Sunday, December 23, 2007

Preggot's posts

Here is how Preggot's posts will work. There will be four types of posts: Pregnancy Tip, Motherhood Tip, Tidbits, and Random Posts. They will be labled as such and then the topic listed after the type. Today for Preggot's grand opening, I am posting all four. Enjoy! (Stay blogged and get Preggot!)

Pregnancy Tip- Top Ten ways to get pregnant

10. Read my blog :)

9. If your partner has a low sperm count, all the tricks in world may not help you get pregnant. IUI (Often called artificial insemination) is fairly cheap these days, and will often times be the tool to overcome that low count.

8. If you have been trying for even a few months without success, start charting. Bringing a few month's worth of charts can cut down on the time before a doctor will start treating you for infertility. If you wait until the allotted 6 months-1 year to go into the doctor, he will probably ask you to start charting so they can identify the problem. Every month counts!

7. Take care of your body- Take vitamins, get sleep, don't overdo it while exercising, limit caffeine, don't let hubby take really hot baths/showers, etc.

6. Learn how to understand and read your body's fertile signs. How? Start by reading "Taking Charge of Your Fertility", or read the FAQ's on FertilityFriend.com. I will post more on "how" as well, at a later date.

5. Chart your fertility on and for even more clarity, chart your BBT or Basal Body Temperature

(Story- I have a friend who wanted to get pregnant awhile back with her second child. She had just finished breastfeeding her first child. She had resumed periods before she quit nursing, so she assumed she was fertile. She came to me after "trying" for a few months, and I told her to take OPK's and her BBT, and to create a fertility friend chart. She did this and determined that she wasn't ovulating. On day 24 of her cycle (10 days late), she finally got the + on the ovulation test, and her temperature went up the next day. Had she not been charting, she would never have known to "try" during those days, and would have had at least another month of frustration in not getting pregnant. Charting can REALLY help)

4. Use OPK's or Ovulation Predictor Kits to pinpoint ovulation

3. Elevate hips for 30 minutes after intercourse, but no longer. Infection won't help you get pregnant, that's for sure.

2. Pray!

1. Make a plan. My absolute favorite plan is written by a woman named Deanna. She calls it the "Sperm Meets Egg Plan." I think this gives you the absolute best chance of getting pregnant aside from using medical intervention. Don't "try" any more than this plan tells you to, that will actually lower your chances of the sperm meeting the egg. This is a MUST READ, it is great!

Motherhood tip- Fussy babies

Ugggh, fussy babies. My second child was and is the definition of fussy. My third child is very easy usually, but I went to a party last night where he just WOULDN'T sleep. He was so bad! I could have kicked myself for not having my secret weapon for fussy babies. Yes, I have a secret weapon that makes mothering a newborn SO MUCH EASIER!

First of all- hiccups. They drive me crazy! Have you ever just fed your baby, and lay them down to sleep and the second you do.... BAM, the hiccups hit! It makes me so mad. I have the cure.....

Second, there is the fussing without any apparent reason why. I lay my baby down to sleep, and he just can't quite settle down.

Third, there is the full blown colic. My second child just cried and cried, and it was nearly impossible to console him.

My secret weapon is called......... Gripe Water. Have you ever heard of it? I've done a lot of research on Gripe Water, and they've been using it for years and years in Canada and the UK. Gripe Water is an herbal supplement that soothes babies' stomachs and helps them be SO much happier. Here is what I recommend:

Baby Bliss Gripe Water- available at some stores and many sites online including drugstore.com

This Gripe Water contains Ginger and Fennel (So it smells like licorice), and it is awesome for hiccups. Without fail, it cures my baby's hiccups instantly! It is probably the cheapest gripe water, and easiest to find

Colic Ease Gripe Water- available online.

I have checked the label on this several times to make sure it still says, "NO ALCOHOL," because I can't understand how it works so well. My baby can be fussing, grunting, screaming, and a few drops of this will put him right to sleep. It has different ingredients including: dillweed seed oil, caraway seed oil, cinnamon bark oil, clovebud oil, and cardamom oil. Somehow this combination is so soothing to babies, the instant it goes down their throats it calms them down. It's amazing!

My secret tool is Gripe Water, and after extensive research, I have decided that these are the best and cheapest kinds available. I have never tried gripe water on an older child, only on infants up to 4 or 5 months. If anyone uses it for their older children, please let me know, I would love to hear how it works. And if anyone who has used it wants to leave a testimonial, please do so in the comments!

Random Post- Enter into the drawing!

My Random Posts will really be random, whatever I feel like posting: good deals, giveaways, fun ideas, whatever!

Today's random post is a giveaway. The prize..... a digital picture frame keychain. Perfect to show off your pictures. You have until January 5th, 2008 to enter. Here's how to enter: Place a link to Preggot on your website and email me or comment so I know. You will automatically be entered in the drawing on January 5th. If you don't have a blog, email 3 of your friends and tell them about Preggot and cc me on the email. click here to email me

So be sure to link Preggot.blogspot.com to you blog so you can enter to win this awesome prize! Once you have posted the Preggot.blogspot.com on your blog and keep it there you will also be in Preggot's future drawings.

Tidbit- Yeast Infections

Tidbits will be posted randomly, with whatever short tips or ideas I think of. Today's tidbit came to mind because I am taking an antibiotic right now. So while it's on my mind, I'll post it as a tidbit.

Why do we get yeast infections, and why are we more likely to get them while taking antibiotics?

In your body you have a very delicate balance of good bacteria and yeast. If the balance is messed up in any way one of the two can take over causing an infection. Antibiotics kill the bad bacteria and the good bacteria. When the antibiotics kill off the good bacteria, the yeast takes over, colonizing in unpleasant area.

There are two ways to treat a yeast infection. One- kill off as much yeast as possible. Killing yeast is fairly easy to do with an over-the-counter cream (Monistat or whatever is cheap). Two- add good bacteria to your body. You can do this by eating yogurt or taking acidopholus pills straight (available in any grocery store's vitamin section).

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

About Preggot!

What the heck is Preggot?
Preggot is a name that makes you wonder... doesn't it? The purpose of this website is to inform people on the topics of pregnancy and motherhood, but is not limited to those two subjects. There will be other posts including: good deals, contests, giveaways, and even travel information. Therefore, Preggot is a name that indicates, but does not limit, the website to being about my current favorite topic to research, talk, and write about: PREGNANCY! So why not name it Preggo? Well wouldn't that be a site only about pregnancy? A "T" can make a big difference you know.

Who the heck are you?
I am a mother of 3 children born in 3.5 years. Obviously I know something about pregnancy and motherhood, right? I am an avid internet researcher, who has spent way too many hours over the last 4 years researching these topics. Through this research I have a grundle of information, and have gathered some of the best tricks and links in existence on the world wide web. Not to mention the 2,000 questions I have asked my doctors while they were trapped in an examination room with me (Totally disregarding that anxious, "I have other patients to see you know," look they gave me.) I am very in tune with my own body, and have a fairly excellent knowledge of what goes on with the female reproduction system. Some of you may feel like you already know most of this stuff, but I would tell you to start asking around and see how many other people know what you know. "Do I have fertile signs?" my friend asked me. Hello!?!? How did you have 2 children? This blog is for you people who want more information, and want it explained in plain English. For those of you who feel like you already know everything, or even know much more than me- I encourage you to comment on this blog, or heck, go start your own if you know so much. Really, I don't know it all, this blog is just for what I DO know. (or at least what I THINK I know)