Simply Moms Articles

by: Vera Raposo

During my pregancy I didn’t really have the desire to have my pregnancy-photos taken, I really wish I would have made more time to get them done.

If you’re anything like me, you’re usually the one holding the camera. Make sure to give the camera to hubbie so he can get the shots you can’t.

Here is what I believe are the best pregnancy-photos that you need to have done. Ok, some may sound a little strange, but believe me you will love looking back on even the silly ones!

Read my list of must have pictures!

Photo #1 Of course the day you found out you were pregnant! There are lots of women who keep the actual pregnancy test… why not take a picture of it and that can go into your pregnancy album?

Photo #2 If you have children…. take a picture of their reaction to the news.

Photo #3 Don’t forget the picture of the surprised daddy!

Photo #4 Get hubbie to take a picture of you calling your family & friends. If you’re having a dinner party to announce the wonderful news, be sure to click away that night.

Photo #5 Get a picture of yourself infront of the doctor’s office on your first visit, even get one with your doctor.

Photo #6 The next time I would bring the camera is when you get to hear the heartbeat for the first time. What a moment to capture! That’s the best moment there is for a mom to be.

Photo #7 Time for some mugshots! Get a nice front shot of yourself, then turn to your side for a profile shot. Do this every month as your pregnancy progresses. Easy to do.

Photo #8 Do you know a friend who can take some pictures of you and your husband? Get some nice shots of your husband with his head on your tummy….putting the music to your tummy…. kissing your tummy…. I could go on and on. Very cute and loving pictures.

Photo #9 Repeat Photo #8, but insert your older children.

Photo #10 Did your older children make something for your baby? Take pictures of them with their proud creations.

Photo #11 Get at least one picture of your doctor measure your belly. This is something that us women do every month with the doctor and it’s so comforting that the baby is growing properly.

Photo #12 Waiting around for an ultrasound? Bring the camera, get a picture of you infront of the hospital. You know they will make you drink a ton of water, so you’re doing the dance anyhow. Bring the camera to keep yourself busy. If there’s no one there with you……you’re in your gown right? Get a nice shot of those swollen feet.

Have fun with your pregnancy-photos! Create your pregnancy album during pregnancy is alot of fun.

by: Christine Dugan

So, you’ve gotten over the elation of being pregnant. Now, despite the joy of having a little one growing in your belly, you (and your husband or boyfriend) need to deal with the nagging symptoms of pregnancy. Here are just a few tips to help you to survive:

1. Get plenty of rest: Most likely, you will be more tired than ever before during the first trimester. Listen to your body and go to bed or take naps when you are feeling tired. This may also mean cutting back on obligations, or going out with friends. Do not let yourself worry about housework, errands, or getting ready for the baby, which needs to be done. You will have more energy in the 2nd trimester, so let the things that can wait, wait. Also, ask your husband, boyfriend, or family to help you when you are tired.

2. Ask (or beg) your significant other to do the grocery shopping, cooking, and some of the cleaning: You may have aversions to foods in the first trimester or simply just do not have the desire to cook. Prepare a list of food items that you enjoy and ask your husband to prepare the meals each night or a few nights per week. Alleviating the stress of having to deal with food aversions at the grocery store and over the stove will help alleviate some of the nausea you may be feeling. Not only that, but if you are like me and working full time, you are tired in the evenings and will not feel like cooking or cleaning.

3. Make large meals on the weekends to last throughout the week: You will find that you have a little more energy for a few hours on the weekends. Snatch up those moments of energy to make a one-dish meal for the week (soups, casseroles, lasagnas, stews) so that you have something on the nights you lack the desire and energy to cook.

4. If you are experiencing nausea, try different avenues to alleviate it: There are many tips out there to ease the nausea, such as eating crackers in the morning before you get up, eating crackers all day, drinking ginger tea, and drinking ginger ale. I did not find these things to help with my nausea. One of the things that helped me was eating black licorice, eating grilled cheese sandwiches all day, and drinking lemonade. So, what works for one, does not work for all. Try different things.

