Review: Tea-for-Two Pregnancy Tea and Healthy Mom, Happy Baby Yoga DVD!

At Pregosaur, we're big fans of natural products for TTC, pregnancy, and beyond - and one of our favorite companies, Fairhaven Health, generously sent Jerseysaur four of their amazing products to review.

We previously posted reviews of two products and the second two are below...and later this week, there just might be a giveaway!

Tea-for-Two Pregnancy Tea

This tea is a loose leaf tea blend especially designed for pregnant women, and I love that it's made with all-natural organic ingredients! These are:

• Strawberry leaf: nourishes and tones the uterus and provides key vitamins, minerals, and alkaloids that promote a healthful pregnancy
• Alfalfa: high in nutritive vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin K. which is critical to a healthy pregnancy 
• Dandelion leaf: helps to eliminate excess water from the system to ease fluid retention, excellent source of potassium, calcium and iron
• Oatstraw: calms the nervous system to alleviate stress and tension
• Ginger root: assuages nausea and eases morning sickness symptoms
• Lemon verbena: provides refreshing, zesty flavor.

You brew the tea by steeping one teaspoon of the blend in hot water for five minutes. It has a very light, mild flavor, and if you prefer a sweeter tea, you could add a little honey.


Healthy Mom, Happy Baby Yoga DVD

I loved this DVD! Yoga is highly recommended as a form of exercise for pregnant women, and the exercises were gentle and easy to follow. I also liked the ongoing references to the baby (since exercise involves both of you when you're pregnant!).

I felt so relaxed at the end of the session, and so connected with my body and my baby. I like knowing that my flexibility and strength are improving, and that helps me have the healthiest pregnancy I can!

Stay tuned for the giveaway!

Review: Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Vitamins and Dream Belly Stretch Cream!

At Pregosaur, we're big fans of natural products for TTC, pregnancy, and beyond - and one of our favorite companies, Fairhaven Health, generously gave us four of their amazing products to review. We'll post two reviews now and two later - and then there just might be a giveaway!

Here's what Jerseysaur had to say about the Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Vitamins and Dream Belly Stretch Mark Cream...

At first glance I was thrilled at the size of these nutrient packed vitamins - they are almost half the size of the other vitamins I have been taking so far. I compared the label to my current vitamins to see what is in this bottle that may be different. I was quite surprised with what I found - these vitamins have a few more ingredients and are quite consistent with the daily percent value. I have always wondered what going over the limit means to me, but these don't seem to over-do it while maintaining the 100% value across the board.

I also have been having little to no nausea with these pills on a full or empty stomach, which to anyone who has had morning sickness (or whole pregnancy sickness) that can be a real lifesaver!

I do have to say one thing I REALLY love about this brand is how natural all the products are. I am constantly thinking about what I put in that my baby gets to share with me and I am really pleased to know that these vitamins are nourishing us both naturally.

Look at the Dream Belly Stretch Mark Cream bottle, how pretty! I am a sucker for shelf appeal and package design, its nice to see some flair when I am dealing with stretch marks. As I have developed a much larger belly in the past few months, I have those mommy battle scars and as much as I would love to see them go they are with me forever now. I have been moisturizing since day one and will continue to constantly lather up as we get closer to the big day, but if I have my choice of creams on my night stand I have been turning to this one more frequently.

The best thing about this cream is the fruity smell - I peeked at the ingredients and saw grapefruit extract, which is so soothing. The list of ingredients is chock full of oils and butters which makes it feel so silky smooth. I recently have started learning more about the powers of natural oils and am so glad to see a few familiar names that are in this lotion to help repair my skin.

This product will take some time to see how it fairs in the last few weeks but so far so good. The non-chemically smell and thickness of the lotion really make it a great choice to have some bonding time with me and my baby belly.

Stay tuned for the next two reviews and the giveaway!

Pregnancy is so Un-Sexy...

I love seeing the beautiful woman who have amazing bodies and look so adorable pregnant. They just look so cute! There are days in which I marvel at my growing belly and think that I look Oh So Cute, but then there are days like today.

