1st Trimester Q & A

Q: Nursery decorating ideas?

Nest Paula — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:54:00 GMT

Q: I need to start working on the nursery, but I have no idea where to start. What are some good ideas for decor?

A: Planning and decorating a nursery can be pretty overwhelming, we know. But try not to stress, and consider these tips from moms who’ve been there:

“Don't forget to add something personal. Add lots of colorful pictures and family photos to the walls. The baby definitely needs something to stimulate them by their changing tables. My daughter loves to look at different pictures that I post there while I change her. I also included family pictures so she can begin to recognize familiar faces.” -- rspiegel

“Pick one thing you love -- a piece of art, a clothing print, a blanket, and then pull colors from there! This way the nursery will look pulled together.” -- MommyKisses

“Make sure everything you buy is washable. Buy nothing that says 'spot clean only' or you will regret it!” -- pielum

“Don't just look in baby departments and baby stores for room decor. Some of my favorite pieces came from a trendy urban college-kid type of store!” -- dharmarebel

“Be sure you have a comfy rocking chair. It will make those late nights (and early mornings) a little more bearable.” -- BigAsWife

“Don't place the crib near a window. Once they can pull up on the crib, all your window treatments are fair game.” -- CraziKaty

“Make sure the lighting is flexible. Sometimes you will want it bright, and other times you will want a soft light so you can check on them without waking.” -- saldridg

“Think outside of the box! Mix and match items from the bed sets, paint the room in a way that makes sense to you (not what someone is selling you). And have fun doing it!” --krystalmatsue

“Start with the crib -- and start early! It's the focus point of most nurseries. With so many only available (or available in your location) online, you need time for delivery. Backorders, damage from shipping and other problems can set you back weeks. If you have to return, replace, or find a new crib you'll need plenty of time to get this done before the little one arrives, and you'll need to know what you're going to have in order to plan the rest of the decor.” -- wanitten

“One word- STORAGE. An organized room helps me feel far less frantic and chaotic after a long night/day of a crying, fussy baby!” -- CaseyDeuce

“Think about the big picture! Baby grows so fast -- plan a room that works for a one week old, a six month old, a one year old and maybe beyond that. You don't want to redecorate constantly -- it gets expensive!”-- Drgnfly

“Treat the nursery like you would the rest of your home; if you love modern design, go with it. Don't feel the need to fit some old-fashioned criteria. Otherwise, your child will grow up to have terrible taste in home decor.” -- MadameBlack85

“Keep it simple and uncluttered (they will clutter it soon enough). I love using self-stick wall borders and murals. They are inexpensive and easily changed if your child would like something else later.” -- trevelan

Safe to paint nursery? >>

<< Nursery on a budget

QA Index

Q: Alcohol after conceiving?

Nest Paula — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:35:00 GMT

Q: Should I be worried about the fact that I had two alcoholic drinks on the night of conception? It seems like a small amount, and that is the only alcohol I've had while pregnant. Could my baby be damaged?

Dr. Ashley Roman: No, you shouldn't worry. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, which is associated with abnormal facial features, growth problems and developmental and learning disabilities, among other things. Unfortunately, there is no "safe" amount of alcohol that is okay to consume during pregnancy. So, you are right to avoid it since conceiving. But, if the only alcohol you had was on the night of conception, you shouldn't worry about damage to the baby.

Fetal alcohol syndrome >>

<< Does alcohol hurt sperm?

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Q: Prenatal pampering?

Nest Paula — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:30:00 GMT

Q: What are some fun ways to pamper and treat myself during pregnancy?
I know there are a lot of resources popping up for pregnant women these days -- what are some of the best ones?

A: Prenatal pampering is definitely one of the biggest new trends. Some of the best ways to treat yourself:

Baby planner
They'll help you plan a nursery, set up your baby registry, and even send out birth announcements. Come on, you had a wedding planner... why on earth not a baby planner? Meet Melissa Gould and Ellie Miller, our own expert baby planners.

Babymoon
With a new baby on the way, it's tough to predict the next time you and your partner will be able to get some alone time, let alone a solo getaway. That's why now is such a perfect time for a romantic just-for-two vacation. Hotels and resorts are also capitalizing on the trend, offering tons of fun packages exclusively for moms-to-be and their partners. Check out our tips for the perfect babymoon.

Maternity photos
On first thought, it may not seem too appealing -- shell out cash to document your huge, uncomfortable belly and create a keepsake? Well, think again. Maternity photos are the perfect way to embrace your bump and capture the inherent beauty of pregnancy. Here's how to pick a great photographer.

Food delivery
It's tough enough to maintain a healthy diet when life is normal. Add in the extra (and extra important) nutritional demands of pregnancy and the endless to-dos of preparing for baby, and... umm... yeah. That's why we love food delivery services like Fresh Mommy that bring balanced (specially for pregnancy!) nutrition straight to your door.

Prenatal spas
Massages... facials... leg, foot and belly treatments... manis and pedis... there's no reason to give up the spa treatments now that your pregnant. In fact, if you've never been one to indulge, now is a great time to start. (Come on, who needs and deserves the TLC more than pregnant women?) Our fave spa is Destination Maternity's Edamame. Before you go, read our spa safety tips.

