Vaccinations - 2 Month Update

Between birth and 6 months of age, your baby will go through a number of vaccinations. On the date of birth, they give the baby one vaccine against Hepatitis B which will need to come with a follow-up vaccination at 2 months. You will receive a small yellow folded chart sheet which you will keep. This chart holds record of all of your child's vaccinations. It is very important to hold onto this sheet and never lose it.

Yesterday we went to the pediatrician for baby's 2 month check up and vaccination.

His check up went great! He is growing perfectly! His height is above average and his weight is coming on quickly! He gained 4 pounds 6 ounces since his last appointment!

Now came the hard part...the vaccines! I knew it would most likely be harder for me since I had to watch my baby get poked in the leg and cry, but you have to remember that it is for his own good. The nurse came into the room with a tray that contained the vaccinations.

The first vaccine he was given was the Rotavirus vaccine. It is taken orally.

Then he got the first shot into his left leg, and then another one in his right leg. He was so brave! He only cried for a little bit. The nurse said the last shot may hurt a bit since it is the most potent vaccine and it may burn a little when injected.

He took it like a champ. He had no side effects and has been just slightly more cranky than normally. His temperature is normal and he seems happy! His next appointment and vaccination is in 2 months, when he will be 4 months old.

Your doctor will give you a pamphlet which describes all the vaccinations your child will be given as well as the disease these vaccinations are for. The pamphlet will also guide you into what do to if your child develops a fever or has some other side effects to the vaccine.

The First Week

Photobucket.com is undergoing some maintenance...so as soon as they are back in order, I will post pictures of my baby at one week old :)

He was finally here and we were so happy to have him in our arms. We knew we would take good care of him!

The baby was very healthy and passed all his tests. It is such a relief to know your baby is healthy, you always worry when you are pregnant, because thats what pregnant women do! There are so many precautions, but when its all finally over and you hold your perfect little angel in your arms, life could not possibly get any better.

We spent 2 days in the hospital after the baby was born so that I could recover from delivery and they could monitor and check up on the baby's weight and vital signs. They would take the baby away from me for about 10 minutes to weigh him and it would seem like he would be gone for hours. I remember laying in bed crying because I missed him so much.

When the day finally came and we were able to go home, it was like magic! We were so excited to bring the baby home!

We really lucked out because we have been blessed with such a well behaved baby. He rarely cries and when he does cry, it's usually because he needs to eat. He is not a very cranky baby. He naps well and sleeps plenty of hours throughout the night. The first couple of weeks, I had to wake him up to feed him or else he would have kept on sleeping. Of course, the older he gets, the more time he will spend awake, but for now, he really helped us get used to be parents in a calm and collective manner.

Induced - June 2nd

My doctor had been quite confused over how far along I truly was since I had recently moved which required for me to change doctors. I was not very satisfied with the care I was receiving at my previous doctor's office. The nurses were quite lazy and I would always end up waiting for extremely long periods of time, as if these girls got a kick out of watching people wait and get frustrated.

Even with the number of ultrasounds I was prescribed, my doctor still went ahead and would call my due date by the date of my last menstrual period that I had given him off the top of my head. When I was first asked the question, I truly had no idea when my last menstrual period was and didn't know it was so important to determine my due date. I just popped some random date out and my doctor went along with it like it was written in stone.

My ultrasounds always determined that I was way farther ahead than my last menstrual period date would suggest. Instead of changing my due date, this clinic just told me it didnt matter anyway, the baby would come when he is ready. No matter whether you are a new mom, or have 16 children already, when it comes to your baby you want to know everything for a fact or at least as close to fact as you can get, so this was very discouraging to hear, and really made me believe that these people didn't care.

Long story short...I changed doctors and have been extremely happy with the change! My new doctor - Dr. Arunakul, at the Naples Women's Center, is an incredibly intelligent, caring, and sweet man. The entrie staff there is also the most wonderful group of people you could meet.

Finally, my due date was changed due to my ultrasound and how developed the baby was, and we were on our way to inducing me on June 1st to make sure that the baby would not be too big.

Inducing labor is when the process of labor is started with the help of medication.

First thing the nurse does to induce labor is put a small string with medication on it around your cervix. This may feel uncomfortable, but in no way does it hurt.

Then an IV is injected into the top of your hand and taped down so it is stable. More medication is fed to you intravenously. This medication also helps your cervix dialate and prepare for your baby to make his or her entrance into the world.

Jerrid just had knee surgery a few days before, so his mobility was very limited. We were quite a pathetic couple, lol.

