Sympathy Weight?

British researchers have found that the average dad-to-be gains 14 pounds during his spouses' pregnancy due to more frequent dinners out and additional snacks around the house. However, unlike the females, only 30 percent of the men dieted with the new moms to lose the weight after the baby’s arrival.

Just wondering...did your spouse or partner gain weight during your pregnancy? Sound off in the comments section.

Mommy Marathon...Literally!

Did you hear about the pregnant woman who ran (and finished) the Chicago marathon when she was only eight days away from her due date? Incredible! Even more incredible...seven hours after finishing her marathon, she gave birth to her baby girl. Read more about this amazing story on the Today Moms website.

This mom's unbelievable story made me wonder, how much exercise is healthy during a pregnancy? Can you overdo it? According to WebMD, if you were physically active before your pregnancy, you should be able to continue your activity in moderation. It really depends on how physically fit you were before your pregnancy as to what is considered safe to do during your pregnancy. It is best to talk to your doctor about your exercise routine when expecting to ensure you don't exert yourself too much.

For some more great tips on exercise during pregnancy, check out the WebMD article here.

Great Lengths...Great Scott!

If you have ever reached your due date (I did twice), you know how maddening it can be that you haven't gone into labor yet. Pregnant moms get desperate to meet their little one and spur themselves into labor with all kinds of crazy techniques. But how far is too far?

Here's an interesting article from IVillage on how far some women will go to try to induce labor themselves. (Herbal supplements and Castor oil and hot peppers, oh my!)

Pregnant Women May Go to Great Lengths to Induce Labor

What did you try to do to get the (labor) party started? And did it work? Leave it in the comments section below.

Pregnancy Cravings...What are yours?

Recently, singer Joel Madden, boyfriend to expecting mother Nicole Ritchie, has spoken out about Nicole’s pregnancy cravings…hamburgers! And unfortunately, for Joel’s sleeping habits, these cravings come both day and night!

“It’s not so much the craziness of the craving, it’s just when she craves it – it’s usually about 2 or 3 in the morning, and that’s on me,” said Madden.

When Halle Berry was pregnant with her daughter, she craved pepperoncini, a mild and sweet Italian pepper that have a slight heat.

Tori Spelling craved Rocky Road ice cream with her second pregnancy, while Tina Fey had a major hunkering for donuts while pregnant with her daughter.

Fey said, “Somewhere during my pregnancy I gained something like nine pounds in two weeks and my doctor was like, ‘You know what it might be? Are you drinking a lot of juice?’ I was like, ‘Yeah. That must be it.’ I was eating like a box a day of Entenmann’s donuts!”

Most expecting mothers have a special craving sometime while expecting and some cravings are more exotic or more extreme than others!

About.com’s Pregnancy Guide Robin Elise Weiss tells us that the most common cravings among pregnant women are for sweet, salty, spicy, and bitter foods.

Some theories hold that there is also a wisdom of the body. A craving for milk might mean you need calcium; a craving for fruit may signal a need for vitamin C.

Tell us…what are your pregnancy cravings? What food could you not live without while expecting? Post it in the comments section below.

Raising Your Toddler While Pregnant

With less than a month to go until our new arrival makes his debut into this world, I am having serious mommy guilt about the time spent with my almost three year old daughter. She senses something is different about mama (perhaps it’s that I am huge and exhausted and slow as a turtle right now!) I want to make sure she feels loved and cared for these last few weeks of my pregnancy.

The demands of a toddler can be physically and emotionally draining on you, especially when you are pregnant. There are times during your pregnancy when you just need to rest, and your curious toddler may not understand that! You may feel like you are carrying two babies…one in your belly and one on your hip!

On the flip side, I wonder if the past few months have been hard for my toddler, too, since I have not been able to do the same routine at the same pace with my sweet girl. I did some research on tips for raising a toddler while pregnant, and here are some helpful hints I want to share with you!

- Enlist help. Find a mother’s helper or a family member that can come and play with your toddler on those days where you just need to rest or are not feeling well.

- On the weekends, try to catch up on your rest. This means your spouse or partner will need to pitch in more. (My husband has rocked throughout this pregnancy!)

- Stay home! Sometimes it is easier to care for your toddler at home than wrestling with car seats, strollers, tantrums, and bathroom breaks out in public. Just get creative those last few weeks of your pregnancy and play around your house to help you save energy and get ready for the big delivery!

- Rest when your toddler rests! If you are fortunate enough that your toddler still takes naps, make sure you rest when they do! I know it seems like a great time to accomplish something on your to-do list, but if you don’t rest, you will pay for it later in the day.

- Once the baby is born, make sure to carve out time with your toddler for special one-on-one playdates with you. Your toddler needs to know you still love them very much and that it is not all about the baby!

