Monday, October 27, 2014

Bi-Weekly Bump- Week of October 27th

Can marathoners keep up with their training during pregnancy? One woman says yes!
Jessica Biel and husband Justin Timberlake may be pregnant says new sources as she was seen buying baby goods
Woman told to stop breastfeeding her son in her OB/GYN’s office
Lots of celebrities are pregnant right now—here is the full list
How to tell your parents and in-laws that you’re pregnant
Duchess Kate resumes her royal duties as her second trimester of pregnancy begins
How to job hunt while pregnant and why it is harder than you think
How to survive chemo and breast cancer then find out you are pregnant
Is this the end of pregnancy and the start of the ‘artificial womb’?
And finally make sure to send us your BFP’s (Big Fat Positives for your newbies out there) so we can put them on our Tumblr Page!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Halloween Safety Tips


In less than 2 weeks, another Halloween will be upon us.  This means free candy, cute kids in costumes, Hocus Pocus, and did I mention free candy? Unfortunately, Halloween is also the most dangerous holiday for children.  To be proactive and to try to prevent any injuries this year here are top tips for safely on and around Halloween.

1.       Drive Slow— drive around 10 mph maybe even less in neighborhoods where there are kids that are trick or treating.

2.       Wear reflective clothing and put reflective stripes on strollers, bags, etc— Even if your child is dressed up like a minion and wearing a neon yellow shirt, still put reflectives on them. Buy cheap reflective strips on Amazon and put them on your stroller or wagon if you are using one. You top goal is to make sure you can be seen by anyone who is driving by. 

3.       Check all candy and only eat unopened sweets— Don’t eat any candy until after you are back home and check look at it in good light

4.       Dress for the weather—Here in upstate New York, some Halloweens it has been close to 80F out and some years it is snowing outside.  Check your local weather before you go out and make any minor adjustments to costumes to accommodate the temperatures.

5.       Make sure the pathway to your house is well lit—Parents might have strollers or wagons that need to get up to your door. Make sure that they can see clearly by turning out your outside lights. 

6.       Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.  Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.

7.       Don’t let children under the age of 12 go trick or treating without an adult present. 

8.       Bring a flashlight with you for those just in case moments.

9.       Put electronic devices away and pay attention while trick or treating.


For more Halloween safety tips visit the Center for Disease Control’s Halloween webpage and remember to stay safe.  


Monday, October 20, 2014

Quiz: What's Your Baby Making IQ

Ever wondered what your knowledge is about getting pregnant? Do you know everything that needs to be known or are you still a novice? 
Take our quiz below and find out where you stand...



Quiz: What's Your Baby Making IQ?  

If the quiz isn't working, take it here 

Did you do as well as you thought were going to do?

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Pre-pregnancy lifestyle impacts gestational diabetes risk

Most women during pregnancy try to do everything perfect for their unborn child; they sleep more, eat healthy food, take prenatal vitamins, and they stay away from anything that could be harmful like tobacco and alcohol. Recent studies have proved that your lifestyle before becoming pregnant can be as important as your lifestyle during pregnancy. 

A woman’s lifestyle before pregnancy can affect whether or not she could develop diabetes during pregnancy.  


The Chicago Tribune reports:
"Healthy eating, regular exercise, healthy weight and no history of smoking before pregnancy were each powerfully linked to whether women would develop "gestational diabetes," according to a new U.S. study.

Women with all four healthy lifestyle factors before becoming pregnant were more than 80 percent less likely to develop gestational diabetes than those with none of them, researchers found.

Dr. Cuilin Zhang, the study's lead author from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland said that a healthy diet is essential in pre-pregnant women to reduce the risk of gestinational diabetes. “A healthful diet was one higher in intakes of vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains, polyunsaturated fatty acids and long chain omega-3 fatty acids and lower in intakes of red and processed meats, sugar sweetened beverages, trans fats and sodium” said Zhang.

For instance, being a non-smoker, getting in at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week and maintaining a healthy diet was associated with a 41 percent lower risk of gestational diabetes, as compared with all other pregnancies. Another factor to look at is the BMI of the women.  A healthy BMI is that of 25 of below.  You can calculate your BMI here with this online calculator. 

The study cannot prove that lifestyle factors do or do not cause diabetes directly because it is based only on observations, the researchers note in their report in the journal BMJ.

The results are also limited by the fact that most of the study population was white, and obesity rates were lower than in the general population, they add, so the findings may not apply more broadly. "

This article was summarized using information from the Chicago Tribune which can be found here
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1BGbV61 BMJ, online September 30, 2014.



