Pregnancy, Parenthood & Playtime

I was hoping that this wouldn’t exceed 4 or 5 posts for the list, but gosh!  There are just so many baby products out there that some think are “must have’s” that this is turning into the series that never ended!  I almost hear the never ending song in the back of my head as I type this.

Just to recap :
What Do I Really Need Part 1
What Do I Really Need Part 2
What Do I Really Need Part 3

So when we last left off from the Babies R Us registry list of must have’s for your baby, we were at an ear thermometer.
Now we will move on…

Baby Mittens – We used these with our first because he constantly scratched himself, but instead of actually using the real mittens they sell, we used all those cute little baby socks you get that are impossible to keep on your babies feet!  We also opted for the long sleeve under shirts that had the fold over at the end to help cover the babies hands. For our second child, we never covered his hands. I guess it all comes down to your baby. But save the money on the actual mittens, and just use the useless socks. LOL
Gas Relief Drops – Ok, While some people need them, they made my oldests life HELL!  He was a gassy baby, but when we started using the drops, he became a backed up baby who wouldn’t poop. He would get so backed up, he would become extremely upset, and cranky when it finally was time for him to poop, which mind you turned into a once a week thing, and boy what an explosion that turned out to be! I would skip them if at all possible. Sometimes you have to pick and choose which issue you would rather deal with!
Teethers – Heaven Sent!  Both of our kids LOVED these not only as toys, but they became so helpful when it came time for teeth!  Our youngest has been teething for almost 4 months and only has one little tooth. I highly recommend them!
Pacifiers : For some, they are heaven sent, and some choose not to use them. For us, it is something we have used with both of our children. Our oldest has been a pacifier kid in and out, and I joke with my husband that he is going to take the damn thing to college with him. Our youngest, doesn’t really care for it too much. If you are breastfeeding, put off the use of a pacifier for at least 4-6 weeks to help reduce the change of nipple confusion.
Diapers : Well it is obvious we all need to use some type of a diaper, but there are so many different types of diapers. Our family has tried most from Huggies, Pampers, and Luv’s for disposables, then cloth diapers, but the one thing we never got around to were the G diapers, cloth diapers with flush-able inserts. For our family, after trying out so many, we have become dedicated consumers of Pampers. From the swaddlers, to the cruisers, we have never had a leak, issue, or complaint with them.  I highly suggest that everyone tries to cloth diaper at least for a short period of time. Some may like it, some may not, but at least you took the time to find out!
Baby Wipes : Again it goes back to your preference. You are going to need them but you can use cloth wipes, wash cloths, disposable, etc. We have had a lot of success with Wash cloths and Huggies Sensitive wipes because our little guys have sensitive skin.
Diaper Pail/Refills : This is where a lot of confusion tends to come in. For our oldest we had a diaper genie, which I LOVED! My husband, not so much. He was always complaining about the refills, empting the thing, and anything else he could complain about. I on the other hand think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. We have since turned to using a small pail with a garbage can. I hate it. It smells, needs to be changed more often, and over all just sucks. I say go with the diaper genie…
Wipe Warmer : USELESS!  Do not waste the money!
Diaper Bags : I do not think there is a need for more than one diaper bag, but some disagree. We used one larger one, but then again we never packed more than what we really needed. We did not bring the kitchen sink with us when we went out for a day, and if we were going out for a long day, or over night, we just packed an additional bag with the extra things we would need. Don’t get a giant diaper bag, they are bulky, heavy, and will take a toll on you!
Baby Changing Mat : I think these are essential. One came with our diaper bag, so in most cases, you do not need to purchase an extra one. They are helpful when you go out to the mall, or out to dinner with your little one. You never know what has gotten on those changing tables in public!
Diaper Cream : I highly suggest Butt Paste. We recently started using it after using Desitin for our kids and it is so much better, clears any rash’s up much quicker also.
Formula : This is hit or miss. I highly suggest everyone try to breast feed before turning to formula. Not only does it add the added stress of bottles, cleaning, nipples, bottle racks, and making bottles when you are out, or have a screaming child, but breast milk is also best for baby according to every major medical organization, as well as the formula companies.
Travel Wipes : A total must have. Obviously you and your baby are not going to be prisoners in your own home, and will be going out at one point in time. They sell several re-usable travel containers that you can repeatedly re-use and just refill with your own wipes.

