Keeping Mommy and Baby Happy and Healthy

There is nothing more ever mother wants than for their babies to be happy and healthy, specially while in the womb. The not being able to physically see them for those nine months is agonizing, there is constant worry and hoping that everything is ok and baby is growing the way they are supposed too be. Of course we have check ups but if your anything like me then the knot in your chest before the doctor says, “everything looks great”, is always there right before those appointments.

I can’t help it, I’m a worry wart! I’ve always been that way but specially since this is my first pregancy and EVERYTHING I am going through is completely new to me and honestly a little overwhelming at times. I don’t just worry, I overthink. I know, not a good combination to have for a new Mom. Thankfully, I haven’t reached the googling every symptom yet so there’s a relief there, but I do think about everything I do, everything I don’t do, everything I eat or drink, everything I haven’t planned ahead for, just all of it!

I try really hard to make sure to calm myself down and know that, one, everything I’m feeling is normal. Two, the more I stress, the more baby stresses so breath. And three, ITS OK! I don’t have to be 100% perfect for this pregancy. If I slip and eat a deli sandwich, which I do try to make sure is fresh at least, its okay. If I wind up drinking two cups of coffee and then some sweet tea all in the same day, it’s okay! I don’t have to constantly keep track of every single thing, and you shouldn’t either! We will drive ourselves mad trying too!

Now, yes it’s important to know what you do and put into your body! It’s important to make sure you are giving baby all the good nutrition they need to grow healthy and happy. They may not be here yet but our jobs as mother’s starts the day we find out about them. So with that I do try and make sure I am eating good proteins, vegetables, and fats. I try to make sure I stay active throughout the week, cause as much as I love my job, I sit and stare at a screen all day for five days a week, so definitely not the best for you in the being active department. Every week is different and it doesn’t always go according to how I want, but I try, everyday I try, cause it’s not just me it’s our baby girl that I have to be healthy for. It’s knowing that if I can push myself now and do this for her there’s nothing stopping me for making this a life style and being better for her when she does get here.

I wanted to include the link to my favorite online workouts, its completely free, and the instructor is seriously amazing! She is my goals for keeping healthy and happy while having little ones.

https://youtube.com/c/PregnancyandPostpartumTV

Her channel, which is on YouTube, has a variety of different workouts for prenatal, pregancy, and postpartum Moms. She has fitness workouts, yoga classes, and a whole lot of tips and tricks on delivery! She even has a nutrition guide to help for meals. Her workouts aren’t crazy either, there are different ones for each stage of pregancy and most with little to no difficulty!

I would highly recommend checking her out and seeing all the different ways to stay active during your pregancy. Rather it being getting a good class in once or twice a week or even just taking some time for yourself to go on a walk each day. Staying active is key to keeping yourself and baby healthy and happy!

Below are a few of the videos thats are my go to for reference!

A Little Better Everyday

It only takes one moment, one second, of your day to make it better. Sometimes life feels like an overwhelming mix of to-dos and emotions. We forget that we essentially are in control. We go through life thinking that everything has to be done now, or how we feel about something is the only way we can feel. This is simply not true. You have the power to change your perspective. You have the control to decide what is allowed in your life and your mind.

If your feeling down, find the things that make you smile and do it! If your feeling sick, find what helps and do it! If your feeling tired, do what is best for you and find your rest! No matter what it is, no matter if its weird or crazy or unconventional, do it! Never close yourself off from finding the things that bring you happiness or peace or health due to anyone or anything! You matter! Your thoughts matter! Your health matters! Your peace matters!

Words are important, so say it with me…YOU MATTER!!

Do whatever you need to prove that to yourself today!

Gut Health Is Important!

I know. It’s been a good bit since my last post. These last couple of weeks have been more fun than you could possibly imagine!

Did my sarcasm come across okay? I really hope so.

Even though I’m still not 100% I really wanted to be able to update y’all as to why the sudden drop off.

