A Happy Mom Is A Happy Family

Moms are so much more powerful than they realize. How they are feeling on a particular day can have significant effects on the entire family. A Mom can and does influence so many things in her environment. And that can affect how she feels, and in turn how the other family members feel.

When she is feeling good, happy, relaxed so are her kids. They have more energy, laugh more and get along better. On the other hand, if she is feeling frustrated or bogged down by all the things going on, the kids seemed to know that, and they argued more, were hard to keep busy and were less focused.

What Mother hasn't felt at her wits end with her kids? The colicky baby who won't stop crying, the kids who won't stop arguing, the lack of time she has to herself and the limited adult interaction. She'll call a girlfriend or her own mother to talk for a few peaceful minutes to vent or to get advice. She will put the kids' favorite movie on so they're occupied and we can have a few minutes to ourselves. It would never fail, after a few minutes into a conversation the kids will start to call for Mom. They need to ask a question or they need a referee because, "he hit me," or they want some juice. On it goes when a few minutes ago, they were fine. We try to appease them, even leave the room or multitask in some manner. When nothing seems to work we hang up feeling irritated and frustrated. Low and behold, all's well and the arguing stops. It's as if that big white device in our hand was a signal to start vying for mom's attention, and in a way, to our children it was. Yet the feeling of frustration lingers for the mom, long after she has hung up and peace is restored. It can affect the rest of the day, and by the time our spouse comes home, she's more than ready for them to help, even takeover.

It only makes sense then that our thoughts affect our relationships as well. Take this example, with a stay at home mom in mind. Their husbands are off at work, and their kids are off at school, so these moms spend their time doing as much as they can around the house. They will straighten, pick up, put away, clean or whatever needs to be done. If they walk around with negative thoughts, such as; "I am always picking up after everyone else," and "no one puts anything away," and "I always have to do everything myself" and "this house is such a mess" and "I never get to do anything I want" and on and on. By the time these people get home, they will be so worked up and upset, that they might yell about it, or want nothing to do with them. Either way it affects the entire rest of the day, for the whole family and in a very negative way. The frustration produces more frustration in others, spreading it around and bringing more of it into the home.

Being a mother and raising a family is one of the, if not the hardest thing a woman will ever do. It would be helpful if kids came with instructions, but they don't. Therefore, a solid support system is essential for every mother because taking care of your home and your family is hard enough without leaving much room for self care. There are often feelings of frustration, isolation and an inability to do what they want. There are simple and effective things you can do to make all this easier and to feel more like 'a happy mom.' I have listed three of those ways below:

1. Schedule me time in to every day. Time for yourself is so critical because moms are called upon to give so much and to sacrifice so much that we need to replenish our energy 'supply.' We can be very quick to drop what we are doing for someone else that having ME time scheduled in to our day makes it more likely to happen. It is important for these activities to be quality, things that bring us joy and nurture our spirit.

Treat this time like a doctor's appointment, one that you wouldn't cancel on a whim. It is okay to say that you are busy or that you have other plans when others make requests during this time. I would also like to promote that moms don't feel guilty for taking time for themselves either. You need to be cared for and nurtured in order to fully care for others, and feel good about it.

2. Connect with friends every day either in person, or even over the phone.Making an effort to connect with a close friend who is nurturing, positive, encouraging and supportive can help moms feel more connected and more supported. Mothers are often referred to as the center and heart of the home. They are usually the ones who take on the majority of the parenting and household responsibilities. The demands of parenting and running a home can be overwhelming and even isolating. An increasing amount of time is spent on the needs of the family; home, spouse, kids on things such as running errands, driving to activities, helping with homework. Moms work long hours, on a daily basis. It is not uncommon to feel isolated and disconnected.

3. Learning to say 'No'. It is okay and even encouraged to say no to things you really do not want to do. Saying 'yes' to tasks or activities simply because we are asked is an easy trap to get in to. Stay at home moms for instance, often feel that they have to volunteer their time because they do not have an income and therefore do not have money to donate, so they donate their time. In addition, we want others to be happy and for people to like us so we quickly agree to what is requested of us. Unfortunately, when this has nothing to do with our priorities or what we'd really prefer to be doing, it is just another obligation and makes us feel unhappy, powerless and lacking control.

