Weight Loss After Baby - Tips to Help You Reclaim Your Pre-Pregnancy Body

Trying to lose those extra pounds after having a baby takes a little more time and effort than under normal circumstances, but the same weight loss principles apply. If you've just given birth, I'm sure you are anxious to pack up all those maternity clothes and pull out all your old stuff (or better yet, go buy some new clothes.) In this article I'm going to give you some easy lifestyle changes that will help you shed those pregnancy pounds and get your body back as soon as possible.

The biggest difference between weight loss after pregnancy and normal weight loss techniques is that you need to take baby steps (pun intended). Your body is readjusting itself to your normal hormone and body fluid levels. If you are breastfeeding, you need to take extra care not to lose weight too fast, because your body is producing milk for your baby and the calories you take in will be used primarily for milk production and whatever is left over will be used to maintain your health and energy level. (Try not to drop below 2200 to 2500 calories a day)

Your body will naturally want to get back to a normal weight, but there are things that you can do to significantly accelerate that weight loss.

Drink Plenty Of Water - Especially if you are breastfeeding. It takes a lot of fluid to produce milk and new moms often find themselves being overly thirsty. By drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day (stay away from caffeine) your body will come to expect that it will get the water it needs and as a result it won't store it up in your cells, or ankles or all those places that we feel bloated. Water is heavy (8.33 pounds per gallon), so by not storing it up you will avoid the extra water weight.

Get Adequate Sleep - This is a total catch 22 for new parents, but getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a day (it doesn't have to be continuous) is vital to maintaining many different bodily systems. If you are consistently sleep deprived, you can actually start to gain weight (it happened to me, my baby was a horrible sleeper). Get your hubby to bring your baby to you to breastfeed so that you don't have to actually get up 3-4 times a night. Nap when your baby naps. Don't worry about keeping the house spotless, there will be time for that and you can always invite your mother or mother-in-law over to help. They will do anything to spend time with their grandchild.

Start A Low Impact Exercise Routine - After the birth of my son, we went on a walk every morning (granted, it was June and very warm). He loved seeing the world and the fresh air and light exercise was invigorating. You'd be surprised how just walking 4-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes will help you lose those pesky pounds.

Easy and Simple Things to Help You Get Pregnant Faster

Have you been trying to get pregnant but don't seem to be succeeding? Are you wondering if there is anything that could give you insight as to how you could get pregnant faster and without medication? Well this article is exactly what you are looking for. Read on to find out about the things to help you get pregnant faster.

The first thing to do is to get a thorough checkup when you and your partner decide to have a child. This will give you an insight into the areas that may pose a problem while trying to get pregnant.

The second thing to help you get pregnant is to figure out when you are ovulating so that you could time your sexual intercourse. This increases the chances of getting pregnant. If you do not know the exact days of your ovulation, you may miss out on the chance of getting pregnant that month. When you are ovulating the odds are high that the sperm would reach the eggs.

Although it is advised to have sex only once in 48 hours, another thing to help you get pregnant faster would be to ask your husband to ejaculate once every two or three days. This is very important for men as this helps them to keep up their sperm supply.

Another aspect that will help getting pregnant is to maintain a healthy life style. This goes for both men and women. Not only will it help in you getting pregnant faster, it also affects the quality and health of your offspring.

One more thing to help you get pregnant faster is to choose the right position while having sexual intercourse. The so calling missionary position is said to be the best while you are trying to get pregnant.

Another important point to note is to enjoy your sex life. Do not have intercourse with the ordeal that you have to get pregnant because then there is so much tension while having sexual intercourse that sometimes it may result in counter productivity.

One more important thing to help you get pregnant faster is the elimination of stress in your day to day life. Try to be happy and calm all the time. Due to this women may stop menstruating.

You must also stop consumption of alcohol and drugs. Quit smoking if you are a smoker. Also do not use lubricants and medication while having sex or even after that.

Take your time in bed. There is no hurry to get out and rush to the bathroom. You could also try putting a pillow under your hips after sexual intercourse to prevent sperm leakage. Also ask your husband or partner to keep his testicles closed as heat can cause the death of sperms.