Good luck with your pregnancy from Pure and Honest Kids!

Moms-To-Be: Packing List for the Hospital!

Is it getting closer to time to your due date? If so, you may be thinking about packing your overnight hospital bag. Here is a checklist to help make sure you are equipped with all you may need during your hospital stay!

During Labor: During the labor process, there are a few things you may need to make this special time a little easier on you and your partner. Be sure to include in your hospital bag:

- A copy of your birth plan
- Insurance card for hospital paperwork
- Magazines, books and movies (Believe it or not, having something to take your mind off the early stages of labor can come in very handy!)
- Your Dear Johnnies nightgown (Available at Pure and Honest Kids, Dear Johnnies nightgowns are stylish, comfortable and a fashionable alternative to the hospital night gowns offered to you at the hospital during labor and delivery. Check them out here.)
- Slippers or thick socks for walking around during the early stages of labor
- Relaxation tools, such as music, extra pillow, tennis balls for squeezing through contractions, and a picture of something or someone you love to use as your focal point during contractions
- Camera and/or video camera to document the arrival of your baby (Don’t forget extra film, memory sticks and batteries.)

Postpartum: Once your little one makes his or her grand arrival, there are several things you will need to make your hospital stay more enjoyable. Be sure to include in your hospital bag:

- Toiletries
- Fresh nightgown or pajamas and extra clothes (Make sure the clothes you pack are loose fitting)
- Snacks you will enjoy after labor
- A nursing bra, breast pads and extra pairs of underwear
- A contact list so you can spread the word once you are settled in your postpartum room
- A going home outfit for you and baby (Make sure your going home outfit is roomy and loose- it is possible you will still look 5 or 6 months pregnant)
- Baby book for getting handprints and footprints of your newborn baby

And of course, make sure your infant car seat is installed safely in your car!

We at Pure and Honest Kids wish you a happy and healthy delivery of your sweet baby!

Stretch Marks---How to Prevent Them During Pregnancy

Stretch marks. Nobody wants them. You don’t know for sure until you are in the late stages or pregnancy and post pregnancy if you are going to be one of the unlucky ones that get stretch marks. Statistics show that more than half of all pregnant women develop stretch marks during pregnancy…some worse than others.

Research shows that stretch marks are largely genetic (meaning you are pre-disposed to have them if your mother or sister got them), but there are some things you can do to try to prevent them, or at least minimize the scarring.

1. Eat healthy, balanced meals. Don’t overeat. Keeping your weight gain between the recommended 25-35 pounds for an average sized pregnant woman will help you prevent your skin from stretching too much or too fast. A controlled and steady weight gain will let your skin stretch at a steady rate, thus making stretch marks less likely than if you gained a lot of weight all at once.

2. Drink plenty of water. Keeping your skin hydrated will keep it healthy during the stretching that inevitably comes with pregnancy.

3. Keep your skin moisturized beginning in the first trimester (start in the second trimester at the very latest) and keep up your moisturizing through post pregnancy as your skin continues to stretch and resort back to your pre-pregnancy size. These moisturizers will help keep your skin supple. There are many oils and creams on the market to choose from to help keep your stomach moisturized. Pure and Honest Kids has a few stretch mark products below for you to check out!

Remember that it is also important to take care of yourself during the postpartum period. The dramatic weight loss makes your skin susceptible to stretch marks once again.

Happy pregnancy from Pure and Honest Kids!

Erbaorganics Stretch Mark Cream
$18.00
For the Mommy-to-be, Erbaorganics skin smoothing stretch mark creams promotes healthy skin while locking in moisture and keeping it soft and supple. Ideal for growing bellies, the organic shea butter and organic sea buckthorn embrace the body with moisturizing nutrients, helping it to grow with pregnancy versus fighting against it. This luxuriously healing organic aloe base lotion contains carrot seed oil for elasticity, organic rosemary - a wonderful anti-oxidant, and organic lavender which is incredibly healing, with a super-safe food grade preservative to maintain ultimate freshness. Remember to take care of yourself as you take care of your growing baby! 85% organic. 4 oz tube.

Erbaorganics Mommy Travel Kit
$22.00
With so much to think about when you're expecting, Erbaorganics tries to make life a little easier by including all of your must-have Mommy-to-be products in one convenient traveling case. The kit contains small sizes of four sensational eco-friendly organic pregnancy products in a reusable travel bag. Organic stretch mark oil and organic stretch mark cream work to help the belly grow with pregnancy versus fighting against it while organic mommy oat bath soothes the skin, reducing itchiness, and organic foot and leg refresher helps reduce the appearance of swelling and soreness. Great to give or receive as a gift!