Pregnant and Sick tips with a little Throwback Thursday

I picked this shot of Mom, Dad and me to share because this is sort of how I felt all week long with my cold; but I'm happy to report that it has definitely subsided.  I'm feeling way better!  

Here's what I did!

But first, let me say that I had 5 weeks of code red, full blown, bust a move in your nose and throat cold during my pregnancy with Scarlet right at the end of the third trimester.  FIVE.  WHOLE.  WEEKS of it.  Now with 8 weeks left to go, I had a bit of a breakdown this past week.  I just couldn't handle the thought of going through the same thing again.  Preggo + Cold = Crazy Kate.  It's just the pits.  Not to mention, if I heard my doctor say 'salt-water gargle' one more time, I was going to jump right out of that reclining checkup bed and shout in her face:

'Really?!  That does JACK lady!  Come up with something else... you are a DOCTOR!  AND BY THE WAY, EVERY SINGLE INTERNET SITE SAYS THE EXACT SAME THING!  TIME FOR SOME NEW MATERIAL!!!'. 

So, I was determined to do whatever humanly possible no matter how weird or wild it was to kick the stupid cold's ass asap - even if I had to make some stuff up.

Here's what has helped.  It's probably all mental, but hey, whatever.  FYI - I'm not a doctor, I'm not a nurse, nor have any of the following ideas had any research (that I know about) done to prove them right or wrong.  Here you have it...

10) Cut all your finger nails off asap.  

Yup - it sucks but just do it.  Why?  Cause gross sicky germs get and stay under them even when you wash your hands so if they have nowhere to hide, they'll die.  

9) Since you can't suck on a lozenge, suck on a Vit C tablet

Let's face it, the medicine in the lozenge probably isn't that bad but we don't want to take any chances.  So, to ease your sandpaper throat, suck on a Vit C tablet and you'll be killing two birds.  You can do this twice a day!

8) Change or wash your pillow case daily. 

I know, MORE LAUNDRY?  But if you think about it, all the mucus and sneezing and boogers that without a doubt end up on there throughout the 5-8 hours of sleep that you're getting, it's no wonder your body is having a harder time fighting off the cold.  Kill those bugs!

7) Get your partner to clean all the doorknobs with a Lysol wipe and then get them to do the remote controls for the t.v. 

It will take 5 minutes.  

6) Switch out your toothbrush head as soon as you start feeling better.

Definitely don't want to be fighting germs two, three or four times.

5) Drink tea and slurp soup like you've been in a desert for a week wearing an Alexander McQueen fur coat - which would be horrible and inhumane, but you get it...

Even if you hate tea like me.  Find one that's OK and just chug.  

4) Don't go out too much, just shop online.
I had to postpone a date with a girlfriend (and I hate doing this), but it's for your own good.  You'll feel better anyway when you can actually taste the food and not coughing up a lung every two seconds.  Also, some retail shops online (ZARA just to mention one) will ship for free if you spend $50 or more.  Worth it!

3) Don't sniff it up, BLOW IT OUT!

I noticed I was making this mistake just yesterday.  By habit, I just sniff when my nose is runny.  It's not even something I think about, but when I did think about it, I realized that's nasty!  We want that gross stuff out!  So carry around a kleenex box if you need to and just get it gone!

2) PVR it.

As in, watch your favourite late night stuff earlier the next day and go to bed at 9.  Extra bonus?  You can skip all the annoying phone sex commercials that come on after ten.  Nope, thanks but nope. 

1) If you need to, milk it...

I know.  There are only a few times in a woman's life when she can and/or should 'milk' a situation to her advantage - when she's sick and pregnant and when she's planning her wedding.  Luckily, I don't have to milk it too much with Nate, but that extra hour that I don't have to cook or clean or run after my toddler is like a $1,000 dollar Nordstrom gift card on a popsicle stick.  Remind whoever it is that you're too weak, too dizzy, too drained (which is all the truth) to do that task right at the minute and you'll really try to when you can get out of bed.  Most of the time, they'll get it and will just do it themselves.  

