What To Expect When You Are Expecting

What to Expect When You're Expecting... did you read the book when you were expecting? 

Inspired by the New York Times bestseller What to Expect When You're Expecting is a hilarious comedy movie about five couples who suffer the many joys of the childbirth and parenting.  Watch it on May 18th in a theatre near you!

Babies R Us Expo

BRU Expo

Check out the BRU expo on Saturday, March 10th, 2012, between 12 and 3 pm.

You will find:

- Product demos
- Games & Prizes
- Special Offers

- Giveaways

When You Are Expecting Multiples...

What is the go to book for a mommy to be, you ask?  Most of my friends have referred to What to Expect When You Are Expecting, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel!  This is an excellent book walking your through each step of your pregnancy!

However, what do you do when you are expecting multiples?  Some of the question you may face are... How much weight do you need to gain (say 50 lbs?) and how do you bulk up on those super extra calories?  How do you find a Maternal/Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist - doctor?  How do you handle months of bedrest and possible complications (to name a few: early on set of Gestational Diabetes, Intrauterine Growth Restriction, Twin to Twin Transfusion, Preterm Labor)?  What to possibly expect in the NICU (... Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).  How do you survive the first several months of multiples at home? 

When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads

You can find answers to  the above questions in Dr. Barbara Luke's, When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads. Dr. Luke outlines a practical, nutrition-based program to keep Mommy and  babies healthy during this unique pregnancy experience! Besides the nutritional information, she also offers a comprehensive tour of what you can expect during the pregnancy and childbirth. Women who have followed Dr. Luke's guidelines, have had significantly fewer complications during pregnancy - and their babies are born weighing 20 to 35 percent more than the average twin, triplet, or quad.

Dr. Luke also has a website, where you can find answers to many of your questions. 

This book was truly a blessing in our journey through the twin pregnancy.  It gave us an insight about the possible issues we could have faced and prepared us for asking the right questions to our medical team at the right time. 

A Bible to Breastfeeding Mothers!

When women get together and start swapping stories of the days when their babies were small and the subject of breastfeeding comes up, chances are at least one woman will say, "I couldn't make enough milk, so I had to quit nursing".  If the subject changes quickly, no one gets to hear the sadness behind those words or the questions that could be asked: "What happened? Did anyone give you a reason?"  That's where this book comes in to picture, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk, by Diana West, IBCLC, and Lisa Marasco, M.A., IBCLC. Almost like a bible to breastfeeding mothers, above, are the forewords from the same book!

Facing the challenge of raising twins, I knew there was a chance that I could face problems with milk supply.  Thanks to a couple of my online twin Mommy friends, I chanced upon this book and read every page of it before my twins arrived.  I could successfully and exclusively provide for my twins till 8 months (no supplementing with formula), and then until I stopped at 10 months!  I can not review this book in any better words than the above mentioned fact!  

 

The book covers topics including but not limited to: supply and demand, hormones, lifestyle, working moms, galactogogues (milk supply enhancing herbs and medicines), pumping, prematurity, baby behaviour due to physiological or genetic abnormalities, mother's emotional well being, assessing and planning for next pregnancy... and many more such topics.  The author also has a website which can provide you with more information - see here.

Some other good resources for breastfeeding and parenting are:

Kelly Mom

La Leche League 

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Every individual is biologically different, and nursing experience can never be the same for every Mother.  Unfortunately, most women enter motherhood with the presumption that nursing is a very natural act, which is not always the case.  It takes a lot of determination and perseverance, along with a strong family support!  And finally, no matter what the outcome is, what matters most is a healthy-happy Mommy and Baby! 


Are there any breastfeeding books, forums or websites you would refer to a new Mom?  Please feel free to share!

Bilingual Kids

Recently, there was an article in New York Times --- Hearing Bilingual: How Babies Sort Out Language (October 10, 2011), which very well describes how bilngualism develops and benefits young mind.

Are your kids Bilingual?  How do you teach them two languages?  What language do you introduce any new object in?  How has bilnigualism changed with age/time? 

Would love to hear about your experience!