorbing the beneficial properties of the Hazelwood.

The life span of the necklace will depend on the level of acidity of the body. In general, a necklace will maintain its medicinal benefits for 6 –12 months. Higher acidity may mean a shorter lifespan of the necklace. A necklace is losing effectiveness when the ends of the wood beads darken and/or symptoms return."

At 2 months old I bough a teething alternative anklet and a hazelwood necklace for my daughter.  She was having pretty bad reflux and I though with shots coming up and growth spurts, putting on the amber a little early couldn't hurt.  The day after I put on the amber was the last major episode of reflux and three days after, first day the amber was on, she slept the most she ever had.  She has the occasional spit up now and then but nothing like the whole feeding or two she used to project out.  We are having a little change in her sleep pattern now, but related to a growth spurt that I hear most babies go through around this time...and she is at least sleeping some, many of my friends are not getting much sleep through this same growth spurt.  So, from our experience I think it is wroth the money ($21-$25 depending on what you get) to at least give it a try.  Next I want to try out the adult version for head aches, carpel tunnel and morning sickness (not quite yet though ;] ).  Have you tired amber? What is your experience?