Bees are a part of nature and they produce honey which is something many people enjoy eating. Bees are responsible for pollination of plants and this ensures that we have a healthy environment to live in. What you may not realize is that there are a lot of benefits of beeswax for everyone. It is often even more shocking to realize that there are also many benefits of beeswax for the expecting mom.

Benefits for Expectant Moms

Beeswax is becoming a common household item for most people. This is because it is being used in body lotions and certain types of makeup. It has been proven to be a natural moisturizer that protects skin by sealing in the moisture that it has while still allowing your skin to breath. It is not a product that feels heavy on your skin. It is ideal for cracked skin. There is some thought that it could be especially soothing to a woman’s swelling belly, legs, breasts, and more. It may even help prevent stretch marks that are a common issue for moms-to-be and all you have to do is find a lotion that has beeswax in it or make your own.

The Benefits Are Sweet

Honey is what comes out of the honeycomb. It has been used as food for a long time and has also been used by many people to give them relief from a sore throat. Honey can also be used to wash your face if you are suffering from acne since it has natural, antibacterial properties that can heal and soothe skin If you want to wash your hair, you can do so with honey if you want naturally moisturized, undamaged hair. Raw honey is also effective at treating burns because it soothes and heals the skin, as well as lowering the risk of infection.

Why Honey Is Important

Without bees our world would not have plants or trees. We wouldn’t have pollination, which is what makes those things grow. Therefore, to protect them and encourage their survival, beekeepers give them homes where they can flourish and continue to produce honey. This honey is then used to create natural products. The thing you should look for when buying honey is to ensure that your honey hasn’t been processed. If it is processed or cooked down before you get it; it will lose some of its health benefits. Therefore, you should try to find honey that is natural and straight from a bee farm or learn how to make a bee feeder for yourself. This will allow you to collect natural honey that you can use for homemade soaps, shampoos, deodorants, and much more. By giving them a safe place to produce honey, you are also ensuring that they are able to continue to pollinate the world that we live in. By ensuring their survival; you are ensuring yours. By allowing them to produce natural honey that you can use, you are going to reap many rewards for yourself, even after you are holding your baby in your arms rather than your belly.

When pregnant, your world revolves around taking care of your body to ensure that your little bundle is taken care of. This often means limiting a lot of medications and watching what types of things you come into contact with, but it also means maintaining healthy eating habits and keeping good hygiene. For that reason, we feel that there are several pregnancy hygiene essentials that you should be aware of.

Foods You Eat

Eating a lot of vegetables is always good when you are with child. Your body needs the extra vitamins that you get from them. Fruits are also important for their vitamin content and dairy can build your baby’s bones to be stronger. However, if you have issues with sugar, you may need to eat less of these items to keep your sugar in check. This may mean that you eat more often throughout the day or take multi-vitamins to ensure you are getting all that you and your baby needs.

Hygiene Woes

Most mom’s-to-be put very little thought into their personal hygiene before they get pregnant, but then you pull a positive test and doctors start telling you about all the things you should do. For instance, they may tell you to avoid hair dye or stop taking long soaks in a hot bathtub. They may tell you to wash your hands more often or avoid using certain products that you use on a daily basis because it can seep into your body through your skin and cause issues for your unborn child. It causes a lot of stress for most women, which is why many pregnant women have turned to alternative methods of getting clean. For mom’s who truly want a healthy bundle of joy, they may even consider using the no poo without baking soda method of washing their hair to eliminate the excess oil that may form during pregnancy. It not only eliminates the oil, but can make your “pregnancy hair” healthier than ever without you having to worry about the chemicals you may be putting in your body. This is a legitimate concern, especially when considering the water problems in the likes of Flint, Michigan.  Additionally, many opt to use a no heat curling iron, which is commonly used when not washing hair as frequently.

