Let's talk about stuffy noses during pregnancy! 💥💥Gestational rhinitis – or rhinitis of pregnancy – is nasal congestion and runny nose, probably caused by hormone changes during pregnancy. The congestion is worse in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy, but may start after the first trimester. The congestion can be severe enough to interfere with sleep. This can add to pre-pregnancy fatigue. Although there is no evidence that this condition can harm a baby or a pregnancy, it can make a pregnant woman fairly miserable. 💥💥Studies show that about 10 to 20 percent of women are affected by this condition. The hormones that may cause it include estrogen, progesterone, and hormones made in the placenta. The only known risk factor is smoking, which you should not be doing. 💥💥What Can You Do? The worst thing you can do is start using an over-the-counter nasal decongestant spray like Afrin or Neo-Synephrine. These sprays make the condition worse. You are going to have the congestion for more than a few days, and using a nasal decongestant spray for longer than a few days will cause congestion to get worse. You could end up with a condition called rhinitis medicamentosa. This condition is even more uncomfortable than pregnancy rhinitis, hard to treat, and will not go away after you deliver. 💥💥 come back tomorrow for more!

Thank you for sharing @chloepaigee ! 💥Let's continue chatting about the reasons babies cry - 💗Wet- Producing about 5-6 wet diapers per day is generally a good indicator that your baby is getting enough milk. Some babies are more sensitive than others to discomfort when they’re wet. Even if your baby is easy-tempered, keeping their little bottoms clean and dry is smart practice to avoid diaper rash or irritation. 💓💓Soothing tip: Check diapers regularly. Use a thick barrier diaper cream to treat rash, or call your pediatrician if a rash doesn’t clear up in a couple days. 💗Tired- Sleepy cues can be tough to spot. Crying is a last resort for an overtired baby who may (ironically) now have a harder time falling asleep. Even lots of eye rubbing and yawning can be later cues than ideal. 💓💓Soothing tip: If your baby is crying and fighting naps, it can help to start naptime 30 minutes or so earlier. You can even try going by a timer, rather than looking for obvious signs of tiredness, until you’re a pro at picking up on subtler signs. Bring baby to a dark, peaceful setting for naps to avoid overstimulation.

Adorable! Lets talk about the reasons babies cry! 🤗 1-Hungry💥 💗💗New babies typically eat 8-12 times per 24-hour period. Even if it feels like you just nursed or bottle-fed your baby, it’s entirely possible she’s hungry again. Babies’ stomach capacities are small, and they need to do a lot of growing. 💗💗Soothing tip: Offer food! “Cluster feeding,” when babies suckle almost constantly for a few hours, is normal behavior. What’s not normal is if your baby isn’t gaining well and has few wet diapers. Talk to a pediatrician or lactation consultant if you suspect you’re having trouble feeding your baby enough

Let's talk about exercise and pregnancy! Exercise has potential harms and benefits during pregnancy. In particular, it has been proposed that exercise may help to prevent certain pregnancy complications, 💥such as peripartum depression, gestational diabetes, and a condition called preeclampsia.💓 Research has not yet demonstrated the benefits of exercise consistently during pregnancy, but the case for a benefit is much stronger if the exercise is begun prior to pregnancy. In other words, being fit as part of an ongoing process that has already included exercise will help you when you do become pregnant.

Happy Father's day!! Today we wanted to talk about: HICCUPS!💥💗 It seems like no condition is both well-known and poorly understood as hiccups. Fortunately, singultus, as hiccups is officially known, is almost never a major issue in babies. Since almost all infants (and fetuses) will suffer from the condition at one time or another, though, it’s worth looking at what we know about them. Once we examine possible causes, it’s easier to understand the logic (or lack thereof) of treatments that have been recommended over the ages. 💥Hiccups are a sort of “charley horse” of the diaphragm—a still poorly understood, involuntary contraction. Given the location, a variety of lung diseases (pneumonia, for example) and gastrointestinal (stomach and intestine) diseases can be the cause. So can issues with the ears, nose and throat. Drugs and nerve diseases can be culprits, as can infections. (Ebola virus, a germ found in Africa, often has hiccups as one of its symptoms). Many of these causes can be serious, and hiccups, especially if chronic, may need to be investigated. Fortunately, these more severe illnesses mostly affect adults and are extremely rare in babies, who are more likely to have short bouts with either a relatively benign cause or no discernable cause at all. In order to pinpoint a common culprit in an infant, we look to the diaphragm’s neighbor, the stomach. Distention of the stomach with air can press on the diaphragm and its nerves, setting the process in motion. Another sometime cause is gastroesophageal reflux, a process where the feeding product (breast milk or formula) goes back up the esophagus (think: crossing the diaphragm). Even without reflux, a stomach full of milk can wield enough pressure upstairs to get things rolling.