These are a few things to help you get pregnant faster. However not always is the possibility of getting pregnant faster in our hands. So the best thing we can do is to do everything right.

Physical Changes During Pregnancy

Do you ever wonder WHERE you're going to gain your pregnancy weight - tummy, hips, thighs or arms?

Lately I've been getting a lot of emails asking how they can be one of those lucky pregnant women who only gain weight on their tummy. Good question!

And the answer (or should I say TRICK) lies in your BODY TYPE.

There are four basic body types for women and each typically carries weight as follows:

• The "Apple" will carry the majority of her weight around her middle and upper body.


• The "Pear" will carry her weight in her hips, bum, upper thighs, and upper arms.


• The "Celery" will carry the majority of her weight in her tummy area.


• The "Cauliflower" will carry her weight evenly throughout her body.

Generally (and I mean generally because this is NOT an exact science!), you will gain weight in the areas where you would normally carry your pre-pregnancy weight. For example, I am a Pear and I gained most of my weight in my tummy, but also some extra on my bum, hips and thighs!

So, now that you have a good idea of WHERE you're most likely to gain your weight, I'm sure your next question is HOW do you control it?

The worst thing you can do is diet, so put that out of your mind right away! What you need to do is learn to eat and exercise RIGHT for your body type.

That's right, a Pear should eat certain foods and concentrate on specific exercises. The same goes for the Apple.

So, if you can't diet - what's left to do?

1. Eat a well-balanced diet, including whole grains, good quality protein and lots of fresh vegetables;

2. Eat 3-6 mini-meals a day;

3. Avoid highly processed, sugary foods, like donuts and packaged cereals;

4. Keep active and do some kind of "activity" daily - please refer to my book to learn the difference between exercise and activity(Note: please make sure to check with your health care provider before you begin any kind of exercise program);

5. Get good quality sleep - when you're tired you're much more likely to choose fast, convenience foods, which are loaded with salt, fat and sugar; and

6. Manage your stress - it leads to emotional rather than physical eating and cause you to gain unnecessary weight!

All in all...

Know that shedding your pregnancy pounds after delivery does NOT have to be a struggle. Yes, you can look GREAT again, so put your fears aside. And make sure you work with (and not against) your body type - i.e. eat, exercise and dress for your body type (for more information please refer to my book).

Weight gain during pregnancy is a good thing, but you do want to avoid using pregnancy as an excuse to eat the house and then be sorry! I see this far too often with women who have difficulty with their weight, especially after baby arrives. So do yourself a favor and take care of yourself NOW!

Ways to Get Pregnant With a Boy Baby

If you're trying to conceive a baby boy, you should know that there are several things that you can do at home to help you accomplish this goal. These things are not that difficult, but they do require planning, patience, a bit of diligence, and the correct tools. Luckily, many of them are things that you will already be doing any way in an attempt to conceive. You'll just be tweaking them a little bit to tip the odds in your favor of having the boy that you want. So, let's get to it.

Timing Your Conception To Occur At The End Of Your Fertility Cycle To Conceive A Boy: Most people know that timing your conception will influence your baby's gender, but not every one understands why. The sperm that produces a male baby and a girl baby are very different from one another. The girl sperm are the slow, poky, but unwavering and hardy warriors, while the boy sperm are very quick, but are also just as quick to burn out and die off, making them much more vulnerable.

So, if you want a boy, timing becomes extremely important. Because, if you are too early, the boy sperm are vulnerable to weakness or dying off if they have to wait for the egg. In the best case scenario, the boy sperm are fresh and ready to go when the egg is released. This is most likely to occur on the day of or the day following ovulation.

Many people are content to guess at this, but don't. Because this step is just too important to ignore. I recommend using saliva ovulation predictors, but urine works too. Find a method that gives you a warning of when ovulation is approaching so that you can be prepared to pounce when the time is right.

