Belly Binding After My 3rd Pregnancy

When it comes to post partum tips and tricks to getting back into shape after pregnancy, belly binding is my TOP O' the list favorite!!

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I didn't discover belly binding until I was halfway through my 2nd pregnancy. I wish I'd known about it with my first...but on the other hand, I can tell you from experience that belly binding is a night and day difference for recovery. I will never ever not bind my belly after delivery! You'll be sold too when you try it. After trying many different ones, cheap to expensive, my favorite which I've had the most results and will use again is the one in the picture.

Here's what I discovered:

*Belly binding immediately after delivery gets rid of that "all my insides just fell out" feeling you get when your body suddenly drops those 8-15 extra pounds you've been carrying!

*Belly binding gives you an instant "trim" feeling that will make you feel more like your pre pregnancy self, which will boost your confidence and, in my case, energy. We all need that right after birth!

*Belly binding will help your post partum tummy go down much quicker, skin and all. Look at my pictures; these are me just 1 week after having my last baby. I didn't get that with my first! It took almost 8 weeks for roughly the same results. Also, check out my blog post with pictures of me 8 months postpartum at a photoshoot.


* Belly binding assists in getting your displaced organs back to where they were orignally! Also, if your ribs were pushed out because you didn't have any room left for the little guy (like my last pregnancy!) belly binding will help get them back in place as well.

*Belly binding will help you acheive an hourglass figure! I can't wait to start again after this pregnancy. See other ladies succeed with waist training.

   For the first few weeks after delivery, your body is flooded with the hormones that softened your bones and joints to make it possible for the baby to be born. These also assist in getting you back to normal. Belly binding takes advantage of this natural process and gives you an extra push for quicker results.

I start immediately after delivery. So after I'm showered and cleaned up, I dry off and usually with assistance, wrap my belly nice and snug, then get dressed. Just like that.

To get the most benefits from waist training, once you're ready to workout, use this workout routine to keep yourself on the fast track for beautiful success.

After all your hard work dealing with not only pregnancy and everything that comes with it, but laboring and finally delivering your beautiful baby, you owe your body and yourself a little something to make you look good. I constantly have to stop myself from putting my needs or wants on the back burner. I've done this before, and take it from me, it's not a healthy thing to do. Take the time to enjoy and care for your body and celebrate what an amazing thing you just accomplished!

Fit N Fancy 4 Life,

~~Caroleena

When Parents Aren't Supportive....

A subject I've been feeling the need to blog about lately is when parents aren't supportive of your pregnancy. It's a bit of a painful subject, but one I want to address because of the impact it has on pregnancy.

I didn't have my parents support with my last pregnancy. I was stationed over 2000 miles away from them and my baby's father at the time was deployed. I reached out to my mother, but because of my lifestyle at the time (I had just gotten divorced, my pregnancy was unexpected and with someone I wasn't married to), she wasn't thrilled with me, and kept a distance. Communication was through Facebook and not often. My father and I have had a rocky relationship for the last...well, ever, so he and I weren't talking.

I wanted my mother there for the birth of my last son, like she'd been for my other two, but she came up with an excuse and said she couldn't. It upset me at the time, scared me too, but I figured she didn't want to because of my situation. As I often have found in my life, I was sitting smack dab in the middle of an ungodly lifestyle, even though going into a situation I have good intentions.

I ended up birthing at home with a good friend, read my story Here.

This time around, I'm not even sure my parents know I'm pregnant. I haven't talked to either of them in over a year.

I've noticed I miss my mom the most when I'm pregnant. It's one of those things that typically is shared and experienced between mother and daughter. Daughter calls mother for emotional support and questions...to share aches and pains and frustrations, and then at the end, to share joy...then there's sharing growing moments of the grandchildren...a lot of life is missed out on with the canyon of bad communication between us.

How I've handled not having parents is focusing on positive things in my life. It is a MUST. I also have been very blessed to have other people in my life who see me for me.


