Preparing for two while there’s one……🌸It’s a girl🌸

Two years into being a mommy to my best buddy in the world my son Jaden. Papa Bear & I are expecting once again. 

🌸IT’S A GIRL🌸 !!! 

Wow! I can’t even believe this is happening. So many emotions. Is this real? Can I handle two kids? I’m still learning with Jaden & now we’re throwing in another whole child… just wow. 

The journey has been tough but magical at the same time. The beginning was very rough. Finding out I was pregnant again happened with my big sister Geraldine via FaceTime. I told her “my period hasn’t shown up yet & I have a test upstairs but it’s old” … “Go and get it and go buy another one so we can double check” She said. “OK” (20/30 min later) CONFIRMED! I am indeed pregnant. My sister was so excited and I kept on saying “oh my gosh, what do I do. Should I tell papa bear now or later.” Eventually I told him with giggles which he didn’t find funny at all but me laughing was the only way I could cope and tell him. His own emotions were all over the place. Initially he wasn’t in the best mood because he said “are we ready again?” And all I could say was “I don’t know”! 

Needless to say the next few weeks were very intense and confusing for both of us. I don’t believe in abortions but it was also so early that the fetus is barely formed. I went to the doctor to know my options and again abortion was brought up but also time had gone by going from when I found out to “you’re six weeks in” after a lot of prayer and faith – WE DEFINITELY MADE THE RIGHT DECISION. We are having the baby because God makes no mistakes. 

(Fast forward) all is well, baby girl is growing, emotions are up and down. My first trimester was a hot mess just like with Jaden. Sick like a dog, a lot of crying – not being able to brush my teeth without gagging and just praying I make to the second trimester where I can finally be happy and eat my life away. FINALLY … I get there. 

Trimester two. Bring out the credit card. Baby shopping, ordering this and that. “Oh this is cute and this and this” such a difference shopping for boys and girls. I love all the shorts and polos for my son but seeing the mini swimwear and dresses after paying attention to them got me looking forward to finally meeting this baby girl. I never paid attention to anything girl ever but now my eyes are literally moving at a 50-50 pace because I’m thinking “what can I get for her and what can I get for Jaden” it’s actually fun but it’s also breaking our wallets more 😅 

Now, since I know there’s an new baby on the way, the biggest task is getting Jaden to understand what is going on. As my bump gets bigger I also try to tell him “baby baby” “kiss baby” “baby sister” some days he’ll kiss the belly and some days he’ll smack the belly. I don’t know if he gets it but he’s been more clingy than ever and he’s noticed little baby toys around the house all of sudden. He knows he’s too big for the toys because he’s advanced. They are still appealing for him but when he tries to throw the “crawling ball” and I say no no! He’s confused in why is mommy telling me to roll this ball and not throw it. Children are very smart. I just know his vibes feel that something is coming. 

As a mom to be of two my goal is to split myself in half! I don’t even know how I’ll deal with it and of course I’ll blog about this experience when baby girl arrives. I just want to be amazing to both of them but Jaden is my best friend, my go to, my play buddy – how am I suppose to do this with two kids. I’ve asked mother’s of two and they said they felt the same way but once the second arrives everything just fell into perfect place and everyone is happy so I pray it’s the same for me. I’ll be so devastated if my little guy feels a certain way about his baby sister or if he feels neglected. I already know when she’s born – he’s taking a full week off school to see her every second and I can spend time with them both. Luckily newborns don’t do much but feed & sleep but even then I need Jaden to see that she’s here to stay. I’ve seen him with other babies and he’s done great so I don’t doubt he’ll love his sister and they’ll be best buddies forever especially as she gets older. Jokingly I’m prepared for his slaps because when he sees her on my breasts which once belonged just to him, he might put up a fight 😂  besides the general talks of what’s on the way, I’ve also tried to get him to understand with pictures and stories. I ordered him a personalized big brother book which hopefully will help also. His name and face are in it and it describes all the responsibility a big brother has! I love online. You can find everything. He’s had personalized books in the past and he learned very fast from them. 

The final countdown has begun. Less than a month to go and my big boy toddler love of my life Jaden will no longer be a single child. He’s had a great time. He’s always going to be my best buddy and I believe this is such a great experience not just for him but for papa bear and I. Our family is expanding. We’ve been married for one year & I see the future being bright.

I thank God for everything & I pray I get continued strength to keep being a better mom to my children. It really takes a village to raise a child and I’m thankful for the advice and help I’ve got along the way but I’m very proud of myself because I went from knowing nothing to mothering two & seeing how well my son is growing and learning before my eyes, I’ve been doing something right. 

Cheers to the next chapter 🥂 

Optimistic Mommy

Being a mother is no short or small task. Throughout your pregnancy, you have to be very aware of what’s going on inside of you (that’s why we have our weekly to monthly dr visits) to check on our little ones. We have to watch what we eat and even what we do because in no way are we trying to strain ourselves.

