For Your Pre-Pregnancy Reading Enjoyment

For the people out there like me, who need to know as much as possible to keep their sanity... I've pulled together the list of books I've read for preconception. These were great resources, and I'd recommend all three of them. New research shows that it doesn't take just 9 months to have a baby, but more like 12. At least 3 months to prepare your body and then the additional 9.

• What To Expect Before You're Expecting - This one is informative but a little cheesy. I found myself thinking enough with the jokes already.  The first section was the most helpful and is all about getting ready to conceive. From vaccinations to Dr. appointments, weight, and diet. The second section was how to make a baby. I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention in health class or just totally missed something, but I learned a lot!     

                                   

• Get Ready to Get Pregnant - If you're only going to read one pre-conception book, this would be the one to read. It was the most informative. Almost too informative. I found myself feeling a little overwhelmed when it began talking about all the toxins in your home and cleaning supplies. Not to mention the bashing of meat due to dioxins. It goes into depth on diet and nutrition. There is also an entire chapter on preconception appointments and what you should ask your doctor about. This was my favorite one! It's packed full of info and a very quick read.                                                                        

                                    

• Before Your Pregnancy: a 90 Day Guide -  This one is pretty lengthy. I'm still not finished reading it. I loved the preconception visit chapter. It had a list of questions you should ask your obgyn and what to expect on your visit. There is also great information on exercise and getting into shape.                                                    

                                     

Since reading these books I've made some changes that have included losing weight, working out more, having my cavities/dental work done. I also floss every night now and take prenatal vitamins. I went for my preconception visit and updated my vaccines.

 I sooo wish I could just skip forward already! August, hurry up!!!!

Love,

Before Baby Lady

Love You Forever

I remember in kindergarten, going to the school library with my class. The librarian read us a book called "Love You Forever." I remember how hard she was crying, and how I had to fight back tears after hearing the story. I was 5. 

Maybe it was because the teacher was crying or maybe I sort of got it. But this book has always made me emotional. If you have never read it, it's about a little boy who's mom rocks his to sleep and sings him a song. She sings to him each night as the little boy grows up, until he's a grown man. She continues to rock and sing to him while he sleeps. At the end, the boy gets a call that his mom is very sick and he picks her up and rocks her back and forth singing the song. Then, he goes home to his own house and rocks his new baby girl back and forth singing the lullaby his mom always sang to him. t.e.a.r.s.

So, this week at school, we are doing an author study on Robert Mulsch. (I teach first grade to the sweetest group of kids ever. seriously. it's the best) I had several of his books sitting out and of course, my students wanted me to read this one. So, I did. I actually was able to hold it together. (some of the kids thought the story was funny. It is really creepy that she still rocks him to sleep... and they were giggling. I can't really blame them though) 

So I asked, "do you think Robert wrote this book to be funny?" My little Alyssa piped up and said, "No. He is trying to show that even when you grow up, your mom will still love you just like she did when you were her baby. Because you will always be her baby." 

Then, I looked around the room and could see all their little minds soaking this up. I could even see tears swelling up in some of their eyes. They got it too. Just like I did. 

(click above to watch the video)

This is why I love kids and so badly want a baby of our own.

Love, 

Before Baby Lady

Paleo and Pregnancy

I know when you mention pregnancy and diets, most people freak out. Well, here goes nothing!

Over the past three months, I have drastically changed my diet. My sister and a few friends had started this Paleo diet. I had never heard of it and always thought it sounded nuts! No grains, no dairy... what?!? But I saw these friends lose lots of weight and keep it off. They also felt fantastic.

I on the other hand, had gained some weight since high school. About 25 pounds. Knowing I wanted to get pregnant, I needed to lose this weight and give my body some time to stabilize before gaining pregnancy pounds. So, I decided to try it.

The first week, I cut out grains. The next week, dairy. After that, I slowly increased my exercise regimen. This led to a loss of almost 20 pounds since January. My goal is to lose about another 10 pounds. But the better news is I feel awesome! I have twice the energy I used to! Normally, I would go to sleep around 9 every night (or earlier). Now, I can easily make it to 11 without feeling tired the next day. I still go to bed at a decent hour, but I can enjoy nights with my husband without feeling exhausted. Not to mention, I've lost 2 pants sizes and my clothes fit so much better!

So, what is Paleo? Paleo is the idea that we should be eating the way men ate thousands of years ago. Like cavemen. They ate meat, vegetables, and fruit. Grains, bread, chips, and cookies, these thing were not part of their diet. Our bodies haven't evolved enough to process these grains. Grains are processed. I have cut out all processed foods.

