Pregnancy Week 22: Is using nail polish during pregnancy safe?

Hey Everyone,

How am I feeling these days?:
No dramatic changes from last week. Although Topher has been kicking a lot more. They're getting much stronger. I also started seeing little bumps whenever he kicks me. It's pretty interesting. Chris and I were talking about how weird but cool that was. It's almost alien like. As a women the only great part about being pregnant is being able to feel the baby in my tummy. Chris's sister in law and I were talking about that a few weeks ago. The morning sickness, body changes, and mood swings won't be missed but  feeling the baby inside my body is priceless. All in all it's still a blessing.

Today on Babybump (iphone app) it talked about manicures for mom to be. We've all heard that we should limit our exposure to potential toxic fumes and chemicals. So does that include nail polish? I love painting my nails, especially my toe nails. My husband always carefully asks, "is that safe for Topher?". According to Babybump the question is debatable. If the polish contains the chemicals phthalate or Bisphenol A (BPA), you shouldn't use it. Found in many plastics and beauty products, these chemicals can be harmful for you and your baby. If your nail polish doesn't have these, you may paint away. If you still feel uneasy about the fumes, you can wear a mask.

I found some website that listed nail polishes that are safe for mothers to use who would still like to pamper them with pedicures and manicures like me.

http://www.piggypaint.com/index.html (I haven't tried these but looking forward to pursing some to try)
http://naturemoms.com/blog/2008/05/05/ditch-the-nail-polish-nasties/
http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2007/05/big-3-chemicals-that-is.html (You can read more about why these chemicals are bad and what it does to our health)

I was so happy to read that OPI (australian collection & newer), Sally Hansen, and Revlon were free of nasties.

Hope this was helpful!
Have a fun and blessed week everyone!

Love,
Sandy Choi

Pregnancy week 21: We're having a BOY!



20 weeks

 Hey Everyone,

Last week I shared that we were going to find out the sex of our baby and we found out that it's a boy. Chris and I had the names of our baby all planned out. If it was a boy his name was going to be Topher. So, everyone say hello to our son Topher.
I wanted to name our son Topher because it's unique and it fulfills Chris's name. Most people think Chris's name is Christopher but it's actually just Chris. So, I thought it would be nice for our son to fulfill his name; Chris-Topher. It has the meaning of our son fulfilling Chris. Also, Topher means bearer of Christ. Chris and I both want our son to grow up in the name of God and do what He has planned for his life.
The process of the ultrasound is quite boring for the mother. The dad gets to see everything but I'm lying down so I can't see anything until the nurse turns the screen. The most exciting part was finding out that we're having a baby boy. The snapshot of his little genitals was so funny and cute.
Chris was extremely happy but he wanted to make sure I was okay with us having a son because I expressed to him a few times that having a baby girl would be amazing. I knew that choice was out of our hands so I tried to set all my feelings aside and I believe it helped. When I found out we were having a boy I was genuinely happy. I just want our baby to be happy and healthy. 
It made me even more happy to see Chris so excited to make great memories with our future son. He's always wanted to teach his son how to play ball, ride a bike, swim, and all the boy stuff. I'm really glad that he'll be able to do that with our son.
It hasn't hit me yet completely that my life is about to change completely. I'm sure I won't until our son comes into this world but each day I'm anticipating for motherhood even more. There's a part of me that's scared and wondering if I'm ready. The more I feel that way it leads me to God.  All I can do is pray that God will lead me to be a great mom and a great wife. It's something we all go into not really knowing how to be a great parent. So, I know I'll need God to guide me through our new journey. I remember my sister once saying that my nephew wasn't her child. She said he was God's child and she was just taking care of him until the day Jesus came back for his children.  So, she had to be a great shepard for my nephew. Those words stuck with me. That's how I see our son. Topher isn't our child. He is God's child and we're here to take care of him until God comes for all of us. Until then I will try to enjoy every step of the way. Even through the sleepless nights.


Love,
Sandy

Pregnancy week 20: My monthly check up + Morning sickness remedies



Week 18: You can see my tiny bump



Our baby is the size of a cantaloupe now! Our baby is getting big. Also he or she have been kicking non-stop which feels incredible.

I've been following my pregnancy update day to day on a iphone app called Babybump. It's indredibly informational. Today's say that our baby can start recognizing my voice starting week 20. So, i'm going to start singing away to my baby. You know you all do that in your car anyways. 

