More Tips For an Easier Pregnancy

Mommy up!

If this is not your first child and the other one (two…) are still toddler or small kids than you know the “Mommy up” too well. They don’t care how big your belly is. So what to do? If you let you child use a bench, a chair or something else it can climb up on you can even have a kitchen helper. If you have to pick the child up don’t bend over all the way, let your child get up on something higher and then you can pick it up. Most important is that whenever you lift something up it is with a straight back.

Let your belly relax.

Your normal skirts and pants will still fit you for a while and later you can help yourself by not closing the sipper or inserting an elastic band. But in the last few weeks of your pregnancy this will be impossible without compressing your belly. It is important that you have 2 or 3 good pants or skirts and some loosely fitting T-shirt or other type of tops to wear with.  Socks or stockings should have a soft and not too tight elastic band because your legs tend to swell specially in the last weeks of your pregnancy. But by all means celebrate your belly. It is beautiful, it is there only for a short time, it covers and protects the most valuable treasure, a new live! And don’t forget to take a photo.

In water you float.

If you have a pool close by, go swimming. To make it fun takes a friend or your partner for mutual motivation. You don’t have to rush to one of those water gym for pregnant women exercise groups. It is absolutely sufficient that you swim your rounds while you feel the relaxation through floating in the water. Get the sensation of lite wait taking the pressure of your back and your legs. For all of you who easily catch a yeast infection: My midwife tip is that before you go swimming in public pools insert an olive oil soaked tampon.

My Belly And I

If the sizes of a medicine ball or small and pointy like a melon: A pregnant woman’s belly is always an eye-catcher. We collected some interesting facts about the most beautiful belly in the world.

Why are bellies so different?

Each pregnancy belly is as unique as the woman who is carrying and the child that grows in it. Even so the myth that the form of the belly can indicate the sex of the child persists, it is untrue. The truth is that it is more a physical pre-condition of the mom to be.

If a woman is rather small and petite the baby does not has much room to expand it self like in the case of a tall woman with longer vertebra. This is the reason why the belly appears earlier as she is carrying it all in the front.

In case of a small pelvis the baby has not sufficient room to lower itself all the way down. The belly stays higher and arches further out.

The posture of a woman also plays a roll: A hollow-back pushes the belly further out and appears to be bigger.

If you have trained abs and firm connective tissue your belly will most likely not arch out as much in an unfit woman.

Not only will the size of the child influence the sizes of the belly. Very important is also the amount of amniotic fluid. It can be as little as about 10 FL OZ. or a much as 50 FL OZ. and you can see if you carry a pound or two more around.

As more pregnancies a woman has as more round and less high will her belly be. Uterus, aps and the complete body tissues are heavily stretched due to the pregnancy. Up to a certain degree this will regulate itself but without specific muscle training you will feel it latest in a new pregnancy.

Picture found on http://www.tiredofbeingpregnant.com/2011/09/beautiful-pregnant-bellies.html

This Belongs To Me Now

Child psychologists explain how parents should behave in a situation like this, using the following example.

The situation: Robin finds a toy in the playground. Justin takes it way from Robin. Both children fight. Robin loses and starts crying. Both mothers who have been absorbed by their conversation first realize that something is wrong when they hear Robin cry.

For both mother to understand the situation the question has to be “What happened,” not “Why are you crying!” Experts say that the word WHY is increasing the conflict. Same wrong behavior would be to accuse the child with: “What have you done now again.

De-escalate with the following question: What happened, who had the toy first?” This is a question the child can answer.

Now you can say: “Justin, did you ask Robin if you could have the toy? No? You have to ask first, please give the toy back to Robin. If Justin has no intention to follow your request you can use the technique of a broken disc repeat the same sentence over and over again. Justin, give back the toy, you have to ask first. Best is to use the sentence Justin has to say. This way Justin learns how to behave in a situation of conflict.

Another possibility is to swap. Justin could offer Robin another toy to interchange.

Even so swapping is a makeshift because children learn to share only in exchange of something else the modern social society often works like this.

This is the last of our 5 articles regarding the topic Playing is easy – is it not? If you liked it please comment and/or give suggestion.

Thank you

Letice

 

 

Playing is easy, is it not?

Playing together with others is an art which has to be learned. If you think about starting a play party for your child here we show you what you can do to make this event a great experience for all. Starting today and every day for the following 4 days we will touch a different aspect of playing is easy. Please read our suggestions, plus if you like, comment our articles and let us know your personal experiences at your child’s play party.

How to make the first play date a success!

A children get together under the age of four is not a “tea party” for parents. There is constant dispute to be settled, help and motivation has to be given when needed. You probably think: This is something they can do it on their own? No they cannot, at least not yet. Because: Playing together with others is social learning. Adults need to show how to behave in case one child takes the scoop of the other one or one troughs a fit because he gets the blue car instead of the red car. Here is what parents can do to have a successful first play date!

Rules for playing together:

If you consider the 8 golden rules your play party should be a success and a pleasure for children and moms alike.

Learn how to play – learn how to dispute:

One does not go without the other, here you can read how kids learn how to play and how to dispute.

Sharing hurts:

Who really likes to share what belongs to him? But who can give has learned a lot for their life. If children have to share what belongs to them we will encounter resistance.

I pinch that:

Little once have still a problem to make a difference between mine and yours. If you ask your child to give back what belongs to another child it will most of the times end in a conflict.

This now belongs to me:

It really gets complicated if they have to share what does not belong to anybody. How to solve this problem we show  you here.

The Hip Swing

Adult movements are parallel. For instants adults stand right in front of a chair and then sit down. Anyone who has ever observed a child sitting down can tell it looks much different. Children need a rotation to do these movements. Whether they go from a lying down to a crawler position or from sitting down to a stand up in any case they move in a spiral way from one position to the next. Parents who have this in mind can use this moving pattern when sitting down with the baby in their arms. Apparently this spiral movement shell help in cases of bellyache and bloating.

Authors: Nora Imlau

Illustrationen: Nila Aye

Drinking With My Body

When babies drink they need not only their mouth to do so they need their body too. In order to learn the process of sucking and swallowing often the full buddy is in demand. As an example: It helps almost all babies if they can put their hand on mom’s breast or on the bottle. Infants also drink more even and calm if their feet are not dangling in the air. Simply put your hand under the little feeds to give them a boundary. Parents who recognize and react on the babies needs can calm them down and prevent digestive problems.

Authors: Nora Imlau

Illustrationen: Nila Aye

An Idea That Moves

Kinaesthetic infant handling – a difficult name for a simple idea. Babies can and want to move – and it is our job to support them in doing so. Dr. Lenny Maietta and Dr. Frank Hatch developed this program, assuming it is quite unsatisfactory for babies to be passively moved around by their parents. They argue that babies do “gymnastics” already in the mothers belly to strengthen and force motion for later. “Handling” babies has become automatic movements passed on form moms to daughters forcing the newborn entirely against nature to no action. We wrap them in, lift them up, carrying them around and put them down without allowing them to help in any way. Those moves can be done in such a way that the baby, even newborns, can participate. Pediatric nurses who are trained in handling Kinaesthetic Infant report a very positive influence on body awareness, balance, agility and confidence especially in premature babies or children with a handicap.