Healthy food and drink abc

Almonds – contains antioxidant, vitamin E, folic acid, do I need to say more?
Banana’s – one of the greatest fruit to give when someone has loose stools.
Chamomile tea – always found in our house, its anti-inflammatory and helps loads to ease teething or lower temperature
Dark chocolate – helps lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, control blood sugar, contains antioxidants, iron, copper, magnesium, potassium.
Elderberry – boosts your immune system greatly, though easier found in stores as juice. My neighbours used to grow a great bush.
Fennel tea – helps settle stomach/indigestion cramps
Garlic – nature’s antibiotic
Haricot bean – you know, baked beans in tomato sauce? Great source of energy and yummy on toast!
I – clueless about this one, please fill me in? For now I will stick with I, listen to yourself and what your body needs
Jelly – yes it contains sugar and isn’t too healthy though another great sneaky way of boosting fluids on hot days.
Kale – one of my favourite vegetables for being high in fibre, vitamin A, C, K, iron and calcium
Lentils – low in calories yet high in nutrition, easy to put a handful in your salad
Mushrooms – funny enough these little guys are great for your bladder and contain vitamin D
Nutmeg – love sprinkling this over green beans, helps indigestion, helps relax so great in hot milk and against anxiety.
Orange – vitamin C, ever so important in your daily diet and help your immune system
Pine nuts – often overlooked as they’re pricey but rich in vitamin A, C, D, protein, magnesium, my ultimate energy boost during pregnancy.
Q – another clueless one for me, sorry.
Raspberry (leaf tea) – antioxidant, vitamin and mineral full, ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) helps prepare body for labour
Sweet potato (yam) – Great great weaning food contains fiber, fills you up longer, helps blood sugar levels
Tomatoes – fat-free, vitamin C and prepares your skin for the sun
U – ??
Vanilla bean – how I love you, contains little bits of B complex groups, potassium which helps cell and body fluids.
Walnuts – full of omega 3, helps lower the bad form of cholesterol
X – ??
Yogurt – My every day food, obviously contains calcium, fights inner infections also may help children with intestinal absorption problems grow.
Zucchini – Antioxidant, helps digestion and aids constipation and an anti inflammatory

If found, please return..

What was I writing about again?
Oh yes, my short-term memory.. It’s gone!

I’ve been reading up about this, mainly to make sure I haven’t lost the plot, but it seems like a very common pregnancy symptom and there is no agreed stage as to when it occurs more or less.
Some say it’s the iron deficiency others say its the oxytocin, which is known to have an amnesic effect.
Though there has been one study that has shown that a woman’s brain actually shrinks in the third trimester, it shrinks! It should be going back to normal after delivering your baby and probably once finished breast-feeding.
A friend of mine who recently had her 5th child says it got worse and worse in each following pregnancy.

Researchers answers to this problem? Sleep more.. Right, that’s no hope for us who already have a toddler to take care off.
Eat spinach, remain calm (if I forget something I don’t go running around in panic thankfully) and monitor your brain shrinkage according to one website. Uhm I’m not sure how to do that bit..?
However  Australian researchers say this is all false, pregnancy brain does not exist, we do not forget or well the 1241 women they have tested (only half who became pregnant, I’m not sure why they still say 1241 as the other half, no offence, but they didn’t count) have had the same test outcomes as before they fell pregnant in a 4 year period.
Now what I also wonder is if they got to sit down and do the same test before and after falling pregnant?
How does this effect short-term memory? Have they been asked how their every day life has been affected, it’s not mentioned.
They claim that its purely being tired make you forget the occasional thing and stop blaming forgetting those things on so-called ‘pregnancy brain’

Here is my small list of the past couple of weeks;
I have forgotten to do half of my weekly shopping, no biggie that one, except that I did have to return to a store to get tea.
Once I got in the store with my toddler I forgot what I needed, I have walked every aisle besides the sweet aisle and in the end I got a loaf of bread. Coming home I still didn’t remember until I tried to make tea, the same cuppa where I forgot to put a cup under my kettle and tried to make without a teabag?!!
The next day we returned to the store needing to get tea and (I’m actually trying to think what the other thing was for the last 10 minutes) I give up, it was something small. Anyway I got back with bread and an apple to keep little one happy.
I now have three loaves of bread that I did not need.

The next is just plain stupid to me, I had to make dinner for Alex and I peeled the carrots, had my pan of water on the fire and I put the fish fingers in the pan and the carrots in the oven.

I keep making double appointments even if I made the first an hour or so before I made other.

I forget where I was talking about mid sentence

That is it, it’s not much but let’s not forget I only found out I’m pregnant since Tuesday..
I had this ‘lack of short-term memory brain’ really bad in my third trimester with Alex, I do wonder now if my house will still be here in 9 months time, will it be covered in post its? We shall see.

I really really am..

I am still flabbergasted over this..

I am really pregnant, that little ball I felt really was the start!

Oh my god!