When you stop eating grains, you will no longer be starving. In the past, I would feel sick if I didn't eat every 4 hours or so. Now, I'm hardly ever hungry. Those hunger pains are long gone.

Also, grains cause your body to retain water. All of us are walking around with unnecessary pounds of water weight. When you stop eating grains, you will lose tons of water weight (pee a lot) and keep it off too.

I love eating this way and love the way I feel.

So, here's the drama...

I don't want to stop eating this way. I want to continue this diet when I'm pregnant and even after that. I don't want to go back to my old ways and feel like crap again.

So I'm going to keep eating this way. I've done lots of research and really feel like it's best. Most women eating Paleo and pregnant have found they have less nausea, more energy, and less weight gain. My friend gained 30 pounds when pregnant with her first two kids. Once she started paleo, she only gained 18 ponds for her last two pregnancies.

I'm really not even concerned about the weight. I just want to eat healthy food and feel healthy. Paleo is the way to do that.

I'm excited to see if I can keep it up and how this all works out for me.

Not to mention eatings boat loads of vegetables, fruit, and lean meat make you super fertile!

Just a few paleo resources:

onefitmom.ca

Paleo Pregnancy Blog

Paleo Diet Info

Everyday Paleo

LOVE,

BEFORE BABY LADY

Before Pregnancy to-do's

There are a few things we want to get in order before I get pregnant. I've slowly checked several things off the list!

1. Preconception appointment

2. Start prenatal vitamins

3. Vaccinations

4. Obgyn search

5. Go off the pill

6. Insurance

4. Start and stick to a workout schedule

7. Lose weight

8. Eat only "real" food (nothing processed)

9. Have cavities filled

10. Read up!

We are going to change my insurance in August during open enrollment.

I'm currently working on the losing weight, working out, and eating healthy. I didn't want to cross them off, because I have to keep it up!

I have two appointments scheduled to get my cavities filled. I have several cavities. Like maybe, 6?!? That's so embarrassing! I'm getting 3 done this week and 3 more done at the end of the month. Some people may wonder why I need to get this done before pregnancy. You can't have cavities filled when you're pregnant or nursing. So, this could be a very long time for me. I'd rather have everything taken care of before then.

I've also read 2 preconception books and am working on the third one. These were recommended by prebabyblog.com. I will do reviews on these books later on.

I know some of you must think I'm a crazy, over-the-top person. I'm a planner. I always have been. When it comes to something as important as health, I will feel so much more comfortable knowing I did everything I could to be healthy. The only thing more comforting is knowing that

all is in God's hands. He has greater plans than we can ever imagine.

Love,

Before Baby Lady

Preconception Appointment... and I think I'm cursed!

Seriously? If I was crazy, I would think someone was trying to tell me I shouldn't get pregnant! Last week, I lost my keys at my doctor appointment (located in the hospital) and waited around for 3 hours. Today, at my preconception appointment (also located in the hospital) all the tornados started to hit. I was once again, stuck at the hospital for over 2 hours! What in the world is going on? Let's say it's been very eventful!

Well, I really got to know the nurses and doctors at the obgyn office, considering we were in a small hallway taking shelter. Other than that, I will say that it went really well! The nurse was very friendly and no one thought I was crazy for coming in (one of my fears.) It was a pretty general check-up including pap-smear and urine test. The doctor came in before the exam to meet me and perform the consultation. He discussed my health and family history and the medicines that I take. I showed him my vitamins and he gave me a free sample of prenatals. They also gave me a website to order more prenatal vitamins which is way cheaper. It's about $50.00 for a 3 month supply. Then he discussed some key elements of conceiving based on my cycle.

I came to the appointment with several questions, but he ended up answering most of them for me. I did ask him his c-section rate. For first time moms, he is about 29%. The national average is 31%. This was pretty comforting. C-sections are really scary to me, and I'd like to avoid one if possible. He said, "my patients have to prove that they are unable to deliver before he allows a c-section."

{I had done some research about this particular hospital. It has much higher c-section rates than average hospitals. I've heard it was due to the higher income levels in the area and women wanting them scheduled. Not because it was needed.}

My doctor mentioned this to me. He also said that you would have to twist his arm to get a scheduled c-section, and that he was really against them. He also let me know that he was for the minimum amount of medicine as possible.

This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I left the office feeling relieved to have found someone I liked and excited!

Let's just hope that my next appointment (whenever that will be) will not be so dramatic!

Love,

Before Baby Lady

Finding an obgyn

I have used the same obgyn for a few years. I was happy knowing she would be the one I would see when I found out I was pregnant! Last Monday, I remember thinking I should call and schedule a preconception appointment with her. On Tuesday, I got a letter in the mail saying she is no longer covered on my insurance. WHAT?!?

