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

Being pregnant, even though it may be an unplanned pregnancy, not very many people know, and you loathe the fact you are pregnant, it really is an extraordinary thing. Bringing another life into this world is something truly special.

I didn’t really enjoy either of my pregnancies with Noah and Charlie because I wasn’t “supposed” to be pregnant. They were both unplanned and inconvenient to me at the time. I was not happy to find out I was pregnant with either of them. I didn’t pay too much attention to the changes in my body and the things that were... more

You’ve written a birth plan, asked your support person to be on call, packed a hospital bag, followed all your doctors orders; things just seem to be going perfectly, so why shouldn’t the rest of your pregnancy and the labor and delivery?

Unfortunately, no amount of planning can prepare you for the unexpected. While pregnancies and giving birth occurs daily, no two pregnancies are the same. No matter how routine or normal your pregnancy may appear to be, sometimes the unexpected may happen, throwing a kink into all you have so meticulously planned.... more

As you begin to think about your upcoming labor and delivery, you should begin to think about writing a birth plan. I’m not talking about an adoption involved birth plan here, but a regular birth plan any expectant mother would use whether she is considering adoption for her baby or not.

You can begin writing a birth plan at any point in your pregnancy. It’s a good idea to have your birth plan completed at least by your 34th week of pregnancy. Your birth plan is basically just an outline of your wishes and desires for your labor and delivery and... more

As your due date draws near, you undoubtedly will begin to think about your upcoming labor and delivery. Have you chosen a support person yet?

Having a support person in the labor and delivery room is a great idea. He or she can focus on you and your needs. He or she is there to provide emotional and physical support during your labor and delivery process. You should choose someone you trust and someone you feel comfortable bearing it all with.

Some expectant moms considering adoption may choose the prospective adoptive mother as a support person.... more

Ah, one of the joys of pregnancy! Ok, I was only joking! No one likes gaining weight, so much weight and baby fat, that you have to buy new clothes only to wear them for nine months. I love clothes, what girl doesn’t? But I’m practical and buying clothes only to wear for nine months seems a tad bit wasteful to me, but such is life!

I am lucky in the fact that a few close friends and I have shared maternity clothes. We stick them back in a big box when we are done and then share them when the next one of us is pregnant. So the box keeps growing, because we usually have... 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