Saturday, March 30, 2013

A Natural and Healthy Pregnancy


A few weeks ago, Katie Moore contacted me about posting one of her articles on my blog. Katie writes about motherhood, pregnancy, health and fitness. I told her I would be glad to publish her article, so here it is...


A Natural and Healthy Pregnancy

Being pregnant was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I felt better than I ever had before and loved the sweet anticipation of having a baby. People would tell me that I was positively glowing and I couldn't argue!  When I finally held my daughter in my arms, I knew that I had received my greatest gift.  Looking back, I truly believe that my pregnancy went so well because I chose a natural, healthy approach as soon as I found out I was expecting. I incorporated a well-rounded diet, regular exercise, and organic products to ensure that I was giving my baby and my body the best. I've continued with this philosophy since and it has been a benefit for my entire family!

Organic Eating
When it comes to eating, I opted for organic foods, fresh produce, products that were not treated with chemicals or hormones.  I also did my best to cut out processed foods.  I didn't want my baby to be exposed to additives and artificial ingredients. It can be more expensive and less convenient to choose such a path, but the potential rewards outweigh the costs. I also found that I could keep my expenses down when I went to the local co-op, visited area farm stands, and became a coupon queen! I began to experiment with cookbooks at home and my husband said everything tasted better. As an added plus, he started to trim down as we tossed the junk from the cabinets.

Exercise and Staying Fit
Exercise was essential, something I've kept up ever since. I needed to be healthy and strong for my baby, setting a good example.  I didn't go with anything intense, but made sure I was active for at least thirty minutes a day. My husband and I went on walks every morning or after work. Some days we would change it up with a bike ride. I've become a big fan of yoga and found a great DVD that I continue to use. Yoga was really helpful in teaching me breathing techniques and helping me to relax when I was in labor. I still think of it as an escape from stress. By eating well and exercising, I gave my best to my baby and my body.

Natural Products
After taking a look at my every day household products I found that many ingredients were NOT okay for me to use while I was pregnant.  Chemicals and bleach were dangerous and I needed to find other ways of cleaning the house.  I found alternatives such as white vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice would not only disinfect, but also make the house smell great! 

As with anything, make sure to double check with your doctor before making any drastic changes.  I was fortunate to have a doctor who educated me about all pregnancy related topics, from burping to cord blood banking!  Keep these tips in mind while planning your healthy pregnancy.

Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26

Thursday, March 7, 2013

June: 2 Months

June is 2 months old!


Time is flying by.

Part of me feels like she was just born and part of me feels like she's been here forever.

This month she has become much more alert and interactive.

She started cooing a few weeks ago. It's so cute! We love to hear her "talk" and talk back to her.

She is becoming more expressive too. One of my favorite things to do is stare at her and make different faces and then watch her try to copy them.

June smiled for the first time a few weeks ago (7 weeks old). It absolutely melted my heart! Her smiles are still pretty elusive, but when she gives us one, it's the best thing in the whole world.


She loves to eat. My mom calls her a "chow hound." She eats every 3-4 hours, but from about 5:00pm-9:00pm she likes to cluster feed, sometimes eating every hour. We gave her a 5oz. bottle of pumped milk and she chugged it in 10 minutes. And then she wanted more! She gets this really intense look on her face when she eats. It cracks me up.


June is a great sleeper. She has been sleeping through the night (7-9 hours) for a few weeks now. Paul says she takes after her mama-loves to eat and sleep :)


Unfortunately, her naps aren't as good. Most days she wants to be held and jiggled/rocked to sleep and the second  I put her down, she wakes up. Sometimes she even cries if I'm only holding her with one arm. This definitely makes it hard to get anything done during the day, but I'm trying to soak up all this cuddle time with my baby while she's still little. She will take a good nap if we're out and about and she falls asleep in her carseat. I've even had to wake her up a few times to feed her.


She spent her first night away from home this month. We went up to Boulder to visit my parents and she did great!

She also started sucking on her hands this month. I wonder if she will be a thumbsucker.


June likes to lay on her play mat and look at all of the hanging toys. (Please note her hand in this pic. She does this a lot-puts her thumb in between her pointer and middle fingers)


She also likes being on her changing table and likes baths, but doesn't like it when we take her out of the bath. She does not like her swing and she HATES tummy time! And she can go either way with the pacifier and carrier/wrap-sometimes she likes them, sometimes she hates them.

She is a pretty mild-mannered baby, but she definitely knows what she wants and will let you know if she doesn't like something! And just when I think I have her figured out, she flips the switch on me.

She keeps us on our toes, but we absolutely love life with this little lady.

I can't wait to see what the next month holds :)


2 MONTH STATS:

weight: 11 lbs. 2 oz. (50th percentile)

height: 23 1/4 inches (75th percentile)

diapers: size 1 (at 7 weeks)

clothes: 0-3 and 3 months

eyes: blue

hair: brown

nicknames: June Bug