Feeling The Baby Move

Somewhere around 14-16 weeks it is likely you will begin to feel the baby start to move. First-time mothers many not recognize it right away, but it is unmistakeable in future pregancies. What begins as the feeling of little bubbles turns into more and more movements such as kicks, punches, and even hiccups. The movements of your baby can be as reassuring as the heartbeats themselves and while they can be uncomfortable as the baby grows larger, you do have to smile knowing your little one is bouncing around in there. Its hard to believe in a few short months whatever it is that is growing inside of you will be out in this big world and you'll soon be parents!

As the baby's movements become larger you will be able to share with the father and possibly even siblings when the baby moves. You'll soon see if your baby wants to "play games" with them and will stop moving around just as someone places their hands on your belly...but the second they give up, the baby will start to move again.

It is important to enjoy these times with your little one...remember what it is like to have a life inside of you, depending upon you for everything.  Soon your little one will be "outside" and it is certainly easier to take them everywhere while they are all bundled up cozy inside of you.

Hearing The Baby For The First Time

Early on it unlikely you will "feel" pregnant...sure you might be sick and you've gone to enough doctors' visits, but do you really FEEL pregnant? Can you believe you have someone growing and living inside of you? Do you find it hard to wait month-to-month to hear your little one again? Brought on by a surge of soon-to-be families wanting a little piece of mind, 'Baby Dopplers' have become very desirable before you can feel the baby kick for the first time.

There are plenty of places out there that offer the 'Baby Dopplers' or 'Baby Heartbeat Monitors' and you are sure to find one that meets your needs. Most offer similar devices with similar results. I personally have used Baby FM to rent a baby doppler. Not only does it give you and the baby's father a chance to hear that tiny heartbeat, but you can also share with other family members and perhaps eager-to-be siblings.

Although I have never tried it myself, I have heard the inexpensive "listening devices" sold in stores that look more like a glorified cd/headphone combo are not much better than just that. Remember that Playskool doctor set that you had as a child...that is still offered today? Other mothers have stated that using one of those might offer the same results....not about much.

What Is In A Baby Name?

I'm just about at the Four-Month Mark...a milestone I guess....technically I have 24 more weeks to go! Sounds like a lot, but really there is a lot to do before the baby comes...there are baby names to decide upon!  Perhaps the one thing most soon-to-be parents put the most time into is choosing a baby name. Do you go traditional or modern? A more common name that a lot of children have, or one that is possibly harder for others to remember (or spell?) How about naming a child the same name as a famous celebrity, or their own celebrity children? A baby's name is very important, knowing in most circumstances this is the one thing your child will carry with them forever.

So where do you look for baby names? Of course there are plenty of books and websites that list every name every imagined. With the world becoming so "worldly" the simple baby names of years ago have given way to names with more international flair. If you are of Irish heritage, it is very possible you might take a close look at Irish baby names such as Caleb or Meghan...if Grandma is German you might be considering Henrietta or Heidi.  Perhaps you are into nature and want to consider such baby names River or Autumn. As you can see your sources are endless, which makes finding the perfect baby name a long journey.

Something to keep in mind is you want your baby name to complement your child, not become a hindrance in life. If you or your husband have a very masculine family you will need to be careful with naming your son a wish-washy name. And if you belong to family with girlie-girls they might be hoping you name her after a Disney princess! It is important to think down the road...when your child is in school will that name be appropriate? When your child hits high school will they be teased simply because of their name? How about if they get married, can you imagine their name on a wedding invitation? And finally as they enter their twilight years how will Britney sound? Granted in 80 years there will likely be a lot of Britney's out there, so she'll be in good company!

This brings up another point, with the rise of popularity comes the potential decline of popularity. Take Tiger for example. When Tiger Woods rose to his star status the popularity of his name for babies also increased, however with the latest events in his life, the name has also taken a nosedive. If you name your child after a celebrity be prepared for everyone to ask if you named them after said celebrity and be equally prepared for the child to face some wrath if that celebrity is in the news for unpopular reasons.

I for one have always placed a high importance in selecting the right name for anything. My pets all have well thought out names based upon their heritage...you will not find "Fluffy" or "Spot" in my household! With the week or so it takes me to select a pet name you can imagine the amount of time I will put into selecting my child's name.

While conservative in nature, the names I select are hardly common. I want to name my child a name that your rarely hear and everyone comments on how nice a name it is. I want it to stand the test of time from the younger years until they are old enough to have grandchildren. I remember as a child being disappointed when going to stores that have personalize items to find that they only had SARAH and never SARA on the items! I only hope they come up with a better way to get your kid's name on a bicycle license plate or pencils, otherwise they'll surely feel left out.

Do You Find Out? Boy or Girl?

So one of the big questions everyone will ask you is if you know if your baby is a boy or girl (or if you are planning on finding out.)  While it seems like an easy question, for many it can be a big debate. One partner may want to know, while the other may not. Below are some reasons for finding out, and some reasons not to.

To Find Out:

• Finding out ahead of time can allow you to save quite a bit of money on clothing you might find on sale, if you can be disciplined enough not to buy everything you see. You can buy a season or two ahead as things go on sale.
• It is hard for friends and family to pass up all those cute things, too. Hopefully they'll be as generous when they come across items hard to pass up and you and your baby will be the beneficiaries of their generosity.
• If you have other children and you come to realize your new baby will be the opposite gender of their sibling, you will have time to buy appropriate clothes, bedding, carseats, etc.
• You hate secrets and this is the biggest one yet. To go 20 weeks not knowing was already a lot to ask of you!
• If you want to have the perfect room setup for your new baby, including gender appropriate bedding, etc. you should definitely find out. Once the baby comes you will be a little too busy to visit every baby store in your area to find exactly what you are looking for.

