Doctors generally concur that pregnancy is not the time to start a new exercise regimen.  However, if you’re a mom to be who had been exercising regularly prior to getting pregnant, most experts agree that continuing with an exercise program during pregnancy is beneficial.  In fact, the current guidelines for adults (30 minutes or more of moderate exercise on most days of the week) extend to pregnant women as well.

However, due to all of the changes that go along with pregnancy, your exercise regimen deserves a reassessment (and a discussion with your OB) to make sure that what you’re doing is safe for both you and your growing baby.  For instance, there are some sports that just don’t go well with pregnancy including scuba diving, downhill skiing, skydiving, and pretty much all contact sports.  If you have any questions about whether or not a sport is appropriate for pregnancy, you should check in with your doctor.  Many women find that with minor modifications to their pre-pregnancy routine, they can still continue to do the same activities at the gym.  For example, if you have always done weight training, you can continue, but likely will need to decrease the amount of weight you’re lifting. If you’ve been a runner, in early pregnancy, most women can continue running, but in later stages this often becomes less comfortable and many women switch to lower impact exercises. One of the lowest impact exercises - swimming - is ideal in many ways, since it continues to work all of your muscles and being in the water reduces the stress on your joints.

Speaking of joints, some of the hormones of pregnancy like progesterone and relaxin can make your joints a little less stable during pregnancy.  Between these changes in your joints and the difference in weight distribution, your sense of balance will be off, so pay attention to this when exercising to protect yourself and wear supportive shoes.

Once you’re into your second trimester, you should avoid exercises where you are lying flat on your back, because the growing uterus can compress one of the big veins that return blood from the lower half of your body to your heart.  In addition, you should stop exercising if you experience bleeding, contractions, leaking of fluid, dizziness, chest pain, or if you are short of breath.

There are some conditions of pregnancy where your doctor will probably tell you not to exercise at all.  A few examples include multiple pregnancies at risk for preterm labor, cervical insufficiency, ruptured membranes, bleeding in pregnancy, placenta previa, and high blood pressure during pregnancy.  Also, if you have certain medical conditions, like heart or lung disease, uncontrolled diabetes, or anemia, your doctor may tell you that the changes of pregnancy make it too dangerous for you to exercise.

If you’re not an athlete or haven’t engaged in an exercise program previously, you can try simple things like walking, stretching or maybe even a prenatal yoga class. Oftentimes maintaining some level of activity can reduce some of the discomforts of pregnancy, while giving you the benefit of exercise.  Besides, it will get you ready to be strolling with your baby after she is born.

By Christine Skiadas, M.D.

The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Treat Christmas as a Learning Experience for Your Baby

Hang lights on the Christmas tree – Your baby will be mesmerized by the colorful lights, and it’s a good way to boost development.

Capture the holiday with baby Christmas ornaments – Immortalize baby’s first Christmas by purchasing or making a baby Christmas ornament to hang on the tree. Your child will enjoy hanging his or her first ornament on the tree every year.

Play Christmas music – Your baby will enjoy dancing and wiggling to the beat of the music. Play fun, upbeat Christmas music to set the mood.

Choose a few baby toys or baby books for your child to unwrap on Christmas day – Choose age-appropriate toys and books that your child will enjoy, and help him or her unwrap the gifts on Christmas day. The tearing of Christmas paper is another great activity that boosts motor skill development.

The holiday season offers many opportunities to get your baby involved, creating lasting memories for years to come. Your baby will be excited and stimulated by the lights, sounds, and activities of the holiday season. Most of all, parents will be pleased to witness the joy and wonder on their child’s face when exposed to new and exciting stimuli.

Make Sure Your Expectations of Baby’s First Christmas are Realistic
Avoiding unrealistic expectations of what your baby can handle during the holiday season is important when it comes to ensuring that your baby has a safe, enjoyable holiday. Below are a few tips for avoiding common holiday drawbacks.

Avoid over stimulating your baby – Babies can easily be overwhelmed by all of the excitement and activity during the holidays, therefore it is a good idea to develop a routine. If you sense that your baby is becoming cranky during your holiday celebration, take him or her to a quiet room for special time with mom. Also, consider adding a fan to your baby’s room to limit guest noise that may disturb him or her from much-needed rest.