Days that make pregnancy seem so un-sexy.It all started Tuesday when I was training a new hire at work, when I get up and it feels like I wet myself. I know exactly what it is and I am in disbelief because I am already wearing a panty liner. How can I have so much discharge that it leaks thru my liner onto my pants and in so much abundance that my pants are wet. I waddled myself into the bathroom to check out the situation, it looked like I took a cup of water and poured it on the inside of my pants. No one would notice but still, for real!

I got home from work late, Mr. Jerseysaur started dinner as I asked and I did a few chores. We ate, I finished the chores and sat down for the evening. Heading to bed my nose is stuffy and I keep trying to blow it, but no relief. I slather on the vicks and start snoring away. Until the baby started kicking and waking me up, I have to sit up turn myself over readjust the body pillow and blankets and try to nod back off.

Then I get up this morning and have a full blown Freddy Kruger nose bleed. It just would not stop. It was a pleasant sight, let me tell you.

Well I cleaned myself up and threw on a comfy maternity dress, walk into work and I get the "You look so cute Momma" comment a hundred times.

Thanks, because if you saw me two hours ago you would run for the hills! Haha.

As we all know when creating life your body does the strangest things, I actually had a scary symptom while driving home from work this week. I lost vision in my left eye. I held it closed and continued driving home. It lasted a short while and when I told the Mr. he was quite concerned. Luckily I had another 4 week checkup the next morning and told the doctor what happened. She told me to see a specialist sooner than later as this can be something more serious, i.e. signs of stroke, preeclampsia etc. I called the eye specialist and they saw me this morning bright and early, they ran a few tests, dialiated my eye and saw nothing wrong. The diagnosis for now, an optical migraine. If it happens again we will look further into it but for now I am ok.

I read the book by Jenny McCarthy "Belly Laughs" a few weeks ago on a plane ride home and it was so down to earth, so honest about the un-pleasantries of pregnancy. Its true, it is beyond wonderful and amazing but when you can't get to that one point to shave for weeks and you finally get a glimpse of the braid-able patch on the back of your leg, you can't help but laugh.

Chiropractic Care and Pregnancy

Ever since college when I would lug around 50 pound bags of camera equipment I have been visiting a chiropractor. They have been very helpful in treating the discomfort and generally making me feel much better.

I am a holistic type of patient, I would much rather have you fix me without cutting me open!

About a month ago I started getting this clicking noise in my lower back when I would walk. I could only imagine it was from the growing baby moving some things around. I was also having pains down my legs, I needed to figure out what to do asap. I headed into the Chiropractor and I really did not think anything of it. I knew they could fix the clicking. Of course with a few simple adjustments and some new pillows and boards to avoid pushing on me while laying on my stomach I was done with the clicking.

I have been asked several times by many different people: "OH dear you go to a Chiropractor, AND your PREGNANT". I just smile and nod because they don't know what they are missing. I have done my research and all of the doctors remind me how we need to work together regarding discomforts and getting things in place now; I feel completely comfortable with the process.

Some tips if you are interested:
1. Go talk to a doctor, they are doctors and all of them train on how to adjust those who are expecting.
2. Do your own research, find a doctor you like. Ask around.
3. Go in with an open mind. It may take a few visits before things start lining up, but keep at it.
4. Be vocal, if it is uncomfortable or causing you pain tell them. They will gladly try another technique, you just have to let them know.
5. Recognize the changes in your whole body, not just your tummy and be in tune with it. There are some incredible things happening and some uncomfortable things, so get the discomforts fixed now to give you more time to enjoy your baby.

A few sites that may be useful:
http://www.americanpregnancy.org
http://www.acatoday.org

19 Weeks and 26 Years Old Next Week!

Wow, when I thought about my birthday when I first found out I was pregnant it seemed SO incredibly far off in the distance. I thought it would take ages to get to this point and now here we are a matter of days away. I made sure I got my hair done yesterday to help me feel a little bit more celebratory, but this year I think I will be celebrating the 19 weeks part more than the 26 years old part. For the first time I do not have a single plan for my birthday, and I think it might even be more enjoyable that way. I kept thinking that I would have all these amazing plans with the friends I haven't been home to enjoy my birthday with in the past few years, but so far with everyone's busy schedules it just hasn't worked out. I think my husband and I will just lay low and enjoy some quiet time (with cake though, there has to be cake) together.

