Breaking my two year hiatus from blogging brings news. I currently gave birth to our second child, who is now a few months old. It was pretty unexpected. My husband and I never planned it, so we got surprised as well. This second one was pretty hard for me. I've gone through morning sickness, and extreme abdominal pains during my first trimester that I never experienced with my first born. I always feel overwhelmed with my thoughts which is why making blog posts will keep my mind at ease, giving credits to the hormones overload. Also this pandemic is giving me some idle time from work.
Now that I am through my second pregnancy, I took notes on the Do's and Don'ts that helped me with this journey.
First on my list is to stay healthy. I made sure to stick to healthier options for my food intake, to take religiously and carefully my prescribed vitamins. Healthier options for me means staying away from junk foods, foods with too much preservatives, sweets, and anything that won't help pregnant moms and our baby's nutrition. I also skipped my daily morning habit of a cup of coffee. I make sure not to skip my vitamins intake since it greatly helps with the development of the baby and also the changing body of the mom. I also made some research about when is the best time to take vitamins. Like Calcium is best taken twice a day, after having breakfast and dinner, it can be taken with Folic Acid. There are also multivitamins that must be taken an hour before meal or two hours after meal. If you want to get your facts or articles checked, make sure to ask your Doctors. Google helps a lot but it is always best to ask your Doctor.
Second, to make a list of things you need to buy. As much as possible since it is my second baby and my first born is now four years old, I try to trim the list down by looking for options for the best-buy. Learning from my first pregnancy that I need not to buy anything I see on the shelf of the baby section, I will make sure not to buy a repeat mishap and buy the things I didn’t bought that I actually needed. Especially now that there is an invisible enemy around, as a mom we get to be extra protective of our children. I used to have a steam sterilizer but now I will invest on a UV sterilizer that will allow me to sterilize practically anything my children lay their hands on. I got my UV sterilizer from Babybee. I got the UV+ Dual Lamp Sterilizer. It has four functions; automatic, drying, UV and storage. It has dual lamp and HEPA filter. This is one of my best buys for this journey of mine. It is affordable compared to Korean brands that has the same functions.
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| Babybee UV+ Dual Lamp Sterilizer (Photo sourced from link of photo) |
I am still weighing about getting an air purifier and a germicidal lamp that will help in sanitizing our room but since it is quite costly, it will probably be my least priority considering that I still need to buy a few more things for my lil one. I am also listing down things needed for the post-partum recovery of the Mom. My husband failed completing my list last pregnancy, since he was tasked to do it without my help while I was already out of the hospital recovering. So, it is kind of a must for me to complete my list ahead of time, way ahead. *wink*
Third, I tried harder to prepare for
breastfeeding. I admit that it was something I took for granted on my first
pregnancy. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. This time I took it on a next level not to fail my baby. I am currently on Natalac supplements since my 8th month. Before I gave birth I was on a twice a day dose, right now I only take twice a day whenever my supply is low, but on a daily basis I take one capsule after breakfast. Also, Nestle's MommaLove drink is such a big help. This is tried and tested. I am currently in my fourth month of breastfeeding, and we've been on mix feeding ever since. I did not expect for my milk supply to last this long since, in order for moms to lactate, they need to be stimulated by latching. So, I was really surprise that I still have a supply of breastmilk. Whenever I feel like my baby doesn't get enough milk from breastfeeding, I drink Nestle's MommaLove, sprinkled with chia seeds on top. Since it is really effective for me, I already included MommaLove drink thrice a week in my Momma diet. I only latch my baby early in the morning before I go to work and at night time when I come home and so far, he is quite satisfied with his breastmilk. I also tried to hydrate myself more to help.
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| Currently using the Natalac Capsule on the left (Photo sourced from link of photo) |
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| They have two flavors, but I am Choco-biased (Photo sourced from link of photo) |
Fourth, as we go nearer and nearer to meet our
lil’ bundle of joy, I already prepared our baby bag ahead of time. I had it ready on my 30th week. By that time
you probably have completed your list of necessary things to buy. We started washing all the baby clothes, blankets, linens, towels and feeding bottles early on.
Sterilize your bottles and secure it by putting it in a proper storage. After
washing the clothes and everything else, you may use your UV sterilizer or if
you still don’t have one, get it all ironed. The heat of the iron makes the
clothes and linens sort of sterilized so it is now safe for your baby to put
on. Do exclude printed ones since it might get ruined. Proper washing also
means using the right kind of detergent, fabric conditioner and dishwashing
soap. There are a lot of brands out there in the market that caters
specifically for the baby’s needs which makes us moms at ease since we need not
to worry allergic reactions from our babies. Also, it is not just preparing for
the baby’s bag but also for the mom’s as well. Make sure you also made a list
so you will not forget a thing. A set of clothes for the mom at the hospital
for a couple of days and for leaving the hospital, beddings for extra comfort,
toiletries, disposable utensils, glass and plates is on my list. You also need
to make sure to bring all your necessary identification cards like, Philhealth
ID, Medical card, and any government IDs. Make sure your husband or your
guardian knows the PIN of your ATM cards for emergency cash needs. I also kept a journal where I put necessary information that my husband should know and
might be needed like savings account number, social security number, etc. I also brought with me this time my own set of surgical masks, gloves, thermal scanner,
alcohol, wet antibacterial wipes, and disinfectant spray. I also prepared a
bag for my four year old since I let my mom and siblings take care
of her while we were still at the hospital.
Lastly, I tried to prepare myself spiritually, mentally and emotionally for the big day. Everything went well during my first pregnancy. It was such a different experience from my first one, I was so stressed out that a few days before my baby came out, I was on false labor. So, I tried so hard to induce my labor by exercising. I found this really effective exercise video online that helped me a lot. I did the exercise in the morning, and I already had contractions in the afternoon, then the next day I already gave birth But make sure to get it checked with your doctor, better to be safe than sorry.
It helps that you talk about these things with your husband on what you
feel and want to happen on the big day. By this, it will be easier for him to
decide for both of you.
Leaving this chunky baby feet we all want to make gigil with.
That's all for this post. I hope you guys find my experience informative especially to the new Momma's to be out there. Until, the next blog post.
Toodles!
xx