Do Your Best

There are a lot of rules to pregnancy. There are a lot of things you should do, shouldn’t do, and might do. We say that you should do what you think is best and keep your doctor’s warnings in mind. If you are worried about the chemicals, dry shampooing could be a solution for you. If you are worried about the cat’s litterbox, have someone else clean it or wear gloves and a face mask to take care of the dirty chores. Be mindful of the things that you use to clean your home and eat the right foods when you are hungry. As a pregnant woman, you will most likely taste, smell, and feel a lot of things that you have never before experienced. This means it is a great time to try out a new way of doing things, perhaps even healthier things for your body and not just the developing baby inside your womb.

As if West Nile and the other diseases that mosquitoes could transmit weren’t enough, we now have to deal with another mosquito transmitted disease. However, it is not a disease that affects most people in a severe way, but the effects it can have on an unborn child are quite extreme. There are a lot of Zika virus concerns for pregnant women, but to fix it, we must all take precautions to stop it from spreading further.

What Is the Zika Virus?

Zika is a virus that is transmitted via the Aedes species of mosquitoes, unprotected sex, and from a mother to her unborn child. It is a virus that was first identified in 1947 in Africa, but no one in our area of the world seemed to know about it. However, that has changed since 2015 when it was first reported in Brazil. It resembles a mild infection. It is not harmful to people who catch it. You simply may feel a little rough for a week. For an unborn child, though, the effects could be devastating.

How Does It Affect Unborn Children?

Scientists feel that the number of babies being born with microcephaly is higher now than ever because of the Zika virus. Microcephaly is a birth defect that causes the baby’s head to be smaller than normal when they are born. The smaller head size, means that they may have smaller brains, which could lead to seizures, developmental delays, hearing and vision issues, as well as a lot of other issues. This developmental issue could be something that affects an unborn baby for their entire life. There is also an increase in the possibility that unborn babies who are exposed to the Zika virus may develop the Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which causes muscle weakness. GBS happens rarely, but it is linked to Zika. The effects may last up to several months and then most will recover, but for some the damage may be permanent.

Knowledge and Prevention of Spreading Zika

Knowledge is power. You need to know what the symptoms of the Zika virus are and what you can do to prevent it. If you have been in an area where there are cases of Zika being reported, you should know that you could be exposed to it. Symptoms of it may include fever, rash, joint or muscle pain, red eyes, headaches, pain behind the eyes, or other flu-like symptoms. If you do not have symptoms, that does not mean you are not carrying it. This is why prevention matters. We do not need a lot of people becoming infected without having symptoms. To have this occur, more unborn babies will be exposed. You need to do your research and discover the best mosquito killer. Eliminate the mosquitoes and you will eliminate a lot of the problems. This means you should prevent standing water around your home and eliminate breeding areas, wear clothing that is thin, but long enough to cover you, and check out sprays and other devices that aid in mosquito control. You can visit Proven Pest Prevention and find a lot of useful tips and information about propane mosquito traps. To fix the problem, we must all work together to protect our unborn children.

Whether you are a first time mom or you have had a few kids already; hearing that you are pregnant with twins is both exciting and terrifying. It is double the joy, but it comes with a lot of challenges. Are you ready to take on the challenge of preparing for two? It is guaranteed to be one thing you will certainly never forget.

The Challenge of Two

A single child on the way means that you have a lot of preparing to deal with. It means you must read reviews and find the perfect crib, the perfect carrier, and more. You have to choose a name for your new little bundle and often this can cause a lot of heated talks between families and the parents of the soon to be baby.

With two infants coming, you have even more preparation to deal with, more heated conversations about names, and more. It is a time of wonder. You will watch your belly grow faster than you were expecting and you will be both terrified and thrilled when you think of having double the diapers to change, double the bottles to fill, double night feedings, and in general, double the responsibility.

Prepare for Everything

As the parents of a single child, you know that relaxing before the birth is key. The same can be said for when you come home with twins. You should be prepared to not have much time after delivery. This may mean preparing dinners that you can freeze and then heat up when you do not feel like cooking. It may mean getting the house organized more completely, especially the kitchen where you may have to prepare bottles and such and the nursery where you will change and cuddle with your little ones. This way, when it is 3am and you have not been to bed yet, you can stumble through getting bottles prepared and know where the diapers, wipes, and other necessities are. It may also be time to look for a baby carrier for twins that you feel comfortable using because it will free up your hands and allow you to spend your time snuggling and handling some of life’s chores that do not stop just because you have two little lives to care for.