So there it is - top ten tips from Moi that you probably won't find anywhere else online but will hopefully help.  Also, always remember, we're women, we convert food into adorable babies.  A nasty cold isn't going to break us.  Mind over Matter Mommas!  That's what I'm going with today anyway ;)

Kate 

XOXO

I have to, I just HAVE to!

Ok this is making me a little nuts.  I'm not claiming I'm perfect or even amazing at grammar myself (there are many mistakes throughout the blog), but I'm seeing individuals who are 20yrs plus on Facebook, Instagram and texts making this really cringe worthy error.

A really easy way to remember to and too (I made this up for my students) and you don't have to remember versatile prepositions or adverb meanings.  Just this:

It's to if you can say 'ta'.  It's too if you can't.

I'm going to the store.  ALSO WORKS: I'm going 'ta' the store.

It's too cold in here.  DOESN'T WORK: It's 'ta' cold in here.  

Haha!  See it works!  However, you reading this right now already knew this didn't you? ;)  

Luvs

Kate xoxo

Plane tips for Moms with infants

What could possibly be more terrifying than childbirth?  I'll tell you.  Bringing that same child onto a plane for the first time.  Here are a few tips to help you on that dreaded flight.

I feel that since Scarlet has now been on six plane rides I can speak about some of the challenges that parents face on a plane.

The first is: other passengers.  You are now known as 'That-Person-that-brings-a-baby-on-an-airplane'.  Yes, the woman may smile at you while you walk down that skinny ass aisle but inside they're saying "Really? I can't have just one flight without an infant screaming?  This is supposed to be my vacation!"  And the men - they don't even smile because they're too busy chanting "Not beside me, please God not beside me, not beside me, not beside me. Go to the back, go to the back, go to the back".  But irritable people is something that you have to just accept and let go of.  If you think about it, we were all babies once, and we all screamed our heads off either on or off of an airplane, so those people can just deal with it.  If they have had kids, they know and they can shrug it off.

Challenge two: babies, like adults, get bored on airplanes really quickly.  Think about it - you're staring at the back of a chair for five hours and unless you have a movie playing in front of you, a magazine, a book, a sudoku, you're going to get antsy fast.  So is a baby.  Bring toys.  Lot's and lot's of new shiny toys.  Not in the budget?  Hide certain toys four weeks prior to going on your trip and bring them out on the plane.  

Challenge number three: ear canals.  The first flight Scarlet was on was slightly mysterious in a good way.  She didn't cry at any point.  Not during take off, not during flight time and not during the landing.  I was actually slightly concerned that she may have an issue with her hearing because I was told so often that the pressure hurts the baby's ears so I just prepared for tears during all of these times.  What I realized was in her fourth or fifth flight (where I was told that I had to hold her in a burping position) was that she wasn't nursing and hence more suseptable to popping ears.  I guess WestJet is more laid back concerning whether baby is held or not during these times which I absolutely did until I was told NOT to by Air Canada.  Providing your baby with something that she can suck on or drink is crucial.  Holding her in your arms in the burping position without anything in her mouth is bad news bears.

Challenge four: sleeping.  If you have a red eye, your baby will hopefully sleep, that is if other passengers and/or the airline are willing to shift, move, provide you with an extra seat.  As some of you know, babies under one are free, but they don't get a seat of their own.  You are left holding her, which isn't so bad if you have your partner/husband with you.  I did two flights just holding Scarlet on my own without an extra seat.  Hard.  Very hard.  She didn't sleep in my arms after around six months unless she was uber tired so forget any sleep on that plane.  If you have a red-eye flight, and an extra seat it can be wonderful.  Our last flight from Kauai worked well because she drifted off in my arms and then I was able to put her down.  We were forced to hold her during turbulence which woke her up, but eventually we were able to get her back down when the seat-belt sign went off.




