Hey there.. I have been working on a designer portfolio lately. Please find below some of the posts I have created in the past. Please show some love to the same. If you are having any design related tasks, I can do them for free ( in lieu of a review) I will keep…
New series – My parenting story
Being a mother is quite awesome, isn’t it? One has to go through a lot before even conceiving a baby. On top of everything else, pregnancy struggles are quite real. Morning sickness, mood swings and everything else takes a toll on you. Keeping that in mind we decided to dedicate a series to parents (straight…
Parents’ worst nightmare — the other ‘F’ word — not as bad as you think
Breast is best — it is said and so it is, when it comes to feeding the newborn. Breast milk has amazing benefits for the baby and there ought to be little doubt behind that. Time to talk about the another dreaded ‘F’ word — formula — which happens to scare the daylights out of parents. What has been our…
Father’s Day: Five Productive Ways in which you can boost your fertility
Father’s Day: Five Productive Ways in which you can boost your fertility Hope you have gone through the three part TTC series (if you haven’t then you can access the same here: first part, second part and third part or sign up for the newsletter to get e-book). Father’s Day provides a reason to celebrate…
Ready, steady, BABY! What nobody told you about being a father!
You do not figure on the priority list any more: You cease to be priority #1, that’s the baby. Okay, mommy is priority #2, baby is priority #1: Back to the point #1, you simply vanish from the priority list. Breathe: You are going to only have a second or two. Breathe as…
Father’s Day Food for thought – Five things pediatricians want you to know
Pediatrics magazine has some food for thought for dads on this Father’s Day to help them utilize their full potential. The presence of fathers in their kids’ lives is not just for backing their mums, but they happen to impact the lives of the former in a big way. An interesting study in the journal Development…
How long you should wait before having sex after childbirth
Resuming your sex life after child birth takes time, which can vary between few weeks to even months, depending on a range of factors including the type of childbirth you had, breastfeeding and your own sex drive. In a way it is advised that you should wait before having sex after childbirth and have a detailed look at the below mentioned factors that are worth exploring. The type of childbirth you had The type of childbirth you had has a profound impact on how soon you can restart your sex life. A C-section operation involves cuts and stitches, which take time to dissolve, usually up to two weeks. The soreness starts reducing after two weeks and healing process is underway by then. If you want to have sex at this moment, you should opt for positions that involve minimal penetration. Try to start slowly and avoid rushing into things. If you had normal childbirth, recovery would be speedier, though you would still feel tired. You may feel being ready for childbirth earlier but watch out for the cuts and bruises that are going to sting when you get into the act. A number of factors are going to play in your mind, which may impact your readiness for sex, which include: Tiredness Fear of pain Fear of scar tissue reopening Excessive worrying may keep you from getting aroused and enjoying sex. Talk to your partner in this regard and try getting started with foreplay first and stick to positions that limit penetration. Usage of lubricants may prove to be helpful as well. Breastfeeding and sex Levels of oestrogen tend to stay low during breastfeeding for preventing you from falling pregnant (it is indeed beauty of nature to prevent you from getting pregnant too soon after childbirth). Hence your sex drive is going to take a hit and you may feel your clitoris being less sensitive. In case you are experiencing the same, you can opt for lubricants and go slow. There is, however, something that you need to talk to your partner about. A hormone named oxytoxin is responsible for making milk and gets released during orgasm. You may happen to spurt some milk when you orgasm. While some couples may enjoy the same, others simply don’t. If your answer is in affirmative, there is no issue. In case it is a no, you ought to let your partner know that you won’t like touching your tender breasts. You would want to feed your baby before getting intimate or wear pads inside your bra. Click to read complete post here: http://www.xosam.com/how-long-you-should-wait-before-having-sex-after-childbirth/
Here is how smart traveler would stay fit during Summer Olympics in Rio
The world’s biggest sporting extravaganza is set to be inaugurated this August this year in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Approximately 500,000 visitors are set to hit Rio to witness the event and if you are planning to be among the crowd, you need to know a few things to stay healthy, particularly if you, your partner or someone you know heading to the city is pregnant. Travel safety 101: Keep your vaccines updated Stay insured Prepare for the mosquito threat Plan safe sex Watch out where you are heading for a bath Travel safety 101: Stay vaccinated You know what, infectious diseases love big crowd, which is going to be the case at Rio! To stay safe from nefarious infections is to stay vaccinated. What Smart Traveler does: A smart traveler stays vaccinated for diseases such as measles, rubella, and mumps etc. Plus there are vaccines recommended especially for Brazil. If you are headed for the Olympic Games this year, make sure you are covered. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended vaccinations for typhoid (particularly if you are an eating aficionado) and Hepatitis A. “Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world with varied disease risks depending on where they plan on going in the country,” says travel medicine expert Tania Gregorian, an assistant professor at Chapman University School of Pharmacy. “For example, planning a trip into the Amazon requires different preparation than a trip to just Rio de Janeiro.” An important point to note: Certain vaccines take a number of days before getting effective. For instance, vaccine for Hepatitis A takes two to four weeks for that. You ought to consider getting vaccinated in time. Stay insured We at Xo Sam wish for your safety during your travel, particularly if you are traveling with kids and / or pregnant women companions. However, getting travel health insurance is recommended given that you would have something to cling on to in case anything goes wrong. What Smart Traveler does: A smart traveler checks what his or her options are before moving. For instance, the US offers Smart Traveller Enrollment Program, a free service, for which travelers can register at the local US Embassy. Click to read complete post here: http://www.xosam.com/634-2/
