Pregnancy Ailments

Well, it's been a very long time since I've blogged, outside of notes on facebook. I have been wanting to get this information out for a while though, so here goes.

All of you who have been pregnant have experienced different levels of hormone changes, nausea, weight gain, and many other common pregnancy complaints. I have thing weird thing built into me that says "If there's a problem, there must be a solution", so I try everything...until I find it. And I (almost) always do. So, here are the things I have found to work. Please note that there are many other things that have worked for other people. I have probably tried them all, but these are the things that actually worked for me.

Problem: Nausea (aka morning sickness, but we all know it can last all day)
Solutions:


Half of a Unisom sleep tablet and a vitamin b6 at bedtime. If it doesn't seem to help, try a whole Unisom, that's what I have to do. Many people say that ginger helps, but I really really don't like ginger, so that was hard for me. I stopped taking b6 when I started taking prenatals, not realizing that a couple days later my nausea would come back. I searched out what to do, and found that ginger capsules where known to help, so I bought some, and what do you know? They worked! Helped so much. Good luck! I also found sucking on mike and ike candy to be a huge help.

Problem: Constipation


Solutions: Magnesium Oxide. NOT the other magnesiums that are combined with calcium. The only ingredient on the bottle should be Magnesium Oxide. The one that seems to work best for me is made by Twin Lab, which you can find at most health food, or vitamin stores - or on Amazon. The great thing about Magnesium Oxide is that you can't "overdose" on it. Don't get me wrong, it will cause problems if you take too much, but it won't hurt you or the baby. Your body just gets rid of it if you take too much. That said, start small for about 3 days and see how you respond to it and add more if you need it. The other thing is EXERCISE! I know you didn't want to hear it, but it's sooooo true. I take my magnesium at night, and then I workout in the morning and voila, everything works as it should. This is even the case after pregnancy, by the way. Running always does it for me.

Problem: Hip/Back pain


Solution: I have been to acupuncture, massage and chiropractic. While all of these help, the best thing I have found for in-between appointments is the belly support band called the Prenatal Cradle Mini Cradle. It rhymes, so cute! It is cheapest on Amazon.com as well. It may not seem like it's doing anything, but anytime I'll be standing or walking for any amount of time, I throw that baby on, and I can go forever! What a life-saver it's been.

Problem: Horrible, Awful, Discusting Maternity Clothes (you know, places like Motherhood carries them)


Solution: Asos.com. Seriously, this place is wonderful. I hadn't heard about them until very recently. They are a clothing site based out of the UK. They have a huge maternity section as well as a completely separate clearance maternity section. The best thing about them is that the shipping is free BOTH directions! I bought two of everything I wanted to try on because I wasn't sure what size I would be. Yes, if I'm being honest, I put almost $700 on my credit card, but don't you worry, I sent most of it back. It didn't cost me anything except a temporary charge on my card, to try on everything I wanted to. Dresses ran from $17 to $60, leggings were under $18. I was specifically looking for dresses, so I didn't order anything shirts or pants, but they have a TON of stuff on their website.

Problem: Itchy Skin (you may get it on your belly, your breasts, your legs, or a combo of places)


Solution: Coconut Oil. Oh yummy, I love this stuff. I also make deoderant out of it, but that was in a previous post. This stuff leaves my skin so soft! My "milk" region just would NOT give up! I was scratching night and day, and it was not only embarassing, but it was also really really bad for my skin. I put it on my belly too, not b/c of the itchies, but because I'm trying to avoid stretch marks again, too. I still get a little itchy now and then, but not to teh point where I can't keep from scratching. You can also cook with this stuff, and it's so great for you.

Problem: Yeast Infections
Solution: Take an OTC probiotic three times a day. If you don't suffer from this during pregnancy, thank the Lord, right now! No one likes to deal with this, especially our poor deprived husbands. I notice when I get a little lazy on taking it, so just keep on it.

I think this is about it. Seems like I might be missing something, but I will just have to add to it. Sorry some of this is kinda yucky to talk about, but it's real stuff for us poor women who have the honor of bearing children. May you all live long and populate the earth with many loving, well-behaving children.

Not

Well, my fears have been realized. My cycle started yesterday after having blood drawn to test my levels again. Dr. is coming up with a plan here soon, but not really sure what to think. Definitely sad, but surviving. Cramps are really awful this month and my whole body aches. Wine would help, but I'm working, so that's not an option. Took 4 IBP this morning, and just took at T3 (codine). Have heat on my back, but just really yucky feeling.

