January 1, 2015 | Page 2 of 2 | Parenting In the Loop

Pregnancy

I am starting a series about pregnancy and over the next few months “Parenting in the Loop” will feature topics that are relevant to women, who are expecting a baby. Hopefully, parents and grandparents alike will find this series interesting.

Pregnancy can be a scary situation for both women and men, but this need not be so. Although it is a normal condition, for the first baby it is all new. New can be nerve wracking with all the physical and emotional changes that accompany the pregnant state of being.

If you are a planner then taking time to do some preconceive planning may actually be a stress reducer.

To erase some of the anxiety from this normal reaction of fear, some couples plan a preconception checklist. Preparing for pregnancy helps to squash some of the fears about situations that you actually do have some control over.

The March of Dimes has compiled a short list that might help with deciding if you are ready to become pregnant. You want to be in the best health that is normal for you.

Here we go:

Some items may or may not apply to you.

I’ve talked with my partner about having a baby.

It is important to for partners to be on the same page here. Support is essential.

I’ve stopped smoking, drinking alcohol and doing drugs.

Smoking, drinking alcohol and doing drugs is harmful for a growing fetus especially in the early days of pregnancy when you may or may not realize you are even pregnant.

I’ve started saving money for the baby.

Babies are costly. Having a little “cushion of cash” can help with expected and unexpected expenses and decrease worry.

I’m taking a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid in it every day.

Folic acid is an important vitamin for baby growth and development.

I’ve had a medical checkup before trying to get pregnant.

Being in your best health possible for you is a good start for any mom-to-be.

I’ve asked my provider about medicines I take.

All medications should be reviewed with your physician as many of them can cause deformities.

I’m at a healthy weight.

It would be good to be at a healthy weight or take care to weight manage during these nine months.

I know which maternity costs my insurance pays.

Having a baby can be costly, so a review of your insurance coverage would be helpful in managing expenses so that finances do not bring on more worries.

via Preconception checklist | Pregnancy | March of Dimes.

Happy New Year!

With the advent of a new year comes a new chance to do some of the stuff that I did not get to do last year.

As a wife, mother, grandmother and blogger, my plate is mostly full. I love it that way.

It seems that as exhausting as my days are, when all is said and done, I enjoy them. This is especially evident when I fall into my bed at night and am asleep almost before my head hits the pillow.

We are lucky to have a full house, which includes myself, my husband and three dogs. With our daughter and granddaughter living nearby, unexpected visits make my day.

I like to think, I live what Zorba the Greek referred to as a “full catastrophe life”!

“Catastrophe here does not mean disaster. Rather it means the poignant enormity of our life experience. It includes crises and disaster but also all the little things that go wrong and that add up. The phrase reminds us that life is always in flux, that everything we think is permanent is actually only temporary and constantly changing. This includes our ideas, our opinions, our relationships, our jobs, our possessions, our creations, our bodies, everything.”

via Spirituality & Practice: Book Excerpt: Full Catastrophe Living, by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

To me, life is full of great happinesses alongside its trials and sadnesses, the yin and yang of what makes up all our lives. I am grateful that my days are not permanent or frozen in time.

Although there are definitely wonderful moments I would seriously like to last longer than they do, I know they will not. Another shoe will eventually drop. Always knowing that all moments are fleeting, my camera is never too far from me so I can capture and freeze frame a scene from my personal movie.

Simply said, I love that every day is new and brings with it the expected and the unexpected. I love that each day has its own uniqueness. It makes me happy to know that when I go to sleep at night, the morning will dawn with a new sunrise and another opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those I love and those I come in contact with that day. My troubles of the past are one day farther away from me each and every morning. A wonderful thing!

Last week, over the New Year, I spent some time in my happy place, which is in Rhode Island. The spectacular views of the sunrises never cease to amaze me and make me smile. The ebb and flow of the tide makes me calm as does watching the ducks on their endless search for fish, along with the seagulls perched on the dock just waiting for a quick snack.