I went for my monthly appointment with my midwife, and asked her a few questions, but thankfully nothing critical has popped up so far. Apparently, my uterus is measuring 16 cm's which according to her is right on track even though I haven't gained a single pound yet! I had about ten or fifteen pounds extra weight on me before I got pregnant, so I do feel like this lack of weight gain is not unhealthy for me and the baby. I think probably in a couple of weeks I'll start to notice some increases there. As long as the midwife isn't worried, I'm not! It just will be nice not to have to lose a ton of weight after having the baby, but we'll see maybe what happens. Thankfully, I'm not depriving myself of anything or dieting in any sense of the word, but I do wish I was able to eat more and want more of the healthier things too. Right now I'm just trying to eat whatever I can as healthily as I can and it could be going much easier.

Also, I asked about the H1N1 vaccine, and it was actually interesting to hear what she had to say about it. She gave me the information as a doctor would and then answered the questions I had. According to her I am not in the high risk category of the already high risk category of pregnant women, so that means that because I'm still less than twenty weeks the baby isn't compromising my lung capacity and won't while the flu is in it's peak period (until Feb). They are most worried about that because of the complications the flu brings to respiratory function. I explained how I felt about the vaccine and she said that while she couldn't tell me what to do she could give me some facts about prevention etc. She also noted that my job doesn't not put me in contact with many people, and any socializing I would normally be doing with potentially infected people has been drastically reduced because of how miserable I've been feeling. She also mentioned that Tamiflu (the common treatment of H1N1) is available at their office so I wouldn't even need an appointment with my family doctor. It isn't a perfect cure but it reduces the effects of the flu drastically. I feel comfortable with that information and have decided not to get the vaccine. I can influence the chances of getting the flu by washing my hands as often as possible, drinking warm liquids, gargling with salt water, and even salt water up the nose if I'm really ambitious or worried (I don't see that last one happening).

On a less scary note I think I'm starting to feel something in my tummy! I am at the stage where I truly can't be absolutely positive of what I'm feeling, but I think there's a good chance it's the little one. I heard the heartbeat at my appointment again yesterday, and I can't help thinking each time, "Oh good, you are still in there!" I keep thinking that it might not be real, and then my husband says.... ummmm your belly is growing..... but I can't really tell... Like I said before I had about ten pounds sitting on my belly before so it's hard to see much more of a change there.

Only twelve more days to the big ultrasound! Which like I mentioned, doesn't necessarily mean anything considering we won't find out the gender at the actual ultrasound. I hate that we have to wait for the report! It's so silly! I can't get over my frustration about that, but I am very excited to begin thinking about this little person as having a personality as well. I'm really hoping for a boy, but I could make peace with a girl I'm sure. My friend is having a girl just before me so it would be cute to have the same, but I'm in love with the idea of having a little boy. I think it will take some of the pressure off having another child because my husband really, really wants a boy. I think we can really only afford to have two kids, and if we get two girls I think he will want to try for a third. I know he would love a baby girl just as much as a boy, but he really wants a little hockey player, and I think it's the cutest thing in the world to picture them out on the ice together.

Anyway, I will write again soon, and sorry for the late update on the H1N1 vaccine. It took ages to make up my mind and the midwife certainly helped me out.

Guilt

Last night, I laid in my bed in tears. I’ve mentioned before that I’m fighting allergies, but I don’t know if I really described how severe it is. You know how when you have a really bad cold, your nose gets so stuffed up that your head hurts and your sinuses start screaming at you? It’s like that. Every minute. Every hour. Every day. But in addition to that, my throat feels like it’s closing up, so I can not only not breathe through my nose, but I have difficulty breathing deeply through my mouth as well. I can barely sleep at night because breathing is so difficult, even when I’m propped up on three pillows (which is in turn giving me back and neck aches). I’ve blown my nose so much that I’ve started getting nosebleeds. My eyes are swollen and feel like they’re on fire, even when I use saline eyedrops to try to relieve some of the pain.

