Packing for the hospital

Packing for the hospital stay when you have to give birth can be quite daunting. For about a 2-3 stay (hopefully, in my case) there will be some essential items that I'll need to take along.

Below is the list that is recommended by the hospital I'll be delivering in:

Rash explosion on my face

Over the past week or two, I started noticing increased acne on my face. Predominantly on the forehead and cheeks.

Yesterday, I think some irritant just got to it because it started looking like an infestation and actually itches on certain spots. I thought I'd be spared the 'acne symptom' during this pregnancy, since I'm already a sufferer prior to getting pregnant. Figuring, maybe it'd the the complete opposite and I'll have dewy and smooth skin. Well, no such luck :( I now look like a pimply teen.

Ofcourse this has led to me searching the internet for natural remedies. So here's what I found:

Natural remedies

Let’s look at some simple natural remedies for acne treatment during pregnancy using easily available ingredients:

• Water:- Water is known to do wonders for the skin, it is recommended that one drinks plenty of water to keep the skin hydrated and flush out any toxins that can cause acne. You should also wash your face frequently
• Tea tree oil:- you can use tea tree oil to remove any blemishes or acne by applying it on the acne affected area.
• Healthy diet:- One of the most important pregnancy related acne tip is to have a healthy diet, eat lots of fruits , vegetables and food high in fibre. Avoid oily, greasy and fatty food as it can worsen the pregnancy related acne.
• Vitamins: Ensure that you have an adequate vitamin intake, vitamins A,E & B are good to help cure acne.
• Milk:- Milk can help cure your pregnancy related acne, boil milk and add crushed nutmeg or powdered nutmeg to it and apply on the acne..
• Lime juice:- Lime juice is known to be a great natural remedy for acne during pregnancy, Take one tbsp of freshly squeezed lime juice and mix with water and apply on the acne.
• Papaya Juice:- Papaya juice is known to be a good natural remedy for acne during pregnancy.
• Honey and cinnamon: mix honey and cinnamon powder and apply the paste to the acne, rinse after 30 minute with fresh warm water.
• Garlic:- Garlic has many medicinal qualities and if rubbed on the acne it helps curing the acne pimples.
• Tomato & cucumber paste: you can make a paste from tomato and cucumber and apply it on the affected skin.
• Yellow fruits:- fruits like orange or mango can be made into a pulp and applied on the acne. This is a great remedy for acne during pregnancy.

Medications to avoid for treating acne during pregnancy

While acne is usually treated using drugs like accutane (can cause birth defects if taken during pregnancy), retin-A and tetracycline( causes inhibited bone growth and yellow teeth in the foetus), these medications can have a negative impact on a pregnant woman’s health and thus should be avoided during pregnancy, it is best advised to visit a physician and consult them if you do want to take any medication to treat acne during pregnancy.

While you can use natural remedies for treating acne during pregnancy, you can also take precautions like keeping your skin clean and healthy, avoiding oily or greasy makeup, avoid harsh cleansers that are astringent based etc.

You can try out the natural remedies and help get rid of your acne problem and also give you great smooth, glowing skin.

Ref: http://www.medicationathome.com/natural-remedies-acne-pregnancy.html

Stages of pregnancy...

I think I'm just getting past the "Boo no wine stage" and entering the "Barf city/people think I'm fat and Welcome Muffin Top" stage.

11 Weeks Today!!

I'm truly hoping that the worst of the first trimester is over, during week 6-8 I had the worst nausea, no vomiting though (drinking ginger and peppermint tea really helped to curb it). But the constant nausea and fatigue was intolerable, I remember telling hubby that I don't think I'll be able to endure another 6-7 months of this, just the joys of knowing that the HCG hormones are increasing.

But thankfully, it subsided, only to be replaced by a continuous upset stomach, which is slowly starting to ease up. My biggest pain (literally) right now is my swollen gum (it looks like I have an infected tooth) to the right of my mouth and I just want to rub ice on them. Eating is almost impossible, unless I want to cringe all the way through my meal. I've had teeth and gum issues prior to falling pregnant and I am expecting it to worsen over this pregnancy. The upset stomach and sore gums has caused me to lose some weight. I have this urge to have my troubled teeth extracted in the second tri if the pain don't let up and hoping that it won't affect baby. You can read more about pregnancy gingivitis here.

Anyhow, so far, so good!! Here's to a happy and healthy pregnancy!!

