Buying Guide to a New Mommy

Being is new mom is exciting, but at the same time it can be overwhelming and exhausting if things just don't go as planned. You are meeting your baby for the first time, and nothing goes as planned. However getting ready early always helps and is of course better than not being prepared at all. I did put down the list of baby items , but there are some essentials for moms too,  and I have listed them below. In any case ENJOY all you can, as everyday pass by and they grow up too fast.

Nishka @5days

1. breastpump - Get your free one from the insurance company
2. Wirefree Nursing Bra - feel free to do your own research on what kind you like, but definitely all cotton and wirefree is the way to go.
3. Lanisoh nipple cream - This is a must for all nursing moms.
4. Cranberry Juice - Stock up on these, and this will help with probable UTI.
5. Hydration bottle - Fill with water all day/night
6. Pain management medicine - you will get some when you leave the doctors office after baby birth, but have some in handy for all other pains that may come along
7. Loose fit cotton pyjamas

Nice to haves

1. Nursing pads - These come as washable and none washable ones, pick per you convenience. It also depends on how much 
2. Rocking Chair - This is really handy for mommy to use it when nursing, taking a relaxing nap or can also be used by daddy to rock baby to sleep :)
   
   

   

   Navya @2days
   
   
   

The first buying guide to a New Baby

Every baby is special, and every parent wants to get ready to meet their baby in all special ways they can. Getting ready with all the essentials for a new born, as well as for the mom is something that new parents plan for a long time. Making the list, doing a lot of research and buying them is an exciting process. However, it can sometimes be overwhelming when the list gets longer with multiple options, we all know how many options a single item has now a day...thanks to the online shopping experience. 

I have put together the list of must haves as well as nice to haves to make your shopping exciting. Feel free to modify and use it for your baby's arrival shopping, by adding your own touch in your own special way. You can also create your baby registry using this shopping guide.

Happy Shopping!!

Must-haves 

1. carseat + stroller = Travel System, there are a million option, and will let you do the homework.
2. breastpump - Buy one or get your free one from the insurance company.
3. nipple cream
4. Bottle small and large
5. Bottle cleaning brush
6. Bottle Dryer
7. Bottle steamer and Sterilizer
8. Crib
9. mattress
10. Fitted Sheet and extras(quilt and dust ruffles are nice to have)
11. bath tub
12. humidifier
13. swing 
14. rocker
15. Boppy Pillow
16. water proof changing pad
17. daiper 
18. wipes
19. daiper bag, any large size handbag with multi organizer works 
20. daiper pail
21. Baby clothes detergent
22. Baby Lotion or Baby Cream
23. Baby Bath  or Baby Wash
24. Baby Oil or any oil that you use and trust it is good for sensitive skin
25. Hand sanitizer
26. Vaseline petroleum jelly
27. Thermometer
28. infant tylnol/children tylnol
29. Nail cutter
30. Clothes 

• onesies 
• trousers
• wash cloth
• mittens
• bathing towel
• bibs 
• hat
• socks
• Blankets - couple of them 

Nice to have 
Snotsucker
Baby monitor
Activity gym
Smart Socks
Musical Mobile
Nursing pads
Milk warmer
Pacifier
Daiper rash cream, vaseline petroleum jelly works equally well

Meal plans for Gestational Diabetes

It is really hard to plan and eat when you are pregnant. We always think that pregnancy is that part of our life when we can enjoy the most and that can happen when there is no restriction on the food we eat. Suddenly one day you get your test result that you have gestational diabetes, and then you are worried about what to eat. I have been through this and would like to share what helped me all the way.I had no guidance but planning ahead worked great for me. I enjoyed what I wanted to eat even when i was counting carbs.

Wai Wai Soup

Here is meals designed for 3 days that may help you plan your variations. 

Day 1: 

Breakfast: 1 cup milk, 1 toast with cottage Cheese and poached egg 

Snack 1: 1 medium apple, some almonds

Lunch: 1 cup cooked brown rice with Long Beans and Bamboo shoot curry, fried fish. 

