For Mothers-to-Be and New Mothers:

For the pregnant mothers-to-be:

Today as I read through some of the books that I bought for my pregnancy I find myself trying to pick something that would be helpful for all of those who are pregnant that visit my blog. As I re-read some of the chapters in "The Pregnant Body Book: The Complete Illustrated Guide From Conception to Birth." I remembered the parts of the book that REALLY helped me week to week bond with my unborn baby in a way. I am a very visual person and love pictures to bond with something that I can't hold. This provides me with a sense of comfort that lets me know that my baby is growing they way she was supposed to be. Though it made me feel like I was in biology class again. But this time I ABSOLUTELY loved learning it.  This book showed me pictures of what my baby looked like as the weeks past but the chapters that I found to be really helpful, as time drew closer to my due date, were "Labor and Birth." It showed me different positions that I could deliver in, what to expect during labor, how to differentiate between Braxton Hicks Contractions for the real contractions lessened the fear of delivery. It also provided some great talking points for my weekly appointments that I went to. I even brought the book once so she could see what I was reading. My doctor approved of the book selection that I bought and said that she was impressed with me for going the extra mile to educate myself. So my piece of advice for the day is educate, educate, EDUCATE! Especially if you are like me and find yourself stressing about every little detail educating yourself combined with talking with your doctor helps with controlling that fear that hits in your third trimester.

To all of my delivered mothers:

The topic that I picked for you today are common concerns of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding came naturally to Lizzy and I. She latched on almost immediately. But that did not mean that I had my bouts of anxiety while I was learning to breastfeed. My breastfeeding has been a little rocky. My concerns that I had were:

1. Is Elizabeth (my daughter) getting enough?
2. Am I producing enough?
3. When do I know when she is done feeding?

Having an older sister and a sister-in-law that had given birth before me I constantly talked to them about some tricks that I could try with my body to know that I was producing enough. For the first concern my sisters told me that if she was not eating enough she would only eat for about 5 minutes and then start to fuss if my body was not keeping up with my daughters demand for my milk supply. Then they proceeded to tell me 5 tricks to MAKE SURE my body was producing enough.

1. Water, water, WATER: Drink lots and lots of water. Now that your baby is no longer inside you you can drink all the water you want until your little heart's content. But if you are breastfeeding like me I'm sure that your thirst is not always quenched.
2. Eat lots of good calories and protein: After consulting my husband, who is into personal training and nutrition, suggested eating almonds, fish, chicken, steaks, and drinking protein shakes. My sister suggested good green salads but told me to stay away from spinach and broccoli because it will gives Lizzy really bad stomach aches due to gas. Get 3 meals in a day. If that is not possible for you eat small snacks that have a source of protein, good carbs and some natural fibers.
3. Take prenatals that assist in helping lactating women: I know you thought you were done with your prenatals. Nope. Hehehe.
4. Get a good 8 hours of sleep: If you have your baby on a schedule in about the second month after giving birth that will be possible but if you just delivered sleep when your baby sleeps. It really does help. It allows your body to rejuvenate and replenish your milk supply. If you suffer from sleep deprivation your milk supply and your baby will suffer as well. Let's try to avoid that.
5. Pump often: I found the perfect time to pump is while Elizabeth is sleeping. I pump for a half an hour  every two hours. Doing this also makes sure to have your body get on a schedule for producing. Once you are on a schedule try to stick with it and DON'T MISS A FEEDING. Its not bad if you do. The worst thing that could happen is you leak inside your bra but that's about it.

Thank you for visiting for my daily advice. I really appreciate the support and enjoy doing this. If you have any questions, comments or would like me to give advice on a subject leave a message for me in the comment box below or email me at ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com. Thanks again.

Until Tomorrow Then!