I know God has a plan, and that he cares about all of this. I know people have babies more than 2 or 3 years apart and it's great, I just really want my kids to be able to experience being in high school together someday, and even college. I am thankful for modern medicine though, that can explain this and thankful that God lead me to Dr. Brasch over 3 years ago. He takes the time to explain exactly how the cycles work and what my body is probably doing so that I can understand the game plan when we come up with it.

He is not in the office today, so the results are back, but I won't get to talk to him until tomorrow. He'll have a plan and we'll move forward. Who knows if this will be a long journey or a short one, but either way, the Lord is on it with me and I love him.

Am I or am I not?

I've been struggling the past couple of days with fear. Fear that we won't be able to get pregnant; fear that I'm going to miss out on more time with Peyton, because it's taking longer to get pregnant; fear that I won't get to be an at-home mom someday; fear that I heard the Lord wrong on numerous occasions, etc.

Today is day 22, which is when I usually start a new cycle. I know my progesterone levels are struggling, even though I've been using Prog cream to try and boost them. I feel crampy, which doesn't usually happen until after I start, and I haven't started yet. I wonder if that means something good or maybe I'm pregnant and my body is struggling to make a decision on what to do b/c the levels are so low. I know I'm avoiding going to the bathroom, in case it makes me start, but I really need to go potty! I feel like I'm pleading with my uterus and with God to just KEEP the little baby in there this time, dangit! And then I realize that's not the attitude to have. And maybe there isn't even a baby in there. Who knows? Lord knows there should be one in there for all of our effort!! ;)

I do feel like the Lord has his hand in every area of my life and that the evil one is trying his best to hit me while I'm pursuing Jesus. I don't know what to do with that, other than to pray and stay focused on the Lord and all the amazing things he has in my life right now.

I'm desperate to know what is going to happen over the next couple days and have no idea how to handle it if I start my next cycle. Cameron is the most amazing husband, he loves me to death and I'm thankful for him, but he doens't have the sense of urgency that I do for some reason. So I can't really talk to him about it because he just say's "Honey, if God wants us to have a baby, we'll have a baby". Of course, he's right. I don't disagree with that, but it doesn't seem to calm this sense of dread I'm feeling.

Oh life...

Two Weeks without Shampoo

This is about the point I got to last time when I gave up on going "no-poo". My head is itchy, my hair is dry, my fingers smell like dirty hair after I scratch my scalp, and it's just nasty! I know it can take up to six weeks and I feel like I have way more tools this time, but holy moly, I'm dying over here.

I washed again, a couple nights ago, with the banana/egg/lemon/castor oil mixture and it was fine. It was night time, so I just did my regular "plunking" and slept with it on my head. It turned out alright, but the ends were definitley dry. I'm out of conditioner, so I'm using a bottle that is AG light conditioning, and I think it's just too light.

I also tried Aloe, which I thought would condition my ends, but it did nothing. I'm finding that no matter what I do, I can't get a comb through my curls when it's wet, which is what I need to do to de-tangle, and I need to do it while it's super wet, or it just separates my curls too much. I need something that allows glide without gunking up my hair too much. It can't contain silicone, so I'm quickly running out of options. I did read that Aloe is great for your scalp, so I'm dying to get home and just scrub my head with it.

I haven't brushed in a while and I'm sure that's one of the problems. The brush really gets all the gunk off my scalp, and helps nourish my ends with the oil that's being produced.

HOLY ITCHING. I'm about to shave my head just so I can scratch it. Gross. Sorry :

At Home Experiments

I have been making my own yogurt, my own facial cleanser, my own shampoo, my own hair gel, my own leave in conditioner, and now am on my way to making my own deoderant! I can't WAIT to try this!!


http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/08/27/effective-homemade-deodorant-my-baby-steps-story/

Curls Entry

Ok, so here's my latest run at going no-poo...

