Pregnancy and Birth Preparation - Third Time Around

Today, I wanted to share with you what I've been doing this pregnancy. I have to say, it's been quite a lovely pregnancy overall. No huge emotional turmoil such as I had when I was pregnant with my son. I did have some nausea and was extremely tired the first few months, but other than that - and a couple of small discomforts - this one really is a breeze...

You might think there's little if any prep to do for a third pregnancy... Hey, I've been around the block twice, should know the deal, no?

Well... No. I think every pregnancy is different, and every one is an opportunity for growth. And so I take it with both hands.`

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Mental prep
I have been reading as much as I can. So far, these are the books I've read:

• The Continuum Concept: In Search Of Happiness Lost (Classics in Human Development)by Jean Liedloff, highly recommendable, pregnant or not. Even if you don't want to ever have kids!
• Labyrinth of Birth: Creating a Map, Meditations and Rituals for Your Childbearing Year, I got this book from my midwife and really love it. I have yet to start my drawings, but am gathering supplies and can't wait to try.
• HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method: A natural approach to a safe, easier, more comfortable birthing (3rd Edition)

I'm also taking a private hypnobirthing course. I'm really enjoying it, as it forces us to take tame off and relax, which isn't always easy if you're homeschooling two other kids, so it's a fixed moment of relaxation. The kids have also been practicing the meditations with me and I really see the benefits. I must admit that I'm not as focused on it as I would like to be, but it's ok.

Excercise and posture
I've been doing prenatal yoga as much as possible (which is much less now that I've been single parenting for nearly three months). I'm using a UK DVD called "Penatal Yoga with Tara Lea" which I'm really enjoying. The full practice is both intense and relaxing and she pays specific attention to comman aches and pains (my sciactica thanks her!). I actually bought it before I was pregnant with my son. I didn't have a strong yoga practice by then and found it tedious, boring really, to start with such slow movements, but now I love the workout and it's really challenging - in a good.
I'm walking with the kids, daily.

I got myself a yoga ball to help with lower back and hip pain and a better posture and an orthopedic pillow to raise my legs when I'm on the sofa, which will hopefully help with my tired legs and varicose veins. Beats propping up with pillows by far!!

Nutrition
As far as nutrition goes, I try to eat plenty of fruit (and loving that it's berry season), I'm taking Salus Floradix Iron + Herbs and Nordic Naturals - DHA. When I got back from Liberia, I had my blood drawn, because I was feeling so sluggish and did have a lack in B vitamins and Vit D. Taking these supplements and getting some sun has replenished all this in about a month. (And I do feel much fitter).

I drink a prenatal infusion off and on (when I think about it). You can find my pregnancy infusion recipe here. 

Support
As I mentioned, I'm following a private hypno course, which has been really fun because it allowed us to meet a like minded person, which is always a blessing. I'm also visiting my manual therapist/acupuncturist, who'm I've know as far as I can remember.
I'll be trying prenatal shiatsu next month.

But the thing I was pretty anxious about was 'medical' care. In that I want only the necessary and more mental support than modern medicine offers. You may remember that I pretty much failed at that in my last pregnancy, ended up with an unassisted pregnancy and even UC.
This time around, I wasn't sure? To UC or not?
Then I found this amazing midwife who's really in tune with us and who offers exactly the kind of care that I craved for.

Aftercare will be handled by a local midwife, I'm still scouting but this is a question for a little later on.

That's about it... I think I'm getting pretty good at this ;)

Pregnancy and Birth Preparation - Third Time Around

Happy & Healthy Herbal Pregnancy Infusion

This pregnancy, I made quite a different herbal infusion for myself, as with every pregnancy, your need are different, so I like to work with that. Since I suffered from depression with my last pregnancy, I added lemon balm, for tension relief and good mood. I have also been travelling quite a lot this pregnancy and am starting to develop varicose veins, so I wanted to add some vit C to the mix. The best local European plant for that purpose is Rosehip.

So here's for the recipe:
1 part nettle
1 part Red Raspberry Leaf
1 part Lemon Balm
1 part Rosehip

This gives for a very palatable tea, where I don't need sweetener. It can be druk cold or hot, as you please.

Read a little more about red raspberry leaf in pregnancy here, as the recommendations for this herb are pretty versatile. I drink it throughout the entire pregnancy, limiting to one cup of this brew - which only has a small dose of RRL anyway - and slowly going up to three or four cups towards the end of pregnancy, more if required. If you experience painful cramps of uncomfortable sensations in ytour uterus in early pregnancy, cease drinking this brew, or leave out the RRL, resume later.



photo credit: quasarkitten via photopin cc

Happy & Healthy Herbal Pregnancy Infusion

Understanding your child’s online life

Content provided by Janice

To a parent, the online life of their children can seem impossible to fathom, a world of emoticons, indecipherable acronyms and hours and hours of cat videos. However, the internet can also pose dangers to your child, from cyber-bullying to online grooming. Getting involved in your child’s online life can not only help you understand them a little more, but it can also ensure that they don’t fall prey to certain dangers.

It can be tempting to keep an eye on your child’s activities by way of some sneaky spyware in the form of parental controls and monitoring applications. Although such software can be invaluable when it comes to protecting your child, actually sitting down with them and having a conversation about the dangers of the internet can remove the need for such measures in the first place.

Familiarise yourself and your child with the multitude of child focused domains available, check out Quib.ly’s child safe website list here - this parenting blog has resident experts that share their opinions and recommendations for parents. From safe browsers to fun games and resources, your child can learn how to use the internet in a safe and controlled environment. This also ensures that you are involved in your child’s online life from the very beginning, preventing it from becoming something secretive or even dangerous.

