When you’re pregnant, it can seem odd to know you have a person growing inside you, but not be able to see or feel your baby all the time. At the beginning of a pregnancy, you don’t feel your baby at all, so it’s especially strange and even scary, not knowing what’s going on inside. However, your baby can hear you from inside and can feel your movements too! Knowing that, there are some simple, yet very fun things you can do to interact with your unborn baby.


5 Fun Ways to Interact with Your Unborn Baby

1. Talk to Baby
Your growing baby can hear you, so talking to him or her is a perfect way to begin your relationship with your little one. Talk to your baby about what you’re doing, where you’re going, what you want to show him or her once born – the possibilities are endless. You might think you sound crazy walking around talking to yourself, but the reality is that you’re talking to your baby, and your baby can hear you. Once born, he or she will recognize your voice and you’ll feel a strong bond from all that talking you guys did!

2. Read to Baby
Just like talking to baby, reading to baby is a great way to interact with your soon-to-be cutie. You can of course read classic stories, poems, nursery rhymes, and the like. But, you can also read out loud whatever you’re reading for yourself. The important thing is that baby is hearing your voice and learning new vocabulary at the same time!

3. Play Music for Baby
With both of my pregnancies, I would sit with headphones on my belly and play music for my babies. I would play all types of music, not just lullabies and classical music, but also music I listen to normally. Once you start feeling Baby’s movements, you’ll notice Baby tends to move in response to music you play, which is always fun. In addition, you can also sing to Baby, giving him or her another opportunity to hear your voice!

4. Massage Baby
It’s a natural tendency for soon-to-be moms to rub their bellies, but sometimes you can intentionally do so and give your baby a bit of a massage. It’s a great way for you to relax, but more so, for Baby to feel your touch. Again, as you begin to feel Baby’s movements, you’ll notice that Baby responds to your touch. Sometimes Baby will wiggle away from you if he or she doesn’t want to be bothered. But, other times, you might get lucky and realize that baby moves towards you!

5. Play Peek-a-Book with Baby and a Flashlight
This was probably my favorite way to have fun with my unborn babies! I would grab a flashlight and shine the light onto my belly. This works best later in the pregnancy after you can feel Baby’s movements, and especially when you can actually see your baby moving through your skin. As we explained to our girl when I was pregnant with her baby brother, Baby sees the light in much the same way as you see sunlight when you close your eyes. Lots of times, Baby will follow the light wherever you shine it. It’s a lot of fun to see and feel Baby moving along chasing the light. It’s also a super fun way to get any older siblings involved and interacting with their soon-to-be brother or sister!

What other fun ways can you think of for playing with an unborn baby?

10 Prenatal Power Foods

Information gathered from "Fit Pregnancy Mag"

Foods that provide the nutrition you need for a healthy pregnancy.

1. Figs

Serving Size: 1 cup (about 8 dried figs)

There’s a whopping 5 grams of fiber in just 1 cup of dried figs. Plus, figs are a great nondairy source of calcium; one serving contains about a quarter of your daily needs (1,000 milligrams). And while your teeth may not appreciate the high sugar content, they will benefit from the potassium, phosphorus and magnesium in figs. These tooth-supporting nutrients aren’t just great for your own mouth; they are essential to the 32 teeth forming below the gums in your growing baby’s mouth.

Figs are also a good source of iron. Iron deficiency can cause anemia, especially during pregnancy, thanks to the increase in your blood volume and growing demands by the baby for iron to produce millions of red blood cells. Stewed figs contain about 3 milligrams of iron (about 10 percent of your daily recommended intake) in 1 cup. The same number of figs will also provide your body with 23 micrograms of vitamin K, which is needed for proper blood clotting and bone formation.

Tasty Tips If you don’t like the seedy texture of dried figs, try fresh ones. Or, purée them, then use the purée as a sweetener or fat substitute in recipes. You can make fig purée by combining 8 ounces of dried figs with 1⁄4 to 1⁄3 cup of water in a blender.


2. Chives

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons, chopped

Seen as a garnish, chives tend to be overlooked. But, these small, mild-tasting green onions are a source of folate (the synthetic form is folic acid), iron, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, calcium and magnesium. Folic acid may be the most important nutrient of the first trimester. Without it, your baby has an increased risk for structural defects that could be fatal. There are 6.4 micrograms of folate per 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives.

