Is Yours An “Average” Pregnancy?

Talk to any two women who have been through pregnancy, and it’s amazing just how much of a difference there is! It seems like there is really no “average” pregnancy. Even if you take two sisters, one has weeks of morning sickness, the other has none whatsoever; one woman loses her pregnancy weight in 3 months post delivery and another is still carting it around 2 years later! (And isn’t it fun to compare notes and discuss how each one’s experience is so different?) One wears pregnancy tops throughout her pregnancy and the other never has to buy one! 

When each woman’s experience is so different, naturally, each woman’s questions and challenges are also a little different. At the same time, women also love to discuss their experiences with others and get tips on what worked for others, what didn’t. After all, in many cases, there is no hard-and-fast rule – it’s a question of finding out what works for you.

These days, it has also become easier to find the information that will work for each of us, thanks to the wealth of information that technology makes accessible to us. The newest addition to this is the Mother’s World mobile app developed by Mom&Me that makes it possible for expecting mothers to get information specific to their condition, in a very friendly mobile format.

On entering the date of the last menstrual period or the due data, it offers the mother-to-be completely personalized information suited to her week of pregnancy.

Besides information on the baby’s growth and activity at each stage, and the common doubts women have during pregnancy it can be customized by expecting mothers in a number of ways. For instance, it allows you to track your emotions during this period and understand them better. Best of all, you can connect with other moms through the Mom&Me blog and Facebook page. You can also find pregnancy dresses online at great rates and best brands.

So, if you’re looking for helpful information and tips that work for your pregnancy, do check out the Mother’s World mobile app!

Graco's Baby Car Seat that Grows with Your Child!

Buy the Elite Graco Car Seat that is ergonomically designed to adapt to the changing needs of a growing child, allowing them to travel in comfort and safety.  This convertible car seat can be easily installed using the car's seat belt and includes five point safety harnessing, side impact protection padding and harness retainers to get your child in and out of the seat easily.

A Drive to Pune with my Adorable Little Brat!

The other day I traveled to Pune and back with the brat. It is a journey I have done umpteen times before, but this one was unnerving because a) it was the first time I was doing it on my ownsome lonesome and b) I was traveling not by car but by an AC bus with a baby car seat still attached to my little brat. Call me chicken, come on, I dare you.

As is the norm with me, worst case scenarios always present themselves in slide show format in my mind before I undertake any such acts of bravery. At the last minute, I almost called off the trip, but then steeled my heart and ventured forth.

The brat, thank the Lord, is a much better behaved child than he used to be; I still remember with horror the flight back from Bangalore, which was delayed interminably and all I remember is running around the old Bangalore terminal in circles trying to keep sight of the brat! This time, I could take the risk of hoping that the brat sat peaceably in a single seat for the duration of the journey, four to five hours, without having me pluck out each strand of hair from my head in frustration.

I was also a wee bit worried because the brat has been known to suffer from motion sickness. I have unpleasant memories of drives to Goa, when the entire contents of his stomach were heaved into every corner of the car, my clothes and my hair. I debated about giving him Avomine before the journey, but decided against it – I didn’t want him drowsy and sleepy through the journey.

I would not mention the V word, and instead treat the trip like one big adventure. And so we did. It was a mamma and brat adventure; waiting for the bus at the pickup point, keeping him in charge of the bags (all of two), having him find the seats in the bus, making him count the red cars on the road, giving him a Rubik’s cube to keep him occupied, pointing out hotspots like the DY Patil cricket stadium (known to him courtesy IPL), and not letting him eat anything through the journey.

We made it safe and sound to Pune and back. I really had to be amazed at the sturdiness of the baby car seat that I bought online. If you guys are interested to buy baby car seats, contact me and I will give you the list of best brands available. The boy helped me with the luggage, behaved himself, managed to keep himself entertained, and slept a fair bit of the way. Could it be, shudder, shudder, that the child has actually grown up?

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Buy Strollers Online that are Affordable & Durable!

Mom & Me presents Lil Wanderes collection of baby strollers at affordable prices and guaranteed durability of upto 3 years to keep your little one safe and secure. The strollers are best for long walks on the park or short trips with convenient reclining positions, tray handle for mom and baby, storage capacity and one-step fold.

