Birth Baby and Beyond Magazine

Checkout Gorgeous mom-to-be Jasmine on the cover of this weeks online magazine!! Read about Jasmine, things to do in the third trimester, 5 things you didn't know about formula feeding, and much more!! All you have to do is flip through the pages and click or tap on the article you want to read!! Download http://www.flipboard.com for a complete view of this issue and to subscribe to my magazine!! Thank you for sharing @jassipena and for the beautiful photography @wentactuk  Click on the link in my bio and go to my blog to read more!! Or click here http://flip.it/Qc8Sg
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First Trimester To-Dos

FIRST TRIMESTER

Get prepped and ready early: Here's everything you need to know (and do) during your first trimester.

With doctors, finances and everything else to think about, things can get pretty overwhelming planning for baby. Use this handy guide to keep track of your progress... and to keep your sanity!

Weeks 1-8*

[  ] Take pregnancy test

[  ] Tell your partner the good news

[  ] Find an OB/GYN

[  ] Schedule prenatal checkup

[  ] Research insurance — how does it deal with pregnancy and children?

[  ] Make sure partner has short and long term disability

[  ] Figure out how pregnancy, baby and maternity leave will affect finances

[  ] Create a savings plan for your child's future expenses

[  ] Make a budget to start saving now

[  ] First prenatal checkup (week 4-8)

Weeks 8-12

[  ] Start buying maternity clothes

[  ] Chorionic villus sampling

[  ] Nuchal translucency screening (week 10-12)

[  ] Chromosomal disorder screening (week 10-14)

[  ] Doctor visit

*We start counting pregnancy from the last menstrual period

Sex Ed For Baby-Making

We’ll take up where high school health class left off. Here’s everything you need to know about how to make a baby the old-fashioned way.

When to do it

You’re most likely to get pregnant if you have unprotected sex in the five days before you ovulate, or on the day itself. And the number one mistake women make when they’re trying to get pregnant? Not getting the timing right.

Counting day one of your period as day one of your cycle, most women ovulate about 14 days before their next period. So if your cycle varies between 24 and 30 days, you’ll ovulate somewhere between days 10 and 16. Once the egg is released from the ovary, it’s only receptive to sperm and able to be fertilized for about 12 to 24 hours, but sperm can remain viable for days after intercourse...which is why you can have sex days before ovulation and still get pregnant. If your cycle is very regular you have a good idea when you ovulate. If not, it might make sense to buy an over-the-counter fertility monitor to help you get the timing right.

How often to do it

Logic tells us that if a little is good, a lot is better. But that’s not the case with intercourse when you’re trying to get pregnant. Sperm counts may actually be lower if men ejaculate too often. On the other hand, if men don’t ejaculate for weeks, the sperm are relatively old and may not be as capable of swimming and fertilizing an egg. So many experts have concluded that sex every other day—and not more than once a day—is ideal for baby-making.

How to do it

The good news is, you don’t have to read the Kama Sutra or do any daredevil acrobatics to get pregnant. Nor must you rely on the missionary position night after night. No study has ever found that one position is better than another for conception success.

Some experts still recommend the man-on-top position, so that the sperm is deposited closest to where it’s supposed to be, at the top of the vagina. And some women trying to get pregnant avoid being on top for fear that gravity will be working against the sperm, and that it will leak out immediately. But sperm are speedy swimmers, and once they’re out of the gate they’re on their way to the fallopian tubes within seconds.  The stuff that leaks out after sex is just fluid and some dead sperm.

What to do immediately afterwards

Some experts do recommend staying in bed anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour after intercourse to keep the sperm pooled at the top of the vagina. A woman can put her knees up to accentuate this position, or she can place her feet on the wall with her hips on a small pillow, which works even better.

Don’t feel like lying around? Other experts don’t believe there’s much medical basis to recommend it anyway. So lie around or not—you decide. One big afterglow no-no: Don’t douche, which can increase the risk of pelvic infection and lower your risk of getting pregnant. Another thing to avoid right after intercourse: anything that will raise your core body temperature, meaning no hot tubs, saunas, or long runs.

Making conception sex fun

Trying to conceive can be stressful on a relationship. So anything you can do to make it more pleasurable and fun is great. Sex toys are a good idea, though obviously be careful to keep them clean.

And while lubricants may make intercourse more comfortable, be careful to choose a “safe” one if you’re trying to make a baby. There are now a number of “sperm-friendly” lubricants on the market. Or you can try canola oil, which has no effect on sperm. One other option: Tell your husband to work a little harder!  Make conception sex fun with lots of foreplay, so you’ll get lubricated on your own.

Birth Baby and Beyond Magazine

Checkout Beautiful Baby Skylar on the cover of this weeks online magazine!! Read about Skylar, when can I take my newborn out in public, legs cramps during pregnancy, and much more!! All you have to do is flip through the pages and click or tap on the article you want to read!! Download http://www.flipboard.com for a complete view of this issue and to subscribe to my magazine!! Thank you for sharing @alwayzsitnpretty  Click on the link below read more!!  

http://flip.it/SmGPU
Also checkout Skylar as my cover photo this week on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/birthbabyandbeyondpregnancy 

Eating Right When Pregnant

Good nutrition during pregnancy, and enough of it, is very important for your baby to grow and develop. You should consume about 300 more calories per day than you did before you became pregnant.