Enjoy Every Minute

Eventually, your little ones will get out of the newborn stage. They will gain some independence. They will show you what life as a new mommy to twins is all about. Having twins around is going to be a wonderful experience. They will always have a best friend, but as they grow, they will still want a lot of your attention. They will love the snuggle time and you will get to enjoy double the kisses for all of your effort. That will make every struggle you have worth it, times two and you will be glad that you survived because you put in the effort to prepare for two little bundles of joy at one time.

During pregnancy, there is a lot of “dos” and “don’ts” for you to deal with. You should eat the right foods, but avoid too much sugar. You should exercise, but avoid doing too much of it. You should stay active, but make sure you have your doctor’s permission before you do certain things. The list goes on indefinitely. With all the rules for how to have a healthy pregnancy, it may seem like you forget to simply enjoy the fact that you are pregnant. Instead of letting it get to you, you should keep in mind that one of the biggest things you should do when pregnant is take the time to relax and the best part is; there is no “don’ts” with relaxing while pregnant.

Why Relaxing Matters

Every woman who has been through pregnancy knows that a body goes through a lot of things when it is pregnant. These changes go beyond the mental and physical aspects that you can see as your belly grows. From the moment of conception, your body is working to provide that tiny being inside of you with everything they need in order to develop into a healthy newborn baby. This means that your body is working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for nearly the entire 40 weeks that you are pregnant. After all that effort, who wouldn’t need a little relaxing? Taking time for yourself to read a book, watch TV, cuddle with older children, and enjoying a nice warm shower standing under a dual shower head, are all great ways to encourage your body to keep up the good work.

Positive Relaxation Techniques

One of the best ways to relax when you are pregnant is to lie back and watch television or read with your feet propped up, especially during the last trimester when your back and legs have to carry around a lot of extra weight. This may also be the time when your ankles are swelling the most. Many pregnant women also lay on the left side, as encouraged by doctors, because it encourages better circulation.

Cuddling with other children, if you have them, is also very positive while you are pregnant because other kids may feel neglected by you after your new little one is born. Take time to cuddle, talk about your growing body, explain how things will be different with the new baby, but that they will not be forgotten, etc. The more you prepare your child now, the happier things will be when you bring your baby home. You can also use this time to prop your swollen ankles and practice breathing slowly or doing other things that make you feel more relaxed.

When you are pregnant, most doctors recommend that you don’t take a long, hot bath. However, showers are always encouraged because using the best shower head not only gets you clean, but it promotes relaxation. To get the most out of your shower, you should keep soaps that you enjoy using, warm water with plenty of water pressure, and try to take your time with it. Make shower time, your time. Use it to think about and enjoy the baby growing within your tummy. Sing songs or simply enjoy the water flowing over you.

In short, if it makes you feel good, why not do it? After your little one comes you will miss the days of relaxing while pregnant. Go shopping, enjoy dinner out, and do anything that makes you feel refreshed. In a few months, you may not have the chance for a while.

 

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When you first hear that you are expecting a little bundle, you are excited and perhaps filled with wonder over the way your body feels more alive. Then, you will start to develop some very common, unbelievably horrible symptoms of pregnancy. This may include feeling bloated, having morning sickness, achy breasts, and a multitude of other un-pleasantries. Don’t let this stuff get you down. It is a temporary thing that most women must go through when expecting. Here are a few tips to surviving the first trimester.

Relieve the Morning Sickness

You may be wondering what triggers your morning sickness to kick in at the worst possible moments. Perhaps it is because you move too quickly or because your nose catches the scent of something that now makes your tummy do flip-flops, either way, you may find yourself praying over a porcelain toilet soon if you do not know how to make it stop.

Scent can trigger morning sickness. Research has shown that sometimes the best way to make it end is to find a better scent. If the lady next to you in the elevator seems to have nauseating perfume on, have something easily within reach to erase her scent. A small bottle of lemon extract that you carry along or even a piece of sage may help.

