Caring for Baby 101: Part 2

Here is a continuation of the post I made on Sunday. I found these posters for Caring for a Baby on JamesStriding.com. They are a hilarious collection of posters that originally were found at Wacky Archives. These would sure be great to print out and give to someone who is preparing for parenthood for the first time. Make sure to click on the link for all of the posters. I will post the last 9 pictures later this week. Have you found any other humorous baby information. If so let me know and I will post it.

Week 27: Well, Isn't that Swell? EDEMA

Week 27, I sure tell you that time is going fast. Her is a post I got from WhatToExpect. com. If you are expecting and interested you can sign up for a free email subscription by visiting the link above.

"Continuing on those sports analogies (remember, it was a soccer ball two weeks ago), your uterus has swelled to the size of a basketball this week. But unfortunately, that's not the only thing that's swelling. Beginning somewhere around this stage of pregnancy, nearly three-quarters of pregnant women start to experience mild swelling of the extremities, particularly of the feet and ankles (but also your hands, as you may have noticed when you last tried to take off your rings). Called edema, such swelling occurs when fluids accumulate in your body tissues as a result of increased blood flow and pressure of your growing uterus on the pelvic veins and your vena cava (the large vein on the right side of your body that returns blood from your lower limbs to the heart).
Mild swelling sure isn't swell (especially when you try to squeeze into your shoes at the end of the day, when puffiness is at its peak), but it is completely normal. If your swelling seems to be more than mild, talk to your practitioner. Excessive swelling can be one sign of preeclampsia, but when it is, it's accompanied by a variety of other symptoms (such as elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine). If your blood pressure and urine are normal (they're checked at each prenatal visit), there's nothing to be concerned about.

To spell swell relief, avoid sitting or standing for a long time, try to get some pregnancy-appropriate exercise, such as walking or swimming (if your practitioner okays it), and when you rest, do so with your feet elevated (if anyone deserves to put her feet up, it's you). Be sure, too, to drink enough each day to stay hydrated. Restricting fluid intake will not decrease swelling, but making sure to get your eight glasses daily may. And also try to look on the bright side: First of all, pretty soon your belly will be so big, you won't even be able to see how swollen your feet are. Second, edema is a temporary condition — you'll deflate completely soon after you give birth."

Caring for Baby 101

I found these posters for Caring for a Baby on JamesStriding.com. They are a hilarious collection of posters that originaly were found at Wacky Archives. Make sure to click on the link for all of the posters. I will post more tomorrow. Have you found any other humorous baby information. If so let me know and I will post it.

Week 26: Seeing Light and Hearing Sounds

I got this email from PregnancyWeekly.
Your baby weighs almost 2 pounds, measures around 14 inches from head to heel, and hears noises, responds to light, and is generally more aware of its surroundings. In the same way that you can see a flashlight if you hold it against your palm, your baby can see the light coming through your belly. You may notice increased activity when in brighter light and decreased activity in darkened rooms. Its hearing is fully developed, and as he or she reacts to sounds, its pulse increases. Your baby may even move in rhythm to music! If this is not your first baby and you delivered your first by c-section, you may still be able to deliver this one vaginally. If you would like to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section), be sure to discuss it with your doctor sooner rather than later.

What else can we expect in the coming weeks?

Major Purchases: Playard

As with my last post we have started purchaing items for our first child. Yesterday we purchased two items. One was the stroller I previously talked about and the other was a Living Room Playard. We spent more that we probably should have, as we talked to a salesperson at a store and she indicated that there was a cheap one on sale at a Baby Days Sale this coming weekend. I never even knew there was such a thing as Baby Days, but it seems like every store is having one the coming weekend! She told us that some babies even sleep in this until they are two years old and not to be fooled by all of the bells and whistles on expensive systems. Anyways, we purchased a maching playard to our stroller and car seat combo that was three times the price of the cheap one she told us about. Are we suckers for buying the bells and whistles and trying to match items? Guilty. Anyways, we purchased the Graco Pack 'n Play® Playard, it sure looks good.

Here is some information that I found on this product (found at Albee Baby):

Product Features and Benefits:

• Silhouette style frame blends flowing lines, ideal proportions and purposeful details to define quality and comfort.
• Posture plus changing table fits your life with uniquely convenient height and functionality.
• Cozy oval bassinet embraces your baby with Graco signature quilting.
• Baby basics organizer blends practical baby care with style and flair offering diaper stacker, refillable wipes container, and storage compartments.
• Deluxe electronic mobile entertains and soothes with:
• 2 speed mattress mounted vibration
• 5 classical songs + 5 soothing nature sounds
• LED lights "dance" to the music
• Check light shines on baby's sleep area
• Timer settings of 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes
• Full slumber dome canopy shades bassinet with a calm charming influence
• Squeeze latch adds graceful detailing to natural folding motion
• Accented with elliptical aluminum legs
• Wheels for better mobility in the home

Recommended Use:
For use by children unable to climb out, less than 35" tall.Changing Station for use by children less than 25 lbs.; Bassinet for use by children less than 15 lbs.

Care and Maintenance:If unit gets sandy, carefully remove sand from all surfaces before packing into bag. Sand may damage top rail lock. Clean with household soap and warm water. Drip dry. NO BLEACH. Machine wash carry bag in lukewarm water.