For proper iron absorption, your body needs vitamin C. Chives give you both—about 3.5 milligrams of vitamin C and 0.1 milligrams of iron per 2 tablespoons. Plus, your sprinkle of chives has about 12 milligrams of magnesium; this mineral can help alleviate constipation, a common symptom during pregnancy. In fact, magnesium is involved in more than 300 cellular reactions, making it very important to your health and your growing baby’s.

Tasty Tips Chives are easy to find at your local market, and they’re also easy to grow at home. Sprinkle some on your salad or soup. Or go with the all-time favorite use and sprinkle them on your baked potato. More great ways to eat them: Mix chopped chives into softened cream cheese before you spread it on a bagel, cracker, tortilla chip or slice of bread. Stir them into dips or add them to hummus.


3. Pinto Beans

Serving Size: ½ cup, dried

Pinto beans are one of the healthiest foods on Earth. There is 1 milligram of copper (about 100 percent of your recommended daily amount), 5 milligrams of iron (about 19 percent of your RDA) and more than 400 milligrams of phosphorus (that’s more than half of your daily needs) in 1∕2 cup. Copper aids in forming red blood cells; iron is important for making hemoglobin, the substance in your red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to your baby; and, phosphorus works with calcium to ensure that your baby’s bones and teeth are growing properly.

Pinto beans are also packed with fiber; one serving contains 15 grams. (As a pregnant woman, you need about 28 grams of fiber each day.) One of the best strategies for helping to avoid the nausea and vomiting commonly experienced during the first trimester is to keep your belly feeling satisfied and full. Foods with a high fiber content can be an ally in your battle against morning sickness.

Tasty Tips The healthiest (and the cheapest) way to eat beans is to buy dried beans and soak them overnight first. If you are using canned pinto beans, be sure to rinse them well first to remove the extra sodium. For bean dip, cream a can of pintos in your blender or food processor. (Use a little veggie broth if you need to add liquid.) Then, pour the beans into a microwave-safe container and heat them.


4. Leeks

Serving Size: 1 cup, raw

Leeks are the vegetable equivalent of a super multivitamin-mineral tablet. They are a nondairy source of calcium (55 milligrams per cup), which is essential for the development of your baby’s bones. Plus, calcium may help combat some common symptoms of pregnancy, including irritability, insomnia and back and leg pains. One serving of leeks also contains close to 60 micrograms of folate as well as 0.2 milligrams of vitamin B6 (about 10 percent of your RDA), which is necessary for your body to metabolize energy from the carbohydrates, fats and proteins in your diet. There’s also evidence that vitamin B6 can help alleviate morning sickness.

There’s more: In one serving of leeks, there are 40 micrograms of vitamin K, 2 micrograms of iron and 0.4 micrograms of manganese. Vitamin K is needed for proper blood-clot formation and healthy bone growth; and manganese helps support normal skeletal development in the baby.

Tasty Tips Leeks have a very mild, sweet flavor, making them especially appealing when you’re suffering from morning sickness. If your stomach’s sensitive but you can’t face plain broth, try adding sliced leeks and shiitake mushrooms with minced fresh ginger. To prepare leeks, cut off the fibrous green tops and the base, then slice the stem in half. Rinse thoroughly to remove any hidden grit, and cut into small pieces.


5. Artichokes

Serving Size: 1 medium artichoke

Feeling sluggish? Reach for an artichoke. This vegetable is a great nonmeat source of iron, which is an energizing nutrient. A medium boiled artichoke has about 1 milligram of iron (about 12 percent of your recommended daily intake). There’s another energizing nutrient in artichokes: folate. (A medium-size artichoke has 100 micrograms.) Besides helping to prevent birth defects, folate helps your body metabolize proteins, the building blocks for the hormones and enzymes that help your body keep going.

During your pregnancy, you may suffer from constipation, which can be alleviated with some extra fiber in your diet. Artichokes are wonderful sources of fiber, with 10 grams each. And they’re often recommended to soothe indigestion, another common pregnancy complaint.

Tasty Tips For a truly decadent delight, dip steamed artichoke leaves in melted organic butter mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice. If you use oil-based jarred artichokes, enjoy them in a salad and use the oil as part of the dressing. Canned artichokes are almost always packed in water, but have a lot of added sodium; rinse them before eating.