Challenge five: eating and drinking.  Those little squeeze packets and small puff bites are allowed.  So is 100 ml of water is allowed.  Everything else is not.  Found this out the hard way.




I found that I got excited when I saw other parents with children.  I was on a flight where we were literally the only family with a child, so I knew I couldn't hope to blame anyone else when Scarlet let out her wails - and listen up - at some point your child will wail.  Get ready for the glares.  But honestly, it isn't that bad.  The positives are that the noise of the plane can put them right out, or the stewardess may have a new treat or game for your little one.  The first flight might be your most intimidating, but after that it will feel like a breeze.  Hope this helps some of the new mommies out there.

#Planetipsformoms

Coke nail

To all the new Moms out there, here is something that I wish someone had told me about a few months back.  Immediately go and find your best nail file, sit down for a solid five minutes and sand yourself a genuine pointy coke nail on your dominant hand.  Trust me.  You will find a ton of uses for the 'CN'.  I myself use it to grab boogies out of Scarlet's nose, (didn't have to buy one of those ridiculous nasal suction things where the parents literally suck the boogers out), I also use it to clear her ear wax out of all the nooks and crannies and I even use it to pick off her cradle crap on her head.  Yes, this nail has been everywhere and the best part is I don't have to search the entire house for it - it's right there all the time.

April 24th

Nobody really mentioned this part

I'm a junkie.

Even though I had a drug-free labour, I'm now on about a million different drugs, pills, creams, balms that I either swallow, apply, rub on or insert on a daily, make that hourly basis.  If you look closely, there's an orange bottle behind the iron pill box that I had to take 4 of daily without any other pill.  That was hard. Yah - nobody really mentioned this part.

ALSO - while I'm venting a little here...

Stuff that DIDN'T happen to me during my pregnancy that many said would:

1. OK, my hair didn't grow ridiculous lengths or get incredibly thick. It stayed exactly the same.  Boo.

2. I didn't ever have strangers smiling and touching my belly, in fact most people looked the other way or ignored me when they saw me walking towards them.  "Hi - I'm 9 months pregnant, could I trouble you to hold the door open while I take my groceries outside?  Thanks".

3.  I didn't ever have Braxton Kicks.  Yay.

4.  My belly button never popped out.  Boo.

5. I didn't get any stretch marks, but I got really itchy red bumps that came for a week and left for a week and then would come back and leave again.  All in the exact same spot.  

6.  I only started to crave alcoholic bevies during Christmas when everyone around me obviously enjoyed cocktails, egg nog and various blends of wine.  That sucked.

Stuff that DID happen to me during the pregnancy that nobody really mentioned

1.  I got offered Perrier more times than I can ever count.  I now hate Perrier.  Bubbly water?  Really?  sigh.  BUT, because of this, I will always and forever offer special non-alcoholic beverages to my pregnant girlfriends.  Garnish included.  GARNISH INCLUDED PEOPLE!

2. I had wicked, wicked, EVIL adrenaline shakes throughout my entire labour - all up in my legs.  Totally uncontrollable and worrisome for me.  It was like my legs were having seizures in between contractions and the nurses said; "Yup - totally normal and common".  Hmmm - nobody mentioned that.

3.  I craved orange juice, spicy anything and chocolate like a mother fu*#er. 

4. Sleep was non-existent in the third trimester.  Wide eyed, uncomfortable, anxious - yay, no fun.  Btw, doesn't help when people say "Get your sleep now before the baby comes cause you won't be getting any then"  BTW, I'm getting more sleep now than I was in the last trimester.  

5. I ate a lot of tuna and turkey deli meat and my baby is perfect.  

6. I secretly hated it when people said things like; "LOOK AT YOU!" and "You look like you've expanded", "You're glowing!"  All you ever need to say to a pregnant woman is: "You look amazing".  Period.

This is just the start - I'll be adding more as I think of them.