Maternity clothes >>

<< Bump watching

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Q: Fly before week 12?

Nest Paula — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:22:00 GMT

Q: I've heard that you shouldn't fly until after 12 weeks because of the risk of miscarriage -- is this correct? I feel like I've heard of lots of people flying before 12 weeks, though, so I'm wondering if this is just an outdated theory.

Dr. Ashley Roman: If you've never had a miscarriage before, it should be safe to fly. The other theory you've heard has to do with the fact that approximately 20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Once you've had two or three miscarriages in a row, this risk increases to more than 30%. If you are going to have a miscarriage, it's much more likely to happen in the first trimester than later in pregnancy. By flying, you aren't increasing your risk of miscarriage, but it can be logistically and emotionally difficult if you experience a miscarriage away from home.

First trimester to-dos >>

<< Flying while pregnant

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Q: Home Doppler monitor?

Nest Paula — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:00:00 GMT

Q: I just bought a baby heart monitor, but before I use it I want to make sure it's safe. What's your opinion on these?

Dr. Ashley Roman: Fetal heart monitors (or Doppler machines) do appear to be safe for the fetus. But, I generally do not recommend them for use at home. In many cases, they cause more stress for expectant mothers than relief. It can be difficult at times to find the fetus' heart rate since the fetus moves around a lot. Also, the fetal heart rate normally has some variation to it, so I've seen mothers get very concerned when the heart rate is higher or lower then they've seen before.

Heartbeat on ultrasound >>

<< Spot on baby's heart

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Q: Placenta's purpose?

Nest Paula — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:16:00 GMT

Q: Where does the placenta come from? What exactly does it do?

A: Once you're officially pregnant, your future baby consists of a little ball of swiftly multiplying cells in your uterus. Some of the cells in this bundle will grow into the embryo (which will soon start forming baby-parts), and others will grow into the placenta. So essentially, the placenta comes from the same roots as your child (perhaps explaining why some cultures refer to it as baby's "twin").

And what of this placenta? Well, it's got a pretty big role -- it is the vital connection between your body and baby's. Its full functions are complex, but basically, it takes goodies like oxygen and nutrients from your blood and moves them into baby's blood to help him stay alive and grow. It also filters waste from baby's blood and dumps it into yours (to be disposed of by your blood). The placenta is also the route by which damaging substances like drugs, alcohol or nicotine could reach baby, so remember to stay away from things that could cause harm! Finger-like growths tuck into the uterine walls to connect the placenta to you, while the umbilical cord connects the placenta to baby.

When you delivery, the squishy placenta (also known as the afterbirth) will follow baby out of your belly. If you give birth in a hospital, they will generally dispose of the organ as medical waste, but if you'd like to have a look before it's trashed, just ask -- most docs will oblige. Some women choose to keep the placenta and bury it, burn it our even dry it out and take it as a supplement (it's rumored to increase youthfulness and combat postpartum depression).

-- Erin Walters

American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Your pregnancy and birth. 4th ed. Washington, DC: ACOG; 2005.

Amniotic sac? >>

<< Placenta problems?

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Q: Amniotic sac?

Nest Paula — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:03:00 GMT

Q: What is the amniotic sac, and what exactly is it there for?

A: The amniotic sac, together with the amniotic fluid it contains, is the same thing as your waters or bag of waters (you know, the one that breaks when you go into labor). The sac consists of two membranes (known as the amnion and the chorion) that form baby's home while in your belly. This keeps baby warm, safe and surrounded by cushiony liquids.

These membranes usually rupture when it's time for baby to make an arrival, and may trickle or gush out of your body, signaling that it's high time to give your doc or midwife a call. In certain cases, if your amniotic sac has not broken and your doctor sees the need to induce labor, she may choose to rupture them with a special tool in order to start contractions and get the show on the road. Most women will go into labor within a few hours after this is done. However, if your amniotic sac gives way well before labor beings, other methods of induction might be used. (Baby can't hang around for too long sans amniotic fluid without risk of infection.)

-- Erin Walters

Nestpert: American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Your pregnancy and birth. 4th ed. Washington, DC: ACOG; 2005.

Amniotic fluid >>

<< Fetus in first trimester

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Q: Amniotic fluid?

Nest Paula — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:55:00 GMT

Q: What's amniotic fluid made of, and what purpose does it really serve?

A: The truth? Amniotic fluid is pee. Well, mostly pee. When the fluid first starts to form inside the amniotic sac (a few weeks after conception), it's mostly made of your own body fluids. But when baby's kidneys kick in and start putting out urine (at as early as 11 weeks), those new fluids start building up to help cushion and protect baby's growing body. After around week 20, the amniotic fluid is mostly urine.

This all might sound a little gross at first, but thank goodness for those fluids! They keep baby safe in case you fall, push out on the uterine walls to give baby more space (and allow for more practice wiggling around), help baby learn how to breathe and swallow, and serve as protection from infection by stopping the growth of certain types of bacteria.

The amniotic fluid also contains skin cells that have shed from baby, which means your doc can use it to test for some genetic disorders.

-- Erin Walters

American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Your pregnancy and birth. 4th ed. Washington, DC: ACOG; 2005.

Placenta problems >>

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