So being me, I sat down and started researching obgyns. HOLY SMOKES there are sooo many choices. We live in a very big city and let's just say I was overwhelmed.

Hubby and I made a game plan. Because we have different insurance, and we're not sure which insurance I will need to be on, we pulled the list of doctors that each of our insurance companies covers. Then, we deleted any doctor that wasn't on both of our insurances.

Then, I decided to go with only male doctors. Is it just me, or do ya'll have bad experiences with female doctors sometimes? They just aren't as kind to me sometimes. Not ALL of them. I loved my female obgyn that is no longer covered, but some of them. My sister told me that male doctors seem to sympathize with pregnancy more because they don't know what it's like. They have to be kind and understanding. This made sense to me. So I went with it.

I then deleted all the doctors that weren't super close to my work and home. Then, I started checking out their websites.

The first doctor I looked at, well he was in his 40's. And he looked nice ya'll! And by nice, I mean kind. friendly. normal.

And the cherry on top... he delivers at the best hospital ever. It's like a resort. AND on his website he had information on preconception appointments! What?!? None of them had that!

And the best part of all...

When I was locked out of my car at the hospital (see my last post) for 3 hours. I saw a lot of doctors coming and going. A lot.

The only doctor to even acknowledge me sitting there looked very familiar to me. I thought I knew him. Well, guess who it was.... the obgyn. The one I had just chosen! He smiled and gave me a little head nod. None of the other doctors even looked up. So this tells me... he is kind and friendly! I think I picked a good one!

I'll let y'all know. My appointment with him is tomorrow!

A Quick Catch-Up and a LONG Check-Up

Here is a little info. to catch you guys up! Last spring, I had my heart set on getting pregnant. I felt like it was the right time and was really excited. My husband on the other hand, wasn't quite ready. So, we decided to wait another year. A very long year! But I decided to make the best of it and enjoy being married and really start getting healthy.I was pretty upset, but I knew this would be for the best. Looking back now, I'm so glad we decided to wait it out this year. I learned a lot about being a wife and a lot about patience.

I have worked really hard to get my diet in tip-top shape and my weight. Over the past few months, I've lost almost 20 pounds! Can you believe that?!? I still hope to lose maybe 10 more pounds, but feel so much better about myself. I'm back in the normal range on the BMI scale. Yay for that! More to come on how I've lost the weight later!

March 17, I swapped my birth control pills out for prenatals. I have taken birth control for about 6 years. I want to give my body a good 3 to 4 months to regulate before trying to conceive. This puts us at July or August to start trying. Come on summer! I can't wait much longer!

The dr. visit!
I have read 3 pre-conception books over the past few months (more on that later, too). Each of the books stressed the importance of being up-to-date on vaccinations. That's right. Shots. Not my most favorite thing.

In college, I got chicken pox. Yep. College. And to make it worse, it was my first semester. I remember the dr. mentioned I should be extra careful about getting pregnant because it was a very mild case. So, I scheduled an appointment with my family doctor two days ago. I got the T-dap vaccine and he took blood to test my immunity to chicken pox. I'm still waiting on the results...

Now for the good part...


All the nurses knew why I had scheduled the appointment and were so excited! On my way out the door, I couldn't find my car keys!! I looked everywhere and went back to the desk to see if I had left them. All the nurses were helping me look. Nothing.

I just knew the what the nurses were thinking... "here's this young girl, wanting to get pregnant, and she can't even keep up with her keys!" It didn't help I was wearing my college t-shirt. I thought the whole thing was pretty funny.

So, it turns out, I had dropped them on the floor board in my rush to be on time. And to make it even sweeter, my husband's phone was dead. Perfect! I called his work and he had already left. So, I decided to post this witty little status on facebook about being stuck at the dr. and asking him to come get me. This was a good idea because this is how he knew to call me, but also a bad one...

Once he got home, he finally called me and started looking for the spare keys, but they were no where to be found, so I called a-1. By the time the man finally arrived, I had been at the Dr. for over 3 hours. While I was waiting on him to get the door open, several people stopped to make little comments about my shirt. "Didn't you learn anything at that fancy college" or "That must be a good school you went to." Funny, but irritating after 3 hours of waiting around. To make it even better, I had phone calls all night from family members and friends asking if I was sick or if something was wrong. I had to lie and just say it was a check-up. I'm telling you... it's sooo hard to keep secrets! And I don't even have anything to hide... yet! What will I do when I'm actually pregnant!?!


So that was my first experience at this whole getting ready to get pregnant thing! Very eventful I'd say!

Love,


Before Baby Lady