Ways To Have Intercourse To Get A Boy Baby: So, we've discussed when to send the boy sperm to the egg, now we'll discuss how to do this and why it's important. Again, remembering that the boy sperm are extremely vulnerable, you want to make their exposure between release and the egg as short and as quick as possible. The best way to do this is to use sexual positions that allow for deep penetration. (Remember to do this on the day of ovulation, or at most on the day after. Even a day early or a day later can make all the difference.)

How (and Why) To Alkalize Your Body (Lowering Your PH And Acidity) To Get A Boy Baby: I've covered when and how to get the boy sperm to the promised land of conception. Now, I'll cover the last, but equally important, step. This is creating an environment that is not going to kill of these guys before they even have a chance. Because the sperm that will give you a son can not thrive for very long if your vaginal PH is too high. Most women will need to lower it, however one way to be sure is to use PH testing strips. This will tell you how alkaline you naturally are and how much you'll need to tweak this before you are ready to conceive a boy.

How do you tweak? There are a few ways. You can go on a low PH or alkalizing diet and / or you can douche with solutions that lower acidity. A friend of mine who has interstitial cystitis (bladder sensitivity) told me that the boy diet was actually pretty close to the low acid diet she is on because the acidic foods irritate her bladder.

The douching part is typically not as bad as you might think either. The solutions are more than baking soda and water, but usually you don't have to do this for too long (especially if you use the diet concurrently) until you are at the optimum level.

Putting It All Together: Hopefully, you can see that none of these steps are too difficult. The key is to methodically address each of them, because doing so will give you the best chance (as high as roughly 94% if you play your cards right) of success. It's really just a matter of having a plan, having the tools, and having the discipline to follow through.

Types of Maternity Clothes and Your Options

Maternity fashion has come a long way in recent years - gone are the pinafores, smocks, and gigantic dresses. These days' maternity clothes are figure hugging and flattering to show off your gorgeous belly and suit your mummy curves.

The basics of maternity clothes include the following:

1. Maternity tops and t-shirts. Designed with a good fit across your shoulders and stretch over your bump, generally slightly longer in length than standard pre-pregnancy t-shirts. Many designs are also suitable to be used as nursing tops when baby is born. Look for maternity clothing in easy care fabrics.

2. Maternity tunics are very practical, as they can easily accommodate your shape. These go great with leggings and boots. Team them up with maternity tights - these are specially designed with a wider belly gusset and don't gut across the top of your bump.

3. Maternity jeans and pants, and summer shorts: these clothing items are designed with either a stretchy waistband or extendable elastic. Maternity pants with stretchy waistbands are so functional! You can wear the waistband pulled up over your belly which is a great way to bridge any skin gap that might be showing below your t-shirt, and it also provides gentle support. Alternatively you can fold the waistband lower and wear it over your hips. This functionality ensures that the pants can last you throughout your entire pregnancy.

Maternity jeans with extendable elastic - these are made with elastic that you can access in the waistband and you can pull tight or loosen, and fasten through a specially placed button at the fly opening. This means that you can adjust your pants as your belly grows.

4. Maternity skirts are popular - wear with tights and boots in winter, or sandals in summer. These are generally also made with stretchy waistbands that you can roll up or wear down. Bright bold patterns are a great way to feel fantastic.

5. Maternity dresses are great for special occasions such as attending a summer wedding. Maternity dresses usually have a fitted effect across your belly.

Even if you are a larger plus size women - wearing fitted maternity clothing is more flattering than wearing looser garments which will tend to exaggerate your size.

The one piece of crucial advice to remember when it comes to buying maternity clothes is DO NOT wear your partner's t-shirts. They won't be flattering at all, and you need to cherish your new body shape rather than hiding under his baggy t-shirts!!

Tips to Select a Confinement Lady

Every woman is worn out after giving birth to her newborn baby. The nine months of pregnancy are tiring especially for a new mother, and she must have adequate rest after her delivery. Taking care of a newborn demands a lot of patience, expertise and constant work. It is really difficulty to cope up with all this pressure especially during the post natal period and this could lead to postnatal depression. This is why every mother should have someone to take care of her and in the absence of a suitable family member, avail confinement nanny services so that she can properly take care of the baby and herself.