One way to avoid this is to take some time to think about the request before answering and committing to it. For some a few minutes are all that is needed, for others it is better to give it 24 hours, and 'sleep on it.' The key is to follow through with what is important to you. So the next time you are asked to chair that committee or volunteer in a classroom, respond with "I really appreciate you thinking of me and I need some time to think it over and check my calendar and get back to you. Would it work if I let you know tomorrow?"

Then take some time to ask yourself, "Is this really in line with what is important to me?"And make your decision with this in mind. This allows you to take more control of your time and your choices, feeling more in control and empowered to make the decisions that are in line with your priorities and your own wants.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Try implementing at least one of these suggestions this week, and see what difference it makes for you and your family.

Overcome Female Infertility - What is A Cervical Mucus Test?

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse or can not carry the pregnancy to term. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U.S. and many times more in the world. Because of an unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist. In this article, we will discuss what is female infertility cervical mucus test ?

I. Definition
Cervical mucus test is the study of the cervical mucus through out menstrual cycles. The main focus of the test is to analyze "Is the mucus is friendly to sperm invasion or not ?". There are 2 types of cervical test.

II. Procedure
1. Spinnbarkeit
The sample is taken from the vagina to check for the day of ovulation.

2. Postcoital test
The test is examined within 4 hours at the doctor office or laboratory after sexual intercourse and assuming that the male partner has a healthy sperm production.

III. Diagnosis

a) Spinnbarkeit test
Spinnbarkeit is a self help kit, it can be done by a woman at comfort at her own home to exam the mucus characteristics, because the mucus consistently change throughout menstrual cycle. If the mucus is watery and stretchable, it means it is very close or a good chance that the ovulation is coming.

b) Postcoital test
It is also known as sperm-sperm mucus interaction test or Sims-Huhner test, it is done after the Spinnbartkeit test or at the laboratory just before ovulation to see how the sperm of the male partner swim through the watery and stretchable mucus. If the sperm is able to swim normally then the cervical mucus is consider friendly to sperm invasion or otherwise. If there are no sperm are found in the cervical mucus but presented in vagina, or sperm are found clumping, no movement or dead then the female partner may be suspected to produce sperm hostile cervical mucus. More analysis may be required to rule out any external factors.

What Can Help Heartburn During Pregnancy? - Stop Heartburn While Pregnant

Dealing with both heartburn and pregnancy at the same time can be a very bad experience. Over eating is one of the main causes of heartburn during pregnancy. However, when you're pregnant your hormones may have a lot more to do with it.

Even though you can try using medications to help deal with this problem, you can do a lot of little things to ease heartburn during pregnancy. One of the things you must do to help ease the pain and symptoms is watch what you eat.

You should stay away from spicy and acidic foods, or foods that contain a lot of garlic. Avoiding these food items will help lessen the severity of the condition. However, you must know that the growing baby has a lot to do with the severity and frequency of this condition.

While the baby is growing it will put a lot of internal pressure on the stomach causing stomach acid to push up toward the esophagus, which creates the unpleasant burning sensation. So eating the right foods is important to reduce the severity of this as much as possible.

To help lessen heartburn during pregnancy you should also eat small quantities of food. Making the switch from eating larger meals to eating smaller meals will help you to better deal with the added pressure on the stomach caused by the growing baby. The smaller portions of food you're eating will be less likely to get pushed up toward the esophagus and cause heartburn.

Finally, to help with heartburn during pregnancy you should put your feet up when you're resting or sleeping. To help get rid of heartburn pains you should try not to lay down right after you're finished eating. Doing these simple things will help you to safely alleviate heartburn while your pregnant.

Your Healthy Newborn - First Days at Home

So you came home with your baby. Whether it is the first-born or not, it's always an exhilarating experience and an opportunity to learn new things everyday.