Skip the visit with Santa if your baby is sensitive around strangers – If your baby is hypersensitive to strangers, skip the visit with Santa this year. Instead, get photos of baby experiencing other Christmas-related activities, such as tearing wrapping paper or tasting age-appropriate holiday foods for the first time. These events will be just as special for your baby and less traumatic.

Baby-proof your house – The holidays bring additional household hazards for baby, however, there are steps you can take to make your baby’s first Christmas a safe, enjoyable event. One of the most important baby Christmas safety tips involves anchoring the Christmas tree to the wall or ceiling to ensure it won’t topple over when the inevitable tugging occurs. In addition, ensure that there are no ornaments or decorations within your baby’s reach containing small pieces that he or she might choke on.

Hang glass and other breakable ornaments on the top of the tree – Place plastic ornaments and other trinkets that can withstand exploration at the bottom of the tree (ensuring that the ornaments do not have small parts that baby might choke on).

Preserve Holiday Memories
Perhaps the most important baby’s first Christmas tip involves preserving holiday memories. You will want to have something to look back on for years to come, and fortunately there are a variety of ways to keep the memory alive. Below are some tips for preserving holiday memories with baby.

Take plenty of pictures – You will want to have a memory of baby’s first Christmas, so take plenty of pictures of your child participating in holiday festivities.

 Keep a holiday journal to record the happenings – Include a list of baby’s presents and other holiday memories you don’t want to forget.

Develop holiday photos as soon as possible – Transfer holiday photos to your computer as soon as possible to ensure that they are not accidentally deleted. Once this has been done, get holiday baby photos developed and place them in a scrapbook or photo albums.

Don’t let the significance of your baby’s first Christmas pass you by. Follow the above tips for a fun and memorable holiday.

Our lucky winners are Jen from Los Angeles, Pam from New York and Alex from Henderson.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories with us!

Conratulations to Beth from Arizona — our lucky grand prize winner!

Beth has won a bugaboo bee stroller, svan high chair, dante beatrix diaper bag, skip hop pronto mini changer, prince lionheart bebePOD, prince lionheart silicone bottles, mama mio boob tube, prince lionheart back to sleep bear and little twig baby powder.

Also, congratulations to Kaite, Kristen, and Tania for being our runner-up winners — each will receive a storksak diaper bag!

We hope you all enjoy your gifts!

The mainstay of flu prevention (and virus prevention in general) is good hygiene, which gets back to the basics our moms told us when we were kids—wash your hands often, cover your nose/mouth when you sneeze or cough, avoid close contact with people who are known to have the flu (or who are sick), as well as “staying home from school” yourself, if you are sick.  If you have little kids, this is definitely the year to be hyper-vigilant about hand washing and if your kids are in daycare or preschool to make sure that the school is adopting these policies as well. 

However, despite following all of these guidelines, it is still possible to get the flu—which is one of the reasons why the seasonal flu vaccine has been recommended for pregnant women for years—and there is no change in this recommendation this year.  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as well as the Centers for Disease Control support this recommendation.  If you’re pregnant between October through mid-May, it’s recommended that you get the flu shot—doing the math, you can see that this is essentially ALL pregnant women.  The best time to be vaccinated is early during the flu season—generally considered to be October or so.  However, just because you might have missed this window you are still recommended to get it.

The injectable flu vaccine is an inactivated virus vaccine that is safe for use in all trimesters.  The inhaled flu vaccine DOES contain live virus and should not be used during pregnancy.  One of the added bonuses of vaccination during pregnancy is that you will help to pass on these antibodies (and immunity) to your baby, particularly if you breastfeed after your baby is born.

Pregnant women have been targeted as one of the initial groups to received H1N1 vaccine, along with persons who live with or care for infants <6 months, health care workers, children and young adults (6 months—24 years old), and adults with chronic medical conditions that place them at higher risk for the complications associated with the flu.