Meet and Greet @ Dream Big: 6/4/16
It’s the Meet and Greet weekend at Dream Big!! Ok so here are the rules: Leave a link to your page or post in the comments of this post. Reblog this post. It helps you, it helps me, it helps… Source: Meet and Greet @ Dream Big: 6/4/16
Eight Ways to make breastfeeding easier
By now you would be through with your labor pains and probably holding your sweet little newborn, your journey to parenthood is about to start. Breastfeeding is the first step to connect with your child, but it can pose some challenges of its own. In case you are facing some of them, you need not despair already as it gets easier with time for most new mums. Here we have listed Eight ways to make breastfeeding easier: Perform some research ‘I am damn exhausted and you are telling me to research!’ Was this your reaction? Well, you might be quite right to an extent as this might not be the best time to start learning something new. But your partner can do that on your behalf. You can do that much ahead of time, before your due date when you have little else on your mind. You can take a breastfeeding class, talk to moms who have breastfed their kids or talk to lactation consultants! Start Early You can have a head start by holding your baby right after birth; cuddle the baby and breastfeed the baby right then. Besides other amazing benefits of breastfeeding, it helps connect the baby with the mother and provide the first shot of immunization. Cathy Carothers, IBCLC, lactation consultant and codirector of Every Mother Inc. says “Babies’ senses—their seeing, hearing, smelling and touch—are heightened in that first hour after birth. They’re neurologically wired to find the breast. And when they’re allowed to use those senses to latch on by themselves, the way they’re instinctually wired to, they tend to latch on correctly.” Learn the signs The baby may start providing signals that he/she is hungry and ready to be fed. Some such signals could be the baby trying to chew on his hands, or make mouthing motions. The baby might be hungry already and you ought to latch the moment. Crying is not the signal of baby being hungry; it is the sign of baby being mad and hungry! Engorgement Breastfeeding can become problematic if your breasts getting engorged – firm, tight and warm. The mature milk starts coming in after a few days of birth. You ought not to panic as engorgement goes after a few days. In case the baby is not comfortable latching on, consider pumping milk prior to feeding the child to make things easier. Click to read the Complete post here: http://www.xosam.com/eight-ways-to-make-breastfeeding-easier/
Many reasons behind why it is completely OK to run while being pregnant
Every other day you would come across ton loads of material regarding do’s and don’ts while being pregnant (we have our set of the same here). However, you would be surprised to know how many athletes continue training even after being pregnant. The International Olympic Committee has recently commissioned a report that blasts the myths…
Five controversial ways to induce labor – and why most experts are skeptical about their efficacy
Your due date is nearing and you are getting anxious with each passing day regarding child birth. You are searching all over the internet for methods to induce labor “naturally”. Plus there is a lot of unsolicited advice regarding the same, ranging from castor oil to spicy food. But whether there is any grain in the claims of inducing labor is anybody’s guess. As per most childbirth experts there isn’t any! There are no proven non-medical ways of inducing labor and the only ones worth your trust involve medicines provided at the hospital. The methods advised by everyone out there, including countless websites over there can be unhelpful at best and harmful in the worst case scenarios. Acupuncture Acupuncture has been used in parts of Asia for manually inducing labor. However, there is little data and/or research to verify the claim. Researchers at University of North Carolina conducted a small study involving 56 women in late stages of pregnancy. One control group of women received acupuncture sessions while the other did not. Around 50 percent of women who received standard care went into labor on their own, while the percentage of women who received acupuncture sessions was as high as 70 percent. Lead researcher Terry Harper, MD, says “We had almost a 50% reduction in the C-section rate.” An important point to note here is that the size of the study was pretty small and more research is needed to verify the claim. Given the high success rate there is a reason to hope that this practice may help more women go for natural birth than C-section ops. Can labor be induced by sex? Doctors and midwives are quite sure about bringing on labor with sex. In case you are not having any pregnancy related complications, you can try having sex for inducing labor. There is absolutely no reason to fear as the baby is safe inside the amniotic sac and penetration cannot hurt him howsoever long the penis might be Click here to read more http://www.xosam.com/five-controversial-ways-to-induce-labor-and-why-most-experts-are-skeptical-about-their-efficacy/
Mrs.W - Your next door agony aunt 