Snack 2: 1 cup milk, 2 Digestive Biscuit

Snack 3: Cucumber Salad with Cheese (your favorite kind), Prune - 4 pieces, Almonds and Walnuts

Dinner: Wai Wai Soup (1 pack) with baby bok-choy, tomato and shrimp 

Day 2: 

Breakfast: 1 cup tea, 2 toast with almond butter, scrambled eggs

Snack 1: 1 cup yogurt, 1 cup watermelon

Lunch: 1 cup cooked white rice with goat curry, stir fried mustard greens, fried chicken, tomato salsa(golveda ko achar)

Snack 2: black tea with 1 granola bar

Snack 3: 1 cup veggie soup, 1 pack cracker

Dinner:  2 medium baked potato, sauted mushroom and broccoli, steamed salmon

Day 3:

momo

Breakfast: 1 cup coffee, 2 small pancakes, sausage and bacon

Snack 1: 16 medium grapes, 1 medium peach

Lunch: 1 cup cooked cracked wheat, scrambled minched turkey with bean sprout

Snack 2: 1 cheese stick, beet and cucumber salad, 1 cookie

Snack 3: 1 cup lentil soup with small bread stick.

Dinner: 15 small momo's, sauce for momo (momo ko achar), goat soup

Enjoy eating!



Disclaimer

Signs that say 'YAY'

Being pregnant is such a wonderful feeling. You will soon bring that someone special to this world and you are getting ready for it. What can be more exciting than that. Along with the excitement comes the excessive task of your body taking care of the whole pregnancy game. The body goes through a tremendous set of changes and here are some visible ones that can tell that you are pregnant.

Missed periods, the first and the major milestones of pregnancy. Get the home pregnancy test done and you will see positive results if you are pregnant, time to celebrate.

Along with that comes some uncomfortable feelings. You are super tired, and that's more like running a marathon a day. Even if you manage to get 12 hrs of sleep a day, and you still feel you need more and can crash in anytime and anywhere. You may have nausea and it can start before you miss the period, up to the day you delivery.

Morning sickness is another in the list. The term morning is just a fake name, it can happen anytime of the day, right from the time you wake up to bed time. You may have nausea and vomiting countless times, however most ladies have it in the mornings.
Food aversions comes next. You may start hating the foods that you used to love the most, and gulping down food could be a challenge. On the other hand, some people as very lucky not to have any nausea or food aversions and may want to eat all the time. All the time and anything.

Mood swing also takes control over your life. You may get angry, happy, frustrated, and cry for no specific reasons. Its just the effect of the hormones that body is producing. Just take it as you go on. Bloating, swollen tender breast and frequent urination are also symptoms that hint you are pregnant.

Most lucky people get over it by end of the first trimester. Every pregnancy is different, and you may have all of these or none, so just hang in there and it will be over soon.


Disclaimer

Limiting "carbs" for Gestational Diabetes

It takes discipline to take in-charge of your gestational diabetes, and you can easily do it. All you need to do is:
1. Plan, plan plan - this is the key, plan all your meals and snacks. Remember that you dont want to over feed your baby, so stick to the diet always.
2. Unless your obgyn tells you not to excercise, you can do some light workouts. Brisk walk is good. You could also clean the home, vaccum, wash the dishes, cook and clean the kitchen, clean the bathroom. There are ways to keep the baby in you happy and also make your home clean.