5. Don’t read all of the pregnancy books: Ask your doctor for one book that their practice recommends and stick with that book. If you feel the need to buy several books on the market, do not let yourself get worried about all of the things they discuss in these books. For example, I thought there was a chance that my baby was going to have neural tube defects (due to lack of folic acid) since I did not take prenatal vitamins prior to conception and in the first month of pregnancy. My doctor assured me that you do not even need to take the prenatal vitamins until the 20th week.

6. Call your doctor if you have concerns about anything! Your doctor will assure you more than the books or anyone else for that matter.

Lastly, have fun during your first trimester! Cherish all of the changes and experiences your body goes through during pregnancy as it forms a little miracle inside.

Implantation bleeding – Some women not all have light spotting known as implantation bleeding. This happens 10 to 14 days after conception and is lighter in color and shorter then a period. This happens when the fertilized egg implants it self to the lining of the uterus.

Swollen tender breasts – Some women notice their breasts seem swollen and fuller and more tender about two weeks after conception.

Morning Sickness – With or with out vomiting many women notice this a week or so after conception while some never experience it at all.

Darkened Areolas – Perhaps you have noticed the area around you nipples have darkened or changed color. The bumps on this area may become more noticeable as well.

Back ache – Ouch this symptom may show up as a dull ache very early on and could even last through out your pregnancy.

Tiredness – With all that hormone progesterone sky rocketing you are bound to feel tired and worn out many women notice this very early on. Lower blood sugar level contribute to this as well.

Frequent Urination – In about six to eight weeks the trips to the bathroom will increase.

Dizziness or fainting spells – You missed lunch and now you are feeling faint. That is another common sign in early pregnancy.

Heightened sense of smell -Yuck what smells! Do you notice that you can smell things that you never really noticed before? Yet another early symptom .

Food cravings or aversions – Well you may not be wishing for pickles and ice cream but you may have strong urges for many other foods. Or some thing you loved might just have you feeling ill.

Mood swings – No your not going crazy, but mood swings do play a part in pregnancy as well. So when that commercial brings you to tears it might just be a sign your pregnant.

Constipation – You may notice a change in your bowels early on as the intestines relax due to changes in hormone levels.

Heart burn – As the uterus begins to swell and hormone levels change you may end up with that ever nagging heart burn that had you reaching for the Tums.

Head aches – The extra hormones and blood increase in your body could be giving you that head ache. Staying hydrated often helps a head ache subside.

Absence of Menstruation – For many women the first sign of pregnancy is missing their period.

I just “feel” Pregnant – For some women the intuition is just that strong.

Am I really pregnant? Many of these common signs could be pregnancy related though there are many other factors that could cause these signs. A doctor is your most reliable source to tell you if you are in deed expecting.

By: Jennifer Gove

One, two, three stretch! I am not talking about exercise here, I am talking about that tell tale tummy and the stretch marks that most woman incur during pregnancy from their ever growing baby belly.

Some women wear these as the medal of honor of motherhood and others ask “How can I prevent them?” Of course most of us would like to prevent or lesson them. So what can you do?

H2o:

Water is so important to all processes in the body and keeping your skin moist, supple and healthy. Make sure that you are getting your 8 glasses a day!

Weight Gain:

Weight gain during pregnancy is crucial. However, so is eating healthy and gaining at a steady pace. Doctors recommend most woman gain between 25 and 35 pounds through out pregnancy keeping the gain steady. This does not mean you will not get stretch marks but gaining steadily with no sudden increases in weight will give skin time to adjust to your new size and lesson them.

Circulation:

Massage the areas where stretch marks are prone, keeping the circulation going in those areas will help lesson them and prove relaxing as well.

Creams:

There are many lotions and creams out now for preventing stretch marks. Using these will not necessarily prevent them but they do offer nutrients that will promote healthy skin and may in fact lesson stretch marks appearance on your belly. I surely would not spend tons of money on these products however.

Prenatal Vitamins:

Remember to take your vitamins. This will give your whole body a boost and ward off those stretch marks.