Although nausea and vomiting during the first few months of pregnancy can make this difficult, try to eat a well-balanced diet and take prenatal vitamins. Here are some recommendations to keep you and your baby healthy.

Goals for Healthy Eating When Pregnant
▪Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrientsyou need. Recommended daily servings include 6-11 servings of breads and grains, two to four servings of fruit, four or more servings of vegetables, four servings of dairy products, and three servings of protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, eggs or nuts). Use fats and sweets sparingly.
▪Choose foods high in fiber that are enriched, such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta and rice, as well as fruits and vegetables
▪Make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals in your daily diet while pregnant. You should take a prenatal vitamin supplement to make sure you are consistently getting enough vitamins and minerals every day. Your doctor can recommend an over-the-counter brand or prescribe a prenatal vitamin for you.
▪Eat and drink at least four servings of dairy products and calcium-rich foods a day to help ensure that you are getting 1000-1300 mg ofcalcium in your daily diet during pregnancy.
▪Eat at least three servings of iron-rich foods, such as lean meats, spinach, beans, andbreakfast cereals each day to ensure you are getting 27 mg of iron daily.
▪While you're pregnant, you will need 250 micrograms of iodine a day to help ensure your baby's brain and nervous systemdevelopment.
▪Choose from a variety of dairy products -- milk, cheese (especially cottage cheese), yogurt -- as well as baked potatoes, cooked navy beans, and limited amounts -- 8to 12 oz per week -- of seafood such as cod, salmon, and shrimp.
▪Choose at least one good source of vitamin C every day, such as oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, honeydew, papaya, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green peppers, tomatoes, and mustard greens. Pregnant women need 70 mg of vitamin C a day.
▪Choose at least one good source of folic acid every day, like dark green leafy vegetables, veal, and legumes (lima beans, black beans, black-eyed peas and chickpeas). Every pregnant woman needs at least 0.4 mg of folic acid per day to help prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida
▪Choose at least one source of vitamin A every other day. Sources of vitamin A include carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, spinach, water squash, turnip greens, beet greens, apricots, and cantaloupe.

8 Ways To Deal With Pregnancy's Aches And Pains

SECOND TRIMESTER

Let's face it, pregnancy can sometimes be one huge pain in the butt. Find out how you can stay comfy despite it all.

As you've surely learned by now, pregnancy comes with lots of aches, pains and strange symptoms. The good news? All that soreness means your body is getting ready for delivery! As you get further into pregnancy, your ligaments loosen up to give baby more room to break out of your womb... which unfortunately leads to feelings of wobbliness and pressure for you, especially around your hips and pelvis. You might not feel total relief until baby is out of your belly and in your arms, but here are a few ways to ease the aches... at least a little.

Take a hike
Okay, not up Pike's Peak, but at least a nice stroll. Keeping light exercise in your routine can energize your body and help you cope with the sore spots.

Eat right
Managing your nutrition increases energy levels, keep your weight gain in check and gives your body (and baby!) an overall advantage.

Kick back
Don't be ashamed to just lay back and kick your feet up when you feel like it. (You definitely deserve it!) Propping up your heels helps blood flow and reduces the risk of clots and swelling.

Take a dip
The soothing weightlessness of swimming (or just goofing around in the pool) can help ease some of the pressure on your body and provides a bit of low-impact exercise.

Heat it up
Try placing a heating pad at the small of your back to soothe the soreness. To make your own heating pad, fill a cotton tube sock with plain white rice, tie up the loose end, and pop it in the microwave until it's nice and warm (about one and a half to two minutes).

Get a rubdown
Ask your partner to give you a nice massage to help relax your muscles. His handiwork will also help your body release pain-blocking chemicals (endorphins) and get your mind off the aches by increasing feelings of intimacy. Ask him to try different things like pressing firmly on your lower back or working his knuckles up and down the sides of your spine. Be sure to let him know what feels good!

Cushion while you snooze
If you haven't invested in a body pillow yet, now's the time! Sleep is often comfier with a pillow between your legs or under your back. Some women like to place one under the small of their backs, too.

Go alternative
If you still aren't getting relief, consider alternative therapies like yoga, acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology or meditation.

Do Dads Suffer Postpartum Depression?

By: Anisa Arsenault

The stigma around postpartum depression is lessening; we talk about it more and more, making it easier and more encouraged for women to seek treatment. But does the same hold true for dads?

One in ten dads will suffer frompostpartum depression. And a new study highlights the negative effects this could have on parenting as children grow into toddlerhood.

“The fact is that, given that there’s often two parents in the home working with the child, both parents’ depressive symptoms can have a very similar level of effect to the point that both need to be addressed,” says Sheehan D. Fisher, a co-author of the study.

Researchers from the Northwestern University study followed 199 couples during their child’s first six weeks of life and circled back again after 45 months. Partners individually filled out questionnaires evaluating their levels of depression, along with their children’s feelings and behaviors. The findings? A dad with baby blues can have just as much effect on a child’s behavior as a depressed mom.

“Typically, in our culture, fathers haven’t been considered as integral in a child’s care,” Fisher says. “Now that there’s been a transition for fathers being more involved, I think that we’re just starting to see that we need to focus on both of the parents.”

And focusing on those needs is important. The sadness and lack of motivation associated with postpartum depression can result in a less engaged parent.