Already online

If you are the parent of older children or teenagers, then the likelihood is that their online lives are already well established. However, you can still involve yourself in their online lives by taking the time to have a discussion about the dangers of the internet and finding out if your children understand what these are.


Children need guidance and parental input to steer them in the right direction online, and away from harmful and illegal content. Without knowing the dangers, it can be all too easy for a child to be fooled by a predator online pretending to be their friend, or they can become engaged in emotionally damaging cyber-bullying without knowing how to extract themselves from the situation. Having open and honest conversations about their online activity can help to minimise this.

Encourage open internet use in family spaces rather than secretive internet activity. Monitor your child’s time online so it does not become excessive, and talk to them so they are aware that not everyone may be who they claim to be online. Ensure your children know that they must keep sensitive and personal information about themselves private, and teach them how to become a critical user of the internet, helping them to use their skills of deduction without scaring them.

With regular and unobtrusive chats about your child’s online life, such discussions can become commonplace, allowing your child to have an exciting and enriching online experience without you needing to worry.

photo credit: Kaptain Kobold via photopin cc

Understanding your child’s online life

Istanbul with Kids - Day 1

As we're spending some time in Turkey, I'm happy to share our experiences exploring the streets of Istanbul with a six year old and a two year old. We have always travelled with our kids and I wouldn't do it any other way. Many are afraid doing cultural travel with kids, but with a little planning and some considerations, it can actually be quite amazing.

Today, I will share what we did on our first day. We take things slow, and take time to look at small details, to run on the marketplace and have an icecream in between. It is possible to do more on one day, so see what is possible for your family.

Grand Bazaar
Our hotel is at the Asian side of Turkey, so in the morning, we have to cross the Bosphorus. We did
this deliberately, since we thought the morning journey with the ferry (it is also possible by road, but less fun), would relax the kids, while being exciting at the same time and put them in visiting mood. In any case it's much more fun to run around on a ferry deck and watch jellyfish than to be strapped in a car for over an hour. (Our Ferry starts at Usküdar and stops in Eminönü)

After the ferry, we took the tram from Eminönü to Beyazt. Right across the square is the entrance to the bazaar. Vigilance is required when you're travelling with small children as there are lots and lots of narrow streets and a lot of people, so it's easy to get lost.

What to buy? Obviously this depends on your needs, but here are a few tips:

• organic soaps 
• 'peshtamal' or Turkish Hamam towel - these are lightweight, quick drying cotton towels, look for the higher end ones as they are softer than the cheap variety - you can find these in organic cotton too
• Alladin type slippers for the kids
• Turkish delight, get the honey based kind
• If you like jewellery, you're in for a treat! 
• Lots of choice in handmade clothes, shoes and bags.

Entrance is free for all, but you can end up spending quite a few bucks with all this loveliness around.

photo credit: laszlo-photo via photopin cc

Blue Mosque

From the Grand Bazaar, the Blue mosque is just a brief walk away, follow the tramlines back the way you came. Stop in one of the many lovely restaurant for a lovely Kebap meal.

The blue mosque is the part of this day my daughter loved most. You have to wait until the end of service. Enjoy the lovely tiles and amazing architecture and take a moment to read up on the building's history and Islam from one of the free pamflets.

Entrance is free for all

photo credit: doc(q)man via photopin cc

Arasta Bazaar and Mosaic Museum

Coming out of the blue mosque, you will see arrows towards the Arasta Bazaar and the Mosaic Museum. These are certainly worth a recommendation  even though they are less known and slightly off the beaten track (maybe just because of this). The Arasta Bazaar is just one long street of handicraft shops. Ask your kids to look for the evil eyes, they'll have a blast (they're in the pavement, in the stalls, on the entrance ways...), prices seem slightly lower than at the Grand Bazaar and you'll value the relative calm after the Bazaar and the Mosque.

The Mozaic museum is very impressive, to say the least. Again, less visited but truly worth the detour. You can view gorgeous Byzantine mosaics and learn about the conservation process. 

Entrance is 10TL. Kids enter for free

photo credit: http://kahwailin.com/ via photopin cc

The Basilica Cistern

An incredible piece of architecture, the Basilica Cistern, a small walk away from the Mosaic Museum, is one of the many water reservoirs the city built over time. It is gorgeously lit and certainly one of the most 'must see' monuments in Istanbul. Expect big lines at the counter, but inside it's relatively calm. 

Entrance fee was on the higher end of Istanbul's tourist sites, but I don't remember and prices online are dated. I think it's 20TL.

photo credit: archer10 (Dennis) via photopin cc

After all this, the kids still wanted more, but quite honestly, we were pretty knackered. Then again, we weren't being carried around. There are quite a few things to see around without having to travel great distances: you can have a look at the vestiges of the hippodrome, the million monument...

Additional information:

• public transport fares (ferry included) are 3TL for a trip (a little over 1 euro/about 1,50USD). Get your token at one of the yellow machines near the entrance of your stop
• Where to eat? Istanbul offers a great variety of food at very affordable prices. Stop anywhere that looks clean and you'll have a nice meal. Throughout walks, you'll also find a big variety of street fods: seasonal fruit, boiled corn, chestnuts, ice cream, fresh fruit juices...

Look out for my posts on two more days of visiting Istanbul with kids!

Istanbul with Kids - Day 1