Your baby probably already had the first Hepatitis B vaccine and the newborn screen at the hospital. Also, he or she already passed the hearing test. Congratulations! This article reviews what you need to know about your newborns developmental milestone, feedings, elimination, and safety.

There are some essential things to know when you bring your neonate home. First of all, per the hospital's recommendations, set up a follow-up appointment with your baby's health care provider (usually 3-4 days post delivery). It is important to evaluate your infant, i.e. check the weight, listen to the heart, etc. Also, you may have questions that need to be answered: prepare a list before the visit so that nothing gets forgotten! Most health care providers like when patients come to the appointment well prepared. It helps us address all of your needs!

Below, I outlined some important things to know about your baby from the very first day.

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES

Your baby should respond to noise. For example, she should startle at the sound of a slamming door or a barking dog. By one month of age, she should be able to distinguish between the mom's voice and voices of other people. However, some babies have this ability from the very first days after birth. Your baby's vision is intact, but right now she can best see objects and faces placed 8-12 inches away from her face. Also, she does not like bright lights. Babies like to open their eyes in dim light by the adult standards.

FEEDINGS

During the first few weeks, don't worry about schedules: your baby should eat on demand, on average every 2-4 hours. However, babies experience rapid growth spurts from time to time, and during those times they may be hungry every 1-2 hours. Just play it by ear. Also, keep in mind that your baby's stomach is very small (about the size of her fist), so it can't hold more than a couple of ounces at the time. If you feed your infant formula and notice excessive spit ups, decrease the amount of the formula but feed your baby a little more often. Don't let more than four hours pass between feedings. You do not want you baby get frustrated with hunger and make the feeding experience unpleasant. At any time, your breastfed or formula fed baby spits up excessively, talk to your health care provider. She may suggest a formula change or, on rare occasions, medication.

ELIMINATION

A healthy newborn should pass the first bowel movement (BM) within 36 hours after being born. After establishing a healthy BM pattern, your baby may go to the bathroom once or a few times a day, or every other day, or so. One thing to keep in minds is that not everybody has a BM every day! As long as you infant is comfortable between BMs and they do not look like pebbles, there is no reason for concern. Also, keep in mind that breast milk has much less waste than formula. Therefore, your baby may have less frequent and malodorous BMs than a formula-fed infant.
Urination is a good indication of hydration. A few days old baby should have at least 4-5 wet diapers and work her way up to more than 6 a day!

SAFETY

The safest sleeping position for your baby is on her back. It decreases the chance of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) (See Box 1). Co-sleeping of infants and parents is no longer recommended. Such sleeping arrangements create an unsafe environment for the baby who can suffocate on bedding or be crushed by a sleeping adult. Every baby should sleep in her own bassinet or crib. Smoking should not be allowed around your baby as well. Cigarette smoke exposure not only increases the risk of SIDS, but it also increases your baby's susceptibility to catching upper respiratory tract infections.

Practice measuring your baby's temperature. Should the temperature be 100F or above, undress the infant and let her cool off. Small babies overheat easily! After 15 minutes, check the temperature again. If the temperature is still 100F or above, your baby needs to be examined by a health care provider right away. That is true until the infant is 3 month old, because until then the immune system does not know how to work efficiently and fever may be a sign of a serious illness.

The series on newborns will cover in the future issues topics, such as jaundice of the newborn, the senses, primitive reflexes, six states of consciousness breastfeeding, reactions of older siblings to the newborn, postpartum depression, and infant's social development. If there are other topics that you would like to read about, email me at health@pluggedinparents.com

Box 1. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

SIDS is a sudden and unpredictable death of a seemingly healthy infant younger than 12 months of age. The diagnosis comes only after other causes of death are ruled out. You can take steps to reduce your baby's risk of SIDS by placing her to sleep on her back even though she might prefer to sleep on her belly! Make sure that the mattress in her crib is firm! Also, offering a pacifier to your infants (only if she does not reject it!) may decrease the risk of SIDS. Avoid cigarette smoke exposure and do not overdress your infant as overheating may contribute to SIDS.