I had my monthly check up yesterday. I have a routine when I go in for my check-up. I provide the nurse a sample of my urine for her to check my body’s ph level.  Then she weigh’s me and checks my blood pressure. The most exciting part is when she checks the baby’s heartbeat to make sure it sounds great. My check up’s usually takes about 15 minutes.
The doctor said the baby’s heartbeat sounded great and I looked great so we’re on the right track.  I’m currently 101 lbs. I gained about 4 lbs since last month. The doctor said the gradual weight gain was very healthy. My pregnancy has been fairly good except for all the drowsiness and morning sickness.  It sucks that I’m still having morning sickness even during my second trimester. It’s a little difficult when I get tired during the day as well.  I try to take naps for about an hour if I have time but if I don’t a cold drink usually help. I like to drink orange juice or my mango citrus Fruits & Vegetable Twist Tube. I only buy Orange juice that’s not from concentrate with no added sugars or preservatives. It tastes fresher. I didn’t like orange juice before I got pregnant but now it tastes amazing. It’s incredibly refreshing. The other drink I’m in love with is the mango citrus twist tube. It tastes amazing as well. I love that it doesn’t have a sweet after taste so it doesn’t make me feel thirstier. It’s made from organic fruits and vegetables which is awesome. Also, I get two servings of fruits and vegetable per drink which is much needed for me and my baby.  

Morning Sickness:

I wanted to share a little bit about my morning sickness experience. I started feeling morning sickness around week 7. The first week was bearable but it started getting really bad into my week 8. I was throwing up everything I ate. Also my senses were heightened so I was able to smell anything from miles away. Chris had to immediately brush his teeth after he ate something or I would smell it the minute he came home. I specifically hated the smell of fast food. It made me really nauseous. Luckily I wasn’t gagging at the sight of food but just throwing up once it entered my body.  I couldn't swollow my vitamins during my first trimaster so Chris grinded them for me and we added it into my food. I couldn't leave out my vitamins.

A few things that helped my nausea:

1)  Ondansetron: Ondansetron is used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Doctors prescribe it for pregnant women with severe morning sickness. This made my morning sickness diminish about 90%. Please contact your doctor for more information.

You can read more about it here- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000157/

2)  Baked Potato Chips: Potato chips helped my nausea a lot. I usually get the Gluten Free/ Cholesterol Free/ All Natural Baked Potato Chips from Trader Joes. You’ll find it in the chips aisle.

3) Plenty of rest: Especially during your first Trimester make sure you get plenty of rest. I felt more nausea when I was tired. If you’re still working like me try to take 30 min naps during your lunch time.

4) Still try to eat even if you throw up. I know it’ incredibly hard but I kept trying to eat anything I can think of because having an empty stomach makes the nausea worse. I ate even if I would throw it back up hoping at least 1% of it would stay in my stomach.
5) Udon Noodle Soup: I almost lived off of udon noodles and the soup for couple of weeks. The warm soup helped soothe my stomach tremendously. I get the brand Pulmone. You can get buy them at any Korean markets. It has no MSG or preservatives.  

**There's alot of websites such as http://www.babycenter.com/morning-sickness with great remedies for improving morning sickness.

A few things that made my morning sickess worse:

1) When I ate fruits on an empty stomach it made my nausea worse. The acid in the fruits was too harsh for my body. I usually eat it after a meal.

2) Spicy food: It was hard for my digestive system to digest spicy food so I would get heart burns.

That’s all that I remember for now. If I remember more I’ll definitely share it with you guys. I hope this was informational.

Love,

Sandy

My Pregnancy Week 18 + How I'm avoiding stretch marks

Hi Guys,

I started my week 18 on Sunday. I've been feeling really sleepy and tired after every meal. I've been fighting to stay awake at work. Our baby is now the size of a sweek potato. I'm so excited to find out what the gender of our baby is in 2 weeks. I can't wait to share with you guys.

I'm in my second trimester now so I'm doing much better since I had a really hard first trimester. I had morning sickness until my 16th week. I still get it here and there but it's not nearly as bad. I'll share a few things I did that helped my nauseousness on my next baby entry. Today I want to talk about how I'm avoiding stretch marks.

One of the things I was concerned about when I found out I was pregnant was stretch marks. I did some research and found a really great cream called the Tummy Rub by Mama Mio. I've read that celebrities loved it and some youtube guru's reviewed about it saying it worked extremely well. I was a little skeptical but hopeful so, I decided to give it a try. I've been using it since week 9 and I haven't gotten any stretch marks yet. I've been applying it all over my tummy, back, sides, thighs, and my butt. I don't want to miss any spots.

I love that it's free of nasties such as parabens, sulphates, and fragrances. Also they don't test their products on animals.  The smell is great as well. It's very fresh and not too over powering. It containts Omega 3, 6, and 9 which builds the skins strength and elasticity.

Hope it works for you as well!

Love,

Sandy