Yay we are parents! I can't believe I am officially a mommy. It's been a crazy journey to say the least. I am at Day 16 postpartum, I've wanted to start putting pen to paper on my post partum journey from day 1 but my recovery said no :( it is still saying no but tonight I decided not to listen. My recovery has not been easy, for those who don't know; I had an elective c-section at 38 weeks gestation due to complications with my pregnancy- everyone told me "don't worry, you'll be back on your feet in a few days" oh how wrong they were :( I was devistated I couldn't have a natural birth but with the grace of god our son arrived safe and sound so that's all that matters in the end. From day one, like most c section recovery paths I was urged to get on my feet and walk to encourage mobilization and circulation which helps you recover faster, I did- with a little help from tramadol and morphine friends that is... I was relatively ok until day two came I was in agony.. I tried picking up my crying baby while my husband stepped out for a second and I was crippled with pain instantly stuck on the side of my hospital bed in an awkward half sitting half standing position unable to move with pain, nurse ran in a stabbed me with a morphine injection as fast as she could and I remember standing in that same awkward position for at least 10 mins till the effects started to work and I was able to flop back onto my bed. Lesson learned. I was instructed to take it easy and didn't listen but as my husband always loves to say "if you can't hear you must feel" *rolls eyes* I felt. A lot. For atleast the next week to come all I did was feel. Like crap. The pain was at 8/10- by day 8 it went down to a 5/10 where I was able to finally move around again although in pain still it was tolerable. Fast forward day 12 and woohoo, uterine infection from the c -section! Just what a new sleep deprived mom needs :) NOT! Was sent back to hospital and started on antibiotics- and just as I start to feel semi decent again- Mastitis starts this morning :( I feel like crying, but there's already one baby in the house and his crying seems to matter a lot more than mine- also it's much more shrill and demanding so people tend to pick him up first. It's ok I'll wait.. No but seriously it's been and continues to be hard, I'm currently in bed with a thermometer in my mouth and fever that doesn't seem to want to bug off and breasts that feel like the Rocky Mountains. Sexy.
The reason I didn't want to wait till tomorrow to post this is because right now I just want to say thank you to a very important person to me.. my amazing husband. I always knew how in love with you I was but i never knew I would fall even more in love with you. I didn't think it was possible. You have stayed up with me tending to my ailments, being night nurse AND taking care of our son every. Single. Night. Since I delivered. You function off zero sleep every day, go to work, as well as take me out so I don't go crazy aaaand take me to my 101 dr appointments everyday. I don't know how you do it but I love you for it. Becoming a new mom is hard work especially with a shakey recovery but this man has made every day a reason for me to smile and laugh till my incision hurts. You make me a better me and a better mom. I can only pray our son (named Derrick after my husband) turns out to be half the man that you are. You are our everything baby ❤ Moral of today's post:

* C-sections are not always an easy recovery- you are still normal if you don't feel like running a marathon one week post partum trust me ;)

* I am hard headed and need to listen to my body more.

* Mastitis sucks

* Being a new mom is not at an easy task, it's normal to feel down in the beginning - your whole life has changed you're going to feel SO many different emotions but it gets better everyday and you have something super cute to entertain you now :)

* My husband rocks


ill be trying to post every day to update you on my little roller coaster journey- and throughout I promise to only give you REAL. Nothing disguised. The good the bad and the ugly.. :) I'll also go into more detail on the stuff I wrote about today, I'm just too feverish to do so right this second- but am open and am here for any questions :)

#postpartum #delivery #csection #recovery #health #babyboy #pregnancy #preandpostnatal #breastfeeding #totalprecon #dubaimums #dubaimoms #parents