Truth be told, stretch marks may still appear no matter what precautions you take. However, don’t worry, over time most will fade in to thin silvery marks that are far less noticeable. In the meantime, that baby in your arms will make those stretch marks fade into the far back of your mind.

By Lauren

Being pregnant is lots of fun, but the morning sickness is one of the less desirable side effects of it. Especially if it isn’t just morning sickness, but morning, afternoon and night sickness! For some people the morning sickness part of the pregnancy is even harder than the last few weeks, when they are huge! Here are ten ways to help you deal with pregnancy nausea and hopefully to lessen it.

Eat something before you get up. When I was pregnant with my first child, my husband would make me a light breakfast and serve it to me in bed. That helped quite a lot to deal with some of the nausea. Alas, he stopped doing it with the subsequent children Crackers would be good to try, maybe with some cheese. Try different things and see what works best.

Ginger. Anything with ginger seems to work well for some people. Gingerbread, ginger snaps, ginger ale, just adding some ginger to a stir fry meal. I have heard a lot of people having success with that one.

Lemon water. That used to be one of the only things I still could drink when I was really sick. Normal water tasted yucky and I couldn’t bring myself to drink it. But the lemon water made me feel better. Not perfect, but better. I made it by cutting up a lemon, putting it in a pitcher of cold water and store it in the fridge. I often added some ice to make it colder and even more tasty.

Sea bands. You can buy those in most drug stores. Otherwise try a health food store. They are officially for travel sickness, but work for a lot of pregnant women too. They are an armband, which stimulate some pressure points on your wrist. This will result in a kind of acupressure, which can really lessen or eliminate your pregnancy sickness.

Eat throughout the day. Try not to let your stomach get empty, but snack on light things throughout the day. It would be best of you could eat high protein foods, but anything is fine if it helps you to avoid morning sickness. Sometimes there are only a few foods which will stay down, then just eat a lot of them for a while. It is better to get some calories in, even if it is from junk food, than not getting any calories in at all, because you throw up everything again! A lot of people notice that that will help them to be less nauseous.

Enough fluids. Try to push fluids even more than food, it is very important not to get dehydrated, because that will make you even sicker and might land you in the hospital. If you can’t drink much at a time, try drinking throughout the day, just as with eating. It also could help to not eat and drink at the same time, but wait at least 15 minutes after a meal or snack before drinking something. Another thing to experiment with and see what works best for you.

Rest. Try to get extra rest and lie down a few times during the day if you have the opportunity. Being well rested will decrease the likelihood of all day sickness. Of course, if you have a few other little ones to take care of, it might be hard to do that, but maybe you can build in a few rest points during the day, when you snuggle up in the big bed together and read stories. If you work full time, you might have to really cut back on your evening activities, asking your partner to do most of the housework and the cooking, while you rest and gain new energy.

Mint. Peppermint, or spearmint tea to sip, any candy with mint in it. Try different things to find something which works for you. A few drops of peppermint oil as aroma therapy can help too. Do not take the peppermint oil internally!

Be careful with iron supplements. Iron supplements, or prenatal vitamins with iron might aggravate the nausea. If you use those, try taking them at a different time of the day, or cutting them out for a few days and see whether that improves things.

Avoid food and smells which bother you. Sometimes just smelling something will set you off. It might be a wise idea to let your partner do the cooking for a while, and make sure you are not close to the kitchen while he is doing it.

I really hope one of those tips helps, but sometimes nothing does! In that case, try to tell yourself that morning sickness is a good sign, it means the pregnancy is going well, and your chances on a miscarriage are less. It won’t make you feel better physically, but it might help you mentally!

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By: Jennifer Gove

So you are pregnant and the excitement is still thick in the air then the name game starts…..

The moment you heard you were pregnant all your favorite names jumped into your mind. That perfect name you always said you would name your first born you find out moments later your partner hates! He flat out hates it! He then spills out the most horrible name that has ever touched your ears! Does any one still name their children names like that? You think not! So what do you do to come to a conclusion on a name you both love?