The following tips will help you in the process.

* Hiring a confinement nanny should be done before the first trimester is over. This is because many people avail this facility and bookings need to be made in advance. If you don't start early, you will not be able to get a good confinement lady. Also you need plenty of rest in the ending weeks of pregnancy, so you cannot afford to go through such a rigorous process at a later stage and you don't want to have to settle for just anybody.

* Contact your relatives and friends. There will be at least some mothers who have availed the services of a confinement nanny. You can ask them to recommend someone to you who is well aware of confinement duties and practices and benefited greatly from it

* Experience is key in this field because she can be a great help to you. Not only will she be able to take care of the baby and you, but will manage other household duties side by side. She can also give you very useful tips on how to manage time between your husband and the new member of the family so that nobody gets neglected.

* When you have selected a confinement nanny, thoroughly brief her about her duties and let her know your expected date so that she can arrive at your house before the baby does. Observe how she responds to your questions, is she patient and detailed in explaining? Does she brushes off what you ask? A good nanny

* Most importantly, see if you feel comfortable with her. A lot of things can be said and promised to seal the job but you wouldn't know until your confinement starts. There are cases where confinement ladies are confirmed for a job over the phone from a recommendation from a friend only to realize later that it wasn't so 'good' a recommendation. Everyone's expectations are different so it is advisable to meet her in person and gauge the affinity. And always trust your gut instinct, it goes a long way.

If you don't hire a good confinement lady, then she can be more of a burden rather than a help. Usually if you treat her well and not like your maid, she would also treat you and your baby lovingly. So follow these tips and you should have a well-rested and enjoyable confinement and not troubled with the arrival of the new baby which should always be a great blessing.

The Cost of Having a Baby

When planning a family, one of the many important things to think about is how much it will cost to have a baby. Depending on what you may or may not have heard you may be surprised to hear what it may cost to raise a child, and it is important to get ready ahead of time for the amount of money you will need to have a baby. The necessities like food, clothing, and shelter need to be taken into account by themselves. Their educational needs, medical insurance and treatment, and of course recreational materials and activities may cost a lot as well.

Common wisdom may state that it costs 300K or 500K to raise a child to age 18, but if you look at your typical American income and the size of a typical American family, those figures do not add up. The 2010 Bundle Report showed that married couples with children spent an average of $6000 dollars a year more than their childless counterparts. A detailed chart showed that the age of a child made a difference in the amount that was spent also.

Before starting a family it is definitely worth your time and money to look into your health insurance benefits to be certain you are covered for maternity. You also need to look at how motherhood will impact the family income coming from the wife. When you are having your baby, the mother at least will have to take some time off of work by taking a maternity leave. This will cost you some of your income since paid maternity leave is very rare. Make sure you have enough money saved up ahead for emergencies before you decide to have a baby and go on leave.

After delivering the baby and bringing it home, you will have to spend a lot on baby diapers and milk. New babies usually require around 300 diapers per month though this amount is reduced over time, and this can add up to quite a lot every month. Add to that the amount of money you will need for milk and baby food. One family I know made an agreement that the husband would provide the disposable diapers if the wife provided the milk. The fact that she was a stay-at-home mother with plenty of time to nurture a breast milk supply made this a very economical plan.

Once your maternity leave ends and you need to go back to work, you will need to pay to send your baby or child to daycare. It will probably be expensive as well, especially if you have more than one child to be looked after. It is best to look for places nearby your home or your work place so you spend less time and money on travel. Another option is to economize strictly until the youngest child in your family is old enough for all day kindergarten in public school. The cost of after-school care is much lower than all day.

No matter how much you end up spending for your baby, you should know that it is all worth it. A child is a bundle of joy and a miracle of life, and it is worth all of the time and effort you put into raising your child. They bring so much happiness and meaning into one's life. Remember this when you are raising your child to be a great member of society.