Baby is overdue, what to do now?

I am now officially overdue with 40 weeks and 4 days, which I hear is quite common when having the first baby and also being over 30. So here I have the perfect combo and the waiting game begins. I have been talking to many people and gathered some ideas to help the baby to come quicker without intervention. I am honestly testing and doing all of them for the last 2 weeks or so, not sure if anything is helping but I am at least trying:

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Spicy food – Many of my friends said that after their last spicy food, contractions started. So now “Tabasco Chili” is my new best friend in every single meal
Walk Walk Walk – I am walking at least 2 hours per day in the park, shopping mall and trying to avoid getting my car for small errands. It is tiring but I did notice that it helps me sleep as I get quite exhausted so I see an advantage there.
Going up and down the stairs and squats – Also trying to do as much as possible of it, so far the only up side of it is getting my legs strong, which can be good for carrying the baby later
Jump on the Pilates ball – This is my favorite as I am now watching TV while jumping up and down. This one of the techniques for labour pain too so I am getting a good practice.
Acupuncture – I hate needles but as it was recommended I did 3 sessions while I was 39/40 wks, but other than being relaxed I didn’t feel anything else so far, so I decided not to continue with it. I confronted my fear of needles but still was not good enough to make anything happen.
Writing a letter to your baby – I did it as friend recommended and I think even if doesn’t help her coming out, it is a nice thing to share with your kid when she grows up. I handwrote it so it has a personal touch and I will keep it to give to her later.
Making an official eviction notice for the baby – That was just a fun thing that I think made me relax and made me laugh which can also help.

I guess those ideas can support the baby but she will come only when my body is ready and she really feels ready to explore this new world.

An overdue Mom After 30

#momafter30 #overdue #40wks

Some cool online support to use during the pregnancy

I found some apps and webpages that are very cool and informative. For sure you always need to take everything with a pinch of salt, but funny enough on some of the selected apps below that track the pregnancy I could really read about what was happening at that moment with me, so I would recommend it. They were all free but had paid versions that I didn’t even use it as the free versions were good enough for me. Sorry that I am not good with apple and I am not sure how to get the app’s link at ITunes but they are easy to find if you type the app name.

Pregnancy + (Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hp.pregnancy.lite)

This app let you track the pregnancy weekly with tips, images, weight and many interesting info that you can use like how to pack a maternity bag for example. This is best looking app in my opinion and does have a paid version which I didn’t even need to use.

Nurture (Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glow.android.nurture)

This app has a daily tracking and you can tell it how you are feeling daily and will give you tips of how to improve your overall health. I liked this a lot when feeling insecure by different changes and I think is the one that really can support you all the way and help you remind to take your vitamins, drink water, etc. Also has a cool feature of a community for momos having babies and you can read nice comments and experiences.

Baby Bump (Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alt12.babybump)

This app has a day by day tip, but even being the simplest app I liked the information and the tips I could get from it. Also had tips for daddy once in a while.

Story of this life Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/StoryofThisAndersonLife/

I really enjoy her posts and she was my inspiration for why I started my blog as I think sharing experiences can really help others. I think she has a great humor and I like to see her videos and pictures she posts (By the way the picture I am using right now on my personal FB and also on this blog is hers as my due date is now gone - It was supposed to be 26/may/16).

A tech Mom after 30

#Momafter30 #pregnancy+ #nurture #babybump #storyofthislife

Competition - Like and Tag on our Facebook page for a chance to win

LIKE the Facebook page Momafter30 and TAG at least 1 friend on the competition post and have a chance to WIN a Pee-Pee Teepee. 

Competition ends on 28/May - Sat - 5pm and the winner will be chosen at random and announced on 28/May - 8pm. (Winner must live in Australia so I can send the product).


Facebook Competition post:

https://www.facebook.com/momafter30/posts/284219258584957 

A Mom that likes competitions after 30

#competition #momafter30 #peepeeteepee

News from the Pregnancy, Babies and Children's Expo - May 2016

As my baby is still not wanting to show her face (by the way today is my due date). I decided to go to this Expo to see what I could find of interesting for the future, there were many regular products like Nappies, Prams and others but I found some very interesting products that could be useful.

Booby Trapper – It is a great way to feed your baby with privacy. It is much bigger than others I saw in the shops and gives the baby more air flow. I really liked the idea of not having to hold anything other than your baby while feeding. (www.boobytrapper.com.au )

Pee-Pee Teepee – It is small cone for baby boys when doing their diaper change, to avoid possible accidents. Very smart idea so Moms of boys are a bit safer of a possible Pee-Pee shower. (www.bebabean.com)  

Mamaway Vest - 3 in 1 for when you are pregnant, carrying the baby and after you can just detach the zipper and use as regular vest. So is 1 vest that serves all the purposes. Also is very lightweight. (www.mamaway.com.au )

Cutesy Bottles – It is a 2 in 1 baby bottle with teats or spoon. I tested it and the food only comes out when you press the bottle, so it is perfect to carry the food, heat it up and it give on the go without having to change containers. They have small and large sized to cater for baby’s needs (it is also BPA Free). ( www.cutesy.com.au)

The Teething Egg –  Teething Egg is similar to the baby’s gums, so they love chewing and rubbing their sore and swollen gums against it. It is made of thermoplastic elastomer which seems to be safe for babies to use. (www.theteethingegg.com.au)