6. Pumpkin Seeds

Serving Size: ½ cup

Part of the healing that occurs on a regular basis in your body during pregnancy is the repair of muscles. As your uterus grows, your back, abdominal and hip muscles are required to stretch in new ways. With sufficient protein in your diet, these muscles will be better armed to keep up with their new tasks. Adding pumpkin seeds to your diet will help boost your intake of protein; there are 5 grams of protein per serving. These tasty seeds also contains sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and many other minerals involved in muscle health and hydration. One of the most important minerals required for healing is zinc—1 cup of pumpkin seeds provides close to half of your daily needs.

One serving of pumpkin seeds contains more than 25 percent of your recommended daily intake of magnesium, which helps speed your ability to use carbohydrates, fats and proteins as sources of energy. Pumpkin seeds are also a vegetarian source of iron, with about 2 milligrams per cup.

Tasty Tips Research has shown that roasted seeds have far more protein, minerals and fiber than raw ones. You can buy pumpkin seeds raw and roast them at home: Melt organic butter or heat macadamia nut oil or olive oil and toss in the pumpkin seeds to coat. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Season with turmeric, garlic or cayenne pepper. Roast at 300° F until crisp.


7. Tahini

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons

A paste made from sesame seeds, tahini contains all of sesame’s nutrients, including healthy oils called omega-6 fatty acids. A few tablespoons of tahini contain more than 6 grams of the fats, which are required for proper cell integrity and healthy nervous and immune system function.

Proper development of your milk glands, placenta and uterus is also dependent on having sufficient levels of healthy fats in your body. Tahini is also a good source of thiamin, phosphorus, copper and manganese, all key to your baby’s healthy development.

Tasty Tips Tahini is great on crackers, in hummus and other dips, or as an ingredient in salad dressing. It’s easy to make your own hummus: Drain a can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) and cream them in a blender or food processor (add a little vegetable stock if they’re too dry). Add tahini, garlic, lime juice and cracked black pepper, to taste. The texture will get thicker and the flavors will blend better if you let the hummus chill in the fridge for an hour or more before eating.


8. Basil

Serving Size: 10 tablespoons fresh basil (whole leaves)

Basil is a pregnancy superfood. This fresh herb is a good source of protein, vitamin E, riboflavin, and niacin; plus, it’s a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese.

Basil is also packed with iron, vital for keeping your energy levels up; calcium, essential for strong bones and teeth; and folate, vital for many processes, including fetal cell growth and division. (One serving of basil has 20 micrograms of this B vitamin.) Whenever possible, choose fresh basil, because it contains more of these nutrients than dried basil.

Tasty Tips Enjoy the fresh, spicy leaves in a caprese salad. It’s super-easy to put together: Line your salad plate with buttery lettuce leaves (like Boston or Bibb lettuce). Then create a circle of alternating half-slices of tomato, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves, fanning them on top of each other. Drizzle olive oil (and balsamic vinegar if you like) over the salad and add a sprinkling of salt—you need that iodine.


9. Herring

Serving Size: 1 fillet (5 ounces)

Herring contains 2 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per 3 1∕2-ounce serving, giving it one of the highest concentrations of fish oil of any seafood. Plus, as a small, cold-water fish with low levels of such contaminants as mercury, it’s a no-brainer choice for pregnant women.

A high dietary intake (more than 2 grams a day) of DHA during pregnancy has been found to support brain development in the womb. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women with higher blood levels of fish oil had babies with better sleep patterns in the first 48 hours following delivery compared with women with lower levels.

Experts have hypothesized that an infant’s sleep reflects the maturity of his nervous system, so adding fish into your diet can help your baby’s brain mature and help you get much-needed sleep after labor.

Tasty Tips If you’ve ever tasted herring, it’s probably been pickled, the most popular way to eat it, or doused in cream. But you can also find fresh herring at your local fish store. The bones are soft and easy to remove. Fresh herring is great grilled or baked with acidic flavors like white wine and lemon.


10. Molasses

Serving Size: 1 tablespoon

Sweet, sticky and packed with sugar, molasses is not the type of food you want to start spooning onto every dish. But molasses has a few hidden nutritional gems, including magnesium, manganese (1 tablespoon has 15 percent of your daily needs) and vitamin B6.