Let It Be A Surprise:

• If you are having a baby shower the majority of the gifts will be geared towards the gender of the baby. Sounds great until all you get are cute, frilly girlie clothes or dump/fire truck tops! If you actually want/need standard baby items such as tubs, carseats, etc., good luck!
• If you don't particularily like pink or blue, that might be reason enough. For the same reason everyone wants to buy you gender-appropriate baby shower gifts....that is all you'll get.
• If you are not a disciplined shopper you will end up spending a fortune on all the cute clothes you just couldn't pass up (and everyone else will buy for you, too!)
• Once your family/friends know the gender, they'll want to know the name, too.
• What is everyone going to yell when the baby finally arrives, if you know? It's a Boy! or It's a Girl! is an easy thing to scream out when the day comes...pretty hard to yell "It's 7lbs, 21"!"

2nd Trimester Sleeping

If you have entered the 2nd Trimester as I have, you have been welcomed into the world of uncomfortable sleeping. As if it wasn't bad enough that your body is going through so many changes (most of which make you uncomfortable,) now you have to learn to sleep on your side.

It is recommended that by the time you enter into the 2nd Trimester you are sleeping on your left side in order to improve blood flow to your fetus and uterus and to help your kidneys get rid of waste and fluids. While either side is considered acceptable, sleeping on your left side is considered the best position. Lying on your back is not recommended as the weight of your uterus applies extra pressure on your vena cava which can disrupt bloodflow to the you, the uterus, and the placenta (and therefore the baby.)

A great purchase during this time would be one of those full-length body pillows. I happen to use 'The Snoogle' made by Leachco which can be purchased at such stores as Babies R Us and Target for around $50.  While you might be inclined to save that money and just use a few pillows, the Snoogle stays put and won't move like regular pillows.  I actually tried that this weekend as I forgot to bring my Snoogle for an overnight hotel stay and I got the least sleep since becoming pregnant because the pillow kept moving on me.

With all the changes you are going through, this is a great time to feel like you are in your own little nest with the pillow enveloping you. As an added benefit, if your back is giving you problems the Snoogle helps that too, by providing just enough support along your spine.

If you have pets, be forewarned that once they find the Snoogle you'll have to fight to keep them out of it!  Enjoy comfortable sleeping again!

What I've Learned The First Trimester

So, I've just made it past the 1st Trimester...at least some say 12 weeks is, and I'm taking it! With as much as I've been through over the last 8 weeks, just after finding out I was pregnant, I've earned it. I, just as many soon-to-be mothers come to realize, do not mesh well with being pregnant during the first early months. I'm one of those lucky ones to have so many horomones coursing through my body, that my body revolts. I had Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

Since week 7 life was almost unbearable. I've screamed from the top of my lungs to God, wondering what I did to deserve getting so sick. Now I feel horrible because at least I know in about 6+ months I will have a bundle of joy to show for it. Whereas others that are truly SICK with a disease such as cancer aren't as lucky. I can only feel bad for pittying myself so much during this time and I do truly feel blessed to be as healthy as I am.

About a week after Thanksgiving I could no longer take it and I went into my OBGYN's office to see what could be done. Only minutes later I was hooked up to an IV getting fluids because I was so dehydrated. Add to that I had lost 5 pounds in 3 days and I was admitted. Foolishly I thought I'd be out in a day...add 3 more to that before I was released.

One could only hope that would be the end of this, but yet I had 5 more weeks to suffer...through nausea and the worst acid reflux I have ever experienced in my life (and I don't get heartburn EVER!) I pretty much missed Christmas. I had but a tiny tree that I had stuffed in the basement that I brought out Christmas Eve. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, but I hope to make up for it next year.

Gratefully I am coming out of the darkness (and 3 + weeks of missed work)...I have arrived to the lovely 2nd Trimester! Now I'm not completely 100%...the acid reflux is still ridiculous. I've come to realize just how much I love tomatoes when I'm not allow to have any. I even have a list of restaurants and foods that I want to eat once the acid reflux is done....just waiting for the day that I awake "burn free."

On to what I've learned...

1. Water can make you nauseous! If it does, stop drinking it! Jello and popsicles make a pretty good substitute. Play around with other beverages to see what your stomach can handle.
2. Research the medicines you are on...especially the instructions for taking it! I listened to the pharmacist when they said "take Nexium in the morning, about 30 minutes before eating." WRONGO, I just found out THIS WEEK after reading the actual Nexium label that was on and actual Nexium bottle that you should take it 1 HOUR before eating and not to eat until 1 HOUR afterwards. I've already noticed an improvement in a couple days; I can only wonder how much better I might have felt had I been following this recommendation weeks ago!
3. Whatever help someone offers...take it. If you have other children, pets, whatever and someone wants to watch them...accept the assistance.
4. Hyperemesis is covered by the FMLA Family & Medical Leave Act. I was never in jeapardy of losing my job, but I found it interesting that even for a few days at a time up to 12 weeks you are protection by FMLA and cannot lose your job.
5. The baby takes whatever nutrients it needs, from you. Don't be too concerned as you waste away. Of course if you are really sick, you need to keep in contact with your OBGYN.
6. Try not to worry so much about the medications your OBGYN might prescribe. As they told me "Do you really think we would prescribe medications that would harm the baby?" This I have to believe in.