So We're Pregnant...

I have to admit, the day we found out we were pregnant, we were more shocked and cautious than anything. It was a Saturday evening, and I took a pregnancy test because I was a day or two late (my period was regular for the past four months, so I get a bit anxious when it's late). Honestly, I took this test without any expectations (I think getting so many negative tests have numbed me to a possibility of a positive test result). In my mind, it will show negative and the next day Aunt Flow will be making her appearance and we'll be back on track. So I went ahead and took the test, left it in the toilet and left to take a shower. I returned from the shower in my towel to check the test, and lo and behold there's a faint line.

Now, I am no stranger to lines, I've purchased so many hpt's that I should be offered shares in the pee-on-a-stick company, also I've come across so many evap lines before that I had to call my hubby in to double check for me. He's response "Hey, that looks like a line." There was a quiet excitement, obviously we wanted to be certain that it was real and the plan was to test again in the morning. What really caught me, was the fact that I never ever got a line, evap or not, with the brand I was using that night.

Next morning arrives and off to the pharmacy we go to purchase two more tests (I had to hold a pee I woke up with till we got back). Took the both tests at the same time, and what do you know, more lines. But still, we contain our excitement, because the next day we'll be triple checking by doing bloods at the closest medi-cross.

Went in the morning, and got the results by early afternoon.

Congratulations!!! You are 4-5 weeks along!!

First people we told, were our parents. Naturally :) and I got roses that evening to celebrate :">

Relax...Take It Easy...

I know that for some of you trying to conceive, these words have passed your ears a couple of times; "try not to think about it too much," "relax, it will happen, just be patient."

I must say, there is some element of truth in the sayings above. Once I shifted focus (obsession) from trying to get pregnant to working on myself, my mindset completely changed. I was no longer sad because of the struggle I was facing, I felt liberated. One day, while struggling to get out of bed (that's the CFS) at work, I prayed and said "Lord, I'm handing this over to you and I will start preparing and working on myself to receive this gift."

After that prayer I felt free, of depression, sadness and failure. I felt more relaxed and content, appreciating what I had; a home, a loving and adoring husband, family and friends and a job. So many times, we cannot see past the veil of our desires to truly realize how blessed we already are.

So for all the ladies out there who still trying to conceive, I know my struggle have not been as long as some of yours out there... but the disppointment and heartache was all the same. Don't give up hope!! When you shift your mindset and focus on being healthy, emotionaly, mentally and physically, the second line on the stick might show up sooner and unexpectedly.

Hello World...

Hey Guys...

I'm 29 year old Capetonian and I'm married to the most amazing man. We've been together collectively for about close to 8 years now, married for close to three. We are currently expecting our first baby (totally excited) and I can't wait to go through this journey and share my experience with all of you.

Let's start at the beginning of my journey. A few years back I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) (this was about a year into my marriage), even though I've known I had it since my teens based on my symptoms: irregular periods, oily skin, couldn't maintain a healthy weight etc.

I decided to ditch the first gynae I went to see who diagnosed me (he lacked interpersonal skills) and opted for a female gynae instead (who'm I'm still with). About over a year ago, she prescribed Clomid (I did not ovulate every month, if not at all) and this was suppose to help those little eggs burst through the ovary, and yes you get scheduled intercourse added to the mix as well. After my first cycle, I decided to stop the medication for various reasons; 1. I did not like the way I felt on the medication (really bad cramping) 2. It felt unnatural (esp with scheduled intercourse) 3. Around that time, I suffered Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) too.

After struggling for about a year and a half to conceive I realized that I firstly needed to look after myself before I can look after anyone else, especially a very dependent baby, and that when my journey of self discovery started.

My husband and I started on an eating plan, we managed to drop the weight and regain our energy but it was tough to maintain. Even though I don't follow the eating plan whole heartedly, I still abide by the low carb, low sugar, high protein basics as much as I can.

It's been close to a year since then, I've managed to drop and mantain my weight, I even managed to regulate my cycle, having a period every month instead of every 3-4 months.

For a while I was on Vitex, but stopped once I started getting my period regularly, thereafter I just stuck to a multivitamin, folic acid and omega oils as my daily supplements, I kept this up for 4 months before I conceived.

The month before I fell pregnant, I challenged myself to a month of no sugar, I think this was the icing on the cake for the little eggs, as the following month, we got the best news we've been waiting to receive for a long time... WE'RE PREGNANT!!!