After I was reviewing my blog posts, I realized that I have nothing about signs of pregnancy. I think that this could be helpful for couples trying to get pregnant as well as people that are having an unplanned pregnancy land in their lap. On WebMD I found this list.

Pregnancy: Am I Pregnant?

If you're unusually tuned into your body, you might begin to suspect that you're pregnant within the first few days of pregnancy. But, most women don't suspect they are pregnant until they miss a period, and a few don't suspect or believe they are pregnant for months after conception.

Here are 5 common signs of early pregnancy. You may experience all, some or none of these symptoms.

1. A Missed Period. Missing your period is the most clear-cut sign of pregnancy. But it is not definitive, as stress or other factors may cause irregular periods.
2. Frequent Trips to the Bathroom. Even before missing a period, most pregnant women report having to go to the bathroom more often. You may even have to get up during the night! This occurs after the embryo has implanted in the uterus and begins producing the pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This hormone triggers frequent urination.
3. Fatigue. Utter exhaustion is a very early sign of pregnancy. Fatigue is a result of high levels of the hormone progesterone.
4. Morning (and Noon and Night!) Sickness. Guess what? That queasy feeling isn't limited to mornings. Most pregnant women who experience morning sickness feel slightly nauseated at other times during the day as well. About half have vomiting, but very few have severe enough morning sickness to develop dehydration and malnutrition.
5. Sore (and Enlarged) Breasts. If you're pregnant, your breasts will probably become increasingly tender to the touch, similar to the way they feel before your period, only more so. Once your body grows accustomed to the increase in hormones, the pain will subside.

If you have any of the above symptoms, consider taking a pregnancy test as soon as possible.

Managing morning sickness

For many women, the toughest part of early pregnancy is morning sickness. If you are suffering from nausea, vomiting, or both, you need safe measures that will bring you some relief. Your best course of action for managing morning sickness is home treatment. By following a few proven guidelines, you are likely to gain significant relief from nausea and vomiting. Home treatment measures for morning sickness include:

• Changing what, when, and how much you eat.
• Taking ginger, vitamin B₆, or vitamin B₁₂, which are known to reduce nausea and/or vomiting during pregnancy.
• Avoiding foods and smells that make you feel sick.
• Trying acupressure, which seems to work for some women.
• Taking doxylamine with vitamin B₆, which you can buy without a prescription. Talk to your health professional before taking this remedy.

If you have severe, persistent nausea and vomiting, see your doctor or nurse-midwife immediately. This uncommon complication of pregnancy can lead to dehydration and malnutrition, sometimes requiring prescribed medication or hospitalization.

http://www.webmd.com/baby/default.htm

Gosh, the more we are supposed to write in our blogs, the more I become blank as to what to write about. The girls I nanny for are now six months old, which means that they are eating normal baby food and discovering many new things about themselves everyday. On Wednesday we are going to JCPenny's for the girl's six month pictures. I am so excited to get to dress them and help make them smile for the camera. Throughout many of my human development classes I have learned a lot about how humans develop as well as being a parent. I am learning what a huge decision this is. I feel like it is something that people really look over and don’t always think seriously about. There are many young people having sex and then the child is the one who ends up paying the price for not always having a great childhood. I learned that on average raising a child that is born in 2007 until he/she is 18 years old, they will cost $250,000. I am sure that is not something most people think about. Babies not only require your time, energy, love, support, discipline, structure, books, toys and your undivided attention, but lots and lots of money. This can be a really scary thing for low income parents or even worse a single parent. Let alone, a single woman. Women don’t make as much money as men do and they end up being stretched in many directions. I do think that there are many resources for low income families here in Fort Collins, but what I really think parents need is information as well as support. I have found a few websites that might answer a few common questions parents often have.

http://www.tnpc.com/

http://www.parenthood.com/

http://www.ehow.com/how_2426_care-infant-after.html

Throughout this last week of babysitting I am realizing how fast children grow up. I have always wondered about their patterns, when they do what developmentally and when they do things such as start eating real food. The girls I nanny are beginning to eat sweet potatoes and baby cereal. I found some websites about general developmental progress that babies go through. Children generally start teething anywhere from five months to eight months, start eating real food around six months, and start talking around one year old. Really, the development changes from child to child. There is so much information available on the web as well as in books as to what parents will expect of there children.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/Time.html
http://health.discovery.com/centers/kids/timeline/timeline.html

