Buy Now! Crocs Cleo!

I highly recommend these flats from Crocs (Cleo) especially if you are pregnant. They're the most comfortable sandals I've ever worn!

Havianas didn't work for me. I tried using them for a while and I ended up having sores and my feet hurts at the end of the day after a long walk.

My feet is very comfortable with Crocs Cleo. They're just amazing and do wonders on your feet. The foot bed is ultra soft, and the heels are elevated to allow proper circulation of blood on your feet. One thing I also like about Crocs, is that they're slip-resistant (and non-marking soles), so for a pregnant woman like me, this is really a number one requirement when looking for a decent footwear. But wait there's more... it's anti-microbial and odor-resistant.

Get a Cleo, you won't regret it.

• sleek fashionable shoe design
• weighs approximately 170 grams
• non-slip and non-marking soles
• odor free foot beds
• water and sand wash through
• comes with bright and subtle colors
• bouyant footwear (it floats!)
• washable with hot water
  

Of Routinary Checkup at 35 Weeks

Last Saturday I went back to my OB for another prenatal checkup. I now weight a WHOOPPING 138lbs (probably coz of fluids??)! Wow!! My OB says it's pretty normal, since the baby is gaining enough fats in preparation for delivery and for his own protection.

And my weekly checkup has begun. I have been looking forward for this event to happen. Each day, I have a little bit of excitement as to when my little one will show a sign that he wanted to see his Momma already.

So for this checkup, here's some notes:

• Baby M is lying head first, a very good sign that I'll be having a normal delivery
• The pin-and-needle that I have been feeling this past few days is now gone, and replaced by "knife-life" pain on my cervix. At times I find it hard to walk, because it's just too painful. My OB says, this is due to the fact that Baby M is starting to descend down there and my cervix has started to stretch (open) in preparation for delivery. Though she confirmed that Baby M is still floating. So she adviced me already to start my walking session.
  
• Next checkup, I will have my internal examination, so she can predict my exact due date.
  

34 Weeks - Big Bad Belly Shots

This is me, at 34 weeks. I'm currently on my 35th week of pregnancy. Two more weeks to go, and my baby is full-term (all cooked up and ready to be born) yahooo!

From the beginning of this pregnancy, I found myself always looking at the growth of my baby each week. The hands, fingers, brain development, bone growth etc. Now nearing the end, as the baby's development is less intense, I find myself looking at other landmarks along the pregnancy. Some things that crossed my mind is the survival rate born between 25 to 35 weeks.

I am excited for week 36 to roll around because that would mean I would be able to have my baby then. Am I ready to give birth?? Maybe, maybe not. Considering that I still got lots of things to prepare. But you know what? 9 months is a good amount of time to prepare. To contemplate, to grow, and to learn about babies - to explore parental options as well as personal education and career options. Of course, you can never fully plan for anything - you need to go and adapt to whatever comes your way, but its good to figure out something ahead of time, to visualize what it is that you really want and therefore strive for it.

For the months that I have been pregnant, I have grown to be fascinated with so many things about baby-stuff and motherhood. Did I ever thing that I would be like this 5 years ago?? Babies and all?? No way!

Of Baby Buying: Gears

Diaper Bags and Slings

Got the slings from my Aunt in US, though there are slings and pouches that are already sold in Rustan's and department stores. I intend not to use a stroller/prams because they're bulky and slinging is better. I've got two diaper bags, I prepared a smaller and a bigger one.

Of Baby Buying: Nursery

Crib Sets: Fitted Sheets, Bumper, Pillows

I bought three sets of crib sets. Sometimes, meron naka set na or you can buy each individually. I suggest that you buy it individually, kasi hindi naman lahat magagamit, gaya ng quilted sheets na included sa isang set, you don't need that since mainit dito sa Pinas. All you need are fitted sheets for the mattress, pillows (and pillow cases) and bumpers.

Of Baby Buying: Layettes

I'm currently resting, and I'd like to share some of baby M's stuff. I've completed his layettes already. Come next week, and every thing will be all set. Since I'm having a boy, I played around with Blue, Yellow, Green and White colors.

Mittens, Socks and Caps

Socks for Cold Nights

Receiving Blankets and Velcro Bibs

Hooded Towels

Washcloth and Bath Towels

Kimono Long Sleeve Layettes

Undergarment and Short Sleeve Layettes

Sleepwears: Pyjamas and Sandos

Basic Layettes for Everyday Use

Why Breastfeeding is Best for Babies

There is no question, that under normal circumstances, breastfeeding is best for our babies. It provides the perfect food, and the perfect food delivery system.

Here are the known benefits of human milk:

1. It's Custom Made - Tailored to the needs of human infant, the breast milk contains at least 100 ingredients that are not found in cow's milk and that cannot be precisely duplicated in individual formulas. The nutrients are matched to an infant's needs and its ability to handle them.
   
2. It Goes Down Easily - The proportion of mother's milk is lower making it more digestible.
   
3. It's Safe - You can be sure that the milk served up directly from your breast isn't improperly prepared, contaminated or spoiled.
4. It's Tummy Soother - Nursed babies are almost never constipated, because of the easier digestibility of breast milk. They also have rarely diarrhea, since breast milk seems both to destroy some diarrhea-causing organisms and to encourage the growth of beneficial flora in the digestive tract.
5. It's Fat Flattener - Nursed with breast milk appears to relate to lower rates of obesity later in life. It may also be linked to lower cholesterol readings in adulthood.
6. It's Brain Booster - It increases a child's IQ at least through age fifteen. This may not only be relat to the brain-building fatty acids (DHA) it contains, but to the closeness and mother-baby interaction that is built into breastfeeding (which fosters intellectual development).
7. It Keeps Allergies on Hold - Virtually, no baby is allergic to breast milk.
8. It's an Infection Preventer - It lower respiratory infection, urinary tract infection, ear infections and septicemia in the first year of life. And it improves the immune response to immunizations for most diseases.

Here are the benefits of breastfeeding for Mom's as well:

1. Convenience. No advance planning, pacing, no equipment needed. It is always available.
2. Economy. No bottles, no nipples or formula to buy.
3. Speedy Recovery. It helps the shrinking of uterus back to its prepregnant size and decreases the flow of lochia (postpartum discharge).
4. Speedy Return to Prepregnancy Shape (My favorite!). It can help burn off fats accumulated during pregnancy.
5. Period Postponement. It suppresses ovulation and menstruation at least to some degree.
6. Bone Building. Improve mineralization in your bones after weaning and reduces risk of hip fracture after menopause.
7. Cancer Risk Reduction. It can reduce risk cancer down the road. Women who nurses have a lower risk of developing uterine cancer and premenopausal breast cancer.

And of course, breastfeeding brings you and your baby together, skin to skin, eye to eye. The emotional gratification, the intimacy, the sharing of love and please can not only be very fulfilling and make for a stronger mother-child relationship but it may also enhance your baby's brain development.

Source: What to Expect