The more I thought about my own pregnancy, I realized that I didn’t limit myself to anything. I believe that you can do what you like and you can do it with so much positivity in your heart that your body is working with you and not against you. I traveled to distant places after getting told not to go anywhere. I said “why not” and I got a harsh “because you can lose the baby” I was baffled. Why are people so quick to point out negatives. Don’t you think a carrying mother needs a break to relax on the sand or wherever she chooses to. YES, absolutely, there is a time to fly and a time to NOT fly but that shouldn’t limit what you enjoy doing.

The same thing goes for food. If you’re like me, you like to read up on a lot of things or rather ask a lot questions. I seek for answers because I know that someone has shared the same thought or even have gone through the same thing as me so I like reading others opinions and outcomes. I’m definitely a “foodie” and nothing has changed even after pregnancy lol but being that type and being pregnant is glorious because I enjoyed my meals so much and I knew little man was enjoying every bite in baby form also. The point is, I came across loads of “Do not drink this, do not eat that” let me tell you it’s a load of BS. As my cousin once said “a happy pregnancy is the best pregnancy so eat whatever the hell you want.” She wasn’t lying. I never let the discouraging food list stop me from enjoying my meals or drinks (some of that “No” list included : Salami, Arizona Ice Tea, carbonated water; Mozzarella) how can things I love, let alone had the deepest cravings for be on the don’t try it because it’ll harm your child. I ignored it completely and here I am typing with my healthy child by my side (I thank God)

The one that got me the most…. Pregnancy DEPRESSION. Don’t let this define you ladies!!!!! That word is thrown around as if it’s something you buy. In my experience, I was extremely hormonal. I had Terrible mood swings which made me aggressive and I had mood swings which made me cry for nothing. When I mean cry for nothing literally. During my baby shower I saw two ants and killed one by mistake I think I cried a bit and I knew my sister and cousin were thinking is she serious or not lol… I was completely serious. Just because you let out emotions especially tears, don’t just believe you’re going to be depressed forever. I understand that there are a lot of thoughts running through your head about raising a child but YOU CAN DO IT.

Postpartum depression is a real thing and I pray for every mother who struggles with it. Although a huge issue to some, please don’t let it take over, especially before it’s even really taking place. True story. One of my dr’s who I removed right away after this conversation asked me once, “how are you feeling?” I told her, “I’ve been sad and crying a lot.” Without even hardly letting me finish she said “you’re probably depressed and you’re more likely to have postpartum, let me subscribe you some pills now so you’re less depressed.” EXCUSE ME! I was actually offended. Yes you’re a professional but why was she so quick to put me on drugs. Zero optimism. She just jumped to the negative conclusion. It’s so easy for people to feed you a quick solution and I am against that because if you tell yourself, I am not depressed and in a pregnant mothers case, knowing my child will love me unconditionally, and I can love my child back… eventually you can have the will power and do that. It might not be easy for some and there are women who do seek medication but please don’t let any Dr. make you believe that you need it. By the time the baby comes you’ll be so numb inside with your feelings, you won’t even know what’s going on. That’s why as said at the top, don’t let it define you. I listened to her “advice” and gave her a NO! I’ll be fine. I was crying for ridiculous things and no where was Depression of not feeling connected to my son apart of that.

Having optimism and faith go hand in hand. I believe if you put your mind to it, all will be well. Can challenges come about yes but it’s about how you handle every situation. With optimism you also do need realism because if there is something that needs to be known, never be oblivious to it, get the facts, seek the advice and go from there but always go in with strong positivity and the outcomes can be endless.

Cord blood banking & what you need to know.

While pregnant, us women have to go through many check ups just to make sure our babies are healthy and nothing wrong is going on inside our womb. While I was pregnant all was smooth and well but I did come across some information about Cord blood banking which I thought was fantastic.

I was recommend by my doctors to look into it because papa bear and I had a similar blood group. Was it something I worried about? Yes, but with faith and knowledge our baby came out perfectly healthy & that’s all anyone can ask for and on top of that I decided to do Cord blood banking which I believe was the best decision I made for his future.

 

What is Cord blood + Cord blood banking.

“Cord blood is the blood in your baby’s umbilical cord. It contains stem cells that can grow into blood vessels, organs, and tissues.

Cord blood banking involves collecting blood left in your newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta and storing it for future medical use. Cord blood contains potentially lifesaving cells called stem cells. The stem cells in cord blood are different from embryonic stem cells.” (Via babycenter.com)

How to do it?

Once you feel you’re ready for this step, you contact a company of your choice, I chose CBR. Once you’ve set up your account they will send you a Cord blood package with everything your doctor or nurses need.

It is a process done right after you’ve given birth to your child. As read above they take the blood from the umbilical cord & everything else they need and then the company carrier will pick up the package and take it to the company storage.

What’s great is you’re notified a long the way via email of everything going on with your child’s blood banking until the very end. I even had a great representative who called me and sent a thank you note which was appreciated.