Monday, October 13, 2014

Bi-weekly Bump- Week of October 13th


Blake Lively is pregnant and here is how the internet reacted to it
Is drinking will pregnant ever OK?
BPA exposure during pregnancy can be linked to lung problems in children 
Kelly Rowland shows off her very pregnant self in a new photo shoot for Elle Magazine
Are baby friendly hospitals hurting new mothers?
Young pregnant women need better dental care says new research
Kelly Clarkson brought her daughter River Rose on set of her new music video
Eating healthy while pregnant is a whole lot harder if you are poor
Holly Williams welcomes daughter Stella June
Here are some pre and post-natal exercises for pregnant women
Lots of celebrities are pregnant right now; here is the complete list of babies that will be born in 2015

And finally make sure to send us your BFP’s (Big Fat Positives for your newbies out there) so we can put them on our Tumblr Page!

Friday, October 10, 2014

20 + Halloween Ideas


Costumes

 
(SOURCEProbably Actually)
Isn't this tree costume adorable?

(SOURCE: Creating Really Awesome Free Things)
Try this X-Ray costume if you are expecting


(SOURCE: Mom.Me)
These IPod costumes could be made over the weekend


DIY
(SOURCE: Your Cup of Cake)
These are the easiest cupcakes to make and might just be too adorable to eat

(SOURCE: The 36th Avenue)
Perfect way to use up some of the glass bottles laying around the house

(SOURCE: Kid's Krubby)
Make your own ice bucket or drink cooler festive with this pumpkin one

  • These tin can luminaries are adorable and are a perfect way to recycle some of the old cans around the house. (I wonder if you could make smaller versions with old soup cans) 

Decorating

(SOURCE: Brooklyn Limestone)
Take some cheap witches hat and hang them from the ceiling using fishing wire.  Easy and cheap way to decorate the entryway (hang them high if you have tall people in your household)  


(SOURCE:  Nifty Thrifty and Thriving)
Turning your house into a giant monster-- awesome   

(SOURCE: Wacky Archives)
Hunt your backyard with these chicken wire ghosts


  • If you are feeling artistic- try one of these wreaths to make for the front door 
  • HGTV shares some of their favorite Halloween Decorating Ideas
  • A few other ways to add the creepiness of Halloween indoors from Martha Stewart
  • For the Disney lovers out there try some of these crafts around the house

Around the House
(SOURCE: Sandy Toes and Popsicles)
Try these treat bags with printables if you need to bring in snacks for your child's school

  • Pranking your kids on Halloween is another way to go
  • And if you want to do a movie night (because Hocus Pocus is still good no matter how many times you have seen it) here are some movie night fun ideas
  • Follow us on Pinterest and visit our Fall Board for more Halloween Ideas


What are your favorite Halloween ideas?


Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Bump on a Budget- Month of October



Signing up for email lists can be great; you can get coupons, free samples, and lots of valuable information.  However if you sign up for too many emails you run the risk of getting your information sold to other companies and then the 5 emails you signed up for daily become 50 or 100 emails.
Before even getting pregnant consider creating a separate baby coupon email using Yahoo or Gmail.  If you get too many emails you can simply just ignore them or close the account when baby comes.  You also don’t have to worry about your personal account getting flooded with emails that you didn’t ask for and don’t want.

Coupons & Sales
Seventh Generation - 15% off your first purchase with the coupon code ‘Home’.  Ends 10/10/2014
SurePredict - 40% our 40 Ovulation/ 10 Pregnancy Tests Combo Pack with the code ‘WVYYA2DM’.  Ends 10/31/2014
Mom 365 - 15% off post pregnancy wrap with code ‘PJ15’
BabySteals.com - 49% off retail Bravado Prengancy and Nursing Tanks.  No Code Required
Baby Age - Get up to 40% off of Today’s Mom Pregnancy Pillows.  Ends 10/12/2014.  No Code Required. Also, sign up for Baby Age's email list and get 10% off your first purchase. 
Cotton Babies - Up to 42% off pregnancy clothing and free shipping.  No Code Required.


Other Money Saving Tips
Say ‘Yes’ To Baby Showers – If your office, your sister, and your mother in law all want to throw you separate showers, let them.  Not only are showers fun, but you can get gifts that will save you money later on.

Shop Secondhand – You can grow out of your maternity clothes quickly so instead of buying a whole new maternity wardrobe, buy a few key pieces from secondhand shops.  Also invest in Belly Bands. For newborns, they grow out of their sizes quick so stock up clothes in a variety of sizes.  Try garage sales (sometimes they sell new clothes or very gently used that the baby only wore a few times), flea markets, and the clearance rack during your pregnancy. Ask your doctor to help guesstimate baby’s size.