I want to encourage you if you are in a situation where your parents aren't supportive, to let it go and forgive. Being unforgiving affects the body and the spirit. What affects the body and spirit can have an impact on the labor and delivery of the baby. My fear of birthing without my mom ended up adding to my being 2 weeks late. Once I let go of my fears and my frustration, things progressed. Where a woman is at psychologically impacts her body, especially during pregnancy.

Hope

Take the time to look for support during pregnancy. This is especially important if you find yourself dwelling daily on the pain of not having your parent's support. With online resources, there's lots of places to look! Support groups, blogs, forums, discussions, fellow pregnant people in your neighborhood. There are plenty of people out there who believe a baby is beautiful blessing no matter the circumstances of his/her origin!

Reading other women's stories about overcoming major obstacles in their pregnancies can also help encourage and give you strength and confidence! I know this really helped for me.

I personally did rely on my faith and belief in God. This helped me the most. Sometimes if you have nothing else to hold onto, holding on to God won't seem so far fetched. I'm not saying use Him as a last resort, but if you have nothing else, what do you have to lose? In God you can find a safe source of strength and trust because He won't let you down, even when your parents will.

Taking a chance and giving Him that trust has been the best decision of my life. It has given me confidence, strength and the ability to handle situations I never thought I'd be able to. Plus, He's helped me forgive and release bitterness and anger toward my parents without needing them to do anything on their part. To truly and honestly stand up and say "I'm healing!" and have a sense of unconditional love toward them is not something that can be done without the help of His grace!

Perhaps you have a similar situation where your parents have wronged you or hurt you immeasurably and you truly believe there will never be healing, so you walk around with a hole in your heart. Just know as impossible as it seems, there is hope, and nothing is impossible for Him.

Embrace the unknown. Release your fears and doubts. Having peace and confidence will strengthen you in your pregnancy and ultimately will help you have a smooth labor and delivery.

God bless you and keep you strong in this emotional yet beautiful journey of pregnancy!

~~Caroleena

 

Week 17 & 18 of My Pregnancy

Week 18 Belly Pic!

Highlight of my 17th week: My first Doctor appointment!! It was almost 3 hours long...but it was pretty awesome. I had my first ultrasound aaaand...drum roll...they think it's a boy! Another boy laugh out loud.

I loved seeing the baby move around and seeing his delicate features, tiny arms...legs...so cute and itty bitty. It's hard to make out in the picture below, but to the left is his head, his arms are covering it like he's hiding! To the right are his legs and little feet, ankles crossed.... I heard the heartbeat, which always gives me a rush. I don't know why, but that is the biggest connecting factor when I'm pregnant. It doesn't quite feel real until I hear it.

I was spot on with his due date, my periods are regular and predictable so this wasn't a surprise to me. They said he's healthy, growing right on schedule with his age, and I checked out great. The doctor and nurses were very nice and didn't say anything negative, thankfully...I didn't share any of my plans for an unassisted birth though! I know better! Next check up is in January due to Christmas vacation!! I'm excited about Christmas vacation.

Ultrasound of the lil guy

My job is getting more difficult. There's just so much to do and so much moving around, I get tired so fast and have had times of pain in my abdomen which has made it hard to walk. To be honest, I'm done with the Army life. I feel a growing need to invest more time in my kids, and the Army life just doesn't accommodate for that. The schools on post are horrible, they're more like free babysitting. I don't want my babies living in daycare and being raised by someone who doesn't care about them. I especially don't want to get deployed and leave for 9 months possibly more or get stationed somewhere that is depressing and oppressive. So even though the pay is good and there are health benefits that most would kill for...I am seriously considering getting out early. I will know more in January....

On a fun note, I decorated the house for Christmas. I love relaxing in the evening with a cup of Pregnancy Tea and nothing but candles and Christmas lights glowing. It's so festive!

Highlight of my 18th week: I've actually taken action to workout consistently. I've gone walking 3 nights in a row, almost 2 miles for about 45 minutes. It's felt great and is helping with the mild early morning swelling I was noticing. Follow me and check out My Pregnancy Workout Routine part of my blog for more details about my workouts. I'll be adding lots more posts of awesome-ness in the coming weeks.

