Part 1

Stress does affect your health and it can affect your baby too. Below are some of the ways that stress can affect your health.

Diet - When you are under stress, your pulse increases, your blood pressure rises and your body starts to burn extra fuel. This will use up some nutrients, leaving you feeling tired and lethargic. Hannah says, "Eating a balanced diet with fruit and vegetables is important." Nutrition expert... more

There is no denying the fact that you are going to be under additional stress in the midst of an unplanned/crisis pregnancy. You suddenly find your self pregnant and now have many decisions to make about not only you future but your baby’s future. Add the added pressure of the holiday season, which is stressful all by itself and you are probably finding yourself in a stressed out frenzy!

Some of the signs of stress are also common in pregnancy so it might be a little hard to know if you are feeling stressed or if it is just normal pregnancy related... more

Have you had an ultrasound of your baby yet? I’ll never forget my first ultrasounds with either of my boys. It’s so amazing to see this little, tiny person growing inside of you. It definitely makes things hit home, as that baby becomes all the more real after seeing him or her swimming around on the ultrasound. Typically you are given a picture of the ultrasound, your very first “picture” of your baby! Since both of my pregnancies had complications, I had many ultrasounds and many chances to see them.

Typically ultrasounds are initially given when... more

I have this cold that I can’t seem to shake. Pesky little devil! It’s been visiting about a week. You know the kind; stuffy nose, headache, can’t breathe, sore throat, raspy night club singer voice! Yikes! Unfortunately, I seem to catch colds easily and keep them a lot in the fall and winter months. Cold season is upon us folks!

Having this cold reminded me of having colds during pregnancy! Not fun at all and it seemed to take me even longer to share them during pregnancy. Your body already feels a little weird and “off” and then you go and add a cold... more

Continuing my Breast Cancer Awareness Series….

If you have some down time this weekend and are a little bored, be bop on over to the awesome Breast Cancer Awareness area on the Lifetime Television for Women Website. There is lots to see, read, and do over there, so let me highlight some of my faves.

Map... more

Have you felt your baby moving around or kicking yet? I’ll never forget the first time I felt either of my boys moving around. It’s a weird feeling at first and kind of took me by surprise. I almost wasn’t sure what it was at first. If felt fluttery to me.

But as your baby grows the kicks and movement become stronger. I used to say Charlie was in there doing tae-boe. He was a strong kicker, stronger than Noah, and he kicked a lot.

These initial fluttery type movements are known as quickening. Quickening is the term used to describe the fluttering... more

Today’s post will continue my breast cancer awareness series honoring breast cancer awareness month, Look for links to the other posts in the series at the bottom of this post.

October typically makes us think of fall and the dark autumn colors of gold, burgundy, and brown, but another color is everywhere this month! My favorite color, pink is abundant this month too! We see pink everywhere – pink products (like the pink M&Ms), people wearing pink, and even people wearing pink ribbon lapel pins. They even gave away a pink car on The View last week!

Last... more

When you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, you are probably feeling a million different emotions. And sometimes all of them at once! Plus all those lovely pregnancy hormones to deal with as well! It’s like a rollercoaster ride; full of ups and downs and twisty sharp curves where you are not sure what is coming next. I can remember feeling in awe of the life growing inside of me but scared at the same exact moment because I didn’t know how I was going to take care of that little life!

I plan to begin exploring some of the different emotions... more

Childbirth education classes can help you prepare for labor and birth. Many hospitals nowadays offer childbirth education classes. They typically cover the warning signs of labor, techniques to cope with pain, breathing techniques, when to call your doctor, the normal progression of labor, and more. The goal of childbirth education classes is to provide you with information and education to help minimize your fears and anxieties and to educate you on tips and techniques that have been helpful to other moms. These can be especially helpful for many first... more

Pre-term or premature labor is defined as labor that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy is completed. This is too early for your baby to be born and can sometimes result in complications. The earlier your baby is born, the more complications he or she may have.

About twelve percent of all pregnancies – that’s one in eight pregnancies – result in the delivery of a premature baby. Babies who are born prematurely are at higher risk of needing hospitalization, having chronic lung problems, having long term health problems, and even death.

Premature... more