I felt fine for the first couple of hours and even got a nice nap in...until the contractions started to get very tight. I was induced at 8pm, and by 2am...I was in pain! It felt like extremely bad cramps but they felt as though they were throughout my entire lower torso. I even felt them in my butt.

I knew it was time for me to get some pain meds. The nurse would not get me an epidural yet because they usually wait until you are 3 cm dialated at least. One thing I knew not to do was wait too long or else it could be too late to have an epidural.

Some people strongly disagree with the use of an epidural because they believe that it is harmful to the baby. Tests of neonatal neurobehavior (tests performed to assess activity of newborn) after exposure to various methods of pain-free child birth have produced conflicting results. In recent years, however, the doses of local anesthetic medications and opioids used for providing child birth pain relief via epidural analgesia have gradually decreased, and there is now general consensus that within the dose range presently en vogue, and under normal circumstances, the effects of the local anesthetics on the new born baby have little or no clinical significance.

Getting the epidural itself was not painful at all. Personally, the IV in my hand hurt more and was a major pain throughout my entire stay at the hospital since it is so unsturdy and I kept tugging on it by accident even causing it to bleed.

By the afternoon, I was dialating quite quickly and shortly my water broke. An hour or so after taht my nurse even told me she would page my doctor and get him on his way over here. When she was off the phone and checked me...I was ready to push. With word from my doctor to get the process going, I was pushing. My doctor showed up, checked me out, and said "Oh, the baby is right there" and with 10 minutes, out came baby J.J., screaming!

Jerrid D'Won Gaines Jr. Born June 2nd at 2:10 pm - 8 pounds 21 inches long

Looking into those eyes was the most magical thing I have ever experienced. Thats when you really learn what true love is.

He already looks so different than this and it has only been a month.

Back up and running!

I decided to bring my baby blog back to life!

Since my baby was born I feel like I need to keep a scrapbook or diary of the milestones he hits, but not only that, but everything happens so quickly you really do need to be quick about keeping your baby journal. You always hear that babies grow fast, but you never truly understand what it means until you have your own. I still can't believe it has been 6 weeks since I've had my baby, and within these past 6 weeks so much has happened and he has grown so much!

He put on 4 pounds, he's smiling, and you can see his social skills and personality start coming into play. It's amazing. He is like a sponge that absorbs all the information around him and just watching him grown and learn is so incredible.

It's also the most amazing feeling in the world to know this little guy is so happy to see you. When you walk away, you can see the tiny eyes following you out the door and truly look at you with love. It's is such a magical feeling! It's really something, how someone so small could make such a big difference in your life and your perception of the world.

My Pregnancy Update - 32 weeks

I'm 32 weeks pregnant now!

(Picture was used on my personal blog as well...hence the link. Check it out here)

Now I meet with my doctor every 2 weeks rather than every month like it has been up until now. My next appointment is scheduled for April 15th and I have a new doctor, due to my recent move over to the other coast of Florida in order to be with Jerrid while he is in season with the Arena football team.

My baby is kicking a lot and now the kicks are really visible! I can totally see the kicks and the weird movement in my belly when the baby moves. Sometimes I will look down at my tummy, and it will be severely lopsided and then the baby will move again and make all kinds of weird jiggles and movements! I could totally outline a tiny foot moving across my belly! Its so amazing to see and feel and helps reassure me that everything is good with my lil' champ! Those kicks in the ribs or my bladder hurt though... :)

I am experienced a bit of pregnancy insomnia lately (yes, its real!) I experienced this before and had tried to get over it, but forcing myself to sleep just doesn't help. It really does help when Jerrid is sleeping next to me because hearing him breathe relaxes me. He's away for an away game and won't be back until tomorrow at around 6ish, so I have been having trouble sleeping. Besides the fact that I am afraid of the dark...I know...I'm 23 years old and I'm afraid of the dark. It gets hard to sleep with a light when you get used to sleeping in the dark, since I had been, since I'm with Jerrid.

If you read my personal blog, then you already know about this...but 2 wonderful blogger friends have been so kind as to send my bun in the oven some amazing gifts!

Jaimie, a professional makeup artist and beauty blogger from JustKissN'Makeup.blogspot.com sent my baby a beautiful soft plushy baby blue bear! My baby will love this bear! I have been looking for beautiful teddies for my baby but could not seem to find one that felt right...this one is perfect! She also was kind enough to send me a gorgeous key chain with my first name initial, the letter K, and an amazing sleeping mask!

Kimberly Tia, a super crafty crocheting beauty blogger from KawaiiCraftsByTia.blogspot.com sent me a beautiful pair of handmade footies for my baby! They are tiny little crocheted Converse! How adorable! I can't wait to put them on my baby's feet! They will keep his feet so warm and cozy! You can check out her blog for more of her amazing crocheted masterpeices and even purchase them!