-Write separate lists of names you love then switch lists and choose five favorites on each others list and combine the list of favorite names.

-Be willing to talk about names you do not like and understand they won’t be used

-Does changing the spelling make you like a name better?

-Does adding a different middle or first name change how much you like a particular name?

-Get ideas and opinions from friends and family.

-Pour over baby books together talk about the names you like.

-Do not insist your partner like the names you do, the world is full of names and you WILL find one you both love.

-Take a break you have nine months to find that perfect name.

by: Mary Arnold

Would you like to give your baby boy a name reflective of your Irish roots? In this article, I’ve listed some of the most popular names for a boy in Ireland, according to the Central Statistics Office of Ireland. For each name appearing below, I have given the Gaelic spelling, the name’s meaning, and, when applicable, the Anglo-Saxon version of the name.

Adhamh – Gaelic for Adam; “red earth, ruddy”

Aidan – “the little fiery one”

Ailín – Gaelic for Alan, Allen; “noble”

Aindréas – Gaelic for Andrew; “manly, valiant, courageous”

Áron – Gaelic for Aaron; “shining light, messenger”

Breandan – Gaelic for Brendan; “prince”

Caoimhín – Gaelic for Kevin; “handsome”

Concobhar – Gaelic for Conor/Connor; “a strong will”

Cormac – “lad of the chariot”

Dainéal – Gaelic for Daniel; “oak”

Dáivi – Gaelic for David; “beloved one”

Darragh – “small great one, riches”

Declan – name of a 5th century bishop

Dermot – “free of envy”

Donovan – “dark warrior”

Dylan – “sea god, son of the waves”

Fionn – “white, fair”

Liam – Gaelic for William; “determined guardian”

Micheál – Gaelic for Michael; “who is like God”

Pádraig – Gaelic for Patrick; “noble, well-born”

Roibeárd – Gaelic for Robert; “bright, famous”

Ruairí – Gaelic for Rory; “the red king”

Séamus – Gaelic for James; “the supplanter”

Seán – Gaelic for John; “God is gracious”

Steafán – Gaelic for Stephen; “crown”

These are just a few of the many Irish names that would be appropriate for a baby boy. If you did not find anything you like here, there are many websites that offer a more extensive list.

by: Mary Arnold

Would you like to give your baby girl a name reflective of your Irish roots? In this article, I’ve listed some of the most popular names for a girl in Ireland, according to the Central Statistics Office of Ireland. For each name appearing below, I have given the Gaelic spelling, the name’s meaning, and, when applicable, the Anglo-Saxon version of the name.

Abaigeal – Gaelic for Abigail; “father’s joy”

Áine – often used for Anne; “joy, praise”

Aleanbh – Gaelic for Alannah; “the bright fair one, beautiful child”

Aoife – Gaelic for Eve; “life-giving”

Brenna – “raven-haired”

Bridget – “strong, spirited”

Caitlin – Gaelic for Catherine; “pure”

Ceallach – Gaelic for Kelly; “a warrior”

Ceilí – Gaelic for Kayleigh; “party, celebration”

Clár – Gaelic for Claire; “bright”

Eilís – Gaelic for Elizabeth; “consecrated to God”

Erin – “from Ireland”

Fallon – “a leader”

Fíona – “the fair one”

Isibéal – Gaelic for Isabel/Isabella; “consecrated to God”

Mairéad – Gaelic for Margaret; “pearl”

Máire – Gaelic for Mary; “bitter”

Nuala – Gaelic for Nola; “fair-shouldered one”

Ráichéal – Gaelic for Rachael; “little lamb”

Riona – “a queen, queen-like”

Saraid – Gaelic for Sarah; “princess”

Shannon – “wise one”

Sháuna – feminine of Sean; “God is gracious”

Sinéad – Gaelic for Jane; “gracious, merciful”

Siobhán – Gaelic for Joan; “God is gracious”

These are just a few of the many Irish names that would be appropriate for a baby girl. If you did not find anything you like here, there are many websites that offer a more extensive list.