Although the vaccine is a major step for prevention, it is not 100% effective.  Therefore, if you’re pregnant and you do get flu-like symptoms (fever > 100.0 Fahrenheit, as well as having a cough, runny nose, sneezing, etc.) you should call your Ob/Gyn.  Most doctors are able to triage patients over the phone to determine who should be seen in the office and who should just receive anti-flu medications without an office visit.  These medications are most effective when started within 48 hours of symptoms, but if you miss that window, and your doctor recommends that you take them, you should take them.

Now, being an Ob/Gyn, I have heard of lot of concerns people have raised about vaccines or medications during pregnancy; and in general, I tend to agree that pregnant women shouldn’t take unnecessary medications.  However, I cannot recommend strongly enough, that if you are pregnant, both of these vaccines (seasonal and H1N1 influenza) are vaccines that you should get.

After all, the goal is always a healthy mom and healthy baby.  Taking the flu seriously - and taking the steps to prevent it - will help meet that goal.

By Christine Skiadas, M.D.

The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Twilite Moon is having an end-of-year sale!  Receive 50% off all clothing, including baby and toddler clothing, maternity clothing and clothing for dad.  Sale ends Monday 11/23.  Use coupon code:  SALE50. 

shop now:  www.twilitemoon.com

Hello Twilite Moon fans. I’m Amy, founder of Tonality Designs (link: http://www.tonalitydesigns.typepad.com), an event stationary company focused on creating entertaining ideas for social gatherings like baby showers, bridal showers and birthdays. When Twilite Moon asked if I’d be a guest blogger and write holiday ideas for moms and moms-to-be, I jumped at the opportunity. Why? Because new moms are looking to start family traditions and what better way to enhance traditions than by adding creative touches to your next Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering. So over the weeks to come, I’ll happily pass on some helpful ideas to make your next holiday affair a little extra special.

That said, if you’re reading this, most likely you’re a busy mom or mom-to-be. It probably seems like a century has passed since your wedding, so you’ve long since stopped reading bridal magazines. However, it’s the bridal magazines that often have the best entertaining ideas. They provide us with seasonal color stories, creative centerpieces, easy decorating ideas and do-it-yourself invitations and favors. And yes the magazine editors are tapped into the wedding market, but who says that only your wedding day should be planned to perfection? I believe that the same thought can easily be translated to your everyday party.

To prove this I’m going to start with flowers because if you focus on adding one extra-touch this holiday season – flowers will provide the greatest impact.

And flowers are easy – a key element to consider when you’re dealing with diaper changes, midnight feedings and play dates.

So let’s remember back to when you were preparing for your wedding. You most likely found a picture of the perfect bridal bouquet and then took it to your local florist to translate for your big day. Well, you can do the same this Thanksgiving and Christmas. Today we’ll focus on Thanksgiving.

Here are 4 different pictures that could inspire the centerpieces for your Thanksgiving table this year. You’ll notice each evokes a different feel, but all say fall and fabulous. And you don’t have to limit the arrangements to just the dinner table. Think about where in your house you could use an added touch of color and simply add an arrangement. Big or small, flowers will immediately transform your home. They are welcoming and somehow have the power to make us feel special. By adding them throughout your house, your family and guests will immediately know that you made an effort to make this holiday memorable.

Now what if you’re not hosting Thanksgiving this year? Well, don’t worry. You can always surprise this year’s host with a special arrangement. Sure you could pick up a bouquet at the grocery, but where’s the extra thought and fun in that?

And remember – even though you’re no longer a bride-to-be, from time-to-time while in line at the grocery, I encourage you to pick up a bridal magazine along with your typical parent’s magazine. Or periodically visit a top bridal blog like Style Me Pretty. (link: http://www.stylemepretty.com) You just might find the inspiration you need for your next holiday party – or baby’s first birthday!