2 weekends ago, so...10 days ago, I combined about a teaspoon of baking soda (BS) in a pint of water, and used it as a "clarifier". Then I balanced the ph back (or tried) with an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse. The rinse started with some fresh herbs from mom's garden, chopped up and boiled. Then steeped and cooled and strained out. Added about 1/2 tsp ACV and poured it over and rinsed it out. It didn't do anything. I lasted two more days and felt like my hair was super greasy and super heavy with product. I tried the BS soak a few more times, had a wash in there with regular shampoo (about 5 days ago), and even tried applying BS directly to my scalp, scrubbing it for 2 minutes and rinsing, then mixing fresh lemon juice with my conditioner. none of that helped. Oh, I also made some shampoo with 1 egg, ACV, lemon juice, and soemthing else, but I can't remember. That did nothing.

In the mean time, i read about washing my super oily skin with...oil! It's called the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). I read a LOT about it and decided to give it a try. You see, the problem with my skin and my hair is that it's super oily. i wash it a lot because it's oily. That produces more oil because my body is made to do that (and so is yours). It becomes a nasty mess. The idea with the OCM is that Castor Oil goes down deep to draw out dirt and impurities, while not stripping the skin of it's natural oils. Mix that with a little Jojoba oil, which closely resembles our skins oil, called sebum, and you've cleansed the dirt and grime, but left the balance of your skin in tact. I've done this 3 times and my skin LOVES it.

My hair is having another problem. it's producing so much oil because it hasn't gotten the message that it's not being stripped of oil yet. I read that brushing a LOT when your hair is dry and doing it with a brush with natural bristles will pull the oil down into the dry ends and it also cleans off the scalp by breaking up the skin cells that stick to all the oil. I've been doing that and it feels AMAZING. I do it at night when I knwo I'll wash the next day, or in the morning before I get it wet.

Tonight, i was dying, just like last time and didn't know how much longer I could stand to have this nasty oil mess on my head, when I discovered another home-made shampoo. I tried it and it was AMAZING!!! I put one egg white into my magic bullet. i gave it a spin until it was frothy. i added about 1/4 cup of plain, all natural, whole fat yogurt. i added the juice from 1/4 of a lemon, a banana, and some castor oil. I gave it a few more spins in teh bullet and then hopped in the shower. I sort of soaked my ends, working it up my strands, then poured it over my scalp all over and massaged a bit. It was running and super drippy, and smelled HEAVENLY!!! I piled my hair on top of my head, held it with a couple claw clips and put a shower cap over the top. I got out of the shower, and left it there while i made dinner, and cleaned up a few things. Probably for about 45 minutes. i rinsed it out with warm water, and felt like I needed some conditioner, so i mixed some more lemon with a light conditioner, put it on, combed my fingers through it and rinsed it out. When i got out of the shower, it felt pretty good. I put some sweet almost oil through the ends, and scrunched some curl cream through the rest and let it air dry. Its CLEAN!! It feels amazing!! My curls are defined and not perfect, but Im' just thrilled to get it clean without stripping it! YAY!! As I do more, I'll post more, but I'm loving this.

I'm also thinking of starting up a support group. Call it the Dirty Hat Club or something. most of the time, with oily hair, it takes about 6 weeks for your scalp to stop producing so much oil. I'm thinking if we get a group together, we can share our woes, encourage each other to stick with it, share tricks and maybe even borrow accessories to cover up the unsightly look while we transition to no-poo. What do you think?

Baking Soda Uses

Thank you Kassidy Emmerson!!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/14781/25_amazing_uses_for_baking_soda_youve.html?cat=46

In the Bathroom

1. One part baking soda mixed with two parts of ground oatmeal makes a great scrub for your face. Just mix together the two ingredients and add enough water to make a paste. Gently rub the paste onto your face, avoiding the eye area. Leave the facial on for a few minutes. Then, gently remove it with plenty of cool water and a wash cloth. Your face will feel noticeably soft and smooth!

2. Is your skin suffering from a case of Poison Ivy or Sumac? Or, do the kids have Measles or Chicken Pox? Add a half cup of baking soda to a bath tub full of warm water. Soak the entire body. The baking soda will help relieve the itching and irritation. It will also help to soften skin!

3. There are many teeth whitening products on the market today, but the most natural is plain old baking soda. Simply dip your toothbrush into some soda everytime you brush! Not only will it help whiten your teeth, but it will help to clean your breath as well!

Baking soda can also be used to safely clean dentures, partials, and other dental apparatus.

4. You can use baking soda just like a dry cleanser to clean sinks, bath tubs, and toilets. It works especially well on chrome fixtures! It rinses off easily and you don't have to worry about scratches either.