Manganese is an essential mineral that plays a role in normal bone development, and that’s important for your growing baby. Vitamin B6 plays a role in your sodium-phosphorus balance, which determines how much water you have in your body. And potassium is another mineral involved in water retention. Getting enough vitamin B6 and potassium may help shrink your swollen feet and ankles. Molasses has about 290 milligrams (8 percent of your daily needs) of potassium and 0.1 milligrams (7 percent of your RDA) of vitamin B6 per tablespoon.

Tasty Tips Blackstrap molasses is the healthiest choice. If possible, look for organic, unsulphured blackstrap molasses, which contains fewer contaminants. Try it as a sweetener in your oatmeal, smoothies or yogurt, and in breads and other baked goods or in ginger tea. Or, it makes a yummy barbecue sauce for pork or chicken.

the shadow of High Hopes

My hope in this blog is to share my story with others who might be searching for answers like I was when I experienced the loss of our first baby at 7 weeks.


I finally put all my thoughts and feelings into words. I never thought I would be able to. It took me nearly a year to finally accept what we went through and to realize that God has a plan for us all.


It was a regular Tuesday morning in the summery month of August last year, (August 23, 2011), as I make my way to my cubicle to begin the work day. Nothing different, nothing out of the norm. Lunch hour approaches and I call my sister so we can meet up for a bite to eat. I meet her in the restroom of our company building. I'm describing to her these weird pulses I was feeling on the tip of my abdomen. I figured it was the beginning of my cycle. I have always been irregular and therefore 2 weeks early or 2 weeks late was no surprise to me. So I go on and use the restroom and sigh!! I ask my sister to please get me a tampon because I "knew" it was TOM knocking. She rushes off and gets me a tampon only for me to tell her to keep it. It was not TOM!! Just some spotting that was also very normal for me throughout all 30/31 days of the month!


As we both make our way to the lunch room, my sister is on the phone with her best friend. She is describing to her my "pulses" and her response was "Oh that is probably implantation cramps". My sister begins to laugh and says "It can't be, because she is spotting so she is probably just getting her period." Her friend responds, with a smirk "You mean implantation bleeding?" At this point I wanted to rush home and take a home pregnancy test (hpt). I have been wanting and desiring to have a child since I can remember!! But I also did not want to get my hopes up. Besides, we had been "preventing" it. Or so we thought!


I get home that night and ask that my husband go buy an hpt. You know how you are supposed to take them in the am? Well I was desperate and took it around 8pm that night. And guess what?! A BIG FAT POSITIVE!! I was in denial and took another one! Yup, another BFP! The lines were a bit confusing so I still was not 100% convinced.


I went to work the next day and the rest of the week as if nothing. The weekend approaches and on August 26, 2011 a Friday night I take another hpt. You guessed it, another BFP. My husband and I decided to wait until the next morning (Saturday, August 27, 2011) to go and buy an hpt for dummies. You know, the one that reads "pregnant" or "not pregnant". I had had enough with guessing the lines. That Saturday morning I tested again and it read "PREGNANT" so we decided to accept it and finally believe it. We told my parents, siblings and his parents and siblings. The rest of that Saturday started to become the best day of my life. We called up every immediate family member to share the news! Everyone was ecstatic and us, well we were living the dream!


We go on the weekend happier than ever and feeling so blessed. We began to share the great news with our closest friends. My diet was put on hold and my work out too. I started prenatal vitamins and watching what I was eating to ensure that the baby would benefit from all the fruits and veggies I would consume. So quickly the weekend went by and we prepare to start another work week.


Monday morning I decide to tell my supervisor and boss so they are well aware of the doctor appointments I will be scheduling. My first one was for that Friday, September 2, 2011 for an ultra sound and blood test to make sure everything was on the right track. My mom, mother-in-law and husband joined me at the appointment. As the tech begins to perform the ultra sound we notice we cannot see anything. I begin to freak out, but he calms be down. He starts to explain that since it was still so early in the pregnancy I would not be able to see anything. They draw blood and now the waiting begins. I get a call from my husband the next morning congratulating me as the doctor confirmed with him that we are in deed expecting our first miracle. I was ecstatic as if it was the first time finding out of my pregnancy. The doctor confirms I am 5 weeks pregnant.


