Category — Pregnancy

Whether you’re trying to conceive or looking for a birth control method, a period calendar is a free option that you can use by itself or in addition to other methods.

A period calendar is a great way to keep track of your menstrual cycle, ovulation, and the side effects of your period. The simplest period calendar is just that; you write down your period every month and eventually can determine your cycle and predict when your period will be (usually within a day or so, depending on how regular you are).

Start by marking the first day of your period as day one and keep count from there. A standard cycle is 28 days with ovulation occurring on about day 14. As you keep track, you may find that your cycle is shorter or longer.

While most women have a cycle close to 28 days, it’s not uncommon to have a much longer cycle. You may also find that yours is not regular, meaning it varies in length from month to month. Many things, especially stress, can change your monthly cycle, but many women naturally have irregular cycles, especially when they first start menstruating.

Tracking your monthly cycle will not only help you know your period is coming ahead of time, it can also help you when it comes to birth control.

If you make some additions to your calendar, like pelvic discomfort and discharge, you can accurately predict when you’re going to be ovulating. That means you can use extra protection or abstain from sex during that time of the month.

This method, called the timing method, is not very effective in preventing pregnancy, but many times that is because it is not used properly. You must use extra protection or abstain from sex before and during your monthly ovulation. This method also isn’t effective if your cycle isn’t regular.

While many people use the period calendar to prevent pregnancy, it is also commonly used by those trying to conceive. By knowing when you’re going to ovulate, you can time your most fertile window more accurately. In this case, you may also want to use your calendar to track your core body temperature.

Just like with preventing pregnancy, this is not as effective if your cycle is not regular. If you have trouble getting pregnant while using this method, you may find it helpful to purchase fertility monitors.

Besides being able to predict your period and ovulation, a period calendar can also help you track the undesired side effects of your period like premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or the more serious disorder premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

By tracking things like physical discomfort or pain, mood swings, anxiety, and other physical and emotional conditions, you may be able to identify one of these problems. With your help, your doctor can accurately identify and treat your specific problem.

By keeping a period calendar, you can not only be prepared for your period ahead of time, you can also start to take control of your cycle and everything associated with it.

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When I was pregnant, I became extremely sick. I didn’t just have morning sickness, I had hyperemesis gravidarum which is “extreme morning sickness”. I couldn’t eat anything, I was losing weight, and I was worried about the affects this had on my baby.

Having morning sickness all day, every day for months at a time can take a huge toll on life. My own marriage suffered greatly while I was sick. Every day tasks become difficult if not impossible. I couldn’t go grocery shopping for fear of throwing up in someone’s cart! I even vomited in my car while driving to the doctor’s office one day.

At the time, I didn’t realize there was a “cure” for morning sickness. But just recently, I ran across another mom, Mary Kinsey, who seems to have gone through the same thing as me. She even threw up in her car too! Amazingly enough, she figured out a way to cure morning sickness naturally. Sounds crazy huh?

You can read her story here.

Incidentally, I was just talking with a close family member yesterday. She informed me that she was pregnant with her second baby. Instead of being excited, she was scared.

Her first pregnancy was horrible. She was so sick and threw up countless times every day. She’s only a few weeks along but she’s already sicker than her worst day with her first pregnancy. Needless to say, she’s not as thrilled as she wishes she was and I feel so awful for her.

I bought Mary’s book, Morning Sickness Freedom and sent it to her. I can’t wait to find out how it works for her! I’ll keep you posted as well so make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed and sign up for my Baby Tips newsletter so you don’t miss out.

I took a boo at the book myself, and I’m really impressed. There are some extremely interesting facts and really thought-provoking stuff in there. She’s even got a few really good money saving tips which are sure welcoming.

There are three sections to this book. The first one talks about some really practical advice that any pregnant woman can follow. I practiced a lot of these tips myself during my pregnancies, but some I had never heard of.

The second section talks about acupressure. If you’re normally skeptical about things like that, it may seem a bit kooky at first but it doesn’t hurt AT ALL to try it. Nobody has to know. You can do it in the privacy of your own home and it doesn’t cost a penny.

Because I’ve tried things like this before (my aunt used to do reflexology on me all the time and it blew my mind!) I was already a bit open to it. But again, what do you have to lose? A few minutes of your time at most.

The third section is short and just talks about a couple more remedies that can help alleviate morning sickness.

Now that I’ve read this book, I honestly can’t wait until I’m pregnant again to try it out myself! I’ve always felt bad for being jealous of other pregnant women who never experienced morning sickness during their pregnancies, but I’m hopeful that my next pregnancy will be puke-free. Weee!

You can learn more about Morning Sickness Freedom here.

Someone really close to me has recently become pregnant and is suffering from an extremely bad case of morning sickness.

