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Oh Baby! Expert Design Tips for the Little One’s First Bedroom  (ARA) - Of all the tasks to complete during pregnancy, decorating the nursery may be the most fun. Now new parents can have designer access to the hottest trends and nursery design tips from the master of good design, Ty Pennington. He is sharing his design expertise through "Ty's Nursery Guide," a step-by-step guide that helps parents identify their nursery design style.
According to Pennington, the first step in nursery design is figuring out what parents really want by asking 'inspiration' questions like "Which colors are most appealing?", "What place or locale is a favorite?", and "Gender-neutral or gender-themed?"
After considering the inspiration and determining a theme, then it's time to pick up the basics. The nursery checklist in the free guide can help busy parents ensure they have all the necessities - whether it's room-darkening shades to help baby sleep or a well-designed formula container like Similac SimplePac to help mom simplify feeding time. For more nursery decorating tips from Ty, parents can download his free brochure at www.StrongMoms.com Announcements Customers and visitors like to know about new products or services that you offer or plan to offer. You can also highlight an upcoming event, company award, or changes in staff, such as hiring a new employee. | Learn the Signs of Preterm Labor Even if you do everything right, you can still have preterm labor. Preterm labor is a serious problem occurring before 37 weeks of pregnancy. This is too early, and your baby could be born too soon. Call your health care provider right away if you have any of these warning signs. Warning Signs
• Contractions (your abdomen tightens like a fist) every 10 minutes or more often
• Change in vaginal discharge (leaking fluid or bleeding from your vagina)
• Pelvic pressure—the feeling that the baby is pushing down
• Low, dull backache
• Cramps that feel like your period
• Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea What Your Health Care Provider Might Tell You
• Come into the office or go to the hospital right away.
• Stop what you were doing.
• Rest on your left side for one hour.
• Drink two to three glasses of water or juice (not coffee or soda). Take Care of Yourself and Your Baby
• Get regular prenatal checkups.
• Try to avoid stress. Ask family and friends for help.
• Don't drink alcohol, smoke or take street drugs.
• If you feel burning or pain when you go to the bathroom, you may have an infection. Call your health care provider. For more information, visit the Web site of the March of Dimes: marchofdimes.com.
Folic Acid 
Folic acid, a B vitamin, helps prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord when taken very early in pregnancy. It is available in most multivitamins, as a folic acid-only supplement and in some foods. The March of Dimes encourages all women of childbearing age to take a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, as part of a healthy diet. Most multivitamins have this amount, but check the label to be sure. A healthy diet includes foods that contain folate, the natural form of the vitamin. Such foods include fortified breakfast cereals, beans, leafy green vegetables and orange juice. Why Prenatal Care? March of Dimes - All mothers-to-be benefit from prenatal care. Pregnant women who see a health care provider regularly have healthier babies, are less likely to deliver prematurely, and are less likely to have other serious problems related to pregnancy. The goal of prenatal care is to monitor the progress of pregnancy and to identify problems before they become serious for either mom or baby.
| Myth Busting: Some Helpful Tips for a Nutritious Pregnancy  (ARA) - If there ever was a love/hate relationship for the record books, it’s the relationship between a pregnant woman and food. On one hand, it’s a time when food cravings go on overdrive, and the body shouts “More, more, more!” On the other hand, certain foods can trigger discomforts such as nausea, causing a “Less, less, less!” reaction. Here are some common myth busters about pregnancy and nutrition.
Myth Number One: I’m eating for two, so please pass the gravy.
A common misperception is that you can eat anything you want while you’re pregnant. While it may be true that you need to eat wisely for your baby, it’s not about volume, according to pregnancy nutrition experts.
“You need to use nutritional common sense throughout your pregnancy,” says Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., and author of “Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy.”
“Although it takes 55,000 extra calories to make a healthy baby, that amounts to just 300 extra calories per day in the last two trimesters. You can easily meet the requirement by eating a couple of healthy snacks throughout the day.”
Suggested weight gain for a person of normal weight is 25-to-35 pounds. A woman who is considered underweight should put on 28-to-40 pounds, and an overweight person should put on 15-to-25 pounds. So, instead of asking someone to pass you the gravy boat, simply give gravy a “pass” all together. Choose a healthy snack, such as a whole grain bagel, some yogurt or an orange.
Myth Number Two: Fish is a no-no, so I can’t have sushi.
When you are pregnant, many favorite and everyday foods suddenly become off limits – for example, unpasteurized cheeses, caffeinated beverages and deli meats. Many pregnant women think sushi is off limits too, since certain types of fish may contain toxins and pollutants that can be harmful to both mother and baby.
Fortunately you can crave your sushi and eat it, too, thanks to Fujisan Sushi, the only sushi enriched with life’sDHA -- a vegetarian and sustainable source of the omega-3 DHA derived from microalgae, with less risk of contamination. Fujisan Sushi provides 32 mg of this important nutrient per serving and is considered an excellent source of DHA, the primary building block for your baby’s brain, eye and cardiovascular health throughout life.
“Most women are not getting enough DHA. The daily recommended intake for pregnant women is 300 mg and, yet, most are consuming less than one-third of what they need,” says Peg Plumbo, certified nurse-midwife. ”From supplements to fortified foods and beverages, there are now many delicious and easy ways for pregnant women to get more omega-3s in their diet.”
Myth Number Three: Nausea is a given, no matter what I eat.
While it may be common in pregnancy, there are ways to combat nausea. Most of us have heard of tried-and-true remedies such as munching on soda crackers. A limited number of human studies also suggest that one gram daily of ginger may be safe and effective for pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting when used for short periods, according to a report by the University of Maryland Medical Center.
In a small study of 30 pregnant women with severe vomiting, those who ingested one gram of ginger every day for four days reported more relief from vomiting than those who received a placebo. In a larger study including 70 pregnant women with nausea and vomiting, those who received a similar dosage of ginger felt less nauseous and experienced fewer vomiting episodes than those who received a placebo.
Ginger is a common cooking spice and can be found in foods such as ginger bread and ginger snaps. However, ginger may alter the effects of some prescription and non-prescription medicines, so check with your health care provider first.
Courtesy of ARAcontent |
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