 My weight has been a little troubling for me, I will admit. This pregnancy, I've been gaining differently than my other 3. I jumped almost 2 sizes just in the ass and thighs since I found out I was pregnant. Plus I've gained about 15 pounds already, probably closer to 18. My goal was only 35 pounds overall, like the mainstream websites recommend as long as you fall into the healthy weight category, which I did. However, seeing as I'm not even halfway through this pregnancy and I've already almost gained half the recommended weight, I've been in slight freak out mode!

I'm sharing this because as much as I don't want to feel like I let you, my readers, down if I gain way more than the recommended weight...or if things don't go perfect like I want them to...it's still important that I be honest about it.
My awesome hubby asked me why I was freaking out so much, and that it shouldn't matter what the "recommended" weight is, who the "f" decides that anyway? He also said that every pregnancy is different, and statistics and recommendations are based off of groups of women with unique pregnancies all averaged out to create a number that is decided is normal. Very true, husband, thank you for bringing me back to Earth.
   Soooo...I'm eating healthy (with a few treats and cheats here and there like a normal pregnant woman), working out and taking care of myself. Whatever weight I gain is the weight I gain. SO BE IT!
   In the meantime, I will share everything honestly, even if I don't like it. The main thing that's important to me is that I feel good about myself and enjoy the journey of this pregnancy.

Cheers!

~~Caroleena

I Must Workout!!~Les Mills Combat

Stretching Before My
Workout

I've been having such a hard time getting the motivation to workout, it's driving me nuts and making me feel completely pathetic. I'm failing miserably at this "I workout" pregnancy thing.

But I shall stand up straight and conquer this fight which feels like I'm walking through 2 feet of mud, such is my willful resistance. My inner self is acting like a 4 year old throwing a tantrum. However, I have started the steps to overcoming my stress levels and sense of overwhelmed-ness with my life right now.



Thanks to my husband's encouragement, I put on my pair of pink combat gloves and hit the living room carpet with a pregnant fierceness. He put in Les Mills Combat workout DVD, a Beach Body workout, and I stepped into it determined to do a modified version for at least 20 minutes (it was a 60 minute workout).

Workout Completed

I am happy to announce I was able to go the whole distance. I took the tortoise motto of slow and steady while I followed the modified workout lady. I worked up a great sweat, without feeling dizzy, light headed, faint or nauseous. It was fabulous! Talk about a confidence boost to know I can still go somewhat like I use to.

This got me thinking: If I spend my pregnancy getting to know the footwork and practice great form for this Combat series, then once I'm healed and ready, I'll up the speed and intensity and really get the most out of it. For me, faster paced workouts are frustrating to keep up with...but being pregnant, I'm forced to take it slow and careful and pay attention to the details so I don't overwork or strain myself.

I ended this workout session with a protein packed scrambled egg sandwich:

* 2 eggs, scrambled and mixed with a little cheddar cheese and milk



Scrambled Egg Sandwich

* 2 oz sliced cheese

* 2 slices of organic whole grain bread

  It is roughly 32 grams of protein. If extra nutrition is needed, rounding it out with a banana is an option I take at times. Delicious and simple.

I ended up a little sore in my arms and upper back, which means I pushed myself enough to get results.

I think the biggest thing to remember is to take baby steps!! And every journey starts with the first step; that push you give yourself to do something, even if it's small. It's still a start. You just might impress yourself....

Fit N Fancy 4 Life,

~~Caroleena  

Kim Kardashian & Kanye West Named Their Son What?!?

I'm not really into celebrities a huge amount, but I do find the choices they make and the things they do to be interesting from time to time. Since my husband and I have been trying to come up with a name for our baby, I tuned into the Kimye baby naming with interest....

HOLY COW, they named him what?!?

I guess they called him Saint. Celebrities do what we normal parents don't have the guts to do. It suddenly makes my sons names seem so ordinary and generic. I find myself right in the middle of thinking it's kinda cool and yet shaking my head thinking how weird celebrities are.