Benefits.

The reason I choose to do Cord blood banking with Jaden is because of the benefits for not only him but also one day for his future sibling.

Here’s a current list of what Cord blood is helping with.

– Cancers
– Immune disorders
– Blood disorders
– Metabolic disorders

Within each of these categorizes our child’s Cord blood can be beneficial.

– It can help by having immediate access to minimize disease progressions early for any types of treatment needed.

– “Ability to use one’s own stem cells for conditions that currently lack medical treatment options, also known as “autologous transplantation” *CBR.com* (This can be great because certain origins of people have a lower percentage of matches and using your own could save or rather give you desired time needed)

– With your Cord blood as an essential supply, if there is a situation where any type of transplant is needed there is less risk of complications.

– “Preserving them”stops the clock” and protects the cells from aging and being exposed to environmental factors and common viruses” *cbr.com*

Cost.

The first fee is quite high which is $1650. Afterwards the storage plan is $160 a year but I believe they have lifetime plans which range from $2k-$3k again quite pricey but they are flexible with payment plans and you can’t put a price on health.

I n conclusion, I am happy with the decision I made as I said above. This is something you must think about before delivering because it’s not possible after the umbilical cord is gone. Do your research parents & maybe for your next little one you can invest cord blood banking.

Routine, routine

On a previous post of mine “Am I still pretty?” I talked about how it takes time to getting back to where you once were. I didn’t go into the specifics but I feel it’s worth sharing some of the things I do and some of the items I use.

To start off, Ive always had quite dry skin. Super annoying because I always have to keep it moist with lotion. I tend to use a Switzerland brand called “Excipial” it’s very thick and lasts all day long. The Equivalent of this lotion would be Nivea’s body lotion for dry skin. Even when I was pregnant I made sure I had one of these creams by my side because I knew how the body was going to change and stretch and I also wanted to avoid severe stretch marks. A lot of women use cocoa butter which also works but it’s very important to make sure it’s applied every single day and not just on the belly, but on your whole body.

As I’ve mentioned before unfortunately that glowing skin does not last, however you can still have people say “Wow, you’re glowing” with three magical products: vitamin A oil, my most favorite Rose water & Collagen pills.

The Vitamin A I have came from my favorite website where I seem to find everything I need, Amazon.com by Seeking Health. It is a liquid form that comes in a tiny bottle. I use this every single day, twice a day. The secret with Vitamin A is that it rejuvenates the face, helps with acne & I believe it works from the outside in. It’s a simple application and you can even apply it after you cream your face.

Rose water is the absolute best. Firstly it smells heavenly. This is also something I apply twice a day (morning and evening) although I’ve definitely caught myself spraying it more often than I should. Rose water has worked fairly quick on my face. The benefits are it tones out your skin, balances out your PH, soothes and nourishes with every spray. It’s a sticky free mist and it’s given me the perfect glow i’m always looking for. I honestly wish I discovered it sooner… I even think one day I’ll plant a rose and use it’s water to see what happens lol currently I’ve tried rose water from “Leven Rose” & from Morocco.

I know not everyone is fan of swallowing pills especially one regarding your skin care, but ladies these pills actually work! More specifically, I use Collagen pills. They are like miracle workers in the body, the downside is that it takes about one month before you really start seeing results but to me it’s worth the wait & you have to take 6 pills which is a lot, three in the morning without a meal and three at night before bed.

I actually took collagen before I was pregnant, it worked then and works now. I don’t recommend taking them while pregnant but afterwards, no problem. It doesn’t effect your breastmilk either so that’s a double plus. Some of the great benefits you get from Collagen are: healthy skin, healthy nails, stronger hair and apparently it also helps with your joints ( or so says the packaging. My joints are well and dandy at the moment so I can’t confirm anything with that) Collagen is good because each pill releases all of the natural elements that the body needs but again, they work, work, work so give it a try one of these months or two.

The Workout.

Once I finally got myself to the gym, which was the best decision I made because I love the energy I get in the mornings. I decided to go 5 days a week. A quick run down of things I do are…

– Cardio workout (treadmill, cycling, field work out)
– Weights (Always start light and work your way up) I work on my abs/booty/legs/upper body
– Taebo class (A great combo of Cardio and abs training)
– Spinning class (personally a work out from hell) but the sweat is great and you’re really doing the heart a great favor and your legs
– Stretching (so Important for before and after) I even find stretching stressful sometimes because I’m not too flexible but over a period of time I have gotten better.

Working out is not only beneficial for our health but it gives us power throughout the day. Much needed energy when you have a child. Once you get to that point of being ready to dedicate your time to fitness you’ll start enjoying it so much and you’ll get in great shape especially after having a child. What’s important mom’s is that you go at it on your own time and pace. Don’t compare yourself, just stay focused & don’t forget to drink plenty of water and have a good nutritional diet.

Now that you know my “what I do & what I use,” I’d love to get an insight of your own routines. Sharing is caring so let me know.