Healthy: pregnant or not

I've had an interest in health for a long time. As a child (older child that is...as a young child I was going to be a singer or dance when I grew up;) I wanted to be a nurse. My grandma, who I've always looked up to, is a retired RN and amazing person and I wanted to be as much like her as I could. Well, a little over a year into the nursing program I realized that WAS NOT the place for me. I had a wonderful advisor who suggested a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion. I dove in and really did love it. I'm not currently using my degree at work, but once you know this stuff, it's hard to forget it. So, I live a fairly healthy life and have had compliments on my lifestyle and that makes me proud. Now don't get me wrong, I am farrrr from perfect, but do little things every day.

The biggest culprits for weight gain for me were pop (soda, coke, whatev.) and alcohol. I learned this in college when I went 1 month without any and lost several lbs and my pants fit again. Do I still drink pop and beer? Yes. Do I have only 1 or 2 per week? Yes. This way, nothing is OFF LIMITS and I don't "need" or crave them.

Another move I had to make (literally) was to exercise. I think some people think I exercise everyday or do something crazy hard. I don't. I work out 2-3 times per week (usually 2) for 30-40 minutes and include both cardio and weights. My go-to videos are these: Cathe Basic Step and Prevention and you'll see they aren't advanced at all. I know that they work because other than walking, these are the only exercises I've done since having James and I currently weigh less than I did before I got pregnant. See! You don't have to do Insanity, or  P90X to lose weight. Now, if you're looking for washboard abs then you may need to.

Eat fruits, vegetables and chocolate everyday! Yes, I said chocolate. To be healthy (and sane) nothing needs to be off limits. I eat some sweets everyday. The key is small portions. Do not go to Dairy Queen everyday. Eat food from all food groups to get all the nutrients that your body was built to run on. Carbs are good for energy, protein is good for muscles and filling up your belly, dairy is good for your bones and fruits and veggies have SOOOO many benefits. Speaking of muscles, we need to build muscles because even at rest (while eating popcorn, watching a lifetime movie) muscles burn way more calories than fat. Life some weights (even if it's your own body weight-push ups, lunges, squats, crunches, planks, etc).

I still have (and have always had) a squishy belly. If I were better at eating, I'm sure this would go away, but knowing that I eat what I enjoy and still manage to stay in a healthy state, I'm ok with the squish.

Pregnancy does NOT mean "eating for 2" or "eat whatever you want". It also doesn't mean that you can stop exercising. I did step aerobics up until 3 weeks before I had James and was back doing them 2 weeks afterwards. I took it really easy, but I felt great and bounced back in no time.

Hopefully this helps someone realize that being "healthy" doesn't have to be hard or perfect.

Live well!
Kristy

Fevers. Boo!

Our little guy has had a fever for almost 2 days and just can't seem to beat it. We've kept it down with tylenol, but he just isn't himself. If it hangs on tomorrow, we'll take a visit to the pediatrician. Our pediatrician has a walk-in clinic on Sundays, which is soooo nice. I've taken advantage of it twice and haven't had to wait long either time.

One thing I didn't mention in my "what I've learned" post was how awesome a Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper is for newborns, especially those with reflux. Last night, it showed off it's awesomeness once again. James was not sleeping well yesterday with his fever and runny nose. We put him in it to help with the drainage and actually got some sleep last night. Poor little dude :( Another great invention is the nosefrida snot sucker. Find it here Nosefrida This thing seems super gross (it's really not), but shoving that bulb syringe in his tender little nose all the time was really making it sore. We also shoot saline up there and that's been really helpful.

He still thinks it's funny when we scare him and has played a few rounds of peek-a-boo with his burp rag, but other than that, he just wants to snuggle.  I'm ready for our happy guy to be back to normal. He's just so pitiful.

Get well, wild man!

What I've learned in 6 months

Our little guy is 6 months old already! Wow! They weren't lyin' when they tell you that it will fly.

 It's so crazy that we went from this...

To this...

so quickly.

And for that, I'm very thankful.

Now, onto what I've learned: 
1.  Having a baby in NICU for almost 2 weeks makes it very hard to teach your baby (and yourself) how to breastfeed. I also learned that exclusively pumping is A LOT of work! I was able to do it for 5 weeks and decided to switch to formula to save my sanity.