All of our names in my family start with "C", so we're trying to think of a good 'C' name for this new one. There's not a lot to choose from if I'm Googling baby names...so maybe I'll have to dig deep and find something cool and unusual...but maybe not Kim Kardashian and Kanye West type of 'cool'.

Did they think ahead about how Saint is going to sound when they get pissed off and yell his name?

Or if he ends up being a horrible rebellious boy and they say his name with bitterness because he's not living up to it?!?

Or how his wife will sound when she's saying his name during sex?? C'mon, I had to go there.

Like a teenager who gets tattoos without thinking about the future, maybe that's how Kimye picked their newborn son's name.

Or maybe I just think of everything a little too much.

~~ Caroleena

My Favorite: Coconut Oil Bath

One of my favorite things to do is a coconut oil bath. I attempt to get one in a week...which doesn't always happen, but when it does, I wonder to myself why I don't do it more often! It's so relaxing and simply amazing for my skin.

Here's how I go about some intense moisturizing for my skin plus a little relaxation.

1. Draw a bath

2. Add about 1/4 cup of Organic Coconut Oil.

3. Hop in without slipping and enjoy!    

  I've found this is the best to do in the evening. Your skin will have a fine sheen of oil on it, which I run my towel over just enough to get the water off, then apply jammies and jump in bed for a nice 8 hours of sleep. Your skin will soak in the oil overnight and leave you feeling soft and smooth all over. Plus I notice doing this helps with skin tone and leaves my legs and arms glowing.

Of course, this is especially helpful for intense moisturizing during pregnancy. Lubes my belly and boobs right up! Just simply amazing.

Fit N Fancy 4 Life,

~~Caroleena

Shortness of Breath This Early in Pregnancy?

A few weeks ago, I found myself having trouble catching my breath doing the simplest things. At first I thought it was just being pregnant that brought on shortness of breath, but it wasn't like I was 8 months pregnant toting around a big ol' belly! Taking the stairs in my house, even slowly, felt like I had just sprinted for 15 seconds...and I was only 15 weeks along.

So I started googling. I know, that's the last thing "they" tell you to do, but in all seriousness, no one really knows your body like you do. Doctor's usually make educated guesses based on what you tell them and what's in your medical history. You can try to educate yourself and put the pieces together. So far, it's worked really well for me. Knock on wood!

I took Gestational Diabetes into consideration, but the symptoms are scarce and I didn't fall under any of the risk factors, especially since I've never had it.

Since the search results I got back were all over the place, and most just said "see your physician", I grabbed my Heart and Hands book, a midwife's guide to pregnancy, and started reading.

That's when I stumbled across it! There was a paragraph in the Anemia section that said to first check the pregnant woman for a vitamin B12 deficiency if there was shortness of breath, then if that didn't help, it was probably an Iron deficiency. It was like I struck gold! I hadn't been taking my vitamins consistently and I felt tired too. It could be both Anemia and B12, so I checked my VitaNatal Vitamins and found them loaded with B12 and Iron.

I started taking the recommended amount, which seems excessive, but it's 6 pills a day, 2 with each meal. I also started eating foods that helped with Iron absorption (foods high in vitamin C) and iron rich foods.

In 2 days, I started noticing that I wasn't noticing I couldn't breath! Plus my fatigue wasn't as bad. Now a couple weeks later, I'm still dedicated to keeping up on the vitamins and diet, and I feel SO much better. No shortness of breath, unless it's understandable, and I feel energetic.

On a side note, I looked at the prenatal pills my doctor gave me, and the B12 plus Iron is extremely low in 1 serving, and the recommended dosage is 1 pill per day. There's no way you'd get enough from 1 pill, especially since the amount absorbed by the body with a tablet is slim, especially if your diet isn't up to par.

I have learned don't underestimate a good vitamin! And being too tired to take care of myself is lame and a very bad excuse....

Fit N Fancy 4 Life,

~~Caroleena