The Everyday Superhero in Our Lives - The Incredibles

We walk around in our milk and pureed food-stained clothes. Contact lenses a thing of the past and the once-upon-a-time-never-to-be-seen-in-public glasses, now firmly pushed on our noses. Our hair greasy from the fine sheen of drool and the occasional spit-up.

As we move through public places, scrunched over baby strollers or slings and baby carriers dangling from our chest, dressed in our baggy shirts and flat shoes, we are comfortable in our public personas. No one knows about the powers that are concealed within. Our secret identities remain secret.

That baggy top with the loose sleeves shield our biceps that are now bulging thanks to carrying around our little ones. What passers-by will never know from looking at our flip-flop clad feet is the power of lightening speed that they possess. The power to dash at a speed unseen to the naked eye as our precious baby breaks into a wail in her crib or hurtles towards the wall on all fours or vrooms past in the walker that she/he was just gifted.

No one knows that our unremarkable looking ears will test positive for the gift of supersonic hearing- an imperceptible sigh, the slightest wail, the beginning of a sneeze – you name it, we hear it. Hey, sometimes we hear it even before it happens. (But then that could possibly be a side-effect of extreme sleep deprivation as well.)

And then, of course there is the eye sight. Don’t let the dark shadows underneath them or the aforementioned eye- glasses fool you, we miss nothing. From the tiny speck of non-existent dust or the barely visible red welt on her leg that may or may not be a mosquito bite. (Fingers crossed hoping it’s not a mosquito bite!)

Oh and six months of exclusive nursing (in both public and private places) later, we all know how blurry the line between inner and outer wear becomes, much like those other popular figures who wear their inner wear as normal attire.

And sure, to the non-superhero public that shawl is just a nursing shield, but we, the members of the league of extraordinary women know it as an essential part of a superhero costume – the cape and a super baby car seat to get the kid secure on a wild ride to the supermarket, school or anywhere else!

Who are we?
Just your everyday mother by day and a superhero in disguise every other moment, from the time we became mothers.

Like they say in the Incredible, we are no one but “average people, average citizens quietly and anonymously making the world a better place”.

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Why is it important to buy car seat for baby in India?

Using a Breast Pump – Guidance for Mothers

For working women, a breast pump is a godsend that allows them to express their milk and store it for use in the course of the working day when they might not be around to feed their babies. This allows mothers to express quickly, without the tedium of manual expression, and saves time, which is often scarce.

Kiran Manral talks to Cee Kay*, Mother of two children aged 12 and 4 now, about her experiences with a breast pump. She used the breast pump for her second child.

Why did you start using a breast pump? How old was your child then?

I started using breast pump to augment supply by day 15 or so (I don’t remember exact day). I was having lactation problems.

Did you research the models in the market before buying one? What were the parameters you looked for?

I first rented a pump from the hospital for about two months to see if it would help me at all. Once I verified that pumping did help my supply, I bought Medela’s “Pump in Style” because my research indicated that it was one of the best models available. A friend had it as well and she highly recommended it.

This one also comes with dual shields/pumps which save time as you can pump both breasts at the same time. The features I looked for were:

1. Dual pumps.
2. Hospital grade.
3. Had to have graduated suction levels.
4. Had to be easy to carry since I planned to pump at work.
5. Had to have a discreet case that I could carry to and from work without it being too obvious. I bought the backpack style for easy carrying option.

For how long did you use the breast pump and why did you stop?
I used it for a little over three months and I stopped after my supply dwindled to about three ounces for the whole day. I grudgingly realized that I wasn’t lactating and that it was just not worth the stress.

What would you advise women who want to start using a breast pump?
My Ob-Gyn strongly dissuaded me from using one after my first delivery. If I had used one, my first daughter could have gotten at least a few months of breast milk. I regret that. Get a second opinion if that happens to you.

Second, there is no shame in using a breast pump. Don’t let anyone tell you that.

Third, don’t overdo it. The guidelines usually allow for pumping for 20 minutes on each side. I ignored that once and over-pumped. I got swollen ducts as a result and my supply went further down. I still regret that.

How did using a breast pump help you?
It made me feel like I gave it my best shot. I know I worked hard and tried my best – if it didn’t work even after that, then so be it. Frankly, my daughters have thrived on formula too, so in the event of not having enough milk, it is okay if you need to supplement with or switch over to formula.

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