2.  If you have a baby that's colicky, the only cure is time.  This time is usually around 3 months,but when your baby is a preemie they're colicky until their adjusted age is 3 months. We luckily had a colicky baby that slept fairly well so that was helpful.

3.  Swaddling. Do it! No, really. Yes your baby will fight it and holler at first, but this will be your saving grace. Watch "The Happiest Baby on the Block"to learn more soothing techniques. James slept twice as long when he was swaddled. Also, buy a Swaddleme brand swaddler (or 3 if you have a spitty baby) with velcrohttp://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Swaddleme-Cotton-Small/dp/B002WTANPY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354300226&sr=8-2&keywords=swaddleme+small . These make it so easy! Also, if you have a summer baby, the Aden and Anais muslin blankets are wonderful! They're huge, get softer with every wash and are breathable. Those from Amazon are a little better quality than the kind you find at Target. They are pricey, but they'll be a great "blankie" as baby gets older too. aden+and+anais+swaddle+blankets

4. Towels and washcloths. Skip the thin newborn towels and go straight to your bath towels/beach towels. They cover more ground and are much more absorbant. I also use the regular size washcloths since they do a nice job of covering a belly to keep baby warm. Also, skip the cutesy robes. Newborns usually HATE baths and you just need to hustle to dry them off and get them dressed again quickly.

5. Burp rags. Go for the Gerber Premium Prefold Cloth Diapers. They're thick and soak up wayyyy more than anything labled "burp rag".

6. Bibs. If you have a spitter, buy the waterproof kind and buy them big. Changing clothes every time they spit up is a huge hassle. Our favorite bibs

7.  Borrow, buy used, etc. What we didn't find on clearance, or get from a baby shower, we've bought mostly used items or borrowed them. I found a travel swing (which I recommend for the bathroom) on clearance and borrowed a large swing. They only enjoy these for a limited time (if at all) and those things are pricey! We bought a used exersaucer because the cheapest were around $50 and were so boring. For half that price, we have a saucer that James LOVES! Clothes can be found for next to nothing at garage sales. I've also found some toys at online garage sales on facebook. Just give them a good scrub with vinegar and water and sit them in the sun for a few hours and they're good as new.  I haven't had much luck with consignment sales as those prices aren't that much cheaper (if any) than the sales at Target.

8. Routines work. We have started a bedtime routine of a bath, a little playtime and then a bottle and snuggles/songs (wheels on the bus is his favorite :) and he goes to sleep fairly easily. This needs to be as close to the same time each night as possible. Also, if you have a car sleeper, try to avoid long car rides too close to bed time.

9. Diapers and wipes. I know every baby is different, but Pampers and Luvs have been the best for us so far. The Wal-Mart brand (Parents Choice) works well, but he always smells like pee with these. He leaks like crazy from Huggies and the Huggies brand wipes are not nearly as soft as the Pampers. As far as diaper cream goes, try coconut oil. When his bottom was red and irritated, the ointment must have burned because he screamed. We took a quick bath and globbed on the coconut oil and he was a happy camper. Coconut Oil

10. Formula.  According to our pediatrician, they're all the same. Brand, type, etc. doesn't matter. "Just pick one" is what he told us. Store brand, name brand, whatever.

11. Natural. We're not perfectly "green" but I sure do try to keep the chemicals to a minimum at our house. It's easy to find healthy soaps, lotions, etc. by using this site Skin deep. Basically everything you think of babies smelling like, has chemicals and hormone disrupters (baby magic, johnson & johnson, etc.).  We use some glass bottles. It's just hard to travel with the glass ones and have relied on the plastic for that. I also highly encourage homemade baby veggies/food. The veggies are super easy and really cheap. You cook them, stick them in the blender, magic bullet, whatev, and add water until they're to the right consistency. Freeze in single portions (preferrably in glass). I would have given cloth diapers a try, but Phil was not willing to have poop in the washing machine. I know crunchy mommas, he just doesn't get it :)

I'm sure I'll have more as time goes on, but hopefully this is helpful to a momma out there.
Kristy

And baby makes 3!

We are expecting!

Because I said I was starting this blog to keep up when we had little ones, this means I need to kick it in gear.
                                                                              20 weeks

We are due June 29, 2012 with a boy, and couldn't be more excited!