All I can say for this week is that it was very uneventful! The girl's sleeping and eating patterns are changing, which makes things a little more stressful, but other than that things are the same. I work anywhere from five hours to twelve, so I can have a little extra cash rolling around. I will begin looking for a new job next week because my schedule will change as well as the girl's parents. Their mother works and their father is a student in college. I am sad to be leaving this job, but am excited for what is to come. I think that even know I love children so much I am going to look for something else. I have been taking care of kids for as long as I can remember and I am getting somewhat burnt out. When I have children I want to be excited about raising them and I want to have not spent all my energy on other peoples children. Anyway, I love my job and the twins are great! They are getting really big, which makes it a little harder for me to haul them places, but it's making my arms a lot stronger! It is amazing how fast they grow out of their clothing. One of the twins (Kate) is about two pounds heavier than the other one(Jami), so when Kate grows out of her clothes they fit Jami, so this works out for the parents. All in all, life is good and I am getting excited for the semester to be over!

This week of being a nanny has been so much fun. I absolutely love when babies are learning and developing. One thing that is hard for me is the fact that their sleeping and eating patterns change so much. Both of the girls are rolling over from front to back as well as back to front. This is exciting for them. I am learning that kids develop at different times and watching this with twins has been really fun to watch. I have recently been learning more and more about the importance of breastfeeding as well as breast pumps. Breastfeeding provides numerous benefits for the baby as well as the mother. During breastfeeding there is a hormone called prolactin, which creates a calming effect and helps to maintain milk production. On one of the sites I found, it said that breastfed infants are less susceptible to illness and tend to recover sooner than formula fed babies. Mothers who breastfeed tend to have less of a likelihood of things like ovarian cancer. http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/food/infants/breast_bottle_feeding.html
http://rehydrate.org/breastfeed/index.html. These websites are credible and have much information about breastfeeding vs. formula feeding. There are some reasons that women cannot breastfeed, and they will turn out just fine, but in general a baby who has been breastfed tends to have a few more benefits. In looking through all of these sites, I have found that breastfeeding tends to have greater benefits for the mother as well as the baby, but in one of my classes my Professor says it really doesn't matter, so I am at a loss. I have learned a lot and I think that every parent should look into sites like these to better take care of themselves as well as their child.

Well… time is absolutely flying by! I don’t know where to begin and my mind is in chaos mode. This past week being a nanny was so enjoyable, which was so nice considering school was the exact opposite. The twins were sleeping well, eating well and playing happily most of the time! Ahhh… what a relief! The girls are even rolling over! They have both mastered getting from their backs to their stomachs. The bigger one can also get from her stomach to her back! This is very exciting! This week I was also lucky enough to have one of them spit up all over me! There is nothing like a baby with a full stomach of milk just spraying it all over you.. this was such a joy! There is not much new to report here… so that’s all I have got.

What can I say... I love being a nanny. It is honestly one of the most challenging jobs at times, but definitely one of the most rewarding. Working for twin girls makes it even more challenging. One wants to eat while the other just wants to be held and if they don't get what they want what do you think they do?... Yes, cry. I have learned to be okay with them crying, but sometimes it just tests my nerves. This past week I watched them for two days. One of the girls just cried unless I was holding her. I don't know what her deal was, but I could not put her down without her having a fit. Luckily, her sister is much easier going. They have cloth diapers, which has been a totally new experience for me. I guess it makes sense because it has to save a lot of money. "In addition to the considerable cost savings, by using washable cloth diapers you are also helping conserve valuable natural resources. Recent studies report additional benefits of cloth diapering which include a lower incidence of diaper rash, earlier potty training and avoidance of harsh chemicals found in disposable products." http://www.clothdiaper.com/
http://www.diaperpin.com/howto.asp
I have found a few sites that provide a lot of information and success stories that go along with using cloth diapers. I would have never thought in a million years that I would even consider using them, but in my research I can definitely see why people do use them. There are many different options of what kinds to purchase, where to purchase them, how to wash them and so on. There are even services that will come to your door and get the dirty ones to wash and bring you a clean batch. They have different options as far as ways to clasp the diapers together as well. I have learned that the t-shaped claws they have to keep the diapers together are very sharp! I cut my finger pretty good on one of them! Well, that is all I have this week. Think about the benefits of cloth diapers!! It could help you in the long run!