I cannot thank these amazing ladies enough! It was too kind of them!

Thank you - Thank you - Thank you!!

Check this out...

Browsing the web for cute baby things, I ran into this hilarious website for baby toupees! Yes, toupees for babies! They are so funny! They have a toupee called "The Bob" which is a Bob Marley beanie with dreadlocks...its too cute! They also have one called "The Lil Kim" which is a long haired pink wig. Click here to see the site! There is even a gallery where people have uploaded pictures of their babies in the toupees. Its super cute!

Until next time!

Morning Sickness Madness!

Pregnancy causes many extreme changes in your body, and with those changes come many symptoms! One of those many symptoms is the dreaded...morning sickness!

Despite the term, "morning" sickness...it could strike at anytime during the day and last for long periods of time. The medical term for morning sickness is "nausea and vomiting of pregnancy". Some women experience it differently than others in terms of how bad the sickness actually is, and at what time of the day it happens to strike.

In my case, I had morning sickness for a period of 2 months. After my first month and up until the end of my 3rd month. I experienced morning sickness like no other! It would hit me in the morning or any other time of the day that I would find myself hungry causing me to sprint to the bathroom and heave on myself or puke up like a champ.

I learned that this is typical. Most women experience morning sickness symptoms starting at around 6 weeks and ending at 14 weeks, but may return here and there throughout the pregnancy. Then again, everyone is different.

Some causes to morning sickness:

• Rapidly increasing levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) early in pregnancy. There is no true explanation as to why this hormone causes the nausea, but its timing is perfect. As soon as the drastic climb in its levels appear, it brings along the nausea. Estrogen levels also go up drastically, which may also be a huge factor as to why you feel queasy.

• During pregnancy you experience a heightened sense of smell. You could smell a hot dog from a stand 5 miles away...at least that's how I feel. I always find myself smelling something...and its a strong scent, but no one else smells it! This could lead to nausea if you smell something that makes you uneasy because it will hit you like brick wall. The smells could trigger your gag reflex.

• Some women may just have a sensitive gastrointestinal tract that will respond in crazy ways to pregnancy.

• Some prenatal vitamins may be too harsh for some women. You should take them with food but, if you still seem to experience nausea due to your prenatal vitamins, your doctor could put you on other vitamins. I was not responding well to Citra-Natal...which is an expensive prenatal vitamin my doctor had prescribed to me, and when I told him about he actually told me to take 2 Flintstones vitamins everyday until I felt better. I did, and he was right...I felt better within days! As soon as I felt I was ready to go back on prenatal vitamins, I purchased some from Whole Foods that were over the counter rather than prescription. I also purchased some DHA tablets to take along with them, since DHA is very important for brain and eye development of the baby. My tests are perfect and I feel great! Just because it is a prescription does not always mean that it is better. Its all about finding what is right for YOU and YOUR BABY!

• Stay away from junk food! The grease and other junk in the garbage junk food can lead to nausea. Junk food makes me queasy even when I'm not pregnant, imagine the damage it could do when you are pregnant! Now since I am almost 8 months pregnant and not experiencing any nausea at all...I indulge here and there...(lol) but its because I am seriously craving sweets!

• Morning sickness may be caused by a lack of vitamin B. Research shows that taking vitamin B6 tablets can ease morning sickness symptoms, but does not mean that person has a deficiency in vitamin B.

• Some women just experience nausea and vomitting due to stress! When your pregnant you are more sensitive to your surroundings and may experience heightened levels of stress. This could lead to nausea and vomotting...so don't stress ladies!

What helped me control my morning sickness:

As soon as I would wake up, I would would feel very uneasy. It would be hard to get out of bed at times, unless I had to run to the toilet to hurl. What I found to help big time was eating a small peice or bread or crackers as soon as I woke up. I would actually keep a small bag of crackers by the bed so that I could just lean over and munch on one before the nausea struck! It really did help!

I noticed that most of the time, nausea hit me when I was hungry. Its a great idea to control your food intake during your most sensitive times in your pregnancy. If you're hungry...don't overeat. Eat an adequate amount to supress your hunger and then eat some more in 2 hours or so. Eating too much could definitly lead to more nausea and vomitting. Your stomach is very sensitive...don't jam it too much.

Stay away from trigger foods. Everyone is different and may have different trigger foods during pregnancy. Even foods you used to love could cause you to quease even at the thought of it! Your body will let you know what foods to stay away from and what foods you crave! Personally, for me, my body could not handle potatoes during my nausea spells. Even the thought of them made me want to hurl, but for some reason I craved tomatos. It was so weird because I usually love potatoes and am not too fond of tomatos.