A few weeks ago I started to get extremely bad pains in my stomach whenever I would try to go the bathroom. Now unfortunately my family has a history of gut problems, all of which I will spare you the details of, but simply put, going every 4 to 5 days is kind of normal for me. I know, thats horrible! I should probably see a doctor right! Wellll yeah, I have many many times. This particular case it had been 9 days. Y’all….9 freaking days!! Like Holy Hell! I was dieing! I tried everything from only eating fiber meals, drinking Miralax every day, taking softeners and NOTHING WORKED!! My stomach was to the point that it felt like my intestines were literally tied in knots and someone stabbing those knots with a sharp knife.

Now on the 9th day my stomach had gotten so bad that I just couldn’t anymore, I had my husband run me to the emergency room and we sat there for 5 hours while they did test and everything. The doctor came back and said, “here, just drink this magnesium citrate and you’ll be fine.” I really wish I could put an eye roll right now…

Of course I listened though, I was down for anything at this point! I drank the whole bottle and nothing happened till about the day after. Is it weird to get super excited about going to the bathroom? Like I was so excited, but of course things couldn’t be that easy… I was able to go but the abdominal pain I felt while going was excruciating!! This went on for another two days guys! I was able to get something out but my stomach wouldn’t stop hurting! Finally, on Thursday, I had my husband leave work to take me back up to the emergency room, this time the big one up in North Little Rock! 7 hours later! Yeah, 7 hours of sitting there hurting, bawling, and throwing up every pain medicine they tried to give me they sent me home again. Still not sure what was causing the pain and still no one to stop it. Now, they did run more test, checked my kidneys, and my appendix, which they found blood in my urine so that was wonderful but they checked pretty much my entire insides and still couldn’t pin point what was causing the actual pain. They thought kidney stones but the MRI they did didn’t show any, thankfully!

I can’t explain the amount of anger, sadness, and exhausting I felt though. I was done. Physically and Mentally. I hadn’t left my house, let alone my room for over a week. I couldn’t…it was either my bed or the bathroom and mentally I think it took more than it should have out of me. Physically I couldn’t do anything, all I wanted to do was sleep but of course with work and a home I couldn’t so it was a never ending battle.

I followed up with my primary doctor Friday, last week, and the appointment started just like the rest, me bawling. If anyone knows me, I hate crying. Crying when I’m trying to explain how I feel is awful and I get so mad that I can’t stop crying so it’s just an endless cycle. Anyway, I explained everything to him and gave him all the paperwork from each of the ERs. He called the last doctor I went to and they sat down and went through all my test, my MRI, my blood work, my ultrasounds, all of it! I was there for 2 and half hours. Woooo. Finally he came back in and gave me the news. My stomach muscles were shot.

He said he couldn’t say with absolute certainly but when my stomach was full of crap for those 9 days my intestines got swollen and inflamed. Well yeah makes sense, but he went on to say that since it was like that for so long with me pushing hard everytime I did go the bathroom the muscles around those areas were swollen and inflamed too. Pretty much, I was trying to push a baseball through a pipeline and all the muscles trying to do that work were shot and couldn’t do it anymore. Like straining any muscle in your body, if you dont give it rest it can’t get better. With mine though, I had drank two bottles of that magnesium citrate so yeah I had been using those muscles when I didn’t need to be.

Thank God for Dr. Roberds though! I love doctors that actually listen to you and actually work to help figure things out WITH you, not just for you but WITH you. He was able to give me a shot in my stomach to help the muscles relax and prescribed some medicine that was to help me get in front of this and keep the pain at bay.

Now everything isn’t 100% okay, but Dear Lord do I feel sooo much better! I still have some pains but it’s getting better everyday. I definitely never want to go through this again but I feel like I should say, if you have gut problems, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR! Don’t wait. Don’t let yourself get to the point where your sitting in pain for weeks on end. Talk to them and figure out the best method for you to help your system run better. It may be as simple as eating a fiber bar once a day, it may be like me and you have to now take two pills a day, drink miralax everyday, and take a probiotic.

Don’t get to my point.

Talk to your doctor, cause I promise your gut health is so so important for how your body runs. How it handles food and gets rid of it. How it effects your physical state and your mental. How is helps you to really be able to do anything. Your gut is more than just where you put food. It’s where your body makes fuel and gives it, so please take care of your fuel system. Take care of yourself!