Keep crackers on hand for those movement spikes in nausea. This may help you during the night or early morning when you first go from laying down to sitting up. Pretzels and peanut butter can help also, if you would prefer them. You may also benefit from eating smaller portions of your favorite foods throughout the day rather than try to eat a large meal, three times daily.

However, because eventually you will still most likely spend time bending over the toilet, carry a travel sized tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush along with you. You may also want to carry wet wipes or other things to help you deal with what happens after you throw up.

Oh, the Aching Breasts

For this, you can take a warm bath or shower, you can give your breasts a massage, or as a last hope, opt for Tylenol if approved of by your doctor. Breast tenderness is often caused by your breasts beginning to develop milk glands which will eventually produce the milk that feeds your little one. It is a natural uncomfortableness that there is no true way to eliminate. Just keep in mind, you will want to wear a good bra that will comfort you throughout the day. This is possibly the best thing you can do for your breasts when pregnant, as if you didn’t already try to do it before you became pregnant.

Relieve that Bloated Feeling

Bloating is a normal part of early pregnancy that may continue throughout your pregnancy if you are not careful. To relieve some of it, do the same things that you would do when not pregnant to try and relieve constipation. Drink plenty of water, eat smaller portions of food, and eat more vegetables for the fiber content in them. You may also start to wear clothes that fit a little looser to keep the bloated feeling from being as uncomfortable.

Any of these tips should help you. If they do not, you should talk to your doctor about other possible ways to relieve your symptoms. Just rest assured, this part of pregnancy will be behind you very soon and then you will find yourself once again delighted with the fact that you are pregnant.

Congratulations, you are getting ready to welcome your bundle to the world. You have already survived the hard stuff. Being pregnant is a constantly changing, hormonal, moody, beautiful thing and you are nearing the end of it. Preparing to welcome your baby will be a walk in the park after all of the other things you have done. Enjoy this time with your partner.

Setting Everything Up

As you prepare for your little one, you will need the baby basics. This will include a few bags of diapers, a safe place for him to sleep, sleepers or onesies for him to wear, wipes, and other things. After going through childbirth, you will not want to have to stop by a store on your baby’s first car ride. You will still want to rest and most likely, you will just want to get home. Having all of this stuff well in advance will give you peace of mind that you are ready.

You will also need an infant carseat. Your hospital will not allow you to leave if you are not prepared in this aspect. You can take it into the room with you and make sure all of the straps are going to fit him before you take him home.

Pack up for you and the baby as well. Take your favorite night gown, a change of clothes to ride home in, and all of your toiletry items to the hospital when you go into labor. This will ensure that when you are feeling up to it, you can be comfortable in your own clothes, clean, and ready to get to know your little one. You should also pack something for your baby to wear home. Most hospitals will give you diapers and other necessities for your baby to help you out while you are there, but most parents like for the bundle to wear a cute outfit home.

Enjoy Your Partner

In the time before you reach the delivery room, take time to spend time with your partner, because after you have your little wonder, time for the two of you will become less important. A baby is very demanding. It can cause stress between the two of you, even though you both will fall in love with her immediately. It is hard on a lot of couples to go from just the two of them to, “baby makes three” and no one really wants to be romantic when they are worn out after sleeping randomly along with a baby.

Planning a night out for just the two of you or a weekend in a hotel where no one knows you are located may go a long way in keeping the two of you close right before you have your world turned upside down with a new baby. From there, leave your phones turned off and the internet behind. It will give you two the time necessary to reconnect.

Take Time for You

It will be a while before you get to go have your hair and nails done. You most likely will not feel up to it for a while. If you do it before your baby is born, it will give you a little time for you before your world must revolve around diaper duty, feeding, and random naps throughout the day and night.

Having a baby is a beautiful experience, but there are a few things you should do to help you prepare for their arrival, both physically and mentally. Otherwise, you may find that the first few months of your bundles life will be more stressful than you at first bargained for.