Beautiful shot @aharmonmoore! Today we wanted to talk about: TWINS!💥 💓💓💓What are the odds that you might have twins? More than three in 100 women are pregnant with multiples—twins, triplets or more—each year. Multiple pregnancies differ from singleton pregnancies in multiple ways. Here are some common questions that moms expecting twins may ask. 💥Q: What kind of twin am I having? 💗A: Twins can be fraternal or identical. Fraternal twins are conceived when two sets of eggs are fertilized by two different sperm. Fraternal twins can both be girls, boys or a boy and a girl. Identical twins are conceived when one egg is fertilized by one sperm and the fertilized egg splits to becomes two babies. Identical twins usually share a placenta and fraternal twins usually don’t, but there are exceptions. Because they share the same DNA, identical twins are usually the same sex, look alike and have similar characteristics. It’s possible for identical twins to be different sexes, but it’s very rare. 💥Q: Will I have to go to the doctor twice as often? 💗A: Mothers of twins can expect to see the doctor more often than those expecting a single baby. Not only is it necessary to monitor the babies’ development, but regular check-ups watch out any maternal health problems and check for signs of preterm labor. Carrying two babies may require more ultrasounds and tests. 💥Q: What are the complications associated with having twins? 💗A: There are some additional risks for mothers and babies during twin pregnancies. Women carrying twins may be more likely to develop gestational diabetes or problems with high blood pressure that can potentially lead to preeclampsia. When expecting twins mothers may experience more pregnancy discomfort, including more back pain or trouble sleeping, and higher rates of anemia. A little spotting is not uncommon during a twin pregnancy but if spotting continues or is accompanied by cramps, always call your doctor.

We commend you for sharing your self-love journey, @thebirdspapaya! Today we wanted to talk about a common change that happens in women's bodies when pregnant - 💥 swollen feet 💥 You need good footwear to provide stability and support as your weight increases and your center of balance shifts. 💗The growing uterus puts a lot of pressure on the veins of the pelvic region and slows down the flow of blood from your legs back to the heart. This forces the fluid from the veins into the surrounding tissues of your feet and ankles leading to swelling. 💗You require the right kind of pregnancy footwear to not only give you comfort but also keep your baby safe. 💗Due to the increasing weight, the arch height of the feet reduces. The arch flattens out and touches the ground causing your footsteps to roll inwards. This places an unusual strain on the plantar fascia ligament (tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes) leading to pain in the heels and ball of the feet. 💗Your shoes aren’t just carrying you, they’re carrying baby too! 💗No wonder you’ve lost all patience for pinchy toes, blister-provoking heels and hard, flat soles! Your swollen feet deserve more. Here are some tips for how to choose and look for shoes: 💥💥It is important you choose footwear that is easy to put on without the need to bend (your belly may make that hard!). Slip-ons without any laces are most suitable. 💥💥Choose shoes which support your arch and ankle. Your ankles and feet become sore and the condition worsens if you are not wearing the right shoes. Shoes with good support and comfort will reduce the joint pains you experience when walking. 💥💥Consider buying footwear that is a half or one size bigger than your actual size. This extra room is needed for your feet as they would swell at some point in pregnancy. 💥💥Choose flat-soled footwear during pregnancy. If you do not want complete flats, you can choose heels, but which are low and wide. Wide heels will help distribute your weight over your soles as well as prevent or reduce foot pain. Low heels will reduce your chances of falling or tripping.