A Mom in love with innovations after 30

#momafter30 #boobytrapper # Peepee #cutesy #theteethingegg #mamaway 

Freebies for Babies and Moms

I did a good research about where to find freebies so I could try different products before buying them and here are some good ones:

-  Bounty Bag – You can go to a pharmacy and get a Mom to be Bag. Mine came with some Huggies nappies and baby wipes, Sudocream, Stretch Marks Cream, Panadol Teething toy, Comfort, 2 great maternity magazines and some others papers with information. (I heard each pharmacy may have different items. I got mine at Coogee Bay Road Blooms) Here is the list where you can find one - http://www.bountybags.com.au/uploads/Bounty_Pharmacy_List_20160101.pdf

- Bounty Rewards - You can also subscribe to their website and get some rewards by looking at promotions and answering surveys that can be redeemed later for gift cards - http://www.bountyrewards.com.au/

-  Gaia Products – You can contact them via the website and send them a postpaid envelope so they can send you some samples of their products – http://www.gaiaskinnaturals.com/wgform.php?controller=form&action=view&access_code=free_samples

- Baby Love – They offer a free Baby Shower pack with 1 pack with 30 diapers, 90pk baby wipes and a soft toy. All you have to do is register online with your baby shower dates and they will send you a voucher to be exchanged at Babies R Us:- https://babylovenappies.com.au/baby-shower-gift-pack/

- Huggies – You can ask them for samples of different size nappies to try when you sign up and there are also many promotions and competitions to participate online - https://www.huggies.com.au/promotions

- Mamaway – If you a RWH patient go to their Randwick store (Inside the Randwick Mall - Upstairs) and you can get a free Maternity Bra and Free 60 pack of nursing pads. All you have to do is go in person and ask them. It was that easy. This is a special 150 years celebration from Royal Woman’s Hospital. - https://www.mamaway.com.au/store_location

Some expos are also a great place to see some new products and get samples and I will have a post all about the Pregnancy and Babies expo that I went last week with all the news soon.

A Mom in Love with Freebies after 30

#momafter30 #bountybag #gaiaskinnaturals #babylove #mamaway #huggies

What does a newborn need after they are at home?

This is a good topic but a very hard one. I have been buying some things for the baby, but there are so many gadgets that honestly having a baby can become a very commercial thing.

My first tip is not to buy anything before doing a good research. I checked many websites, mother’s communities, visited many baby stores and and finally have all my things sorted. But one thing I learned was that babies don’t need much, they don’t care about the brand, color or latest trend. So we need to find what is really useful, safe and that you feel comfortable to use for your baby.

For most of the items I bought I decided to look at Kids Swap and Sell groups on Facebook from my suburb, Ebay and gumtree. This way I could save at least 40% of the prices that I would buy in store. I would check if the items were in good condition and recommended by the Australian standards and buy it. I did wash everything with good quality baby soap to make sure it was all clean and ready for my baby.

Other than the basics I got some small things that may be a little luxury but I had to try: Nappies Bin (with very expensive refills, so I will give it a try for the first months and see), Ewan the Dream Sheep, Baby Shusher And Oricom Baby monitor with breathing monitor (this is my first time Mom paranoid side saying the baby may not sleep well or have any problems at night), a Quinny Zapp Travel Stroller ( As we will travel in November to Brazil when she will be 6 months, so I need a good and small pram that can be consider a hand luggage to go around during connections and to use while there), Skip Hop Nappy Bag color coded with my City Select Stroller (both in purple) which by the way is also matching the whole room decoration in purple and pink. I will give my feedback about those and other items after I have a chance to use them.

But all this are just for our eyes, family, friends, etc. For the newborn eyes the most important thing for sure will be you. So we don’t need to really worry, just stick to your budget and make this “getting ready” moment a happy one J

A learning Mom After 30

#Momafter30 #Babyshusher #Ewanthesheep #Cityselect #Skiphop #Quinny #Oricom

Is your partner ready for the baby as well?

It is essential to have your partner ready for the new addition of the family. Most of the time everything is only going to be about the person caring the child for 9 months. Your partner can’t feel the pain, the joys and the movements from inside but in my view it is essential for him to participate on the journey, as after the baby is born things will change and he will be able to really feel the same emotions as you.

For my husband to be involved we decided to do a 8 weeks baby classes at the hospital. It was a bit tiring as we needed to attend every Monday night after work from 6pm to 9pm. And sometimes we almost gave up as we were a bit sleepy, but we know that this was very important.

We attended the RWH classes with a Midwife that covered from birth to 3 months of the baby, running from the body anatomy, birth to how to change a diaper and give a bath. Somethings can be common sense, but it is important to hear again so we can make sure we are in the right track.

But the best part of this course was the networking. We meet other couples that also were having their first baby and this helped us to see that were not alone in this new world. We even have a FB page were we can keep track of all the babies that are being born and organize meet ups. By the way I am the last one of the group to have a baby, all the couples already had theirs. Mine is the only one that wants to stay in the belly a little longer… she is too comfortable here.

While we wait, we also have fun, so me and my husband are trying creative ways to pass the time like this photo which we can’t stop looking and laugh at it ;)

A New Mom After 30

#momafter30 #rhw #babyclasses