Well, before this gets too long, I am going to stop here.
Next time, tune in for monitors, cribs, and nursery furniture!

For the first time in a decade, the teen pregnancy numbers are going up, instead of going down like they have been. As an advocate for choice, and an even bigger advocate for education on preventing pregnancy, this is pretty alarming.

But not surprising considering most of these teens were the victim of the abstinence only education programs whose funding was greatly increased under the Bush Administration. Even though these programs have been proven to fail, increase teen pregnancy rates, and STD rates in the groups of teens who did not choose to abstain. It is not rocket science. If teens are not taught HOW to protect themselves through contraception, condoms, and other forms of pregnancy prevention, they will not know.

Sadly today, we cannot depend on parents to teach this. Many believe it is the school’s jobs, and some parents who think it is realistic for all teens to choose abstinence do not teach their children any other options other than, simply don’t do it.

But unfortunately for the teens today, most are not educated on parenting, pregnancy, teen parenting, and really what it takes to be a parent, and support a child.  A recent study that I read published through a CNN article showed the serious lack of education teens have regarding sex. Some of the alarming numbers from this survey :

• 63 percent said they knew little or nothing about birth control pills, and 30 percent said they had scant knowledge about condoms.
• 28 percent of men incorrectly believe they will get extra protection from wearing two condoms at once, a practice that actually leads to condom breakage.
• 18 percent of men wrongly believe that having sex standing up reduces the chance that they will get a female partner pregnant.
• 27 percent of women and 34 percent of men in the survey said serious health problems such as cancer are likely to result from using the pill or other hormonal contraceptives.
• Thirty-two percent said they agreed that “the government is trying to limit blacks and other minority populations by encouraging the use of birth control.
• 4 in 10 respondents said it doesn’t matter whether people use birth control, believing that people get pregnant when it’s their “time.”
• 29 percent of women and 42 percent of men said it is at least slightly likely they will have unprotected sex in the next three months

These are all alarming numbers, especially the amount of teens that THINK birth control will lead to some sort of health problem such as cancer. Yup, birth control now causes cancer, or at least that is the newest rumor on the streets. Even better rumor is that having sex while standing up will not get the girl pregnant.

Who comes up with this stuff?

But some of the reasons we really need to step back and teach our children how to prevent unplanned pregnancies is the statistics regarding teen parents, and teen pregnancy. Some of the more alarming numbers and facts are  :

• Children of adolescents are more likely to be born prematurely and 50% more likely to have a low birth weight.
• Teens often receive less prenatal care.
• Children of teen parents are at a greater risk for developmental delays.
• According to parents’ reports of their children’s health status, 60% of children born to non-teen mothers were rated in “excellent” health,
  compared to 38% for children born to the youngest adolescent mothers.
• Children born to younger teens are more likely to be the victim of child abuse or neglect and also have a greater risk of being placed in Foster Care.
• Children of Teen Mothers are more likely to drop out of school.  Only 77% of children born to adolescent mothers complete high school.
• One researcher looked at the incarceration rates of the sons of young mothers. His findings revealed that 10.3% of those born to mothers age 17 and younger were incarcerated, compared to 3.8% of the sons born to older mothers. That is, the sons of young teen mothers are nearly three times more likely to be incarcerated than those born to adult mothers.
• Children born to teen mothers are more likely to be teen parents.

While being a teen parent is not a sentence of DOOM for the teen, or their child, in many cases like those above, it is. There are success stories, as there are in many cases for many things. But they are not the majority sadly.

I just hope parents actually look at these numbers, and statistics and think twice about talking to their children about really preventing pregnancy until they are older.

Sunday will mark the beginning of Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week which will run from February 7th, to Valentines day, which I find fitting considering valentines day is always represented with hearts. It makes it easier to remember, don’t ya think?

But the reason I am taking the time to post about this because most do not know that CHD, short for Congenital Heart Defect, is the #1 birth defect in the United States.  It is estimated that 25,000 babies are born with CHD every year, and that works out to 1 out of every 115-150 births.  Another shocking number is, 10,830 babies are born daily in the US, meaning around 411 of them will be born with some form of CHD.

I didn’t really know much about CHD until I got on twitter in January and really got involved. I noticed lots of people that I already followed talking about CHD and Cora’s Story. So I set out to learn more about Cora and her story, and that is when I met her mother Kristine Brite.
Cora was born with an undetected CHD and passed away on December 6th 2009 while breastfeeding in her mothers arms.