Such a gorgeous baby! Now continuing the discussion- 💥There’s a tendency in many parts of the Western world to take a highly medical approach to pregnancy and birth. If you have difficulty conceiving, you may face a battery of invasive tests and procedures. During pregnancy, many expectant parents hear a list of rules and restrictions. After birth, it’s entirely possible that you’ll have a postpartum depression screening form to fill out at the hospital, and another at your 6-week follow-up appointment — but no other routine mental health checks. 💗Perinatal psychology tends to take a much more in-depth look at anxieties you carry into and through pregnancy. Psychologists are more likely to believe your feelings about motherhood affect your and your baby’s physical and emotional health, so you may feel more emotional support than is standard in some other doctors’ offices. A perinatal psychologist may help develop a more detailed plan to overcome fear of giving birth, for example, instead of concentrating primarily on pain relief options. 💥One drawback is that believing your mood affects your baby can easily feel like pressure. Prenatal and postpartum anxiety and depression are common experiences. Some parents may feel that perinatal psychology blames them — and their mental health issues — for anything that goes wrong with their baby’s birth or early life. While some studies appear to draw a connection between maternal anxiety and autism, these studies may have confounding factors (other, uncontrolled differences between groups that affect the accuracy of results) or other problems that impair the validity of the findings. The last thing you need when you’re having a tough time is to be told your baby’s problems are your fault, when the evidence isn’t clear that this is true.

Gorgeous shot @hannahreneefrancis! 💗 Today we wanted to talk about: Perinatal psychology!💗 😍Perinatal psychology says that psychological development starts way earlier, in the womb, or even before conception actually occurs! Practitioners may explain that parents’ diet and mental health conditions or outlook can affect which fertilized egg successfully implants. 💥During pregnancy, the fetal brain development may also be affected by the mother’s stress levels, or even her feelings about having a baby.💓 Perinatal psychology also emphasizes the importance of labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum experience in determining whether a new baby instinctively feels “wanted,” safe, and loved.

Continuing our chat about baby talk! 💥How should I NOT talk to my baby? 💥Importantly, don’t just talk at your baby, make an effort to listen to them, too. Babies can be pretty good communicators, even before you might think and long before they can say actual words. By pausing after things that you say to baby, making eye contact, and listening for anything they might like to contribute, you help them feel valued and connect with them. It won’t be long before baby might make sounds in response to things you say to them, which will eventually lead to words. 💥If you speak more than one language in the home, which can be great for babies, keep it to three languages or fewer. And if you can, try to separate the languages by which adults speak them. Sometimes babies who consistently hear more than one language take a little longer to speak consistently, but when they do, they’ll likely have grasped each language quite well. 💥Try to talk to your baby one-on-one at least some of the time. While babies are constantly watching and taking language in, they benefit most from focused attention from you, their caregiver. In a noisy place or a setting with lots of distractions, the benefits of talking to your baby will be less than in a quiet room, where you can really settle in and converse with your child.

Continuing our chat about baby talk! How should I talk to my baby? 💗 Talk to your baby even before they are born and definitely from birth. For babies younger than about six months, using infant-directed speech is a great idea (and you are probably doing it already). Enunciate clearly, and don’t be afraid to use a singsong voice. 💗In addition to using parentese, you should speak to your baby often, as research has also shown the benefits to babies of hearing more language. Not sure what to talk to your baby about? Here are some ideas [1, 4]: 💥Describe for your baby what they are experiencing: sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and what they’re touching. For instance, “Do you feel the kitty’s soft fur?” “That strawberry tastes sweet.” 💥Talk about actions that you or baby are taking; use action words, as in “I’m reaching up high to get the scissors” or “You are stretching out far to get the ball.” 💥Tell baby about the caregiving activities you are doing for them. Describe diaper changes and baths and how things work during feeding times. This will help baby learn body words and be the beginning of discussions around consent. 💥Use grammar correctly. Teach baby nouns by talking about everyday objects—in your home or outside it—as you go about your normal routine. 💥Use pronouns, synonyms (words that mean the same thing but sound different), and prepositions. 💥Read to your baby. This activity is one of the most important ways that you can expand your child’s experience of language. If you just read one book per day, your child will have heard more than 1000 books by age three! Sing to your baby; melodies and song lyrics may engage babies with language in a similar way to parentese.

💗What is baby talk?💗 Baby talk, also known as “motherese,” “parentese,” or “infant-directed speech,” is the natural cadence that adults and older children tend to slip into when speaking to babies. It tends to involve higher pitched voices, simpler phrasing, and over-enunciated words. Many people automatically adopt this way of speaking to babies, regardless of the language they are speaking. And research has shown that most babies prefer to listen to someone speaking in this way and are better at discerning different words when listening to infant-directed speech.