You could plan a day with the following:
Breakfast - 30 grams of carb from category2, anything/any amount from category1
Snack - 30 grams of carb from category2,  anything/any amount from category1
Lunch - 45 grams of carb from category2,  anything/any amount from category1
Snack - 30 grams of carb from category2,  anything/any amount from category1
Snack  - 30 grams of carb from category2,  anything/any amount from category1
Dinner - 45 grams of carb from category2,  anything/any amount from category1

Category1: You can induldge on them. Happy and Free food.

turkey

pork

shrimp
tofu

fish

goat

chicken

all kinds of nuts but limit peanuts.

mustard greens (tori ko saag)

gai choy ( rayo ko saag)

gai lan (kalo tori ko saag)

pumpking vines (pharsi ko munta )

chayote vines (iskus ko munta )

eggplant/brijal ( bhanta)

ladysfinger (bhindi) 

fenugreek leaves (methi ko saag)

spinich (palungo)

peppercress (chamsur)

watercress (simrayo)

tomatoes/onion/ginger/garlic/cilantro/parsley

radish

mushroom

zhucinni

all variety of pepper (belpepper/chillies)

celery

asparagus

brocolli

cauliflower

cabbage

long beans (bodi)

green beans
bamboo shoot (tama)

cucumber

avocado

olive
all kinds of nuts

artichokes

and all the veggies you get. 

Avoid veggies that are high in carb like  plantain (kera ko tarkari), corn, sweet potatoes, any kind of poatatoes, peas, carrots.

All kinds of cheese (avoid cheese that are soft and viened as it may contain listeria, not at all a good thing for the baby like feta cheese, blue cheese)
Indulge peanuts in less quantity as they are higher in carb compared to other nuts.

Category2: Measure and eat, make sure to read labels

white rice

brown rice

noodles

bread

roti

poori

paratha

milk

yogurt
fruits

any Daal - you have been thiking it is protien but it has a lot of carb too.

NO NO NO, you can see how much you should avoid this by looking at the number of no's

fries

fried chicken - you can go for baked chicken and eat a lot of them

cookies/doughnut/muffins/bagel/

cakes pies/icreacreams

soda, energy drinks, juices, smoothies, milk shakes

pizza 

jam/jelly/honey
Rice bread (sel roti)
desserts (all kinds)

Disclaimer

Gestational Diabetes - Positive Vibes

It's hard when your doctor calls and tells you that you have gestational diabetes. Gestational Diabetes is mostly detected during week 24-28 during pregnancy, but for some with family history of diabetes or who are obese, this is detected even earlier.  Women do get back to normal once the baby is born and a special diet is followed postpartum. 

Should you be really worried about it? I think no, it just means that your body is not able to produce enough insulin to process the glucose intake. This is all due to the growing belly and other organs in the body gets crunched and unable to function as it used to. I know it feels nervous and scary in the beginning, but think about the effort  you are putting to bring someone special into this world.

The baby inside must be saying  "I am so special, and mommy needs to work a little harder to make sure everything is right. I think i deserve a little attention. don't you? "

The first thing you do is google (smiley), and find millions of hits, but consulting a nutritionist adds that extra benefit. Adding more complex carbs to your diet, lets the glucose in the food dissolve slowly maintaining a constant  blood sugar level. Also adding more protein to the diet makes you feel full longer. The hardest of all is, eliminate all processed foods, desserts from your diet. You must be thinking that this is the only time i get to enjoy them, and how to eliminate, but actually if you think, you are taking the bad things out of your body. Processed food and high sugar content of dessert do no good to your body. Sticking to frequent eating habit does not let you feel hungry, apart from breakfast, lunch and dinner, add snacks 2 hrs after each meal, meaning you are eating smaller portions, 6 times a day.It is also a good practice to walk altleast 20-25 mins after each major meal and adding yoga and stretching to your daily routine once a day. This increases your metabolism and also helps maintain a healthy glucose level. 

Stick to the routine and things will be fine.

Disclaimer

The Math behind due dates

Congratulations! you are pregnant, but how along are you? Confused?

The pregnancy test that is available in the market can show positive as early as 1 month into the pregnancy. Its a fact that if you miss your period and test positive, you are pregnant. How many months? you are 1 month pregnant already and 8 more to go. The count starts 2 weeks prior to your ovulation when you start your first day of your last last period. 

Now when is you due date? It is exactly 40 weeks, which is 280 days from the first day of your last period or 9 months and 1 week. And someone asks you "how many month pregnant are you?", lets see how well you can calculate that.

Enjoy Counting and happy pregnancy!

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