Birth and Babies

Alright future and current moms-to-be listen up: Caffiene (as little as two cups of coffee per day!) can double your miscarriage risk.  Caffiene is counted in pop, tea, and other drinks too, of course.  We’ve always known that lots of caffiene is no good but now we’re faced with: should we stick with a little in moderation, or stop all together?  Certainly, to be on the safer side because caffiene is no good for anyones body, stopping intake all together is great.  But for some pregnant moms, drinks and food that contain caffiene are sometimes ‘comfort foods or drinks’ or an object of a craving.

If you can stand it, nix the caffiene all together!  If you are trying to concieve, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to detox before you get pregnant.  Usually it’s a lot easier to stop bad habits before you become pregnant, so if stopping caffiene intake is something you want to do, your best bet might be to stop it before you do get that positive pregnancy test!

Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22718279/

The MayaWrap site has a great tutorial on how to make your OWN ring slings.  This looks VERY easy. 

I’ll be trying this also!

While visiting a friend today, she showed me how to use a baby wrap.  I’m used to slings, mei tai’s and baby carriers. My favorite for a young baby is the Maya Wrap (it’s a ring sling) because it’s so versatile and supportive for those squirmy and weak babies.  My favorite for older babies and toddlers is my Ellaroo mei tai. 

Anyway, a wrap is just a loooong peice of fabric.  My friend mentioned that if you buy 5 yards of fabric and cut it in half down the length, you’ll have two wraps.  Find a fabric that doesn’t unravel and you wont’ have to sew a bit.  Or you can use other fabrics and serge or hem the edges.  Fleece is great for a winter wrap, a stretchy fabric is nice for young, light weight babies and a less stretchy fabric is better for older babies.  You essentially ’strap’ your baby to your body by wrapping the wrap in different ways to be supportive and safe for your baby, and comfortable for yourself.

She showed me how to tie my 5 month old and mentioned there are a TON of ways you can tie your baby on.  When I got home, I googled it and found this site that illustrates many more ways to wrap your baby.