I am scared and stupidly grinning the entire day.
Yesterday I tested quite faint and as it was a test I never used or heard off I didn’t want to get my hopes up like I had the last month. Off to the shop we went, I got a double cheap own brand and a digital one.
Yes I am a bit test crazy!
I waited for another couple of hours once we got back home and tried to keep distracted by doing some colouring with Alex.
He absolutely dislikes it when I draw his head round, no idea why haha.
Distraction didn’t really work so I decided to use one of the cheap home brand ones and o my, it was another faint!
This is where I slightly started to believe it but I decided not to tell my partner yet, I needed more..

In the morning I caught my wee in a plastic cup and dipped both the home brand and the digital in.
I thought I might aswell go all in or I will use the left over test on my next wee anyway.
I walked away to make my morning cuppa and came back 4 minutes later, YES! I thicker line on the home brand!
I turned the digital and it was still blinking.. Hurry up!!
It felt like forever but in probably less than 30 seconds it surely did bleep with big capital letters; PREGNANT

Wow, I am pregnant..

To all whom read, you know before my partner as he had important meeting and I couldn’t do this over the phone.
So I got him a card that was in the shape of a ticket saying; you have front row seats for the best show this year!
Inside there is a cut out double line, a big congratulations in the middle, followed by ‘you really do have super sperm’
It’s a little joke and hopefully break the ice of his own ‘oh my’ moment.

I am excited, I am scared, I wish I could have my scan soon to make sure all is fine.

For now I think I’ll just come to terms that I really really am pregnant.. wow..

Today was the day

That Alex woke me up at 5.11am and kindly asked me to ‘get up now please’
I snuggled him into my bed though and had some lovely cuddles for 10 minutes followed by a kick in the bladder and really having the need to get up!
As I promised my old ttc buddy of last year I would live stream with her via skype I had to save my morning wee in a cup, lovely..
I am still half sleep drunk and well this was the result of my test;

super super faint, do I trust it? Not really..
Its one day before my period should come so today I will pick up some digital ones, so I can either read; ‘pregnant’ or ‘not pregnant’
It’s funny as I was convinced for the last couple of days that I would get a clear negative test, why can’t something like this be clear?! Aaaargh..
Frustration until the morning, that is for sure! Dammit why did I cancel my pregnancy test with my online shopping for today?! So freaking typical, right when you need more, and breath..

Ps I really need to re-do that window sealing stuff.. Its got tons of little cracks in it!

*retested again this afternoon (damn you impatience!) and got another faint line, starting to get a bit excited now 🙂

Toddlerhood

My day today began with Alex proudly walking into our bedroom.
We took the sides of his cot off last week and now when he’s up he calls me to let me know he is awake and then asks if he can get up. It is sooooo cute, completely makes me melt!
10 minutes later he had his first tantrum.. Oh the joys of toddlerhood!
His tantrum was about me asking him if he would like (chamomile) tea or warm milk.. It lasted over 20 minutes!
Only for him to walk in the kitchen, like nothing happened and asked for tea.

As he was having ‘one of them days’ I thought its best to keep him busy to prevent more major mood swings.
So we went for a good walk, watching birds, stamping in the mud, picking up sticks and stones and just breath.
It did us both good but unfortunately we had to cut it a bit short as its freezing cold here for April!

Walking home, all went well, arriving in the flat, not so..
All the sudden he realised we would have to go inside and he decided to disagree and wanting to camp out on the hallway, screaming his head off. Lovely.
I picked him up, he went all floppy trying his best to get back down, I put him on time out, he screamed louder, I ignored him, he gave up. Serious mummy v toddler battles! But mummy has won again, phew..

For the afternoon I planned on baking some orange chocolate cupcakes together as he usually loves to help me in the kitchen preparing food or baking and making everything messy. Not today, you can probably guess where that lead to.
He ran off in tears and plonked himself down on the bed crying on his pillow, quite the drama queen today.
It gave me some time to do my housework and I decided to put him in the bath before dinner to try to snap him out of his mood and thankfully it helped.

The awesome notes on Alex, he is turning more and more into his own little person with this great affection towards all animals!
He is finding his independence and loves to take a break of mummy and playing on his own, making different voices for each character he plays with.
He tells me what he has seen on tv or outside, making these big gestures with his arms and stamping his feet trying to explain best he can.
He is asking when we are getting a baby Connor (his latest cousin) which triples my broodyness each time.
The list can go on and on but I wont bore you all with that 😉

He’s in bed now and to be honest I am quite happy to catch my breath and prepare for tomorrows busy day 🙂
So that was my day outside ttc, as difficult as it gets something, the good so much outweighs the bad!

Little ball of…..

I have this feeling down there.
It feels like there is a small ball stuck midway my uterus.
This little ball could potentially be a new pregnancy, this little feeling could also be ovulation as there are another 11 days left prior period day.
This is where that little ball forms into a massive bubble that tries to absorb every single sympton that could relate to pregnancy.

11 days of waiting, hoping, fighting the urge to test.
It will make me feel nervous up to the point where I will toss and turn at night thinking two more symptons have emerged called; nausea and tiredness.