Since the loss of Cora, Kristine, her mother has been struggling with losing a child, but becoming an activist for CHD and mandatory pulse oximetry testing on all newborns, which tests for CHD, hopefully helping prevent CHD from going unnoticed or undetected in any more babies.

Because I feel that this is such an important topic, I decided to kick of CHD Awareness Week with a special Momotics Radio show on Sunday at 3:00pm EST.  I know a lot of people will be watching the Super Bowl, including my husband and children, but I feel like this is such an important subject to talk about.  Myself, and Kristine Brite will be discussing Cora’s Story and how to help prevent others from going through this.

Join us!

Many people have probably heard of LLL or La Leche League if you have known or spoken about breastfeeding, and if you haven’t heard of them, today you are in luck! La Leche League is an international support group, focused on helping mothers breastfeed and have successful breastfeeding relationships. I feel this is especially important today because of the number of women who do not even attempt to breast feed their child after birth, when it is the best option available.

The stigma surrounding breasts in the United States has turned breastfeeding from a natural, and normal occurrence to something that is often shoved under the rug, or in a public bathroom so a mother is not seen feeding her baby, the way babies were meant to be fed.

The La Lache League’s mission statement is…

“La Leche League International strives to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.”

While formula is a valid option for some, after numerous studies over the years, it is 4th best behind breastfeeding, expressed breast milk, and even donor breast milk.

The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends a baby be breastfed for at least the first 6 full months of their life to have the healthiest start possible for them. There are many breastfeeding misconceptions, and flat out myths floating around in the advice from our girlfriends, mothers, and even out own OB/GYN’s.
If you are interested in learning more about breastfeeding, you should check out or talk to a local Lactation Consultant or La Lache League.

In the past day I have heard a lot of speculation about Victoria Hope, the Shelton mother found dead yesterday afternoon after she apparently delivered triplets in her home. Lots of speculation as to why she would hide a pregnancy, or how she didn’t know she was pregnant, or even how she didn’t know there were three babies.
Well, after an autopsy today, it showed according to the Boston Herald, all three baby boys were stillborn, which I personally may attribute to lack of pre natal care, but there is more to the story clearly, as well as her death being from blood lost, most likely could have been a postpartum hemorrhage, or some other type of complication from delivering three babies alone in her home.

As the night went on last night, I learned that my husband, a Shelton native, and first responder in our town grew up with her, and even spoke with her recently about getting our two year old’s together.  Tori Hope, also was the mother of a 6 and 2 year old.

But my point is, today is a horribly sad day for family, and friends of this mother, and speculating, discussing, or making up accusations as to why this happened, what happened, and if she knew or didn’t know she was pregnant is not reliant.

A mother of two children is dead, and they are mourning the loss of their mother who they loved very much.
A boyfriend and father is mourning the loss of his love, and three sons who died.
A mother is mourning the loss of a daughter.
A father is mourning the loss of a daughter.

Stop speculating and whispering rumors around the internet which may become hurtful.
She was a person, and so were those babies, and all should be treated with respect and dignity.

Most know I am not the most…. handy in the kitchen, but when I get in there, I do a pretty damn good job! Well two nights ago I made a Peanut Butter Pie and made sure I took some pictures to make a nice recipe blog out of it for you guys. And it turned out delish!
2 – 8oz packages Cream Cheese, softened
1 – cup sugar
2/3 – cup creamy peanut butter
1 Container of Whipped Topping
Handful of Peanut Butter Cups (Reese)
1- chocolate oreo crust (but you can use whatever crust you wish)
Take your cream cheese (at room temperature) Sugar, and peanut butter, and mix together in a small bowl. Also, take a hand full of reese peanut butter cups and smash them up as much as you can. (Don’t you love my technical terms? LOL) And mix in the peanut butter cups.

Continue to mix until the pie filling is very smooth.

Then take your pie crust, and put your filling into the pie crust.

Once you have your pie crust filled, take the whipped topping and cover the top of the pie with the whipped topping completely.

Then take some more peanut butter cups crushed, and cover the top and TADA! There you have it! A beautiful and delicious no bake peanut butter pie!
Once you are finished assembling, your pie needs to be refrigerated for 3-4 hours before serving!