It definitely is a challenge trying to control calorie intake while pregnant, considering the strong cravings, fatigue, less will power and even feeling a bit entitled to that slice of cake (our body is doing so much work don't we deserve to treat it??), unfortunately that's not the case. Occasional treating is of course acceptable within reason and often times if the craving is too strong to handle- cave in; your body and baby may very well be asking for a certain nutrient which makes that craving so strong, but it is important to learn to differentiate between that and just craving anything because you're hungry. There are also smarter ways to curb empty calories to satisfy cravings such as a fresh juice instead of a soda, a piece of fruit instead of ice-cream- it's not the same but your body and baby will thank you for it.
        The saying ''eating for two'' is also one that we need to address, while it may sound like a free pass to the all you can eat buffet, it is sadly a myth. A pregnant mama only really needs to increase her daily calorific intake by about 300 kcal, which is not a significant increase. Following the ''eating for two'' presumption will only lead to excessive weight gain which in turn can increase your risk of gestational diabetes (bad for mama and baby), backache, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, deep vein thrombosis and even needing a caesarean birth due to a large bubba, not to mention the aesthetic downfalls which most mammas worry about like severe overstretching of the skin leading to stretch marks and loose belly skin post partum (while this is at times unavoidable, too much weight gain can make it worse).
      That being said, it is important to keep our control for the sake of our health and our little bundle of joys health- but we shouldn't sway the other direction either by gaining too little weight which can lead to low birth weight, premature labour, and developmental delays. So keep a nice and healthy balance, and don't be too hard on yourself if you have gained a little too much or too little so far, Its never too late! Just irradiate some of those habits and you'll be on the right track, also speak to your OBGYN for some help and advice to help get you and keep you on the right track and to monitor your progress :)

Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy from the TotalPrecon team! :)

#pregnancy #healthyeating #weightgain #weightloss #prenatal #diet #health #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #thirdtrimester #pregnancyweight #mumtobe #momtobe #totalprecon #Dubai #nutrition

So you recently got those wonderful two lines you may have been waiting to see on your pregnancy test- congratulations! You're about to be a mommy! Maybe again; or maybe for the first time but either way your body is about to go through A LOT of changes- the dreaded sickly first trimester, the fatigue, your body changing and stretching in ways you never anticipated; all in preparation for your little bundle of joy- youre becoming his/her little home for the next 9 months- what a sweet and beautiful, and unfortunately, sometimes uncomfortable thing that is. It's easy to feel like putting your feet up for the next 9 months as your body begins to demand things from you that you feel you simply can not give! But it is crucial now more than ever to keep active both for your health as well as your little bubba to be. Some of the many benefits of exercising during pregnancy include:

1. Gives you more energy- ( hormones and endorphins coursing through your veins can give you that extra boost to go grab that lunch  with the husband instead of sleeping through the afternoon- again.

2. Reduces back pain - (keeping active with pelvic tilts, core exercises and prenatal yoga can help keep the lumbar strong and less likely to cause you issues as your baby gets heavier and puts stress on your back)

3. Lowers your risk of gestational diabetes - (exercise can delay or prevent the development of type 2 diabetes while pregnant by up to 27%)

4. Can make labor & delivery easier- (a strong core and good stamina can help you push harder and be able to push for longer- basically)

5. Can help with the mood swings- (we all know what those hormones  can do- laughing one minute- crying over a kids cartoon the next (or something of that nature)- exercise can help boost the feel good hormones that are very needed during this time.)

6. Can help with leg swelling- (Exercise improves your blood flow which in turn can help limit swelling and oedema in the legs caused by water retention and pressure on the veins from the growing uterus. )

7. Controls weight gain- (keeping active burns the unwanted calories (although extra calorie consumption is needed while pregnant so don't go too crazy with the cardio machines- just enough to maintain that healthy balance.)

8. Better sleep- (its proven that pregnant women who work out fall asleep faster and have better quality sleep- insomnia is common during pregnancy and can actually lead to prenatal depression if severe enough so this one is an important one.)

9. Your body will bounce back easier post-delivery- (used and trained muscles are much easier to recruit again vs. untrained and unused muscles with less of an occurrence of diastasis recti you can be back to the old you in no time if not even better!)

Beneficial exercises while pregnant are such as prenatal yoga and pilates, swimming, weight training, core training and walking. Always listen to your body and while exercising is extremely beneficial there will be some days that you simply need to rest; listen to that and relax if need be. Be cautious of laying flat on your back in a supine position as that can put pressure on the vena cava which supplies you and your baby with blood flow. If you are high-risk you should be cautious of exercising until your get a green light from your OBGYN - some high risk complications such as bleeding, spotting, low placenta, recurrent miscarriage, weak cervix exercise could actually be harmful during pregnancy.

wishing you all a happy and healthy pregnancy- this is a beautiful time in your life - Enjoy! :)


#pregnancy #exercise #prenatal #prenatalexercise #prenandpostnatal #prenatalyoga #mothers #mumtobe #mumsanddads #parenting #labor #delivery #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #thirdtrimester #personaltraining #Dubai #totalprecon