Was it worth the cost? What are your experiences with Playards?

Major Purchases: Baby Strollers

We are almost at week 25 now and this past weekend we started purchasing big items, that we will need when the baby arrives. We decided to go into a larger city and get some advice on products that we might need. We started at Toys "R" Us - Babies, as we were told that they are very educational. The lady we talked to had run a daycare for years and was very helpful. She took us through all of their products and indicated what she thought was best. We were specifically looking for a stroller and she indicated it did not matter which one we got but we should go with a Quattro.

We ended up purchasing one later on in the day from Sears. We purchased the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System. The main reasons we purchased this model was because it was a Quattro, the car seat is good for infants from 5-30 lbs. (most of the others only were good up to 22 lbs), and yes we like the colour. More information about the system we bought can be found below.

The Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe travel system includes the Quattro Tour Deluxe stroller, SafeSeat infant car seat with a 5-Point front adjust harness and a stay-in-car adjustable base. The Quattro Tour Deluxe stroller is made of aluminum tubing and promises years of comfy strolling for infants through toddlers. The one hand gravity fold simplifies life for parents and the 180° rotating canopy with peek-a-boo window shades your child from any direction. The 4-position, flat reclining seat keeps your child comfortable while the parent organizer tray with storage compartment and cupholders provides convenience for mom and dad. The lower and load storage basket is the perfect place for storing baby's essentials. Best of all, this travel system includes the Infant SafeSeat car seat for your infant from 5-30 lbs. and up to 32".

Do you have any other suggestions about major purchases that we should be doing before the baby arrives? What were your experiences when purchasing a stroller?

Fetal Development in regnancy week 23

I got this post from Baby Gaga Week 23. They email these posts every week. It is free to sign up.

At this point you’ve pretty much adjusted to the fact you’ve got a moving little gymnast inside of you, but now they’re going to kick up the party a notch because they can hear and react to sounds from the outside world. Sounds from your alarm clock, a thunder roll, or that darned car honking at you across the intersection can actually jar their little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming. Of course this also means that their little ears are picking up the sounds of your voice and those near you. So go ahead, sing a lullaby to your little angel—if they start kicking, it’s likely they just want you to stop… or maybe it was a kick of approval? You decide. Your baby's tiny taste buds are still growing and their bones are continuing to ossify (harden), their tiny veins are visible through their translucent yet wrinkly skin. (Think of it this way: they’ve been swimming in the equivalent of a long hot bath for the past 23 weeks, so you can’t blame them for being a little prune-like.) 

And how's mom doing? If no one warned you about the joys of the pregnancy-sleep-challenge, you’ve probably already started to discover just how difficult it can be to find adequately comfortable sleeping positions. The good news is: some people actually invented pillows specifically designed to give a pregnant woman a better chance of sleeping through the night. There are a variety of different designs, but inevitably you’ll want some sort of belly support as well as a body pillow between your legs and under your belly to relieve a bit of the discomfort you're sure to be experiencing right now. If you choose to buy the (rather spendy) pregnancy pillows they've got on the market, make sure you keep the receipt as some women still have problems sleeping and fare better with their own unique pillow collection and set-up

As if there's not enough to keep track of already, are you remembering to drink lots of fluids? Plenty of good ol’ fashioned H20 (water) can help reduce swelling in your poor ankles and feet-- resulting from the pressure your now over-sized uterus is putting on your pelvic veins, thereby slowing fluid circulation to the lower half of your body. Also, if you want to further reduce the dreaded appearance of pregnancy “cankles” (calf-ankles) try to avoid sitting for long periods of time—and for the hundredth time: don’t forget to stay active! Keeping your fluid intake up is also good for your little resident swimmer as dehydration is frequently connected with premature birthing. Yep, it’s a lot of responsibility, but you can do it! You’re almost two-thirds of the way there already! Keep up the good work mom!

Sick

We are both sick and for me who cares but it is scary when you see your expecting wife sick (head cold, chest infection). It has been almost a week now and three visits to the doctor. Any suggestions?

Here is some information that I found about chest infections from Love Life Matters:

Chest Infection During Pregnancy?

Question

I'm 24 weeks pregnant and have a chest infection. Firstly, I'm worried that all my coughing will distress the baby – is this reasonable? Secondly, what medicines can I take that are safe to the baby, but will ease my cough and cold? I have been taking blackcurrant linctus 3-4 times a day.

Answer

Unfortunately there is no way to avoid infections in pregnancy. In fact, women are slightly more prone to infection in pregnancy than they would otherwise be.

It is normal to be concerned about the baby throughout pregnancy, and many women worry about the effects of excessive coughing. The baby is remarkably resilient and will not be affected by your cough and cold. I would not advise that you take any medicines apart from paracetamol for any fever or discomfort that you might have. Usually symptoms such as yours will last for a couple of weeks and will then begin to settle. If you are coughing up phlegm or your symptoms are not easing after this time, it would be a good idea to arrange to see your GP so that you can be examined. If there is evidence of bacterial infection a course of antibiotics may be needed, and there are several antibiotics that can be safely used in pregnancy. If this is not the case, drinking plenty of fluids and using some steam inhalation is likely to help, and over a period of weeks your symptoms will settle.