Baby’s Development Newsletters
by Lori Ann
Are you pregnant? The number 1 search term bringing people to MamaWit is “10 weeks pregnant,” which I guess is a common time when new Mamas-to-be are searching for everything they can learn about pregnancy. One of the first resources I got excited about when I was pregnant was the weekly pregnancy newsletters sent out by most parenting websites. They allow you to enter your due date so they can send you weekly updates of your baby’s (and your) developments throughout pregnancy. I signed up for 4… 1 or 2 would have been better.
Some of them seem to exist to make you feel guilty about everything you’re doing wrong. Others encourage you to buy every possible baby gadget on the market. I won’t be subscribing to those again! Even if I’d found 4 great ones, reading the same information repeated slightly differently over and over was quite annoying. Next time, I’ll stick with my favorite from last time and one I discovered since then (the only one I’ve heard of that promotes natural childbirth):
Baby Gaga
My favorite was Baby Gaga, which is a much more light-hearted take on the whole experience. (disclaimer: I don’t necessarily endorse everything they say, but recommend that wise Mamas filter everything through their intuition and talking with Jesus, anyway).
Each week shows a drawing of your baby at the current point in development, tips for what you need to be doing and what you can expect to be happening to your body, photos of real women at that point in pregnancy, and, my two favorite (and this site’s unique) features: a funny comic and an honest journal entry from a real woman at the same point in pregnancy as you.
To subscribe, type in your due date (or use their calculator to estimate one) on this page. If you just want to read without getting the weekly emails, click the appropriate link on the right side of the page.
Mothering.com
Mothering.com’s pregnancy newsletter is definitely pro-natural childbirth, and presents a lot of ideas that aren’t as commonly known or accepted in western cultures. I hadn’t heard of their website when I was pregnant before, but I have used their website for parenting advice since then, and a few friends have recommended this pregnancy newsletter to me.
If you’ve subscribed to a weekly pregnancy email newsletter before, which did you use? Did you like it? What will you subscribe to next time?
Slowing Down
by Lori Ann
For a long time, I’ve been meaning to write an idea I have for a blogger’s “Family First Challenge.” All too often I read Mom bloggers (like… ahem… me…) writing long apologies about why they haven’t written, and I’ve begun to think, “Why should you apologize?… Your family is worth the first of your time!”
In an age of the Super Mom, we Mamas tend to feel insecure if we aren’t doing it all… cooking nutritious whole-food recipes from scratch three times a day (plus healthy snacks!), keeping the floors spotless, writing genius-producing homeschool lessons, keeping our tyke’s faces perfectly clean, never losing our temper, and naturally writing a blog post about it all each and every day. You know, to inspire all the other Moms.
But is that what we are doing?
Or are we encouraging the insecurity? Are we setting the bar for a “good Mama” so high that we feel the need to publicly apologize when we drop one of the balls in our over-the-top juggling act?
So, fellow family bloggers, let’s agree to put our families first. No apologies. That will look different for every Mama and every family, but for me (for now), it means:
- computer screen is off when Tigger is awake
- eye contact with Baba when he comes up to talk… meaning eyes off the screen!
- cutting back to about one blog post here per week (I realized that was the original intention of this blog, and as I’m taking on more projects for the nonprofit I work with, it’s a good idea again)
- spending my weeknights crafting, reading, and playing games with Baba… not websurfing and typing posts
If some creative Mama out there really and truly has the time to design a little “Family First” image we can all use whenever that’s what’s going on (you can link to this post and/or write a relevant one of your own), go for it.
Me? Well, I intended to, but I have a family to tend to, first.
Pregnancy Fitness
by Lori Ann
image by lululemon athletica on flickr
How do you stay in shape and healthy while you’re pregnant? Basically, lots of walking, moderate stretching, kegels, and pregnancy-safe exercises that felt right to my body (always check with your care provider) kept me through my pregnancy with Tigger. I used these resources to keep up my energy, flexibility, and strength in preparation for carrying around an extra 24lbs and for giving (natural) birth!
Tracey Mallet’s 3 in 1 Pregnancy System: a workout DVD combining yoga, sculpting, and pilates
Walk On: Healthy Workouts for Prenatal Exercise from Fit Pregnancy
Kegel exercises from BabyCenter
Loosen Up: Prenatal Stretches from Fit Pregnancy
And, I didn’t find this one til too late, but my favorite pregnancy-related site “Birthing Naturally” has its own Pregnancy Exercise section.
What works for your pregnant body?
Good-bye, Perfectionism
by Lori Ann
Gray? I don’t want to squelch her creativity or anything, but really? Gray?
You should know my favorite colors are green, yellow, and red. In college, I was especially fond of orange. Bright orange. Before that, it was purple. Not too pastel. Bright.
You should probably also know that I am a recovering perfectionist.
I finally hung my “inspiration board” behind the craft desk that was Baba’s gift to me for Valentine’s and Mother’s days. I was motivated this morning to decorate one square with artwork from Tigger, so out came the crayon box and paper. I was envisioning a bright, colorful design to match everything else I love. Her hands went for the box, pulling out not blue, green, or orange (her usual favorites), but — gray.
As a (recovering) perfectionist, gray does not fit my idea of “inspiration” or “decor” either one. God and Tigger, though? Apparently, they’re more interested in teaching me more “letting go” lessons.
How have you had to let go of plans and ideals to give room for your little ones to grow and learn?
Pregnancy Essentials
by Lori Ann
Pregnancy Supplies
I’m kind of a minimalist when it comes to purchases, but I WAS glad for the following items:
The one thing I didn’t have before that next time around I plan to ask for is a body pillow!
What necessities got YOU through YOUR pregnancy?
By Lori Ann
I'm wife to Baba and Mama to our toddler girl known online as "Tigger". I enjoy knitting wool hats, baking mini muffins, traveling rural Asia, dancing with Tigger around the living room, and reading stories from experienced mothers around the world.
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