Motherhood
Motherhood is the most beautiful, challenging, heart-warming, exhausting and wonderful journey. I wouldn't have thought that I would become a mother of three boys in three years, but here I am! As an occupational therapist specializing in perinatal and postpartum health, I've become passionate about helping new moms define and embrace their own motherhood. In these posts, I share all things mama, baby and kiddo-related!
Family/Maternity Photoshoot for Baby #3
Since we had a maternity photoshoot for my first two sons, there’s no doubt that #3 would receive the same treatment. In between the snow and cold, we ended up with one sunny Saturday that made it perfect for our family photoshoot. We headed down to our neighborhood park, a place we frequently visit at least once a week. Thanks to PinkBlush Maternity for sponsoring this post and sending this absolutely stunning gown for me to wear. I’ve always been partial to light pink styles, no matter how many boys I have 😉 I’ll include more details about the dress and links down below. All photos taken by Derek from…
Protecting Your Core and Preventing Diastasis Recti In Pregnancy
As women get into the second half of pregnancy, their bumps are growing at a rapid rate. It can get a little more difficult to move around with a watermelon as a belly. The abdominal muscles are stretching significantly and can sometimes separate at the midline, known as Diastasis Recti Abdominis. This condition affects approximately 66% of women in their third trimester and 55% of women in the postpartum period. At times it will resolve itself with natural healing after delivery, but often requires training to regain optimal functioning. Here are techniques and tips to protect your core during pregnancy and decrease the risk of diastasis recti. Protecting your core…
A Partner’s Supporting Role During Pregnancy
In celebration for Valentine’s Day tomorrow, my husband and lifetime Valentine graciously agreed to be a guest contributor for this Hump Day Bump Day post. Pregnancy can be a joyous time but also difficult and uncomfortable. Sometimes a spouse or partner is unsure of how to best support the mama-to-be. Since it’s our third pregnancy in less than four years, my hubby has become an expert at co-piloting through this journey. I’ll let him take it from here. ____________________________ A Partner’s Supporting Role During Pregnancy Hi guys, (yes I’m going to be addressing this to the spouses and partners, regardless of gender). Your role and responsibility during pregnancy should not…
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome During Pregnancy
One of the secondary conditions that may develop during pregnancy is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Some may think this condition only occurs in old people, or those who use their hands a lot during the day. Well, add preggo women to that list as well. As an occupational therapist, I’ve seen this presented in clinic numerous times with patients. As a mom in her third pregnancy, I’ve had it three times. Therefore, I’ve decided to breakdown the facts about CTS, why you can get it while your pregnant, and what you can do about it to alleviate the symptoms. What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? First of all, carpal tunnel is an…
Plastic Alternatives for Babies and Kids
Yesterday I put out a huge blog post about plastic and the effects on our health. It was there that I broke down the effects that plastics have our on health, specifically if food or beverages are consumed out of plastic containers. I wanted to dedicate a completely separate post to plastic alternatives for babies and kids, since it’s so much more extensive. Plastic is the most popular form of material for anything pertaining to baby and kid stuff: bottles, pacifiers, cups, bowls, plates, toys, etc. My intent is not to scare anyone into thinking they or their family member will die from plastic. I only want to bring more…
What You Should Know About Plastic and Your Health
There has been an increasing awareness of how consumed our world has become with plastic. National Geographic has put out articles and documentaries depicting the gravity of what plastic is doing to our planet. Do you remember the plastic straw epidemic that started to gain traction summer of last year? Many celebrities jumped on the bandwagon to encourage everyone to stop using plastic straws (over 500 million straws are used every day). There was even a #stopsucking campaign with video. I’ll save you all of the stats on plastics and the planet, but you can read more on here and just check out the photo below from my birth county, Manila,…
3 Tips to Design and Organize your Ideal Playroom
Happy Organize-Your-Home Day! Did you know that’s an actual holiday? It’s 14 days into the new year, so are you knee deep in organizing your life and home or still hoping it will happen on its own somehow? Since decluttering and organization seems to be a topic of interest to other people these days, especially moms, I decided to share 3 tips for creating and organizing your ideal playroom. I’ve included details on the most recently finished version of our playroom too, including our organizational systems. Those who know me well, (or follow my instagram stories), know that I’m big into decluttering and organization…before this whole “Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo…
The Truth About Stretch Marks and Pregnancy
Let’s talk about stretch (marks) baby! One of the possible effects of pregnancy and a growing belly is the development of stretch marks. Essentially, stretch marks are scars that develop under the skin due to rapid growth. Over the past three pregnancies, I’ve gotten questions about stretch marks: how do you prevent them, what causes them, and if/how you can treat them if they appear. Since I’m an OT, and not a dermatologist, this is not my area of expertise. I did some research online and also consulted with my good friend and dermatologist, Dr. Sarika Snell, about this topic. Since she’s the expert, I let her field the questions…
New Year, Same Me, New Goals
New year goals….are you someone that believes in making new resolutions at the start of every year? Are you someone that typically fails at them or forgets about them by mid-year if not earlier? You can’t see it, but my hand is raised in the air. However, this doesn’t stop me from planning them each January…because I like to torture myself. Just kidding, but I do appreciate the idea of reflecting on the past, and planning for the future. The word “resolution” is defined as “a firm decision to do or not do something”. That’s a lot of commitment. One thing I’ve learned about life, especially after becoming a mom,…
Gift Guide: Ideas for the Expecting and New Mom
4 Days Until Christmas!!! Still not sure what to get gift to get your pregnant friend or family member? Scrambling to find that perfect gift for a new mom? I received a few inquiries for what to get moms in both of these scenarios, which sparked the idea for this post. A lot of these were from the top of my head of things I really appreciated either during my pregnancies or immediately postpartum. Let me first preface that I only included postpartum gifts for MOM not baby. I’m a huge advocate for thinking of the mom first, as her needs and desires often fall secondary to baby after delivery.…