Get samples from your OB/GYN – Ask for samples of formula, diapers, and other baby items.  Even a little bit will help you. 

Start clipping coupons – As soon as you find out you are expecting, start clipping coupons for diapers, formula, and wipes.  Stocking up with just a few every month will help you when baby comes and you go through a pack of wipes in one week. 

Avoid buying everything – You don’t need to buy everything for your child right away when you are still pregnant.  Make a budget and try to stick to it the best you can. 

Borrow from friends and family – If you have friends that are pregnant or were pregnant, see if you can borrow maternity clothes from them.  Same goes with baby goods.  Hand-me-downs can go through many children before being worn out since most clothes only get worn a few weeks to a month before being outgrown. 


Learn to love freezer meals – Start making freezer meals during your third trimester (or before if you are too tired to cook while pregnant) and then just pull them out and heat them in the oven when dinner time comes.  This will be healthier and save you tons of money on takeout when your little baby arrives.  

Friday, October 3, 2014

Can men have pregnancy symptoms? Apparently- Yes, they can!

In her interview with Jimmy Fallon in June, Mila Kunis kindly pointed out that couples do not become pregnant.  A woman becomes pregnant with help from a man.  Her interview, shown in the YouTube video below demonstrates Mila’s true feelings toward men who say that they are expecting. 



What Mila probably didn't know is there has been a new medical phenomenon known as Couvade Syndrome or a semi-phantom pregnancy for men only. Symptoms include morning sickness, sore breasts, back pain, fatigue, and the ever-famous food cravings. 

The Washington Post writes that Couvade symptoms “follow a chronological pattern, beginning in the first trimester of pregnancy, before temporarily disappearing in the second and then re-appearing in the final trimester. They can even extend into the period after the baby is born.

While the syndrome primarily occurs in developed countries all over the world, the number of new cases in those countries varies. Several studies have found an incidence of between 25-52% of all men with a pregnant partner in the US; 20% in Sweden, and an estimated 61% in Thailand, though this includes mild to extreme symptoms such as the physical ones above. The incidence in the UK is unknown, but estimates in the 1970s put it between 11%-50%.” -- The Washington Post 

So yes men are not pregnant and will never give birth but they still might experience some of the symptoms included in pregnancy.  Are there any men out there who have had Couvade syndrome?






Wednesday, October 1, 2014

25 Signs You're Ready to Have a Baby


By Nicole H.


Some people just "know" when they're ready to jump onto the parenting bandwagon, while others get very subtle…or not so subtle…clues that it's time to toss the birth control in the garbage.  We've come up with a few signs to help you figure out if you're ready to start your brood. The more you check off, the more you know you're ready to go.


1.        You can be presentable to the public in less than 5 minutes.
2.        Your pet has become the focus of one too many pictures that include a binky.
3.        Stuffed animals start looking cuter and cuter (and you start buying them).
4.        You've used candy or chocolate to resolve more than one conflict.
5.        You're excited to buy a baby shower gift because it gives you an excuse to go into Babies R Us.
6.        Three Men and a Baby, Parenthood and Baby Boom make repeated appearances on your TV screen.
7.        You try pickles and ice cream to make sure you don't like them.
8.        A part of you is disappointed when Aunt Flow shows up.
9.        You've given your dog a birthday party (and decorated heavily for it).
10.    You enjoy making faces at babies to get them to laugh.
11.    "A Baby Story" suddenly becomes good weekend entertainment.
12.    The holidays seem boring with presents in tiny boxes.
13.    You start wondering if your place has always been this small.
14.    You've mentally taken note of all the sharp corners and breakables in your home.
15.    You've decided it's time to get healthy!
16.    You think a pair of baby shoes makes a cute addition to the rearview mirror.
17.    You start playing the "What if?" game with your significant other.  i.e. What if our daughter comes home after curfew?  What if you catch our son cutting class?
18.    If you see a cute baby outfit in the store, you buy it.
19.    A pregnancy scare doesn't seem so scary.
20.    You think, maybe a mini-van isn't so bad…
21.    You've started collecting your favorite childhood Disney movies (and watching a few).
22.    You find yourself mentally calculating what month it will be in 9 months from now.
23.    You've found yourself wandering through the toy isles.
24.    You've asked to diaper a friend or relative's baby because you thought it'd be fun to practice.
25.    Nostalgia has taken over and the My Little Ponies have come out.


What were your signs when you thought you were ready to have a baby? 

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