And that’s on a good day. I literally cannot be outside for longer than a minute or two or the symptoms instantly grow worse (I’ve actually had to take time off of work because I couldn’t physically cope after having to be outside for a couple of hours the previous night). I can’t step into my yard, can’t play with my dogs outside, can’t go for a walk or a picnic. I live inside a sealed up house, dash to the car to go to work, stay inside a building all day, and then repeat in the opposite order. If my husband opens a window at home to let some of the stale air out, I start gasping within minutes. 

And I still have another 3.5 months to go, as the allergy season for hayfever sufferers in Australia runs from about October to February. It’s going to be a long spring.

This is all worth it, because this is what I need to do to keep these babies healthy. But last night, I woke up at 4am and couldn’t get back to sleep because my allergies were so severe. Today, I’m desperately tired. And when I was lying in bed, watching the light from the dawn creeping through the blinds, I realized: I can’t do this again. I just can’t.

My plan was to breastfeed our babies for the first 12 months, as the AAP recommends. I’ve now cut that down to 5-6 months, depending on when my allergies start up next year. Because next year, I want – no, I need – to be able to take strong allergy medication, and I won’t be able to if I’m breastfeeding.

And I feel unbelievably guilty. How many times have I had it drummed into my head that breast is best, that if you don’t breastfeed your child for at least a year, you’re doing them a disservice. I don’t want to be a bad mother! But then I remind myself: there is nothing wrong with formula. Formula is not bad. Formula is not evil. It may not quite be the naturally perfect baby food that breastmilk is, but it’s absolutely the best substitute in the world. Women who are unable to produce enough milk to feed their child - and you never know, I could be one of them and then all of this would be a moot point - are not abusing their children by giving them formula, and I won’t be abusing our children either. I've read that most of the benefits of breastfeeding are in the first 6 months, so hopefully I'll be able to breastfeed for that long - but if not, it won't be the end of the world.

I want to be able to breathe freely and play with my children. I want to be able to get whatever sleep I can, instead of gasping for air at night. I want them to have nice, fresh air in our home. I want to be able to take them out in the stroller for a walk instead of being trapped inside a sealed house for five months. Yes, breastfeeding is a wonderful thing, but so is quality of life – not just for myself, but for my children. I know this decision might open me up to some judgment (especially since I'm making it so far in advance), but I'm OK with that. Because if this is what I have to do to be happy and healthy so I can make our children happy and healthy, then it's the right choice for our family.

Ahhh, spring...

I had my first allergy attack when I was about 13. Until that point, I'd been pretty carefree, cheerfully roaming the hills around our house and going on nature walks. But that spring, something changed. I don't know what triggered it - we'd lived in a rural area for years, so I'd been routinely exposed to plenty of plant spores and pollens, but that year I started having dramatic hayfever. I couldn't mow or even be in the vicinity of fresh cut grass (to this day, I can't understand why people like the way it smells - all it means to me is that my throat will start to close up), or be around blooming lilac, poplar trees, or any number of other plants. If I was exposed for longer than a couple minutes, I would spend the next several days gasping for air. When I moved to Australia it got even worse, presumably because of all of the unfamiliar plants sending out spores every year.

I struggled for years to find a good medication for my allergies, since most of them - even the ones that are marketed as "non-drowsy" - would send me into a drugged stupor. Eventually I found a medication that worked, and have spent the last few years blissfully frolicking outside in the spring...until now. Because when you're pregnant, you can't take allergy medication. There is one drug in Australia that is occasionally prescribed in severe allergy cases for low-risk pregnancies, but with the higher-risk cases such as myself (since I'm carrying twins), doctors are understandably reluctant to prescribe it, and I wouldn't be comfortable taking it even if it was on offer.

This season, I've been treating myself by taking paracetamol (which doesn't help with the allergies but does ease the tension headaches I get from fatigue and struggling to breathe), breathing steam from bowl of hot water, using a saline spray to help clear my nasal passages, and simply staying inside as much as I can. This was working fairly well until last night, when I had no choice but to spend several hours outside, and today I'm feeling the consequences. I could barely breathe last night and hardly slept (lying down exacerbates my breathing issues), and today it's an effort just to keep moving - it doesn't help that it's a dry, hot, windy spring day, perfect for torturing allergy sufferers.

So I'm putting it out there: does anyone have any safe, baby-friendly allergy remedies? I've had a few friends recommend buying a neti pot (which I'm going to look for this weekend), and I've tried the local honey method in the past (it simply doesn't work for me). Anyone have any other hints?