Here Are Top 5 Home Remedy Fertility Tips

A lot of couples strive with problems involving fertility. Yet, getting fertility medications can be exceptionally luxurious, and in several places such medications are not included on insurance. Or, it may be that the prescriptions utilized to take care of fertility problems like hormone injections, are not an alternative. In these cases, a lot of couples turn to home remedies to enhance fertility.

Here are several useful tips on about Home Remedy Fertility

1. One of the most efficient home remedies you can utilize to enhance your fertility is to maintain an excellent track of ovulation. All through ovulation, a diversity of modifications takes place to your body for example variation to cervical mucus, basal body warmth, and intensity of luteinizing hormone. For several couples, basically tracking ovulation to take advantage on your opportunity of conceiving will determine fertility troubles.

2. Vitamins and nutritional supplements may also facilitate to enhance your fertility. A woman requires accurate nutrients to be capable of conceiving and to be fit enough to conceive. By making sure that your dietary stores are at their best, you can facilitate to raise the likelihood that your pregnancy will be hale and hearty and flourishing one and that your child will not experience threats for difficulties.

3. If you are having dilemma on conceiving or thinking about getting pregnant, it is significant to be conscious of how exercise can affect your fertility. Although most of us never think about it, exercise is essentially a home remedy in a lot of infertility difficulties Exercising too much or too little can actually have an influence on the natural fertility of your body, which can stop you from becoming pregnant. So, if you are presently going through fertility medications, reflect on the impact that exercise may have effects on your fertility levels.

4. One of the home remedies for fertility that can assist to elevate mental and emotional health is flower remedies. The philosophy following the medication is that couples that are experiencing infertility repeatedly are under more stress that can have an effect on your hormonal activity that in turn affects the response of the reproductive organs.

5. Root of Banyan Tree- Roots of banyan tree is extremely efficient in curing the female childlessness. Gather these roots and parched them in the sun for a few days. Then pulverize them and make gauzy residue from them. Make sure that you do not consume everything right away after taking this herbal medicine.

Free Pregnancy Diet Plans - Take Online Help!

The period of pregnancy is one of vacillating emotions like tears and laughter, change in physical appearance, encountering unexpected health challenges and so on. But all of it seems worthwhile to you since you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your child! Of course, you can expect to deliver a healthy baby only if you strictly adhere to a balanced and nutritious diet. Now that seems rather a difficult thing to do without guidance, isn't it? Well, just enroll yourself in an online program where free pregnancy diet plans are offered!

It has become imperative for expectant mothers to look towards various sources of help where a pregnancy diet is concerned, since environmental challenges are increasing day by day. If you should go back to earlier times, food was brought straight from the fields to the dining table, ensuring that it was free of any toxins or chemicals.

Today, more and more people are opting for tinned and canned foods as they are too busy rushing here and there to find time to cook proper meals! Packaged food contains preservatives to make sure that it stays fresh and can be stored for longer periods. Therefore, to assure yourself of chemical-free and healthy meals, go in for the free pregnancy diet plans!

Were you consuming nutritious meals even before your pregnancy? Then the changes to be made in your diet will be minimal. In case you constitute one among the vast majority of pregnant women who have never bothered about health earlier, then you need to go in for drastic changes in your dietary plans! The free pregnancy diet plans offered on the Net provide oodles of information as well as certain dietary tools that regularly monitor what you eat.

The free pregnancy diet plans include- updated information about nutrition obtained from experts in the medical field, well-planned menus, tasty recipes, and the latest research sheets related to pregnancy diets. You are also made aware of vitamins which are vital for your baby's health, as well as updated about essential minerals like folic acid, iron and calcium. The best part is that different diets are matched with the different stages of pregnancy!