After our previous loss it scares me.. I can no longer say ‘what will be will be’ as I want it to be something that is, not something that may, which leads me to over emotional, the third sympton.

I know the cramping will stay because of the tension that will build the closer I get to time, #4.

Knowing tingly nipples are another amongst early symptons all the sudden I will feel every tiny little bit that would normally go by unnoticed #5

This feeling of a little ball being stuck inside me might be the best thing ever or perhaps yet another wanted to see sign of potential sympton #6..

The evils of blue dye pregnancy tests

How I hate them..
I know hate is a very strong word but getting your hopes crashed in, I do believe hate is the right word for these tests.

Last month I was a week late, I tested with 4 pink dye tests and 2 blue dye.
The four pink dyes were all from different brands, 2 of the higher brand and 2 of the lower brand and I kept getting negatives.
My period still wasnt there, I mean something is up? I felt sick, my taste was off (which btw turned out to be a faulty instant chocolate milk! Just my luck) I had heartburn, cramping but no period? No period could still mean I was despite the negative tests!

So off I went, and I have been warned about these little blue devils by a friend, but who knows, maybe pink just wasnt my color?
I got a double pack of +- clear blue, once I got home they just stared at me. ‘Open me, open me, pee on me’
This is where I get into a discussion with myself; ‘No, I shouldnt, I really should wait for 6 hours between peeing and drink as little as possible, we need them hgc levels to show! and on the other side ‘This is why you bought a double pack! pee on the stick, you know you have to pee, you can do another in the morning, just pee’

Alex comes to sit next to me wanting to see the pictures of his new baby cousin Connor. ‘Me have a baby?’
Dammit! I’m going wee.. I need to know! I always pee in a plastic cup midstream, too scared I might not be able to pee for them 5 or sometimes 10 seconds they ask you to do. I put the test in, whisk it around a bit, put the lid back on and then I stare.
I stare long enough to see the line where the positive + downwards line is supposed to be and o my, there is a line there!
I blink, I take a picture and send it to my friend who can see all the lines. ‘It’s still between valid times, is that what I think it is?’
She replies; ‘I can see that!’ followed by; ‘Its a blue test, please please do not get your hopes up until a pink one give you a double line’
I doubt, I think, I look, I take the test apart.. It’s still there.. I can clearly see it, ok not as thick as its suppose to be but it is there.
I do get my hopes up.. I can’t help it but..
That night I went to bed at 9pm, I could not wait until the next morning, though I didn’t tell my partner, I wanted to surprise him in a way of Alex presenting that we are expecting.
I’m planning..

The next morning I pee, I test.. No line.. No line.. Where is my line?!!!!!!!!!!
Two hours later my period sets in and I am devastated.
I go online and read so many heartbreaking stories of blue dye tests that its shocking the manufacturers havent taken them of the shelves.
This is not fair and please take my word, do not pee on a blue dye test, if you do, test again with pink.
Infact there is a website who have had men testing these blue dye tests and some came out positive, there are pictures gallore of blue evap lines.
I hate it, I honestly hate that stupid blue dye test

 

Back on the road of ttc

We’ve been here before with the outcome of a son called Alex.
We’ve been here before last year with a lot of tears and something that wasn’t meant to be.
We’ve been here in silence at the start of the year again, no speaking of ttc, scared that we would curse it in a way.
Instead we were one of those; not preventing, see where the path goes, what ever be will be.

Unfortunately these kind of things don’t go light-hearted once your actually a week late.
Especially not once after 5 negative tests there is one that is faint lined and the next day it is negative again, followed by my dreaded bloody period.
I texted my partner as it makes me emotional to talk about which makes me feel stupid for not being able to control my emotions.
I told him I felt very disappointed as in a way after waiting for a week with no result.
This is where I love his ways as he just doesn’t blow things up as I do, he just turns around and says ‘well we best try harder next month’
I have no idea when I ovulate, I have no idea how long my cycles run as none are regular.
I don’t want to use ovulation sticks yet more because I am afraid I will obsess too much..
Instead the plan is doing it at least once every three days, preferably every other day.
I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and I eat healthy besides my emotional sweet tooth!

So now I am making wish lists on all kinds of sites for what I believe we need for the possible new baby.
I gave nearly everything away that once was Alex’s after we lost our pregnancy in september, the thought of having newborn clothes underneath my bed was a painful reminder and in a way I wanted to start fresh, what ever that might mean.
I’ve picked out the bottles I want to combine feed with expressed milk, found the vibrating bouncer where he/she could sit in whilst my son and I still do our weekly baking or daily crafting hour. I’m researching which pram to go with and what sling/carrier is best for our nature walks.
I’m scared my wish lists might stay as a wish but if I don’t keep busy with something else I’m also scared I might lose it.
As busy as I try to be with Alex, he likes to play on his own and do his own thing (quite the independent toddler) without mummy feeding the wrong cuddly toy in his restaurant or playing with a carnivore dinosaur and a veggie dinosaur together and being told off! (yes that actually happens)

Good luck for those in their tww or which ever week wait for that matter, I’m testing in two weeks and one day, then every other day until my period sets in.
X