Migraines and Pregnancy....

Day 5 of this ferocious migraine. I am not impressed. I am finding it difficult to get the through the days already with the tiredness etc, and now this migraine is making it even harder! I am allergic to Tylenol which the doctor has informed is the only thing I could take while pregnant, so I am left with drinking water to make sure I'm hydrated enough. It is not enough. In the theme of the season, I feel like my head is a pumpkin and someone is scraping out the insides while the front of my head is carved in a grimace of pain. It is getting to be a little too much for me to handle. I'm tempted to take time off work until it goes away, but I already have a concert (wish me luck with that!) lined up for Wednesday night in another city that will make me have to take two days off work. So can I grit my teeth through one more day of work, and then the concert? Well I think I am going to have to because I'm not sure I have much of a choice.

Life has gotten kind of overwhelming lately with all the things I have to do, and don't have the energy for! I keep thinking that I will be able to pick up where I left off when I feel better, but I am on week fifteen and I'm not feeling any better! When do I suck it up and plug through my homework and other responsibilities?? I woke up in the middle of the night last night with a mild panic attack about how my homework is never going to get done, and a filing job my boss asked me to do after hours. I'm going to get kicked out the of the course pretty quick if I don't get something worked out soon! I was doing so well before I got pregnant and I was organized and efficient, and now I'm a space cadet and thoroughly inefficient.

I don't even have the energy to want to go to this concert that I have had planned for months! I would rather stay home and sleep, but I am thankful that at least I can take two days off work. I do think it's kind of neat that the baby will get introduced to music that I love even before it's born :) I wonder if that will influence them at all at this point in their young lives?

I am also wondering how everyone feels about the H1N1 vaccine? I do not want to get it, but I'm curious how everyone else is making their decisions about it? I know pregnant women are supposed to get it first, but I am so nervous about introducing something that is so new and barely tested to my body and the baby.

Also, can an experienced blogger let me know how to make comments on another's post? It won't let me do them for some reason.

I hope everyone is healthy and happy, and I apologize for such a bummer of a post, but it certainly feels good to get it out.

PS. Congratulations to the new Puppy Adoptions this week!

Pre-Natal Vitamins

Before Mr. Joggersaur and I got married in March, we had originally planned to let what happens happen, as far as getting pregnant was concerned.

So, I went in for my yearly check up, and I let my doctor know that we were preparing for baby and I had everything done to ensure things were going well. I also asked him what things I should be doing at home.

He was like, "Why don't you just give sex a try."

I just wanted to be like, "No kidding (insert favorite derogatory name here)!" But I didn't. When he left the room, the nurse, who was about my age told me when her and her husband decided to start trying, her doctor suggested she start taking a pre-natal vitamin.

That was the last time I went to that doctor.

I went home and told my future hubby about them suggesting I start on a pre-natal vitamin. He thought it was too soon, so we opted not to purchase pre-natal vitamins at that time.

A few months passed, and as we started getting closer to our 'stop preventing' date, I started reading up on things to do and prepare my body for baby.

Turns out, I should have listened to my nurse and bought those pre-natal vitamins right before our wedding. It's recommended that you take a pre-natal vitamin for a year before you TTC.

But a year ago, I had no idea I would be where I am today.

Sure, I had a boyfriend, but I didn't know he was going to propose in December, or that we would marry in March, or by this time this year, we would be married almost six months.

So, at that point, why would I start taking pre-natal vitamins?

When I realized we were just six weeks away from our stop preventing date, I headed to Target to pick up some pre-natal vitamins. I figured six weeks was better than no weeks.

It was fun and exciting all at the same time. I had no idea what I was doing. I was nervous and had butterflies in my stomach as I read labels.

It reminded me of the feeling the first time I bought condoms, or a home pregnancy test.

Here I was, standing in the aisle, looking at the options.

One with more calcium, one with DHA... My head was swimming.

Focus. It's just a vitamin.

I could easily just pick up any bottle and walk off, or walk off empty handed thinking of all the what ifs.

I closed my eyes and picked one and headed to the registers. There's no backing down now.

Ready or not baby, here we come!