Other benefits provided on these web sites that concentrate on free pregnancy diet plans, include articles on varied topics, such as-how to prevent yourself from snacking too much and putting on excess weight, how to get relief from specific symptoms via proper nutrition, recommendations regarding inclusion of vitamins in your diet and so on. There are even answers to specific questions provided.

The dietary trackers consist of-trimester calendars, worksheets to help track diet plans, food trackers, weight gain trackers, and calorie counters.

Oh yes, if you have a sweet tooth, you could go in for a dessert or sweets just once in a while. But do not overdo it! The baby's health should count as your first priority.

So do not hesitate to turn to the online free pregnancy diet plans for help whenever you need it. After all, your baby's well-being is entirely dependent on how healthy you are. Therefore, diet should not become a cause of stress.

What Can a Man Do For His Pregnant Wife? 10 Simple Ways to Help Out Around the House

The announcement of pregnancy often heralds joy and anxiety. The fun of having additions to the family is worth looking forward to. During the course of pregnancy, a lot of hormonal changes occur in the woman's body. Therefore, a lot of understanding is required from the man to manage the pregnancy process.

Many expectant fathers mistakenly believe that their role in their child's life doesn't begin or matter until the baby is about two years old, walking, talking or can play interactively.NO! Indeed, the father-child bond begins the moment you learn your partner is pregnant and only increases in importance and impact when the baby is born.

The bond between mother and child is very natural and divine. There is nothing as pleasurable as feeling the twist and kick of the baby inside of you. The man on the other hand can only imagine but could take extra effort to get involved in his partner's pregnancy process through the following means:

1. Arouse your curiosity.Learn as much as possible before the baby arrives - attend prenatal appointments and childbirth classes, read books, and watch movies. Be proactive in your self-education.


2. Exercise during pregnancy. Walk or swim together. Both are safe exercises and provide time together.Be sure your partner gets enough rest.Encourage her to use relaxation exercises and join in. Stress can be very harmful to both mother and baby.


3. Discuss any anxiety, concerns, fears, or apprehensions about fatherhood you have with your partner. She will most likely appreciate your honesty and willingness to communicate and share your feelings, and together you can work through your anxiety.


4. Tell your wife to inform you whenever the baby kicks. Place your hand on her tummy and you would have a first hand experience of life in the womb.Place your hear to the tummy and you'd feel the breathing. Its an exciting way to feel.


5. Communicate with the unborn. Its a very good way to bond. Learn to sing with the baby in the womb. Discuss with the baby, express your feelings, how the entire family is waiting to have him/her around, how important the baby is to the family and every other positive things you can imagine. It helps to have a happy baby. Direct positive thoughts and loving feelings to your unborn child. Visualize yourself holding, touching, rocking, or talking to your child. Think about the kind of father you want to be to your child.


6. Help your partner stay healthy during pregnancy. Help her eat many different foods. Watch what you eat too. If you eat right, you will make it easier for her. Help your partner stay away from alcohol. Alcohol can cause birth defects. Encourage her to drink juice or milk.


7. Help plan for the baby. Talk with your partner about what you both want for your baby. Discuss likely names, save a little money each week and plan ahead for delivery. It will make it easier once the baby arrives.


8. Avoid arguments and quarrels with your partner at this period so you don't end up with a moody child. Studies show that if your partner is happy, she passes her happiness to the fetus inside. Remember the cord linking them is so strong that it transmits everything to the unborn. Create a warm environment, talk out differences in a supportive way. If you find yourself becoming angry and having difficulty controlling negative feelings, seek out counseling. Never use physical force, intimidation, belittling comments, or other abusive behaviors. These are not productive for any relationship and are especially harmful during pregnancy.


9. The effect of pregnancy differs from one person to the other. Some women could be irritating and dislike a lot of things around them. Some may feel fatigue most times hence domestic chores becomes daunting. At this point, try and offer all assistance you can render to make the process smooth. Show love, care and attention.


10. Find a "New Fathers" support group or talk to other men who have had or are going to have new babies. Share feelings, ideas on supporting the pregnant mom, and tips to make sure you are taking care of yourself.