Staying cool!!! If you get too hot...you will not feel good...AT ALL! Try to stay cool at all times! This will severely help control your morning sickness. Your body is going through so many changes and you may overheat a lot easier than you used to. Your body is hard at work making a baby inside of you!! Keep it cool!! Eating cooler foods may also help! I would crave soups...but could not get them down unless the soup was totally cooled off...even chilled!

Smelling ginger could also suppress your nausea. I think ginger contains a form of vitamin B, which helps with morning sickness for some reason.

You may think that you are doomed to bow to the porcelean god until your hormones balance out, but you're not! You just have to learn how to deal with it. It may take some time but really listening to your body will help!

Staying healthy before and after conceiving

Not all pregnancies are planned. Jerrid and I have tried to have a baby before but after being unsuccessful a couple of times we gave up and decided that it might be a better idea to wait a little bit longer. Then I suddenly found out I was pregnant. It's funny how it all worked out.

Before we had ever thought about conceiving I knew it would be a good idea to make sure I was healthy enough for a baby in the first place. It's always good to know that you are ready health wise as well as being ready in other aspects of raising a child.

As soon as I had intended to become pregnant within the near future, even if it was in the next couple of years, I wanted to make sure I was healthy. I would continue my visits to the ob-gyn but would ask more questions, had some blood tests done, an early pap-smear, and started taking prenatal vitamins. Prenatals are great to take even before becoming pregnant because it allows your body to stock up on all the nutrients and vitamins it will need to sustain your developing baby.

Along with Prenatals I would take a Prenatal Omega-3 DHA tablet. DHA is very important to your developing baby because the baby's brain is primarily all fatty acid that is derived from EPA and DHA. The prenatal DHa is extremely important to the development of your little ones brain and eyes. You should intake at least 400mg of DHA a day for your babys mental development. Its an amazing little pill that also made me feel better and more lively!

Some of the prenatal vitamins that may be prescribed to you are very expensive. I took them for a few months but when it got a little crazy to afford $50 pills a month, I went to Whole Foods and purchases Prenatal tablets there along with DHA tablets and my blood tests came back beautifully!

Omega-3 is also very beneficial to you! I'm sure you have heard about the incredible medical benefits of fish oil and how it is healthy for your heart, mood, and brain function. The same goes for your little growing baby! Besides taking your daily DHA tablet, consuming a healthy portion of fish per week is also a great way to load up on the healthy nutrients that your changing body needs!

While consuming fish is very important and healthy, you must be careful about how much fish you consume and what kind of fish you are eating. Some fish may contain high levels of mercury which are o be avoided. Fish such as Shark, Swordfish, King Mackarel, and Tilefish contain high levels of mercury which should be avoided by small children and women who are childbearing or nursing.

Our beloved tuna also may contain enough mercury to be harmful if a lot is consumed. It is said to only consume around 6ounces of tuna per week. That goes for anyone, but pregnant women in particular. Albacore tuna contains even more mercury than regular tuna. Light tuna is a safer alternative.

Safe fish to eat are Salmon, Tialpia and other primarily farm raised fish. Other seafood that is very low in mercury is shrimp and shellfish.

Here are some great sites with a charts showing different fish, their mercury levels, and how much is safe to consume per week.

• American Pregnancy Association
• What you need to know about mercury and fish
• Fish and Levels of Mercury and Omega 3 Fatty Acid

Another great way to load up on DHA is to eat pecans, almonds, and walnuts. Nuts have additional nutrients as well!

Drinking plenty of water is very important. You should always keep yourself hydrated and stay cool! Getting overheated can lead to sever discomfort and could even cause cramps and other terrible after effects. When I had first gotten pregnanct I still continued to take my hot baths which I loved. This was a horrible idea. I would feel terrible and very dizzy. I learned not to do that anymore, and infact it could be very dangerous. That is why you are warned to stay away from hot tubs and jacuzzi's if you are pregnant. Becoming overheated is very dangerous. If you are to be out in the hot sun for a long period of time, make sure you keep yourself hydrated and try to rest as much as possible. Your body is changing and you need to recognize that. You can no longer do the same things you used to do. Even if you think you can, you have to settle down and think about your little baby and how much strain you could possibly be putting on them.

Stay healthy and always remember:

HAPPY MOMMY = HAPPY BABY!

Next post:

• Are you really eating for 2? Is that healthy for you and your baby?

Future Posts:

• Healthy Nutrition: No Raw Foods
• Healthy Nutrition: Control your fat and sugar intake
• Hot Mama: Tips to stay sexy without all the chemicals in products