5. Hairbrushes and combs pick up not only loose hair, but they also get oily.
Clean yours once a month by soaking them in a solution of warm water and a teaspoon or two of baking soda. Scrub them with a soft brush, if needed, then rinse them with clean water and let them air dry.

6. Is your hair dull and dingy? Maybe you have a build up of shampoo, spray, mousse, and other products in your hair. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda in with your shampoo the next time you wash your hair. The soda will remove any build up and leave your hair soft.

In the Kitchen

7. A pan with burnt food in it can be cleaned with less effort if you soak it in baking soda and hot water first.

8. To open up a partially clogged drain, pour a half cup of baking soda into it. Follow this with a cup of vinegar. Allow the solution to bubble for several minutes, then run hot water down the drain.

9. Do you love dried beans, but not the gas and bloating they cause? Sprinkle a teaspoon of baking soda in the water when you soak beans. Oila! No more digestion problems!

10. You don't need a store-bought cleaner to remove dirt and insecticides from your fresh produce either. Just mix a quarter of a cup of baking soda in a sink full of water. Wash your fruits and vegetables in the solution, then rinse with clean water.

11. Baking soda makes an effective cleaner and deodorizer for your refrigerator too! Sprinkle a little on a damp sponge and clean the inside of the appliance as you normally would. Rinse clean, and see and smell the difference!

12. Your oven is another appliance that baking soda can easily clean and deodorize. Mix some baking soda and enough water to make a paste. Use a sponge
to spread the paste over the inside of your oven. (Make sure that you don't touch the element if your stove is electric!) Allow the paste to set undisturbed for several hours. Then, scrub your oven clean!

In the Laundry Room

13. Do you need to use a laundry booster to help get your clothes clean? Then pour in a half cup of baking soda to every washer load of laundry. You can also use baking soda with bleach too. Your laundry will look brighter and smell fresher!

In the Living Room

14. Carpet and cloth-covered furniture make beautiful additions to your house. But, they do tend to hold body odors, pet smells, cigarette smoke, and other unwanted aromas in your home. To freshen your carpet and upholstered furniture, sprinkle them with baking soda. Allow them to sit undisturbed for a half hour or so. Then, simply vacuum the baking soda up.

15. Fireplaces can also help make your home warm and cozy. But, the soot can also give your house yet another unwanted odor. To help freshen up your fireplace, clean the ashes out, then place a bowl of baking soda in it.

In the Bedroom

16. Fill a pair of old socks with baking soda. Tie a knot in the top of each sock. Then, place the socks in a pair of shoes or slippers that you want to deodorize and freshen up!

17. Are there light water rings on your finished wood nightstand? Mix together a paste of baking soda and toothpaste. Dip a soft cloth in the paste and rub the water spots away!

In the Garage

18. A paste made up of baking soda and water will clean and polish the chrome on your vehicles!
19. A box of baking soda can make an effective extinguisher if a small fire erupts in your garage.

20. Baking soda works better than one of those hanging pine trees in your vehicles. If your vehicle smells musty or smoky, fill up the ashtrays with baking soda. The soda will absorb the odors and effectively freshen the interior.

21. Corroded battery terminals can make your car, truck, van, or SUV refuse to start. Eliminate this problem by periodically cleaning the terminals with a paste made of baking soda and water. Wipe the paste and grunge off with a clean rag.

Elsewhere Around Your House

22. Does the smell of the litter box in your house announce to visitors that you have a cat? If so, you can remedy the problem by starting with a clean box. Then, pour baking soda in it until it's a couple inches full. Finally, add kitty litter as usual. The soda will help absorb the ammonia smell.

23. Ants in your house? Keep them out by mixing up equal parts of baking soda and salt together. Then, sprinkle the mixture wherever you see the intruders coming in at.

24. Do you need to fill in some nail holes in a plastered wall? If you don't have any spackling handy, you can simply mix together some white toothpaste and baking soda. Fill the holes in completely, then allow the mixture to dry. If you want to match the wall color, add a drop or two of food coloring to the mix before you use it.

25. And finally, many flowers, fruits, and vegetables need to be planted in acidic soil in order for them to grow to heir fullest. If you're not sure whether the soil in an area is acidic or not, then perform this test: mix up a quarter of a cup of baking soda with two cups of water. Then, stir in a cup of the soil. If the mixture foams up, then the soil is acidic.