Mission of the day: Layettes shopping spree for my baby girl #2
Fashion consultant: My #1
Fee: Tarte aux framboises @ Maison Kayser
Tag Archives: baby
Time’s Flow
Walking towards you my baby… 2 more months…
23 Weeks: Direction Babymoon!
Since NYC has become an icebox in the past few days and because the 3rd trimester is looming on the horizon and promising to be quite a rollercoaster with discomfort making its big comeback and a long list of preparations in anticipation for the big baby # 2 day, it was time for one last sunny Hooray! Hello Babymoon!
My Babymoon Planning Checklist:
• Consult with OB prior to booking to make sure it is safe to travel and because some destinations require prior vaccination
• Timing: 2nd trimester (week 18 to 24) is the safest time for pregnant women to travel
• Destination:
– Would like South Africa but need relaxation more than adventure at the moment so –> any amazing beach
– Short travel time is ideal but will not compromise on the beach
– Somewhere with good medical facilities
• Result: Hawaii (I know I’m pushing it a bit with the 11hour flight time!)
On the plane:
• Wear compression socks, comfortable clothes and layers to account for the various temperatures during transit
• Keep feet elevated if possible and don’t cross legs to help prevent leg swelling
• Get up and walk around every hour or so to aid blood circulation
• Keep hydrated
My Beach Packing List (I’ll only share the essentials here…I’m not a light packer!):
• Don’t forget the prenatal vitamins
• Plenty of sunscreen to avoid dark pregnancy patches in the sun
• Hand gel sanitizer and sanitizing wipes
• Fill iPhone with the latest hit tunes and delete all pictures to make space for new ones
• Lots of bikinis
• Jelly sandals
• Light flowy clothes
• Sunnies
Inside my travel bag
Thankful for…
This year I’m thankful for being able to bear baby # 2! While it is my second experience, I am still dazzled by the miraculous and transformative process of pregnancy. I’m thankful for the fruit of my first experience that enchants me every minute of everyday. My only wish is that the baby turns-out healthy and never experiences real pain.
Whether having kids is a selfless or a selfish act has been hotly debated and perhaps more so lately as there has been a growing wave of people choosing not to have kids at all, arguing that such a choice is no more selfish than the decision to have kids. Despite all the sacrifice parents do for their kids, the argument is that having a child should still be considered a selfish act meant to bring to life a creature that will provide you a lot of happiness or even as a self-love act since a child is an extension of his maker.
Let’s be honest here, they do have a point and I do think that we should not judge people that make this choice. Having a kid should be a choice. Whether we like it or not, human beings act for the most part out of pure self-interest, therefore, I wouldn’t contest the underlying idea that there is major selfish element in deciding to have a child, however is that necessarily a bad thing? I think there should be a distinction between harmful selfishness (the kind that overreaches to harm others and usually is the type that creates conflict and leads on a greater scale to crises, wars and inequalities) and harmless selfishness (the kind that reflects self-interested behavior but does not negatively affect the greater good).
My heart goes to those deprived from this gift of childbearing whether it’s because of health reasons, social or financial circumstances or any other impediment but I am also thankful for the scientific and medical advances in the fertility and reproductive field that give some people the hope of fulfilling this dream.
Enjoy this upcoming Thanksgiving (the prep, the dinner and the therapeutic power of giving thanks!)
Oh and Thank YOU for checking my blog!
Sugar Substitutes and Pregnancy
A lot of controversy surrounds the safety of artificial sweeteners. Most health professionals consider the majority of such sweeteners relatively safe during pregnancy. Some professionals however recommend avoiding them altogether during that period and associate their use to birth defects. Scientific research regarding their general safety is still unfortunately neither comprehensive nor absolute. The ideal approach a pregnant woman can take during her 9 months of gestation is to be prudent and limit her use of such chemical additives. Pregnancy is not the right time to cut on calories anyways so it might be just fine to replace the artificial sweeteners with sugar or honey when you inevitably need that sweet taste (except if you are dealing with carbohydrate intolerance such as gestational diabetes, in which case you need to consult your doctor or your dietician to discuss regulating your sugar consumption). Moreover, a lot of processed foods that contain sugar substitutes are not necessarily calorie-free nor (like in the case of diet soft drinks) do they provide you and your fetus with essential nutrients you both need.
Whatever position you decide to take in relation to artificial sweeteners, you should absolutely avoid Saccharin during pregnancy because it’s proven to be capable of crossing the placenta and getting to your fetus’ developing tissues. Additionally, you should note that the US banned the use of Cyclamate based on some studies that have shown a link to bladder cancer.
Other sugar substitutes like sugar alcohols (such as Maltitol and Xylitol found in sugar-free chewing gums and some other processed foods) are not a big concern when it comes to safety but they do cause digestive problems if you go overboard or in case of a regular intake. Since you are already vulnerable to such discomforts by virtue of being pregnant, you probably don’t want to add to them!
Superfoods for Mommy-to-Be
Here is a list of superfoods an expecting mommy must include in her diet for an optimum nutrition for herself and her developing baby! Those nutrient-dense foods provide mommy and baby with more essential nutrients for the calories than other foods.
Favorite PG Phone Apps
My Pregnancy Today by BabyCenter: My pregnancy day by day, fetal development images, Pregnancy checklist, Award-winning videos, Birth clubs, due date calculator and nutrition guide.
Pregnancy Buzz by The Bump: Daily updates including what’s going on with baby and my body, customizable to-dos and appointments, and my own weekly pregnancy photo gallery!
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