***As a side note, for you extra ambitious moms, you can always try making the flower arrangements yourself. Find where your local flower market is and on the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving, go to the market. For tips on flower arranging see this article and video on none other than MarthaStewart.com (link: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/lilly-pulitzer-flower-arrangements?autonomy_kw=flower%20arranging%20tips)

Flower Sources:

1. Photo by: In Photography

(link: http://www.inphotography.net/)

2. Flower by: Ink and Peat

(http://housemartin.typepad.com/housemartin/2009/09/sunshine-grey.html)

3. Flowers by: Jess Country Flowers

(link: http://www.jesscountryflowers.com/ )

4. Photo by: Jose Villa Photography

(link: http://josevillaphoto.com/ )

Amy is the founder of Tonality Designs (www.tonalitydesigns.com) where she can create the perfect stationary or decorations for any special occasion.  You can also follow her blog at http://tonalitydesigns.typepad.com/tonality_designs/.

He lets me cry when I need to cry, and laughs at me when my nesting vibes seem to overtake my logical mind.  Like the night when he came home from work at 10:30 pm, to find that his 7-month-pregnant wife had moved their heavy antique dresser from one side of the bedroom to the other, all by herself, and all he could do was say “What did you do?”  I think he was slightly annoyed that I didn’t discuss this with him first, or that I didn’t at least wait until the weekend when he could have assisted me.  But, he just laughed and said it looked good.  After all, it just had to be done!  It was a Monday night, and suddenly, I couldn’t stand the dresser in that part of our room anymore.  Where was the bassinet going to go?  It needed to go in the exact place that the dresser occupied, so it had to move.  Never mind that we still have weeks to go until the baby comes.  I took the dresser apart, drawer by drawer, emptying everything on top of it, and then gently scooted and pushed it across our carpet to the other side of the bedroom, taking careful steps so as not to bump the sides of the fragile piece on the footboard of the bed or on the wall.  When everything was where I wanted it, then I scrubbed the molding along the carpet and gave the area where the dresser was a much needed vacuuming, and then stood back to admire my accomplishment.  Perfect!  Now the bassinet will fit there and not be crowded and the baby has the perfect place to sleep during his first weeks at home.  Although my husband was annoyed at my impatience to wait to have his help, he has now figured out there’s not a lot a man can do to stand in the way of a pregnant woman and her nesting urges.

Or, last night, I awoke at 4 am and just had to clean out the fridge. What if people bring us food after the baby is born and there is no where to put the containers?  (Hint, hint…) Now, I have never in my life had the desire to clean out the fridge, but in that moment, it was a primal desire, and almost sounded like a treat.   Now the actual task wasn’t that exciting, but checking things off my prenatal-nesting-list feels pretty wonderful.

Other middle of the night urges have been waking up in panic because I have not packed my bag for the hospital, or I’ll realize I need to finish reading something for work for a meeting that is still a week away.  Normally, I am a sound sleeper, but these days, between bathroom breaks and midnight anxiety attacks, it seems I am up every 2 hours with something important on my mind.  Maybe this is my body’s way of preparing me for the nights of interrupted sleep that soon will be my reality?

Fortunately, dad-to-be doesn’t get upset with me when I wake him up in the middle of the night to tell him I only have one more load of the baby’s laundry to do before everything is clean.  Between the midnight urges, the sudden bursts of energy to rearrange furniture, and every other mood swing or catharsis, he has supported me unconditionally, without complaining or making me feel like a crazy person.  I feel so blessed him to have his support.  How did I get this lucky?  It truly is a journey, with everyday bringing something new into our lives.  And in a weird way, I feel like this pregnancy has made us fall in love with each other all over again.  We love talking about the baby – what he will look like, what he will sound like, what our two dogs will think of him, etc.  We fantasize about taking him on walks in our neighborhood, teaching him to ski, and teaching him the appropriate time to yell at the NFL officials.  Every day of my pregnancy brings forth a new milestone in our lives, and we can only imagine the newness and wonder that await after the baby arrives.  So, hang in there with me, honey.  Soon, my pregnancy will be a distant memory and my midnight energy bursts and sudden urges to rearrange furniture will likely seem like they never happened.  But rest assured, when I’ve gotten up to nurse for the fourth time in one night, I am going to tell you all about it and you’re going to love hearing the details…

Pregnant nuns, dogs in dresses, babies dressed as toys – we’d love to see anything that shares the spirit of the season. All you have to do is send your Halloween theme pictures to goodies@twilitemoon.com. It’s that simple. Our contest ends at the stroke of midnight on November 3rd.  The three winners will be announced November 6th.