A week later, on Friday, September 9, 2011, I was experiencing some cramps and heavy bleeding so my husband rushed me to the ER. They hook me up and all I can see and hear are nurses in and out of the room poking me as if I was a doll. The nurse performed a PAP test and stated that my cervix was closed and in the right position. That everything seemed to be normal and that the heavy bleeding could be from it being my first pregnancy. As we are getting ready to leave the ER the nurse on call confirms that my hcg levels are rising and we were able to see the yolk sac and embryo on the ultra sound monitor. Both my husband and I smiled and I the feeling of relief shortly took over my body. The doctor prescribed 3 days of bed rest; however, I decided at this point to take the rest of the week off of work. The weekend went by and I was resting, legs up, making sure to eat and hydrate every hour. I had a restful weekend.


That Monday morning, September 12, 2011, as I wake up all I can remember is that the pain on my abdomen got so overpowering that all I can scream was "I want to die." My husband tried to calm me down but it was not use. My parents rushed to the house to see if they can help out. I was vomiting and cramping. I, myself, looked like a fetus in the womb from the posture I could not move from. My husband carried me to the car and we rushed again to the ER. This whole time all I can ask myself was "How can the doctors state that everything is ok?" I have never been pregnant but I know that the cramps I was feeling and the bleeding that was occurring was not one of a "normal" pregnancy. This has now become from being the best time of my life to the worst day of my life.


We arrived at the ER and again the poking commences. Ultra sound shows nothing and my hcg levels have dropped dramatically. I was then experiencing a miscarriage. My heart felt so empty and my emotions were all over the place. To have gone from seeing a pea to emptiness in just one week is indescribable. My feelings cannot be put into words. My husband, mom and I drive back home and I just lay myself to sleep for the rest of the week.


There was nothing I wanted to do, nothing I wanted to eat and nothing I wanted to say as it had been the most draining experience of my life. I never spoke of it nor did I explain it so detailed up until now that I know God put me on this earth for a purpose and I know that there are no obstacles that he puts me through that he knows I cannot handle. This experience made me that much stronger and it made my relationship with my husband much stronger as well. And not to mention my relationship with God was a clearer one. My faith grew stronger and my love for my unborn miracle will forever hold a place in my heart.


I will never be able to put into words what I felt and the pain I felt. No one will ever know exactly how I felt. I truly believe that God gives women the blessing to have a child yet to not remember the pain of child birth is so that we may again bring another miracle to this world.


From that experience forward everything I read about was on pregnancy. Everything I saw was on child birth. And every woman I ran into was an expectant mother. I felt horrible and I kept wanting to blame myself for it all. The prayers of being blessed with a child came to a stop. The talks I would have with my family on conceiving a child stalled. To me I was dead inside and the thought of ever going through what I had just gone through again was unbearable. But the questions never stopped; "When are you guys trying again?" "How much longer are you going to wait?" "Don't wait too long, you're not getting much younger?" "When are you going to make your parents grandparents again?" "Stop being selfish and conceive already." Some people just didn't understand and didn't get it. What we went through did not just go away over night or after a full night's rest. What we went through will forever be in my mind and in my heart.


I contemplated going to a psychologist many, many times. I believed I needed someone to talk to; to help me with my emotional drain and the emptiness that those short 7 weeks had built up to. My family was definitely a strong support system, but I felt I needed professional help. The constant anger I carried inside towards others expecting babies or that constant battle I had with myself was overpowering and I could only imagine it getting worse. My husband then asked that we start going to church and start praying, as it had been a while since we had. It is then that I realized that I am truly blessed and that God was always with me. He blessed me with the amazing family I have who held my hand throughout it all and with the amazing husband a woman could ever ask for. I would not have been able to get through it all without them by my side. My faith grew stronger and not even professional help can give me the fulfillment in my heart and soul that mass did every week.


For all of you ladies out there who have experienced a miscarriage I will share these words of advice: God puts us through challenges in life. God allows everything to happen for a reason. Circumstance will either direct you, correct you or perfect you. And one phrase I learned to truly believe, not to just read it and make myself think I believe it, but for my heart to truly believe the meaning of it is:


"God has perfect timing; never early, never late. It takes a little patience and faith, but it's worth the wait."

I may still have unanswered questions but I know that when I put my faith in God everything just falls right into place. It may sound a bit odd, but I am thankful God chose me to go through what I went through as it taught me to appreciate more, love more and to have faith. Something I seemed to have lost along the way.


My unborn miracle now watches over my husband and I. That little bean is now our little angel.