It reminded me of how sick I was myself during my pregnancies. In fact, I was hospitalized because I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) which is “extreme morning sickness”.

I was losing a lot of weight (I weighed less after giving birth than I did when I first got pregnant), and I was VERY dehydrated. The doctor’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he got the results back after testing me for dehydration. Apparently I didn’t “look” dehydrated. I must have some mad makeup skills and covered up the huge black bags under my eyes!

Anyway, there is medication available for morning sickness and HG called Diclectin, but it wasn’t successful for me. Instead, I relied on a few tips to help me survive those long, loooong months of vomiting too many times a day to count.

How I Coped With Morning Sickness

First, anything smelly was thrown out or stored far, far away where I couldn’t smell it. Walking past a Glade plugin would make me run straight to the bathroom. I also made my husband throw away his body spray because it would literally make me sick. To this day, I can’t smell that stuff or I start to feel queasy.

Second, I had my groceries delivered to me. Walking into a grocery store was unthinkable for me. All that food! All those smells!! Show me to the ladies room NOW.

The city I lived in had a cool service called Pic’n'Del. You could shop on their website and have everything delivered right to your door for 7 or 8 bucks. They aren’t in business anymore but your town may have something similar. One of my local grocery stores delivers for $25.

I’d much rather dish out $25 than vomit all over aisle 7 in the store, wouldn’t you?

During the odd times when I felt I could actually swallow food and keep it in my belly, I opted for fresh, raw foods. Fruit and cold stuff like ice cream or frozen grapes was the only food that I could handle. Cooking beef in my house while I had morning sickness was the worst possible thing you could do and would result in a very angry and sick pregnant lady!

I also avoided caffeine like the plague which pregnant women should be doing anyway. Warm beverages like tea or coffee did not sit well with me, even decaf.

In the end, you know your own body well enough to know what works and what doesn’t. It’s a bit of a game, trying different things until you figure out what keeps you from being sick.

For more practical tips on keeping morning sickness at bay and to learn more about it, read my article here:

http://www.babytipsonline.com/morning-sickness.html

P.S. I am a Final Fantasy addict. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a video game. While I was holed up in my apartment with morning sickness, I played Final Fantasy all day. Now when I play that game, I feel sick to my stomach. Weird hey?

If you’re trying to conceive your first baby, or you are working on baby #2, #3, etc., it helps to have some tips that can make you conceive sooner. I’ve got a few for you today:

Chillax. Stress is thought to be a factor in infertility. Trying to conceive can be extremely stressful. You can help relieve stress by exercising, getting enough sleep, and meditation. You can also relax with some regular yoga and massages.

Become a health nut. Cut out habits like smoking, alcohol and caffeine. Start eating a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats. Get organize, natural food as much as possible. Foods that contain hormones and other chemicals can decrease your chances of conceiving.

Make sex fun. Don’t let it become an item to check off on your “to do list”. Add some variety, if ya know what I’m sayin’. There is no evidence to prove that one position is best, so try them all!

Roll out the welcome wagon. Douches, vaginal sprays, scented tampons, lubricants, etc. can all mess with your vagina’s environment and pH levels. Avoid them while you’re trying to conceive.

Monitor your cycle. Fertility monitors will take the guesswork out of knowing when you’re most likely to conceive. The window of opportunity is small, so it’s helpful to know your cycle as best as you can.

Wait a couple days in between “tries”. Having sex too often can lower a man’s sperm count. Waiting about two days will allow it to go back up so you can get a good dose the next time.

Start taking a prenatal vitamin. A regular multi-vitamin doesn’t contain the right combination for a woman trying to conceive or who is already pregnant.

Don’t let gravity do it’s job. Stay horizontal for as long as you can after having sex. Give those little guys a chance to reach their destination. You don’t need to stand on your head, but laying down with a pillow under your hips for at least 20 minutes will help.

Talk with your doctor. They can offer you advice tailored specifically for you, your body, and your lifestyle. They can also test both you and your partner to see how fertile you each are.

You Know You’re Pregnant When….

• the cat looks at you the wrong way and you cry.
• you put the cereal box back in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard.
• your morning routine is getting up, showering, throwing up, brushing teeth, getting dressed, throwing up, doing makeup.
• going pee three times in an hour is normal.
• you want to plaster a sign on your head that says “I’m Pregnant!”
• you just went up three cup sizes without breast surgery.
• you don’t feel guilty for getting up at 2 am and making yourself a roast beef and pickle sandwich.
• you get excited when you have a bowel movement because you’ve been constipated for a week.
• you see a baby in the mall and you start to cry.
• peeing your pants a little bit isn’t a big deal.
• you watch A Baby Story on TLC every day
• you drive to McDonalds because you’ve been craving a Big Mac but come home with a taco from Taco Bell.
• you get your husband to tie your shoes for you because you can’t reach.