We’ll select one winner in each of the categories listed below. The winner in each category will receive a $50 gift certificate for Twilite Moon merchandise.

•  $50 gift certificate for the best bump photo. We know you’ve got it, so flaunt it!
•  $50 gift certificate for the best baby Halloween costume.  Little pumpkins or little goblins…we love them all!
•  $50 gift certificate for the best family photo. Trips to the pumpkin patch? Trick or treating? Hay rides? Show us how your family celebrated the season.

Submit your photo today: goodies@twilitemoon.com

The most interesting thing about being pregnant the second time around is how the pregnancy takes a back seat to the rest of your life.  When I was pregnant with my first child, Alyssa, I think I spent pretty much every waking hour thinking about or preparing for her arrival.  While driving to work, I would play classical music, because they (the infamous they) say that playing classical music in utero will help get your child into Harvard, or some such nonsense. I would talk to Alyssa all the time because I wanted her to be familiar with the sound of my voice, even though she would probably recognize my voice because I talk all day long.  I registered the minute I found out we were having a girl, and I enlisted my sister (a mother of three) to help with the process.  I made sure I only ate pasteurized cheese, turned my nose up at anything with caffeine and I exercised more than I had prior to my pregnancy.  I did my Kegel exercises religiously, because after watching the c-section video, I wanted to do everything I could for a vaginal delivery.  We read books on what to expect, how to soothe a cranky baby and the 411 on babies.  My husband and I toured the hospital, pre-registered and took the birthing classes and baby safety classes by the beginning of the third trimester.  To say I was consumed by babies and becoming a mother was an understatement.  It was a great time of my life and I was so happy that we were going to become a family of three.  Preparing for Alyssa helped me to feel bonded to her and I felt like I already knew her, or at least a part of her, before she was born.

I am due with my second child on January 8, 2010.  I think I actually said to my husband the other day, I just need to get through the holidays first and then I can think about preparing for the baby.  If you do the math that means I have one week to prepare for baby girl number two’s arrival.  For the record, my husband just laughed and shook his head at me.  At the beginning of this pregnancy, I would actually forget I was pregnant.  My morning sickness would occur at night, so I was able to function normally during the day.  I would go to Starbucks and order that latte without even thinking of getting a decaf.  It wasn’t until about 2/3rds of the way through the latte that I realized - hey, I’m pregnant.  Luckily, I’m not a caffeine addict, so it wasn’t a daily occurance and my doctor said limited caffeine intake shouldn’t affect the baby.  I took that advice as license to continue getting those lattes and iced coffees.  Forget about playing classical music in the car, because I’m listening to Disney tunes with Alyssa.  Working out is a luxury.  I try to exercise every other day, but I pretty much fail at that every week because I don’t or won’t work out in the mornings and I get home at 7:30 p.m. from work.  I haven’t even thought about doing a Kegel exercise until I started writing this post.  I think the only thing I do for this pregnancy on a regular basis is forward the weekly baby development emails to my husband.

I would also forget to tell people I was pregnant.  I am 28 weeks into this pregnancy, and I finally just finished telling all of my friends.  If you saw me, there’s no way to deny I’m pregnant, but for those who I don’t see on a regular basis or the facebook friends, I just haven’t made a big announcement.  However, the last person I told, who is a child psychologist and very wise, said to me, “This pregnancy is part of your life instead of all of your life.”  Prior to this conversation, I felt guilty, because I wasn’t bonding with the baby the way I did with Alyssa.  They were the magic words I needed to hear.  I am so excited to have another baby, but I realized that having a two year-old, trying to spend quality time with the hubby and working full time does not leave a lot of time for daydreaming about the delivery or the perfect nursery.  Additionally, because we’re having another girl, I feel much more prepared this time.  For some reason, I continue to believe all we need are some diapers and wipes, and we’ll be good to go.  My thoughts are directed elsewhere - I have a child who needs me to focus on her, and I am consumed with planning Alyssa’s third birthday party.  So, I’ve decided that after Alyssa’s party, I will focus on baby number two.  That is until I start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas.